Tom Wallace
Some think that America is too big to fail. It is something like what the builders of the Titanic said when it sailed on its maiden voyage. They said, “God Himself could not sink this ship.” Well, all it took was one iceberg to sink her, and I believe God is much bigger than an iceberg. Just as the pride of the builders of the Titanic led them to believe they were more powerful than God, those who think America cannot fail have let their pride fool them into thinking they are smarter and more powerful than the Creator of the universe.
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)
Although some try to force some scriptures into meaning America, there is really no mention of a nation like America in the prophecies concerning the last days. How could there be a nation that stands strong for freedom if an evil dictator is going to take over the world?
Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:6-12)
In this passage we have a list of things that we, as Christians, are not to do. God destroyed 23,000 people for committing this kind of sin. The teachings things found in the Old Testament were written to be ensamples for us. You will notice that they are written as an admonition for those of us who will be living in the last days.
The theme of this whole message is found in the last sentence of this passage: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” This statement follows a description of what happens to those who think they can live a wicked, sinful lifestyle and get away with it. They think that God will just wink at their sin and not punish them for it. After all, isn’t God a God of love?
Our text tells us that when people rebel against the precepts of God, when they live wicked lifestyles, there will be consequences. God’s judgment will come just as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow morning.
Have you ever said or thought; “Well, God hasn’t hit me yet with a lightning bolt.” It must be OK that I continue on with this activity because God has not shot me down…yet. Don’t take God’s patience and longsuffering as His permission to continue in your sin.
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7)
In 2008 our economy was in trouble. I came off the mission field in that same year. Remember, banks were out of money. We had spent more money than we had to spend. Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke defined the term in 2008: “A too-big-to-fail.” He said that there were some institutions that were too big to let them fail. Our auto industry was in trouble, our insurance industry was in trouble, and as I have already said, our banking industry was in trouble. A bail-out was suggested by the government. This shows the intelligence of bureaucracies. We were in trouble for overspending, and their solution was more spending.
The Feds bailed out major corporations:
| N.Y. | |
| Mich. | |
| N.C. | |
| N.Y. |
All of this happened because we thought they were too big to fail. The result of their failure would be disastrous. The economy would fail, jobs would be lost, and so on.
The question I have for today is, Is America too big to fail? Is it possible that we could fail? We think, in theory, I suppose it is possible for America to fail, but we live like it could not. Have you ever thought about what would happen if America did fail?
I want to tell you, America is not too big to fail!
We live like, because we are America, we can live any way we want, and God would have to bless us even though He is not happy with us. Why? Because we are America.
Most of my growing up was as an American outside of America. I see America more like foreigners see her. Let me share with you how they see us. They think we are the most arrogant people on the face of the earth. The truth is, we give them reason to think that way about us.
I want you to know that I am proud of our country. It is not my goal to bash America. As Americans, we need to see some things we have never thought of. Let me give you an example of how we show our pride and arrogance in ways we don’t even realize.
Are you a baseball fan? The biggest event in baseball is the World Series, is it not? Let me ask you, who plays in the WORLD Series? What do you think you communicate to the world when only American teams play in this series, and we call it the WORLD Series? You are telling the rest of the world that you think America is the world. I have actually seen Americans overseas act like they thought the people of the country where they were should be thankful that they got to touch an American.
Growing up in England, I had an English accent. A mate (friend) of mine and I were in an elevator in London with some other Brits, and some Yanks got on. They were talking like Americans do, and when they got off the Brits said things like, stupid Yanks. We talk like we are the masters of the world.
Do we have much to be thankful for? Are we not a blessed nation? We certainly are. Not only that, but the world is blessed by us. It was our fight for freedom here and abroad that brought freedom to much of the world. No nation gives to help those in need in other countries like America does when disaster strikes. However, don’t think we can do whatever we want and get away with it. God will bring judgment if we continue to sin against Him. We sing God Bless America, when we should be singing God Have Mercy on America.
Great empires have come and gone. Our existence as a great nation could slip away like the Babylonian Kingdom, like the Greek Empire, and like great Rome.
Colonel Laurence Wilkerson, the former Chief of Staff for Colin Powell, gave a speech entitled “America is exhibiting all of the signs of a failing empire.” He listed some of the signs we are exhibiting.
Destroying upward mobility
Staggering Debt
Debasing our currency
Military overspending
Runaway corruption
Apathy and greed
I think the last one is the most important.
