“A CURSING NATION and CURSING CHRISTIANS”
TEXT: Exodus 20:7
THESIS: To show the correlation between profanity, etc. and the deterioration of our nation and churches.
INTRO:
A. Jeffrey Baker, “Cheque Mate” p.221: “In 1963 the Supreme Court committed theft and high treason when they removed the Bible and the 10 Commandments from the schools of this land. The Court is guilty of theft because they stole the heritage and future of this nation. The Court committed treason when they abandoned those principles upon which the Constitution of these United States was founded.”
B. Since nature hates a vacuum, when something is removed, something rushes in to take its place. In the void and vacuum created by the removal of the very foundation of our belief in a Higher Judicial Power and of absolutes of morality, the U.S. has degenerated into a lawless nation where no-one is responsible for his own acts and there is no sense of right and wrong.
ILLUS: Into the vacuum of morality there has been a “dumbing down” in our school system, the dissemination of sexual misinformation (not to mention condoms and birth control devices), the spread of AIDS and other STD’s, the rise in sexual promiscuity with the subsequent rise in the number of unwed mothers, the abortion of millions of babies and the unbelievable increase in violent crime. Of course if there is no such thing as sin, there is no guilt and anything goes. It is interesting that the liberals argue that corporal and capital punishment breed violence, but the murder of babies does not!
Now we are seeing weekly widespread violence and murder of children by children in the public school system and the world wonders why! But when the law is undefinable, crime is undefin-able. If there are no absolutes, justice is impossible to render!
TRANS: Along with all of the above we have an unbelievable increase in profanity, cursing, taking God’s Name in vain, and in lying and bearing false witness. There is a direct connection between all the other ills of our society and the violation of the third Commandment and
“A CURSING NATION and CURSING CHRISTIANS”:
I. TAKING GOD’S NAME IN VAIN:
QUOTE: IBIB., p.229: “…the direction of the language of a society is a telltale barometer of the health of that society. Therefore language which is based in sexual acts and excremental words reflects the downgrading of the culture. It is also then reflected (i.e., the downgrading of culture) in the profane use of Yahweh’s Name and the dishonoring by false swearing of an individual’s own name.”
A. The Sacred Name Of God Profaned:
Ezek. 22:26
Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
ILLUS: No one likes his name misspelled or mispronounced. His name and person are inseparably linked. When we disrespect and dishonor a name we reveal disrespect for the person.
1. Blasphemy is more than taking the Name of God profanely, it defamatory, wicked and rebellious language directed against God.
2. Blasphemy was punished by death in the /OLD TESTAMENT
Lev. 24:16
And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death.
3. The NEW TESTAMENT “unpardonable sin” was blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.
Mt. 12:31
Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
ILLUS: When a person defames or profanes the names of our parents we become angry and indignant. One evidence that a person is truly one of God’s children is that when he hears His Name spoken in profanity that he recoils in horror and outrage. One evidence that a nation has deteriorated severely is that God’s Name is no longer a sacred Name.
II. BEARING FALSE WITNESS:
ILLUS: It is still illegal in all 50 states in the U.S. to make false statements under oath. “In earlier days of this nation, the Presidential Oath of Office was seen as falling directly and succinctly under the Third Commandment, inasmuch as by the taking of the Oath, the man elected Pres. Of the U.S. agreed to keep his obligations to this nation under the Constitution and under Yahweh, even as Yahweh was faithful to keep His Word. The breaking of his Oath of office was, in fact, the invoking of Divine judgment and the curse of the entire Law upon himself.” IBID., p.230 Does this give you any clue as to why we are where we are as a nation?
A. False Accusations Against Others:
1 Kings 21:9-10 (Jezebel against Naboth in behalf of her husband Ahab)
9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people:
10 And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die. (And they did!)
1. If there is no absolute, then truth is whatever a person wishes it to be.
2. We have become a nation of false witnesses, when we reject the truth of God’s Word and His Son Who is the Truth personified and we are paying the price.
