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(6-19-2020 latest)

6-14-2020 America in the Shadow of Israel, Transcript by Bro L. Richardson

This morning messages a little bit different than what normally I bring. For those of you that take notes, you will have a hard time getting it can outline other than if I just tell you what to what it is usually given to the heading and then get some things under that what it backwards this morning, will give the things and then give you the heading as we look around our country.

I believe we are seeing the dismantling of a great nation that once stood for the things of God. I don't know about anybody else. I'm troubled about that because we realize it is going to affect all of us and it is going to affect the way we live and the freedoms that we have. I mentioned this not too long ago. Ronald Reagan said when he was president - "this is the last place of freedom, no where else can we go, where else can you flee to, there's nowhere else to go."

America has been that land of the free, home of the brave. And now we are seeing many struggles with that and I will give some things to all of our scriptures. This this morning on how the Old Testament some people say why, why do we study the Old Testament? We are New Testament believers, we study the Old Testament to learn what happened so that we don't do some of the same mistakes that they made; sort of like history, of the reason we have histories to see what took place and found out what happened and you don't make those same mistakes again. But I think we can all say for sure together that our country is in serious trouble. This is our homeland. This is our home and we are in dire need of a moving of the Lord.

The Scripture always has an answer As I said so many times, He has the answer to our questions. The Bible has the answer to all of our problems and our questions that might arise.

As we look into these verses this morning in the Old Testament we are going to find out how Israel responded, how Israel reacted in days gone by and the result of that. I believe we are shadowing many things that Israel did. For some of the verses that I read this morning you may think my goodness these are the things that are taking place here and now. So, we will be dealing with Israel yesterday, America today, and the Christian in the future.That which is yet before us and we will be delivered.

The three main passages that I want us to to read and do as I read them most. The message will display the comment on the verses that would read and I'll give you the main point under that and so as we go through these passages I pray the Lord help us to look and to realize that God does have it under control. America, in the shadow of Israel. When we were children sometimes a shadow would be cast on the ground and would try to put our foot on the shadow and you can't do that because the shadow does everything the primary subject does.

