You know, when I think of former President Ronald Reagan, I have a wonderful image of him burned into my mind.
It's a picture of him standing at the recommissioning of the USS New Jersey in Long Beach while he was president, standing at attention, and then later saluting with a big smile on his face one of the military commanders who were there. And I don't know, there's just something about him, about the old-fashioned patriotism that he had, about the fact that he was proud of his country and he was proud to be an American. And when he was president, that was something we hadn't seen in America in a long time, that I just find incredibly heartwarming.
And the pictures that you see on the screen, I think, remind us of how much we seem to have lost in this country. I mean, I remember as a child in Portsmouth, Virginia, growing up, where every July 4th, my whole family would go down and stand on the street corner of High Street, the main street that ran through the town, along with thousands of others, and the bands would come down the town and all the military units would come through town. I can remember old military men like my father standing erect and motionless as the flag went by. I can remember an elementary school in that town standing and saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag every morning and having a Bible reading lesson over the loudspeaker and having prayer led by someone over the loudspeaker, and then we'd all stand and sing My Country Tis of Thee. I mean, I remember all of that.
Well, thank you. In fact, I often have people who say, well, you know, all these patriotic songs we sing on July 4th, I mean, do they really belong in church? Friends, my response is if we don't sing them in church, they're not going to get sung anymore. I mean, that's the only place anybody's allowed to sing this stuff anymore.
It's kind of sad, kind of sad. But anyway, this weekend we're here to celebrate the 231st birthday coming up next week of our nation, and people often ask me, Lon, what do you think about the future of America? I mean, what about this quote, you've all heard it, if God doesn't judge America, He'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. Well, actually, I've thought a lot about this, and I want to share with you some of the thoughts I've had about the future of America, thoughts that have their foundation in biblical revelation, in biblical truth. Now, before we begin, let's say, of course, we all realize that God has a sovereign plan for every nation that has ever existed on the face of the earth, a plan that has nothing to do with human activity or human behavior.
And of course, everything we say here has to be conditioned by this overarching truth. But it is also true that God says in the Bible that a nation's long-term prosperity, humanly speaking, is directly connected to that nation's obedience to God. Listen to these verses of Scripture. Leviticus chapter 26, if you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, God says, then I will look on you with favor. I will send you rain in its seasons and the ground will yield its crops.
You will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. I will grant peace in the land and you will lie down to sleep without fear. Deuteronomy 28, if you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow His commands, then God says, then He, the Lord, will set you high above the nations of the earth. The Lord will make you the head and not the tail. Indeed, if you pay attention to the commands of the Lord, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. This is why David said, Psalm 33, verse 12, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. The point, my friends, is that the well-being of America depends far more on our obedience to God than it does on our gross national product.
Now, based on that equation, assuming it's true, and it is, then I think that that means we've got some real challenges in America today. You know about them all. Let me just remind you, pornography in this country is out of control. The most explicit forms of it, you can get pumped right into your living room on DirecTV, cable TV, pay-per-view on the internet.
You can even go to Blockbuster and buy pornographic movies right there in Blockbuster. Alcohol and drug abuse in America is at epidemic proportions. The rate of divorce in America has remained incorrigibly above the 50 percent mark for decades now. Homosexuality is becoming a nationally accepted lifestyle in this country. Massachusetts has recognized same-sex marriage since 2004, but look on the map.
The following states, Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, California, New Hampshire, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, and Washington State all recognize civil unions between same-sex partners. Meanwhile, the federal marriage amendment is hopelessly bogged down in Congress and will probably never get out. A few years ago, one of the leaders of the annual Gay Pride March in New York City said, and I quote, face it, sooner or later, we're going to win this fight. Gay marriage is inevitable in America, end of quote. And how about the abortion issue, which remains a constant concern here in America?
Several years ago, Senator Orrin Hatch gave statistics showing that the number of legalized abortions, the total number of deaths in America, now outnumber by 10 times all American deaths in all wars the U.S. has ever fought in combined. And yet, the Supreme Court refuses to reverse Roe v. Wade. And finally, what about God in our schools? I mean, you would think after Columbine and after all of the other incidents of violence and assault and criminal behavior in the public schools of America, you would think that the powers that be here in this country would finally agree with Justice Clarence Thomas's mother. Justice Thomas said, and I quote, my mother says that when they took God out of the schools, the schools went to hell, end of quote.
And she's right. But friends, once again, the United States Supreme Court and Congress have refused to reverse the 1963 Supreme Court decision Murray v. Kerlet, in which Madeline Murray O'Hare successfully sued to have all prayer banned in the public schools. And so, here's what we got. We got a Supreme Court that has legalized abortion and has forced God out of our schools in a way that most Americans don't agree with. We have a media that is dominated by liberals who despise all biblical truth. We have the ACLU seeking to annihilate all Christian influence from public life in America. And we have a Congress that seems to have a preponderance of politicians who are more concerned about re-election than they are national righteousness.
