Our National Crisis

Thank you, men. If you have your Bibles, I want you to turn to Proverbs chapter 14. Proverbs

Proverbs 14 · chapter mention

! Chapter 14. It seems we're reminded every day of the crises that fall upon America.

Just a little good news here and there, it seems like, is all we get. And sometimes that bad news

hits close to home. Some of it we simply read about and watch from afar. Is America really

in a crisis? Or are these just things that you deal with and you ought to expect from time

to time among fallible people? Well, you should definitely expect the type of things we see

on the news to happen. But yes, I do believe we are in a crisis. Our crisis is not the economy.

Whether it feels good at your house now or not, they tell us that things are pretty good. People

are buying more. People are borrowing more. People are blowing more than they ever have.

Our government has borrowed from our children's children and individual household debt is at an

all-time high. We have a situation. And I don't know all the answers to that. I can teach you what the

Word of God says about stewardship and the importance to give to the Lord first and to be stewards of what

God gives you. But I don't know how all this is going to pan out. I do know this, that our nation's

national crisis is not the economy. Our national crisis is not the wars. And I say wars because

between the Middle East and Russia, they give us new ammo every day on what's happening. No pun intended.

But I mean, you know, there's so much going on in the world. We have military personnel spread out

throughout the world, particularly in the Middle East. And we have countries that we know are fighting.

And we have some that we know that we're going to have to fight or at least protect. And then some that

we have to watch like a hawk. And when I think about the sacrifices that so many families are making

so that men and women can go to work protecting our country from the rest of the world, it makes me

glad to live in a land where people sign up most of the time anyway in our history out of their own

free will, willing to serve, to protect us. With so much volatility, it can be overwhelming. And people often

want to know if this is the end. When you see what's going on overseas, does this mean this is the end? Or is it

merely the beginning of birth pains, as Jesus put it? I don't know. And you know what?

The guys that are selling the books that you're buying, they don't know either. They don't.

So what I would encourage you to do is keep your eyes on Jesus. And I believe that if you're here

today and you've never given your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ, that there's not a better

day in your life than today to secure your eternity with the Lord. And I'd love to help you with that

process in just a few minutes. I'd love that. But the reality is we don't know all those things.

Luke chapter 21 verse 28 says this, now when these things begin to take place, the kind of things you

Luke 21:28

see, straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near. We have some situations,

situations. But I can tell you that our national crisis is not war conflicts.

Our national crisis is not drugs. Drugs are a real problem. And, but the reality is it's the source.

It's not the source of a crisis. It's the fruit of the crisis. People that take illegal drugs do it

because something is missing inside. They either need to be accepted. They need to escape.

They need to find relief because there's a problem of the heart.

But the drug problem in America is just a fruit of a different problem.

And may I be blunt, the drug that affects most homes in America, that affects the most homes in America,

is alcohol.

Christian, stay away from it.

If you can use it and it not be a stumbling block for you,

your use of it

is easily a stumbling block for others.

So why be compromised?

Don't be a hindrance to others.

Drugs of all sorts are a problem, but

drugs

are not our greatest national crisis.

Our national crisis

is not gun control.

On

April the 20th, 1999,

Eric Harris

and Dylan Klebold

walked into Columbine High School

in Colorado

and murdered 13 students

and a teacher.

Ten died

in the library that day

before both guys

took their own life

in that same library.

They had intended

to

primarily

blow up the school

with several

homemade bombs

that were planted

within the school,

but they failed to go off.

And over 20 people

were

injured

in the gun

bite.

Columbine

became the catch

word

for school

shootings.

At that time,

it was the greatest

school shooting,

the largest

school shooting,

the most mass

school shooting

that had ever taken place.

And the immediate

response to that

was gun control.

one of the

students

that was killed

that day

was named

Rachel Scott.

And in the

aftermath

of that tragedy,

her father,

Daryl Scott,

spoke to Congress

to make clear

what the real

problem was.

And I want you

to listen to part

of what he said.

Since the dawn

of creation,

there has been

both good and evil

in the heart

of men and women.

We all contain

the seeds

of good kindness

or the seeds

of violence.

