Introduction:
One of George Washington’s first official acts as president was to give the Thanksgiving Proclamation, which reads, "Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly implore his protection and favor..."
Abraham Lincoln once said, "It is the duty of nations, as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God and to recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord."
Woodrow Wilson once said, "The Bible...is the one supreme source of revelation of the meaning of life, the nature of God and spiritual nature and need of men. It is the only guide of life which really leads the spirit in the way of peace and salvation."
As a result of such leadership, over much of the past 200 years, this country has been known as a "Christian nation" because of its professed allegiance to God and his Word. But things are rapidly changing. "One nation under God" we say in our pledge of allegiance to the flag, but "a nation without God" is what we are rapidly becoming. The passage read a few moments ago from Romans 1 seems to describe in detail our society in the United States today. We are not only a nation of those who do things immoral, but “also approve those who practice them.” (Rom. 1:32).
Several years ago, there was a group of preachers in Virginia who reported on some evangelistic work they had done in Ukraine. They said that they were given a lot of opportunities to speak to the children in schools in the city of Zhitomir. The administration and students were all excited to have someone come in and talk about their Christian faith during the schoolday.
But it was embarrassing for them on one occasion when a child asked the question, "Do schools study from the Bible in America?" With great shame, they had to tell the child, "No, in America, we’re not allowed to study the Bible in our schools" and the child was left with a very puzzled look. How ironic that a country we have considered to be atheistic for years is allowing us to teach the Bible in their schools, but here in the so-called "Christian nation" of America, we’re not allowed to do that. We can pass condoms out because it’s important to teach our children responsibility, but we don’t dare corrupt their minds by reading one verse out of the Bible or we risk being thrown into jail.
Surely our founding fathers had none of this in mind when they advocated a separation of church and state. Our current leaders have twisted "freedom of religion" to mean "freedom from religion". There are many times I sit and wonder where this country is headed. Is it on such a path of moral decline that it’s destined for the same end result as the Roman Empire?
I’m not trying to be pessimistic. But what I’d like to do this morning is to raise the question, "What should be a Christian’s response to all of this?" Long ago, David raised the question, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3). In a day when the moral foundations of our country are being destroyed, we would do well to ask ourselves, "What can we as Christians do?" Let me suggest three things this morning.
I. Remember That There is a Standard of Morality
In Matthew 21, Jesus was asked by the chief priests and the elders, "By what authority are you doing these things?" (Matthew 21:23). Jesus responded with another question, asking them, "The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men?" (Matthew 21:25). Jesus said that there are basically two possible sources of authority. It comes either from heaven or from men.
It’s very evident what the source of authority in our society is. We live in a world much like in the nation of Israel during the days of the judges. Several times, we’re told in the book of Judges that "everyone did what was right in his own eyes." (Judges 21:25). Nobody was concerned about doing what God said to do. In fact, nobody was interesting in even knowing what God said to do. Everybody simply did whatever they thought was right, just like today.
If each of us is free to determine his or her own values, then who is to say that one way of life is better than any other? It’s like trying to organize a football game where every player serves as his own referee! In a world like that, everything becomes a matter of opinion and there is nothing that you can really depend upon. Doesn’t that sound like the world we’re living in today -- the world of "do your own thing" and "alternative lifestyles"?
The result is a world described by Isaiah, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20).
We need to reminded in the midst of such a view that there is a standard for determining what is right and what is wrong. I heard about several kindergarten children who found a stray kitten on the playground. As they played with it, they began to argue about whether it was a girl cat or boy cat. Finally, one of the kids had a suggestion. He said, "I tell you what, let’s vote on it!"
Now we can laugh at that because we realize that the kids’ vote didn’t change that cat’s gender. And yet some people assume today that if people in our society agree on something, and if a majority are in favor of it, then it must be true. But common sense tells us that life just doesn’t work that way. Truth is truth even if we unanimously think another way.
