Ruin and Restoration

Nationally, there is no doubt that the luster of Ole Glory has been tarnished. The stars on the flag just do not shine as brightly as they once did. Not only is America tarnished so are America’s institutions.

Churches are more concerned with prosperity than preaching, and Lord forbid, if the church spends money on mission activities. I know we are to be good stewards, but let me ask you a question. Who gets the money in a church once the church is raptured?

Congress is also tarnished as it is an absolute debacle as the people’s business is being held hostage because political demogogues cannot select a Speaker of the House.

Schools are more worried about gender than grammar. Our nation lies on the precipice of collapse and ruin, but that collapse has not been brought about by a national malaise but by the rot and decay of individuals who have rejected God’s Word, and even by some Christians who have rejected God’s Word.

Today, we are going to look at ruin and restoration.

I. RUIN

Individually and nationally, ruin is on the horizon.

A. The Ruin of a Nation

America is on the verge of national ruin. Biblically, there is no direct reference to the United States of America.

Nation after nation has faced God’s wrath. Nations like Egypt, Babylon, Judah, and Sodom have been judged by God.

Nations have been judged completely by God because of sin. We limit the sins of Sodom that led to her destruction to homosexuality, but that is not correct. Here is what the Bible says about the sins of Sodom.

Ezekiel 16:49–50 “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.”

As background, you must understand that Ezekiel is comparing Judah to Sodom. In that comparison, Ezekiel listed the sins of Sodom, and the sin listed first is pride.

Sodom’s pride started her down the path to judgment. It was a pride that stuck its tongue out at God by refusing to repent.

Isaiah further described the sins of Judah.

Isaiah 59:2–4 “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, And your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: They trust in vanity, and speak lies; They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.”

Look at the sins of Judah.

Hands defiled with blood. Are America’s hands defiled with blood? Ask the 62 million babies who have been aborted. Ask the countless victims of murder across our nation.

Lips have spoken lies. Is there any truth in America? If it is, it is not found in Washington DC.

Tongue hath muttered perverseness. Is America perverse? Adrian Rogers said before he died that sin that once slinked down the back alley now proudly struts down main street America.

None calleth for justice. Is there justice in America? Even Christians do not really want justice because if we did we would follow every law.

If God does not judge America, He owes apologies to some other nations. Here is the sad reality. I believe, personally, that the Great Depression, World War II, and COVID were the beginning salvos in God’s judgment of America, yet most Christians, especially with COVID, totally dismissed it being God’s hand of judgment coming down on a sinful nation.

B. The Ruin of a Lost Person

An individual’s ruin is brought about in much the same way as national ruin.

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, And an haughty spirit before a fall.”

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

The definition for a haughty spirit is a spirit full of arrogance and pride. It is an attitude of self-satisfaction and self-fulfillment. It is an attitude that dismisses the need of repentance and the need for a Redeemer.

As we discussed a couple of weeks ago, God chose all men to be saved.

1 Timothy 2:4–6 “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

God, however, will not allow a man to pridefully and continually reject the Holy Spirit. The rich fool was ruined quickly as judgment fell on him as he was planning on eating, drinking, and having a good time. As an individual, you will reject Jesus Christ only so many times until you are no longer bothered by the sin you commit. That is the entire point of this passage in Romans.

Romans 1:24–25 “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”

When that happens to an individual, when God gives them up to their uncleanness, that individual is ruined eternally. Hebrews also describes what happens.

Hebrews 6:4–6 “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”

A person will only be convicted of their lost eternal condition so many times. Each time they get to the point that he or she knows the need for salvation, and eventually, due to rejection, it will be impossible for that individual to be saved.

Hebrews 10:31 “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Dear friend, I beg you. If you know the Holy Spirit is calling you to salvation today, please accept it before you fall into the hands of the living God.

C. The Ruin of a Christian

Hebrews 12:6 “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”

If you are saved, God will not allow you to openly bring shame to Him, and if you can haphazardly sin and not feel the chastening hand of God, you are not saved. It is an idea that Christians have drifted away from over the years as more and more apostates sneak into the church.

When you are saved, you are saved from sin not to sin. (Romans 6:1-2)

Romans 6:1–2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”

God will not allow a Christian to live in sin without chastising that Christian.

If you are a Christian, here is what happens when you sin.

(1) God convicts you of your sin. (1 John 1:9)

It is at this point, you are to confess your sin immediately. When you confess that sin, God expects you to repent.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

If you do not confess your sin, God goes to the next step.

(2) God chastises you for your sin.

God is your Father if you are saved. If you are saved, you are a child of God. Think of that in terms of when you were a child. Would your father allow you to act any kind of way without punishing you?

Here is where you must be careful, and this is why confession is so important for a Christian. If you refuse to confess and God has to chastise, it might not just be you that gets chastised. Just ask David who lost almost everything because he refused to confess his sin and repent.

If chastisement does not work, God goes to the next step.

(3) God challenges you about your sin.

The challenge can come in all forms. It could be God’s Word. The challenge could come from a preacher or a sermon. The challenge could come from a friend or family member. It is at this point in a Christian’s life that sin and its issues having taken a very serious turn.

Using David again as an example, who did God use to challenge the king about his sin? NATHAN

2 Samuel 12:1 “And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.”

God sent Nathan to challenge David about David’s sin, and dear friend, if you do not confess sin, if you refuse to acknowledge God’s chastisement, God will challenge you also.

If the challenge does not work, God does the unthinkable.

(4) God’s consummation of your sin.

2 Samuel 12:13–14 “And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.”

David finally confessed, but I am telling you if he had not have confessed, God was about to consume David’s sin by Nathan pronouncing death on David. Nathan says because you have confessed, the Lord has put away your sin, and now you will not have to die, but David’s sin did affect the innocent.

