Our Hearts In America

The teaching of the Holy Spirit to our hearts here at Northway is that we need to be open before we set up any more back chairs there. Can we have room up front for a few more people? We really do. We'd love to have you come up here. We thank the guys for getting the chairs out and all their work and running around, but it'd be much better for you to slide up on the sides and if you'd slide in the middle a little bit, that'll make it easier. Can you do that? Great. Next room, we have about four rows back here. There's about 10 chairs on either side. I want to say to you that the Lord is teaching us that he by his grace would speak to us. And when you heard the men speak forth here a moment ago, the Bible calls that the word of prophecy. The word of prophecy can be much twisted and misunderstood and it's been used to do a lot of damage to people's lives. But how many of you sensed in both of those words the encouragement of God to go on, Put your hand up. Okay. The rest of you, I hope, understand that what's happening there is that the Lord knows our struggle points, beloved. He knows where we resist him and he knows where we're unlikely to receive. And what he's doing there is saying to you. Someone here today was fearful, afraid, bound up, unable to sing, unable to worship. And that word was to you that God will deal with your enemies if you'll but offer him your will. That's what he would do. And so be not afraid. Be open and allow the Holy Spirit to speak these things to you. There'll be life. Amen. Turn your bibles to Deuteronomy 8. Rather than take the time to read all the way through that passage, I'm going to read through it as we teach this morning. Spanning the Ohio river between Rochester and Manakka is a 60 year old bridge appropriately named the Rochester Monaca Bridge. Built I guess it was in the 20s or so, carries about 3 or 4,000 commuters every day to jobs and schools and homes and that kind of thing. And two weeks ago, PennDOT conducted one of their on the spot investigations of the Rochester Manaka Bridge. That very same day, at the conclusion of their investigation, they barricaded the bridge and forbid travel across it. And the latest word, as I understand it, is that the bridge is condemned and will probably have to be torn down and replaced. That bridge is very familiar to me as I used to go over that way lots of times where I grew up in Beaver. And as I was thinking about a month ago about today being the 4th of July and what God would have from my heart on this day, I have not been able to get the Rochester Manaka Bridge out of my mind. It's a strange thing to be meditating on, you might think. But you see, beloved, what happened to that bridge is happening to this country. And long term erosion, the eating away of the elements at the structural support steel of that bridge over a long period of time resulted in an immediate shutdown and eventual collapse of that bridge. And I believe that there are forces that have been unleashed in America over a period of time that are going to result in, literally and possibly overnight in the shutdown of this nation as we know it and its inevitable collapse. Now, I come to you this morning in my own spirit, hesitant to talk about America on the fourth of July because I find myself reluctant on a couple of fronts. First of all, I don't like tokenism in anything. And if I just give one teaching and you say, well, that was our God Bless America sermon. On the other hand, facing what we face in this country, it's hard to be particularly positive. And I don't like to be negativistic. And then on top of that, I find that in the midst of all that's going on in the media and so forth, there's the chance of being misinterpreted as having a crusader mentality. And that's no commentary on any individual or any group of people. But there are some who have begun to equate their own heart, their own spirituality with politics. And I believe that that would also be an error. And yet today, intent, my intent is to bridge those fears and go ahead and speak to you about our heart in America, because I believe that we as a people cannot afford to ignore what's happening around us. We as God's people have been charged to walk by faith in this matter of being citizens, as in every area of life. By the way, that reminds me, I want to encourage you, if you weren't here last week, you want to get the tape. The Lord spoke to my heart this week. That was one of the most important messages we've ever had here at Northway because it set in focus the very things that many of us struggle with. A matter of faith. And I appreciate God's anointing David for that time last week. So you'll want to get that tape now. In Deuteronomy, chapter 8, I'm going to give you three truths that I see that God has established for the nations. And I believe they could be any nation, certainly here, the nation of Israel and certainly United States of America. Then I want to give you our response to what's happening in our country. Follow along with me as I read Deuteronomy 8:1. All the commandment which I command you this day you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you these 40 years in the wilderness that he might humble you, testing you to know what is in your heart and whether you would keep his commandments or not. Verse 1. That you may live and multiply and go in and possess the land. The first thing I want to say in conjunction with God and the nations is God desires. God's desire is for blessing. God desires blessing on his people. From the earliest beginnings in the United States of America, humility and sacrifice marked the lifestyle and the actions of the people that founded this nation. God has brought forth because of their commitment to walk humbly under the lordship of Jesus Christ. God has brought forth tremendous and multiplied blessing. I have several quotes that I'm going to read today, which I don't normally do, but I want to substantiate some of the things that I'm saying from recorded historical documents. The Puritans, when they landed in 1630 and discovered the New World, said this after they finished their covenant with God as to how they were going to live. Thus stands