For example, if our society decides to kill unborn children, or to accept homosexuality and adultery as a legitimate lifestyle, we haven’t made such ungodly behaviors right. We’ve just granted people permission to choose that which is wrong. But, as Solomon said, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." (Proverbs 14:12).
I believe at the heart of all the moral controversies in this nation, there is one critical issue. The question is whether our society will pursue a course in which the wisdom of man is the highest wisdom we can count on, or will we rather turn to God the Creator for his counsel?
Jeremiah said, "O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps." (Jeremiah 10:23). Our standard of right and wrong must be the word of God. Jesus said it best when he prayed, "Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth." (John 17:17).
Beneath all the questions in our society about honesty, sexual conduct, and violence lies a basic moral decision about which standard we will turn to for the management of our lives. Are we willing to accept God’s standard as our standard?
Unfortunately, the very thought of returning to God and his standards scares a lot of people in our society. Somewhere along the line, God and the Bible have picked up a reputation for dealing with irrelevant matters that just don’t have much to do with our lives in the 20th century. A lot of people view the Bible as an old, outdated list of dos and don’ts that God laid down just to see if people would obey him. According to this view, God’s desire apparently is to make life as miserable and intolerable for us as possible.
As a result, in the last 30 years or so, Americans have been led away from the standard given in the Word of God. We’ve been told that ultimate freedom was the basis for the founding of America and that the ultimate freedom is to choose what we want to do in any and all circumstances. Since religion seems to place restrictions on choice, religion has become a negative word in our language. Religion no longer seems to belong in a country that was founded so that religion could prosper.
But we as Christians must continue to hold as our standard what God had in mind. We need to remember that God didn’t put laws in the Bible so he could punish us when we break them, but because they are the best guidelines for living our lives.
We need to remember that moral questions are not decided by public opinion polls. Rather, it is essential that we begin any discussion about morals and standards by asking the question: "What was God’s original intention and design for mankind in this situation?" There is a standard. The one who made us has given us the standard. His holiness, and the life of his Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ, is the standard by which life’s choices are made.
And we must continue to remind ourselves that no matter how many people may be choosing the wisdom of mankind, we intend to build our lives on the wisdom of God as demonstrated for us in the life of Christ and described in the New Testament.
II. Make a Commitment Not to Be Like the World
Paul says to us, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2). It’s evident from this passage that Christians should not allow the world to set the standard for us but rather we should follow the standard of God’s Word.
When we allow ourselves to conform to the world, the end result is that we dress no differently, talk no differently, and live no differently from the world around us. The values and standards of the world become our values and standards. But we dare not let that happen.
There is a word used in the New Testament to describe our commitment to live differently -- it’s the word "holiness". Peter wrote his first epistle to a group of people struggling with the same problems we face. They, too, lived in a society that was immoral and corrupt. Listen to Peter’s instructions to them, "...as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ’Be holy, for I am holy.’" (I Peter 2:14-16).
The idea of "holiness" suggests something or someone that is different and set apart from others. The challenge of holiness is a powerful influence in a Christian’s life. It’s not so much that we want to be different from others, because it’s only natural that we should want to conform. It’s certainly not the case that we just want to be difficult and contrary. Rather, we have an obligation to be different from the people of the world because of the commitment we have made to God. We are to be holy because he is holy.
Paul made a beautiful comparison in Ephesians 5 between a husband and a wife, and Christ and his church. He said, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:25-27).
I have read that, in ancient Greece, a bride-to-be would be taken down to a river to be bathed and ceremonially cleansed from every defilement of her past life. Whatever her life had been before, it was symbolically purified and she would enter the marriage without any moral and social blemish -- her past was washed away.
The same thing has happened to those of us who are Christians. At the point of baptism, the sins of our past were washed away. Furthermore, we have the responsibility to maintain lives of purity and holiness, just as a wife is expected to do in her marriage.
Those of us who are Christians must make a commitment to live lives of holiness regardless of how the world all around us may live.
III. Make an Effort to Change the World
Jesus said, in the Sermon on the Mount, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:13-16).
