This past Wednesday, June 26 2013, the United States Supreme Court, through a misuse of it authority and because our congress does not understand its power or does not have the back bone to resist it, was permitted to allow homosexuals the right to marry in several states in our union.

To make matters worse, Christians all over the United States will be justifying this action.  It must be made clear that just because the American government sanctions certain actions, it does not make those actions biblically or morally right.  As a Christian and concerned Pastor, I want to take a look at the actions taken by our United States government in the last several decades and how Christians should respond to them.

The following is a message that I preached to our congregation Wednesday evening in response to the days actions.

First of all, the American Government has been wrong before and it is wrong again.

1.  In 1857, the Supreme Court ruled that African Americans were not citizens and therefore had no standing to sue in federal court

• God’s Word says
  Colossians 3:8-11, “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”

2.  On December 5, 1933, the United States Congress ratified the 21^st Amendment to the Constitution repealing prohibition and condoning the misuse of alcoholic beverages

• God’s Word says
  Habakuk 2:15, “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!”
  Ephesians 5:18, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”
  Proverbs 23:29-31, “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.”

3.  In 1962, the Supreme Court ruled (Engle vs. Vitale) that it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage it’s recitation in public schools

• God’s Word says
  Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”

4.  In 1963, the Supreme Court ruled (in Abington School District vs. Schempp) that public schools cannot initiate devotional reading of the Bible

• God’s Word says
  Psalm 111:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”

5.  In 1973, the Supreme Court sanctioned the taking of innocent human life. In the landmark case of Roe vs. Wade this ruling permits the killing of unborn children in this country through all nine months of pregnancy

• God’s Word says
  Exodus 20:13, “Thou shalt not kill (murder).”
  Deuteronomy 5:17, “Thou shalt not kill.”
  Proverbs 6:16-17, “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,”

6.  In 1969, Governor Ronald Reagan launched the divorce reform revolution by making California the second state in the nation to allow unilateral divorces based on irreconcilable differences (no fault divorce) (Reagan later said it was the biggest mistake of his political career)

• God’s Word says
  Deuteronomy 24:1-4, “When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.”
  
  Malachi 2:16, “For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.”
  
  Matthew 19:3-12, “The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother’s womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.”

7.  The 1^st Amendment of our Constitution says

Congress shall make no law respecting and establishment of religion , or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

• Therefore we have religious freedom and people in our nation are free to serve any God – we protect false religion
• God’s Word says
  Psalm 33:12, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.”
• God blessed Israel because they recognized Him as the one true God. When they stopped they lost His protection and became like any other nation
  Proverbs 14:34, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”
• If we walk away from God, we walk away from His righteousness and become a reproach

8.  Though there are laws against hard core pornography, the government permits Playboy, Penthouse, Hustler, and other pornographic material to flood our market places.  According to morality in media,

The task before the Justice Department is clear but the Obama Administration refused to enforce federal obscenity laws. Quote cnsnews.com

• God’s Word says
  Matthew 5:27-29, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”

9.  In the 1960s, with the advent of the sexual revolution in our country, the new morality became immorality. The advent of the mini skirt and hot pants led to continual and perpetual immodesty. Our government is silent regarding modest apparel

• God’s Word says
  1 Timothy 2:9, “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;”

10.  The leadership of our nation has no problem with the use of inappropriate language as evident by the many gaffs of Vice President Joe Bidden. President Bush was over hear on a public platform using “colorful” language

• God’s Word says
  Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
• I remember my mother telling me these words

You’re not a man because you use vile language, you’re not cute, you’re not showing you’re emotions, you’re showing your lack of intelligence and inability to control yourself

11.  Today the Supreme Court said homosexual marriage is constitutional thus making it socially acceptable

• God’s Word says
  Leviticus 18:22, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”
• Leviticus 20:13, “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”

When a Government Endorses this Type of Behavior, it is because God has…

• Taken His hand of blessing away
• Turned the nation over to judgment
  Romans 1:18-32, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”Ezekiel 20:24-26, “Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols. Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live; And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD.”

The American Government has Walked Away from God and is Not Fit to be Called Christian

• Christians are called to be Light and Salt
  Philippians 2:14-16, “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”Matthew 5:13-16, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

 The Only Hope for America or the World is a Pure, Holy, Local Church

1 Peter 2:9-17, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.”

2 Peter 2:1-9, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:  (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:”

Conclusion

As a Pastor, I am often asked if I am worried about what’s happening to the political structure of our country; if I am concerned about how the fiscal cliff is going to affect my mortgage and personal finances; or if am I scared that the Supreme Court is going to tell me how I should live my life, and whether our Church will be able to continue to exist… In response, I am reminded in the Bible how it says in Romans 8:28 that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”  God is still on His throne, His economy is not failing, His truths are still timeless and can be depended upon, and He is patiently waiting for His people to seek His face, do His will, and tell a lost and dying world about Him and fulfill His royal mandate as found in Matthew 28:19-20.  So, no, I am not worried in the slightest.  In this dark and sinful world I find that we have such a greater opportunity to shine as lights and spread forth as salt like our Savior commanded us to do.

I encourage Christians everywhere to stand for what is right, seek first His kingdom and fulfill the great commission.

What do you think Christians should do?