So what can we do? I mean, all of this, if we're not careful, leads us to throw our hands up in despair and say, what in the world can a few people like us really do? I mean, how could we ever eradicate all of these unbiblical forces in our country so that we can secure and maintain the blessing of God on America? Well, I want to say to you that based on some great news from the Bible I'm going to share with you, we don't have to reverse all of these forces. Because friends, the solution to our dilemma is found in the biblical truth about the power of the remnant here in America. Let me explain what I mean by that. You know, no nation has ever had 100% followers of Jesus Christ in that nation.
You know that. No nation ever can have 100% followers of Christ. No nation ever has or ever will contain people that are being 100% obedient to God. I mean, even when the nation of Israel had their most God-fearing kings, and even when God's blessing was the mightiest on the nation of Israel, there were still unbelieving people in that nation doing ungodly things. Listen, 2 Chronicles 27. Jotham was 25 years old when he became king of Israel, and he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.
The people, however, continued their corrupt practices. But Jotham grew powerful, and God granted Israel success because Jotham walked steadfastly before the Lord his God. Friends, in the days of David, in the days of Josiah, in the days of Hezekiah and Jehoshaphat and every other God-fearing king that Israel ever had, there were unbelieving people just like this in the nation when they were king. These unbelieving people were doing ungodly things, and yet whenever there was a God-fearing remnant of believers in Israel, whenever there was a kernel of godly believers in that country who loved God and who obeyed God and who honored God and who were faithful to God, God blessed the nation of Israel anyway in spite of these other people who weren't part of the remnant. The point is that the fortunes of the nation of Israel did not go up and down based upon the spiritual condition of the general populace. The fortunes of Israel went up and down based on the spiritual condition of the remnant. To put it another way, whenever the remnant of godly believers in Israel was spiritually zealous and active for the Lord and faithful to God, God blessed that nation. And whenever that remnant of godly believers became apathetic and sloppy and disobedient to God, God didn't bless the nation.
To put it simply, when it comes to God's blessing on a nation, humanly speaking, it's all about the spiritual condition of the remnant that's inside that nation. And they say, well, Lon, I think I understand what you're talking about, but are you sure you're right? I mean, you have any other proof at all besides just this one line of evidence that you just walked us through?
Absolutely I do. Do you remember the story of Abraham, Genesis 18? Three people came to see Abraham one day.
Two were angels and one was the Lord Jesus himself in human form. And you'll remember the first thing they did is announce to Abraham that Sarah was going to have a child. And then they told Abraham that they were going to Sodom and Gomorrah, which was just a few miles away, and they were going to destroy the two cities.
Do you remember that? And so here's what Abraham said to God. Then Abraham said to the Lord, will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? I mean, what if there are 50 righteous people in that city, Abraham said. Will you really not spare the place for the sake of the 50 righteous people in it? Now watch, verse 26. Then the Lord said, if I find 50 righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole city on their account.
The whole city because of them. Now if you remember, Abraham proceeded to bargain God all the way down to 10 righteous people in the city. I mean, that's our heritage. That's what we do.
We're born able to do this. And as you know, when the angels showed up in Sodom and Gomorrah, they couldn't even find 10 righteous people in the city, so they destroyed it. But what this passage in Genesis 18 tells us, friends, is that in every nation and in every society, God has respect for the remnant. Had there been a godly remnant in Sodom and Gomorrah of even 10 people, had there been a kernel of godly believers in those cities who were living for God and serving God and obeying God and standing for God, God makes it crystal clear in Genesis 18 that he would have relented in his judgment against those cities because of the remnant on their account out of respect for them. This is why Isaiah said, Isaiah 1.9, unless the Lord had left us a remnant, we would have become like Sodom and Gomorrah.
As I said earlier, when it comes to God's blessing on a nation, humanly speaking, it's all about the spiritual condition of the remnant within that nation. Now, all of that leads us to ask our most important question of the morning. And you know what this question is, so I'm going on summer break after this week. I'll be gone for a few weeks. This is the last chance we get to do this for a few weeks, so are you ready?
Are you ready? Let's make it worth it. Here we go.
One, two, three. Oh, yes, how sweet it is. You say, Lon, so what? Say, all right, I understand what you're saying, but what difference does this make to me as an American in the 21st century and as a follower of Christ?