I believe we are shadowing Israel. So many things in their lives and in their history and now we are following the same direction as they did, and it finally came down to one of our last passages this morning. It finally came down to where it says truth is fallen. So this morning if you take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Psalm number 95 Psalms number 95 will begin reading in verse number seven, and as we read how make some comment on that and then will go to the to the next passage Psalm number 97. It's amazing when you look at the Scripture how detailed the Lord is and how he brings it to our attention of who he is and what we should do for our country, and so in Psalm number 95 verse number seven says for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture. The sheep of his land, present tense right now. Today this is the dispensation or the period of time that God has given unto us whereby we can send forth the gospel. Some people call this the age of grace or the dispensation of grace I use that term but I really prefer the dispensation of the church. For the day the Lord has brought together the people of God, he established his church and he uses those people to send the gospel around the world. This is the dispensation of this is what we call the church age. Revelation chapter 2 and 3 gives you a pretty good outline of what this dispensation would look like this day. Today is the day of the gospel. Thank God. The gospel goes forth as the day of salvation. And he says if you will hear my voice. If you hear my voice. Don't be like Adam and Eve they heard his voice and they rebelled against him will be like some of the Old Testament people they heard the voice of God, but they did not do what God told him to do. They were rebellious and that so he says today if you will hear his voice, then it says verse number eight, harden not your heart so we hear the voice of God we open our heart and we let the Lord speak to us. Don't be like those that heard and really did not listen. They heard the words they read the words they knew what was said, but they did not follow the direction that God gave and says harden not your hearts as in the provocation that were provocation is given to us in a little bit later in this verse. It just simply means the time that they were in the wilderness is at 40 years that they wandered in the wilderness, and they were there because of unbelief they were there because they heard the voice of God, but they would not respond and so now they are in the wilderness wandering around and he says don't harden your heart like they did and in that day. It says in the day of temptation in the wilderness. It's a day of temptation that we all go through. All have that day we have the day of temptation. Every person goes through that and that day is today. This is the day the Lord has made. This is the day the Lord has given unto us and so harden not your heart in the day, the day of grace of the day of the gospel the day the preaching of the gospel and so in verse number nine of Psalm 95 says when your fathers tempted me. Now God is recalling to them some history God keeps good records by the way he keeps a better record than historians do, as is when your fathers tempted me proves me and saw my work 40 years 40 years long was I grieved 40 years, God said, I was grieved with that generation that would not hear the voice of the Lord they had the message they had the word of they had almost those things before them, but they would not ever. 40 years, God gave them provision. He fed them. He watered them. He took care of that he moved them from place to place. He gave them a place of worship, called the tabernacle they would set up around the tabernacle and it was set up in such a way that was pointing toward the Lord and pointing toward the things of God but yet think they missed all that. Yet they that they did not receive that and God says for 40 years I was grieved with this generation. This generation. I wonder what God thinks about this generation. What how the Lord looks at us and how he speaks to us and tells us and reminds us of. He keeps the good records and he provides for us to get he is grieved and I believe he's agreed with America. This morning I believe is great with the ungodliness and the anarchy and all the struggles it's taking I believe is grieved with that because the word of God is available. The provision as there is God taking care of us when you have a mayor of a city. One of the major cities on the West Coast and in that area when you have that mayor think of those that have overtaken. I think it's 6 and calling it another nation there calling it that they have they made the statement they seceded from this country know first thing to do. They put up a list of what they need and always will provide that the people I don't want to be around. But then they have the mayor of that city thing these people are really patriots read that this morning but I patriots the rebels and so we find this morning that there is a generation here that God says I'm grieved with it is a people that verse 10 that do err in their heart and they have not known my way that we know what God's way is is his law is judgment to statuettes. Why didn't they know it? Because they willfully turned their back upon God. That's what Israel did. They did not know God's way and it's the same way today. Jesus is the way he's the truth he's a life and people have literally willfully turned their back upon. So as God describes Israel here in Psalm number 95. I believe he is shadowing believe he is looking and we are in the shadows of Israel doing the same thing. Verse number 11 of Psalm number 95 says and to whom. I swear my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. There God is speaking about going to the promised land going to the land of rest, he said, so I'll swear in my wrath that they will not enter into my rest. When God swears he has to swear by himself because there is none greater than God. God says they will not enter into my rest. There not going to the promised land. They make the journey they go through. They even experience many of the blessings of the provisions but they're not going to enter into that because they have willfully turned their back up all the things of the Lord God swears in his might. We know the story how that generation rejected the promised land when the spies went over into the promised land to look at it and despite all 12 of them went only 2 of them came back and said we can take the land to and 10 said that we can't and majority ruled, the majority was wrong for God had already told him I give you the land you can possess it. So the Lord said that generation that has rejected and their unbelief, they're going to die in the wilderness, they did not enter into the promised land. They had no walk. They would not walk the way God told them to walk and that is described to us here in Psalm number 95 in these verses 7-11 Many times we can look at this verse and as we look at it this morning we can say what that sounds like the newspaper today. It sounds like what's going on now we have the message we have the word we have the Lord we have the way. They were rejecting the way left stumbling in the darkness and seeing things continually go the wrong direction. Just a few weeks ago we thought it was bad. It was three or four weeks ago, and probably three or four weeks down the road will see it's going get worse. I heard an individual mayor who said "in all my 30 or 40 years in public service is I did not ever think I'd see America become a lawless nation." We have laws but nobody abides by them we have what we are supposed to do but nobody does that. The troublemaker Isaiah tells us there comes a time when good shall be called evil and evil shall be called good. That's where we are so Psalm number 95 gives us that they would not walk or they would not follow after the Lord.

