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» Christian Message Boards   » Bible Studies   » Bible Topics & Study   » The Downfall of a Nation

   
Author Topic: The Downfall of a Nation
oneinchrist
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Hi Wild B,

In ref. to The Downfall of a Nation

Is our nation under judgement? I often wonder.....

is judgement only measured as "positive punishment?"
or could it also be measured as "negative blessing?"

With love in Jesus, Daniel

Posts: 1389 | From: Wind Lake, WI | Registered: May 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
WildB
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Moral Compass

read›
Hebrews 5:11-14

Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right
and wrong (v.14).

If you’re a hiker who depends on a trusted compass to find your way through the wilderness, it might be time to invest in a GPS device. Why? The earth’s magnetic field is changing. According to scientists, the magnetic poles are “sliding towards Siberia at 34 miles per year at a speed that has accelerated 36 percent over the past 10 years.” A compass, which relies on magnetic north, can no longer be trusted. The good news is that fluctuations in the magnetic field have occurred throughout history. Just get that Garmin and you’ll be fine!

It’s obvious that there has been some serious “sliding”
in the way people view morality.

We could definitely use a moral compass fixed on a true north. That’s what the writer of Hebrews presented to his readers in chapter 5.
These fluctuating believers, likely from house churches in Rome, were “spiritually dull” and needed to be taught once again “the basic things about God’s Word”
(vv.11-12). The writer wanted them to step up their intake of “solid” Scripture so that they could “recognize the difference between right and wrong” (v.14).

God’s Word provides the unchanging instruction we
need. It’s our moral compass to navigate life in a way that glorifies Him. Take a few moments and read through some of the Bible’s clear directions:

• Exodus 20:1-17: God’s great commands to obey.
• Mark 7:20-23: Jesus’ partial list of immoral things to avoid.
• Ephesians 4:17–5:21: Paul’s contrasting of morally right and wrong behaviors.
If we don’t take the time to feed on and consciously apply God’s truth to our lives, we’ll remain spiritually dull. The fixed point of our compass will simply move with the masses. Get God’s “Garmin” to find your way through the wilderness. Get into His Word to find true moral direction.
—Tom Felten

more›
Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17 to see how God’s Word prepares us to address the moral issues of life.

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That is all.....

Posts: 8775 | From: USA, MICHIGAN | Registered: Mar 2004  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Caretaker
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Amen!!!!!

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A Servant of Christ,
Drew

1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..

Posts: 3978 | From: Council Grove, KS USA | Registered: Jun 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
WildB
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In the Book of Judges a great principle of government is presented, a principle which is also stated very clearly in the prophecy of Isaiah. All of the subsequent prophets simply bear out and apply this principle which has already been stated. The principle is this: There are three steps in the downfall of a nation. First of all, there is religious apostasy. The second step is moral awfulness. And the third step is political anarchy. These are the three steps by which nations pass off the stage of human history. That has always been the way it has moved. You see, the primary problem never was political anarchy. The primary problem never was moral awfulness. As bad as these are, the root problem goes back to religious or spiritual apostasy, a turning away from the living and true God.
The downfall of a nation begins in idolatry; it begins in turning away from the living and true God. We would like to think that idolatry has gone out of style, that no one today in this country is bowing down to an idol. That, of course, is not true. Many a man today is worshiping the almighty dollar. Many a man worships sex. Many a man worships pleasure. May I say to you, anything that you give yourself to, anything that takes all your time or energy, anything that takes all of you is what you worship. That, my friend, is your god, that is your idol, and that is what God condemns. God says that He is a jealous God. He says, “I made you. I created you. I have redeemed you. And I want you.” When a man turns his back on God, he is doing the worst thing any man can possibly do.

But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him. (Habakkuk 2:20)

Personally, I believe this looks to the future when the Lord Jesus Christ will come to the earth. When He is in His temple down here, the whole earth will be silent before Him. All of the noise, all of the clamor, all of the protest, all of the confusion will disappear at that time. But it is also true that it applies to today. The reason we are having all these difficulties and problems down here is that, although He is yonder in heaven, although the Lord is in His temple, man does not bow before Him and recognize Him. It would be a wonderful thing if we could just have a week of silence. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone in Washington, D.C., would keep his mouth shut for a week? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all of us preachers on radio would keep our mouths shut? Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if everyone who is doing so much talking would just keep quiet and wait before almighty God?
Just like Habakkuk’s questions, the psalmist asks, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” (Psalm 2:1). Why all the clamor? Why all the protest? Because they are far from God. Our problem today is a problem of man’s relationship to God. My friend, there is only one alternative, there is only one way out: “The just shall live by his faith” (Psalm 2:4).

--From Edited Messages on Habakkuk by J. Vernon McGee

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That is all.....

Posts: 8775 | From: USA, MICHIGAN | Registered: Mar 2004  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator


 
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