Homeland Security God's Way

GOD'S PLAN FOR HOMELAND SECURITY

Stanley Sherman

INTRODUCTION:

A. When you hear the words, "Homeland Security", what is the first thing that comes to mind?

1. Is it the tragedy that occurred on September 11, 2001, when Islamic terrorists crashed their

hijacked planes into the World Trade towers in New York City, the Pentagon and hijacked Flight

93 in Pennsylvania--killing thousands of Americans?

2. Or, do you think of all the media reports criticizing the long lines at airports and TSA officers as

they carry out airport screening and searches; and, featuring stories about people who were in-

convenienced--but ignoring the many thousands of threats which were prevented by the TSA and

other Department of Homeland Security officers?

3. What do you think about when you hear the words, "Homeland Security"?

B. We can talk about our Government's efforts to try to maintain homeland security, and the obvious

holes in the system--like the southern border with Mexico, which seems to cancel it all out!

1. We can debate whether the Israely security system is superior to ours, or discuss other kinds of

ideas and suggestions to help things out.

2. We can pass all kinds of new legislation, or create new mandated laws...

C. But, most everyone is missing the real solution to our endangered nation's security, and most of our

nation's leaders and educators and the media are willfully ignoring it!

D. If you are going to discuss solutions to a problem, it only makes common sense that you have to

first of all define the real problem and seek out the real causes of the situation.

1. We can focus our attention on the Islamic terrorists and other outside foreign threats, who are

trying to bring our nation down.

2. But, there are internal forces in our nation, far more sinister and diabolical, that are doing

massively greater damage to the foundations of our society and future existence--and they are

virtually and willfully ignored by our government and the media.

a. And these determined, wicked forces are found in our government, our education system, our

media, our systems of justice and even in our churches!

b. They are seeking to re-define America--re-defining its history, its moral base, its prosperity

through free enterprise, and its future--into something that is nothing like the America we once

knew and hoped to pass on to our children and grandchildren.

E. Joseph Stalin, the first General Secretary of the Communist Party or the Soviet Union Central Com-

mittee, and the first Premier of the Soviet Union made the following statement:

"America is like a healthy body and its resistance is three-fold: its patriotism, its morality and its

spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within."

1. Stalin also said: "Education is a weapon whose effect depends on who holds it in his hand and at

whom it is aimed."

2. Another quote from Stalin is this: "Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count

the votes decide everything."

F. A later Russian Premier, Nikita Khrushchev, visited America in 1958 in order to see American

agriculture. Ezra Taft Benson, who was the Secretary of Agriculture during the Eisenhower

administration, described in a speech the confrontation he had with Mr. Khrushchev on that

occasion:

"As we talked face to face, he indicated that my grandchildren would live under communism. After

assuring him that I would do all in my power to assure him and all other grandchildren would live

under freedom, he arrogantly declared in substance: You Americans are so gullible. No, you won't

accept communism outright. But we'll keep feeding you small doses of socialism until you finally

wake up and find that you have communism. We won't have to fight you. We'll so weaken your

economy that you will fall like over-ripe fruit into our hands."

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G. These scary predictions by Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev are rapidly being fulfilled in our

time at a breathtaking pace. We've even had avowed communists working in our government and

in advisory positions to our highest officials, regardless of political party.

1. In a July 6, 2011 article on THE SPIN CYCLE website, we read the following:

"For the second time in two consecutive elections, the Communist Party USA has decided to

support Barack Hussein Obama, D-Kenya, and to not run a candidate of their own. CPUSA

leader, Sam Webb, says he will continue to support Obama and the Democrats in 2012. The

Communist Party USA has consistently supported and infiltrated the Democratic party. The

CPUSA has not run their own candidate for president since 1984...Ever since then they have

simply endorsed the Democrat, saying 'He is close enough to what we want, and he has a real

chance to win." (The Spin Cycle--July 6, 2011)

a. An organization called "The 'Progressive Democrats of America' describes itself as an

organization working within the Democratic Party, reminding them that they are the party that

represents the people not the elites." (from an article by Travis Rowley entitled Unions,

Democrats, and Communists- One Big Angry Family on the GoLocalProv Mindsetter

website, February 28, 2011).

b. If you follow the news on the Communist Party website, CPUSA.org, you will see how they

have co-opted unions, education, the militant green movement, the media and other profession-

al left-wing activist movements, with the view of collapsing free enterprise and expanding

government control over the economy, with the goal of socialism--all the while saying they are

for the working man and are fighting to right the wrongs of our nation.

c. What is the difference between socialism and communism?

(1) Socialism is the process of wealth redistribution.

(2) When the last rich man has had his money confiscated, then it is communism.

d. We are now on that path. Our nation is suffering from the consequences of the many

corrupting agendas of the Social Progressive movement.

2. When we allow God, prayer and the Bible to be removed from the schools, and babies to be

murdered by abortion, and when God's design for marriage and the family--as the foundation for

civilized society--is blasphemed by disgusting counterfeit substitutes; and we accept perversion as

normal; and tolerate immorality as moral--all of which are a part of progressive agendas, then

we have destroyed the infrastructure of our culture and are ripe for disaster, slavery, and finally

destruction!

a. The Psalmists asks the question in PSALM 11:3, "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the

righteous do?"

b. ISAIAH 5:20-21 warned, "Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for

light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them

that are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight.!"

c. Who is man--stupid, arrogant, weak and dying, laden with sin--who is man to think he can

shake his fist at God, and think he can presume to drive God away from our nation?

(1) It's like a flea shaking its fist at an elephant who is about to stomp on it!

(2) GALATIANS 6:7 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that

shall he also reap."

(3) HOSEA 8:7 "For they have sown the wind and they shall reap the whirlwind:"

(4) PROVERBS 1:22-33 (READ)

d. PSALM 9:17 "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."

(1) ACTS 10:34 teaches that "...God is no respecter of persons:"

(2) By the same token, God is no respecter of nations.

(a) He will bless the nation that fears and honors Him, and

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(b) He will judge the nation that turns away from Him.

e. PROVERBS 14:34 "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people."

f. Alexis de Tocqueville, the French political thinker and historian, visited America in 1831 and

was greatly impressed. He said, "America is great because she is good. If America ceases to

be good, she will cease to be great."

H. Remember the words mentioned by Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev as they talked about

how communism would eventually take over America.

1. In essence they said, If we can undermine their patriotism (in other words, quash their national

pride. Get them to feel guilty and apologetic about past greatness and their impact on the world);

and if we can corrupt their morality (by advancing immoral agendas) and destroy their spiri-

tual life (by marginalizing Christianity, and promoting values clarification in the schools and

removing the influence of God and the Bible); and by controlling the workplace through over-

taxation and over-regulation and the destruction of ethics, we will so weaken the economy

that America will fall like over-ripe fruit into our hands; and, their grandchildren will live

under communism.

2. It is obvious that our nation is at the cross-roads.

a. We face the threat of terrorist from without and within, and

b. We are suffering within--with a dysfunctional, bloated and broke government; dysfunctional

families; incompetent public education systems; divided churches that have lost their focus;

and discontent and turmoil in our society in general.

c. And, we are on a fool's errand if we believe that the solution lies with our military, or the TSA,

or any other governmental agency or bureaucracy. And it certainly does not lie in throwing

more money at it!

3. What we need is a good old fashioned revival, like the old preacher once said:

"We need a genuine, old fashioned, heaven-sent, sin-killing, devil-chasing, Christ-exalting, soul-

saving, saint-stirring revival!

DISCUSSION:

A. Our SURVIVAL, TRUE HOMELAND SECURITY, depends on REVIVAL--getting back to basics,

back to the foundation and rebuilding on our strengths. Then, once again we can enjoy goodness,

greatness and our positive influence on the world.

1. JEREMIAH 6:16 "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths,

where is the good way and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls..."

2. In REVELATION 2:5, Jesus instructed the church at Ephesus, which He said had lost its first love

in these words, and they are good for our nation today--"Remember therefore from whence thou

art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will re-

move thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."

3. We must remember that "the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct

his steps." (JEREMIAH 10:23).

a. We need help from above. Our repentance or change must be guided by wisdom and be built

on a solid foundation of truth and righteousness.

b. For that direction, we need to go back to the Bible and to our Nation's Constitution.

4. Regardless of how the main-stream media may spin it, and in spite of all the talk of "hope and

change" by politicians, our nation is experiencing it's fall! It is obvious. Just look around you.

5. The first step to solving a problem is to acknowledge that there is a problem and define it.

a. For the remainder of this presentation, we are going to look at FROM WHENCE WE HAVE

FALLEN AS A NATION, and--

b. Then EXAMINE GOD'S SOLUTION FOR RESTORING OUR NATION.

His solution may surprise you. It involves the church. But what can we do to help the nation?

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B. It is a fact of history that the rise and fall of nations and empires has been in direct relation or pro-

portion to their realization and acknowledgment of God's power over them.

1. PSALM 33:12 "Blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord."

PSALM 9:17 "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."

2. It is also a fact of history that an important factor in the rise and fall of nations has been the faith-

fulness, behavior and activity of God's people, or the absence thereof--influencing the society

around them.

a. Only ten righteous people would have saved Sodom and Gomorrah from God's judgment of

destruction upon the wicked and perverted inhabitants.

b. Only one reluctant, but penitent, preacher saved the wicked city of Ninevah from destruction.

3. Historian Alexander Tyler patterns the rise and fall of nations with this list of contributing

factors: Bondage, giving rise to Spiritual Faith, leading to Courage, then Liberty, resulting in

Abundance, declining to Selfishness, Complacency, and Apathy, then to Dependence, and

back to Bondage again.

4. There is a very wise saying: "Those who do not learn from the mistakes of the past are destined

to repeat them."

C. Our nation was formed by those who left behind the bondage of restrictions on the freedom of

worship and the high taxation imposed by the king of England.

1. The heritage of our nation is historically and undeniably intertwined with religion from the very

beginning of our nation...

a. Not the religion of Islam...not Buddhism...not Hinduism...not Confucianism or Deism...not

even the native Indian religions...

b. But upon the Bible ethics, Bible principles of law, and the value system of the Bible.

2. Despite the efforts of the Secular Progressives to revise and rewrite history for our children in the

current public school textbooks--completely erasing and ignoring God and the influence of

Christianity upon our nation--there can be no doubt about the true history of our nation's roots in

the Bible.

3. John Quincy Adams, the 6th President of the United States, and one of our founding fathers,

proclaimed that "The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: that it was connected in

one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity."

4. In 1892 the U.S. Supreme Court made an exhaustive study of the connection between

Christianity and the government of the United States.

a. After reviewing hundreds of volumes of historical documents, the court asserted:

"These references...add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances

that this is a religious people--a Christian nation."

b. We should note that this was called a Christian nation, not a Christian state run by a state

church or denomination.

c. It was a land whose people and whose laws were characterized by a love and respect for God

and the Bible as a basis for authority in our nation.

5. Again in 1931, Supreme Court Justice, George Sutherland, reviewed the 1892 decision in

reference to another case, and re-iterated that Americans are a "Christian people".

6. As late as 1952, Justice William O. Douglas affirmed that "We are a religious people and our

institutions presuppose a Supreme Being."

D. Our open acknowledgement and reliance upon God caused us to become the greatest, strongest,

wealthiest and most powerful nation in history.

1. We were loved, respected and welcomed all over the world wherever we traveled.

a. America was the dream destination of people from all over the world.

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b. International investors and manufacturers wanted to come to America...

(1) Because of its freedom of enterprise, and

(2) Because of its predictably stable government.

(a) Unfortunately, the United States today shows the largest productivity decline among the

twelve manufacturing nations of the world;

(b) And, the number one country attracting business, because of its freedom and predictably

stable government is Singapore (as of this writing), followed by Australia, New Zealand

Switzerland, and Canada.

2. When America was first and on top of all statistics, it was during those years when most Ameri-

cans openly and unapologetically acknowledged God as our strength.

a. It was also the time when the Lord's church was strong and firmly planted on the Word of God.

(1) We grew rapidly to the extent that TIME magazine recognized churches of Christ as the

fastest growing of all the churches in America in 1975. Now we range between 12th or

15th.

(2) I believe with all my heart that the evangelistic zeal and fervor of the church during the

late 19th century and first half of the 20th century, helped to influence the strength of our

nation and its success.

b. At that time members of the church of Christ had the reputation of being the people of the

Bible.

(1) We knew our Bible and used it as our only rule of faith and practice, and did not hesitate to

enthusiastically share it with others in gospel meetings, large city-wide preaching events

held in convention centers or stadiums, as well as private in-home Bible studies that we

called cottage meetings.

(2) I heard about a judge in a court case, who--unable to find the courtroom Bible on which

the witnesses were to swear that day--asked if there might be a member of the church of

Christ in the court-room who could stand in for the Bible. That is what our reputation used

(a) That is what our reputation used to be.

(b) We were known as the people of the Bible.

knowledge that children from denominations.

E. As Historian Alexander Tyler noted in his cycle of the rise and fall of the nations--spiritual faith,

courage, liberty and abundance eventually leads to selfishness, complacency, and apathy.

1. As we look back into the Old Testament history of God's people, Israel--when everything was at

its best for them and they lavished in God's blessings--they began to forgot who gave them all

those blessings, and began drifting away from Him.

a. As a result, they lost those blessings and

b. They suffered hardships and eventually bondage to their enemies.

2. Ray Summers has attributed the fall of Rome to three agencies: "...it is a known fact that

Imperial Rome fell though a combination of three agencies: natural calamity, internal decadence,

and outside invasion."

3. Edward Gibbon, author of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, believed that internal

decay was the deciding factor and listed five reasons for the fall of Rome:

a. "The rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which

is the basis of human society.

b. "Higher and higher taxes and the spending of public money for free bread and circuses for the

populace.

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c. "The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal.

d. "The building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy was within: the decadence of the

people.

e, "The decay of religion--faith fading into mere form--losing touch with life and becoming

impotent to warn and guide the people."

4. Likewise, our nation is in a downward spiral, not only economically, but socially and spiritually;

and, the fabric that kept us strong and influential in the world is unraveling at an unprecedented

speed.

a. Even though our nation's decline may have many causes over a period of time, most observers

target 1962 as a significant pivot point in our history, when things really began to change

dramatically in the subsequent years in the vital and basic areas of society.

b. The 60's were known as a time of great social upheaval in America in just about all areas of

life:

(1) The assassinations of the Kennedy brothers and Martin Luther King;

(2) The influence of the Beatles and other rock groups becoming the idols of the young;

(3) The hippy movement and the sexual revolution;

(4) The Viet Nam war and the distrust for authority;

(5) The rise of the drug culture.

c. But, there was also during this time a dramatic and very noticeable beginning of the rejection of

God in our nation.

5. As we noted earlier, if a nation is going to have an effective and successful attempt at the security

of the homeland, it is essential to pinpoint, describe, isolate and understand the causes for the

threats that create the need for security in the first place.

a. It is interesting that the very same factors that caused the decline and fall of the nation of Israel

in the Old Testament are the identical factors that are contributing to the fall of the United

States--exactly the same step by step.

(1) And if you analyze the fall of any nation or empire in history, you will see the same 7 steps

consistent to the pattern.

(2) One step logically causes and leads to the next step down the stair-case to destruction.

b. We are not left to conjecture as to what caused the nation of Israel's departure and subsequent

collapse and fall.

c. The Prophet Hosea very clearly and logically reveals this progression of events in the book of

HOSEA.

F. As we go through these steps, keep in mind that they mirror not only the nation, but the breakdown

of our homes, our schools and the church, all of which are foundational to our nation.

I CORINTHIANS 10:12 "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."

1. STEP ONE: HOSEA 4:6 "MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE.

BECAUSE THOU HAST REJECTED KNOWLEDGE, I WILL ALSO REJECT THEE, THAT

THOU SHALT BE NO PRIEST TO ME; SEEING THOU HAST FORGOTTEN THE LAW OF

THY GOD, I WILL ALSO FORGET THY CHILDREN."

a. The decline and fall of the nation of Israel began with A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE.

(1) Rejecting knowledge about God and His way plunged the nation of Israel into a dramatic

decline.

(2) We are seeing an EROSION OF SUCH KNOWLEDGE taking our nation down as well.

b. Earlier in this presentation we noted that most observers target 1962 as a significant point in

our history, when things really began to change dramatically in the subsequent years in the vital

and basic areas of society. The 60's were known as a time of great social upheaval in America

in just about all areas of life.