The death

of my wonderful

daughter,

Rachel Joy Scott,

and the deaths

of that heroic

teacher and the

other 11 children

who died

must not be in vain.

Their blood cries

out for answers.

The first recorded

act of violence

was when Cain

slew his brother

Abel in the field.

The villain

was not the club

that he used.

Neither was it

the NCA

or the National

Club Association.

The true

killer was Cain.

And the reason

for the murder

could only be found

in Cain's heart.

In the days

that followed

the Columbine

tragedy,

I was amazed

at how quickly

fingers began

to be pointed

at groups

such as the NRA.

And I'm not

a member of the NRA.

I'm not a hunter.

I don't even own

a gun.

I'm not here

to represent

or defend the NRA

because I don't

believe they are

responsible for

my daughter's death.

Therefore,

I don't believe

that they need

to be defended.

If I believed

they had anything

to do with Rachel's

murder,

I would be

their strongest

opponent.

I'm here today

to declare that

Columbine was not

just a tragedy,

it was a spiritual

event that should

be forcing us

to look at where

the real blame

lies.

Much of the blame

lies here in this

room.

Much of the blame

lies behind the

pointing fingers

of the accusers

themselves.

God is what we

need.

He goes on to say,

men and women

are three-part

beings.

We all consist

of body,

soul,

and spirit.

When we refuse

to acknowledge

a third part

of our makeup,

we create a void

that allows evil,

prejudice,

and hatred

to rush in

and wreak havoc.

Spiritual influences

were present

within our

educational systems

for much of

our nation's

history.

Many of our

major colleges

began as

theological

seminaries.

This is a

historic fact.

What's happened

to us as a

nation?

We have refused

to honor God

and in doing so,

we opened up

the doors to

hatred and

violence.

And when

something as

terrible as

Columbine's

tragedy occurs,

politicians

immediately look

for a scapegoat

such as the

NRA.

They immediately

seek to pass

more restrictive

laws that

contribute to

erode away

our personal

and private

liberties.

We don't need

more restrictive

laws.

Eric and Dylan

would not have

been stopped

by metal detectors.

No amount

of gun laws

can stop someone

who spends months

planning this

type of massacre.

The real villain

lies within our

own hearts.

Political

posturing and

restrictive

legislation are

not the answers.

The young

people of our

nation hold

the key.

There's a

spiritual

awakening taking

place that

will not be

quilched.

He goes on

to say,

we need a

change of heart

and a humble

acknowledgement that

this nation was

founded on the

principles of

simple trust in

God.

As my son

Craig laid

under that

table in the

school library

and saw his

two friends

murdered before

his very eyes,

he did not

hesitate to

pray in

schools.

I defy any

law or

politician to

deny him

that right.

I challenge

every young

person in

America and

around the

world to

realize that

on April

the 20th,

1999 at

Columbine High

School,

prayer was

brought back

into schools.

Do not let

the many prayers

offered by those

students be in

vain.

Dare to move

into a new

millennium with

a sacred

disregard for

legislation that

violates your

God.

Give and write

to communicate

with him.

To those of

you who would

point your

finger at the

NRA, I give

to you a

sincere challenge.

Dare to examine

your own

heart before

casting your

first stone.

My daughter's

death will not

be in vain.

The young

people of this

country will

not allow that

to happen.

End of quote.

Our national

crisis is not

gun control.

It's also not

the president.

And it's not

the Senate.

And it's not

Congress.

It's not the

Supreme Court or

any of the other

courts.

Now I realize

that any talk

of this can

polarize this

room in a

heartbeat.

I'm smarter

than that.

And that

division becomes

much worse when

we put more,

listen to me,

when we put

more stock in

elected officials

than we should.

I don't hang

my hat on

Washington.

I don't hang

my hat on

Columbia.

I don't hang

my hat on

Pickens.

I hang my

trust on the

Lord Jesus

Christ.

And he's

the one I

put my

trust in.

So with all

that's wrong

in Washington

and Columbia

or Pickens,

our crisis is

not politics.

And it's not

government.

It's more

than that.

Our crisis is

not television

or the apps

that you have

on your phone,

the streaming

apps.

