If the Foundations Are Destroyed, What Can the Righteous Do?

If you would, turn to Psalm 11. Psalm 11.

Our message tonight is entitled, If the Foundation Are Destroyed, What Can the Righteous Do? And you'll see that referenced in Psalm 11 3 and 4. But I want to read the whole Psalm and then I'm going to share with you an introduction. Psalm 11.

My Bible says this is a psalm of David and he writes, In the Lord I put my trust. How can you say to my soul, flee as a bird to your mountain? For look, the wicked bend their bow.

They make ready their arrow on the string that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord's throne is in heaven. His eyes behold. His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence, his soul hates. Upon the wicked, he will rain coals.

Fire and brimstone and burning wind shall be the portion of their cup. For the Lord is righteous. He loves righteousness.

His countenance beholds the upright. If you look back at verses three and four, if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? And the answer is found in verse four. The Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord's throne is in heaven. His eyes behold.

His eyelids test the sons of men. Listen, if you would, as I give a brief introduction to the message tonight. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? Joseph Caril, and I must say that I have two rather long quotes in this message, but I think they're critical for our understanding. Joseph Caril, quoted by Spurgeon, if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? The civil foundation of a nation or people is their laws and constitutions. The order and power that's among them, that's the foundation of the people. And when once this foundation is destroyed, what can the righteous do? What can the best, the wisest in the world do in such a case?

What can any man do if there be not a foundation of government left among men? There is no help nor answer in such a case, but that which follows in the fourth verse of the Psalm. The Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord's throne is in heaven. His eyes behold.

His eyelids try the children of men. As if he had said, in the midst of these confusions, all the foundations of the earth are out of course, yet God keeps his course still. He is where he was, and as he was, without variableness or a shadow of turning. Speaking of the sovereignty of God, listen if you would to Isaiah 46 verses 9 and 10. Isaiah writes, remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is no other. I am God and there's none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done sang.

My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. For the Christian, what is going on in our country, yea in the world, we have a confidence that our God is sovereign, that nothing surprises MBA, it's all a part of his provenance. Tonight we want to consider four of many battlefronts that face new challenges. Creation by the purposeful design of God, the uniqueness of mankind who bears God's image, gender and God's institution of marriage, and finally the sacredness of life. Turn to Genesis 1-1 if you would, and beloved tonight I do not have several texts that you'll have to turn to and some of them you may just want to listen. They're familiar texts and really need no exposition.

They're just a springboard into us getting into these four battlefronts that we're going to consider tonight. The first one is the attack on creation as recorded in Genesis 1-1 faces new challenges. Obviously Genesis 1-1, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Friend, if you don't believe that you can throw the rest of the Bible away, and I say that carefully, respectfully, reverently, but if we don't believe that he is the source and the creator of all things, we're in trouble.

We have no hope. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. A bizarre attempt is being made to compromise God's creation of Adam and Eve, whose descendants we all are. Isaiah 45 verse 18 says, For thus says the Lord who created the heavens, who was God, who formed the earth and made it, who has established it, who did not create it in vain, and, notice this, who formed it to be inhabited.

I am the Lord and there is no other. Certainly he made it to be inhabited by animals, but more importantly, he made it to be inhabited by mankind. Notice this first quote. Research from the University of Basel in Switzerland suggests the word of a holy book may be based on more scientific fact than skeptics previously thought.

Don't let that go past you. Research from the University of Basel in Switzerland suggests the word of the holy book may be based on more scientific fact than skeptics previously thought. I would like to think, and I would like to suggest, that perhaps some scientific fact is finally lining up with the Word of God and not the other way around.

Here is the first of a lengthy quote, and these get progressively alarming. The myth that Adam and Eve were the first man and woman on earth may have been proved true, as all humans are descendants of a single couple, scientists say. Researchers concluded that 90% of all animal species alive today came from parents that all began giving birth at roughly the same time, throwing doubts on the patterns of human evolution.

This conclusion is very surprising, Thaler, one of the researchers admitted. And then he says, I fought against it as hard as I could. Well, beloved, when you look at that quote, all species alive today came from parents that all began giving birth at roughly the same time, that sounds like a creator and creation to me. And isn't any wonder why a secular scientist would say, I fought against it as hard as I could.