I spent 29 years of my life in Great Britain and I am very familiar with its history. At the turn of the 20th century it had reached its pinnacle of greatness. We were coming to the end of the Victorian Period. Great Britain controlled a great part of the world at that time. The saying was, the sun never sets on the British Empire. The industrial revolution began in Britain. The empire’s wealth and influence were great throughout the world.
Great Britain was very proud, and I think some of our arrogance as Americans comes to us from our mother land. They reached a point where they thought they could do whatever they wanted and God would still bless them.
Great Britain is no longer great. We saw the beginning of the fall at the end of the Victorian Period. They were proud of the things they had accomplished. They launched what they thought was the greatest vessel to ever sail the seas. The Titanic sailed for its first and last time on April 14, 1912. One of its employees said, “Not even God himself can sink this vessel.” It was designed to be unsinkable. I would like to have seen the face of God when that was said.
There have been many times in history where Mankind has thought it was as great, or greater than God. Remember, the god of this world is Satan, and he thought he could be like the most high God. Lost sinners have Satan as their father, and they follow his example. Each time man thinks he is greater than God, God has humbled him.
In 1918 some interesting things happened. This was the end of WWI, the League of Nations was formed, and the British were given a mandate and control of all the Middle East in 1920. They were given the mandate to draw up maps, divide up the land, and set up governments in this region of the world. I think they had good intentions and started out well. When they drew up their maps, they created a land called Palestine. No such land had ever existed before this time. The name is used in the Bible twice, but it refers to the Philistines. It was not talking about the area we call Palestine today. They started calling those Arabs who lived in Israel Palestinians.
When they drew up their maps they gave 95% of the land to the Arabs, and 5% of the land to Israel for a future state. At first the Arabs said, who are these Palestinians, we don’t know who they are. They finally came around to using the name when they found that it was politically useful to do so in their fight to destroy Israel.
The Arabs were upset because any land was going to be given to Israel. As a result, Britain did not stand with God, and gave Arabs 80% of the 5%. This small percentage is the little land we know as Israel today.
After WWII, the Jews started fleeing the lands where they were persecuted and trying to go to Israel. The British set up flotillas to stop them from going to the land that had been given to them. One of the ships trying to get the Jews to their homeland was the SS Exodus. The British sent the ship to France, and France would not let them disembark. They sent them to the same detention camps they had been freed from in Germany. There were more than 40,000 Jews who died during this time because of the actions of the British.
Here is what happened to the British Empire when they disobeyed God. In 1912, the Irish started battling for their freedom. In 1919 there were uprisings in India. In 1922 they lost control of Egypt. In 1926 Britain was forced to sign the Balfour Declaration where they lost control of Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand, and South Africa. In WWII, England was almost invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany. After WWII, Britain was bankrupt, and guess who bankrolled them. It was America. In 1947 Britain lost full control of India. In 1951 they lost control of Libya. In 1956 they lost control of the Suez Canal and Sudan.
When Britain disobeyed God, she lost all her greatness. In a last attempt to recover some of her greatness Britain has pulled out of the European Union. She had lost control of her sovereignty and her borders. She has been overrun by Muslims. It all may be too little too late.
The point I want to make is, there are consequences when we disobey God. America has become a sinful wicked nation, have we not? There are many sins we could look and, but for time’s sake I will limit myself.
Look at the killing of the unborn. Since 1973 and the passing of Roe V Wade, we have killed 60.3 million unborn babies, mostly because they were simply an inconvenience to the mother. This is equal to wiping out the entire population of 23 of our states. That is a lot of children being killed.
While we are killing our unborn and having fewer children, guess what Muslims are doing? They are multiplying by having large families.
Let me draw your attention to the following verse:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7)
In America we are experiencing the results of what we have sown over the last half century. We have sown unrighteousness, and we are reaping unrighteousness. As long as we continue sowing it, it is what we will continue to reap.
I have good news for you, and it is found in the following verse:
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. (Psalms 34:18)
I have painted a gloomy picture, but there is hope. Our problem is our pride and arrogance. What is our solution? We need to humble ourselves before a holy God.
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
If we want to see our nation turned around, we, as Christians, must humble ourselves before God, confess and turn from our national and personal sin. How can we expect our nation to get right with God when we are not right with God?
I am calling on America to confess our guilt before a holy, righteous God. Before we can pray for our country, we must first pray for our own need, and repent of our personal sin.
God will not be mocked; we will reap what we sow. If we want our nation blessed again, we must start sowing righteousness today. It takes time for that which is sown to produce fruit. The sooner we start, the sooner we will see results.
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