Remove Not The Old Landmarks- Version 2

“Remove Not The Old Landmarks”

Text: Proverbs 22:28 (KJV)

Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

Definition of LANDMARK

1: an object (as a stone or tree) that marks the boundary of land.(A landmark keeps you from going where you don’t want to go), (Under sins deception, Hell)

2: a conspicuous object on land that marks a locality b : an anatomical structure used as a point of orientation in locating other structures (A landmark helps you find your way in difficult surroundings), (Prodigal son)

3: an event or development that marks a turning point or a stage (A landmark help you mark an event, or turning point in time), (Baptism)

4: a structure (as a building) of unusual historical and usually aesthetic interest; especially : one that is officially designated and set aside for preservation ( A landmark help us remember what happened in the past), (The ordinances of the church)

Examples of LANDMARK

* The Golden Gate Bridge is a famous landmark in San Francisco. The battlefield is a national historical landmark.

* The moon landing is a landmark in space exploration.

* Roe vs. Wade was the court case that opened the door to legalize abortion in this country. That decision was a landmark in legal history.

Introduction:

The text here is primarily speaking of markers that have been set to keep property lines intact, but I would like to make an application of this principle to our Christian lives.

(Hebrews 2:1)

1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; 3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation…

* The “Ancient Landmarks” that our forefathers set up in the early days of our country are under attack by the liberals and unbelievers in this country. Some of these “landmarks” under attack are:

1). The constitution of the United States.

2). Free Speech

3. Protection of the church from the state

4). The Pledge of Allegiance to our flag and country.

5). The posting of the 10 Commandments in our courts and public buildings.

6). Public prayer in our civil assemblies.

7). Christian Symbols in public places.

8). Parent’s rights to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

9). The history of our Christian heritage.

* The early Church would use “confessions” and “creeds” to establish spiritual landmarks.

* The Apostles' Creed was not written by the Biblical Disciples. The name is deemed this as a sum and substance of the early Apostolic teaching which the disciples would have held to. Earliest version found is A.D. 215. The current version is circa 542 A.D.

The Apostles' Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,the Creator of heaven and earth,(Addresses Evolution)

and in Jesus Christ,His only Son, our Lord:

(Addresses the Deity of Christ)Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,(Addresses the Virgin Birth)suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell.(Addresses the Resurrection)The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, (Addresses the Priesthood of Christ) whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.(Address the Judgments of God)I believe in the Holy Spirit,(Addresses the Trinity of God)the holy catholic [2] church, the communion of saints,(Addresses the Universal Church)the forgiveness of sins,(Addresses the Doctrines of the Depravity of Man, and need for salvation)the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.(Address the resurrection of the body, and eternal salvation)

Amen.

2. The word "catholic" refers not to the Roman Catholic Church, but to the Universal Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our church covenant is an “Ancient Landmark”

Church Covenant

Having been led, as we believe by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and, on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ. We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality and to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations. We also engage to maintain family and secret devotions; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the sale of, and use of, intoxicating drinks as a beverage; to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Savior. We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Savior to secure it without delay.

I. Originally, a landmark literally meant a geographic feature used by explorers and others to find their way back or through an area.

* We need to establish Spiritual Landmarks that will lead us back to where we were before we lost our way spiritually in America.

* We need to set these landmarks up in our families, and in our churches, and in the public places of our country.

* As a matter of fact, if our American forefathers had not set up certain spiritual landmarks in our government institutions in the form of documents like the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution of the United States, this country would have turned its back on God it’s founder a long time ago.

* Our forefathers knew that these landmarks would be needed in the future and so they placed landmarks everywhere in our government buildings and in public places in America.

* We live in a time when the Devil has persuaded men to remove any evidence that we ever trusted in God in this country.

* This wicked and Godless generation is doing all it can to remove the words “in God we trust” from our money.

* Wicked men have been trying to remove the words “one nation under God” from the pledge of allegiance.

