Old Testament Reading: Habakkuk 3:17-19 – New Testament Reading: Philippians 4:6-9

“My Country, ‘Tis of Thee”
Proverbs 1:20-33

Wayne J. Edwards, Pastor

Today is the 245^th anniversary of America’s declaration of independence from Great Britain.  According to historical records:

• The pilgrims came to America in the 1620’s – these were the English industrialists, merchants, and workers who wanted to launch a New World Colony.
• The Puritans came to America in the 1630’s – these were the members of the reform movement known as Puritanism.
  • They wanted the freedom to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience rather than the decrees of the Church of England or the Catholic Church.
  • They became the catalyst that led America to form its government on the principles of the Bible.
• After establishing the first 13-colonies in “New England,” the puritans became the pioneers who traveled by wagon train to the West, and with their lives, as well as with their lips, they spread the gospel of Jesus Christ from sea to shining sea.

For the first 150 of our 245 years, America was under God’s hand of blessing.

• During that era, more missionaries were sent from America to the ends of the world with God’s message of salvation than from any other nation.
• However, in the last century, the evangelical church in America lost sight of its mission, and we are now under God’s judgment.
• By every measure, America is sinking fast, but even those who claim to be Christians are so spiritually immature, they cannot see how God has withdrawn His hand from us.
• Rather than asking for God’s grace and forgiveness, even God’s people are looking for some human leader to emerge and restore our nation to its former glory.
• According to the Scriptures, that “leader” will be the Antichrist, who will lead the world to embrace the New World Order, with a global governance and a global religion.

In Proverbs 1:20-33, the writer described the downward spiral of a society that rejects God’s wisdom.

• The naïve – those who have no appreciation for the past or for the price others paid for the freedom they enjoy.
• The scorners – those who not only take their freedom for granted, but they mock those who feel a sense of appreciation to those who died to secure that freedom.
• The fools – those who will not listen to the truth and who do not care what happens to anyone else, as long as it doesn’t infringe upon their freedom.

• In verses 7-33, we see the results of such deception:
• • Verse 7 – they rejected God’s wisdom
  • Verse 22 – they rejected God’s knowledge
  • Verse 23-24 – they rejected God’s reproof
  • Verse 25-30 – they rejected God’s counsel
  • Verse 31-32 – God gave them up to their own desires.

God’s ultimate punishment is to give a society up to its own desires.

• Romans 1:24 – once a society rejects the truth of God’s Word, God gives them up to the lie they want to believe.
  • The word “reprobate” means depraved, and a depraved mind is one that has been destroyed by sin and is no longer capable of making a righteous judgment.
  • When a people reject the knowledge of God, He gives them up to “uncleanness through the lust of their hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves.”
  • The first evidence of reprobation is the misuse and abuse of heterosexuality – Romans 1:26
    • Historians believe America made this step from 1960-1980.
  • The second evidence of reprobation is the acceptance of homosexuality as an equal and alternative lifestyle to heterosexuality – Romans 1:18
    • Historians believe America made this step from 1990 – 2015 when the Supreme Court legalized homosexual marriage.
  • The third evidence of reprobation is when it is no longer acceptable to make any moral judgments about someone’s sexual behavior.
  • In the last 50-years, the American culture had gone from simple naivete to scoffers, to fools, and now we are drowning in wickedness.
  • George Washington, America’s first President, said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”
  • Now, 245-years later, it is illegal to pray or read the Bible or speak openly about God or Christ in a government facility.

There are those who are predicting a great revival of souls will occur soon, with billions of people receiving Jesus Christ as their Savior and a return to the Christian culture of early America.

• While a revival of the Church would result in a great harvest of souls, revival is not about evangelizing the lost but rather about the repentance of those who were saved but left their first love for the Lord.
• Such an event is not predicted in the Scriptures prior to the rapture of the Church. In fact, the church age ends with apostasy, not a revival.
  • “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth.” – Luke 18:8
  • “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.” – 2 Timothy 3:1
  • “You say you are rich and wealthy and think you have need of nothing, when in fact, you are wretched, miserable, blind, and naked.” – Revelation 3:17
• After the rapture, there will be a great harvest of souls.
  • “After these things. I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands.” – Revelation 7:9

God is already judging America in many ways.

• God is removing all of our false gods – fame, fortune, friends, family, sports, etc., those things that we put before Him.
• God is showing us our hope is not in man but in Him alone.
• God is doing this to urge us to stop wasting time trying to preserve our way of life and to use our time to lead others to faith in Jesus Christ.
• God is doing this to shift our focus from this world that is passing away to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is coming soon to take us away.