Chuck Smith emphasizes the urgent need for Israel's repentance, drawing from Psalm 80, where God laments over Israel's disobedience and the consequences of their turning away from Him. He illustrates how God had nurtured Israel like a vine, but due to their unfaithfulness, they became vulnerable to their enemies. Smith highlights God's desire to bless and protect His people, urging them to return to Him for true satisfaction and strength. He warns against the dangers of idolatry and materialism, reminding listeners that God longs to fulfill their needs if they would only listen and obey. The sermon concludes with a call to recognize the lost opportunities and blessings that come from a relationship with God.

Oh, let the Son of God enfold you With His Spirit and His love Let Him fill your heart and satisfy your soul Oh, let Him have the things that mold you And His Spirit like a dove Will descend upon your life And make you whole Welcome to The Word for Today. A broadcast ministry of Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California. Pastor Chuck is currently leading us on a verse-by-verse venture through the entire Bible. And on today's edition of The Word for Today we'll be continuing with The Appeal for Israel's Repentance. As we pick up in the 80th Psalm, beginning with verse 8. And now with today's message, here's Pastor Chuck Smith. And so, for the nation of Israel, you brought the vine, the nation of Israel, out of Egypt. And you cast the heathen out of the land and you planted the vine. God planted the nation of Israel there in the land. And then you prepared room for it. Because you did cause it to take deep root until it filled the land. The nation of Israel, having been rooted there, began to be established and it began to spread out over the whole land. And the hills were covered with the shadow of it. And the boughs thereof were like goodly cedars. Just became strong. Broad boughs. She sent out her boughs under the sea. They conquered all the way over to the Mediterranean. The branches clear unto the river Euphrates. Why have you then broken down her hedges so all which pass by do pluck her? Now when they would plant their vineyards they would build up rock walls around them to protect them from people just passing by and ripping off the fruit. And so every vineyard had these rock, and even today you'll see these rock walls all over the area of the Valley of Eshkol where they still grow grapes. You'll see these walls and some of them no doubt trace. It's clear I'm back to this time. The walls that protect the vineyards. But you have broken down the walls so that all that pass by do pluck her. Israel is no longer protected by God but has become a prey to their enemies. The boar, the wild boar out of the wood does waste it. The wild beast of the field devours it. Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts. Look down from heaven and behold and visit this vine, the nation of Israel. We've been wasted. We've been devoured. But Lord, help us. And the vineyard which your right hand hath planted, the branch that you made strong for yourself, it is burned with fire, it's cut down. They perish at the rebuke of your countenance. Let your hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou made as strong for thyself. So will not we go back from thee. Quicken us, we will call upon thy name. Now this verse 17 is a very interesting verse. Very interesting in light of the fact that it is really a prophecy. For let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand. Who is it that is at the right hand of God on high? What is he called in the scripture? The son of man. So let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand. Upon the son of man who you made strong for yourself. So we will not go back from thee. Make us alive and we will call upon your name. So really it's the prayer for the Messiah. And it is interesting that today in Israel there is again that prayer for the Messiah. They realize that they are having a difficult time surviving as a nation. And many of them realize that their only hope is for the Messiah. Let God's hand be upon the man of his right hand, the son of man. Psalm 81 begins with an encouragement to sing unto God aloud. For God is our strength. Make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. And so the calling of the people to sing unto God. A joyful noise. Take a psalm. That is one of their songs that they sang. And bring out the timbrel which is sort of equivalent to our tambourine. And the pleasant harp with the psaltery. The harp and the psaltery were stringed instruments that they used to accompany the singers. Then blow the trumpet in the new moon. And in the time appointed and on our solemn feast day. For this was a statute for Israel, the law of God for Jacob. This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony when he went out through the land of Egypt. So let's return to the Lord. Sing unto God. Bring out the musical instruments. Let's get together. Let's worship the Lord. Now God in verse 6 seems to answer and respond. And so God calls and says, Hear, O my people. I will bear witness to you. I'll testify to you. If you'll just listen to me. There shall be no strange God in thee. You've got to get rid of these gods that you've been worshiping. You cannot serve God and mammon. What is mammon? Money, materialism, possessions, the things that money can buy. And you can't serve both God and mammon. They can't both be