God's Judgment Of The Nations Part 2

Morris longer principled expansion and violence.

Parsons 1213 why God judges nations, America's guilt may be better described by sins for five indifference to God and the acceptance of witchcraft. Today, hard look at the real prospect of God's judging hand in our day stay with us from the Moody Church in Chicago this morning when with Dr. Erwin lutes is clear. Teaching helps us make it across the finish line certain you believe America is in line with the judgment of God date. The answer is yes, because no nation has sinned against as much light as the United States. We have had a Judeo-Christian heritage. We know that we've had opportunities to share the gospel. Christianity has been widely disseminated. There are churches everywhere, and yet people live in rebellion and it breaks our hearts we have rebelled against God as a nation. As a matter fact I discussed these kinds of issues in a new book I've written, entitled, we will not be silenced responding courageously to our culture's assault on Christianity.

I wrote the book. Not so much to reclaim the culture that might not be possible but to reclaim the church and to answer the question, how do we live faithfully in a nation in which the person who shouts the loudest sometimes wins the argument for gift of any amount. This book can be yours. Here is what you do go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 and now let us open our Bibles and our hearts to listen to God's word. As we continue our discussion of God and the nations now notice I'm throwing in another verse of Scripture here. Jeremiah chapter 5 verse 30 to 31 how horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land. The prophets prophesy lies. The priests rolled by their own authority and my people love it this way, but what will you do in the and people love to hear false prophets.

They love it indifference to God. We don't want to hear about repentance and when I hear about holiness. What we want to hear is how we can use God to get rich.

Number five the acceptance of witchcraft there so many verses about this, but I'm going to just begin reading here from Isaiah. Both of these will overtake you in a moment on a single day loss of children and widowhood, they will come upon you in full measure. In spite of your many sorceries in your post spells you think that your witchcraft is going to keep you there is this theory going around that witchcraft is a good side and a bad side and what you need to do is to plug into the good side and then it can be used. Just ask Harry Potter. He'll tell you how you have trusted in your wickedness and you have said no one sees me your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself I am and there is none beside me disaster will come upon you that you will not know how to conjure your the Hebrew word is you won't know how to charm it away. Your charms are not going to help at this point. Keep on.

Then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries which you have labored at since childhood.

Perhaps you will succeed. Perhaps you will cause terror. All the counsel you have received and you think of all the people going to astrologers only.

This counsel he says has worn you out. Let your astrologers come forward. Let those stargazers who make predictions month by month. Let them save you from what is coming upon you thoughts as I challenge those of you who read horoscopes horror scopes. I challenge you, you know who you gonna live your life by the stars and you're going to avoid God and you're gonna end up worshiping the creature rather than the creator.

I challenge you for what is coming. Well, 15 years ago in this church, I'm just guessing about 15 years ago I did a series of messages on the New Age movement was one of the early messages on that topic now New Age is just mainstream it off.

You mentioned New Age you going to a bookstore and you see rose rose rows of books on occultism and America's into that stuff there into spirituality not organized religion not doctrine, but spirituality my dear friend, there are only two spirits in the universe there is the spirit world of God and the good angels and then there's the demonic world that if you're in this spirit world without a map just going on your own, you're going to bump into the wrong spirit world and get plugged into the wrong power that will come to you. Dressed in the light to deceive you and our nation is drowning drowning in occultism of various kinds. Deuteronomy also has a passage but because of time were going to have to avoid it. God just talks about those who practice divination, sorcery, omens, witchcraft cast spells spiritists those who consult the dead there about 40 different kinds of occult practices that the Bible condemns now prosperity where in number six now prosperity without compassion.

If I were to take a poll among Christians and say now, why did God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah is a well because of homosexuality. Yeah, the place was full of homosexuality. There's no doubt about that but the shocker is that Ezekiel gives a different reason for its destruction. Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom, she and her daughters were arrogant, overstuffed unconcern, they did not help the poor and the needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen, so the real cause were people who were overstuffed with food and wealth and prosperity, and they did not care among the poor, about the poor among them. You know that America has done a lot of things to try to help the poor somethings maybe work better than others. We can argue the benefit of welfare and so forth.

But I want to tell you all so that we could include in this racism of the past where the poor were used to certain and to serve the wealthy.

This could go in a number of different directions, but isn't it interesting that God in the Bible repeatedly talks about the need to take care of the poor among you, so we have to ask ourselves what are we doing here for the poor and are we overstuffed and say what you know we've got money does matter to us whether the stock market goes down or up. You know, because because were sitting in our place and were secure.