Now, I want to share with you an alarming Trojan horse. It's a book written by S. Joshua Swamidass, and it's entitled, The Genealogical Adam and Eve, The Surprising Science of Universal Ancestry. That won't mean much to you until you see the quotes taken from it.

And I want you, if you would please, to notice the things in red on this page and the pages to follow. This attempt to compromise a literal interpretation of Genesis is bizarre and concerning. And as I said, notice the slams on creation from the Human Evolution blog. This is not from a Christian blog, obviously. It's humanistic. It's evolution. And notice what it says.

Notice the things in red again, in particular. For now, the threat that science denial poses to our shared existence is too great to be ideologically rigid. I feel that we should do everything we can, an all-of-the-above approach to bring people together in support of science.

That's what the book, The Genealogical Adam and Eve, is all about. And notice this. I support it because I've already seen it work in a community called Peaceful Science, where former young earth creationists are making peace with modern science.

Notice this next thing. Guided by professional scientists, philosophers, and even theologians who are committed to defending and explaining scientific principles and evidence, most people don't really want to be resistant to science. This new look at Adam and Eve helps them see that they don't have to, that that's a win for science. And our response should be, no, that's a blatant attempt at compromise and undermines Genesis. A blatant attempt at compromise that underlies Genesis.

Notice back one slide, because I want to point out these in red. Science denial. Creationists don't deny science. They don't deny real science, observational science. He wants to bring people together in support of science. And then notice at the bottom two parts of this, Peaceful Science, where former young earth creationists are making peace with modern science, guided by professional scientists, as though a creationist cannot be a professional scientist.

He says that's a win for science, but in reality, no, it is an attempt at compromise and it undermines Genesis. I want you to notice the second quote. It's a book review. And again, this is frightening to me.

Notice the slams in red. And this is about the author. Having been raised in a faith environment that accepted the literal creation accounts of Genesis, but also being highly educated about the scientific account of human evolution and the modern understanding of human genetics, Swamidass has sought a way for these to be brought into some sort of harmony. In common with other writers, he accepts that the earth was formed millions of years ago with humans being descendants of simpler organisms via the process we now call evolution. He refers to these pre-Adam and Eve human beings as people outside the Garden of Eden.

This biological closeness between Adam and Eve and those outside the garden means that interbreeding could occur and ensures there's only one type of human. You see the ramifications of what this guy is proposing? The book's proposition, let me get the next slide.

I went too far. The book's proposition is that for the past few thousand years, all living people have been descendants of both simpler mammals, as in evolutionary science, and Adam and Eve. Beloved, what does that imply? Simpler mammals and Adam and Eve. It implies the abomination of bestiality. The book's a Trojan horse bent on convincing a new generation of younger creationists to compromise like its author did, and the question is this, will they stand the test?

We certainly need to be praying for our young people as they're bombarded with this stuff as though it's fact and not merely hypothesis. The second area, the second battlefront that we want to look at, is the attack on the uniqueness of mankind by relegating humans to the top of an evolutionary ladder of animal life. In other words, they just place us as super animals, and when we are nothing but super animals, makes it a lot easier to kill unborn super animals.

They deny that mankind is unique among all of God's creatures. In Genesis 1 26 to 27a, we are made in his image, and you might note that. Genesis 1 26 to 27a, then God said, let us make man in our image according to our likeness.

Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. First part of verse 27, so God created man in his own image, and the image of God created him. How does secular scientists explain the following unique characteristics of mankind if we are not unique from animals? How do they explain these? And I think that these will be thought-provoking for you. The first one, how do they explain a component in mankind that is spiritual?

In Ecclesiastes 3 11, it states that God has put eternity into man's heart. If we were to analyze that and think it through for jungles to modern cities, people have the sense that there's more than just the metaphysical world. What does that mean? Of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe. In other words, they acknowledge that there's a supernatural.

From jungles to cities. And if you want evidence of that, look at the themes that you see coming out of Hollywood that deal with demons and evil, or even, back a few years, the force and the dark side. Those are metaphysical. Secondly, not only do they how do they explain a component in mankind that's spiritual, but how do they explain consciousness?