If your phone

or your

television does

not have a

power button,

I would

encourage you

to throw it

out and get

another one.

Because the

reality is you

can cut it

off anytime

you want

to.

And the

reason why

there's the

filth that

there is

on our

televisions and

on our

phones is

people aren't

cutting it

off.

They just

keep watching

it.

But our

crisis is not

television or

movie apps.

news.

It's not

even the

internet.

I remember

hearing,

oh boy,

preaching on

WGGS years

ago about

the internet.

Oh God,

blow it up.

Blow it up,

Lord.

Blow up the

internet.

And I thought,

brother, if he

does, you won't

be able to be

watched anymore.

Okay?

So just chill

out.

The internet

opens up new

doors of

opportunity and

information and

marketing,

reservations and

convenience like

nothing that

has ever

come.

But every

one of us

does not use

it for that

purpose.

Sadly,

there are

traps there

that are set

by individuals

and are set

by corporations

to snatch

the minds

of the

computer

loners

that

devastate

lives

every day.

our national

crisis is not

social media,

although I

warn you it

can easily be

a cancer.

Be careful

there.

The evil

one looms

there.

Our national

crisis is not

sexual dysfunction,

although we

got a lot of

it.

It's the

fruit of a

greater problem,

but it's not

the root.

there's been

sexual indecency

almost as long

as there's been

humanity,

and there have

been attempts

to justify it

ever since.

Today,

the fascination

is with

gender

dysphoria.

I don't know

if the devil

has ever

schemed up

a more

diabolic plan

in our

society.

The problem

is that just

because you

feel a,

I want you

to hear me

today,

whoever you

are,

just because

you feel

like you

feel a

genuine

attraction

to someone,

that does

not make

it right.

It does

not make

it godly.

It may

feel legit,

but our

feelings and

our attractions

do not

determine what

is right

or wrong.

What you

woke up and

felt like

doing today

does not

determine what

is right

and wrong.

I'll tell

you what

determines

what's right

and wrong.

The timeless

truths of

the word

of God.

And I

truly believe

that sometimes

we need to

blank our

mind of

any of our

own preconceived

ideas or

self-generated

ideas and

trust God

at his

word.

Same-sex

attraction is

five times

more popular

today than it

was 40 years

ago.

If people

are born in

it, we

need to stop

drinking the

water,

apparently.

You know

what that

is?

That's not

inborn.

What in the

world is going

on?

What's caused

that?

Several things,

but I'll tell

you what it

is.

It's a

societal

sinful

sickness

that's opened

themselves up

to allow those

floodgates to

come in.

America has

opened its

arms to ways

of life that

are contrary

to scripture,

and that

displeases the

Lord.

And it's a

problem, but it

is not our

national crisis,

as opposed to

what many

believe our

national crisis

is not the

environment.

And I didn't

say we shouldn't

take care of the

land we live in.

You better take

care of your

natural resources

and be stewards

of the garden

that God's placed

you in, because

he told you to.

It's one of the

early basics of

Genesis.

But let's not

fall into

pantheism, the

belief that all

is God.

I mean, I love

animals, but they're

different than we

are, and they

don't have a soul,

and when they're

gone, they're

gone.

God has not

breathed his

spirit into

them, nor has

he the big oaks

in your yard, nor

has he in the

turnip, or the

rainforest, or the

spotted owl, or the

red-eyed frog.

We need to take

care of all those

things, folks, but

don't let it

overwhelm you.

I'll tell you

what he has

breathed life

into.

Every child and

every womb that's

ever been conceived,

and we ought to act

like it as a

country.

Our national

crisis is not

that, however.

It's also not the

ice caps.

It's not any of

those things.

It's deeper than

that.

Proverbs 14, 34

says this,

righteousness

exalts a nation,

but sin is a

reproach to any

people.

The problem in

America is America,

our national crisis

is too much of

America is alienated

from God.

This nation is so

marked by sin and

missed opportunity

that we've deceived

ourselves into

thinking that we

only need God at

certain times, and

so many other

things have grabbed

our attention, and

that is the

crisis.

It's a crisis

outside the church

that's devastating,

but it's a crisis

inside the church

too.

