Maybe you’ve heard in the news lately with all the social issues that are facing America, “that America is facing a Constitutional crisis.” But its not a constitutional crisis that we’re facing it’s a character crisis storming towards the gates of God’s blessing.
I really do believe that character is the window to the soul of a country. This is a very sacred area of our countries and character is determines success or failure of a country.
Since I heard about the death of President Reagan yesterday, I’ve heard people around the world say of him…
· “A man who changed history."
· "He won the Cold War without firing a shot."
· "He was an actor and he used it well."
· "Whether you agreed or disagreed with Ronald Reagan, you can’t deny that he was honest, fought hard for what he believed in, and had the courage of his convictions."
· "They wrote Truman off as a little haberdasher from Missouri and they wrote Reagan off as a B-grade actor, but in reality both have done a huge amount to lock in the freedoms that so many countless tens of millions of people, including ourselves, take for granted around the world."
· "The sun has set on the remarkable life of the great man who reminded us it’s always morning in America."
Only a man with personal character and powerful convictions could make this kind of affect not only on a nation but also the world.
We can’t ignore what’s happening in the U.S…we can’t afford to yawn and wink at the immorality any longer.
Edwin Burke a great English thinker once said that, “Evil triumphants when good men do nothing.”
On columnist said during the Clinton presidency, “We vote the Dow Jones instead of Paula Jones.”
Dr. Billy Graham asked recently, “Have we gone so far down the slippery slope that character has been bred out of our society?”
It’s interesting to hear people talk how disgusted they are with all the scandals in the political realm and the corruption in the business world, but as long as the bottom line looks good, most just look the other way.
There are 3 types of people today when it comes to hearing all the scandals:
· The one who is convinced that the person is guilty, yet all the facts are not in yet. Everyone gets his day in court still.
· The person who says, “”It’s a right wing thing” or “it’s a conspiracy”.
· Lastly, there is the person who says, “So what, what difference does it make?” This is the group that I’m most concerned about today!
Read Hosea 7: 2,3
So I ask, “Does character count?” It does if we listen to God and his teaching. So let’s examine…
A. The Character That God Requires.
Proverb 29:2 “When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules the people groan.”
Does character count? Yes, if we want good leaders and God’s blessing!
1. The Person of Righteousness.
Proverb 16:12 “It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness. For a throne is established by righteousness.”
The Bible is clear teaches that leadership is stewardship!
Romans 13:1-7 gives us insight into the role of government.
2. The Person of Wisdom.
Proverb 8:12-16
We tend to think that leaders are to be skilled politically, but God says that leaders are to be full of wisdom!
America is obsessed with polls. It’s come to the point where a leader won’t make a statement until he knows how polls are leaning!
President Harry Truman said, “How far would Moses got if he took a poll? How far would Jesus got if He took a poll? It’s not the polls that count, its right or wrong leadership. People are easily lead in error by polls.”
A college senior won first prize with his science project. He took a poll asking people to sign a petition for the total elimination of a chemical called “Dye Hydrogen Monoxide”
He listed 5 reasons for it to be banned:
· It caused excessive sweating and vomiting.
· It was a major component in acid rain.
· It contributes to the earth’s erosion.
· It inhibits the effectiveness of car brakes.
· Lastly, it is found in tumors of terminally ill patience.
He asked 50 people to sign the petition to ban this chemical and 43 signed it and only 1 refused to sign it because he knew the petition was banning WATER!
Lesson: beware of making your mind up by what the polls say. We ought to be guided by principles and not by polls!
Proverb 16:16 “How much better it is to get wisdom than gold; and to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.”
3. The Person of Honesty.
Proverb 17:7
Proverb 20:28 “Mercy and truth preserve the king and by lovingkindness he upholds his throne.”
Folks, liars and leaders are not the same!
LifePoint: A man is more like devil when he lies and more like Jesus when he’s telling the truth!
4. A Person Who Chooses Wise Counsel.
Proverb 25:4,5
“Dross” = the scum off the top, the filthy layer over the beauty of the silver.
A leader who chooses men and women around him that have the morals of an alley cat, that’s dangerous! When sexual perverts have come out of the closet and gone into a president’s cabinet, there’s something wrong!
Proverb 29:12 “If a ruler pays attention to lies, all his servants become wicked.”
5. The Person of Sexual Purity.
Proverb 31:1-3
During the Clinton presidency the news almost became x rated! Today its The Kobe Bryant case almost makes the news X rated! The affairs and adultery we hear about all the time makes for great late night comedy and T.V. ratings! America just seems to laugh it off!
6. The Person Who Protects The Weak And The Helpless.
Proverb 31:8,9
We need a government that will stand up and speak up for the UNBORN! That’s 30 million babies since 1973!
The congress passed a law this year protecting an unborn child who mother is killed…Lacy Peterson’s example.
Sadly James Dobson has stated that, “The womb has become the most dangerous place in America.”
But you say… “But Pastor it’s legal!” I realize that, but nothing is politically right when it’s morally wrong!!
Psalm 94:20 “Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, have fellowship with you?”
Jeremiah 22:17 “Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but covetousness, for shedding innocent blood and practice oppression and violence.”
So this is the character God Requires.
B. The Choices God Respects.
God still respects our choices even when they are wrong and we put the wrong people into office!
Hosea 8:4 “They set up kings but not by Me. They made princes and I did not acknowledge it.”
Samuel warned Israel of their choice in leadership when he said to them…1 Samuel 8:18 “And you cry out in that day because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves and the Lord will not hear you...”
Just let the good times roll; the stock market is great and unemployment is lower than all of the 1990’s, but just let the bottom fall out then we’ll call out to God…I’ve got news, some day that’s not going to help!
Listen very carefully to what I’m about to say…if they would have had a stock market in Sodom and Gomora, it also would have been over 10,000 point! The economy was moving and expanding in every catogory also!
But Ezeikel 16:49 tells us, “Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom, she and her daughters had pride, fullness of food and abuncance of idleness, niether did she strenghten the hand of the poor and needy.”
Ask any sodomite how was it going and he would have said… “Great! Everything is great”! But we know the rest of the story!
C. The Control God Reserves.
No one is going to get away with ungodliness; no matter what there status is in society!
Psalm 66:7 “He rules by His power forever. His eyes observe the nations. Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves.”
Listen, Jesus is still King of kings and Lord of lords even when He reserves Himself from acting!
Psalm 2:1-6 is a agreat example.
God will get the last laugh if character doesn’t return to its proper place in America!
1 Timothy 6:13-16 “Keep this commandment (a good confession) without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ appears...He who is blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords.”
3 things all of us can do in the meantime to find hope:
· Pray for revival. Revival will not come by way of legislation or Washington D.C. Revival will not come by way of the courthouse, but by way of the church house!
President Reagan said, “The time has come to turn to God and reassert out trust in Him for the healing of America…our country is in need of and ready for spiritual renewal…”
· Prepare for survival. Hard times are still coming our way…socially, politically and morally for Christians!
· Power up for arrival. Jesus is coming!
