What Happens to a Nation That Has No Fear of God?

Scripture is filled with warnings and examples of severe judgments which God brings upon a nation that does not fear Him. Here are several examples. I. It will be the victim of its own wickedness. Because there is no fear of God the people decide what is right and what is wrong. Every man does that which is right in his own eyes and the wickedness of immorality abounds. God’s moral standards, however, do not change and He will not be mocked. “For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption” (Galatians 6:8). With the onslaught of a host of venereal diseases and the current economic disaster, the warning of Jeremiah 2:19 is coming to pass in America “Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee; Know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, says the Lord God of hosts.” II. It legal system will become unjust. When men’s hearts are set on doing evil, they will reinterpret existing laws and create new laws to justify greed and wickedness. “But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart, neither say they in their heart, let us now fear the Lord, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge” (Jeremiah 5:23-24, 28). III. Its wealth will be controlled by other nations. When our nation trusted in God, read His Word in our public schools, and taught His moral standards in our classrooms, we were the richest nation in the world. We are now the greatest debtor nation in the world. Scripture is clear that the borrower is servant to the lender. We are not only debtors, but citizens of other nations now own and control significant portions of our land, resources, and companies. “The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shall come down very low. He shall lend to thee, and thou shall not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shall be the tail” (Deuteronomy 28:43-44). IV. What is God’s cure for a nation that does not fear Him? God’s only remedy for a nation that turns from Him is the active presence of righteous and God fearing people. God would have spared Sodom and Gomorrah had there been only ten righteous people in them. Never before has it been so vital for God’s people to be totally dedicated to Him and living testimonies of the principles of His Word. “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him: (Isaiah 59:19). We will have a strong nation when we have strong churches. We will have strong churches when we have strong families. We will have strong families when we have fathers who know how to be strong spiritual leaders. One of the primary functions of the local church is to teach Christians, the community, and the nation the fear of the Lord. If Satan can hinder the church in carrying out this vital role, He has accomplished a major victory. For this reason pastors are under special attack. Last year in one denomination alone 1,800 pastors left the ministry, most of them because of discouragement. No wonder Scripture exhorts us to pray for our spiritual authorities and to encourage them in every way we can.

Spots and Blemishes

"So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him" (II Peter 3:14). Spots and blemishes, we all have them, we don't necessarily appreciate them, we try to hid them, cover them, remove them or just put up with them. When we read about "Spots and blemishes" in the Bible its not talking about warts, moles, scars or liver spots. Its talking about the false teachers who were infiltrating Christianity. These Charlton's twisted the Scriptures "To their own destruction." These false teachers were deceived deceivers who did their best to lead others away from the truth. With this background Peter tells us to make very effort to avoid the shame of the false teachers. How do we do that? By dealing honestly with every personal sin and failure in our lives. Jesus had raised the question "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth" (Luke 18:8)? He left the question hanging in the air, waiting for each hearer to answer in his own heart. I believe the answer to that question depends on us. The upshot of this Biblical passage is posed in the question, how will we be found when Jesus returns? Will our faith be firmly planted in God and His Promises? The coming of the Lord is a glorious event that should have a present effect upon our lives. The knowledge of the coming blessedness of the Lord should keep us in peace, without spot, and blameless. Peter is saying God's future promises should give us present power for holy living. The prospect of Jesus coming should motivate us to keep seeking Him, and as a result we will stay away from that which would distract us from Christian duty and would seek to disturb our soul. Peter is saying "Stay away from the faith killers". We are challenged with the question, how will He find us when He comes? Lets be found "Spotless, blameless and at peace with Him." Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Human Authorities and the Christian