* Already, Satan has tried his best to remove prayer to God from our public meetings such as School Board meetings, City Council meetings, graduation ceremonies, court proceedings, sports events and so on.

* Our courts have systematically been removing the Ten Commandments from the courthouses and school houses of this land.

* These public displays of the Ten Commandments were placed there by men and women in the past that knew Satan would attack the hearts and minds of future generations in America.

* Those Godly men and women who established this country before us placed spiritual landmarks to help us find our way back to God.

* The only hope that America has is those of us Christians who are continuing to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. We stand toe to toe with the Devil and his angels as we fight to keep God in this country.

* Those of us Believers who stand unafraid with courage and continue to fight to keep our spiritual landmarks are the only force that will keep the judgment of God from destroying America.

* Thank God not everyone has turned their back on God in this country.

* Of those of us who remain faithful to God in America, much will be required in the very near future. Much internal fortitude will be required. Much courage will be required of us.

* Will be like the kid who gets pushed down on the playground, and cries, or will we get up off our backs with determination and grit and fight the atheists, and homosexual activists, and liberal progressive politicians who seek to destroy the spiritual heritage of America!

* We must fight to preserve the spiritual landmarks that our forefathers have left to guide us back to God! Not only must we fight to preserve those of the past, but we must lay down new landmarks to replace the old ones that have fallen and been broken down by the Devil and his crowd.

* If we do not follow and preserve the spiritual landmarks that were laid down by our forefathers, we will like the rest of the world be deceived by the public brainwashing of political correctness and be led like sheep to the slaughter to secularism, pushing God out of America!

*Once Satan has succeeded in pushing God out of American society, we will be led false and hypocritical beliefs of socialism, and socialism will in turn lead us to a one world government of communism of which we are warned of in the book of Revelation.

* Not only do we need landmarks as a nation, but we need to make personal landmarks. Places where we can turn back to God.

Biblical examples of Spiritual Landmarks:

(A landmark helps you mark an event, or turning point in time)

(Baptism)- Our baptism is just such a landmark. When we lose our way spiritually we look back to the time when we were baptized and made a public commitment to follow Jesus, and we restore our courage and renew our commitment to Jesus.

* Jacob had a spiritual land mark in the book of Genesis. Jacob after he had deceived his father Isaac, and stolen his brother Esau’s birthright, left his homeland for fear his brother would kill him.

* Jacob found himself alone in a wilderness and there he sought the face of God and found Him.

* There Jacob saw a vision of angles ascending and descending a ladder to heaven. While beholding this, God appeared to Jacob and promised him that He would bless him and never leave him.

* During the life of Jacob, when He would lose his way spiritually, he would come back to that place in the wilderness and camp there until he met God again and knew everything was going to be alright.

* Jacob named this place “Bethel” which means “The Hose of God.”

* For many people, the church where they got saved has become a spiritual landmark in their lives in the same way.

* The church itself is a landmark to the rest of the world to find the way to God.

* It is the responsibility of the church to tell the world about who God is, and the way to find his salvation.

* The same is true for every individual believer, we are landmarks that point the way back for those who are spiritually beaten down and have lost their way. We, like a landmark in the wilderness, point them back to God. We show them the way home.

Genesis 28:10-22 (KJV)

10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Harand. 11 And he lighted upon a certain place,

and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest,

and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep,

and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place;

and I knew it not. 17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place!

This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.

19 And he called the name of that place Bethel

e: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.

20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:

22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

II. A landmark help us remember what happened in the past.

(The ordinances of the church) Ebenezer: that is, “The stone of help”

1 Samuel 7:7-13 (KJV)

7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. 9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. 10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar.

12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.

13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

III. A landmark is a boundary that keeps us from wandering onto another’s territory. We as a church, and as a nation, must set landmarks to keep us from wandering over into Satan and the World’s territory.

(A landmark keeps you from going where you don’t want to go), (Under sins deception, Hell)

(I Thessalonians 5: 21-22)

21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

* A landmark can tell is that there is a line that we dare not cross.

