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