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c. Now, lets look at what happened on June 25, 1962: On this date, the U.S. Supreme Court

struck down prayer in public schools (in the case of Engel vs. Vitale) by a liberal majority.

It ruled: "Prayer in its public school system breaches the constitutional wall of separation be-

tween church and state."

(1) Never before in the history of our nation had ANY branch of government ever taken such a

stand.

(2) And, this stand was against the most basic religious principle fundamental to the strength

and growth of our nation.

(3) In fact the phrase, "separation of church and state" appears nowhere in our constitution. It

is found in the Soviet constitution of Russia. So, there was no constitutional basis for this

decision, and the founders no where ever intended such.

d. In 1963, again, the U.S. Supreme Court acted in the case of Abington vs. Schempp to remove

Bible readings from the schools. The court affirmed: "If portions of the New Testament were

read without explanation, they could be, and...had been psychologically harmful to the child."

e. Again in 1976, the U.S. Supreme Court removed "God" from school correspondence, stating:

"To include reference to God...would violate...the first amendment." (Ohio vs. Whisner, 1976).

f. Then in the case of Stone vs Gramm, 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court removed the 10 Com-

mandments from view stating: "If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments are to have

any effect at all, it will be to induce the school children to read, meditate upon, perhaps vene-

rate and obey, the Commandments...This...is not a permissible state objective under the

Establishment clause...The mere posting of the copies (of the 10 Commandments) the (First

Amendment) prohibits." And we know truthfully that the 1st Ammendment does not prohibit it.

g. Also, in just citing one more of many subsequent rulings, (Graham vs. Central, 1985...Kay vs

Douglas, 1986...Jagar vs. Douglas, l989), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to remove bene-

dictions from school activities, stating: "Religious invocation...in high school commence-

ment exercise conveyed (the) message that (the) district had given its endorsement to prayer

and religion so that (the) school district was properly (prohibited) from including invocation in

commencement exercises."

h. As a result of these very unwise and arrogant, mistaken rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, our

nation, who used to have great respect for God's Word, has been given official instruction that

God's Word is not important, and children should be shielded from its influence.

(1) Isn't it ironic, that when Russia threw off communism in the 1980's, officials begged for the

Bible the be taught in the public schools, because they said the young people had no moral

base, and they needed one.

While in America, at the same time, we threw out the Bible, and now our students have no

lasting moral base. Why do you think in recent years we've had all the school shootings,

rapes and murders in our public schools--unheard of prior to the 1960's?

(2) Our nation is rapidly losing touch with God's precepts which wove the very fabric of our

nation.

i. When you take God out of the picture, wisdom also vanishes.

(1) Wisdom comes from God. JAMES 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that

giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

(2) Knowledge without wisdom is foolishness. PSALM 14:1 "The fool hath said in his

heart, 'There is no God'. They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. There is

none that doeth good."

(3) All you have to do is look around you to see what life is like when knowledge is without

wisdom.

(a) Look at our leadership in Washington, largely made up of academicians from our

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leading universities, with no little or no practical business skills from experience, or

executive, or corporate experience.

(b) The incompetence is embarrassing and would be laughable if it wasn't so tragic.

common sense about how to correctly and practically apply knowledge.

(d) Wisdom comes from experience in truth.

(e) Did you know that the moral fabric and strength that built this nation to greatness and

won its wars prior to the 1960's was done by people who had no more than an 8th grade

8th grade education? I have a copy of an 8th grade final exam in 1895 that I would

challenge the average liberal arts college graduate to try to pass today!

j. The Lord said, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." (HOSEA 4:6)

(1) Basic Bible knowledge skills are way down among our young people as well as even those

who regularly attend church services.

(2) It's no wonder churches are splintering apart and we are losing 75% of our young people.

(a) In a typical church service, if the preacher quotes from a psychologists or popular reli-

gious writer, heads eagerly pop up with attention.

(b) And yet, their knowledge is worthless compared to the knowledge and wisdom of God's

Word.

k. But, let's return to the June 25, 1962 U.S. Supreme Court decision taking prayer out of the

schools, because it has such dramatic implications and is so significant to our recent history

and our rapid decline.

(1) That little prayer, a simple little invocation, that was the court model, or case in point, was

simply composed of 22 words:

"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee and beg thy blessing upon us,

our parents, our teachers, and our country. Amen."

(2) The U.S. Supreme Court said that the children of our nation's public schools cannot pray

that prayer.

(3) Of the four parts, or aspects, of that little prayer, in which God was asked to bless--the U.S.

Supreme Court said in essence:

"It is a matter of public policy that we don't want God's blessings upon the students, or on

their teachers. We don't want God's blessings on their families or on our nation."

(4) And when you see what happened to our students, our teachers, our families and our

nation over the following years, you will see that it is as if God replied to the United

States Supreme Court, "Ok, you don't want my hand in those four areas. Alright, then, I'll

remove My Hand of protection and blessings from your students, their teachers, their

parents, and from the nation. You have spoken as a representative of the people of the

United States."

(5) In the 1980's David Barton wrote a book about that little prayer that the Supreme Court

banned and then noted from the Government's own STATISTICAL ABSTRACTS OF THE

UNITED STATES, what happened to--

(a) the students in our public schools

(b) what happened to the teachers

(d) our nation in general.

It is a matter of public record, and it will shock you.

l. But, before pursuing this further, let's return to the book of HOSEA for the next steps in his

chronicle of the fall of Israel, because they will help us to better understand our nations fall.

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2. STEP TWO: HOSEA 5:5 "AND THE PRIDE OF ISRAEL DOTH TESTIFY TO HIS FACE,

THEREFORE SHALL ISRAEL AND EPHRAIM FALL IN THEIR INIQUITY, JUDAH ALSO

SHALL FALL WITH THEM."

a. After rejecting the knowledge of God's Word, the next logical step is PRIDE to fill the void.

(1) When we think of pride, we think of the exaltation of self, the arrogance of power,

the promotion of human wisdom and the rejection of authority.

(2) It is interesting that when the U.S. Supreme Court threw out prayer and the Bible to shield

students from the influence of Christianity, and the Ten Commandments of Judaism, they

still allowed books and teachings of Eastern Religions, Islam, and Native American

Religions to remain on the shelves and be influential on the students. Some schools even

designated prayer rooms for the Moslem students.

(a) You see the inconsistency, the hypocrisy and double standard in our schools.

(b) Also, Secular Humanism--which exalts man as his own god, and denies the God of

Heaven, is allowed to permeate the teaching and curriculum of our public schools.

"common faith", and in 1961, the U.S. Supreme Court acknowledged that Secular Hu-

manism is a religion. And yet, it is perfectly okay in schools. Consistency, where art

thou?

(1) The religious doctrine of humanism is psychology, and its explanation of origin is

evolution, and it's arm of enforcement is political correctness.

(2) John Dewey was strongly opposed to anything that would help Christian faith in

children, and helped introduce socialism step by step into the American culture

primarily through the public schools.

(3) John Dewey wrote the Americanized version of the Communist Manifesto and called

it the Humanist Manifesto. That is their bible.

(d) Since, in humanism, man is superior--then he is his own god. Now you understand the

religion of Pride.

b. God calls these people fools--PSALM 14:1 "The fool hath said in his heart There is no God."

c. PROVERBS 16:18 "Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall."

d. The Israelites rejected God's religion, but at the same time they became enamored with the

pagan religions around them.

(1) The glitter and the pageantry promoted their feeling of pride and freedom from authority.

(2) The very same thing can be said of religious denominationalism today, which is more

enamored with the doctrines of men over the Word of God, and the glamor and pride of

religious cathedral like palaces of worship, and the pageantry of entertainment--based

religious services.

(3) Little wonder Jesus said in MATTHEW 15:9 "In vain they do worship me, teaching for

doctrines the commandments of men."

3. STEP THREE in Israel's departure and fall is stated in HOSEA 6:4 "O, EPHRAIM, WHAT

SHALL I DO UNTO THEE? O JUDAH, WHAT SHALL I DO UNTO THEE? FOR YOUR GOOD

NESS IS AS THE MORNING CLOUD, AND AS THE EARLY DEW IT GOETH AWAY."

The third step in Israel's departure was INSTABILITY, which means a lack of DETERMINA-

TION.

a. When you lack knowledge of God's way, and become egotistical with pride, it is only logical

that you will want to promote your own agenda--your special interest.

(1) And, your special interest will conflict with some one else's special interest--then unity

will begin to unravel into fragmentation.

(2) Since we have done away with the value system of the Bible, we have seen the rise of

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thousands of splinter groups and special interest groups, each with their own agendas--

many using in-your-face tactics to try to win approval and support to gain positions of

power and control.

(4) They don't care for the common good for the country--it's "my way or the highway".

b. Instability--the outgrowth of pride, and the next step in the nation's downhill slide.

4. Hosea's next step in Israel's fall, STEP FOUR, is found in HOSEA 7:8 "EPHRAIM, HE HATH

MIXED HIMSELF AMONG THE PEOPLE; EPHRAIM IS A CAKE NOT TURNED."

a. In other words, Ephraim was what we would call half-baked.

(1) God's people had begun mixing with the heathens and pagans, or what Jesus warns against

in the New Testament as mixing with the world.

(a) The world refers to all that is against God and His will.

(b) Another word for the world is sin--the practice of a sinful life.

(2) This resulted in a watering down of faith, and the assimilation of pagan ideas and practi-

ces. God's people were serving Him with a divided heart.

(3) God's instructions to His people had been not to mix with the heathen nations or partici-

pate in sinfulness, lest they become corrupted by idolatry and serve other gods and lose

God's blessings. How does this apply to us today?

b. Since the beginning of our nation, we have welcomed people of all nations and cultures to

come here for freedom and opportunity and to assimilate as Americans. And immigrants

would proudly say, "We are not Americans!"

(1) They, of course, maintained ties with their native cultures, but not at the expense of

commitment to upholding our Constitution and our laws.

(2) Now, we have people coming who do not want to assimilate, and who would even like to

impose their own laws on our nation.

c. Jesus taught "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love

the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and

mammon." (MATTHEW 5:24).

(1) God wanted commitment from His people to stay with the old paths of truth and right.

(2) You cannot be committed to God and committed to a life of ungodliness at the same time.

d. When Jesus gave the great commission in MARK 16:15-16, He sent Christians into nations

to bring the gospel message of their Savior to them and salvation. He said: "Go ye into all

the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be

saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned."

(1) Jesus prayed to His Father about His followers in these words "And now I come to Thee;

and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the

world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the

world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even

as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth. As Thou

hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world." (JOHN 17:13-

18).

(2) And God's word warns His followers, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in

the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is

in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of

the Father, but is of the world." I JOHN 2:15-16.

e. Churches today are full of half-baked Christians; or, whom Jesus calls the lukewarm.

(1) Folks who are living with one foot in church and the other foot in the world.

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(2) Whether it is immodest dress--trying to keep up with the worldly styles, or gambling,

drinking, entertainment choices, idolizing sports figures, or rock stars, or Hollywood

types--you can't tell them from the world. They profess Christianity but don't live it.

(a) There are even churches today who try to imitate worldliness in order to try to attract

or keep their young people--thinking this is what has to be done, and that this is what

young people really want.

(b) They are so wrong, and usually wind up losing their young people anyway; because

they didn't help the fathers and mothers establish the right foundation for the kids.

(3) Whatever you put before God, worship attendance and Christian service--is to that

extent your idol!

(4) Jesus says, you can't do that. "You can't serve two masters."

(5) He says, "...You are neither cold nor hot. So then because you are lukewarm and neither

cold or hot, I will spew you out of my mouth." (REVELATION 3:15-16).

Jesus wants you hot--which means focused, committed, fervent and zealous in your

Christianity.

f. Our nation is only as strong as our families and our Christians are strong.

(1) Here's the test--ask yourself right now--If every citizen of the United States were just like

me, what kind of nation would America be?

(2) And if you call yourself a Christian, ask yourself right now--If every Christian were just

like me, what kind of church would the church of Christ be?

(3) I CORINTHIANS 13:5 "Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed, lest he

fall."

5. STEP FIVE in Israel's fall as a nation appears in HOSEA 9:9 "THEY HAVE DEEPLY COR-

RUPTED THEMSELVES, AS IN THE DAYS OF GIBEAH; THEREFORE HE WILL REMEM-

BER THEIR INIQUITY, HE WILL VISIT THEIR SINS."

a. The logical outcome of instability and mixing with the world is corruption--the internal

corruption of character manifesting itself in corrupt activity in public and private situationsp.

b. Our nation is full of corruption because we have corrupt leaders who were supposed to be

upright and examples to their circles of influence, who lost sight of why they were sent to

office in Washington D.C. or State Capitols.

(1) In the private sector, the corrupt are often sent to prison as criminals for abusing power

and mishandling money.

(2) In the political sector they are re-elected and sent back to congress--but they are still

criminals and should be dealt with as such. There are many holding office today, and

serving on important committees or heading up agencies, who should be locked away in

prison and never allowed to hold office or serve in public again. Their pensions should

be stripped from them, and their ill-gotten gain should be refunded back to the tax payers.

c. Corruption in our country is not just confined to business and government, but it is in our

public schools, our judicial system, journalism, Hollywood and even in our churches--leaving

in its wake a shattered society and many innocent ruined lives as collateral damage.

6. STEP SIX in Israel's fall is called BACKSLIDING. HOSEA 11:7 "AND MY PEOPLE ARE

BENT TO BACKSLIDING FROM ME: THOUGH THEY CALLED THEM TO THE MOST

HIGH, NONE AT ALL WOULD EXALT HIM."

a. Backsliding is defined as "sliding back into wrong doing".

(1) The word speaks for itself. It is going in the opposite direction from God.

(2) Why is our country trying to block the influence of God and Christianity, while at the

same time seemingly bending over backwards to accommodate Islam?

b. If you are bent to backsliding, that means you have established a pattern or have decided to

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go in a different direction or embraced a replacement.

(1) You are now very close to the bottom of your slide.

(2) You are building your wall to separate yourself from God.

c. Do you begin to see the pattern of a nation's fall?

(1) A lack of knowledge of God's word leads to pride and human reason.

(2) Pride, since human reason is arrogant and flawed, leads to instability and division.

(3) When people are unstable, they are vulnerable to anything that comes along that attracts

them. This opens the door to mixing with the world.

(4) Compromising truth with error always leads to corruption, and all the vileness and

wickedness associated with it.

(5) Corruption so fogs clear and honest vision, that backsliding away from truth, common

sense, wisdom--all of which have their source in God--is the natural and logical result.

7. This brings us to the 7th and final step, which leads to the basement, the dungeon, the

furthest point away from God.

a. Since our nation has not quite achieved that point yet, although

events around us may tell us that we're getting closer--let's just put that step on hold for a little

while longer and visit it later.

b. Before we identify it from HOSEA, let's go back to that little prayer that was thrown out of

the public schools by the U.S. Supreme Court back in 1962,

(1) because the results of that decision impacting our nation will graphically illustrate what

we have learned from the book of HOSEA.

(2) You will see these steps in action in our country in the wake of that Court decision.

8. Remember again, the little prayer said: "ALMIGHTY GOD, WE ACKNOWLEDGE OUR

DEPENDENCE UPON THEE AND BEG THY BLESSINGS UPON US, OUR PARENTS, OUR

TEACHERS, AND OUR COUNTRY. AMEN."

a. David Barton, founder and president of WallBuilders--"a national pro-family organization

that presents America's forgotten history and heroes with an emphasis on our moral, religious

and constitutional heritage," in the 1980's wrote a little book in which he charted out, from

our government's own abstract statistics, the dramatic changes that occurred for the worse

in all four of these areas--the students, their homes, their teachers and the nation.

(1) Now, when a change is a gradual line on a chart, then it is called a trend.

(2) But, when there are dramatic spikes upward and downward on the chart, then that

indicates that an event has taken place.

(3) The STATISTICAL ABSTRACTS OF THE UNITED STATES, Vital Statistic Records,

and other research sources, confirm that an event happened, starting in 1962 and 63,

and in subsequent years involving all four areas of that little prayer!

b. For instance, note what happened to OUR STUDENTS in America after God removed His

hand of protection and blessing:

(1) For years, one of the leading indicators for measuring student achievement in school has

been the SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST, commonly called the S.A.T. test.

(a) Before 1962, S.A.T. scores hadn't declined for more than 2 consecutive years in a row.