What is that? Self-awareness that's unique to humans and begs the questions. Where did I come from?

Speaking of origin. Why am I here and why is there something rather than nothing? Speaking of purpose. Finally, what happens after death?

Speaking of destiny. I doubt very seriously that even the most advanced animal ever contemplates these questions. How do they explain consciousness? And I think that if you will google these, consciousness and origin, you'll be amazed at the lame answers that they give. The third question that we would ask is how do they explain mankind's cognitive superiority that enables us to reason, to analyze, to predict, to plan, to philosophize, to imagine, to manipulate, to debate, to compromise, to invest the unknown. These are just a few of the ways that we have a superior ability to think.

It's not just see and kill or see and run. We are complex because we are made in the image of God. A fourth question that we would ask, how do they explain human communities or unified bodies of individuals based upon common interests, history, and beliefs that go far beyond any animal's herd instinct for survival? There's a lot more that keeps us together in community than merely survival. Genesis 1 26, let us make man in our image according to our likeness. Speaking of the Trinity, the Brotherhood of Man, Acts 17 26a, he has made of one blood or of one man all nations of the earth. How do they explain human communities that are far, far above herd instinct or survival? A fifth question we would pose, how do they explain a communication system like human language that is spoken, written, and symbolized?

There are 7,117 languages, 23 account for more than half the world's population. A couple of illustrations, Genesis 1 3, then God said. Verse 5, God called. Genesis 2 19, whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. I would suggest that you look up origin and language because the answers that they give are nothing short of bizarre.

They cannot give an answer for why human beings have language that is complex, spoken, written, even symbolized. A sixth question that we would ask, how do they explain conscience and a sense of right and wrong based upon the standards of particular communities? And again from jungles to cities, you see some code of ethics.

And as I put on the slide, often those things are in a state of fluctuation. As we'll see later, one example of that is just family values. Another example of that is abortion. When you think of when abortions first started out, we were aghast. And now they're even considering post-birth abortion if the baby isn't exactly how the parents want it. We've come a long way when it comes to our conscience.

It's seared till the killing of the unborn. Our paper had an article in it that was talking about human deaths and I believe that it just referenced over the last year. And they gave illustration after illustration, category after category. And I believe I mentioned to my wife, one category that was left out, three guesses, abortion. Conscience has been hardened in many societies. We would ask a seventh question of them.

Whoops, I'm getting ahead of myself a little. A seventh question, what animal boasts the level of creativity found in art and music and literature and medicine and technology and organized sports? Beloved, these things that I mentioned are not just God-given instincts like bird's nests or beehives. Those are fantastic things that God has imprinted upon animals to be able to do.

I have mentioned this in previous messages, but on my way home from Montana, probably two years ago now, I happened to sit by a biologist. And I am not an expert on this, so I was not interested in getting in a debate. I tried to be very cordial and non-threatening, if I can put it that way. And I asked the guy, I said, can you answer this question for me?

I teach a Bible class in a Christian school, and I teach a youth group. And I would love, I've tried to find an answer to this. How do you explain instinct? How do you explain the accidental formation of instinct by genetic mutations? And this guy who had an advanced degree in biology said, I can't explain it, but I know it's the answer.

No kidding. And I didn't respond any more than just sitting there amazed. He could not give an answer for that.

And anyone listening to this message tonight, if you can give me one, that would be great. We do much more than just react instinctively. We are created creative because we're created in the image of God. And then lastly, what animal comes close to having complex emotions?

Emotions like joy, trust, fear, awe, sadness, disgust, anger, envy, bitterness, and more. When you take these eight questions that we would ask, these questions that seem to clearly show that man is much more than just an animal. You come to one conclusion. Mankind is not simply a form of advanced animal. And God declares in 1st Corinthians 15, 39, all flesh is not the same flesh, but there's one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, another of birds. We are uniquely created in the image of God.

We have looked at two things tonight so far. The attack on creation as recorded in Genesis 1, and I think that you would agree with me, this new attack is bizarre, it is blatant, and I think that it is blasphemous. This new theory on how mankind evolved. And then we looked at the attack on the uniqueness of mankind as created in the image of God. Thirdly, we want to look at the attack on gender and the biblical definition of marriage. This is a more recent battlefront, but as one that is out there, I think that you all would agree with me, they deny God's creation of two genders, male and female, as recorded in Genesis chapter 1, the second part of verse 27. It simply says, male and female, He created them. From Healthline, this is a secular website on the internet, 64 terms that describe gender identity and expression.