ILLUS: Our judicial system has become a laughingstock because of a total disregard for the truth. You can buy your way out of anything by hiring the best lawyer. A lawyer will defend someone even if he knows he is guilty, using any means to convince a jury of his innocence, regardless of the evidence or even his admission of guilt! God warns…
James 5:12
But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
3. The false witnesses against our Savior at his mock trials condemned the nation of Israel to judgment.
Mt. 26:59-62
59 Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
60 But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,
61 And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
III. USING DEGRADING PROFANITY:
A. Filthy Or Suggestive Words:
1. America has fallen to a new low level of immorality in her language.
2. Hollywood has set the standard and our people are so obsessed with movies that they follow like sheep after her example.
3. “A CURSING NATION and CURSING CHRISTIANS” is the tragic result of Hollywood’s obsession with vulgarity and profanity; they have made filth a part of American speech.
ILLUS: Hollywood seems to be obsessed with filthy and suggestive language and are dedicated to befouling America. Even Christians “slip” with vulgarity and no longer feel any sense of guilt. “Hell” and “damn” (Bible words) have been degraded and are not often found in the vocabulary of even children and Christians!
B. Euphemistic Profanity:
1. A euphemism is a substitute word.
2. It is when we substitute a less offensive word for a more offensive one.
ILLUS: Euphemisms should have no place in the believer’s vocabulary. We should not substitute “darn” for “damn” or “heck” for “hell” or “Geez” for Jesus or “gosh” for “God.” We should not use “shucks” or “jerk” or other substitutes for profanity. Believers should even be more careful and avoid such phrases as “Oh, God!” or “My God!” Peter is a negative example of a “cursing Christian.”
Mt. 26:74Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
IV. MAKING EMPTY VOWS: (Acts 5:1-7)
Eccl. 5:4-5
4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
CONCL: We have degenerated into “A CURSING NATION…” and even some believers have become “CURSING CHRISTIANS.”
James 3:10. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
THESIS: To show the correlation between profanity, etc. and the deterioration of our nation and churches.
INTRO:
A. Jeffrey Baker, “Cheque Mate” p.221: “In 1963 the Supreme Court committed theft and high treason when they removed the Bible and the 10 Commandments from the schools of this land. The Court is guilty of theft because they stole the heritage and future of this nation. The Court committed treason when they abandoned those principles upon which the Constitution of these United States was founded.”
B. Since nature hates a vacuum, when something is removed, something rushes in to take its place. In the void and vacuum created by the removal of the very foundation of our belief in a Higher Judicial Power and of absolutes of morality, the U.S. has degenerated into a lawless nation where no-one is responsible for his own acts and there is no sense of right and wrong.
ILLUS: Into the vacuum of morality there has been a “dumbing down” in our school system, the dissemination of sexual misinformation (not to mention condoms and birth control devices), the spread of AIDS and other STD’s, the rise in sexual promiscuity with the subsequent rise in the number of unwed mothers, the abortion of millions of babies and the unbelievable increase in violent crime. Of course if there is no such thing as sin, there is no guilt and anything goes. It is interesting that the liberals argue that corporal and capital punishment breed violence, but the murder of babies does not!
Now we are seeing weekly widespread violence and murder of children by children in the public school system and the world wonders why! But when the law is undefinable, crime is undefin-able. If there are no absolutes, justice is impossible to render!
TRANS: Along with all of the above we have an unbelievable increase in profanity, cursing, taking God’s Name in vain, and in lying and bearing false witness. There is a direct connection between all the other ills of our society and the violation of the third Commandment and
“A CURSING NATION and CURSING CHRISTIANS”:
I. TAKING GOD’S NAME IN VAIN:
QUOTE: IBIB., p.229: “…the direction of the language of a society is a telltale barometer of the health of that society. Therefore language which is based in sexual acts and excremental words reflects the downgrading of the culture. It is also then reflected (i.e., the downgrading of culture) in the profane use of Yahweh’s Name and the dishonoring by false swearing of an individual’s own name.”