(b) After the U.S. Supreme Court removed the influence of God and Christianity out of

the education system, there followed eighteen consecutive years of successive decline,

unprecedented in the history of the S.A.T.

in science, out of 30 countries examined; and ranked 23rd in math scores.

(d) We used to pride ourselves in ranking near to top in academic literacy--not any more.

(2) Another tragic phenomenon of a different kind began plaguing students on August 1, 1966

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four years after the U.S. Supreme Court took prayer out of the schools. On that date was

the University of Texas shooting during which 16 students were murdered.

(a) Since that day in 1966, there have been 106 more public school shootings over the

years, killing a total of 215 students.

(b) And, that doesn't include the random violence and murder of teachers and students

that occur on nearly a daily basis somewhere in our nation.

(3) In another area of student life, prior to 1962, suicides among students was almost nill and

not widely reported.

(a) For thirty years after 1962, teen suicide tripled, increasing 253% and is growing by

10.5% a year.

(b) Suicide is the number two cause of teen death after auto accidents.

(4) Sexual immorality among teens took a dramatic increase after 1962 as did venereal

diseases.

(a) I graduated high school in 1962, and back then no one ever heard of a high school

having to have a nursery for student babies. It is standard today on school campuses.

(b) Today, the United States has the highest rate of teen motherhood in the world.

States are born out of wedlock.

c. But, let's look at the second part of that little prayer, struck down by the U.S. Supreme

Court, which asked God's blessings upon the PARENTS OF THE STUDENTS--the homes

and families of our nation.

(1) There is an old saying: "As goes the home, so goes the nation."

(a) Since 1962, the divorce rate has tripled and now stands at 50% of all marriages end in

divorce.

One study estimated that the cost of family break-ups to federal, state and local go-

vernments exceeds $112 billion a year for welfare, prisons, and more police.

(b) Since 1970 the number of unmarried couples living together has increased ten-fold.

(d) According to a 2010 Pew Research Center study, in 1978, 28% of registered voters

thought that marriage was an outdated idea.

Today, nearly 40% of registered voters think that marriage is an outdated idea.

(e) And same sex "marriage", (which in fact is artificial, counterfeit marriage and is

blasphemy against God's divine plan for one man one woman), is accepted by 60%

of Americans under 30 years old.

(f) Little wonder, when you look at the pressure upon schools to teach this stuff clear

down to the kindergarten level.

(g) And what about the influence of television:

(1) Sesame Street was pressured to have Bert and Ernie have a same sex marriage

arrangement, but fortunately turned it down.

(2) Portrayal of families on TV today has come a long ways from Leave It To Beaver

and The Waltons.

(a) The TV show called Modern Family on ABC recently won the Emmy Award

for Outstanding Comedy Series. Here is a program description from

TVsquad.com:

"Dad, Jay, tries to be accepting of his adult son Mitchell's gay lover, Cameron,

and adopted Asian baby, Lily, while Mitchell and his sister Claire try to be

accepting of divorced jay's remarriage to the much younger, voluptuous

Colombian, Gloria, which came with Gloria's wise-beyond-his-years pre-teen

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son, Manny. If we had to point out the most 'normal' member of the Pritchett

brood; or, at least, the one who puts the most fund in dysfunctional?

Definitely Cameron, the flamboyant, flashy-attired boyfriend of Mitchell."

(b) In 2008, a total of 22 TV series of ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and CW featured

35 Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Trans gendered characters--more than ever

before. --(GLAAD--Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation tracking).

(3) The trend in television and Hollywood, is to cast the immoral in likable, wise

and intelligent, having-the-solution type roles; and any moral Christian as some

weired, flawed, overly judgmental, negative, or even villainous character.

(4) And it has its impact on kids.

(5) Is it any wonder our students are failing in life due in a great part to identity

confusion and guilt; resulting, as studies indicate, in higher rates of depression,

delinquency and drug abuse. (American Family News)

d. Now, let's look at TEACHERS. That little prayer asked God's blessings upon our teachers.

(1) When I was in school up to 1962, teachers generally felt a responsibility ethic to present

themselves in a decent, well dressed and well-mannered way.

(a) They were responsible examples and role models for the children under their tutelage.

(d) They put the education of the children even before salary concerns in their priorities.

supply out-of-pocket what the school could not supply on occasion.

(d) They were committed to the proper and practical education of the child toward

responsible adulthood.

(e) And, I know there are still many such dedicated teachers in our public schools.

(f) But, there is a trend today, that was not as pronounced before the 1960's, started trend-

ing the other direction.

(2) For instance, the proper education of children seems to be the very least of concerns for

many in some teachers unions today, especially the nations largest--the NEA (National

Education Association), with which most state teachers unions are affiliated and with

which I was indirectly affiliated for a while.

When I was a student at Western New Mexico University, in my senior year I was the

president of the SEA (Student Education Association) organization, which is the student-

teacher branch of the NEA.

(a) On the NEA's website calender they posted as a diversity event, the celebration of

Mao Zedong, who brought communism to China and brutally murdered and starved

millions of Chinese citizens, and whose arrogance and stupidity ruined the country's

agriculture and economic infrastructure--as Communism always has.

(b) In the last election, they were the number one spender in federal and state political

campaigns and ballot measures--spending $56.3 million dollars, 4 times more than

any other donor. And 95% of it went to the Democrat candidates and leftist ballot

issues.

the federal and state levels.

(d) Here are a few items of the NEA's legislative agenda at their New Orleans convention

(2010):

(1) Federal funding for the education of illegal aliens.

(2) Mandatory full-day kindergarten attendance for all children.

(3) Federal programs to teach schoolchildren about different sexual orientations.

(4) Legislation to prohibit religious organizations that accept federal funding from

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basing hiring decisions on religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and expres-

sion, or HIV/AIDS status.

(5) Opposition to tuition tax credits, vouchers and parental option or "choice" in

education programs.

(6) Opposition to the testing of teachers as a criterion for job retention, promotion,

tenure or salary increases.

(7) Opposition to designating English as the official language of the United States.

(e) And we could go on and on without finding anything that really deals with basic

education improvement on the agenda.

(f) Public education in America is more about political indoctrination and values

clarification towards a Christian-free secular socialist state.

(3) And as teachers unions complain and bemoan the need for more money, it might interest

you to know that the outgoing NEA union president, Reginald Weaver, has a retirement

pension that pays him $20,221 each month.

(4) What kind of education system are your tax dollars gushing into?

(a) You probably heard recently about the cheating scandal among 178 teachers and

administrators in Atlanta schools to increase test scores over a 10 year period,

devastating the students who thought they were higher than average.

(b) This is just he tip of the iceberg as more unethical behavior and intimidation

continues to be unmasked.

(5) After God, the Bible, the 10 Commandments and Prayer was thrown out the window in

the 1960's, subsequent years showed widespread decline in teacher performance on

competency tests.

(a) The DALLAS TIMES HERALD (Dec. 11-21, 1983) reported the "20 States have

acted to stem the flow of teachers who can't spell, add or punctuate, by requiring

competency testing for teachers. When the test was given last April to 1269 juniors in

the Texas Teacher Education Programs, 38% failed the exams...

The test was given to 3300 new teachers in the Houston Independent School District.

Because of cheating and other irregularities, only 2400 of the teachers was reported.

Almost two thirds--62% failed the exam."

(b) The situation has not improved to this day, and the NEA teachers union does not want

any of these tests to be given teachers. That shows you that the NEA has as its

primary interest political power and money--not the real education that children need'

and certainly not in instilling morality and ethics in the child, let alone truth.

(6) Since the Bible teaches in LUKE 6:40 that a student will become like the teacher, it cer-

tainly is appropriate to be concerned about teacher competency.

(7) We could spend a lot more time on this issue, but before we go on to the next section of

that little prayer that was thrown out of school, let me say that for years the standards for

behavior and for what is right or wrong were largely based on the Bible in schools.

(a) When the U.S. Supreme Court disallowed those teachings in 1962 and following, they

replaced moral values with value-free teaching, which allowed students to discover

on their own and to set their own standards.

(b) PROVERBS 29:18 "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth

the law, happy is he."

school violence are now the most troublesome problems facing our schools.

(d) 14 of 15 GALLUP POLLS ON SCHOOLS during 1968-83 citied lack of discipline as

the primary problem.

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(8) Listen carefully to this. Before the U.S. Supreme Court ban on Judeo-Christian influence

in our public schools in l962--

(a) The TOP TEN PUBLIC SCHOOL PROBLEMS included these offenses:

(1) Talking in class (6) Getting out of turn in line

(2) Chewing gum in class (7) Wearing improper clothing

(3) Making noise (8) Not putting paper in the wastebasket

(4) Running in the halls (9) Smoking on the school grounds

(5) Swearing (10) Cutting classes

There were the occasional graffiti, bullying, alcohol related delinquency--but these

were more exception than the norm.

(b) Over the years, since the U.S. Supreme Court against Christian influence in schools,

the top public school problems have expanded into these areas that are more the norm

than the exception now:

(1) Rape (8) Murder (14) Alcohol abuse

(2) Robbery (9) Massacre (15) Gang warfare

(3) Assault (10) Suicide (16) Pregnancies

(4) Burglary (11) Absenteeism (17) Abortions

(5) Arson (12) Vandalism (18) Venereal Disease

(6) Bombings (13) Extortion (19) Drug Abuse

Marxists ideology and secular-humanistic values.

(1) We would like to believe that the public school system acts as an extension of our

parenting efforts to enhance our training and to educate our children in the basic

English, math, history and science skills beyond our capability to teach in order to

help round out and prepare them for life and career.

(a) It is the wish and hope of every Christian parent that their sons and daughters

will grow up to emulate and continue the good educational foundation of

values and spiritual training they have instilled within them.

(b) Deuteronomy 6:6-7, Proverbs 22:6 and Ephesians 6:1-4 all instruct the fathers

to train up their children in the Lord, giving them the moral and religious

foundation for their lives.

Wilson, who, in a speech to New York teachers said, "The purpose of

a university should be to make the son as unlike the father as possible."

(2) The primary purpose of American public education seems no longer to be the

healthy and truthful and conscientious education of children for independence

and success in a free nation;

but, the control of minds and the instillation of secular humanistic values, and the

indoctrination of future little atheistic socialists, who look to the government as

their god and source of existence.

(3) And, they are succeeding!

(a) Over 75% of young people leave the church upon completing their public

school education.

(b) 65% of young people under thirty believe that the federal government should

legalize same-sex marriage and favor socialism over free-enterprise.

(d) If I were a parent with small children today, I would seriously opt out of sending my

innocent little children into an almost certain spiritual death-trap.

(1) We cringe when we think of the Israelites, in their idolatrous choices, sending

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their children through the fires in sacrifice to the Canaanite god Molech.

(2) In a spiritual sense, how is that any different than sending your child into a most

certain spiritual catastrophe?

(3) I left the public school system and the teaching career for which I had prepared

myself, and my wife and I took our children out as well.

(a) We successfully home-schooled them.

(b) All of them are now successful in their own chosen fields.

e. We've looked at what has happened to the students, their parents, and their teachers since the

U.S. Supreme Court threw out that little prayer that asked God's to bless them.

Now we com to the fourth part of that little prayer: our NATION.

(1) Since 1962 we have witnessed a gradual loss of freedoms and a drift towards socialism--

which has dramatically increased in speed in the last three years.

(2) Prior to 1962, in our national policy the courts had consistently ruled that Christian prin-

ciples were vital to public policy and must be included therein, since Christianity is part of

the common law.

(3) But, the rulings since 1962-63 have encouraged discriminant warfare against traditional

religious principles.

(a) In well over 3000 legal challenges since 1962, courts have ruled against Christian

interests.

(b) The message seems clear from the courts: "Christian religious expressions are not

welcome in public affairs and will be taken to court."

wishes and warnings of our founding fathers.

(4) That probably helps to explain why the violent crime rate has risen over 500% since 1962,

including the murder President Kennedy, his brother, Robert, and Martin Luther King.

(5) Without Christian ethics and morals, corruption thrives.

(a) With three major scandals involving kickbacks, illegal arms sales to drug dealers,

intimidation of military brass to influence the direction of business to a large political

donor, all of which reach up to the White House, not to mention the misdirection and

actually losing of billions of unaccounted-for dollars--this administration tops the list

of the most scandalous and corrupt in our nation's history.

(b) According to MSNBC.com, a labor union leader in Chicago is receiving an annual

pension of $480,000 or $9 Million over a lifetime.

going, this administration is spending wildly all over the world. For instance here's

where some of your hard-earned tax money is going:

(1) 2.6 Million went to train Chinese prostitutes to drink more responsibly on the job.

(2) $500,000 went to Alaska Airlines to paint a Chinook Salmon on a Boeing 737. I

saw that plane at the airport in Anchorage recently.

(3) $146 Million goes to upgrade federal employees to business class on airline flights.

(4) $100 Million of your tax dollars went for unused flight tickets.

(5) $3 Billion dollars went to add sand to beaches, which OSHA says doesn't prevent

erosion at all.

(6) $400,000 is spent annually to have attendants push buttons on the fully automated

Capitol Hill elevators used by Senators and Representatives.

(7) The federal government proposed to spend $14 Million for a new Army Museum,

even though there are already 47 Army museums around the country.

(8) The National Institutes of Mental Health spent $70,029 to study to see if the degu,

Stanley Sherman--Page 18

a South American rodent, can help us better understand jet lag.

(9) $100,271 was spent to see if volunteering is good for older people.

(10) $187,042 was spent to study the quality of life in Hawaii.

(11) 1.6 Million farm subsidy checks totally $1.3 Billion has been mailed to urban zip-

codes to supposed "farmers" in downtown Los Angeles, New York City, Miami,

Minneapolis, Phoenix and even in Washington D.C.

(12) The former director of the Department of Health's HIV/AIDS Administration,

Debra Rowe, funneled $330,000 of tax-payer money to a radical homosexual

strip club in Washington D.C.

(d) And yet, we hear politicians saying they just can't find any areas to cut spending.

(1) We could spend an hour or more citing other known examples of government

waste; not to mention unnecessary departments, bureaucracies, government unions,

regulatory agencies and lobbyists--all of whom are unnecessary and squander tax

payer money.

(2) There is even $25 Billion that is unaccounted for. No one knows where it is.

(e) When the government kicks God out of the picture, it kicks out wisdom also, because

wisdom comes from God.

(1) Knowledge or intelligence without wisdom equals foolishness and stupidity.

(2) All you have to do is look over the array of Czars appointed over government '

agencies and heading up important government positions--not an experienced

business man among them.

(a) And, no demonstrated evidence of experience or accomplishment in the work

place.

(b) They are nearly all academic theoreticians without a lick of common sense

between them in my opinion.

(6) The United States, once the standard for the world, now has the highest illiteracy rate of

any industrial nation in the world.

(7) Once considered the healthiest nation in the world, we now rank 14th in longevity and

37th in health.

(8) Illegal drug use is up 1,375% since 1962 and 1963.

(9) Aids shows a 43,300% increase since 1982.

(10) And we could go on and on.

(11) All these statistics and more are available in Government Statistical Abstracts, The

Department of Health, The Center of Disease Control, The Department of Vital Statistics,

The U.S. Department of Commerce and other official sources.

(a) They show very graphically what has happened to the United States since the separa-

tion of Bible principles from public affairs in 1962-1963.

(b) Judge for yourself, whether or not God has removed His hand of blessings and protec-

tion from our nation, just as He did to Israel.

enemies September 11, 2001.

7. There is one final step in Israel's departure, the SEVENTH STEP, found in HOSEA 13:2 "AND

NOW THEY SIN MORE AND MORE, AND HAVE MADE THEM MOLTEN IMAGES OF THEIR

SILVER AND IDOLS ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN UNDERSTANDING, ALL OF IT THE

WORK OF CRAFTSMEN; THEY SAY OF THEM, LET THE MEN THAT SACRIFICE KISS THE

CALVES."

a. Israel had now fallen into IDOLATRY--the farthest place removed from God.

(1) As a result, God allowed godless nations to attack, plunder and pillage the land and lead the

Stanley Sherman--Page 19

Israelites into captivity to Assyria and the tribe of Judah to Babylon.

(2) DEUTERONOMY 28, among many other passages, chronicle the blessings they gave up

and the curses they inherited by their decision to depart from God.

b. Let our nation take heed.

(1) The fastest growing religion in America is the pagan religion called Wicca, doubling every

18 months

(2) followed by Islam, which itself is growing by 400% each year, and has established already

3000 mosques in America.

(3) Christianity has declined in America--a 36% drop between 1978--98 and is still dropping.

