Hi, my name is Rick Bloodworth. This is the Common Sense Christian channel. And today we want to look at the third part of solving America's problems. And this one indeed involves that very thing, coming up with the solution. If you'll remember our example from when we began a couple of days ago we looked at a, a large Southern city from years back that was growing towards a garbage dump that they had on the edge of their city. But as the city grew larger and larger, they kept getting closer and closer to that dump where they realized they were going to have to do something about it, or they were going to be living right on top of garbage. And so we looked at a four step solution. The first was to define the problem. And in this case, the problem was they were about to be living right on top of garbage. And so the second part was to analyze the problem. And so. They looked at their problem once they realized they were going to be living on top of garbage, they started asking themselves certain questions. What does this mean? What if we do nothing about this garbage dump, but what if we do something about this garbage dump? And it was through that process of analyzing the problem that they hit upon a really nice solution and this was the solution that they came up with. They decided that they would like to, instead of having a garbage dump in the middle of the town, that they would like to have a shopping mall. Well, now that seems like a pretty ambitious project. But what they did was they broke it down into some fairly achievable steps. Now, they were simple. once you look at them, but they did take a lot of hard work and effort to accomplish them. And as we start looking at the problems that America has, the solutions are really not that complex, but it's going to take a lot of hard work. In this instance with the people with the garbage dump, what they did first and foremost, or what they decided the solution would be, would be to first stop dumping garbage. The second part of their solution was to pull away all the garbage that was there that they could remove from that site and put it way out of town in a new garbage dump site. The third thing was to cover with clean fill dirt the rest of the dump that could not easily have its garbage removed. And so the fourth part then was once they did all that was to build a shopping mall on top of that. So that was their solution. And this was something that they were determined to implement, something they were So, how about our situation? We've talked about all the different problems we have in America, and when you look at it, the root of those problems is basically sin. We're dealing with things like sexual immorality drug use all the, all the sin that comes from that, from, from the immorality to the theft, just to being a type of an individual that's not, Living for God, but just living for the next fix. We look at abortion and we see how many innocent lives have been taken since abortion was legalized in 1973, 60 million and counting is the last number that I heard. And so we look at our sins and we look at all these problems and we realize If we're not going to just be living in the middle of garbage, we're going to have to do something about that. And so what is the solution? And so that's what we want to look at today. We've, we've identified the problem. People are very good at that. We can see it right in front of us and we've analyzed the problem. What does it mean? What happens if we don't do anything about the problems we have? And what happens if we do? Something and so now we want to come up with the solution and we want to do it through God's Word And so this is the this is the challenge before us. I want to start with a word of encouragement It may seem overwhelming But in 1st John chapter 4 in verse 4 This is what the Apostle John said little children You are from God and have overcome them for he who is in you is greater than all than he who is in the world. And so this is one of the things we need to keep in mind as we look at the challenges that face us, is that God in us is much more powerful than Satan who's in the world. And so understanding that's going to help, I believe. We're not up against impossible odds. As a matter of fact, God is going to win every time. So it behooves us to be on his side. And it's also important for us to remember that because I think people get very discouraged when they look at the challenges. They think them to be overwhelming. And if it was just us trying to solve them, they would be overwhelming. But with God's help. We're able to accomplish anything. Now, I want to go back and look at these periods in history where, where the sin became so great within the world that God finally had had enough and, and the sin just was overwhelming the people. You'll recall in Genesis chapter six, where God looked at the world and he saw that every inclination of man's heart was only evil. all the time. But Noah was found righteous in his eyes. And so in verse 13 of Genesis 6, God said to Noah, the end of all flesh has come before me for the earth is filled with violence because of them. And behold, I'm about to destroy them with the earth, make yourself an arc. And then he gave him all the specifications and, and, and the dimensions that he needed to follow. And then after that, In verse 17, he said, I'm bringing a flood upon the earth to destroy all flesh, in which the breath of life from under heaven, everything that is on the earth. Shall perish, but I will establish with you my covenant and you shall enter the arc, you and your sons and your wife and your son's wives with you. And then he told him about taking two of each type of animal. And then after God had given him all the instructions in verse 22, it said, Noah did. According to all that God had commanded him. Now think about this. In the New Testament, we're told that Noah. was a preacher of righteousness, and yet in the end, when the flood came, there were only eight people saved, Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives. And