We dismiss this in the church today, but we should not. I am not saying that every accident that happens to a Christian is the result of God’s consummation of a sin that he or she refused to confess, but I am saying that there are many Christians who have left this world prematurely because they would not confess their sin to God.

Even the New Testament teaches us about the dangers of Christian sin.

1 John 5:16 “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”

Who did John write 1 John to? Christians. (1 Cor. 11:27-31, Acts 5:1-5)

What did John write? For a Christian, there is a sin unto death.

1 Corinthians 11:27–31 “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”

Acts 5:1–5 “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.”

I believe that those who got sick, weak, or died from taking the Lord’s Supper unworthily and Ananias and his lovely bride committed the sin for a Christian that leads to an early death, and that sin is lying to the the Holy Spirit.

Dear friend, you better be careful about the promises you make as a Christian to God. If you promise to God that you are going to do something and are not going to do something, I want you to know God will hold you accountable for that promise.

When you make a promise to God, He expects you to honor it, and if you do not, that sin could lead to a premature death if you do not confess it and repent of it, and even if you confess and repent of it, God has promised us in His Word that whatever we sow we will reap.

Ruin is a terrible thing. It can happen to a nation. It will happen to a lost person, and it can happen to a Christian. Tragically, national ruin occurs because of individual ruin.

2. Restoration

If a nation is going to be restored to greatness, that restoration comes from God, and God’s people are the tools of restoration.

The Restoration of Christian People

If America is ever to return to the godly principles upon which she was built, that restoration will begin with God’s people. Christians, today, dismiss their role in the decline of America, but if American Christians would have realized and done the things I am about to discuss, America would have never declined to where she is today.

America is not in decline because of the lost or because of politicians. The Bible tells us why a nation declines.

1 Peter 4:17 “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

I want to point out a couple of things in this verse.

First, Peter says it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Peter did not say judgment is to begin in Washington DC or in Los Angeles, California. Judgment must begin at the house of God. Immediately, we think of that in terms of the church, and it does but not in the way you may think. It is better to say that judgment begins with God’s people.

I want you to know what God said specifically about the temple or the church.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

In the New Testament Church Age, if you are saved, your body is the temple of God.

Why is your body the temple of God?

You were purchased with a price, and that price is the precious blood of Jesus Christ according to 1 Peter 1:18. You no longer belong to you. You were bought by Jesus. (1 Jhn. 3:4-9), and you have the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Can I share with you some concerning verses?

1 John 3:4–9 “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.”

Your body is the Temple of God. You gave up ownership when you accepted the payment Jesus offered. If you are being led by Jesus, you will not live in sin. That is exactly what John says. I want you to know that grandma was wrong when she said no one was perfect. John clearly says that because of the Holy Spirit that a Christian does not have to continually sin. It is really a conviction of our old nature.

Judgment begins at the house of God which is you if you are saved. If you judge yourself as you should, you will be listening for the Holy Spirit as He convicts you of your sin, and you will confess and repent, and repent is the key. We should not have to continually confess the same sin. You should only have to confess it once and then turn from it.

Dear friend, there is too much sin in the Temple of God, and it is leading to national and individual ruin.

Second, Peter infers that if judgment begins with God’s people, it will have an impact on those lost individuals.

The church is supposed to be influencing society by leading the lost to Jesus Christ, and you have heard me say it a million times. We will change this nation and this world one saved soul at a time. No politician can do what the power of Jesus can do.

It is time for the church, and that means you and me since individually and collectively we are the body and temple of God during the Church Age, to stop going through the motions.

If America is to avoid ruin and if lost individuals are going to avoid ruin and if Christians are to avoid an early grave, three things must happen.

First, Jesus Christ must be LORD. (Romans 14:8-9, Galatians 5:22)

Romans 14:8–9 “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”

If Jesus Christ is Lord, Galatians 5:22 tells us that certain fruits will be evident in our lives. Things that can never be law passed against, and if we bear those fruits, those facing ruin will impacted.

Second, Preachers must be BOLD. (Acts 2:14)

Acts 2:14 “But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.”

Peter had been waiting in that upper room in Jerusalem, and when it was time for the Holy Spirit to come unto men, Peter boldly proclaimed the truth about Jesus Christ.

Acts 2:38 “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Dear friend, lost individuals and a decaying America do not need self-help gurus like Joel Osteen. Lost souls, stray Christians, and a decaying America need bold preachers like Peter proclaiming Jesus Christ.

Third, God’s Word must be the STANDARD.

Dear friend, nothing can substitute for God’s Word. Churches and Christians all across this nation have turned away from God’s Word for self-help devotionals, but God’s Word must be the standard, and I am telling you that if Christians submitted to the Lordship of Christ, boldly proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ, and stood on God’s Word, America’s soul might leap forth in revival, and even more importantly, the church would be emboldened and lost souls would be saved.

Many lost souls just do not see the power of restoration in the lives of those proclaiming to be Christians, and dear friend, I promise you this. If your life creates a stumblingblock before a lost individual that leads to eternal damnation, you will suffer loss at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Christian friend, this message could be God’s attempt to confront you about your sin. He could be giving you one last opportunity to confess that sin and repent of it. He will not and cannot allow you to keep sinning. Just ask David, Ananias, and those in the Church at Corinth who participated in the Lord’s Supper unworthily.

You can make a difference if you just come to the altar and put whatever sin is holding you back under the blood of Jesus.

Lost friend, I am telling you that God could be giving you one last opportunity this morning to believe and accept Jesus. Will you accept Him today? You do not have to know everything about Him. It is impossible for you to know anything about Him now because you do not have the Holy Spirit, but when you in simple trust turn your life over to Him, the Holy Spirit will move in and start revealing everything to you that you need to know about Jesus.