Now turn if we would to Deuteronomy chapter number 32, and again will do the pretty much the same thing in this chapter as in Psalms. Deuteronomy chapter number 32, verse number 1 says give ear Oh ye heavens and I will speak. Lord says I want you to listen says give here give attention to what's going to be said this is God speaking. Verse 32 were our chapter 2 verse one says oh you heavens God says I will speak is I want you to hear the words of my mouth. notes the first thing he says in chapter 32 verse is my doctrine, my doctrine where doctrine we know teaching. It means the teaching that God gives to us that brings us to a to a perfection in him to be born again. It's the grace of God it's not the law it is doctrine. His doctrine is grace for God is one. We are saved by grace, and if there was a law that could've given perfection, then righteousness would've come by the law. But the Scripture says there was no way that would happen because if there is a law that could make us perfect. That means we have worked up our own perfection and the only way that we can have perfection or be perfect in Christ in the Lord is to have the perfect Lord. Jesus Christ give himself for us and so he says give it your all you heavens of the words of my mouth, my doctrine. He says what I teach you says shall drop as the rain. I have published the name of the Lord, describe the greatness unto our God. He is the rock, not Peter, but he is the rock speaks of God. New Testament speaks of Jesus Christ. He is the rock. His work is perfect for all his ways are judgment of God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he thank God this morning. He's the Rock, the foundation and everything about him is just and right. Everything about him is true and perfect so he is the foundation that we are to build up all he was the foundation that Israel was to build upon but they rejected that foundation in the New Testament, the Jews rejected Jesus Christ and in our day and living time that we are in we are rejecting the way the truth and the life he is the rock. Verse five starts out with the words wild grapes just simply means his children that went wild. His children that disobeyed I will read a few verses. Here you will have to turn their this word they represents the represents the people of God that rejected him. Isaiah chapter 5 verse one says I will sing unto my well beloved a song of my well beloved touching his vineyard by well beloved at the vineyard and very fruitful. Here he thinks that he get out the vines planted. He planted it with the choicest of vines and built a tower in the midst of it also made a winepress therein, and he looked that he should bring forth good grapes says and it brought forth wild grapes. God says I did everything to it that could be done that would bring forth fruit, good fruit and it brought forth wild grapes and when he uses the word they hear. Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse number five. He's talking about those that had been gone have become wild and they no longer a believer trusted they corrupted themselves. They have corrupted them selves, their spot is not the spot of his children and they will not look like his children. Those Israelites of that day that God is talking about. They don't look like his people, their spots are not the spot of his children. They are a perverse and a crooked generation. They are not God's children. They just have a form and fashion they have a name. By the way, God knows his children. God knows everyone of us. He knows everything about us. We belong to him. He knows it and that it may surprise us sometime who is and who is not, but God knows his children but he says this generation are not his this group that had provoked him and rejected him. He he said you're not mine. You corrupted yourself, your spot or your look is not the look of my children. Deuteronomy 32 verse 6. Do you thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise is not he thy father? What more could God do for America that God has done for us and we rejecting everything he's done he says in verse seven. Remember the days of old. Consider the years of many generations ask my father and he will show me there's the history again by elders and they will tell the how they used to be. How was it in days gone by. Some of us can remember how it was in days gone by and were to publish them and to give them to our children and our children's children so that they might learn and they might know. But God said your generation don't even ask verse 18 of the rock there's that word again that of the rock that began the thou art with the next word on mindful this is Israel's history. I believe we can see America in the shadow of Israel's history, thou art unmindful and has forgotten God that formed thee. He despised what was going on. Verse number 20 of Deuteronomy 32 and he said I will hide my face from them. That's a problem when God hides his face from me, that means no blessings. I will hide my face from them. I will see what their end shall be for they are very far from the Lord. A generation of children of whom is said there was no want to begin with. Deuteronomy 32 is revealing that they were a boastful generation and the children have no faith. They do not have faith and they did not have the faith of Abraham. They didn't have the faith of Isaac. They didn't have the faith of Moses that were before them. They were a faithless generation. They died in unbelief. There is no Hebrews 11 faith here in Deuteronomy 32 Hebrews chapter 11 gives you the list of those that live by faith in our God by faith and accomplished many things by faith, this faith is not found in Deuteronomy chapter 32 no faith. The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God. Abraham believed God, the Bible says was accounted to him for righteousness of faith is that element and that's very important to each of us with these folks had no faith. Verse 21. They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God. They have provoked me to anger with their vanities. I will move them to jealousy with those which are not the people I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. God says I will make Israel a foolish nation. I will make that you angry with a foolish people. God is telling them when you go somewhere else, they will not listen. Yes, you and I here this morning in the house of God as a Gentile because the apostle Paul said. I go to the Gentiles, that you rejected Jesus Christ, not only in the Old Testament, they rejected it in the New Testament and went to the Gentiles. They will hear and Lord prophesied that hear Deuteronomy 32 he says you going your way and so God says I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation or foolish people. New Testament tells us what we used to be outside the grace of God. Thank God for his mercy and through his grace, we, as Gentiles came to know Jesus Christ, so we have the same privilege. Now the New Testament tells us that we have been grafted in We, as a Gentile. We have been grafted in, As the people of God we're doing the same thing that Israel did with the truth we hear the word we know about God in Christ, but we have no faith

