As you know this week America will be celebrating the anniversary of the signing the declaration of our independence. And we will do so as we usually do, with picnics, parades, and concert and speeches, and awe inspiring fireworks displays. But as we celebrate our country's birthday many Americans, as grateful as we are to live in this land of freedom and opportunity, are also aware that in some critical areas America seems to have lost its way. In fact Christians can see that there are some striking parallels between modern America and Israel and Judah before they were taken away captives so many centuries ago.
Let me say the outset of this message, that I am fully aware that we Americans are not chosen people as were the Jews. We are not in any literal sense the descendants of Israel. We are not and never have been a theocracy, as if it was. Our laws have not come directly from God. Nonetheless it is impossible to read our history. It is impossible to read our founding documents, without seeing unmistakable signs of our Godly heritage and of God's providential protection and oversight in our pilgrimage as his people. And I know of no one passage in the scripture that speaks to our nation more directly than Jeremiah chapter 2.
After the death of Solomon the nation of Israel was divided into two nations, Israel in the north Judah in the south. The south included Jerusalem. The long process of degeneration began or continued and proceeded over four hundred years. Israel was carried away by the Assyrians. The Lord is now, in this passage, speaking through His prophet Jeremiah to the people of the south to the people of Judah, warning them of inpending judgment, warning them of the destruction that is coming upon them. First of all God reminds them of their heritage, verses 1 to 3. He says, “I remember you the kindness of your youth the love of your betrothal when you were after me in the wilderness and the land not sown.” Israel was holiness to the Lord the first fruit of His increase all that devour him will offend disaster will come upon them says the Lord. God remembers their first love for him, the kindness of their youth.
The Lord can look back with fondness upon America’s early history as well. I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you went after me in the widened in the lands not sown. God those not say, what injustice have your fathers found in me. That they have gone far from me. Notice this state of affairs Jeremiah describes the people have become idolaters, verse 5. They did not seek the lord Jehovah who delivered them from bandage, verse 6. They defiled His land with their abominations, verse 7. And even the religious leaders failed them, verse 8. The priest did not say where is the Lord? Even the priest did not say where is the Lord, where is Jehovah. The breakdown of spiritual leadership is a key, and I want to camp here for just a few minutes.
Alexis Detalkvill was attempting to explain his French countrymen what made the United States unique. Reported wrote in 1835, not until I went to the churches of America and heard their pulpits a flame with the righteousness, did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good. And if America ever ceases to be good America will cease to be great.
As many so you know from personal experience there has been a tragic breakdown among the religious leadership in America. Some years ago Red Book magazine published in their surveys of ministers in training ministers in seminary training to become pastors. This survey represented all of America’s major seminaries. They found that 56% of those young men in training, young men and women today, 56% rejected the virgin birth of Christ, 71% rejected life after death, 98% rejected the belief that Jesus will return to earth one day, 98% in one of Americas largest denominations, one survey indicated that only 5% of this ministers and laity and members believe that the Bible has no inerrancy. Only 5% happens to be the denomination that Bible believing pastors and churches left over years ago to form the PCA, Presebyterian Church in America. And why they have to leave is self-evident for God said "come out from them and be separate and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and I will be the father over you, and you will be my sons and daughters says the Lord almighty." 2Cor.6:17
God says "have no fellowship with the unfruitful work of darkness but rather reprove them." Epe.5:11 Israel when Judah compromised with the pagan religions of their land, they adopted some of their traditions and their practices, they embraced syncretism and plauralism, a little of this, and a little of that syncretism. There is no reason to be hard about it lets cover the entire basis we can worship Jehovah and we can also worship their god. We can worship the Lord and we can worship Astaroth and Baal. Today we’re told there’re many ways to God, who are you Christians to say that there is only one way. How can you be so intolerant and judgmental? This is, of course, the messages of many of the pastors and priests are giving and so it should not surprise that us we noted previously. 70% of mainline protestant churches, 80% of Roman catholic churches agree to this statement. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhist, and others all pray to the same god even though they use their different names for God.
Well believe it or not now we’ve taken a step further. The Seattle-times reported two just two weeks ago today. Quote, shortly afternoon on Fridays the Rev. Ann H. Redding ties on her black heads scarf preparing to pray with her Muslim group on first heel. On Sundays Redding put on her white color of an episcopal priest. She does both she says, “Because she’s Christian and Muslim. Redding who until recently is director of faith formation at St. Mark episcopal cathedral has been a priest for more than 20 year. Now She’s ready to tell the people that for the last 15 month she’s also been muslin drawn in to the faith after an introduction to Islamic prayers lecture, profoundly moved. Her announcement has provoked surprise and bewilderment in many, raising an obvious question, “How can someone be both Christian and a Muslim.” But what is wrong is others reaction. True friend generally says they support her while religious scholars we’re mixed. Some say that depending on how one interpret the tenets of the two faiths, it is indeed possible to be both.
