Isaiah 59: Your True Enemy

Transcript

Understanding Sin and True Enemy

Speaker 1 0:00

Hello everybody , welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host , pastor Brandon . Today , isaiah 59 , and today's title is your True Enemy your True Enemy . We'll get into all that in just a moment , but if you like what we're doing here , make sure you like , share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast , make sure you leave us a five-star review on the podcast , make sure you leave us a comment on the YouTube channel and make sure you go into the the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook , because the more we dig , the more we find and there's a major , major thing going on over there where they're doing wonderful devotions and they're just getting better and better every single day . So make sure you're going . You're reading those in the mornings . Okay , all right , if you have your Bibles , want to join me in Isaiah , chapter 59 .

Speaker 1 0:39

I don't know if you've noticed a theme going on recently , but there's a theme in the past few chapters that God will say I got some good news for you and then there's a whole lot of bad news after that , right ? Well , today there is this moment where God says I got this big idea for you . Remember , the overall theme of Isaiah is God is our salvation , and he's going to tell them I've got this big idea for you . I've got this thing I want to do , but you're not going to understand what I want to do until you understand why I need to do it . Right , that's like the idea of have you ever had something where you're trying to explain something to somebody Like , listen , I need to go do this thing , but why I need to go do this thing , but why ? And you say I just need to . Well , if you explain to somebody why you got to go do the thing , then they may understand why we got to go do the thing . Right , and God is constantly saying listen , you got to turn back to me . I need you to turn back to me . And they're going you know , nah , you know I got my thing going here . He said , no , you got to turn back to me . Well , why ? God will tell you . I'm going to tell you exactly why . And so he's going to tell us exactly why we need to be very self-aware when it comes to our lives with God , because he's got a big idea for us . And so we're going to read this , and we're really going to take the first two verses , but we're going to read the whole thing come back up again , and that's going to be what we're going to focus on today . So if you're ready , isaiah 59 , verse 1 , says this Listen , the Lord's arm is not too weak to save you , nor his ear too deaf to hear you call .

Speaker 1 2:13

It's your sins that have cut you off from God . Because of your sins , he has turned away and will not listen anymore . Your hands are the hands of murderers and your fingers are filthy with sin . Your lips are full of lies and your mouth spews corruption . Great Thanks for making me feel better .

Speaker 1 2:39

Verse 4 . They conceive evil deeds and then give birth to sin . They hatch deadly snakes and weave spider's webs . Whoever eats their eggs will die . Whoever cracks them will hatch a viper . Mark me off for that . All right , no , thank you .

Speaker 1 2:54

Their webs can't be made into clothing . Nothing they do is productive . All their activity is filled with sin . The violence is their trademark . Their feet run to do evil and they rush to commit murder . They think only about sinning . Misery and destruction always follow them . They don't know where to find peace or what it means to be just and good . They have mapped out crooked roads and no one who follows them knows a moment's peace .

Speaker 1 3:26

So there is no justice among us and we know nothing about right living . We look for light but find only darkness . We look for bright skies but walk in gloom . We grope like blind along a wall , feeling our way like people without eyes . Even at brightest noontime we stumble as though it were dark Among the living . We are like dead . We growl like hungry bears . We moan like mournful doves .

Speaker 1 3:56

We look for justice , but it never comes . We look for rescue , but it is far away from us . Our sins are piled up before God and testify against us . Yes , we know what sinners we are . We know we have rebelled and have denied the Lord . We have turned our backs on our God . We know how unfair and oppressive we have rebelled and have denied the Lord . We have turned our backs on our God . We know how unfair and oppressive we have been carefully planning our deceitful lies . Our courts oppose the righteous and justice is nowhere to be found . Truth stumbles in the streets and honesty has been outlawed . Yes , truth is gone and anyone who renounces evil is attacked .

Speaker 1 4:39

The Lord looked and was displeased to find there was no justice . He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed . He himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm , and his justice sustained them . He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head . If you want to know where that is in the New Testament , look up Ephesians , chapter 6 . He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion . He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds , and his fury will fall on his foes . He will pay them back to the ends of the earth . In the west , people will respect the name of the Lord . In the east , they will glorify him , for he will come like a raging tide , driven by the breath of the Lord . The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem and buy back those in Israel who have turned away from their sins , says the Lord . And this is my covenant with them , says the Lord . The spirit will not leave them , and neither will these words I have given you . They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and on your children's children forever . I , the Lord , have spoken . Wow .

Speaker 1 5:51

So once again we have three sections . We have two verses where God is saying I have a big idea for you , but I need you to understand why you're not able to receive it . Then he talks about all the bad stuff and then at the bottom he is saying but I want to do something better in your life . Well , what did he say at the beginning ? He said the Lord is not too weak to save us and he's not too deaf that he can't hear us . You ever felt like that ? You ever felt like that you were asking God to do something for you ? And it's like God , are you not strong enough to fix this issue ? Are you not hearing me when I'm talking ? And God's word , god , through Isaiah , is saying of course I'm not too weak and of course I can hear you . How could I not ? I mean like I'm everywhere , like I hold the universe in my hand . I hear you , I'm plenty big enough . Well then we would say God , what's the problem ? And God's like exactly there is a problem . And here it is .