"The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them: (Num 12:9). We must be careful to treat with respect the leadership God has raised up in our midst. Leadership is placed by the Lord in business, government, churches and any place where leaders are required. Because it is God who places a person in a position of authority, it is a grievous sin to go against that leader. God Himself opposes those who come against His leadership. Leaders are certainly not perfect, they make mistakes, and they are as human as the rest of us (some leaders are first class jerks). Following a leader requires faith that goes way beyond having faith in the leader. Our faith lies in God who lifted the leader to his or her position of authority. We have good reason to be afraid of speaking against authority. "And those are presumptuous who are not afraid to speak evil of leaders." (II Peter 2:10). The removal of God's presence is a sure sign of His displeasure. Miriam and Aaron, the older brother and sister of Moses were upset with his leadership. Rather than say so, they came up the excuse of not being happy with Moses' wife, she was of another race and their prejudice showed itself in speaking against her marriage to their brother Moses. The Lord asked this question, "Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" (Num 12:8). Miriam was stricken with leprosy and were it not for Moses appeal to the Lord on her behalf she would have been removed from the camp permanently. As it was she was removed from the camp for seven days of cleansing. She was also publically exposed for her rebellion. Further more the presense of the Lord left her. Another example of rebellion against leadership is Korah, one of the rich leaders of the Levites, and a cousin of Moses and Aaron. He believed he had been slighted in the distribution of priestly honors and leadership. He envied Moses and Aaron. Realizing that despite his riches and influence he was not going to be able to shake the people's confidence in Moses and Aaron, Korah looked for partners in his campaign against them. Because a rebel will always run to a rebel, Korah went to the people of the tribe of Reuben, Korah swayed the opinions of their leaders and drew them into his conspiracy. Leaders of the tribe of Reuben took up Korah's cause and spoke against Moses' leadership of the people. Adopting the false mantle of piety and justice, he pretended to be a champion of his people. Korah accused Moses and Aaron of imposing their leadership upon the community. "You take too much upon yourselves, for the entire congregation are all holy, and the Lord is in their midst. So why do raise yourselves above the Lord's assembly?" said Korah (Numbers 16:3) and his men to Moses and Aaron. Moses spoke to Korah privately and warned him against his ambition for personal honor. "Is it not enough that the God of Israel has distinguished you from the congregation of Israel to draw you near to Him, to perform the service in the Tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them? " Moses said (Numbers 16:9). But his words fell on deaf ears. Moses told the children of Israel (Numbers 16:28): "With this you shall know that the Lord sent me to do all these deeds, for I did not devise them myself. If these men die as all men die and the fate of all men will be visited upon them, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates a creation, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that is theirs, and they descend alive into the grave, you will know that these men have provoked the Lord." No sooner had Moses finished speaking, than the earth opened up, and swallowed Korah and his associates along with their families and belongings. They were buried alive, suffering a terrible death that made the people who stood nearby flee in terror. If you are struggling with a leader in your life, (Boss, Pastor, Police, Parent, etc.), you must pray for that person. Don't in anyway slander or try to remove that person from their position of authority. God knows how to take care of His leaders. Please leave the results with Him. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Savior of Judge

Some years ago President Jimmy Carter popularized the phrase "Born Again." The phrase became a by-line in our culture. A person would restore an old car and say it was born again. I still hear the phrase applied to something that has been restored or renewed. The phrase comes from the Bible. Jesus told Nicodemus "Unless a man be born again he will not see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3). Peter tells us "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God". (I Peter 1:23). The salvation process involved the Word of God and the Holy Spirit of God. The Word tells us about the work of our Lord at Calvary, when He died and shed His blood and rose again for the sins of the world. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and of our need for a Savior. Peter tells us the Scriptures are "Living and enduring." The Bible says "Forever is your Word settled in heaven O' Lord." The Bible will outlive this life time. We will have the Scriptures with us forever. I believe the Lord will continue to teach us His Word throughout eternity. Salvation is not so much a feeling or an experience as it is a relationship that involves a transformation. Paul says in I Corinthians 12:13 "By one Spirit we are all baptized into one body...and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." Becoming "Born again" involves being baptized (placed) by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ. We have a new life and a new position. We are spiritually born into God's family, just like we were born into a physical family on earth. We know "We are kept by the power of God" (I Peter 1:5). You can't undo a spiritual or physical birth. Salvation involves entering into a permanent relationship with God as a result of "being born again". The most important decision anyone ever makes in this life is what they will do with Jesus. A true story has been told about a young boy who was drowning in a well. A judge heard his cry for help and was able to save his life. The boy grew into manhood and committed murder. He appeared before the same judge who had years before saved his life. When the judge informed the man he would be put to death for his crime he asked, "Do you remember when you saved my life"? The judge answered "That day I was your savior, today I am your judge." Today Jesus is your Savior, He says "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13). Should you die without Christ you will appear before Him, and on that day He will be your Judge. Dr. Ken Copley is asvailable for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.