Others consider the two faiths mutually exclusive. "There are tenants of the faith that are very different", said Kurt Frederickson, director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Fuller Seminary, at Pasadena. "The most basic would be, what do you do with Jesus." Yeah, I think so, that would be a pretty basic question.
Christianity has historically regarded Jesus as the son of God and God incarnate both fully human and fully divine. Muslims, though regard Jesus as a great prophet, do not see Him as divine and do not consider him us a son of God. I don’t think it’s possible to be both, Frederick said, like just it can’t be a republic and a democrat. Redding who will begin teaching gets this, she will be teaching the New Testament as a visiting assistant for pastors at Seattle University this fall. She has a different analogy, I am both Christian and Muslim just like as a American and African decent and a woman I’m a 100% both.
She doesn’t feel she has to resolve all the contradictions. "People within one religion can’t even agree on all the details, she said. So why would I spend time trying to reconcile all the Christian belief with all of Islam?" she said. "When I heard those prayers, I feel something spoke to me and I could not be a Muslim," she said. Now get this, her bishop, the one who’s over her in the episcopal order. Her bishop the right Reverent Vincent Warner says he accepts her, Redding as an episcopal priest and a Muslim. And he finds the interfaith possibilities are exciting. Her announcement first made the story of the Diosysis(newspaper) has not caused a controversy yet in episcopal churches.
The religious leaders of Israel and Judah compromised God’s truth. Is not America on the same road? The Lord continues in His message to Judah. He says "those who handle the law did not know me." Jer.2:8 Whether we speak the America’s law givers and law interpreters, there seems to be fewer and fewer builds decisions indicate that in fact know God, or even acknowledge that there is indeed right or wrong or absolute truth.
Fredrick More Vincent former chief justice of the U.S Supreme Court said, “Nothing is more searching in modern society than the principle that there are no absolutes.” Former justice Oliver Wendell Homes said, “Truth? Truth is the majority vote of that nation that could lick all the others.” Now why would he say something like that? Because he would also say I’ve seen no reason for intervening to men a significant different in kind for that would belong to a baboon or a grain of sand. Think about it, if there are no absolutes no unchanging truths if we’re no different of a baboon or grain of sand then even our constitution, the Supreme Court is charged to interpret, can be interpreted to mean whatever prevailing public opinion may require.
Example in the 1960’s the Supreme Court determined that suddenly they realized that constitution prohibited praying and bible reading in our schools. This they discovered despite the fact that when constitution and bill of rights were adopted. And for a hundred years they are after virtually all of our schools began the day of pray and thoughts from scripture. Even Christians today are confused about the first amendment; well doesn’t the constitution require the separation of church and state. What does the constitution say? Here is what it says in its first amendments. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion nor prohibiting the pre-exercise their up. That’s establishment cause. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. Those are the say of prohibiting the free exercise their up. In other words our founders wanted to make sure that America did not end up with a national church. Therefore, they said, congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. They don’t want a national church as England has. Remember that of the Church of England? They’re still national church.
In modern English, the first amendment would read, “The federal government shall make no law that having nothing to do with supporting a national denominational church or prohibiting the free exercise of religion. Why is that necessary? It’s because at the time of ratification of the first amendment, 1791, many of the colonies, was supporting a single church or religion. Just as you go black grudgingly acknowledge in the 62 decision banning devotional prayer in the public school. Quate "Indeed as late as the time of the revolutionary war there were established churches of in at least 8 of the 13 former colonies and established religions for at least 4 of the other 5."
For example, Massachusetts paid the salaries of the congregational ministers in that state until 1833. Congregationalism was the established church in Massachusetts. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story wrote, “The real logic of the amendment was not to continence what less to advance Mohammadism or Judaism or infidelity by frustrating Christianity having Christianity bow down to these others, but rather to exclude all rivalry among Christian sects.” So the Presbyterian would levying the making of Presbyterian country. As probably we would have done it or congregational we’re trying to make it congregational and the Baptist we’re trying to make it a national Baptist church. He says that the intention was to exclude all rivalry among Christian sects and to prevent all national ecclesiastical establishments which would give to hierarchy, to exclusive patroness of the national government.