Now folks, grab this. That site said that those 64 terms, a person could be all of them, none of them are a mixture. Think about what that is saying. You could be all of the above genders, you could be none of them, or you could be a mixture. Then this headline from Scientific American, Sex Redefined. The idea of two sexes is overly simplistic. What do they mean by that? The idea of two sexes is overly simplistic.

How many do you want? You know, and what would be the purpose for over two sexes? The attack on gender and the biblical definition of marriage. They deny God's definition of marriage as a lifelong, monogamous, heterosexual relationship.

Let me break those down. First of all, lifelong. Matthew 19, 4-6, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees, and He answered and said to them, Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and be joined his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So then they are no longer two, but one flesh. And notice this, Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.

Lifelong companionship. Secondly, monogamous, Genesis 2, 24, let me read it for you. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother, and be joined his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Why the emphasis? Because the singular, a man, and the singular, his wife, becoming one flesh, necessitates monogamy. One man and one woman, not one man and many women.

It is lifelong, it's monogamous, and finally it's heterosexual. Genesis 1, 28a, Then God bless them. God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it.

Obviously reproduction requires males and females, and they are turning God's idea, His biblical definition, of marriage on its head. They're turning it on its head. The last thing that we would look at tonight, finally, the fourth battle, and these, I'm basically just going to give you four headlines.

It was hard for me to pick which four to share, to be very quite frank with you. The attack on the sacredness of life, these are just headlines. Planned Parenthood, 354,871 abortions in the last year, 618 million in taxpayer funding.

That's a headline. Second headline, Presidential memorandum to reverse restrictions on abortion access domestically and abroad. Not only are we covering abortions in this country, but we're helping people get abortions in other countries.

And let me insert here, folks, this country that we love, the United States of America, deserves the condemnation of God Almighty. When you think of 354,871 abortions in one year, it's frightening. The third headline, Senate confirms pro-abortion Xavier Becerra as Biden admins health chief. This guy was California's Attorney General, and he is on steroids when it comes to abortion.

There's no telling where this battlefront is going to go with that guy in place. And the sad part about it is that the Senate confirmed it. Now, I didn't fact check to see what the vote was. I'm sure it was relatively close because Republicans voting to down it. But the Senate confirmed it. And then last, which is frightening, US House votes to enshrine abortion in Constitution by reviving the Equal Rights Amendment. Enshrine it as a constitutional right.

And they have voted to do that. Just four headlines out of dozens that I could have chosen for us to look at. I'm reminded of what Paul said to Second Timothy in Second Timothy 3-1, but know this, that in the last days, perilous times will come.

And we've just looked at briefly, folks, four battlefronts. The attack on creation, especially of mankind. The attack on the uniqueness of mankind, who's made in the image of God and to say differently is blasphemous. The attack on general gender and the biblical definition of marriage and the attack on the sacredness of life.

Our first priority is prayer and being in the word of God, praying that God would give us wisdom, conviction and courage to do what what is right and being in the word of God so that we know how to give an answer to every man of the hope that lies within us. Why do we believe what we believe about creation? Why do we believe that we are made in the image of God? And that explains why we're so different than animals. Why do we believe that God created two genders?

Why do we believe that life is sacred? Now, I alluded to this earlier. Lutzer's book, We Will Not Be Silenced. I have not started reading it yet because I've been wading through, and when I say wading, this is not a hard book to read. It's called A Student's Guide to Culture, and the reason I'm wading through it is I'm doing lesson plans out of this book, not only for my youth group, but also for the Bible class that I teach at Alamance Christian School.

And parents, I would suggest that you get this book for your teen, but I would also suggest that you contemplate getting this book for yourself so that you know how to give your kids a biblical answer for these areas. Part 3, our guide to culture, covers these topics. Pornography, the hookup culture, what is that? Don't bother getting married.