(a) According to a 2009 survey conducted by America's Research Group--

(1) 95% of 20-21 year old evangelical students attended church regularly while in

elementary and middle school.

(2) However by high school only 55% attended church services regularly.

(3) When they reached college, only 11% attended church services.

(b) 46% of Americans between 18 and 34 say they have no religion, even though 62% still

claim they are spiritual.

in America.

c. When America throws off God, Satan will rapidly move pagans and infidels into the void to

fill up the vacuum. Today there is a competition for control of this nation between Islamic

Caliphate and Marxist/Leninist Communism as they look like vultures upon our self-destruc-

tion.

G. And, yet, all is not lost. There is a way back--a FORMULA, a PLAN that God gave to Israel to

bring the nation back to Him.

1. "But", someone says, "how are you going to get all these people, Hollywood types, atheists,

pagans, secular-humanists to all turn back to God?"

a. You're not going to.

b. And God doesn't need them to turn things around.

(1) God never lost any of His power.

(2) Although they like to think they got rid of God, God is still here.

(3) He has just withdrawn His hand of protection on this nation, as He did Israel, because His

people got weak and turned away from Him.

(a) They lost their First Love.

(b) They shirked their responsibility to be a light of influence on the society around them.

(1) They let down being the example and the standard for marriage and the home;

the example of modesty and non-conformity to the world.

(2) And who are they--us!

(2) We Christians have failed to stand up against the forces of evil that pollute and

corrupt our schools and places of entertainment. We have embraced them.

(3) We have got so at ease in Zion (like the Israelites in AMOS 6:1) in our multi-

million dollar, air conditioned, plush carpeted, padded pew, palaces of worship--

(a) That we have chained Jesus to the pulpit;

(b) And hope to entice the world to come in and maybe get a peek Him through

all our glitter, glitz and bling.

blended so well that our example and influence has virtually vanished, along with our

compulsion, or sense of obligation to seek and save the lost.

2. So, who is God addressing when He says in 2 CHRONICLES 7:14 "IF MY PEOPLE, WHICH

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ARE CALLED BY MY NAME SHALL HUMBLE THEMSELVES, AND PRAY, AND SEEK MY

FACE, AND TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS; THEN WILL I HEAR FROM HEAVEN,

AND WILL FORGIVE THEIR SIN, AND WILL HEAL THEIR LAND."?

a. Who is God addressing? His people. His church!

b. We look all around us and blame the politicians and blame the schools and the immoral crowd

in Hollywood for this great mess that we are in, when all the time it's been US! You and me!

(1) The world has always been the world.

(2) Wickedness has always been around.

c. Yet, God has blessed His people and their nation in the midst of all of that, when they kept

themselves for Him and did His will before anything else.

(1) As we have let go of that, and our nation has suffered.

(2) And it's up to us to get it back.

3. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see a "sweeping, weeping, reaping revival" sweep across America

from coast to coast and border to border instead of continuing to destroy ourselves and our

nation?

a. A sign in the front yard of a church building said, "Either this church will have a revival or a

funeral."

b. Our survival depends on revival!

c. An old time preacher said that our greatest need is "a genuine, old fashioned, heaven-sent,

sin-killing, devil-chasing, Christ-exalting, soul-saving, saint-stirring revival!"

4. 2 CHRONICLES 7:14 is the ONLY thing that stands between us and revival.

"If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray and seek my face,

and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and

heal their land."

a. This is not a verse directed to the lost people of the world.

b. It is directed to God's people: "If my people, who are called by my name."

(1) God's people at that time was Israel.

(2) Paul calls the church today, "the Israel of God." (Galatians 6:16).

(a) So, members of Christ's church are the people of God to whom this universal statement

applies today.

(b) God's people are the the people of revival.

c. An old preacher once said: "God is not going to bring revival through the Chamber of Com-

merce or the Kiwanis or the Masons or the Mooses or the Gooses. It is going to be through

the redeemed, those who have his name, those who know God through Jesus Christ...And all

the dope dealers, baby butchers, and whiskey runners cannot hold back revival."

(1) No, its not about "What about Hollywood or Washington or Wall Street?"...

(2) No, the people of revival are God's people--God said, "If My people..."

H. Before revival can ever become a reality, the people of God must meet the FOUR DEMANDS that

God mentions in 2 CHRONICLES 7:14--

1. FIRST OF ALL, is the POSTURE OF PREPARATION--HUMILITY.

"If My people who are called by my name shall HUMBLE THEMSELVES..."

a. This word, HUMILITY, carries the idea of being "under another".

(1) Someone has defined HUMILITY as "having to look up to see God."

(2) It is saying to God, "I can't, but You can!"

(3) When we willingly humble ourselves to the Lord, under His hand, we are acknowledging

His Lordship and Headship in our lives.

(4) We are admitting our weaknesses and reaching out for His power.

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b. Satan tries to trip us up with PRIDE. PRIDE is our enemy and the opposite of humility.

(1) PROVERBS 16:18 "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."

(2) Hosea, as he chronicled the fall of the nation of Israel, said that God's people were destroy-

ed by a lack of knowledge of God's law (HOSEA 4:6).

(a) When people leave God's law, they will naturally succumb to PRIDE--the arrogance of

rebellion and human reasoning in the place of God's law.

(b) Being in such a state, God's people, Israel became open to the desire to be like the

religions of the people around them--with their heathenistic practices, their style and

pomp, their glitz and glitter, their entertainment and prideful, arrogant human wisdom.

(1) Because true wisdom comes from God (James 1:5), and knowledge without wisdom

is foolishness, the Psalmist rightly said, "The fool hath said in his heart, 'There is

no God.' They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. There is none that

doeth good."

(2) HOSEA 5:5 says of Israel, "And the pride of Israel doth testify to His face. There-

fore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity, Judah also shall fall with them."

(3) The next four steps in Israel's fall followed quickly and naturally:

(a) INIQUITY (HOSEA 6:4)

(b) MIXING WITH THE WORLD (HOSEA 7:8)

(d) BACKSLIDING away from God (HOSEA 11:7).

(3) Whether we realize it or not, the Lord's church today is following the same path in many

congregations and individual lives of Christians.

(a) We are no longer known generally as people who know the Bible like the reputation we

once had in the past.

(1) Studies show that our young people entering Christian colleges score lower on

basic Biblical knowledge than even denominational children.

(2) With less emphasis on preaching gospel sermons, in favor of positive, feel good

presentations, our working knowledge of the Bible is embarrassingly lacking.

(3) Like Israel, we are being destroyed by our lack of knowledge.

(b) And, like Israel, we find abundant evidence of pride (not the pride of accomplishment

which is legitimate pride, but in the sense of boastful, selfish and even arrogant pride)

among our brethren.

(1) It is seen in some of the ads for preacher searches. In some cases it seems like a

a young man with a theological degree is more preferable than an emphasis on

demonstrated gospel preaching experience and Biblical wisdom.

(2) It is seen in the multi-million dollar worship palaces we erect with all of the

entertainment amenities and creature comforts that we can include.

(3) It is seen in a quest for emotional entertaining worship over simple devotion.

(4) Evidence of pride is seen in the quest to imitate and interact with our religious

denominational neighbors around us; even to the point of ridiculing the idea of

restoring a New Testament pattern of doctrine and practice, and keeping a distinct

plea for unity and identity as the Lord's church.

(5) It is seen sometimes when an audience seems bored with quotes from Paul or Peter

out of the Bible, but perks up with rapt attention if a popular psychologist or theo-

logical PhD is quoted.

(6) Pride is seen in our desire to grow more through attraction and implementing mega-

church type cookie-cutter programs, rather than through NewTestament evangelis-

tic discipleship.

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(d) Humility is voluntary, but if we do not humble ourselves before God, there will come a

day when God will humble us involuntarily in the judgment.

(e) "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs l6:18).

2. SECONDLY, when humility drives us to our knees, God's next requirement is to be executed:

"If my people that are called by my name shall humble themselves and PRAY..."

a. Prayer is in essence "humility in action".

(1) Prayer doesn't just make a difference, prayer IS THE DIFFERENCE!

(2) There has never been a spiritual awakening in any country, or church, or anyone's heart that

did not start with fervent prayer.

b. Our prayers are powerful.

(1) There have been many even scientific studies showing its effectiveness.

(2) A few years ago there was a story in the newspaper of a bar owner in a town who was

planning to build a bar not far from a school. Members of a nearby church were praying

against the plans. The bar under construction was destroyed by fire. The bar owner tried

to sue the church, because he thought their prayers had brought about the destruction of

his new building.

Don't you wish the average Christian had such faith in prayer?

(3) Secular-humanists are scared to death of prayer.

(a) They know its power, and that's why they want to legislate it out of existence and keep

it from children, so they won't learn to utilize it.

(b) Socialism and Communism cannot function effectively if Christians are praying,

because praying brings freedom.

(4) Public education administrators and the Supreme Court may fool themselves into believing

that they have successfully driven prayer and God out of the schools--

(a) but there is no school classroom wall that prayer cannot penetrate.

(b) There is no prison anywhere in the world that prayer cannot enter.

mosque, or temple that prayer to God in the name of Jesus Christ cannot penetrate.

(2) But, prayer is only as effective as the degree of faith each Christian has.

(a) We must prayer in spirit and in truth, specifically, fervently, sincerely, penitently,

believing, in active faith, that God will answer our prayers in His time and according to

His will.

(b) Jesus said: "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall

receive." (MATTHEW 21:22)

be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it." (JOHN 14:13-

14). So, our prayers must always be asked in Jesus' name.

(d) And to make our prayers even more powerful, Jesus says in MARK 11:24 "Therefore I

say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them,

and they shall be granted you."

(1) Now, that demonstrates real faith!

(2) What if, instead of praying "Lord, help me to get well", that you prayed it like this:

"Lord, thank you for healing me"--even though at the same time you are ill while

you are praying for it. That is practical faith!

(3) Now, let's embark upon a great prayer project. Let's put that little prayer that the U.S.

Supreme Court took out of the public schools in 1962--let's put it back into the classrooms

of our public schools in America, but in a much more powerful and effective way.

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(a) We are not going back to the Supreme Court to get a reversal. We don't have to!

(1) And, we're not going to recite it by meaningless rote with a simple Amen, as before.

(2) We're going to send it back into the classrooms in the hearts of our kids and grand-

children.

(b) How are we going to do that?--

(1) By having the prayer with, and in front of, your children and grandchildren every

time you pray over your meals with them, and as you put them to bed, and when-

ever you have devotional time with your children.

(2) In addition to this, whenever you drive through a school zone, or sit in your car

waiting for your children to get out of school, or whenever you see a school-bus--

pray this little prayer.

Court threw out, but with a little modification for maximum effectiveness.

(1) Here is the original prayer: "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence

upon Thee and beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our

country. Amen."

(2) Here is how we modify it: "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence

upon Thee and beg Thy blessings of truth, morality, honesty and righteousness

upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our country. Thank you for answering

our prayer according to Thy will in Jesus name. Amen."

(3) You can make this prayer even more pointed by naming the children's school.

"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee and beg Thy

blessings of truth, morality, honesty and righteousness upon us, our parents, our

teachers in Junction City High School and our country. Thank you for answer-

ing our prayer according to Thy will in Jesus name. Amen."

(d) The Bible says in PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by

prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts

and minds in Christ Jesus."

(1) The poet laureate of England, Alfred Lord Tennyson, wrote:

"More things are wrought by prayer

Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice

Rise like a fountain...day and night..."

(2) In all of your life, with all of your concerns, and worries, and discouragements,

and challenges--make it a matter of prayer.

(3) Someone has said, "Revival is not planned out our worked up, but it is PRAYED

DOWN." (Down from Heaven).

3. THIRDLY, God calls us, His people to PASSION AND DEVOTION...making this prayerful

plea a PRIORITY.

"If My people that are called by My name shall HUMBLE themselves, and PRAY and SEEK MY

FACE..."

a. Revival and national repentance is not just about seeking God's hand, in other words, His

provison;

b. but national repentance is about seeking God's heart--His will, His pleasure and His smile

upon our prayer.

(1) 2 CHRONICLES 15:2 "If ye seek Him, He will be found of you..."

(2) 2 CHRONICLES 20:3 says that Jehoshaphat "set himself to seek the Lord."

c. The word SEEK means to desire something.

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(1) The idea here is sthat we come to the place in our Christianity where God is the number

ONE priority and desire of our heart.

(a) Marcus Aurelius Antonius, who lived between 121 and 180 A.D. said "The true

worth of a man is to be measured by the objects he pursues."

(b) God said, "Thou shalt have no other God's before me." God must be top on our list.

(2) So God is calling for our focused commitment to do His will without a divided heart.

(a) He wants our commitment to His will to be passionate and with zealous devotion.

(b) Jesus said in REVELATION 3:15-16 "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold

nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and

neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."

c. Are you passionate about restoring righteousness to this nation?

(1) Are you passionate about being a Christian in the army of King Jesus?

(2) Are you passionate about sharing the gospel of Jesus and encouraging righteousness

among those in your circle of influence.

(3) Are you passionate about seeking God's face in worship as often as you can.

(a) Seeking God means more than just coming to church every week, but it is certainly

not less than that.

(b) Our personal life goal should be passionate focused commitment to our Lord.

(4) That is what it will take to restore our nation!

(a) You cannot be neutral.

(b) Jesus will not accept neutrality.

(5) Are you passionate about "seeking God's face"?

d. Someone has said, "God is not the 'spare tire' that you pull out when you are in trouble.

God is the 'fuel' that makes your life go."

e. A.W. Tozer once wrote: "If we yearned after God even as much as a cow yearns for her calf

we would be the worshiping and effective believers God wants us to be. If we longed for

God as a bride looks forward to the return of her husband, we would be a far greater force

for God than we are now."

f. SEEK GOD'S FACE with the intent of doing His will in His way.

g. The hope of restoring our Nation back to God is no stronger than your desire to become a

passionate Christian in the family of God.

h. Christianity is not a social club--it is committed life of action and defense of the faith.

4. FORTHLY, once we have decided to re-dedicate and commit our lives to the service of Christ

we are ready to fulfill the next part of God's plan for homeland security.

"If my people that are called by my name shall HUMBLE themselves, and PRAY, and SEEK

MY FACE, and TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, then I will hear from heaven and

will forgive their sin, and heal their land." (2 CHRONICLES 7:14).

a. On an individual basis, we are sinful and the only way we can have a relationship with a

holy God is by having those sins covered by the blood of Christ.

(1) PSALM 66:18 "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."

(2) So this is a call to purity, to repentance.

(a) The phrase, "turn from their wicked ways" is self-explanatory.

(b) God wants his people to stop sinning.

(3) There are sins of commission--knowing something is not right but doing it anyway;

There are sins of neglect--where we know we should do it, but we don't get around to it;

There are sins of omission--where we forget, or we are not aware of an offense.

(4) There are willful sins and sins of ignorance.

(5) There are individual sins, and there are collective or congregational sins.

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b. The letters to the 7 churches of Asia in REVELATION 2 & 3 are a microcosm for noting

some of the sins of congregations today. The Lord's message is the same in each generation.

(1) In His letter to the church at EPHESUS, Jesus said: "...I have somewhat against thee,

because thou hast left thy first love." (REVELATION 2:4)

(a) Does this refer to the love of God, the love of Truth, or the love of mankind?

(1) It doesn't matter who is referred to, since true love encompasses all of these (I John

4:20; 2 Thessalonians 2:10; Ephesians 4:15).

(2) Whatever the case, the Phillips translation of this verse is, "You do not love as you

did at first."

(b) This congregation, which had existed for more than 40 years, had grown bored, compla-

cent. They had lost their enthusiasm and were lukewarm.

to keep out false teachers and false doctrine, they were complacent, lukewarm, and no

longer delighted in the Lord and His Word. (Psalm 1:2)

(1) When we cease delighting in the Bible and rather delight ourselves in the writings of

religious authors and positive thinking gurus, even though they may be writing

about Jesus and Biblical themes, we begin to diminish our love and devotion to

God's Word itself.

(2) Our sword becomes blunted by the high sounding interpretations and opinions and

good ideas, which distract us from our basic faith and mission.

(3) Remember God said, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." (Hosea 4:6)

(a) That was the first step to the decline and fall of God's people, Israel.

(b) They left their first love.