Distraction and

waywardness weaken

the church.

Our national crisis

is that we have

put too many things

before our personal

allegiance to the

Lord.

We've put too many

things before our

faithful walk with

Christ.

Christians have too

often lived, not as

Christians, too

often Christians don't

look any different

than society does,

and society looks at

Christians and say,

why do I need that?

The same things that

dog a lost society are

sometimes the same

things that dog the

church.

I mean, honestly,

we're reaping what

we've sown, we're

reaping what we're

sowing.

The broken and

unchurched homes of

America have simply

given lip service to

God and walked away,

and now we reap the

fruit of that.

And that crisis may be

bigger than you think.

When I thought about

this, I couldn't help

but think about

Ephesus.

We're too much like

Ephesus.

Revelation 2, verse 4

Revelation 2:4

and 5 says this, but I

have this against you,

that you have abandoned

the love that you had

at first.

Remember, therefore, from

where you have fallen.

Repent and do the works

you did at first.

If not, I will come to

you and remove your

lampstand from its place

unless you repent.

Now, let me explain.

The lampstand is the

pulpit.

The lampstand is the

witness of the church

to the world.

And what he's saying is

we are destroying our

witness.

He also says, once salt

has lost its saltiness,

what good is it?

It's good for nothing.

And if we're not

different than the world,

Christian, we're making

little difference in the

world.

And if all we do is come

in here and shut the

doors to the world and

sing a song and hear a

message and go home dead

to God and dead to his

will to change our lives

in response to what he'd

have for us, to change

our world by the power of

the Holy Spirit of God

living in us, then we are

sinners and we are

disgraced to any people

because we have

responsibility.

What America needs is the

church of Jesus Christ to

beg God for the fresh

winds of his spirit, the

fresh fires of revival.

And revival don't start

among lost people.

Revival starts in the

church.

We need to repent of

casual Christianity and

fall into a burning love

for Christ, his will, his

way and his word and let it

show everywhere that we go.

Because the world without

Christ is dead in sin.

They honestly don't know what

their opportunity in Christ

really is.

They don't know the

difference that Christ makes

unless we tell them.

Unless we live it out before

them.

We'll never know.

We may think, well, they'll

hear it somewhere.

I mean, people around here,

there's churches on every

corner.

I mean, surely, surely

everybody's heard about Jesus.

Why in the world should we

assume that?

And have they all received a

personal invitation to come to

Christ?

We need not assume that.

And why can't we be a part of

that?

Don't you want to be a part of

people's lives being changed for

Christ?

So God puts people in our path

sometimes and we're so busy and

in such a rush, we ignore the

fact that he's put them in our

path.

We went to Cracker Barrel the

other day.

I got some grilled fish.

How disappointing.

It's the Great Depression.

There's a closed down restaurant

sitting right beside it there in

Piedmont.

I think I remember what it was.

I like that kind of restaurant.

But we were kind of trying to

figure it out.

So I thought, I wonder if they

still got their menu up.

Because they had painted it and

tried to change it some, but you

couldn't change it on anything.

And we rode around that old

Bojangles.

Rode around to the other side.

And right there in that small side

entrance where there's a handrail

there, there was a lady who had set

up camp there.

She had a buggy she'd barred from

somewhere and filled it up.

Had an umbrella covering her and it's

about 100 degrees outside.

I looked to see if somebody was there

and I could see her and she saw me.

I pulled out, took a chance on life to

get out of that cracker barrel.

If you've ever been there, you know

what I'm talking about.

It's hard to get out.

And I got out and I started back

toward Easley.

And I did a U-turn and I came back.

And I pulled back up beside her.

And I said, are you hungry?

You want something to eat?

I said, there's a KFC and there's an

Arby's right there across the street.

What can I get you?

She said, KFC.

I said, you want some mashed potatoes

that chicken?

She said, slaw.

I said, I'll do that.

We went to Sam and we had oranges in

the car.

So we went by KFC and got a pretty

good meal and it's KFC.

But anyway, got a decent meal and got

her a big old drink and threw some

bottles of water in there and threw

some oranges in there.

Went back to take it to her.