the God of your life. It's got to be one or the other. There shall be no strange God in thee. Neither shalt thou worship the strange gods which Israel had begun to do. They were prospered. They were blessed. God made them strong. They had subdued their enemies. They were wealthy. During the reign of Solomon, silver was as common as rocks in Jerusalem. They were a wealthy nation. But they began to worship the material things that their wealth could bring to them. And in the luxury of their wealth, they forgot God. They forsook God. They turned away from God and began to worship the pleasures of the world, the flesh. He said, I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt I'll take care of you. I'll take care of you every need. Just open your mouth wide and I will fill it. But, God said, my people would not listen to my voice. Israel would have nothing to do with me. So I gave them up to their own heart's lust. God called to them, find in me your full satisfaction. In your love for me. In your relationship with me. Find that fulfillment that you're searching for. I'll fill your life. I'll satisfy your life. And truly serving God completely, giving your life to God completely is a very satisfying experience. And God testifies of the fulfilling experience of letting him be the God of your life. But God said they wouldn't listen. And so, God just gave them up to their own heart's lust. Okay, if that's what you want, then take it. And they walked in their own councils. And as a result, they became weak as a nation. Morally weak. Spiritually weak. But they follow. Spiritually weak, then morally weak, and then physically weak. And as a result, they went into captivity. And now we're experiencing this horrible bondage again. God had brought them out of the bondage of Egypt. But now they're back into bondage again. It's a sad thing when a person has experienced the power of God in their lives and have been freed from the bondage of corruption. Blessed of God. Anointed of God. But somehow, someway, grow cold, turn their backs on God, begin to worship strange gods, and they end up again in bondage. So was Israel. And God wept. Verse 13 to the end is God's lament. Oh, that my people had hearkened unto me. Oh, that Israel had just walked in my ways. Oh, if they would have only had done that. If they'd only listened. I should soon have subdued their enemies. They wouldn't be captives today. I would have destroyed their enemies. I would have turned my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the Lord would have submitted themselves unto Him. And they would have remained in the land forever. God declares the blessings that He would have bestowed upon them had they only been faithful and true to Him. Even as God speaks to us today of those things that He desires to do for you as His child. Oh, if we would only listen, if we would only hearken. I would have fed them also with the finest of the wheat. I would have satisfied them with honey out of the rock. And so God's cry, God's lament, it's over the loss of the people. That is what they have lost. The lost blessings. The things they could have known. The things they could have experienced. The things God wanted to do for them but was not able to do for them because they wouldn't listen to God and follow in His way. History repeats itself over and over again. We find Jesus crying over Jerusalem over the very same thing. He had come to bring them God's peace. He had come to bring to them God's salvation. He had come to bring the kingdom of God. But they wouldn't listen, they wouldn't hearken. And as a result, they were to be destroyed. The Roman troops would come in. They would level the city. They would ravage the women. They would kill the little children, dash the children in the streets. They would be unmerciful in their destruction. And Jesus, seeing that, wept over Jerusalem. Thou that stonest the prophets, all that God has sent to you. If you only knew in this thy day the things that belong to your peace, the things that God would do for you. But they seem to be hid from your eyes and therefore the enemy is going to come and they're going to besiege the city. They're going to level the city to the ground. Your little children will be dashed in the streets. And He weeps over their lost opportunities, over their refusal to allow the Lord to do for them those things that God was wanting to do for them. But they wouldn't listen to God. And the end result was always, instead of victory, it was captivity, slaves to their enemies. And so today, history doesn't change. It repeats. And we see today so many people that God loves and God wants to bless. God desires to forgive their sins, to wash them, to make them clean, to give them power over sin. But they won't listen to God. They continue on in their own stubborn way. And God weeps over the lost opportunities. He can see that the path that they have chosen is a path that will lead to slavery. It will lead to defeat. It will lead to bondage. And you're just missing out. All that God desires to do. Oh, God said, if they would only have listened to me, then I would have been with them. I would have defeated their enemies. They could have stayed in the land. I would have given them the finest way. I would have, I would have, I would have. And He wanted to do these things for them, even as God wants to do these things for you. He wants to forgive your sins. He wants to give you freedom over the world, the flesh, and