God says oh yeah it's for that that I'm judging you an insensitive heart toward those in need and the poor go on to number seven immorality here. I turned to the New Testament now in the Old Testament there many many passages I could've used but I chose Ephesians chapter 5 verse 5 to 7. For this you can be sure no immoral, impure or greedy person. Such a man is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words or because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore, do not be partakers with them over and over again in the Scriptures old and New Testament, God identifies sexual sin is a sin that eventually brings national judgment, national judgment, how you think of the United States of America with all of our blessings and I need to keep mentioning that the simple fact is that we are exporters of pornography around the world all throughout the world. There are people who are being addicted and those who produce pornography keep saying we want younger and younger and younger men and women to become addicted and so there thinking of all kinds of ways.

Now give us pornography, not just on television, not just on movies, not just on the Internet but in other ways as well so that we are being bombarded by it. And God says because of these things the wrath of God falls on the ungodly and isn't it providential but this morning I happened to turn on the news just to see if the world was standing. Every morning I turn on the news just essays. That is the world still standing. I know I am but I'm worried about the world and there was a report on regarding sex slavery were people go to some of the countries of the world and bring young women even here to America and then you think of other countries that are even more gross than we are at this and young women sold into sexual slavery.

My purchase just fell within me and I said oh God, oh God, thank you for letting me hear about it.

It is terrible, but thank you for this message. For this time that I should be reminded of the tremendously huge sins of people and nations that excel and allow without prosecution.

These terrible atrocities toward young men and young women and God and God. Let me give you three very important conclusions. First of all the sins of the world in our generation are also the sins of the church is anything I listed here that you say well this is a sin of America but it's not a sin of loss, not a sin of the church. I don't think so, name it and we've got it. Remember that Jesus said that the church is to be in the world like a ship is in the ocean. But when the ocean gets into the ship.

The ship is in trouble in America. Here the evangelical ship is taking on water. Isn't it interesting that when Paul wrote the book of first Corinthians to a culture that was very immoral know they prided themselves and having a thousand prostitutes up on a temple on a hill that you can still see in Corinth the ruins of the Temple and Andrew both male and female prostitutes and mean they were into immorality. Is it interesting that the apostle Paul didn't say too much about the sins of the culture. The whole book of first Corinthians is written about the sins of the church and what he saying is, is that the sins of the culture have come into the sins of the church and if you want God to bless you. You had better take care of the sins of the culture that are within the church and then God is gonna use you to transform the culture. I guess what I'm trying to say and I hope I'm clear and saying it is that really repentance as the Bible says must begin at the house of God has to begin here.

We do want to point to many fingers outside of ourselves without recognizing that true repentance has to begin with the best people that God's got and that's Thomas I'm sorry I we may apologize to God and say, God, were sorry that were the best people that you have but you know it is true. All I know there are some people who are more holy than we are there. Some people pray more than we are. I we do.

I understand that but but we are the redeemed ones.

We are the redeemed ones, and we have the sins of the world in our churches, and that we should purge out second. Our battle clearly is not cultural, moral or political.

We can't just fight it on cultural grounds or rational grounds as we live in an irrational world. How are you going to use reason for people who are not given to reason the whole postmodern mindset is to not accept rationality say You can't argue with with people who don't believe in reason.

So it isn't just cultural. It isn't moral it isn't political, all of that being important.

It is important to fight cultural battles moral battles the political arena is incredibly important, but we will never take America and make it Christian just because we have the right person in Washington or problems are far deeper than that. The spiritual issue would years ago.

I told the story of Martin Luther through inkwell at the devil in the that the Wartburg Castle and it used to be. The tour guides would always rub a little bit of soot on the side of the wall because you pay your your plane ticket and you stay in a hotel and you ride so far and then you get into the room.

You don't see where the inkwell landed, so they wanted to make sure that you got your money's worth. Inkwell landed here. Actually Luther might not of thrown in inkwell at the devil what he said in his table talks was. I thought the devil with ink in 10 weeks in that room.

He translated the entire New Testament, not the old that took years and years that he worked at later, but he translated the entire New Testament in 10 weeks in that room is the way you fight the devil is to give the German people. The Bible that'll fight the devil, that's the right weapon for our enemy is the Scriptures and the right weapon for us at the end of the day when everything is said and done and have you ever noticed that when everything is said done more things are usually said than done. You ever notice that when everything is said and done our greatest weapon is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the cross of Christ years before Hitler a Jewish poet by the name of Heinrich kindness said only the cross of Christ is keeping Germany back from war. Now he he thought of the cross is a tell is man as a magic charm.

I guess, but he didn't understand the cross totally but this is what he said only the cross of Christ is keeping Germany back from war and should that cross be broken from Germany. Terror will be unleashed that will cause the whole world to wonder. I'd like to paraphrase it, only the cross of Jesus Christ is keeping America from total disintegration and should that cross be hidden. Should that cross be neglected. Should the cross not be proclaimed. A stench will arise from America that will cause the whole world to wonder the message of the cross reconciles us to God and some of you listening have never been reconciled to God by the cross and I appeal to you the message of the cross reconciles us to God. It forgives our sin and then it does something else. It changes our desires so that we no longer love sin.