(d) A gospel preacher of my acquaintance, Dalton Key, recently wrote an article in The

Voice of Truth International called "Twenty Years Later". He wrote:

"Twenty years have come and gone since I wrote and published an editorial entitled,

'I'm Hanging up my Sword'. The article was prompted by a conversation I had with

another, more experienced preacher during which he said, 'I'm hanging up my sword.

I never intend to preach another doctrinal or issue-related sermon. I believe in the

motivational, positive approach to preaching.' He went on to say that he considered

the preaching of such men as N.B. Hardeman and Gus Nichols 'old fashioned'. He

stated that such men had done 'more harm than good' to the church of Christ.

"Two decades later, the results are in. An alarming number of preachers, teachers,

elders, and church members evidently agree with the view expressed by that brother

years ago. Generally speaking, sermons have become less doctrinal, softer, and less

related to Scripture. Motivationalism and positivism are now heralded by many

among us as the most important aspects of worship in general, and preaching in par-

ticular. And what do we have to show for it? A 36% drop in membership within

churches of Christ, form 1978 to 1998, according to most resent studies in church

growth!

"It would appear the 'more harm than good' has been done to Christ's church by

those who have both denigrated the stalwart soldiers of the past and denounced the

very foundations of truth and doctrine upon which the church has stood since the

days of the New Testament. "Preach the word: be instant in season, our of season;

reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." (2 Timothy 4:2).

"We've had twenty years of preaching everything else. Isn't it time we got back to

preaching the word?"

Stanley Sherman--Page 26

(e) In I TIMOTHY 6:2-5, the Apostle Paul echoes the Prophet Hosea regarding a lack of

knowledge leading to and resulting in pride: "These things teach and exhort. If any

man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our

Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud,

knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh

envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds,

and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thy-

self."

(f) When we cease preaching the simple gospel of Jesus and His church and His plan of

salvation, it is not long before we lose our unique identity and embrace denomina-

tionalism. I've seen it happen time and time again.

(1) Proud preachers--

(a) who think they know more than anyone else,

(b) or have some special insights because impressive theological degrees, and

have bamboozled many weak elderships and turned many churches in the wrong

direction away from Christ and simple Christianity, with their ideas and theories

about how the church should function and what it should believe.

(2) It is sad that most churches have adopted the denominational-originated clergy-

laity system--where the focus for information and guidance is on the hired

preacher, with the natural consequences being that--

(a) those with talent to preach the gospel within the congregation are often

ignored, especially in very large congregations.

(b) Another natural consequence is that many members reshape their Bible study,

if they still bother to study, to fit the interpretation, or point of the view, of

the preacher--who may be misguided in his preaching;

checking, as did the Bereans in Acts 17:11--"These were more noble than

those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of

mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether these things were so."

(d) In some churches we have become so preacher-dependent, that if the preacher

is gone, worship attendance falls off.

(e) Other congregations seem desperate if they are without a preacher to fill the

pulpit--they are preacher dependent.

(3) Early in our pioneer history on the frontier, before the age of preacher-training

schools, preachers arose out of necessity from within congregations, often with

men sharing the pulpit.

(a) Some of our greatest evangelists came from those roots.

(b) And I can remember when evangelists used to travel from place to place

conducting Gospel Meetings and Bible Readings, often having a young man

traveling along with them as an apprentice, learning to preach.

(4) In the early church, it seems the pulpits were manned primarily by the elders, and

evangelists were sent out to establish new congregations and to help struggling

congregations for periods of time until they could establish their own elders who,

by qualification, were "apt to teach". Oh, that we could go back to that New

Testament pattern for the church.

(g) If we're going to have training schools, it would seem to me more practical to have

more elder-training schools, and let them go back and raise up evangelists from

Stanley Sherman--Page 27

among their own congregational membership, as much as possible--to focus on

reaching out, and doing the work that the early evangelists were intended to do.

(h) It is in the area of eldership that we sometimes see another departure from the New

Testament pattern for the church.

(1) The elders had a distinct role to look out for the spiritual needs of the church

and the deacons had a distinct role to maintain the physical interests of the

church.

(a) Today we see a lot of elders doing the deacons' work and neglecting the

spiritual oversight, ignoring serious sin problems and failing to exercise

discipline when it is needed.

(b) Many elders find it more comfortable to supervise the deacons in thier

work.

(2) Also, especially in our larger congregations, we often find where elders have

adopted from denominationalism and the business world, the board of

directors style of leadership--especially in matters pertaining to finance and

the business of the building. That should be in the realm of deacons' work.

(a) In our selection of elders, men are often chosen more for their executive

and corporate skills before their spiritual leadership abilities. That is

wrong.

(b) A friend of mine wrote a book a few years ago that talked about how the

elders should smell like the sheep. In other words, men who are interac-

ting with the spiritual care and needs of the flock, should be our priority in

the selection process.

(3) Let us return to the New Testament pattern for leadership in the Lord's church.

(i) So the church at Ephesus had left it's first love--its passion and fervor for God's

Word and His mission.

(1) Christ's letter to this congregation is one of the most disturbing of the letters to

the 7 churches of Asia, because it challenges us to look at our motivations for

serving the Lord:

(a) "Why am I living the way I do, and doing the things that I do?"

(b) "Do I have a working knowledge of the Bible-where I will readily share

it confidently with others?"

habit?"

(d) "Do I volunteer to help for praise and self-fulfillment?"

(e) "Do I worship God because of a strong urge within me to do so, or just out-

of-habit?"

(f) "Do I obey the Lord's commands because I love Him and His church and

His mission."

(g) "Do I find myself more attuned to the preacher and what he says, or am I

like the Bereans--having such a love for truth that I feel compelled to

check out what I hear and what I'm told to do with the Bible?

(2) Not long after John penned this letter for Jesus, the Roman emperor, Domitian,

died, and John was released from exile, and returned to his home church here

at Ephesus.

(a) It is said by early historical writers, that John on his deathbed urged his

brethren to love one another.

(b) Historical records show that the church at Ephesus continued in existence

Stanley Sherman--Page 28

for many years and did much good in the Roman province of Asia.

admonition and restored their first love.

(2) As we look at the sins of congregations, citing as examples several of the 7 churches of

Asia that Jesus addressed in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, let's look next at the church in

LAODICEA.

(a) As we study the 7 churches of Asia, one fact seems to reveal itself to us over and over.

Congregations are often the reflection of the communities in which they reside, and are

affected by them. Such is the case with the church at Laodicea.

(1) If the church at EPHESUS was in danger of slipping into the next step of apostasy--

that of PRIDE, the arrogance which brings about the love and toleration for the

world, the church at LAODICEA was already on that step.

(2) Laodicea was a proud city, referred to by historians as "the Wall Street of Asia."

(a) It was one of the richest commercial centers of the world, located on the most

important highway to the East. It had become a great banking and financial

center. A city of millionaires, the wealthy citizens thought they "had it made."

In fact, when an earthquake in A.D. 60 destroyed the city, the citizens turned

down the offer of help from Rome, and rebuilt the city with their own money.

(b) It was also a healthy city, with the community of Hierapolis, (a world famous

medical hot springs) only 6 miles away; and, a renowned medical center 13

miles away where a Phrygian powder, used to make eye-salve, was

manufactured and sent all over the world.

produced an unusually fine wool that was sought after all over the world.

(3) This environment had its effect on the church located there. Look at how Jesus

addresses them using their surroundings for the lesson:

"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the

Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy

works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then

because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my

mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods and have need of

nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and poor, and blind, and naked: I

counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white

raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not

appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, thou thou mayest see." (Revelation

3:14-18).

(4) I think we can identify with Laodecia, as citizens of the United States.

(a) We live in the wealthiest country in the world, where even those on welfare are

in the top 5% of the world's wealth.

(b) In our country, the top 10% of our nation's wealthiest citizens start at an income

of $50,000.

1% of our nations wealthiest start at $343,000.

(5) And like with Laodecia, the wealth of our nation is often reflected in the attitudes of

some of our congregations in the brotherhood.

(a) We erect multi-million dollar church buildings that look more like palaces of

worship! They become symbols of pride.
(1) I was involved with a congregation one time that was in a building program.

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(a) The new building was going to cost over a million dollars (which in

today's money would be several million).

(b) The anticipation was almost idolatrous. Most of the budget was commit-

ed to the new building project, and less than 1% of the budget went to

mission work.

have a vacation Bible school during the first year of occupancy to make

sure no kids from the neighborhoods would damage the building.

(d) The new building sported imported stained glass windows and chande-

liers in the foyer and hallways.

(2) Brethren, we may take pride in our church buildings--but God is not honored

by our palaces of worship. Can you imagine Jesus Christ adulating over our

multi-million dollar structures?

(3) Several years ago I had been working in Jamaica, a very poor island in the

Caribbean below Cuba, doing evangelistic work.

(1) I was working with young preachers who were attending the Jamaica

School of Biblical Studies to prepare themselves to go back to their

villages to preach the gospel.

(a) Unfortunately, there was no paying work in their villages, and there

was no financial support to help them preach the gospel. So most of

them had to find secular work in Kingston.

(b) Also, unfortunately, unless you know are known to people, raising

support in the brotherhood is very difficult. It's more about who you

are than what you are capable of.

home to Texas, and was invited to visit a church building in the

Dallas/Fort Worth area.

(1) The brother there who was giving me the tour was enthusiastic

and animated as he showed the building.

(2) There was a large fountain in the foyer, which stretched around

building. There was a bookstore and a restaurant. A basketball

court was next to a tennis court in the basement.

(3) He stated that the building cost $17.5 million and that time the

church was servicing a $12 million. I figured that what they had

to pay the bank each week to service that debt, would more than

pay 50 preachers in Jamaica and their families a salary for a

whole year.

(4) When the mortgage payments exceed on our building exceeds

what we send to the mission field in support to support the

preaching of the gospel to the lost, we are certainly not delight-

ing the Lord.

(5) God is not honored by our proud lavish cathedral-like church

buildings.

(b) Here are some things that have happened because of our emphasis on build-

ings:

(1) With large mortgage payments, some elders get nervous about the

preacher's sermons, for fear he might offend members, and the congrega-

tion might suffer the loss of vital contributions. So pressure is put on him

Stanley Sherman--Page 30

not to preach on controversial subjects. I know this by experience.

(a) Important topics are seldom touched: church discipline; modesty and

morality; marriage, divorce and remarriage; drinking, dancing and

gambling; exposes on denominational doctrines; even baptism and

instrumental music and the uniqueness of the Lord's church.

(b) As a result, the average member who does not spend much time with

the Bible remains ignorant or uniformed on these important areas.

(2) I have attended services where the worship seemed more like an

entertainment performance, with the praise team dressed all alike proud-

ly showing off their musical acrobatic skills as they lead complicated

one or two word inter-active camp-style songs. And, you know, I'd look

around at the audience, and wouldn't see some people singing at all.

They were just sitting there listening in facination to the performance.

Then, sometimes, there's a drama team and a preacher who gave a

performance with a light, feel-good topic that kept the audience

alternating between laughter and tears as they learned how to have more

self-esteem and self-acceptance.

(a) It all seemed like they were trying to design the service to attract and

impress visitors into the kingdom through the mode of entertainment.

(1) But, if your goal is to attract and entertain in order to gain mem-

bers, then you have to keep coming up with new and more

spectacular programs and ways to keep them, before they go

down the street to a more appealing venue.

(2) That's exactly what's happening with some of our denominational

neighbors with the fierce competition they are experiencing be-

tween praise bands. These bands have become like rock stars,

and people like to flock to where the most popular performers

are.

(b) All kinds of programs and special interest groups distract from the

real mission Jesus wants.

(1) When events at the building become central, then the church

begins looking more like a social club.

(2) Good works for the community can become greater ends in

themselves rather than a secondary means for evangelism.

(3) Meaningful mission work often gets sidetracked among a vast array of

amenities that fragment our focus.

(4) And in some cases, denominationalism eventually replaces what used to

be the church of our Lord; and, the name of Christ comes off the sign to

be replaced with a more group-appealing or light-hearted friendly name

that don't seem so traditional or church-threatening.

(5) Many of us have lost sight of the real reason Jesus wants us to assemble

together as the church on the first day of the week. The church comes

together for the purpose of worshiping God through the prescribed ave-

nues of praying to God with praise and thanksgiving and petition;

singing to praise God and teach, admonish, remind and encourage one

another in the hope that we have in Christ; observing the Lord's Sup-

per with Jesus present with us and to remember His death for us; giving

Stanley Sherman--Page 31

from our blessings back to God for His work and service; and, Bible

study to preach and teach the Gospel.

(6) Whenever I hear someone remark about worship being boring, or saying

something like--"Well, I just didn't get anything out of the worship to-

day", I feel like saying to them: "Well, did you come like a dutiful robot

out of habit and with an empty bucket?...What did you bring to worship

today?"

(a) You see, we don't come to worship with an empty bucket with the

anticipation--"Well you,d better fill my bucket with something

inspirational--with something I like that's going to make me feel

good."

(b) No, you bring a bucket with you full of love and praise and

thanksgiving to pour out to God in worship through the channels we

mentioned.

the heart, sincerely and with concentration--our attitude and purpose

should be like what we find with Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1-8 where

(1) Isaiah saw "the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up..."

with the whole earth "full of His glory".

(2) Then Isaiah saw himself in comparison to God and cried, "Woe is

me? for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips: for

mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts."

(3) This humbling brought forth repentance and forgiveness, and the

angel said, "Thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged."

(4) Then Isaiah had the spiritual strength to answer the Lord's

challenge--"Whom shall I send and who will go for us?"

(5) Then Isaiah said, "Here am I. Send me".

(d) We come together as the church to worship, and then to depart to

teach the lost an serve.

(7) Oh, its alright if we have visitors. We want to make them feel welcome.

(a) But the worship is not for the visitors. It's for the body, the church.

(b) Jesus did not tell us to invite people to church.

(1) He told us in His great commission (Matthew 28:19-20) to go out

and make disciples and bring them to be baptized to become a

part of the church.

(2) We have it backwards. We put a chain around the neck of Jesus

and tether Him to the pulpit. And if anyone in our community

is going to hear about Jesus, they have to come to our building

and hear his gospel from the pulpit--if they can recognize it at

all through all our performances.

(3) Unfortunately, very little of the gospel is actually taught from our

pulpits anymore. Oh, we talk a lot about the person of Jesus and

how great it is to be a Christian, but we leave people wondering

what does one have to do to become a Christian, and what does

it mean to be the church.

(8) Little wonder why Jesus was upset with the church at Laodicea, and

with those of us who follow in her path.

(9) Do you see how far off the mark many of us have come?

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(10) Jesus asked the question in Luke 6:46, "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord

and do not the things which I say?"

practice that was happening in public school districts, especially in rural

areas.

(1) Many congregations thought this was a good idea, and began

encouraging other brethren to sell their buildings and all come together

under one central roof. But, there were unintended consequences.

(2) It took neighborhood congregations away from vital areas, usually to

more wealthy areas of town, and as a consequence, the influence of the

church and the opportunity for evangelism in those vacated areas was

gone. This contributed a lot to the change of emphasis in our churches.

(3) Consolidation diminished opportunities to activate the application of

talents and neutralized or extinguished many good works and potential

workers. Deprived of opportunity, many brethren buried their talents to

become elders, preachers, song-leaders and teachers (Matt. 25:14-30).

(4) Consolidation of churches entrapped more people under the influence of

liberal preachers--who were usually hired, not because of their Biblical

knowledge and evangelistic fervor, but more for their charismatic skills

and ability to attract and entertain the visitors, as we have seen.

The gospel thus became more of a social gospel in many congregations.

(5) I even heard an elder publicly and proudly proclaim, "We believe in the

social gospel in our congregation." No wonder his congregation had a

higher than normal attrition rate--as those who came for entertainment

left in search of a better show elsewhere.

(d) Jesus said the the church at Laodecia and to like-minded congregations of the

church today, "I know your deed, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would

that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor

hot, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, I am rich and have be-

come wealthy, and have need of nothing, and you do know know you are

wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." (Revelation 3:15-17).

(e) What should we do?

(1) Because of the current direction of this nation, if the Lord permits it to con-

tinue to further self-destruct, Christians are going to become more and more

the targets of abuse and persecution.

(a) There is pressure on politicians to begin taxing church properties.

(b) There is also the possibility of imminent domain being exercised against

church properties, where cities want valuable properties to provide

space for businesses that will increase their tax base.

harassment by those who hate what Christians stand for.

