Faith Baptist Church
4258 Botetourt Road
Fincastle, Virginia 24090
(540) 473-2325
Lev. 26:23-31 & Deut. 28:27-48
We noted last week that Christian joy is lost when sin runs our daily lives. This is the life of the believer living in the cosmic system where mankind’s wants and philosophies of life are the center of his universe. When the believer leaves Bible doctrine he has no recourse but to go back to the world, “As a dog returneth to his vomit so a fool returneth to his folly.” Prov.26:11; II Pet.2:18-22. Even when our Lord’s teachings became too deep for many of his disciples to stick with and learn, they departed from him and walked no more with him. Jesus then asked his twelve disciples if they too would go away. Peter replied, “to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” Jn.6:66-68. This is what every Bible teaching pastor wants to hear from his congregation when things get tough. When this is not the case the freedom is on the way out for a nation because freedom is the fruit of righteousness.
The fall of a free nation is never brought about because people have no choice or that they are being victimized by wretched circumstances or poor leadership. The fall of a nation is grounded upon the failure of a free people who have chosen to let others, or their circumstances take their freedoms away from them. When people no longer hunger for righteousness, unrighteousness fills the void, and unrighteous men rule.
When we loose the perception of discomfort which sin brings to our souls, this means unrighteousness has filled the place where righteousness once reigned. The results are..
# 1. we loose the proper use and purpose of our conscience, and
# 2. we distance ourselves from our walk with God, Eph.4:17-19.
When believers become past feeling, a word from the Gr. participle, apalgeo, perfect active participle meaning, to be past feeling, and here the context is past feeling for the righteousness of God, then that nation in on the brink of disaster. The past feeling Paul mentions in Eph.4:19 relates to the believer’s callous conscience whereby the believer leaves biblical instruction to satisfy the flesh with approbation lust or some other kind of worldly lusts. This saint always has to be the center of attention. He or she has to be “busy for God” and others have to know about it. Some of the loneliest believers are busy for God.
A Christian can get used to being very lonely if he or she does not sense the presence of God in his life anymore. Believers distracted from getting Bible doctrine are attracted to other believers who say doctrine doesn’t work.
We have looked at the first three cycles of national discipline, and now let’s look at number four. I call this the last chance cycle, because if we do not turn around after this cycle of divine discipline we have had it.
Cycle Four
Lev.26:23-31; Deut.28:27-48.
This forth cycle is characterized by stagnant wars, starvation, high inflation, food rationing in addition to the disciplines of cycles 1-3.
Once again the warning is given in Lev.26:23-24.
They would not be reformed by God’s discipline. The word reformed means to be corrected as one corrects children when they misbehave. Israel did not acknowledge God’s correction in light of her disobedience. She could not be told she was suffering due to sin. Israel wouldn’t listen to the warnings of God’s prophets, because Israel thought her busy ceremonial worship was all God required.
Further correction follows when we give God a deaf ear.
Israel and Judah became more stiff necked and obstinate when God turned up the heat. As far as God being our heavenly parent he does not practice the popular parenting technique so many use today of ignoring the problem and hoping it will go away. [God would not ignore their sin because He knew they would become more perverse in their ways if he did.] Too often we all forget that God created us for his glory, not his entertainment and he will not tolerate but so much of our disrespect. He does not need us, but we need him.
The word contrary in v.23 also means perverse.
vs.25
“And I will bring a sword upon you that shall avenge the vengeance of my covenant;”
See Lev.26:3-13. Great prosperity would only follow if they were obedient to God. Great peril would follow if they were disobedient to God. This was God’s covenant with them.
Their military strength was not what it used to be. Their victories were harder to gain and their enemies were stronger than they, Jer.21:5; Jer.22:7. God raised up Judah’s persecutors and empowered them to overcome Judah as a form of national discipline.
[When Israel was in her glory no enemy regardless of size and strength could whip her, but when Israel was in apostasy even a small enemy could wreak havoc on her and this is due solely because Israel’s blessings and judgments were held in the balance of God’s satisfied justice. If we forsake God as his blessed people his strength and wisdom will be diminished among our military ranks and national leadership.
When this occurs the resolve of a people to put down irritating evil doers will be gone, and instead of decisively defeating our enemies we will cater to them, both at home and abroad.
“I will send the pestilence among you”, II Sam. 24:15 read...
Pestilence spreads quickly in cities where large concentrations of people coexist and war has set in. Often the result of wars brings disease and it spreads quickly. Epidemics spread quickly among a population especially when food is in short supply and clean water is hard to get. Healthy sanitation is one of the first things to go when people face starvation, and then disease soon follows.
War Changes Everything.
Only when war happens to us do we realize its dangers. Our nation is strongly divided now over our war in Afghanistan and Iraq as we chase the terrorist and militant Muslim fighters. Do we take the fight to them, or do we wait for the inevitable and let them bring the fight to us again, but in greater numbers and bolder methods? How many Americans do you think are already sympathizers of those who attacked our country on Sept.11, 2001?
[I believe a great many Americans side with our enemies because so many Americans have been brain washed into believing that America and its basic Christian beliefs are the problem. Apostates in our nation believe the influence of a pure righteous Christianity is a major problem. They say we are not flexible enough with our convictions to accept other religious beliefs; and that free enterprise and our support of Israel are counterproductive to getting along with the rest of the world.]
As David Limbuagh says in his book, Persecution, “Many Americans have a bad conscience about their rejection of the traditional views of Judaism and Christianity.
They know deep down that something vital and true springs from those roots, and still moves them.
On the other hand, they have “modernized” in certain parts of their mind, and they do not know how to put this modernization together with their traditional longings. They hate those who exacerbate this tension in their own souls.” [2]
These semi-traditional Americans find it quite uncomfortable when faithful believers remind them of the truth. For in hearing the truth they are reminded that they are sitting uncomfortably on the fence of compromise. It pains some folks to recognize they have changed from traditional American values to a new set of international values. Being politically correct has its price and that price is individual freedom. As a Christian, to be acceptable to others means you must not voice a biblical viewpoint and you must sacrifice your witness for Jesus Christ. This is totally unacceptable and is a recipe for national calamity. It cuts at the very heart and soul of being a devoted Christian.
Under the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States as stated in the Bill of Rights, each individual has the right to free speech, and this includes Christians.
Do not let others put a basket of human good and evil over the light God gives to you. Do not avoid the light God gives to you through Bible doctrine, or else God will take it away, Amos 8:11-12.