Well, friends, it makes a lot of difference. What this means is that as a follower of Christ here in America, when we focus on all the spiritual wrongdoing that is going on in our land and we begin to lose hope and feel powerless and feel helpless and we begin to feel doomed to God's judgment because of all the panographers and the abortion clinics and the same-sex marriages and the ACLU lawyers, friends, I say that as followers of Christ, we have our focus in the wrong place. You see, as followers of Christ, if we will rise up and as the remnant within America, if we will obey God, if we will serve God, if we will honor God, if we will live for God, if we will be faithful and obey God, God will show mercy to America for our sake, just like he would have shown mercy to Sodom had there been a remnant like that in Sodom. The difference between America and Sodom is not that both countries aren't doing some bad stuff, the difference is there was no remnant there, and there is in America. So as followers of Christ, I'm here to tell us we are not powerless, we are not helpless, we are not disenfranchised when it comes to being able to do something to preserve God's mercy on this country. You remember 2 Chronicles 7.14, it says, If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked way, then I will hear from heaven and I'll heal their land. But what I want you to notice is who this deal was made with. The deal wasn't made with every single person in a country, with the general populace.
The deal is if my people in that country who are called by my name, if the remnant will do this, then I will honor that and I'll show mercy to that country. And you know, let me say before we go on, I want to tell you some ways we as the remnant within America can do this, but before we do that, we need to say that despite our troubles, America still stands as the most God-fearing nation on the earth today. There are more ordained ministers in America than in any other country in the world. There are more Christian in radio and television programs that originate from America than any other nation in the world. There is more Christian literature that is published and distributed here in America and from America than from any other country. There are more students in Bible colleges and seminaries preparing for the ministry in America than in any other country. There are more children on any given Sunday in Sunday school in America than in any other country of the world. There are more missionaries that are dispatched from this nation than from the rest of the world combined. And thanks to the Gideons, we even have Bibles in every single drawer of every single hotel room in America. I mean, we even have God on our money, for goodness sake, you know God's name.
Listen, 50% of America, 60% of America, 70% maybe of America might be unchurched and doing some really nasty stuff, but friends, look what the other 50 or 40% are doing for God. You know, I have a young lady going on my trip to Israel this coming October. She and her mom are going, she's 30, from Denmark, she and her mom. And they communicated with me from Denmark by email and they got themselves lined up to meet us in Israel and everything. And in a couple of emails that we've traded back and forth about details of the trip, I've really been impressed that this young lady and her mother are really sold out followers of Christ.
I mean, they are serious. They run an evangelistic Bible study in their home. This young lady's brothers at Dallas Theological Seminary studying to go into the ministry. And I mean, I was flabbergasted. I couldn't understand how in Denmark can anybody come to know Christ sort of like this. I mean, the church in Europe is so dead, it's so liberal in Western Europe that I was baffled how this family ever came to Christ and got discipled like this in Denmark. So I asked her, I said, how in the world did you come to Christ and get discipled like this in Denmark? And she said, we didn't. She said, in 1991, when I was 16, my father accepted a job in Houston, Texas. And she said, while we were in Houston, Texas for four years, my mom one day was out at a park watching my brother play. And this lady sat down next to her and they struck up a friendship and this lady shared Christ with her and led my mom to Christ. She said, then my mom's sent me off to a high school summer camp at the church where this lady went to just a few months later and I came to Christ and my brother came to Christ. And then these people discipled us at this church in Houston, Texas. And four years later, when we went back to Denmark, we came back with a passion for the people of Denmark, which is why we lead a Bible study in our home. We reach out to people in Denmark, my brother's studying for the ministry. Now listen, friends, if we were to have sent this family to virtually any other nation in the world, their chances of having somebody sit down next to them and share the gospel with them and lead them to Christ and disciple them into fully devoted followers of Christ would have been minuscule.
But you send these people to America, Houston, Texas, no less. You send them to America and because of the size of the godly remnant in this nation, because of the proactivity of the godly remnant in this nation, well, you saw what happened to these people. I believe it's way too soon for us to give up on America, folks, because I believe that as long as we who are followers of Christ in this nation, as long as we who are the godly remnant in America, as long as we keep up this kind of active zeal for Jesus Christ, what did God say in Genesis 18?
He said, I will spare the whole place for the sake of the remnant. The thing that we have as a challenge that we need to be careful about is that we never let America get to the point that God says of us, Romans chapter 3, there is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks God. There is no fear of God before their eyes.
All have turned away. Now, if this ever happens in America, then surely we will taste of the judgment of God. This is where Sodom got to. But we're not there. And I want to close by talking to you about three things we can do to keep ourselves from ever getting there. Number one, how can we in America keep the godly remnant strong in this nation and active in this nation? Number one, by raising a new generation that does not forget God. One of the saddest verses in all the Bible is Judges 2 10. It says, after Joshua's generation died out, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. And what this means is that we as followers of Christ today in America must be deliberate. And we must be intentional about the development of the next generation for Jesus Christ so that there is never a case where a generation grows up in this country that doesn't know the Lord and forgets what he has done. And this is why at this church we dedicate the vast majority of our resources to people under the age of 40.
