This sermon emphasizes how God never leaves His people clueless during times of disaster, sending prophetic messages to warn and guide. It discusses the need for repentance and acknowledgment of God's warnings, drawing parallels between historical events and current societal responses. The message highlights the consequences of pride and the importance of humbling oneself before God's correction, urging a genuine return to Him amidst national calamity.

Never in the history of mankind has God ever left his people clueless during a time of disaster. Never. He has never left us clueless. He's never left us trying to figure it out on our own. He's always given an understanding. God spoke to his people in time of calamity. And even now, while I stand here, God is raising up prophetic messages today in pulpits all across America and around the world that are preaching just what I'm preaching to you this morning. I received a call from a pastor, a friend of mine from the West, last night. He said, Pastor Dave, I have to deliver a message tomorrow to my people and I'm scared to death. Because it's so against what everybody seems to be telling people today. And I'm scared to death and I want to run it by you. And when he ran it by me, I said, well my friend, that's what I'm preaching tomorrow. And all over the country, because these men have heard from God and they weep and they grieve, they repent. But still they know they have to proclaim what God's word says and to bring the message home to our hearts. I'm going to give you a word that I don't think, I really don't want to hear in my flesh and most of you don't want to hear. It's going to sound heartless to some and cruel and untimely and unkindness in a time of grieving. But if we don't hear it, if we don't face it, the nation is doomed. Absolutely doomed. Therefore the Lord, look at verse 11, Isaiah 9, verse 11. Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries and raise them against him and join his enemies together. Verse 13. For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts. The Lord himself set up the adversaries. The people did not turn unto him that smiteth. Now let me tell you that God uses, God for Israel during Isaiah's time used the enemies of Israel as a rod to chase him and warned them to repent. God had to use it as a last resort to bring them back into his heart. To bring back the blessing and to destroy their enemies and to put up walls of protection. You read Isaiah 5, he said because of the sin God let the walls down. God let the walls down. God used Assyria, let me read it to you, as a rod to correct Israel. Oh Assyria the rod of mine anger and the staff in their hand is my indignation. The weapons in their hand are my indignation. I will send him against the hypocritical nation and against the people of my wrath. Will I give him a charge to take the spoil, to take the prey and tread them down like the mire of the streets. Isaiah 10, verses 5 and 6. The next chapter in verses 5 and 6 you'll see it. He said I'm going to take an evil nation and I'm going to use it as a rod. As a last resort to bring my people to repentance and to my heart. That I may make provisions and provide for it and protect it. But they turned their backs upon me. Now folks let me tell you God is going to do it. As soon as he was finished with Assyria he destroyed it. Now let me tell you what's going to happen to the terrorists. Please go look at chapter 10, Isaiah 10, verses 12 through 15. Wherefore it shall come to pass when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Zion and upon Jerusalem. I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria. Now verse 8 says Assyria is his rod. Assyria has already attacked. Assyria has done its work against the nation. And now God says now I'm going to deal. I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria and the glory of his high looks. For he saith by the strength of my hand I've done it and by my wisdom. For I am prudent and I've removed the bounds of the people. And I have robbed their treasures. And I've put down the inhabitants like a valiant man. My hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people. And as one gather eggs like are left. And I've gathered all the earth there so none that move their wing or open their mouth are peaked. But shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith. Or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it. As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up. Or as if the staff should lift itself up as if it were no wood. For God is saying yes now you've lifted yourself to pride. Now I'm going to destroy you. And I can assure you that it won't be long until everyone are in hell. God is going to do it. God himself is going to deal. In some miraculous way he will deal with all these adversaries and the terrorists. You can mark it down. God will deal with this. God will deal with it. Suddenly as the Assyrians come and God in his love is chasing Israel. Suddenly the buildings are collapsing. The Bible says in verse 10 the bricks are falling down. Look at it. Verse 10 chapter 9. And the bricks are falling down. The sycamores are cut down. In fact the forest were on fire. Buildings were on fire. Israel was in flames. But I ask you a question. Now listen to me closely please. Did Israel repent? Was there any national acknowledgment that God was warning? Did any of those who were rulers see God in the calamity? No because it's very clear from the scripture. The initial fear gave way to a flood tide of national pride. Look at verse 8 and 9. And all the people shall know even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria. And see this is the heartland. That say in the pride and stoutness. The word stoutness there in Hebrew is a sense