* The story of Lot is a landmark to each of us about sin. It tells us that there are consequences if we go there.

* The Bible tells us that Lot had pitched his tent toward Sodom, that great city of sin.

Genesis 13:10-13 (KJV)

10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where,

before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain,

and Pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.

* So many of like Lot try to get as close to sin as we can get.

* The teenage girl thinks that she can kiss and touch with a boy and if it gets to close she can stop. The next thing you know she is carrying a baby and it’s too late to turn back. Her life is destroyed, all her future dreams dashed upon the rocks of sin.

* The married man thinks that he can flirt around with a girl at the office, but he can cut things off before they get too far. The next thing you know his marriage is ruined and he loses his wife and his children. Everything that was precious to him is dashed upon the rocks of sin.

* The young teenage boy thinks It won’t hurt me to smoke a little weed, but before you know it, the weed isn’t enough and now it’s meth. Now his body is wrecked by drugs, and he is in prison for stealing to support his drug addiction. His life is dashed upon the rocks of sin and destroyed!

* Landmarks keep us from crossing the line into sin’s territory.

* The progressives, the liberals, the atheists, the homosexual activists, and the Muslims are doing everything in their power to destroy the two greatest warning landmarks that keep millions of young people from destroying their lives.

* Those landmarks are the Church and the Bible.

* In order for The devil to take down the America that God has set up, he must first destroy the two great American Landmarks that God has established in America- The Bible and the Church!

* Young people, this Bible, and this Church, will keep you from destroying yourself with sin. Set them up in your lives as landmarks to keep yourself out of the Devil’s territory!

III. In law, an landmark case is a case that establishes a principle that we are to go by in the future.

Landmark Principles of Scripture

FIVE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE FAITH

A. There are five fundamentals of the faith which are the essential teachings of Christ.

B. A church must agree with all five of these fundamental beliefs to be a true New Testament Church.C. These fundamentals are under attack by several “isims”, or human philosophies that are part of “accepted thinking in our society today.

The Five Fundamentals of the Faith

1. The inerrancy of the scriptures themselves (Psalms 12:6-7; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20).

2. The Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1; John 20:28; Hebrews 1:8-9).

3. The Virgin Birth (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:27).

4. The Blood Atonement (Acts 20:28; Romans 3:25, 5:9; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12-14).

From Warren Wiersbee’s commentary on Revelation:

Too many contemporary songs are “I” centered rather than “Christ” centered. They so emphasize the believer’s experience that they almost ignore the Lord’s glory. Certainly there is a place for that kind of song, but nothing can compare with adoring Christ in spiritual worship. But this song was also a Gospel song! “Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us [some texts read them] by Thy blood.” The word translated slain means “violently slain” (Rev. 5:6). Heaven sings about the Cross and the blood! I read about a denomination that revised its official hymnal and removed all songs about the blood of Christ. That hymnal could never be used in heaven, because there they glorify the Lamb slain for the sins of the world.

5. The Bodily Resurrection (Luke 24:36-46; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, 15:14-15).

* The fundamentals of the Faith are under attack from several directions:

Humanism-

Modern meanings of the word have come to be associated with a rejection of appeals to the supernatural or to some higher authority.

* A high percentage of members of Unitarian Universalist congregations today identify themselves as humanists.

* Humanism has appeal to agnostics, atheists, deists, nontheists, empiricists, freethinkers, naturalists, rationalists, scientific skeptics and secularists.

[First, Humanism believes in a naturalistic metaphysics or attitude toward the universe that considers all forms of the supernatural as myth; and that regards Nature as the totality of being and as a constantly changing system of matter and energy which exists independently of any mind or consciousness.

Second, Humanism, drawing especially upon the laws and facts of science, believes that we human beings are an evolutionary product of the Nature of which we are a part; that the mind is indivisibly conjoined with the functioning of the brain; and that as an inseparable unity of body and personality we can have no conscious survival after death.