It's not because people under 40 are more important or more special than people over 40. It's that the people who are under 40 are the future of America. And if we lose them, we lose America.
That's why we do it. And so, my friend, every time you pray with your children, every time you read your child a Bible story, every time you bring your child to Sunday school or Awana, every time you send your teenager off to a camp or to some teenage event, every time you encourage your child in their walk with God, you are doing something to help save America. Number two, the second way we can keep the godly remnant strong in this country is by seeking to lead others around us to Jesus Christ. I mean, we need to be constantly looking to expand the ranks of the remnant and make it bigger. The bigger and stronger the godly remnant in America becomes, the more the blessing of God on this nation is protected. And what that means is every time you and I share Christ with a friend, every time we bring someone to the place that they trust Jesus Christ, every time we meet with people in a small group or in some other way and we disciple them and help them grow deeper and more faithful in their walk with Christ, we are doing something to save America. Finally, we can strengthen the godly remnant in this country by being serious ourselves as followers of Christ about living God-honoring lives. I mean, friends, God is not impressed by the size of the remnant.
He's impressed by the spiritual quality of the remnant. Remember what I said to you about Israel. When the godly remnant in Israel got faithless and sloppy and disobedient, it didn't matter that they were there. God judged the nation anyway.
It's not about our numbers. It's about the quality of our walk with Christ that matters. And I love the story of Phinehas in the Old Testament, where one day when Israel was committing a sin when they were involved in idolatry, he rose up and he opposed that evil almost single-handedly. And here's what Numbers 25 says. It says Phinehas has turned my anger away from the Israelites.
God was going to really judge these people, and he says Phinehas turned it away because he was zealous for my honor among them. When you and I, as followers of Christ, when we begin to live like Phinehas, when we seek to honor God and obey God and be faithful to God in our own personal walk with God, that's when we become Phineases and we help turn the wrath of God away from this nation. Every time you and I get on our knees and intercede in prayer for this country, every time you and I do things that are obedient to God in our lives, every time we live out a lifestyle that is faithful to God and obedient to God, we are doing something to help save America. And so in conclusion, let me say that the fate of America is not in the hands of prenographers. The fate of America, humanly speaking, is not in the hands of abortionists or politicians or lawyers or Supreme Court justices. When it comes to the spiritual future of our nation, we as God's people, we as the followers of Christ, we as the godly remnant within America, we hold far greater sway about what God does with this nation than all these other people put together.
Remember what Isaiah said. He said, unless the Lord had left us a remnant, we would have become like Sodom and Gomorrah. But friends, thank God here in America, God did leave us a remnant. And we here at McLean Bible Church are a vital part of that remnant. And so out of our love for God and out of our love for America, my challenge to you this July 4th season is for us as followers of Christ, as members of the remnant, we need to rise up and we need to be that godly remnant that this nation so desperately needs. Now we won't be perfect, nobody ever is.
We won't get it right all the time, nobody ever does. But if we are zealous and passionate and dedicated to living for the glory of Christ and being active for the glory of Christ in this nation, that Abraham won't even have to bargain God down to 50 or down to 40 or down to 30 or down to 10. There'll be hundreds of us and thousands of us in this nation living that way. And you know what God said? He said, if that's the case, I'll show mercy to that nation because of the remnant. Let's be the kind of godly remnant this nation so desperately needs.
Let's pray together. Lord Jesus, we would not be truthful if we said that America didn't have serious sin issues in your sight. Lord Jesus, these things that we've talked about that are going on in our country, they offend us. And we're not holy beings like you are.
I can only imagine how they offend you. And Lord, we understand that you are a God of justice. And we understand that your justice cries out for these things we've talked about to be dealt with. But Lord, we are so glad that you are also a God of mercy and that you show mercy to nations when there is a godly remnant that is active and faithful in those nations. And so Lord Jesus, may we be that godly remnant. May we raise up another generation of godly remnant in this land. And Lord Jesus, in your incredible mercy, may you show grace to this nation.
Lord Jesus, we love this country with all of its flaws. And thank you that even with all of its flaws, this nation is having an impact on the world for the glory of Christ. And so Lord, show us your mercy and be kind and gracious to us, Lord, even though we don't deserve it. And help us to make an impact on this nation's capital as McLean Bible Church that we might see revival sweep this nation starting right here in Washington, D.C. Lord, we pray these things and thank you for your mercy on us and on our nation. And we pray these things in Jesus' name. In God's people said, Amen. Amen.