(2) What I would like to encourage is the idea of selling church properties and

re-establishing congregations back in needed locations in communities, and

build, or purchase, or rent more modest facilities, maybe with a capacity of

around 300 which is more manageable for elderships, and offering more

opportunities for training and participation and fellowship.

(a) We were members of a congregation one time that had around 1600

members.

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(b) I remember sitting in the balcony one Sunday evening, and a sister in

Christ and fellow member there, whom I had never met before, leaned

over and asked me the name of a lady who was walking up the aisle.

I told her I didn't know--that I had never even seen her before.

(3) Back in the 1940's and 1950's when the church was strong and growing

rapidly through evangelism, it was often common when a congregation

grew to around 250 or 300, or about 80% of the auditorium's capacity'

to establish another congregation in another area of town, and send some

from that congregation to help it grow.

(a) "But," someone asks, "where would you get the elders and preachers?"

(b) You would be surprised who will come "out of the woodwork" when

you are faced with necessity? People you never thought would develop

come forth to fill in and serve.

(4))When and where there is a need, talent will show up. God will see to that.

(6) The Laodicean congregation's spiritual condition was very serious, in it's pride of

wealth and accomplishment; yet, it was not hopeless. Jesus told them what they

needed to do, REVELATION 3:18 says, "I advise you to buy from Me gold refined

by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe your-

self, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eyesalve to

anoint your eyes, that you may see."

(a) Jesus wanted them to exchange their rich beautiful black clothing for humble

white garments, so that the shame of their spiritual nakedness would not be

exposed. In Revelation, the wearing of white robes symbolizes reliance upon

Jesus (7:13-14).

(b) Instead of the expensive Phrygian eye powder, they needed heavenly eyesalve--

a new perspective which could come only by returning to God's Word and doing

His will for His purpose. They needed to be zealous and repent.

(7) If we are in such a state today, then Christ's letter is written to the church today as

well. We need to trade our proud wealth, back into support for the mission fields--

zealously taking the gospel to the lost in humble, urgent fashion.

(3) Jesus also addressed a letter to the church at SARDIS found in REVELATION 3:1-6 in

which He told them, "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art

dead."

(a) In our study of HOSEA, where we see described the decline and fall of the nation of

Israel, we saw that the first step of decline, A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE, led down

to the next step of decline, PRIDE. Pride led down to the third step, INSTABILITY

which means a LACK OF DETERMINATION. This is where we find the church at

SARDIS.

(b) Jesus continued, "I have not found thy works perfect before God." In other words,

the congregation in Sardis was lacking in genuineness.

(1) This sounds like the Lord's assessment of Israel at this point. In HOSEA 6:4, God

described Ephraim in this way, "For your goodness is as the morning cloud, and

as the early dew it goeth away."

(2) They were unstable. And, so were the brethren at SARDIS.

(1) It had been one of the oldest and greatest cities of Asia--even the capitol of the

ancient kingdom of Croesus, the last king of Lydia, who had died way back in

Stanley Sherman--Page 34

546 BC.

(2) But when Jesus addressed the congregation in Sardis in Revelation 3:1-6, the city

was just a third-rate town.

(d) Like the city of Sardis, living in past glory, the church there had a name, a

reputation, which made it seem alive.

(1) Maybe they had an impressive worship service with high sounding prayers,

uplifting singing, great preaching and an impressive observance of the Lord's

Supper. Maybe they gave a lot. On the surface, you might say--"Well, they

look pretty alive to me."

(2) But God does not see as we do. It has been said that "reputation is what people

think you are, while character is what you really are." He pronounced them

dead.

(3) The congregation had a form of godliness--a reputation, but not spiritual reality.

It had form but not force.

(4) Like Ephesus and Laodicea, Sardis was drowsy, sluggish, lethargic, and apathetic

(e) But Jesus, in His love and mercy, was not ready to give up on them. He admonish-

ed them, "Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which are about to die."

(1) First of all, He wanted them to rouse up, recognize the the danger of their

apathy and realize that they can learn from the past, but not live on their past

laurels.

(2) I was associated with a large congregation one time in, who had once had a

a brotherhood-wide reputation for its involvement in evangelistic outreach all

over the world.

(a) It was often praised for it's work and was doctrinally sound. We were mem-

bers of it at that time, then moved away for several years, and then we

moved back 10 years later, and I served on it's staff for a several more years.

(b) But, by the time we had moved back, it had become quite liberal. It still had

vestiges of evangelisticly active programs, but the heart of evangelistic zeal

was gone.

with family-life, benevolent and social programs.

(d) I think about them, when I read about the church in Sardis in Revelation 3.

(3) Jesus told the Sardis congregation to "Remember therefore what you have

received and heard; and keep it and repent." (3:3).

(4) A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE of God's Word leads to PRIDE, which in turn leads to

INSTABILITY. INSTABILITY logically leads to a MIXING WITH THE WORLD; which, in

turn, leads to CORRUPTION, the 5th step of departure.

(a) It happened to the nation of Israel; it is happening to our nation as well; and it is happening

to the Lord's church in many places.

(b) Among the 7 churches of Asia in the book of REVELATION, we find the church at

PERGAMOS (also known as PERGAMUM in some versions).

been called "Sin City" by Bible commentators.

(d) In His letter to them, Jesus first assured them that He knew what they were up against.

REVELATION 2:13-15, "I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's

seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied thy faith, even in those days

where in Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold to the doc-

Stanley Sherman--Page 35

trine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of lsrael,

to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that

hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate."

(e) These early Christians faced many obstacles in Pergamos:

(1) Since Pergamos was closely tied to Rome, and wanting to please the Roman Emperor

Trajan, who was worshiped as a god, it had been the first city in the province given

the right to build an imperial temple.

(a) In fact, they earned the privilege to build 3 temples, and were proud to wear the

name, THRICE NEOKORUS, which means "guardian of the temple".

(b) Pergamos was the center of Roman provincial government in Asia and was res-

ponsible for the enforcement of emperor worship.

(1) So, whereas other cities had an obligation to pledge their allegiance to the

emperor once a year, the pressure would have been constant in Pergamos.

(2) Not only was there persecution against the church there from the Jews, but it

was also from the Roman government as well.

(2) Not only was there the temples dedicated to emperor worship, but there were also

an assortment of altars in the city dedicated to pagan gods.

(a) One of these was The gigantic altar of Zeus, 120 feet long, 112 feet wide and 20

feet tall. It was considered to be one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.

(b) There was another altar dedicated "to an unknown god", like Paul saw in Athens

in Acts 17:23. Some Romans thought this was a altar for Jupiter.

(f) Pergamos was also a center of culture. According to the book entitled, Discovering the

World of the Bible (LaMar C. Berrett), "Because of (its) poets, philosophers, scientists

and scholars...Pergamum's reputation rivaled that of Athens and Alexandria."

(g) We could go on listing many of the other interesting things that were located at Pergamos

but you can begin to see the tremendous temptations and influences which challenged the

church there.

(1) In spite of all that, Jesus commended them by saying, "I know where you dwell,

where Satan's throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith." (13)

(a) The words, My faith, are literally translated "the faith of Me", and refers to "the

body of teaching that centers in faith in Jesus".

(b) So, the brethren there believed in Jesus and all that He taught. They had remain-

ed faithful to Jesus even when threatened with death.

(2) And, yet, Jesus had something against them. They tolerated false teachers and their

false doctrines within the congregation and allowed them to stay without discipline.

(a) Unlike the congregation at Ephesus, which was commended for its intolerance

of false teachers,

(b) Jesus condemned the church at Pergamos for its tolerance of false teachers.

(1) There were those who spread the teaching of Balaam, which allowed partici-

tion in the pagan culture of the city.

(2) And, there was the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, who were the Gnostics, who

had among their doctrines, a teaching that a child of God could sin all he

wanted and the grace of God would still cover his sin, whether or not he

repented. As Jude described it, they "turned the grace of God into licentious-

ness." (Jude 4).

(3) Both of these errors encouraged the Christians at Pergamos to participate in

the sins of the world.

(3) Here we see two aspects of worldliness:

Stanley Sherman--Page 36

(a) Religious worldliness--false teaching and denominationalism.

(b) And, cultural worldliness--participation in the sins of society.

(h) If we are looking to identify the sins that God says we must repent of before He will heal

our nation, I believe right here is where He focuses His spotlight the most.

(1) How many congregations today have followed in the compromising error of Balaam

in tolerating false teachers to stay in the congregation; and, even using them as

teachers and preachers, rather than withdrawing fellowship from them, as the Holy

Spirit commands us to do in 2 Thessalonians 3:6--"Withdraw yourselves from every

brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition (inspired teaching) which

he received of us."

(a) John wrote that even anyone who encourages a teacher of error "participates in

his evil deeds". (2 John 11).

(b) We are all aware of how liberal congregations of the church have become today

by not only tolerating false preachers and teachers, but even allowing them to

lead the congregation into identifying with denominationalism!

(2) Likewise, we also participate, to some extent, in the influences and doctrines of the

Gnostic Nicolaitans when we tolelrate among our members--and especially our

young people--the immitation of, or even participation in, immorality, immodesty,

dancing, gambling, drinking alcoholic beverages and a host of other worldly

pleasures that are obvious to us.

(3) But there is another area of sinfulness that is not so obvious, but is just as devasta-

ting--and that is in our adopting the philosophy of entertainment, and the ideas and

programs of many of our denominational neighbors for the purpose of attracting or

enticing, holding, exciting and growing our congregations, even to the exclusion of

practical Bible principles.

(4) Consider, for example, what we do with our young people. The very means we use

to try to save our young people from leaving the church, may be the very things that

are causing them to leave the church.

(a) And they are leaving!

(1) We are losing about 75% of our young people from the church by the time

the enter college.

(2) But many are lost from the church even while still attending the services of

the church--long before they leave home.

(b) In his book, A Weed In the Church, Scott Brown talks about "How a culture of

age segregation is destroying the younger generation, fragmenting the family

and dividing the church."

(1) If you look in some church bulletins today, or church web-sites you may see:

classes for infants, toddlers, 1-2-3-4-5 and 6 grades, tweenagers, junior high,

high school, youth ministry, college agers, singles ministry, young marrieds,

parenting class, empty nesters, senior adults, and even divorced groups,

contemporary worshipers, traditional worshipers, children's church etc.

(2) What often happens is the church becomes so fragmented, that members feel

closer and identify more with their special interest group than with their con-

gregation as a whole. One congregation where I preached in Texas had a

young marrieds class that was composed completely of senior citizens who

formed the class years before when they were young marrieds, and never

left it. So, there was that young marrieds class plus another class composed

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of real young marrieds.

(3) Many congregations today have youth ministries for their youth groups. Let

me share with you just a couple paragraphs from Scott Brown's book,

A WEED IN THE CHURCH, as he writes about the unintended consequences

of such programs. He says:

"To illustrate some of the fruits of modern youth ministry, let me tell you a

story about 'proverbial Bob.' Bob is 42 years old. Each day he comes home

from work to an empty house, exhausted. The three children he and his wife

are raising are now between the ages of 11 and 17. They go to public school

during the day, and in the evening, they go to one of the many youth activities

sponsored by the local megachurch they attend. He rarely sees his children,

and when he does, they speak to him using nearly the same dialog they use

with their friends--dialogue borrowed from rap music, Hollywood movies,

and television sitcoms. His children seem to be puppets of whatever is

momentarily popular with their peers. Bob comforts himself with the know-

ledge that even though he does not really know his children, is not sure where

they are going, and does not really like the way they talk, somewhere in the

great potpourri of youth activities in the local church, they hear the gospel.

Last week, his son told him that he would be getting an earring. The youth

pastor" (minister) "told him it would be a helpful evangelistic tool for rela-

ting to people. His son just thinks it would look cool. Just this week, his

fourteen-year old daughter came home with Scripture tattoo on her leg. Her

friends all got them at the same time. He thought of objecting, but realized

he had given up the right to do that a long time ago. Recently, he suggested

the family stay home one night to read Scriptures, but his family was opposed

to the idea.

Like tens of thousands of fathers, Bob is disconnected from his family and

has little vision. Eventually, he has given up. However, he comforts himself

with the thought: at least his children are still in the youth group."

(Scott Brown, A WEED IN THE CHURCH, Pages 117-118)

Scott Brown continued commenting on this story by saying about Bob, "He

is living with mediocrity but comforts himself with the notion that a 24 year

old college grad will somehow rescue his children from the cultural abyss

that is engulfing them. This is a picture of a family from a church that is in

decline. It is an illustration of manhood lost. It is the nightmare of the youth

culture."

He goes on to cite several specific examples of the negative fruit produced

by youth ministries which do not seek to involve the family in the program,

and especially the father of the young people:

"First, the church sets fathers aside. Second, family and cultural fragmenta-

tion is a natural consequence. Third, peer dependence and peer-driven

culture dominates. Fourth, there is a failure of biblical evangelism. Fifth, it

creates offices in the church that are not ordained of God. Sixth, it creates

new methodologies foreign to Scripture. Seventh, it creates dissatisfaction

with the pleasant ways of God...Youth ministries have usurped the roles of

fathers, and fathers have gladly relegated their duty to youth ministers with-

out a fight or affliction of conscience. The harsh reality of our secular age is

that an entire generation is without fathers who will walk beside them and

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teach them the Word of God. Because fathers would not train their children,

we (the modern church) have risen up to do it for them...Church leaders did

the wrong thing when they sought to close the gap that fathers were leaving.

They should have called the fathers to repentance and exhorted them to lead.

Instead, they took the children into their programs in a vain attempt to take

up the slack." (Ibid. Pages 118-119).

(4) It is a tragic thing which a child bonds with another authority figure instead

of their father. Elders need to be sure all church activities focus on building

up the family, which is the basic foundation of our society, the strength of the

church and the success of our nation.

(5) As a youth minister, myself, for a while, I found times when the teens would

really rather hang out together in their own group in a classroom, rather than

join the adults in the worship services. They had to be prodded reluctantly.

(6) And this is one of the unintended consequences of fragmentation. Individual

church members start feeling more a part of their "interest group" than they

do the congregation as a whole.

church and the alienation of young people from the worship of God.

(1) I remember back in the mid-1960's (here we go again, citing the changes of

the 1960's when liberalism began to changing not only our nation but the

church as well), that a man came as a guest speaker to our congregation to

inform us of a new idea, where children would leave the auditorium during

worship for their own little church in the basement where they would have

puppets and stories and games and learn at their pace and their level.

(a) Everyone thought that was a great idea.

(b) After his presentation I talked with him and asked: "But, what's going to

happen when these kids get into their teens and don't want to give up the

puppets and treats and games and return to the auditorium?"

Well, he didn't have an answer for that, but he just dismissed the question

by saying he didn't think there would be a problem.

adopted the practice, and sure enough, as teenagers outgrew the children's

church, they didn't want to return to the auditorium. They volunteered as

puppeteers or teachers aides or whatever, in order to stay downstairs away

from worship services upstairs.

(d) Now we begin to understand the entertainment-oriented, change-the-wor-

ship generation--which, in some congregations, have set up two different

types of assemblies: one called contemporary worship, and the other

traditional worship--mainly made up of the elderly.

(1) Jesus designed the church as a body--a body is one with members.

(2) Jesus prayed for unity, that His followers might be one (John 17:20-

21) with no divisions among us (I Corinthians 1:10-13).

(3) Can you imagine holding a Bible study with a family, and teaching

them about oneness in Christ. Then you have to tell them that you

are sorry that you won't be able to attend services with them, because

they will have to go to the old people's worship and you will be in the

contemporary worship service.

(4) Or what about a family being converted, wanting to worship together

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as a family. But, when they arrive at church services Sunday, the

greeter says, "Now you folks will be in the auditorium, but your

children have to go to another area." The kids look up to mommy

and daddy with looks of fear--because they don't want to be separated.

Or, the parents don't want to send their kids off to what is a strange

situation to them. I have seen that happen.

(2) My family and I used to visit different congregations, and I remember the

times when we would walk in with our three children. A well-meaning usher

would come to our pew and ask that he direct our kids out of the auditorium

to the "children's church" group downstairs. My kids did not want to go and

we did not want to send them, much to the obvious look of consternation of

the face of the usher.

(3) Can you imagine Moses gathering the Israelites together at the foot of Mount

Sinai to give the Law, and before beginning giving an announcement for the

children to be dismissed to children's church?

(a) No! If you read Deuteronomy 6, you will see that fathers had the respon-

sibility in the home and wherever they walked with their children to give

them understanding of the Law of the Lord.