Madison the architector the constitution, the first men was drawn up because people feared the one’s sects of Christianity, might obtain a preeminence, or two might combine together and establish a religion too, would compel others to conform. We don’t need three law degrees and 30 years of legal practice to interpret the first amendment and unbiased America with only a high school education to do a better job than some of these justices. Why, because they have adopted an evolutionary concept of the law. It’s constantly untapped, its constantly changing it those no matter what the founders meant when they wrote that what matters was this, how would we like to interpret it for today.
We want to get bible out of school that’s what they meant "even the rulers have transgressed against me." 2Jer.2:8 Those who handle the law God said and even the rulers have transgressed against me. John Wayne has noticed over two thirds of those who held the office of the presidents. Have been lawyers or have been connected with the legal profession. Also, between the half and two thirds of the seats of congress have usually had been their lawyer. Unfortunately the presupposition that undergoes the law profession has now been from a Judeal Christian based to humanistic one. In other words we not only trying to dethrone God we’re putting other gods to His place. That is what the people of Judea have doing, verse 11. "Has the nations change their gods which are not god, the philistines they worshiped Dagon, they continued to worship Dagon. They didn’t change their god but my people have changed their glory for what does not profit. Be astonished heavens of this, be horrible, afraid, be very dazzled, says the Lord." 2Jer.2:11 "My people have committed two evils, they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." 2:13
They better turn away from me but they have turn to this other gods and goddess. Not only are we trying to dethrone God, we’re putting other gods to His place. We mean we call them gods but we’re giving them the devotion that we once reserved for God. God of materialism, god of technology, god of science, god of human reason, god of mankind itself.
Listens to the humanist manifesto. "Religious humanist regard the universe as self-existing and not created. We find insufficient evidence for the belief on the existence of a supernatural. As nontheist we begin with humans not God, nature not deity. We can discover no divine propose or providence for the human species that it seems too many." These are religious statements thus humanism is a religion but is now legal to teach humanistic tenets in our schools and illegal to teach Christian ones. We have forsaken the fountains of living waters hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Verses 20 and following, “For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress” In other words God is the one who gave you liberty “I've broken your yolk” it was God who granted us liberty as a people through his providence watching them spoke of the war of independence of His way. That interposing hand of heaven in the various instances of our extensive preparations for this operation has been most conspicuous and remarkable. The interposing hand of heaven has been most conspicuous and remarkable. We must remark upon it in other words, Washington says.
In verses 23 to 25, the Lord compares Judah with the wild donkey in heat indiscriminately seeking her partner. Judah has become a society of pleasure seekers, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. The image of a donkey in heat indiscriminately seeking for partners certainly seems descriptive of our culture. Not only in our pursuit of sexual gratification but our pursuit of pleasure, in general, above our pursuit of God.
Verse 26-27 He speaks of the fact that they form gods of wooden stone and then they worship them as if the wooden stone form has created them. "They say to wood, 'You are my father,' and to stone, 'You gave me birth.' We laugh at such foolishness. That was taught in our schools, in our museums, in our zoos, in our magazines, in nature programs. That we are here because of a chance combination of some of elements and we taught as if they were undisputed fact.
Atheist Sam Harris in his now popular book <a letter to a Christian nation> wrote. "All complex life on earth has developed from simple life forms over billions of years. This is a fact that no longer admits of intelligent dispute." Now we may dispute it but not intelligently. "So are we must be different from those who say to a tree you are my father, or to a stone you gave birth to me." Think about it, if some explosion out of nothing cause these all, then we can say to that bang, you’re my father. To that bit of dust you gave birth to me.
William Jennings Brian was mocked when he said it, "there is no more reason to believe that man is descended from inferior animal than there is to believe that a stately mansion has descended from a small cottage."
Verse 34, "also on your skirts is found the blood of the lives of the poor innocence." The Lord has to bring us up. Also in your skirts is found of the blood of the lives of the poor innocence so I haven’t founded by a secret search as if I have to study to find it, it’s what all this, he says. This is evidently a reference to the pagan practice of child sacrifices. The pagan practice of a child sacrifices that the Israelites, in this case, the people of Judah, the dwellers of Judah, have incorporated into their worship. How horrendous can it get? They are sacrificing their children. What about the innocent unborn baby sacrifices in America, are there not parallel? The greedy practice that continues today, today while we were sitting here in comfort by the end of the day three thousand babies will have been killed in America. 3,000 more number has decreased somewhat for which we can be thankful but we’re still sacrificing upon the altar of the god of unbridal sexual passion. Over 3,000 baby a day, over 20,000 a week, a million a year, over 45 million since 1973. Does God see this? For the people of Judah there is only one thing that can spare them from judgment.
