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Judges 21:25
This verse summarizes the entire book of Judges.
It describes the moral condition that brought Israel into judgment over and again, and it also describes the reigning philosophy of America.
As we’ll see, Israel repeatedly declined, backslid, and got away from God.
Why go into this?
Because America is at the tipping point of moral and financial collapse.
The GOOD NEWS is that we have tools at our disposal to turn it around that I’ll discuss at the end of this message.
Now today, let’s explore the parallels between ancient Israel’s moral and spiritual decline, and America.
First, Israel was established by God Himself, and God gave Himself to them.
He also gave them the law (comprised of 10 commandments).
And He gave them Canaan, the best land on the earth at that time.
So God gave to Israel the Lord, the law, and the land.
God only asked them for one thing in return--that they would love Him, obey Him, and serve Him.
What did Israel do?
They denied the Lord, defied the law, and defiled the land.
So, God brought them into judgment.
The parallel with America is obvious and sobering.
No nation has ever had a Christian beginning like America.
We too have been given the Lord, the law, and a land, and in return we too have denied Him, defied Him, and defiled our land.
Let’s cover these one at a time.
First:
1. America has indeed denied the Lord.
Since the 1960’s, the Lord has slowly but steadily been expelled from every public venue.
It started in the public schools, and has spread to public places, court houses, our coins, and our pledge of allegiance.
It’s to the point where we today are fighting battles about what we can even say in the church!
It is no longer just about the separation of church and state, but rather the separation of America from the God Who founded and blessed her!
America has officially denied the Lord.
And next:
2. America has defied the law.
The Supreme Court says that it is against the law to display the 10 Commandments in a public place (though their building displays them!).
They argue that if you display them people might ponder them and if so, they might obey them, and that would be a violation of the separation of church and state.
It is now the official position of our government that the 10 commandments are dangerous!
I have to think of Paul’s words here, “Professing themselves to be wise, they have become fools” (Ro.1:22).
After all, we wouldn't want kids in school to see 'thou shalt not kill' because, oh my, what if they obeyed it!
The direction that our once Christian nation is headed in is foolish, and defies basic common sense.
Like Israel, we have denied the Lord, and we have defied the law...
And thirdly:
3. America has defiled the land.
We've done this in many ways, but perhaps the #1 way is found in the spilled blood of aborted babies.
Since Roe vs. Wade was enacted in 1973, fifty million babies have been aborted, increasing by 3,700 per day.
That’s an entire generation of people!
In the book of Jeremiah, God lists several reasons for which His judgment was coming to Israel:
Jer.
22:17 “Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, for shedding innocent blood, and practicing oppression and violence.”
God says in Prov.
6:17 that one of the 7 things He hates is “the shedding of innocent blood.”
No other person is more innocent and helpless than a baby in the womb.
That’s why I CANNOT VOTE FOR ANYONE WHO SUPPORTS ABORTION.
God said to Jeremiah the Prophet, “Shall I not punish them for these things?
says the Lord.
Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?” (Jer.5:29)
A nation like what?
That sheds innocent blood.
God took away His glory from Israel when they did such things.
And I believe He is in the process of removing Himself from America.
We need a national revival.
We need a spiritual awakening!
Like Israel, we have denied the Lord, defied the law, and defiled the land.
Now, let me use the illustration of “a family fortune” to show what happens in the life of a typical nation.
When a family becomes rich there are 3 stages which always seem to occur:
The first generation generates the fortune—these are the producers.
The second generation speculates the fortune—that is, they place it at great risk thru a series of compromises and foolish decisions.
The third generation dissipates the fortune—they squander and waste it away and it is gone.
That is exactly how it works with a nation.
There is the first generation that generates the freedom,
Then a generation that speculates it away, and finally,
A generation that dissipates it until it is completely gone and freedom is no more.
GENERATION - SPECULATION – DISSIPATION
Let’s look at how this pattern was played out in Israel.
First we had:
A. The first Generation
What do we know about the first generation of Israel that entered into the Promised Land?
Under General Joshua, Israel was given victory after victory by God.
Walls came tumbling down, giants were defeated, and kings were subdued.
They won victories they could never have accomplished apart from the power of God.
And that's just how it is with America!
Go back to our first war, the Revolutionary War.
Britain had more men, more money, and better weaponry...
The young, stripling America of 13 colonies was up against all odds.
The long and fierce battle was truly a David and Goliath scenario, but God was on our side and we won!
The great George Washington became our first president.
When he took office he placed his hand on the Holy Bible.
He finished taking the oath and kissed the Bible.
His first official act was to lead the entire congress in a 2 hour worship session.
Our founding fathers made it abundantly clear that this land was founded on God and the Bible.
A textbook called The New England Primer was the first book to be used in Early American public schools for years.
It asked questions like:
Who was the first man?
Adam
Who was the oldest man?
Methuselah
Who is Jesus Christ?
The son of God.
The questions didn’t stop there.
Mere elementary aged students were asked:
What is the chief end of man?
Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
What do the Scriptures principally teach?
The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.
If one looks at the Founding Fathers’ writings, speeches, and the documents written by them, one sees that the lessons of The New England Primer helped shape, in the Founding Fathers’ case, a nation.
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