(b) But, the children were never dismissed from the assembly to go some-

where to play and learn at their own level in a separate area from the

assembly during the time God called the congregation together.

how we teach our children. Age-appropriate teaching and learning may

be okay in the time set aside for Bible classes if it upholds God's plan.

(1) But, even then, classes will never be an adequate substitute for the

teaching and training of children by their parents and grand-parents in

the home. (ll Timothy 1:5).

(2) Today some elderships are re-evaluating the age segregated class

system, which has been patterned after the failed public school model,

and are trying intergenerational Bible classes, which are involving

all ages in Bible education programs of the church. The October 11

edition of THINK magazine by Focus Press features this subject, and

would be an excellent resource of ideas on how to make Bible classes

more like the body life that Jesus planned for His church.

Other excellent resources are the book by Scott T. Brown called A

WEED IN THE CHUCH and a documentary on the internet called

DIVIDED.

(3) Isn't it interesting, that apparently the greatest teaching and training

success was found back in the old one-room schoolhouse model of

education. There the older children helped in the education of the

younger--all together.

(4) We successfully home educated our children in the same basic way.

(3) In Nehemiah 8:3 we see that when Ezra gathered the people in order to read

the book of the Law of Moses, men, women and children were gathered

together in the assembly.

set up very carefully, and with the family in mind, the practice of separating our

families in the church into different age-interest sub-groups can actually tear

Stanley Sherman--Page 40

apart the vital fabric of the family, which is essential to the church, and especially

the important area of fatherhood.

(d) The fact remains that we are still losing our youth from the church at an alarming

rate in spite of all of our elaborate youth activity efforts to entertain them and

keep them through all our diverse programs.

(i) It is interesting that the original philosophical roots of age-segregation in the church

do not originate Jerusalem with the early Christians, but rather in ancient Greece with

Plato (428-347 BC). He argued in his writing, The Republic, that children should be

separated from their parents to be trained to be servants of the state. He said, "All

those in the city who happens to be older than ten they will send out to the country; and

taking over their children, they will rear them far away from those dispositions they

now have from their parents..."

(1) In the 18th century, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1788) championed and expanded

upon Plato's philosophy.

(a) Rousseau is revered by educators for his ideas in the areas of rationalism and

relativism. He, like Plato, advocated statism (which is the basis of communism),

the rejection of authority, and the breaking up of families for the good of the

state.

(b) His book, EMILE, is one of the most powerful sources of influence on our

public education system in the 21st century.

(1) A cultural revolutionist, Rousseau pioneered what we know as "develop-

mentally appropriate education"--separating students into major age groups.

(2) Oh, another interesting note on this self-styled expert on rearing children,

referred to by educators as one of the major fathers of modern educational

thinking--Rousseau fathered five children out of wedlock, and then

abandoned them on the doorsteps of orphanages.

(2) Another social reformer of the 18th century, was an Englishman by the name of

Robert Raikes (1736-1811). He is known as the father of the Sunday School move-

ment.

(a) Raikes was alarmed by the "wretchedly ragged" children playing in the streets.

(b) According to W.F. Lloyd, who wrote SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF ROBERT

RAKES, ESQ, AND OF THE HISTORY OF SUNDAY SCHOOLS in 1891 in the

GLOUCESTER JOURNAL, Raikes described the parents of these children as

having "no idea of instilling into the minds of their children principles to which

they themselves are entire strangers."

sible, he created a network of experts--teachers to come in and be the source of

education for the children. This began the modern "Sunday School" movement.

(3) John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, visited one of these sunday schools and

was greatly impressed. Soon, the Sunday School movement was adopted by

churches in the 18th century.

(4) Scott Brown, in his book, A WEED IN THE CHURCH, writes, "The Sunday School

grew from the root of pragmatism, which is a philosophy that says that a person

should do what gets the results that are wanted, most expediently. Pragmatism in

the church has led to church life cut loose from biblical norms...The institution of

the Sunday School, as a replacement for parental teaching of Scripture, in essence,

now opposes the home as the center for the socialization and education of youth. It

has, when combined with other forces at work in culture, finally fulfilled the night-

Stanley Sherman--Page 41

mares of Rev. Thomas Burns that this innovation would 'in the end destroy...family

religion'." (Pages 97, 99).

(5) We have spent a lot of time in this area of the education of our children, because it

it is so foundational to the problems we are having in the church, and the disturbing

loss of our young people from the church.

(j) With all the plain teaching in the Bible regarding how false teachers and the immoral

should be dealt with by the church (Romans 16:17; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; 2 John 11)

we wonder why the Christians at Pergamos had not obeyed these commands and with-

drawn fellowship from the practitioners of Baalamism and Nicolaitanism in their

congregation.

(1) Was it because the false teachers were liked and had friends in the congregation,

and the elders did not want to rock the boat and cause problems?

(2) Was it because the church members there thought it would be better to present a

show of unity to the enemies of the church, even at the expense of tolerating

error?

(3) Maybe the elders thought that if they left the problem alone, it would disappear on

its own.

(4) But, the bottom line is that their live-and-let-live policy in tolerating false teachers

and worldly influence in the congregation was not acceptable to the Lord. Jesus

condemned them for disobedience. Tolerance is lukewarmness which Jesus hates.

(k) Jesus said to them, "...you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept

teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacri-

ficed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality. Thus you also have some who in the

same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore; or else I am coming

to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth." (Rev. 2

14-16).

(1) Now, we're focused on the congregation in Pergamos, but what about us?

(a) Just look around at our brotherhood and see how liberalism, false-teaching,

tolerating and embracing denominational doctrines, and tolerating immodest

styles of clothing, imitating popular fads of the world--

(b) What do you imagine Jesus thinks of all this in His church today?

(2) Now listen closely. This is something we often miss in our reading of these verses

in Revelation 2:14-16:

Eddie Cloer, in his commentary on this section of Revelation, as published in

the March l999 issue of TRUTH FOR TODAY, said:

"Notice the contrast between 'you' and 'them' in Jesus' warning: 'I am coming to

you quickly (the words 'I am coming' do not refer to the Second Coming at the end

of the world, but rather to the Lord's reaching from heaven to punish the wicked

even in this life)...'I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them.'

The word 'you' probably referred to the congregation as a whole, while 'them'

referred to those who were spreading error (or to any who refused to discipline

the false teachers). The fact that Jesus was coming to punish the false teachers

should have concerned the church for the sake of those about to be punished

(Gal. 6:1). The church should also have been concerned about its own safety.

When the Lord swung His sword at the ungodly, those who had failed to distance

themselves would not go unscathed (Ezekiel 3:18). It is as if Jesus said, 'I am

about to drop a bomb on the false teachers; and if they are still in your midst

when I do so, then you will be destroyed with them.

Stanley Sherman--Page 42

Corrective discipline is never easy, but it is essential: It is essential to the purity

of the church, to the church's reputation, and to keeping the saved saved."

(l) So the Christians of Pergamum were expected to confront those who were teaching

error and try to convert them (Ezekial 3:18-21; James 5:19).

(1) If they repented, in love restore them (James 5:19).

(2) If the refused to change, then the false teachers and their followers were to be "put

away" from their midst (I Cor. 5:13).

(5) As we have seen, both in the fall of nations and in the fall of congregations of the church,

A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE of God's Word leads to PRIDE and arrogance in promoting

human wisdom and false doctrine.

PRIDE, in turn, leads to INSTABILITY where so many ideas and agendas confuse people,

and truth and error become indistinguishable.

INSTABILITY leads to a MIXING WITH THE WORLD with religion--wickedness

being tolerated and even being adapted into religious belief and practice.

MIXING WITH THE WORLD leads naturally to CORRUPTION which is living in

wickedness, truth and error intermingled as the norm. This leads to BACKSLIDING

AWAY FROM GOD, which gives the picture of a nation, an individual a congregation

slip-sliding away toward the abyss.

(6) And now, we come to the final step in the apostasy of God's people away Him, and that is

IDOLATRY, either by means of practice or toleration. And, this brings us to the church at

THYATIRA which had reached that final stage of apostacy. But on the surface, we are

puzzled by them being on this step with all the wonderful things they were doing for Christ.

Jesus wrote to them saying, "I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy

patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a

few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a

prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication and to eat things

sacrificed to idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented

not...But unto you I say, and undo the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine,

and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none

other burden. But that which ye have already, hold fast till I come." (Rev. 2:19-21; 24-25).

(a) There are some interesting things we learn from these scriptures:

(1) Jesus knows our hearts on an individual basis. He keeps track on you and me.

(2) The church in Thyatira was what we would call a dynamic church. It was active! It

was alive! Here are the characteristics mentioned:

(a) Jesus said, "I know your deeds"--so it was a working church. And Jesus knows

the deeds of our congregation.

(b) Jesus said, "I know your love"--so it was a loving church. Jesus reads our hearts

and attitudes.

volent.

(d) Jesus said, "I know your faith"--so it was a church that trusted in the Lord.

(e) Jesus said, "I know your perseverance"--it was a congregation under great perse-

cution. And, what a discouraging environment they were in.

(1) Thyatira was not a large or major city, but it was center of commerce and

trade. It was known for the wool industry and for a very expensive purple

dye extracted from a type of shellfish. If you recall, Lydia, whom Paul

taught and baptized in Acts 16, was from Thyatira and she sold purple cloth.

(2) Being a highly industrialized city, Thyatira was a city of trade guilds, similar

Stanley Sherman-Page 43

to powerful labor unions today. Guilds were organized for the wool and

linen weavers, leather workers, dye workers, potters, bakers, dress-makers

and other industries.

(a) These guilds were so powerful that a man could not find employment in

any of these industries unless he was a member of the guild of that

industry.

(b) Each of these guilds had their own patron god, with the accompanying

feasts to honor the idol, including the food offered to the idol and

immoral celebration.

Should they compromise their faith in order to feed your family, or let

them go hungry?

(3) Evidently, there was a woman in the congregation, maybe the wife of an

elder, who was encouraging others in the congregation to go ahead and

compromise their faith. Maybe even her intentions were good--so that

their families would not suffer.

(4) But here's the way Jesus saw it: "But I have this against you, that you

tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she

teaches and leads My bond-servants astray, so that they commit acts of

immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols." (Rev. 2:20).

(a) We remember Queen Jezebel in the Old Testament who persuaded her

husband, Ahab, to build a temple to the idol, Baal, in Samaria and fed

400 prophets of Asherah, who was the female counterpart to Baal, at

her own table. She led Ahab further into paganism as well as Israel.

(b) Jesus calls the ambitious and persuasive woman in Thyatira by the

same name, because she was walking in the steps of her Old Testa-

ment.

(b) Now here are important lessons that we can learn from this letter, as we face the

challenges of the obstacles and temptations of worldliness, liberalism and cultural

pressures.

(1) Even though this congregation was a dynamic, active, working, loving, benevolent,

community-helping, faithful, persevering congregation--

it was in jeopardy of condemnation from Jesus Himself, as long as it tolerated error.

(2) Maybe we don't find outright idol worship in the church today, but anything we

up-hold that is against or compromising to the Will of God, and thus exalted above

the will of God, is to that extent an idol.

(a) Writing to Christians, John said, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols."

(I John 5:21).

(b) We may not look around us and see idols of sticks and stones, but there are many

people who are worshiping idols, not only in the sense of putting pleasure or

materialism ahead of their love for Jesus; but in the sense of having the wrong

concept of Jesus in their heart when they worship and follow him.

(1) Our brethren who tolerate and want to embrace strategies or practices or even

teachings of denominationalism are worshiping a concept of Jesus who says

"Go ahead and worship as you please in whatever church you please."

That is not the Christ of the Bible--that is a misconcept-of-Jesus idol.

(2) Those who believe they can compromise their lives with the world and still

give a show of religious commitment, believe in a Jesus who really does not

Stanley Sherman--Page 44

care how we live our lives, just as long as we don't do something really bad,

and give him acknowledgement and honor once in a while. That is not the

Jesus of the Bible. That is a concept idol of Jesus--just as much an idol as

Baal or Molech as far as Jesus is concerned.

(3) Binding where Jesus has not bound or loosing where Jesus has not loosed

creates these same kind of concept idols.

(2) Another lesson we can learn from this letter from Thyatira is that we know that Jesus

is there for us, to protect us and help us, so we should not despair in persecution, if

we remain faithful to Him and make sure that our congregation keeps absolutely

faithful to Him.

(3) "Many struggle with the concepts of religious tolerance and intolerance. On the one

hand, most of us want religious freedom-the right of every person to believe what he

wishes and to proclaim what he believes, as long as he does not infringe on the

rights of another. On the other hand, Christians must understand that God does not

allow full tolerance in the church. We should be tolerant in matters of opinion; but

in matters where God's will is plainly revealed in the New Testament, we must

rebuke, expose, and renounce all who would teach otherwise--always in a spirit of

love. (Eph. 4:19)." (David Roper--Church Discipline, TRUTH FOR TODAY).

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

A. We began this series of lessons, under the title--GOD'S HOMELAND SECURITY, by pointing

out that all efforts by our government through TSA or other agencies or through legislation or

mandated laws in order to try to make this nation secure will only end in frustration and ultimately

failure, if the real causes for our nations problems and threats are not discovered and addressed.

1. If you are going to discuss solutions to a problem, it only makes common sense that you have to

first of all define the real problem and seek out the real causes of the problem situation.

a. We talked about the external and internal threats to our country: terrorism, communism,

socialism, secular humanism, political corruption, and immoral agendas promoted through

media, public education, and government policy which are undermining, redefining,

restructuring and corrupting our nation.

b. We talked about the rise and fall of nations throughout history, noting Alexander Tyler's

cycle of a nation's rise and fall and subsequent rise again: Bondage gives rise to Spiritual

Faith, leading to Courage, then Liberty, resulting in Abundance--declining to Selfishness,

Complacency, and Apathy, then to Dependence, and back to Bondage again until another

spiritual revival takes place to start the cycle over again--unless we remember history, so we

don't make the same mistakes of the past.

c. We reviewed our nation's roots in Biblical Christian principles, which were honored and cited

as basic authority until the 1960's, when a sweeping cultural revolution swept through our

nation, and started our once great Nation on an ever-accelerating decline--

unraveling the very fabric of our strength which had been anchored in God, the Bible, the

family and the church.

2. As we noted earlier, if a nation is going to have an effective and successful attempt at the security

of the homeland, it is essential to pinpoint, describe, isolate and understand the causes for the

threats that create the need for security in the first place.

a. It is very interesting that the very same factors that caused the decline and fall of the nation of

Israel in the Old Testament, which was also the church of God at that time,

are the identical factors that are contributing to the fall of the United States, and also some of

the congregations of the Lord's church today--the very same, step by step.

Stanley Sherman--Page 45

(1) These 7 steps have been trod by every nation in our world's history that experience a

decline and fall. One step logically leads and contributes to the next step down.

(2) We are not left to conjecture as to what caused the nation of Israel's departure from God

and its subsequent fall and collapse.

b. Throughout the the book of HOSEA, a very clear and logical progression of these steps is

found.

B. The STEPS OF DEPARTURE AWAY FROM GOD as found in the book of HOSEA:

1. A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE--HOSEA 4:6 "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me;

Seeing thou has forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."

a. Since wisdom comes from God, we looked at the decline of wisdom and common sense know-

ledge in our government, in public education, in society in general and even in the Lord's

church.

b. We looked at the results, by means of our governments own statistics, of the dramatic increases

of crime, immorality, divorces, illiteracy and other areas following the Supreme court decisions

to eliminate God and the influence of Christianity upon this nation starting in the 1960's and

through the subsequent years.

2. A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE lead to PRIDE--HOSEA 5:5 "And the pride of Israel doth testify to

his face, therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity, Judah also shall fall with them"

a. Without the knowledge of God's Word, pride fills the void--human wisdom, rationalism, human

reason, the doctrines of men, secular-humanism and special interest agendas.

b. All of these things create confusion and lead to the next step.

3. INSTABILITY--HOSEA 6:4 "O, Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O, Judah, what shall I do

unto thee? For your goodness is as the morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away."

a. When one lacks knowledge, and is egotistically puffed up with pride, it only follows that you

will promote your own special interest agenda.

b. And this will conflict with other's view of truth and human righteousness. The logical result is

instability. Disunity results in fragmentation.

c. Another sign of instability is confusion. We certainly see confusion in our nation, and we see

confusion among many members of the church as they look around and see some congrega-

tions trending toward the emergent church movement, some dividing their services between

contemporary worship and traditional worship, some going liberal, and some going to other

extremes with toleration for incorporating worldliness.

