Last Sunday I preached a message entitled, "When a Nation Ignores God." The Lord drew me to Jeremiah 48. Chapters 46-51 of Jeremiah contain a collection of messages against nine foreign nations. They teach the sovereignty of God; no nation can escape his judgment.
I was drawn to the message against Moab because it so parallels what is happening in America. The country faced God's judgment because of materialism [v. 7], complacency [v. 11], idol worship [v. 7], and pride [vv. 29, 42]. When you read this chapter it feels like you're reading an American newspaper, news magazine, or Google News.
America is like Moab. We are given over to the same sins for which Moab was judged. Who is to blame? It is easy to blame the politicians or the corporate giants. They should shoulder their share, but I blame the church. I believe one reason Moab was in the shape Jeremiah described was due to Israel's refusal to be a light to the nations. I believe America is in her shape because the church has also refused to be God's light.
When 57% of Christian Americans according to The Pew Forum on Religion are willing to accept that Christianity may not be the only way to God, the church is in bad shape. At least one reason so many are confused about salvation is that too many preachers refuse to stand on the truth of God's Word. As in the days of Ezekiel, the shepherds are misleading the sheep. There are so many conflicting signals given by preachers in America's churches, it is no wonder people are confused, dazed, and living for themselves.
So my prayer this July 4th is for a spiritual renewal in America. It does not begin with Obama or McCain. It begins in the pulpits and pews of American churches. If we'll start believing and then living truth, perhaps America has a chance.
Jeremiah 48 ends with a note of hope: "Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days," declares the Lord. There is hope for America. God is full of grace and loves us. Pray for repentance, renewal, and revival. If we see neither, all we have to look forward to is what happened to Moab--judgment.
The sermon can be heard at http://fairviewgreer.net/page2619.php
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