A. The Sacred Name Of God Profaned:
Ezek. 22:26
Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
ILLUS: No one likes his name misspelled or mispronounced. His name and person are inseparably linked. When we disrespect and dishonor a name we reveal disrespect for the person.
1. Blasphemy is more than taking the Name of God profanely, it defamatory, wicked and rebellious language directed against God.
2. Blasphemy was punished by death in the /OLD TESTAMENT
Lev. 24:16
And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death.
3. The NEW TESTAMENT “unpardonable sin” was blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.
Mt. 12:31
Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
ILLUS: When a person defames or profanes the names of our parents we become angry and indignant. One evidence that a person is truly one of God’s children is that when he hears His Name spoken in profanity that he recoils in horror and outrage. One evidence that a nation has deteriorated severely is that God’s Name is no longer a sacred Name.
II. BEARING FALSE WITNESS:
ILLUS: It is still illegal in all 50 states in the U.S. to make false statements under oath. “In earlier days of this nation, the Presidential Oath of Office was seen as falling directly and succinctly under the Third Commandment, inasmuch as by the taking of the Oath, the man elected Pres. Of the U.S. agreed to keep his obligations to this nation under the Constitution and under Yahweh, even as Yahweh was faithful to keep His Word. The breaking of his Oath of office was, in fact, the invoking of Divine judgment and the curse of the entire Law upon himself.” IBID., p.230 Does this give you any clue as to why we are where we are as a nation?
A. False Accusations Against Others:
1 Kings 21:9-10 (Jezebel against Naboth in behalf of her husband Ahab)
9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people:
10 And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die. (And they did!)
1. If there is no absolute, then truth is whatever a person wishes it to be.
2. We have become a nation of false witnesses, when we reject the truth of God’s Word and His Son Who is the Truth personified and we are paying the price.
ILLUS: Our judicial system has become a laughingstock because of a total disregard for the truth. You can buy your way out of anything by hiring the best lawyer. A lawyer will defend someone even if he knows he is guilty, using any means to convince a jury of his innocence, regardless of the evidence or even his admission of guilt! God warns…
James 5:12
But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
3. The false witnesses against our Savior at his mock trials condemned the nation of Israel to judgment.
Mt. 26:59-62
59 Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
60 But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,
61 And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
III. USING DEGRADING PROFANITY:
A. Filthy Or Suggestive Words:
1. America has fallen to a new low level of immorality in her language.
2. Hollywood has set the standard and our people are so obsessed with movies that they follow like sheep after her example.
3. “A CURSING NATION and CURSING CHRISTIANS” is the tragic result of Hollywood’s obsession with vulgarity and profanity; they have made filth a part of American speech.
ILLUS: Hollywood seems to be obsessed with filthy and suggestive language and are dedicated to befouling America. Even Christians “slip” with vulgarity and no longer feel any sense of guilt. “Hell” and “damn” (Bible words) have been degraded and are not often found in the vocabulary of even children and Christians!
B. Euphemistic Profanity:
1. A euphemism is a substitute word.
2. It is when we substitute a less offensive word for a more offensive one.
ILLUS: Euphemisms should have no place in the believer’s vocabulary. We should not substitute “darn” for “damn” or “heck” for “hell” or “Geez” for Jesus or “gosh” for “God.” We should not use “shucks” or “jerk” or other substitutes for profanity. Believers should even be more careful and avoid such phrases as “Oh, God!” or “My God!” Peter is a negative example of a “cursing Christian.”
Mt. 26:74Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
IV. MAKING EMPTY VOWS: (Acts 5:1-7)
Eccl. 5:4-5
4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
CONCL: We have degenerated into “A CURSING NATION…” and even some believers have become “CURSING CHRISTIANS.”
James 3:10. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.