4. INSTABILITY opens the door to MIXING WITH THE WORLD--HOSEA 7:8 "Ephraim, he

hath mixed himself among the people: Ephraim is a cake not turned."

a. In other words, Ephraim was half-baked--trying to keep one foot with the Lord and the other in

the world.

b. We know what Jesus said about trying to serve two masters (Matthew 5:24).

5. MIXING WITH THE WORLD logically leads to CORRUPTION--HOSEA 9:9 "They have

deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah, therefore he will remember their iniquity,

he will visit their sins."

a. The logical outcome of instability and mixing with the world is corruption--internal corruption

of character, manifesting itself in corrupt activity.

b. We see corruption all around us in Washington DC, our media, public education, our judicial

system, and the toleration of liberalism in the church has led to corrupt teachings and practices.

c. Corruption leaves in its wake a shattered society and many innocent ruined lives as collateral

damage.

Stanley Sherman--Page 46

6. CORRUPTION (the mixture of truth and error, the absence of conscience) speeds along the next

step, BACKSLIDING (the steady slip-sliding away from God). HOSEA 11:7 "And my people

are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most high, none at all would

exalt Him."

7. The seventh step in the nation of Israel's departure was IDOLATRY, the farthest removed from

God.

a. Our nation is showing evidence of this step, with the fastest growing religion in America being

the pagan religion of Wicca, doubling every 18 months. The second second fastest growing

religion in America, is the idolatrous religion of Islam, which is increasing by 400% each year.

b. On the other hand, Christianity declined 36% between 1978--1998 and is still dropping in the

United States.

c. When America throws off God, Satan will readily move pagans and other infidels into the

void to fill up the vacuum.

d. Oh, how we would love to see a great revival once again flow across our nation from sea to

sea and border to border!

C. And, yet, all is not lost. There is a way back--a FORMULA, a PLAN that God gave to Israel to

bring the nation, His people, back to Him.

1. God said in 2 CHRONICLES 7:14 "IF MY PEOPLE, WHICH ARE CALLED BY MY NAME

SHALL HUMBLE THEMSELVES, AND PRAY, AND SEEK MY FACE, AND TURN FROM

THEIR WICKED WAYS, THEN WILL I HEAR FROM HEAVEN, AND WILL FORGIVE THEIR

SIN, AND WILL HEAL THEIR LAND."

a. Like for Israel, the only thing that stands between us and revival is 2 Chronicles 7:14.

a. Our first thought is usually, "How on earth can we get the wicked politicians, Hollywood

profiteers, pagans, atheists, and secular humanists and all the corrupt to change--especially

when 2 Timothy 3:13 says that "...evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving

and being deceived."

b. But, then, we took a closer look at 2 Chronicles 7:14 and realized that God is not addressing

the wicked of the world to change, before he would bring about the healing of the nation.

God said, "If MY PEOPLE WHICH ARE CALLED BY MY NAME shall humble themselves.

and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and

will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

c. Instead of looking around and blaming others, let us realize that the future of the United States

and the hope for healing and turning things back to honoring God and having a higher standard

of morality in this nation--is in the hands of the Lord's church, today's "Israel of God" (Gal. 6:

16).

2. So we looked at the FOUR DEMANDS of God's challenge to His church for true HOMELAND

SECURITY.

a. The first step is to put ourselves in the right frame of mind and restore the posture of prepara-

tion--HUMILITY--having to look up to see God; saying to God "I can't but You can"--admit-

ting our weakness and reaching out for His power; acknowledging His Lordship and authority

over our lives and doctrine and practice as His church.

(1) We then examined how many congregations of the Lord's church today have taken the same

path as did ancient Israel, in drifting away from the Bible as authority, towards a greater

acceptance of human theological wisdom, and the praising and honoring intellectual

attainments.

(2) The resulting consequence of pride manifests itself today in preacher searches based on

degrees attained and social appeal, more so than the demonstration of Biblical proficiency

and evangelistic experience.

Stanley Sherman--Page 47

(3) Pride is also demonstrated by the multi-million dollar worship palaces we build with mort-

gages that send more of our Lord's money to the bank than to the mission field; buildings

by which we identify ourselves more often, than through Christian outreach and service.

(4) Pride manifests itself when our emphasis is more about attracting and impressing visitors

with our properties, our worship services, and our programs, than we are about gathering

together on Sunday as the body of Christ for humble and simple worship, with the view of

returning to the community to disciple the lost, bring them to Christ and baptize them into

His body, the church.

(a) We chain Jesus to the pulpit and invite people to come to our buildings to hear His

gospel message, if they are fortunate enough to hear a gospel message from our pulpits

anymore.

(b) We must humbly accept the fact that Jesus did not tell us to go out and invite people to

church. They are welcome to visit. But, we are told by Jesus to go out and preach the

gospel and make disciples to be brought for baptism and further teaching to be a faith-

ful and effective member of Christ's body, the church.

(5) So to regain God's Homeland Security, we have to work on humility.

b. The second step in God's Restoration Plan is PRAYER, which is humility in action.

(1) We talked about the importance of faith to make our prayers more powerful.

(2) We talked about the importance of being specific and fervent in our petitions to God,

always in the name of Jesus and realizing Gods will is to be done.

c. The third step in God's Plan for Homeland Security is to SEEK HIS FACE, which denotes

PASSION AND DEVOTION AND FERVANCY.

(1) Repentance and revival is not just about seeking God's hand of provision, but seeking

God's heart--His will, His pleasure, His smile upon our prayers.

(2) So we must seek God with passion.

d. The fourth step, once we have decided to re-dedicate and commit our lives to the service of

Christ, we are ready to fulfill the next part of God's plan for homeland security.

"If my people that are called by My name shall humble themselves, and pray and seek my face,

and TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive

their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14).

(1) We pointed out that sin comes in many formats--sins of commission, sins of neglect, sins

of ommission, sins of ignorance, willful sins, individual sins and collective or congrega-

tional sins.

(2) Our individual sins can be easily and expeditiously dealt with through the blood of Christ a

and our personal relationship to Jesus.

(3) It is our collective, congregational sins that are more of a challenge, and yet each member is

affected by whether or not the sins are faced and corrected.

(4) Since Jesus Christ's letters to the 7 churches of Asia are a microcosm of the church world-

wide, and in every generation of Christians, we looked at 5 of the 7 churches addressed to

open our eyes to our challenges. It is interesting that, although John treats his list of

churches in the geographic ring of location for each one, they still illustrate the steps that

we noted which described Israel's departure from God. For instance:

(a) Jesus addressed the church at EPHESUS with the message, "...I have somewhat against

thee because thou hast left thy fist love." (Rev. 2:4)

(1) Whether this referred to the love of God, the love of Truth, or the love for mankind--

it doesn't matter, since true love encompasses all of these. It still is equivalent to

a forgetting, a neglecting or a lack of knowledge--leaving God's Word and Will

behind in whatever they were doing or not doing.

Stanley Sherman--Page 48

Ephesus illustrates the first step in departing from God's will.

(2) We then looked at the some examples we see in some congregations where a depar-

ture from the New Testament pattern is obvious. For example:

(a) More less adopting a clergy-laity system that creates preacher dependency.

(b) Elders who are selected more for their business and executive prowess than

their spiritual shepherding abilities, and who focus on deacons work rather than

dealing with spiritual needs and challenges of the congregation.

life and activity.

(b) The second step of departure from God's will, pride, which is the arrogance and

exalting of human wisdom and pleasure which fills the gap left when we develop a

lack of knowledge of God's Word. The church at LAODICEA illustrates this step.

(1) It was a congregation of great material wealth located in a city that has been called

by historians, the "wall street of Asia". Jesus accused them of being lukewarm and

neither cold or hot because, as He said, "...thou sayest, I am rich, and increased

with goods and have need of nothing."

(2) We noted similar examples of pride in our brotherhood,

(a) With our multi-million dollar palaces of worship, for which some send more to

the bank in mortgage payments than to the mission field. God is not honored by

our fancy church buildings. Can you imagine Jesus adulating over a multi-

million dollar church facility?

(b) Pride is also seen where we more readily hire preachers for their educational

attainments than for their practical Bible knowledge and application.

to attract, impress and entertain members and visitors. We chain Jesus to the

pulpit, so about the only way people can hear the gospel preached is to come to

our buildings. Jesus didn't tell us to invite people to church. He told us to go

out teach and make disciples who will be added to the body which assembles

on the first day of the week for worship.

(d) We noted other areas of pride as well as illustrated by the Lord's assessment of

the church at Laodicea.

The church at SARDIS demonstrated instability, which is defined as a lack of deter-

mination. Jesus said, "I now thy works, that thou hast a name, that thou livest and art

dead...I have not found thy works perfect before God."

(1) They had a reputation, a name, but not a spiritual reality. It was inconsistent with

form but not force.

(2) Someone has said, "reputation is what people think you are, while character is

what you really are."

(d) A lack of knowledge leads to pride, which produces instability which leads to mixing

with the world and corruption. The church at PERGAMAS was trodding these steps.

Pergamas was the Las Vegas of Asia and has been called "sin-city" by some Bible

commentators.

(1) The sin culture of the city made an impact on the congregation, which infected it

with the toleration of worldliness, as well as participation.

(2) Pergamas was also the center for the enforcement of emperor worship for Asia.

So religious worldliness also impacted the church with toleration for false teaching.

Jesus said, "...thou hast there them that hold to the doctrine of Balaam...So hast

Stanley Sherman--Page 49

thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate."

(3) We spent a lot of time talking about the various forms of toleration congregation

today have toward worldliness, especially where our young people are concerned.

(a) We noted the wrong approaches we are taking to keep our young people, who

are leaving the church anyway at the rate of 75% by the time they enter

college.

(b) Many are lost from the church even while still attending the services of the

church--long before they leave home, and in many cases it is because of the

programs we have chosen to imitate from public education and denomina-

tionalism.

recent book written by Scott Brown called A WEED IN THE CHURCH in

which he shows "how a culture of age segregation is destroying the younger

generation, fragmenting the family and dividing the church."

(e) A lack of knowledge leads to pride, which causes instability, which invites mixing

with the world, corruption, backsliding and eventually idolatry, the last step and the

farthest away from God. The step of idolatry is illustrated by the congregation at

THYATIRA.

(1) Jesus said, "I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy

patience, and thy works...Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because

thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and

to seduce my servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols..."

(2) An important lesson we learn from this is that no matter how many good things we

are involved in--good works, charity, service, faith, patience and other activities,

it is all in jeopardy if we allow and tolerate false teachers to remain in our midst,

without confronting them, converting them or withdrawing from them if no

repentance is forth-coming.

(3) We don't think of the church today being threatened by idolatry. But it is--perhaps

more subtly than an object made out of wood, stone or gold.

(a) And, even more subtly than putting some hobby or money or pursuit ahead of

God in our interest and time--which can also be our idol.

(b) I am talking about our concept of Jesus being our idol, if it does not match Jesus

the Christ.

(1) If your Jesus tolerates false-teaching and embraces denominationalism on a

live-and-let-live basis, then you have made an idol out of a Jesus who does

not exist.

(2) If you believe that Jesus was a created being and less than God, then you

honor an idol, and not the Jesus of the Bible.

(3) If you believe that Jesus is only about love and acceptance with no interesting

in sound doctrine, then you follow an idol you call 'Jesus', and not the Christ

of the Bible.

(4) John, who wrote the book of Revelation by inspiration says to the church, "Little

children, keep yourselves form idols. Amen." (I John 5:21).

D. As we take all of the information of Revelation 2 and 3 together, we understand why God is allow-

ing our nation to disintegrate and fall.

1. We can also understand God's anger with His people, and the challenge before us to repent and

make the appropriate changes.

2. Not only the future of the church, but the very future of our nation depends upon what the church

of Christ will do! "If My people, which are called by My Name shall humble themselves, and

pray, and seek My Face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will

forgive their sins and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14).

3. As mentioned earlier, the letters from Jesus, Himself, to the 7 churches of Asia is a microcosm of

the church as a whole. We need to study those letters carefully to see that which Jesus commends

and that which he condemns. Let's look at them in the geographic order they appear in Rev. 2 & 3

a. Jesus commended the church at EPHESUS for their works and labor, their patience, their

perseverance, and their intolerance of false teachers, and their hatred of error. But, that

wasn't enough.

(a) He condemned them for losing their first love--their passion to their commitment to Christ

and their enthusiasm for His mission for the church. Without that, all the good they were

doing was for naught.

(b) How does your congregation fit into Christ's scrutiny?

b. Jesus commended the church at SMYRNA for their works and tribulation and not succumb-

ing to false teachers and because they demonstrated the kind of faithfulness and endurance to

persecution that pleased Christ, He had no condemnation for them.

c. Jesus commended the church at PERGAMUS for holding fast His name and not denying His

faith.

(a) But he condemned the congregation because they were tolerating false teachers in their

midst without withdrawing fellowship from them.

(b) This congregational sin has probably done more damage in the Lord's church today than

any other. Church discipline has been called "the forgotten commandment" in the 21st

century church.

d. Jesus commended the church at THYATIRA for their works, their charity, their service, faith,

and their patience. That sounds like a really great congregation, doesn't it?

(a) But he condemned them because they allowed a prominent woman in the congregation to

teach some that they could participate in the idolatrous culture around them, committing

fornication and eating things offered to idols.

(b) Here again, the toleration of outright sinfulness in the congregation canceled out all the

good they were doing.

hurting a person's feelings, or covering a problem hoping it will go away on its own, worth

losing your standing with Christ and earning His condemnation?

e. Jesus had no commendation for the church in SARDIS. Even though they had a name, a repu-

tation Jesus said they were "dead". He told them to hold fast to the Word of God and repent.

(a) There were a few faithful there, and they were encouraged to keep on keeping faithful.

(b) It is encouraging to know that even though we may be in a congregation that would

summon the Lord's condemnation, if we remain faithful to Him He will take us to heaven.

really are."

f. For the church in PHILADELPHIA Jesus had no condemnation, but commended them on

the fact that even though they had a little strength, they had kept His word and did not deny

His Name.

(a) Jesus said "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the

hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the

earth." (Rev. 3:10).

(b) Isn't this also our hope for the church and our nation in an increasingly wicked world--that

Jesus will keep us from the hour of temptation in the trials to come?

Stanley Sherman--Page 51

g. Finally we come to the church at LAODICEA. They received no commendation from the

Lord, only condemnation.

(1) They were lukewarm, apathetic, complacent and bored with church. They were rich and

thought they had it made.

(2) Jesus said He would spue them out of his mouth like tepid water.

(3) Let us be careful. Let us remember that our wealth, our large worship palaces with heavy

mortages, that often exceed the mission budget,--our buildings do not honor God.

E. Harold Hazelip, in his commentary of Revelation (entitled THE LORD REIGNS: A SURVEY OF

THE BOOK OF REVELATION, Page 5), suggested key words for each of the churches of Asia:

l. These were their needs, and as we review them, think of the congregation of which you are a

member:

a. "The church at Ephesus needed to return to its first love (2:4);

b. "The church at Smyrna had to get ready for suffering (2:10);

c. "The church at Peramum needed to stand for truth (2:14-15);

d. "The church in Thyatira required greater holiness (2:20);

e. "The church in Sardis was lacking in genuineness (3:1);

f. "The church in Philadelphia was urege to take advantage of opportunities for evangelism (3:8);

g. "and the church in Laodecia was comdemned for lack of dedication (3:15).

2. "If we could combine these seven characteristics in one congregation--love, suffering, truth,

holiness, genuineness, evangelism and dedication--we would have an ideal community of God's

people."

F. If we can do these things, beginning with our families, in order to strengthen the church, in order to

stand for truth and impact our comunities, which will change our nation back on course--then God

says, "I will hear from heaven, and will forgive your sins, and heal your land."

"BLESSED IS THE NATION WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD; AND THE PEOPLE WHOM HE

HATH CHOSEN FOR HIS OWN INHERITANCE." (Psalm 33:12).

Stanley Sherman

29285 Lingo Lane

Junction City, OR 97448-9648

541-998-8989

stansherman@comcast.net

c 2011 Stanley Sherman. Permission is given to photocopy this material for Bible study or Classes.

Permission is not given to make changes to the contents or to re-sell. The material is preliminary to

publication. For questions, contact Stanley Sherman 541-998-8989 stansherman@comcast.net

Homeland Security God's Way

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

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