the devil. God wants to bestow upon you His blessings, the richness of His grace. But we try to find it on our own. We turn our backs upon the law of God. We do not walk in His commandment. And as a result, we go into captivity. We're being destroyed. And God stands by and weeps. Because God won't violate your power of choice. He won't force Himself upon you. He will do His best by persuasion to turn your mind and heart towards Him. But if you persist and insist on your way, then finally God will just give you up to your own heart's lust. He said, all right. And then He just stands and weeps as He sees you going down the path that's going to destroy you. Oh, God, help us to listen, to hearken to His voice. In Jesus' name. In Psalm 82, which is an interesting psalm, a psalm that is used by the Mormons to prove that they are going to be gods, having their own planets, and running their own show one day. Scriptures that are used by some of the modern-day TV evangelists to prove that you can write your own ticket, that you can be sovereign, that you can have whatever you want, because after all, you're a god, has bought in on this. And we're going to be showing the folly of it all as we get into ye are gods concept in Psalm 82. The New Age movement, it's coming all around us. Everybody's telling you, you are God. I'm telling you, you're not God. And I'm not God and you better be thankful. Man, I'd have done you in a long time ago. According to the New Agers who have become very well entrenched in our educational system, in our public life and all, man is on the verge of the next great evolutionary transition. And that this next transition will bring man into the God consciousness, for evolution is in reality the evolution of the consciousness of man. And so even as you have a higher consciousness than the ape from which you sprang, that next punctuated equilibrium of the evolutionary theory is going to bring man into the God consciousness, the universal consciousness. And these other sages of the past who are channeling their wisdom through the New Age channelers have one basic message and that is you are God. I think you'll find it rather fascinating when you find out what the scripture really says. I'll tell you what God said right now. He said, I am God and there is no other. He said, I don't know any other. If He doesn't know any other, then you can be sure there are no other. Who worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator. It's a dangerous trap. We'll return with more of our verse-by-verse study of the Psalms in our next lesson as Pastor Chuck Smith continues with The Prayer for Israel's Deliverance. And we do hope you'll make plans to join us. But right now, I'd like to remind you that if you missed any part of today's message or perhaps you'd like to order a copy for that special friend or loved one, you can do so by simply contacting one of our customer service representatives and they'd be more than happy to assist you with the ordering details. Simply call 1-800-272-WORD and phone orders can be taken Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time. Once again, our toll-free number is 1-800-272-9673 And for your added convenience, you can order online anytime when you go to TheWordForToday.org And while you're there, be sure to browse through the additional resources that include Bible studies, commentaries, CDs, DVDs, and so much more. Once again, that's The Word for Today online at TheWordForToday.org And for those of you who still prefer to write, you can use our mailing address, which is The Word for Today, P.O. Box 8000, Costa Mesa, CA 92628 And be sure to include the call letters of this station with your correspondence. And now, on behalf of The Word for Today, we'd like to thank all of you who share in supporting this ministry with your prayers and financial support. And be sure to join us again next time as Pastor Chuck Smith continues his verse-by-verse venture through the Psalms. That's right here on the next edition of The Word for Today. And now, once again, here's Pastor Chuck Smith with today's closing prayer. Father, we thank you again for your goodness, your blessings, your love. And Lord, we pray your blessing now upon your people. Listening to you as you speak to our hearts through your word, help us, Lord, to surrender and submit ourselves unto you, to walk, Lord, in your ways, to be obedient children, that you might bless us, Lord, as you are longing to do because of your love for us. May we receive, Lord, your blessings, your guidance, your love. In Jesus' name we pray. I am Goliath. What's going on? There's a big scary giant! Don't be afraid, we have God on our side. My name is David and I know all about big scary giants. I've defeated lions and bears and God will help me defeat Goliath too. It's true, and Pastor Chuck wants to tell you all about the story of David and Goliath in his new book, Just for Kids. So come along on a great adventure and discover how God used David to defeat a big scary giant. And learn why David believed that God was big enough even to conquer Goliath. And as a gift, each book contains an audio CD of Pastor Chuck actually reading the story of David and Goliath so your kids can read along. To order your copy, call the Word for Today at 800-272-WORD or to see a sneak preview of the story of David and Goliath, visit us online at thewordfortoday.org. This program has been sponsored by The Word for Today in Costa Mesa, California.