of greatness. In their pride and a sense of greatness of heart. And they are saying the bricks are falling down. But we will build with hewn stones. The sycamores are cut down but we will change them into cedars. Here's what they were saying by their actions. And listen closely please. These calamities are just fate. Unfortunate disaster that can't be explained. Oh but we are great people. We are a mighty nation unbending. We are proud people. Let the world know we will build it up bigger and better. There were bricks. We will rebuild with impregnable stone. Where there was cheap construction destroyed. Sycamores we'll build with better materials. We'll build with cedar. We are a blessed nation proud and powerful. We will come through this trouble better than ever. But you see no one was asking. Is God saying something to us? Is God trying to speak to us? Does it sound familiar? God himself sent a covert chastisement on Israel to wake them up. And to bring them back to himself to protect them. But they don't even once acknowledge his working in it. They don't heed the message. But they use this disastrous occasion to defy the very thought. That such a proud great nation could ever be humbled or chastened by God. Now folks I thank God for a moral president. We prayed for him before this happened. We were praying. Remember we were pleading and interceding. God give wisdom to this president. God something is about to happen. Give him wisdom. We have prayed and interceded for him. Thank God for the Christians in high places. Thank God at least temporarily there is a turning to prayer around the nation and around the world. Do you remember the Gulf War? Do you remember how packed all the churches were in New York? Do you remember a whole three days of prayer? And the next week New York City came apart with parties. Do you remember? The whole nation called to prayer. Thank God President Bush Senior spent the night with Billy Graham on his knees. And that's probably why we were successful in that occasion. Thank God for people that are sober and beginning to rethink their lifestyle. And we're to pray for our leaders. And thank God we live in a land of freedom. But still we're missing the message. We have moments of silence. And we call that repentance. We see politicians in the steps of the government buildings singing God bless America. And we call that turning back to God. We applaud the NFL for calling for a moment of silence at halftime. And we call that a spiritual experience. Is that all that's going to come out of it? One moment of silence. And back to the painted faces. Back to chugging beer. And screaming for their favorite team. Back to sitting in front of the television laughing with Leno. This morning I turned on the radio to see what was happening. And they were replaying the senators and congressmen on the congressional building steps. And they were singing God bless America. Stand beside us. Lead us. Guide us. And I wept and cried. I could hardly stand it. Because God was saying David don't you understand. There's only a handful that believe that these are the same men that have ruled me out of their society. They're trying to remove my name from their school books. They have aborted babies. And now they're singing God stand beside us. What hypocrisy. These politicians pontificating about God now. The very ones that are protecting abortion rights. Let's see when a nation is under divine correction it will do one of two things. It will humble itself as did Nineveh. Or it will give God lip service and then turn to its own strength and power to rise above the correction. The cry is rising now. We have the strength and the power and the might, the ability, the resolve to endure any disaster. Because we're a proud and great nation. Thank God for patriotism. Thank God for the American flag. I thank God for the temporary national unity and folks that's what it is. It's temporary. I thank God for the incredible heroic efforts and sacrifices we've witnessed. The world wonders at the fortitude and love of the New Yorkers in this time. And the Americans in general in Washington D.C. and everywhere. But folks we face now the same danger of missing God's message as did Israel. We're at the same crossroads now that Isaiah spoke of. If you and I lived in Jerusalem and Judah in the time of this prophet. I have a sense that many of us would have walked out on him. We wouldn't have listened. We wouldn't have heeded it. Because the nation refused to believe Jerusalem their favorite city. Or their nation of Judah could be brought low. And here comes Isaiah preaching. While all the false prophets were preaching peace. He said, shall not God as he has done to Samaria and her idols. So do to Jerusalem and her idols. He said, what makes you think you're exempt Jerusalem. Don't you know that I have just destroyed nations all around you for their idolatry. The same idolatry you're practicing. And he comes now with this message. Shall not God as he has done to Samaria and her idols. Do also to Jerusalem and her idols. What makes you think your nation is exempt. All across America now we hear of prayer and remembrance meetings. Prayer and remembrance. Now folks, we've got to remember those who died. That's scriptural, that's honorable. Thank God for what's happening. But why do we find it so impossible to call for prayer and repentance meetings? Why is it remembrance and revenge? Yes, God will take care of it. This has to be dealt with for that 100%. But where is the call for turning back to God in America? Where is the call? Where is anyone hearing the message? Let me give you the message. God is trumpeting. Time is running out. I've sent you prophets and watchmen. You've been warned over and again. I prostrate you above all nations.