Third, Humanism, having its ultimate faith in humankind, believes that human beings possess the power or potentiality of solving their own problems, through reliance primarily upon reason and scientific method applied with courage and vision.

Fourth, Humanism, in opposition to all theories of universal determinism, fatalism, or predestination, believes that human beings, while conditioned by the past, possess genuine freedom of creative choice and action, and are, within certain objective limits, the shapers of their own destiny.

Fifth, Humanism believes in an ethics or morality that grounds all human values in this-earthly experiences and relationships and that holds as its highest goal the this-worldly happiness, freedom, and progress economic, cultural, and ethical of all humankind, irrespective of nation, race, or religion.

Sixth, Humanism believes that the individual attains the good life by harmoniously combining personal satisfactions and continuous self-development with significant work and other activities that contribute to the welfare of the community.

Seventh, Humanism believes in the widest possible development of art and the awareness of beauty, including the appreciation of Natures loveliness and splendor, so that the aesthetic experience may become a pervasive reality in the lives of all people.

Eighth, Humanism believes in a far-reaching social program that stands for the establishment throughout the world of democracy, peace, and a high standard of living on the foundations of a flourishing economic order, both national and international.

Ninth, Humanism believes in the complete social implementation of reason and scientific method; and thereby in democratic procedures, and parliamentary government, with full freedom of expression and civil liberties, throughout all areas of economic, political, and cultural life.

Tenth, Humanism, in accordance with the scientific method, believes in the unending questioning of basic assumptions and convictions, including its own. Humanism is not a new dogma, but is a developing philosophy ever open to experimental testing, newly discovered facts, and more rigorous reasoning.

Modernism-

* Modernism first arose more than a century ago.

* It was based on the assumption that only science can explain reality.

* The modernist scorned the idea of divine revelation, miracles, or anything supernatural.

* In other words, the starting point for modernism was a rejection of the truth of Scripture.

* When modernism first began to dominate secular society’s worldview, many in the religious world were more than eager to try to get in step with the spirit of the age.

* Some abandoned their belief in the supernatural elements of Scripture and tried to reduce the Bible message to the moral elements of Jesus’ teaching.

* Because of the influence of modernism, many so called ‘mainline’ denominations ultimately abandoned the Bible, becoming even deeper spiritual wastelands.

Liberalism-

* The word liberal in liberal Christianity denotes a characteristic willingness to interpret scripture without any preconceived notion of inerrancy of scripture or the correctness of Church dogma.

* That the Bible is not considered a collection of factual statements but instead documents the human authors' beliefs and feelings about God.

* Liberal Christianity looks upon the Bible as a collection of narratives that explain, epitomize, or symbolize the essence and significance of Christian understanding.

* LIBERALS - believe in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all.

* It is the duty of the government to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights.

* Liberals believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need. (Rather than the individual)

* Liberal policies generally emphasize the need for the government to solve society’s problems.

* Under social liberalism, the good of the community is viewed as harmonious with the freedom of the individual.

* Today, liberals are organized politically on all major continents. They have played a decisive role in the growth of republics, the spread of civil rights and civil liberties, the establishment of the modern welfare state, the institution of religious toleration and religious freedom, and the development of globalization.

Post-modernism-

* Postmodernism abandons the belief that science can explain all reality.

* Instead, the postmodernist is convinced that nothing can explain reality. The postmodernist is not even convinced anything real objectively exists.

* To the postmodernist, “truth” is whatever point of view the individual prefers. Moreover, the postmodernist thinks that what is “true” for one person might not be true for another.

* Truth itself simply doesn’t matter much to a postmodernist; all that really matters is the dialogue between ideas. And every idea deserves equal respect.

* This is the postmodernist belief system in a nutshell.

* Like modernism, it begins with an anti-Christian presupposition, and its philosophical starting-point entails a denial that Scripture is objectively and authoritatively true.