This passage is important for us to understand the nature of true Christianity, especially in our present day. Jesus said, "Those who are my disciples should affect the world in a positive manner by the way in which they live." All too often, we allow the world to change us or, at very best, we sit on the sidelines and do nothing to make a positive impact on the world.
We sometimes make the mistake of thinking that, because the world is rotten, a Christian should try to dissociate himself from the world as much as possible, retreating not necessarily to a monastery but at least within the walls of the church building. And let the world continue on its path to hell.
Jesus said, though, "I do not pray that you should take them out of the world..." (John 17:15). The church has to exist in the world, and in fact it serves a positive purpose by doing so.
As Jesus clearly pointed out in the Sermon the Mount, a Christian is to be a preserving force in the world wherever he finds himself. Salt didn’t do any good in the old days if you kept it on one shelf and kept the meat on another shelf. To be effective, the salt had to be rubbed into the meat. In a similar way, Christians must allow God to rub us into the world. That means that we have to be Christians at work, Christians in politics, Christians at home, Christians in school, and Christians everywhere else that a normal life in our society would take us.
Does that mean that we’re always going to be effective, we’ll always influence others around us to do what is right? No. Listen to what Peter told Christians whom he had encouraged to live holy lives. "...that he should no longer live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles -- when we walked in licentiousness, lusts, drunkenness, reveleries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation." (I Peter 4:2-4).
Peter says that living a moral Christian life will cause your old buddies to think you’re kinda strange. They may make fun of you, they may ridicule you, but Peter says don’t let it change your efforts to live a holy life for God. We need to be willing to speak up when the occasion calls for it.
Should we expect that if we stand up for what is right, the world will automatically listen and pay attention? No, I’m not so naive as to believe that. I know that the problem is not with the messenger or the message. The problem is with the hearers. They simply are unwilling to hear what we have to say, but we need to keep on giving the message. And those who have ears to hear will hear.
Jesus often spoke in parables, but sometimes he spoke using blunt language to those in powerful positions in his day -- the scribes and Pharisees. The truth wasn’t received very well by them either. Why didn’t Jesus choose to be more "politically correct" in his language? Why didn’t he take a more moderate stance? Perhaps if he had done things a little less boldly he would have been more popular and well-received. Perhaps if he had just gently shown people the truth, they would have recognized their mistakes and changed. No. We learn from Jesus that there comes a time when we need to take a stand for what is right, even if that stand is unpopular.
The story is an old one that has been heard before -- but it still conveys an important lesson. The story involves a mid-westerner who vacationing on the New England coast. One morning, very early, she was walking along the beach -- the sun was still below the horizon, the rain had ended, and the sea was calm. While enjoying the beauty about her, she glanced down the beach and saw a young man. He skipped and frolicked as if performing a ritual dance to celebrate the dawn. Fascinated, she moved closer. As she approached, she realized the young man was not dancing -- he was picking up objects and tossing them into the sea. Soon she realized the objects were starfish.
She asked, "Why are you throwing starfish into the sea?"
He said, "The tide is going out and if they are still here when the sun rises, they will die." And he continued tossing them.
She said, "That’s ridiculous! There are thousands of miles of beach and millions of starfish. You can’t really believe that what you are doing could possibly make a difference!"
He smiled, bent over and picked up another starfish, paused thoughtfully, and remarked as he tossed it into the waves... "It makes a difference to this one."
You can’t change the world! Or can you? Perhaps not all at once. But you can change it one piece at a time by making a difference in somebody’s life, by taking a stand for what is right, for making your voice heard as you say, “I intend to follow God.”
Conclusion:
Three things for us to keep in mind. First of all, we need to remember that there is a standard of right and wrong -- it’s the standard found in God’s Word. Secondly, we need to make a commitment not to be like the world. And, thirdly, we need to have the courage to make the effort to change the world around us.
We pray that in some small way, we can be a leavening influence on society that will begin to lead our nation back to a faith in God and his Word.