Chapter 3 in verse 12~13, “Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
13. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.”
America is in need of repentance, America is in need of repentance, we need repentance. It could be argued that it is our greatest need, but repentance must begin with the people of God. We must ask ourselves, are we lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, and not many of us left our first love and turned to side of love of wealth, love of comfort, a love of ease. Do we still have a passion for reaching the lost, do we really believe that they will perish without Christ.
PCA mission at North America recorded few years ago that 85% of evangelical churches in America is either stagnant or in declined. 85% either stagnant or in declined. Half of Americans claims that they have a church home but only 34% of them are actually in church on any given week. And think about it, this statistic that we have quoted about unbelieving ministers are anywhere near accurate. Attending the average church is not a necessary supportive of any person’s faith. How will America be saved? If America is to be saved one person at a time, if each believer, if each one of us will be serious about His faith and reaches one other person, if that person who wants to be reached with the good news of the gospel responded to Christ and laid hold upon it by faith then disciple. If he has decided to Christian home, teach his children, love his wife, reach out to his friends, pray for his grandchildren, etc. We would see monumental changes a monumental shift in America. Yes, we need to evangelize, we need to reach men and women, girls and boys with the gospel with the good news of salvation but I think it’s becoming clearer to me. The older I get that perhaps the greatest need for evangelism is a need for discipleship, faithful teaching, and training for in our homes, in our churches, in our school.
I mention in our sermon in may that 70% of mainline predestines and 80 % of Catholics agreed to that statement I quoted earlier that Christians, Muslims etc. are praying to the same god. But about half of those who gave evidence to being born again, born again Christians, and half of them who attend evangelical churches, churches that preach the gospel also agreed with the statement. And may I refer that Michael Horton’s radio broadcast, a weigh horse. I recently heard an alarming segment of a previously aired broadcast; an interviewer was asking people if they knew what a gospel was.
Here are the answers he got form one person, “I think to me the gospel is a message that is personal to any person, not something really tangible, something that we have to find within yourself.”
Another person, what is the gospel? “It is Jesus Christ leaving in my life in every situation, in every day, in passing out His word in everyone else.” (It’s a little better)
What is the gospel? “It means you love the Lord, you love others and you love human beings.” What is it good to be saved? “I guess, accept God and do right.”
How do you define the gospel? “Oh goodness, these kind of questions."
This is why I ask, what kind of questions do you want me to ask? How do you define the gospel? “To me the gospel is spreading the word." “Ok and what is the word that you will spread? The interviewer asked. “That He, I believe, that he will deliver you from any kind of illness, any sickness, any discomfort. He will be there anytime of need, He is your all in all.” (That’s the gospel message he is spreading.)
What must I do to be saved?”
"I know I think going to church and frequent confession and keeping up to your belief and your religion.”
Of 60 people who were questioned only one gave the right answer to what is the gospel. As you might have guess the result is, for even worst when the questioner ask the question, “What is its justification?” Now this won’t have been bad enough if the interviewer were stopping people at random people on the streets, but all those people who were interviewed were attending a Christian book Seller’s Convention, Christian Book Seller’s Convention. Presumably you would find Christians.
In the last few decades even American churches has officially embraced the gospel of Christ to put great emphasis about giving the non-believer what he really wants. Which means replacing meeting services with short simple little talks, replacing doctrines and sound hymns with catchy repetitive music and our missing drama and dance in the worship, and the result in an evangelical church that has a whole of ignorant people in the word of God. So parents have you taught your children of the important truth, of the importance of the word of God? Are they prepared and go out in this culture? Are you modeling a Christian walk in a home? Christians are you endeavoring to reach you friends, your families your co-workers with the good news of Christ. Are you praying for their conversion, are you helping to disciple young believers, are you humbling yourself and praying and seeking God’s face, and turning from your wicked way? And if American does so and perhaps God will do to us His promise to do for His nation, hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.
Let’s pray. Father, We see these parallels between us and the people of Israel the people of Judah. Lord we know that this land has been greatly blessed, that we have an abundance of material prosperity, we have enjoyed freedoms that most people in the world will never know, and yet Lord it’s true that in many ways we have forsaken you. The fountain of living waters and we have hew now systems broken cisterns that can hold no water. Father, forgive us, convict us, reign a spirit of revival in this land and may it start in our own hearts. We ask this in Christ name AMEN.
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