See if you're compatible. The hookup culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, affluence and consumerism, addiction, entertainment, racial tension, those topics he covers. Part 1, why should you care about culture? Part 2, the dangerous undercurrents of our culture, the information age, our kids, all they've got to do. If you look around, you're going to see them on their phone. New information, sometimes awful information, is just one click away.

One voice message into that phone, and it'll come up. Dangerous undercurrents of our culture, and I would throw out another dangerous undercurrent of our culture, and I will use a quote that is not unique to me. You'll recognize it right off, and that is the information of fake news. We do not know who to believe anymore, and that's a frightening thing. A final encouragement from Charles Spurgeon, if all earthly things fail and the very state falls to pieces, what can we do? He says we can suffer joyfully, hope cheerfully, wait patiently, pray earnestly, believe confidently, and triumph finally. And folks, we know what the last chapter is, and we know who wrote it, and we know who will bring it to pass in his time. Let me let me challenge you in this area.

I had to give a lot of thought to a lot of different areas when I got ordained, and one of the ones that came the closest to making me sick on my stomach over nervousness was eschatology. And I don't want to get into an integrative of it, but let me tell you what I personally have concluded. Now your ears are up, because there are good godly men on multiple sides of this issue. And I read through them, and I read it over, and I said, that sounds right, and that sounds right, and that sounds right.

I came to one conclusion, and as I explained to someone recently, if this is a cop-out, I'm comfortable with it. I believe that Jesus is coming back when the Father sends him for his bride. I pray that it's before tribulation gets worse, because if you do not think that the church is being assaulted today, you are not reading the news. Now you're not going to see a lot of it in the regular news. There's no doubt about it.

Jay Sekulow and some of these conservative groups, I get bulletins all the time. There's genocide going on in Africa, in many countries. Crucifixion, rape, beheading, that's tribulation, and it's because of their faith.

So what am I saying? I pray that the Lord will return, and along with that prayer, I pray that in his grace and mercy, he will save those for whom I care. I will witness as much as I can to my loved ones, to my students, challenging them of their need and God's provision in Christ.

I will pray that Christ returns before tribulation gets worse, but I will prepare in case it doesn't. God, give me conviction that I'm willing to die for. Give me courage to stand fast. I close the message tonight with one verse of a song taken from Psalm 27.

It says this, God is my strong salvation. What foe have I to fear? In peril and temptation, my light, my help is near. Though hosts and camp around me, firm to the fight I stand, what terror can confound me with God at my right hand?

I want to close with four lessons that I hope we will remember from tonight. First, Satan's attack on the foundational principles of Genesis, the book of Genesis, are deceptive attempts to get young earth creationists to compromise and to undermine the Bible, and these attacks are both bizarre and they're blasphemous, and I would say that they are blatant. We need to be aware of that.

That is what is happening. Secondly, mankind has been blessed to be the capstone of God's creation and to be uniquely made in his image as image bearers to entertain the thought that we're merely a higher form of animal is blasphemy, and we need to make certain that we draw the line in the sand on that. Third out of four, God makes it clear that his design for marriage and the family involves a lifelong monogamous heterosexual covenant of companionship. We must lovingly reject any alternative, and we must model his design. We must lovingly reject any alternative, and we must model his design. I will have the privilege of doing one of our grandson's wedding in May, and I think in that service I counted up where I mentioned the word covenant 12 to 13 times.

I want them to get that. A covenant is a serious promise to God that regardless of what your spouse does, you will stay true to your vow. Regardless, you will stay true to your vow. The last lesson that I trust will remember, God's command to multiply and fill the earth has been countered by the evil of taking life through the scourge of abortion.

We must do what we can to encourage alternatives like adoption. If you would please bow as we close in prayer. Father, I pray that you'd use what I've shared tonight in a way that would remind us afresh and anew of things that we have been known, have known about, that there's an assault on creation. There's an assault on man as unique.

There's an assault on the family. There's an assault on life itself, and Lord, we need to make certain that we formulate convictions and that we can articulate them, what we believe and why we believe it. Give us courage to stand firm in those convictions in a way that would honor and glorify you and in a way that would be a testament to those about us. The Lord make you to increase and abound in love, one toward another and toward all men, even as we do toward you. To the end, he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. Amen.