Speaker 1 6:49

He says verse two . He says it's your sins that have cut you off from me and it's because of your sins that there's now a separation between us . And so you know why God cares about our sin it's because it separates us and our fellowship away from God . And then what he does is he goes through a list and he's saying look at what's going on in your life , look at this . And you're asking me for help . And I'm telling you I want to help you , but your sin has separated you from me , it has separated your fellowship with me . And so he's saying look at all these things . And sometimes that's what has to happen , right , sometimes God has to put a mirror up in our face before we go . Oh , oh , no wonder . Matter of fact , that's what the law was .

Speaker 1 7:34

The Bible says in Romans that God created us , and then we fail into sin , and then God gave us the law to see how far from him we had fallen . And that's when he says in Romans , chapter 3 , all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God . And then he says later and the wages ? The cost of our sin is death , but the gift of God is eternal life . And he says I got a big idea for you , but it's your sin that has separated us from one another .

Speaker 1 8:02

And so here's kind of a checklist that we can go on when we're going through something difficult in our life . The checklist is is God doing something that I don't understand ? Is the enemy attacking in a way that I need to pay attention to , or is sin separating me from my fellowship with God ? And so here's three things you can do , and I do this all the time . Okay , I'm gonna be honest with you , I do this all the time , and so is God doing something I don't understand . Is the enemy doing something that I need to rebuke in Jesus' name , or is there unconfessed sin in my life ? And that is a way of God waving that flag , going hey , pay attention , you know what I mean . And so I fix it in opposite order . As a matter of fact , jesus said that one of the things we're supposed to pray when we pray is God forgive us of our sins , as we forgive those who have sinned against us . And so I take care of the first one of the three , because when we're going to do it , the other order is there sin ? Is it the devil , or is God doing something I don't understand , right ? So , first of all , take care of the sin , and so I want to encourage you to do this every single day .

Speaker 1 9:02

Forgive anybody who has offended you , and one of the things I love is I love to forgive people before they have offended me , because I know they're going to right . So , before they even have a chance , I'm like God , someone's going to make me mad today , so , before they do , I need you to help me with that right . I love how someone said that , dr David Youngki Cho . He pastors the largest church in the world in South Korea . It's like a million people . He said every day , I forgive so many people because I hate so many people . I'm like amen .

Speaker 1 9:34

And so every day , first of all , forgive everybody in your life , even if you don't feel like it . Say , as an act of faith , God , I'm working on it . And then say God , if there is any unconfessed sin in my life , will you tell me what it is ? Will you bring it to my attention ? So , there's any sin in my life , I can repent of it , because I don't want anything to stand between me and you , and that's a bold prayer , cause can I tell you he will . It is amazing to me how many times I will pray that prayer and I will just sit quietly for a moment and just think about my life and something was kind of come up to me and go oh man , yeah , I did say that to them . I need to write that down . I need to go make that right . Yeah , I did do that , god , I'm so sorry for that . Yeah , I did think that , god , I'm so sorry for that . I don't want . I don't want that between me and you . And it's amazing how God will do that . And I take care of that

Spiritual Warfare and Trust in God

Speaker 1 10:18

one .

Speaker 1 10:18

And then number two the Bible says let us not be led into temptation , but deliver us from against the enemy . And we say , in the name of Jesus , I bind every demonic work of the enemy , I call it null and void , of no effect , in Jesus name , and I declare freedom in my life , and so I take care of any sin , I take care of any work of the enemy , and then I just trust the Lord . Then he might be doing something I don't understand , and that's what God is saying . Is he's saying I am not too weak , but sometimes it is not me , it is . You have let sin get into your life , and then he goes through what it looks like .

Speaker 1 10:55

And so can I encourage you today , if you're going through a season right now where it feels like God is not strong enough or God is not listening , go through my checklist . First of all , pray and say God has my sin cut off your goodness in my life . Are you allowing me to experience the fruit of my sin as a flag waving to help me see where my life is ? If so , walk with God and ask him to confess it and repent of it before him . Number two take your stand against the enemy in Jesus' name . We have no power of ourselves , but the powerful name of Jesus is what we stand on , and so declare your victory in the name of Jesus . And then , number three trust him , and if you do that , you'll be amazed at what God does in your life . Let's pray together .

Speaker 1 11:41

God , thank you so much that you're with us and you're for us . And , lord , I pray that , as we're listening to this or watching this right now , if there'd be any sin or anything in our life that we need to get rid of , I pray you'll reveal it to us so we can walk free and clean in your world Right now , in the name of Jesus , we just bind every work of the enemy over every person listening or watching this right now in Jesus' name . By the powerful name of Jesus , we declare freedom right now . And , holy Spirit , we trust you in all things and we trust that you're always doing more than we can see . We thank you now in Jesus' name . We pray Amen , and you know what God's word says in Isaiah 12 , verse 2 , god has come to save me . I will trust in him and not be afraid . The Lord , god , is my strength and my song , and he has given me victory . I love you . I'll see you tomorrow . For Isaiah , chapter 60 .