Now turn with me to the last passage this morning in Isaiah chapter number 59 verse one we look at Psalms number 95. Look at Deuteronomy chapter number 32. Our last passage this morning, which I believe is a far greater damnation upon Israel and these others. Isaiah chapter 59 the first part of this chapter deals with how that that you cannot keep the law that serve that moral law ceremonial that they just could not keep it and they didn't have the power to do that. We cannot keep the law we are saved by grace and we have heard the gospel and that we try to walk with the Lord will try to have faith in God. Israel said we don't want it was that will not happen so there was no walking with God. There is no faith in God Isaiah chapter 59 verse one into the whole the Lord's hand is not shortened, that he cannot save neither his ear to be that he cannot here praise the Lord's hand is not shortened his ear is not deafened. He can reach us and he can hear us. Notice first to the no problem with the Lord. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hidden his face from you that you will not hear no hearing number three no hearing as a country as a nation will listen as a country as a nation of Israel, they would not listen to God, they would not follow God, they would not walk after him. They will not do those things that that was pleasing to him, they would not accept exercise faith and now they just are not going listen. America in the shadows of Israel. Verse number three for your hands or to file with blood in your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken lies your tongues or your tongue have muttered perverseness will. That could be our headline news this morning. Hands are filled with blood, fingers with iniquity, lips speak perverseness. God didn't find anything good about his people or find anything pleasing about the people of Israel. Verse four none call for justice nor any plaintiff for truth. They trust in vanity and speak lies they conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity. There is no truth. They have rejected you reject truth that means you have no truth. Pilate asked the question, "what is truth?' Okay, we have the word of God and that is truth, as he says here in these verses. He said your hands are filled with blood. Your lips are lying ane your tongue is perverse. He is talking to his people Israel as a nation, as I said, as we read these, we can find America right there in the shadow the same thing. There is no truth verse number five. Isaiah 59 they hatch snake eggs and weave the spider's web. Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works. Their works are works of iniquity and acts of violence in the hands their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood who want to be said their innocent blood. Innocent blood by the way, is more than abortion, but that is innocent blood, but we watched on our TV the last or three-week multitudes of people blood being shed innocently because the mob rule and the lawlessness and the authorities just giving over sin. You can have it now in Seattle. They have a six block square that they call theirs and guess what they did? They built a wall around it. That's their own little nation of no laws and when I read this morning. It's worse than the wild wild West of no control. I do not thank anybody thinks Americans are not in trouble this morning. We are in trouble. There is no peace. Verse 19 judgments, far from us near-death justice overtaken so there's no judgment, no justice. We wait for light and that light is the light of truth, we hold obscurity for brightness but we walk in darkness, we groped for the wall like the blind, and we groped as if we had no sight. We stumble at noon day as in the night. We are in desolate places as dead men or we are in desolate place. We stumble like those that are blind that are not used to where they are now falling stumble because they cannot see God. That's what God is saying about the leadership of our country. Verse 11 of Isaiah 59 we roar like bears. We look for judgment that there is none for salvation but is far off from us. What a terrible state. The fact that there is no salvation. There is no deliverance, our transgressions are multiplied. Our sins testify against us. Our transgressions are with us. God goes on and on. These people that have no faith and have that do not have the look of his people there. There is meaning their problem they're getting. What's wrong with them. We have no eyes, we stumble in the dark and churches in danger that very condition today. Hardhearted, cold and different Laodicean age church. The verse number 14. This is were really one and Isaiah 59:14 and judgment is turned away backward and justice stand of far off for truth is fallen in the streets. I don't think you have to make commentary on that truth has fallen in the street and equity and fairness cannot enter these next few verses I could go on and on. I think enough is been said that, I believe, we realize that America is walking in the shadows of Israel or we are making the same trip that they did. Verse 16 God says I saw that there was no man. Later on he says there was no intercessor. It means a prayer warrior. Why thank God for people that pray for me. I thank God that I can pray for others. We have an intercessor. His name is Jesus is all hope gone is all hope lost? No, because we have a deliverer. Also, in one of these days I believe soon and very soon he's going to come and he's going to snatch us out of this terrible world in which we are living. We will disappear. Praise the Lord. I wonder what the news media will play that I wonder how they'll report that one? Many people will disappear. I guarantee the devil has an answer. The Bible says they will believe the lie because of the dilution. I used to wonder how the world is that will happen and what I believe are seeing it happen right now people are delusional they believe what they want to believe. Regardless of what this book says God says your spot is not the spot of my children. God help us this morning to realize that we are on the winning side. I may not look like it right now and there's a lot of there's a lot of atrocities is a lot of terrible things happening on both sides. I'm on the winning side and one these days Jesus is going to snatch us out here. Thessalonians says will be gathered to him God help us in this dark world which we live, shine forth, the bright shining light of the Lord Jesus Christ. May God help us to do that must stand together this morning.