the cause between God and us. We have entered into a covenant with him for this work and have taken out a commission. Now, if the Lord shall please to hear us and bring us on in peace to the place we desire, then he hath ratified this covenant. But if we shall neglect the observance of these articles, there is their responsibility. The Lord will surely break out in wrath against us and make us know the price of of the breach of such a covenant. The earliest pilgrims and Puritans committed themselves to walking under the lordship of Jesus Christ. And consequently God blessed each man, took every day individually before God and committed himself for each meal to trust God, for each place of shelter to come in faith, for each decision to get before the Lord. 100 years later. Beloved the founding fathers of this nation, our forefathers publicly spoke of their commitment to follow the law of God. And they established the foundational supports that were really the bedrock of the United States of America. I identified four of them. Look at verse six with me Here is what our forefathers did. Beloved, verse six. So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. Of four foundational supports of our nation, the first one that our forefathers established was government. Our government was established under God. How many of you know that at the first session of the congress there was a paid chaplain? All of the 13 colonies, when they met, opened with prayer. George Washington, at the battle of Valley Forge, called forth for repentance and humiliation and fasting because he sensed that God's judgment on was facing his troops. Thanksgiving day was officially declared a national holiday immediately following the Revolutionary war. And our early governmental leaders saw the final authority to which they had to answer was God almighty and not some sort of a half baked, humanly designed, incomplete human framework of authority. I want to read for you something that Benjamin Franklin established. Listen to this. Benjamin Franklin was not a Christian for most of his life. And at the end of his life, he was one of the original signers of the United States constitution. He said this. We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings that except the Lord build the house, they who labor in vain. They labor in vain who build it. I firmly believe this. I also believe that without his concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the towers, the builders of the tower of Babel. We shall be divided by our little partial local interests. See if this sounds familiar. Our projects will be confounded and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future generations. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance despair of establishing government by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war or conquest. I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of heaven and its blessing on our deliberation be held in this assembly and every morning before we proceed to business. Benjamin Franklin knew that without God, the nation was doomed to failure. John Witherspoon, founder and president of Princeton University, also one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, said this. He is the best friend of American liberty, who is most sincere and active in promoting pure and undefiled religion. Beloved, you hear it over and over and over again that our forefathers knew that unless God ruled in America, a tyrant would. In fact, those were the words of George Washington himself. What do we see today? We see the first amendment being twisted around from its original purpose, which was to prevent in America the coming forth of a particular sect of religion under the force of the government. You see, when the Puritans left the northern European continent, their governments were telling them they had to be of a certain faith. There was never in their mind any purpose at all or any intent whatsoever that the biblical and moral and foundational principles upon which the nation was funded would be eradicated. And now the First Amendment is being used to absolutely wipe out from the fabric of our society the name of God and the place of the Judeo Christian ethic. I'll give $1,000 to anyone in the room who can find the phrase separation of church and state in the Constitution. How many times do you hear that? That's the banner that's waved every time there's something that comes up that may inject some moral life into our cult. The second area, the second pillar was the law. Our legal system, beloved, which in its beginning was founded on biblical principles. You see, there had to be an authority that was above man's own changing perception of things to which man answered. And that was the place of the word of God and the Judeo Christian ethic. Where do we get our inalienable rights? Where do we get them from another man? How many men have taken away the inalienable rights of another? God alone can issue forth such things. John Quincy Adams said this from the day of the Declaration of Independence. The American people were bound by the laws of God which they all, and by the laws of the gospel which they nearly all do you get the distinction, acknowledged as the rules of their conduct, the laws of God which they all, and the laws of the gospel which they nearly all acknowledged as the rules of their conduct. Instead, what do we have today? We have a legal pluralism that's based on a situational ethic. I was at the 7:11 the other day and I'll just give you a very down home illustration of what situational ethics are young people. As I fought, I was up to get something to eat at the 7:11 and right in front of me was a 14 or maybe 15 year old young guy who purchased three packs of cigarettes. On top of the cash register was no cigarette sales to minors under 18. I said to the girl afterwards, and I must say that many times I look at that and I just get knotted up and don't say anything. But I said, and I tried to be as loving as possible, which isn't always easy in those. I said how do you justify breaking the law? And she said, she shook her head and she said if I don't I'll lose my job. Pluralism. What's best for Me, for the moment, is what is beginning to reign and to rule in our culture. The third pillar is education. You know, if you've done any reading of history, that the Bible was the principal textbook of the founding peoples of this nation, the Puritans, the Pilgrims. That's the book that they used to teach reading. That's how people first became educated. Listen to this one from Harvard College, 1642. Rules and precepts that are Observed. That's the name of the article from Harvard College. Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life. I dare say you'd be thrown off the campus right now if you even suggested that that's something that they might consider doing. And our educational system has deteriorated to the point where now it's prohibited, as you all know, to even pray voluntarily in our schools. Not too long ago, within the last year, the Supreme Court struck down a ruling the school in Tennessee, that then forbid them to have the Ten Commandments even posted on the classroom walls or the hallways of the school. And you see, all of these pillars that were the foundation of our nation have been eroded by the wave of sin that Satan has, I believe, orchestrated against this nation. And the final and fourth pillar is economics. Our country originally was founded on the principles of avoiding debt, of encouraging savings, of rewarding hard work, and of participation through voluntary support of different things. Today, we have almost the opposite of all of those things in our nation. The debt that we have launched into beloved, and you can bank on it, forgive the punishment, is going to consume us. I want to give you a little statistic. The Federal Reserve Board was founded in 1913. For the 67 years prior to that, the inflation rate total in the United States of America was 10%. From 1913 to 1980, the cumulative inflation rate has been 625%. Why is that just. Is that a flaw in the system? Do you think those who launched the Federal Reserve System and the establishment of the debt operations that we have, they understood what was going to happen to us? I don't believe they did. But I think it's the inevitable result of the undercutting of the principles of the word of God, giving and on not having debt and these kinds of things. Now look with me back in Deuteronomy 8 again. Because the people of God had obeyed the commandment of God, and because the founding fathers of America had obeyed, this is what God gave us. Verse 7 through 10. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land. A land of brooks, of water water, of fountains and springs flowing forth in valleys and hills. A land of wheat and barley, of vines and of fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey. A land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing. A land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full. And you shall bless the Lord your God for the good that he has given to you. Now, beloved, God's desire is to bless. Now look with me then, at the second point of God's dealing with the nations. God discerns the heart of men. Let's read verse 11. Take heed, lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his ordinances and his statutes, and which I command you this day. Lest when you have eaten and are full and have built goodly houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage down in verse 17. Beware, lest you say in your heart, my power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth. I ask you, beloved, Is that not a description of most of the successful people in this country and even the not so successful ones? There is no doubt that we have it as God described, that we have abundance and opulence. I remember a while back, a couple years ago, flying out to the west coast. Maybe some of you brothers and sisters can understand that. And sitting there thinking as I was eating my dinner and looking out at the beautiful land and flying at 650 miles an hour and total comfort that I was doing the very things that a century ago kings wouldn't have dreamed of doing. Tremendous blessing that God's given to us. And, beloved, it is not a permanent thing. It is not going to be the state of affairs in this country, I dare say, not even much longer. And though God has multiplied all that we have, look what he says. Beware, lest your heart be lifted up. This really struck me. He didn't say, beware, lest you get too busy taking care of your businesses. He didn't say, beware, lest you get selfish and not give to the poor. What did he say? Lest your heart be lifted up. You see, it's the heart of man that God knows So, well, it's the heart of man that falls prey to the belief that he himself can control his own destiny. And that is indeed the essence of what is taking place in our country today. The Hebrew word lifted up means to raise the eyes in exaltation, the arrogant step of the one who's got it made. That's the kind of thing that God's talking about here. And you know, man's problem is not that wealth is evil. Prosperity is not anti God. I don't know about you, but I don't envision for myself that heaven is going to be a whitewashed monastery with bare bones furniture laying around. How does the Bible describe heaven? Incredible opulence and jewels and fine things of all kinds. And the reason why we can have it in heaven and we can't have it here is because in heaven we can have it and still keep our eyes on Jesus. And here, the minute we get it, it seems that the malady of the human heart is that we put it back on ourselves and say, look what I've done and let me secure it and let me hold on to it. Let me build bigger barns to store more of it up. Listen to this. The things that destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, and love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life. That was Teddy Roosevelt because he understood that in the heart of man there was deception and that it would tear apart the fabric upon which the culture had been built. What happens when man's heart gets lifted up? Look at it just so we don't lose sight of it. What happens when men's hearts get lifted up? You forget the Lord your God. I ask you, is that not what's happening today? We're forgetting the Lord. We're forgetting