We may still sin but when we sin our misery index goes off the charts because there's something within us that says that's not me I have the blessed Holy Spirit of God within me. As a result of the transformation of those desires.

You have the transformation of individuals and through those individuals you have the transformation of the country. So third I appeal to you as I appeal to myself. Third, we must be willing to pay the price to pay the price of reversal, beginning with repentance in our own lives. Beginning in our commitment to God and to the church and to his people and our desire to speak of Christ wherever he is planted us even at great personal cost. Whether you are an engineer or a plumber or a banker, whatever it is that your vocation is wherever God is planted. You use them to represent Jesus Christ, no matter how much it costs me no matter how many people tell me I've no right to talk of Jesus.

I will talk all him lovingly, but I will talk folks got the message that the people of the world are looking for and don't know what they had no clue what they're looking for.

The Bible says in the book of Proverbs that the wicked stumble and they have no idea what it is that they're stumbling over all that they know is it's dark out there and it's empty out there. They don't know that they're looking for Jesus and God's appointed you to lovingly share that just go to them and say what is it that you really want out of life begin a congruent conversation like that and say what is it that you really want out of life and let them talk for a while then say you know what something happened to me, that I discovered that there's something else in life.

That's really important, and that fulfills me and then go into your testimony in the gospel member and about 650 something like that. Ferris the horseman, there's a legend that he had 26 horses and he was going through the desert and as he was going through the desert. Often the distance his very thirsty horses saw a mirage, which they evidently interpreted as water all of the horses galloped off toward the mirage and he blew his trumpet, and six mirrors only six turned in their tracks and stood, and obeyed his trumpet, and it is said that it is out of those six that the famous Arabian horses have been bred this nation and God knows I love it is you love it. This nation is headed for a mirage. It looks like water out there but nobody knows really where it is what they're going for mirages of various kinds. And God today in heaven is blowing his trumpet, and saying how many are there who are willing to stand against the tide and to listen to my trumpet from heaven and say don't go there because it is only a shimmering mirage and what I want you to do is to dedicate yourself to me or whatever it takes to be the person that you should be in an age with so many opportunities get an age also. With so many many challenges. Are you willing to be that person willing to say God that is me. Whatever the cost. Whatever the commitment whatever it is I stand against the sins of this culture and dedicate myself today to Jesus to make a difference if you feel that way.

Would you just stand where you are. You just say that you know you're willing to make a difference in this culture saved by God's grace we will not participate in the sins that we've outlined will repent of them will get rid of them and we will by God's grace represent Jesus. Even at great personal cost, and someday will hear him hear from heaven, and send the breath of his spirit that this nation so desperately needs to do it.

Apart from us, as if to say, you know he's out there doing it and were doing our thing.

No is going to do it through us. So I got always works begins with his people and leads them to repentance and says now that you've done that. Now we go the next step would you join me as we pray father blessed Holy Spirit given to your people to point out our need in our sin we ask today.

In Jesus name Jill help us to make a difference in this wonderful country we pray father that is the temptations are so strong to be caught up in our culture. We pray today father that you will enable us to stand against that culture through repentance and faith and discipline then and the church attendance and the ministry of the saints, one to another mentor represent you wherever you planted us to let people know that we belong to Jesus and lovingly share a word whether it's received or un-receive to not be ashamed of the one who redeemed us in the one who is not ashamed of us and is willing to call us his brothers and father, you've raised up this church in this congregation in this great city, help us, oh God in our great need to make a powerful difference for your kingdom. Do it in us, oh God, we ask for Jesus sake a man a man), Pastor Luther, I believe that in our day we underestimate the power of the church and the role of the church. The fact is that God has called us to this hour. And I know that there are so many forces against us, but we need to be willing to stand even at great personal cost.

As I mentioned in the message. I've written a new book entitled, we will not be silenced responding courageously to our culture's assault on Christianity. I wrote the book because I think we as Christians are being shamed into silence. We might not be being talked out of our faith, but we are being mocked out of our faith and we need to know how to respond and how to stand for gift of any amount. This book can be yours. Here is what you do you go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for the book entitled, we will not be silenced, standing courageously against our culture's assault on Christianity. This is not a time for us to run and hide. As a matter fact we can't run and hide. Culture is being pushed upon us. Remember, go to RTW offer.com or if you prefer to call us at 1-888-218-9337 you can write to is running to win 1635 LaSalle Boulevard Chicago line 60614 Erwin Luther has concluded God's judgment of the nations another in a six part series on God and the nation. Now that we've learned about the sins for which God judges nations. It's time to focus on the forms that judgment takes. Join us next time for understanding the wrath of God running to win is sponsored by the Moody church