And she had left her little spot.

We had actually seen this lady crossing

the road going to a raceway, which is a

gas station across the street.

And we had seen her and always concerned

about her crossing that road because

it's very busy there as people come off

the interstate.

I realized that was a, I realized she'd

been here a while.

When I got back, I gave her that, that,

I reached out the window and gave her that

food.

She was leaving.

She was headed that way is why I brought

that up.

She was headed that way.

And, and I brought that food to her.

And I said, um, ma'am, my family was with

me.

I said, ma'am, I just want you to know that

Jesus loves you.

And, um, I hope this brings some relief to you.

And she, she looked at me and she said, when

somebody has more than a million, they have a

billion.

And when somebody has more than a billion, they

have a trillion.

And when somebody has more than a trillion, they

have something else.

I don't, I'm not familiar with that.

I'll just say a quadrillion or something, something

like that.

She knew she was on it.

And she said, that's what God's going to bless

you with.

And I said, well, thank God.

I mean, that's good.

I said, thank you, ma'am.

I said, have you ever given your heart and life to

the Lord Jesus Christ?

She said, oh, yes.

Oh, yes.

I love and trust my Savior.

Now, the only reason I say that is if you happen to

ride by that way, check on her.

Grab her a biscuit or something.

If God's planted her there.

I just think sometimes, whether it be in an

inconvenient situation like she's in right now in her

life, or whether it be somebody we just see daily in

places that we go and things that we do, I believe God puts

people in our path along the way in order for us to share the

love of Christ with her.

And I wish I could tell you that I had some life-changing story

about her at all.

She just popped up in my mind when I got to thinking about this.

That God puts people in our path that we have the opportunity to

share with.

And we need to do that.

Because unless we tell them, and unless we live it before them, they'll

never know.

Listen, down in the mouth, pessimism kills the work of the kingdom of God.

Selfishness and only concern about us or ours kills the work of the kingdom of God.

Holier than thou attitudes or just plain worldly hypocrisy kills the work of the kingdom of God.

Preoccupation with our wants kills the work of the kingdom of God.

Apathy and silence kills the work of the kingdom of God.

We need Christians, as the song said earlier, to stand in the gap and say, there's a crisis.

And bless God, there's an answer.

And that answer is Christ.

And we need to share Christ with the world in which God's placed us.

Proverbs 14, 34 says, righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.

Let us not be the reproach to the people of America, but instead saints of a living God

sharing his hope with the world he's planned us in.

With every head bowed and every eye closed, I ask you today, have you ever given your heart

and life to the Lord Jesus Christ?

I didn't ask you if you remember this church.

I didn't ask you if you was faithful at this church.

I didn't ask you if you'd ever been to this church.

I just ask you today, if you've ever said, Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner.

I know I've done wrong.

I need you to forgive me, change me.

I commit my life to follow you from this day forward.

If you've never done that, I encourage you to do that.

We got a lot of special things going on today with the meal and things, but there's nothing

more special than you giving your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ.

I encourage you to come.

I'd love to share that with you.

Maybe you're here this morning and you have done that, but you've never acknowledged that

publicly and you need to do that.

We're going to baptize in just a few weeks and I encourage you, if you've never been baptized

as a believer, that you'll obey God and follow him.

What he showed us to do and what he told us to do.

Let's follow that.

Maybe God's drawing you to this church.

God's leading you to Pickens First Baptist Church.

God's blessing in a mighty way and I'm thankful for that.

And if God's leading you to this church, I encourage you, soon as we stand this morning,

you want to join this church.

Soon as we stand, you come down the aisle.

Now, share that with me.

Or maybe there's just stuff in your life that's a reproach to a heavenly father that loves you.

And today you need to confess that, repent of that, and walk away from the Christian.

Live for the Lord Jesus Christ.

It'll change your life.

It'll change others' lives.

He works like that.

Let's just follow the Lord today.

Heavenly Father, I love you.

I thank you, Lord, for the gospel and the opportunity you give us to share.

And I pray, dear God, right now that you'll work and you'll move in the hearts and lives

of every one of us to be obedient to follow you as you lead.

In Jesus' precious name, amen.