the Lord. When you go into a restaurant, beloved, how many times do you see someone pause and give thanks, they forget the Lord. When you drive to worship on Sunday morning, how many softball games do you see going on, picnics underway? Because people forget the Lord. And why are things so out of control in our economy? Because people forgot the Lord and didn't give their resources to him and they don't even acknowledge him anymore. They have a traffic accident and they're spared. And they say, boy, I sure was lucky today. Look what I've gotten for myself. And you see, beloved, the real tragedy, the real sin is that forgetting God then leads to the displacement of God and man himself is inserted on that throne. And beloved, you know why? Because man has to have a God. And if it isn't going to be the Lord Jesus and it's not some other lesser God, then the God itself will find its way on that throne. And what is that called? What's the name of that religion? It's humanism. Self is Lord. That's the religion that's taking its place in America today. Now I grant you, beloved, that there are a lot of people who call themselves Christians and a lot of people who are churchgoers, perhaps. And I'm not judging those people. I'm saying that the fabric of our culture, in fact the controlling centers of our culture are openly humanistic. The government, the media, the business leaders, types, the entertainers. Recently clipped out a little article of 25 entertainers on the board of directors of the ACLU, which I'll mention again in a moment. Educational, leadership, law, and all of these media and all these control centers. Humanism is taking its place. And beloved, it will not be long before it filters down into the hearts of people. Let me give you an illustration. You see the people in leadership control what happens to us in many respects. 1973, Wade vs. Roe. The liberal United States Supreme Court of that day determined that abortion was legal against the wishes of the majority of Americans. Consequently, we've been thrust into a holocaust that I believe one day God will shine before us on the screens of heaven and we'll give answer for it. Was that what we wanted? No, it wasn't. But those in power had the authority at that point to impose their will on us. It's always a matter of the heart, you see. It gets back to their hearts. And God knows. This is why Jesus looked at the rich young ruler and he said to him, this one thing you have left to do, sell all that you have. Give it to the poor and come follow me. And he couldn't do it. Why? Because his heart was right there. His heart was in those things. And the disciples said to him, master, this is impossible. And Jesus said, with man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible. And I say, that's a good place to say amen or something. Hallelujah. Because you and I would be there too, beloved, if it wasn't for God. Alright. And the third thing I see in this passage that God will do. God desires to bless. God discerns the heart and God will deliver judgment. Let's finish this chapter, verse 18. You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth. You see that wonder people believe that, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth? Not my hand or my cleverness. That he may confirm his covenant which he swore to your fathers as at this day. And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you this day that you shall surely perish like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you. So shall you perish because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God. Beloved, if God discerns the heart of America, he will judge this nation. We somehow bristle at the idea of a God of judgment. And I need to say this today to some of you here, that the consequence of sin unchecked and through unredeemed man, inevitable. And it is judgment. The New Testament says this. The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. Man hates to hear about judgment because he can't understand how we could say that God is loving and yet he would be judging. But you see, beloved, they cry out and say, well, the character of God is merciful and mercy over judgment. And God is love. And sure, I'm making some mistakes, but when I get there, he's going to understand me, beloved. Psalm 98:14 tells us that God's character, that righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne, is what that verse says. Psalm 89:14. You see, justice is the very nature and character of God and that judgment is always motivated. The difference between God's judgment and ours is God's judgment is always motivated by love and grace, whereas our judgment many times is self motivated. And I'll say this, I'm glad that God judges what's wrong because then I don't have to defend myself. There's a security in that. How many of you are are glad that you know that God Almighty will not let sin overtake you. You see, if God was not a righteous judge, then we wouldn't have that security, beloved. But we know that he will not because it's his character. Some say, well, okay, but overall America is a good country. I mean, compared to. And then they named some pagan land someplace where idols are worshiped and all that stuff. Beloved. As David Wilkerson said, if God lets America off the hook for its sin, he'll have to apologize to Sodom. Because, beloved, we flaunt our sin. We're getting to the point. 10,000 marchers walk down the main streets of our cities insisting on a perverse lifestyle as they're right. And I say that in all compassion to those who struggle with homosexuality. But the insistence and the spirit of it is from the pit. And America is at the point where we are flaunting, flaunting our sin. The scripture in Jeremiah, chapter six really struck me the other day where. Let me serve again. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed. They did not even know how to blush. A defiance in the spirit. And you know, as I do, that it's creeping, that it's more and more out there and that one day it could overtake us. All right. God judged Israel with the harshest of judgments, it seemed, because they forsook the greatest of covenants. Beloved, how many of you ever heard that to whom much is given, much will be required. I want to say something to those of you sitting in this place today in love. You've been given much. And I'm not talking about material things. I don't care how much money you make, you've been given much of the spirit of God. Much will be required. You read the prophets, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Daniel, Isaiah. The word of the Lord was heavy on those people. And all the while God pleaded with them to repent, but they would not do it. All right, in conclusion, let me give you five things that we can do, five things that we can do to avert the judgment that God would bring on a disobedient nation. You may want to write these down. One of the things that I find curious about human nature is that you generally can tell something about what a people or what a person thinks and what's important to them when they're waiting somewhere for something. Ever go to a tire garage or a repair station and have to sit in the waiting room for a while or maybe just go down to a restaurant? The other day I was sitting at the Eaton park waiting for someone to come, and four fellows slid in the booth behind me there. And, you know, while they were waiting for their refreshments to come, all they could talk about was the list, which was 14 miles long, of everything wrong about everything, you know. And, you know, oh, Haig, we should have gotten rid of him a long time ago. And George Schultz is a crook, and, you know, you name it. And then they got on to something about, well, the interest rate's going to go. And I. And it just. That's all they could talk about. Beloved. The thing that we cannot afford to do is nothing, complain and do nothing. Some of you say, well, I feel overwhelmed. I don't know where to begin, and I want to give you Some specific suggestions as to where you begin. But above all, I urge you avoid apathy. Because apathy will be the destruction of this nation. And I believe in the end you won't be able to be apathetic. You'll be called to stand. Number one thing you can do is see that Jesus Christ is Lord of every area of your life. Some of you need to wrestle with that a little bit. I'm going to say it again. See that Jesus Christ is lord of every area of your life. To this self loving, self exalting humanist, it's a heresy to say that Jesus is your savior, but not your Lord. It's a heresy. There will be no power whatsoever. You won't change them one bit. And if Jesus is your Lord, it's going to make a difference in your everyday life. It's going to filter down into the clothes that you wear, the television shows that you watch, the movies that you go to, the places where you spend your money, the people you spend your time with. See that Jesus is lord of your life. Beloved, hear me. Please hear me. It won't work to be halfway. One of the reasons why I mentioned the things I mentioned is because somehow we have separated secular lifestyle and spirituality. And Francis Schaeffer says that that has been the single most destructive thing in our nation of believers. That we have separated what is our secular responsibility and lifestyle from what our spiritual experience is. All right, quickly. The second thing is involvement in life. I believe that the thing that God calls you to do is to show forth the character of God. What is the essence of the character of God? Love and holiness. Love and holiness. But beloved for us, it's very difficult. You see, we're either very lovey and love without standards is compromise, or we're very holy and sometimes even stern and harsh. Because holiness without love can destroy. And it takes discernment and wisdom. I want to use an illustration. I'm not going to mention the person, but someone here recently sold a car to someone in their family. And years ago, before Christ was Lord, this person was a Christian. They had done a similar transaction within the family. And on a. I'll just use some figures on a $5,000 car. They said on the contract, well, we sold this one for $1,000 to do what? Save $4,000 at 6% or $240 of pa, state income tax or sales tax. And this thing had lodged in this brother's mind as something that wasn't right. Well, here was the same thing happening again a number of years later. And the person involved knew what had happened five years before that. And we walked into the notary or whatever it was and they started writing it out. And even the guy behind the desk said, well, why don't you make up a price? Why pay all that? And there was a moment of decision right there. You see, would I be godly all the way down to the core. And you see, love might have said, well, selling the car. And that means my, in this case it was a sister. My sister is going to have to pay the $240. You see, that could have been holiness without love. But in that moment of decision, the brother knew that if it went on like that, that he would make up the difference. And that, you see, to me was an illustration of the love doing what was right, or the holiness rather, doing what was right with the love. And that was the willingness to make up the difference. And that's what they did. And I believe that that spoke clearly to that sister who wasn't walking very closely with the Lord at that time. Alright, the third thing that you can do is to make your prayer life count. Make your prayer life count. And you do that by identifying the real enemy. Who is the real enemy behind all this? Beloved, it's not Reaganomics. The real enemy is the fact is the person of Satan and the fact that he has a plan to erode and destroy the fabric of our country. Secularism is Satan birthed and Satan bred. And I want to encourage you to go after the gates of hell and tear down those strongholds and see that as you pray, that the real goal of your prayers in our Tuesday and Friday prayer meetings, Beloved, we're seeing that the real goal of prayer is the hearts of men. It's not until the hearts are touched. We call for repentance. We call for those who have forgotten God to turn and a softening and a yielding. The fourth thing is for fathers and mothers to train up your children. Beloved, only a generation is all it takes to forget the things of the Lord your God. In Deuteronomy, chapter 11