so, even though Noah was a preacher of righteousness, he was still only to save Noah. very few. When we talk about the challenges we see and when we see how sinful this world has become, it might be discouraging to us to think of the challenge of saving the entire world. But remember, even Noah was just only able to save those whom he could save. And it was still God who was doing the saving. And that's something for us to remember as well. We're trying to bring people into contact with the grace of God, with the saving blood of Jesus Christ. But not everybody's going to accept the terms of grace. Not everybody is going to accept the terms of discipleship for Christ. And so all we can do is save those who can be saved. Well, in Genesis chapter 18, We were reading about a day or two ago, we were looking at the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and how wicked they had become. And Abraham pled with God trying to save these cities. And, and finally he asked God, if there's just 10 righteous people, will you still destroy these cities? And God agreed that he would not destroy 10 righteous people. But as it turned out, there were just four. who could be saved, Lot, his wife, and Lot's two daughters. And even though we read of Lot being a righteous man in the New Testament, we find that he was only able to save those whom he could save. And even his wife turned back in that salvation process. And so it was only Lot and his two daughters that were saved. And I don't want to indicate by any stretch of the imagination that Lot was a perfect man or his daughter's perfect women. They were not, but they were still able to accomplish this salvation that God had for them by doing what God wanted them to do. But again, This entire region was pelted and destroyed with fire and brimstone. And so this idea of only being able to save those whom can be saved is very critical for us. And so as we look at our problems, keep that in mind. And then finally. When we looked at the, at the large destruction of the world during the tail end of the kingdom of Judah in Jerusalem, before the temple was destroyed at Jerusalem we think very often that this was just one or two countries, but it wasn't. As we read through, we find out that it wasn't just Israel who was destroyed. We see. the Moabites, the Ammonites the people from Gaza, the Philistines the Edomites were destroyed and then Judah was destroyed, as was the city of Tyre, as were the Babylonians. And so God just came in because the sin had gotten so great worldwide and he used the people to wipe out one another as punishment. Now he'd been calling for years for them to repent so the punishment wouldn't come, but there came a point where the punishment could no longer be avoided. And so it's during Josiah's reign that I, that I wanted to pick up in, in two Kings Chapter 23. In verse one, the king sent and they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. The king went up to the house of the Lord and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him and the priests and the prophets and all the people, both great and small. And he read in the hearing of all, all the words of the Book of the Covenant. which was found in the house of the Lord. Well, during Josiah's reign, they found the old law. And so when Josiah read it and realized that they had been violating God's commandments, he repented. And then he read these commandments to the people. And in verse three, it says the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord. And to keep his commandments and his testimonies, his statutes, with all of his heart and all of his soul. And to carry out the words of the covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant. And then in verse five, it says he did away with the idolatrous priests the, those who had served at the high places of Judah and in the surrounding regions of Jerusalem. And then it says in verse six, he brought out the Asherah. This was another idol from the house of the Lord. They put this idol in the temple. He brought it out and took it outside Jerusalem to the brook Kidron and he burned it and ground it to dust and threw the dust on the graves of the common people. He also broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes which were in the house of the Lord. The people had gotten so vile that they moved homosexual prostitution into the temple. Well, think about how bad our problems have got. Just this last Easter, our president proclaimed Easter a day of trans, trans, it was called a transgender day of visibility. So in other words, we've gotten to the point where side by side with those who are trying to worship God and Christ to the best way they can, now we're honoring homosexual activity and other sinful activity. Are we very far off from where they were? In verse 8 of 2 Kings 23, He brought all the priests outside the cities of Judah and defiled the high places where they had burned incense. And He broke down the high places of the gates which were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua. And then it says, He also defiled Topheth. which is the valley of the son of Hinnom, so that no man might make his son or daughter pass through the fire for Molech. Well, let's talk about that for a moment. Topheth, or the valley of the sons of Hinnom. The Greek is called Gehenna, and Jesus in the New Testament used the phrase Gehenna a dozen times. In order to describe hell, well, what was going on at this place of Topheth, this, this valley of the sons of Hinnom, Gehenna, well, what was going on was they were burning their children as sacrifices to their idols. And hell is described in a very vivid way as being a place where we have this type of terrible activity. Now, obviously God's not going to be sacrificing anyone in hell, but people are going to be burning just like they had burned their children for all eternity. if they don't repent. During Josiah's time, they got rid of all the sexual immorality that they could and they got rid of this sacrifice of human beings, of their babies and yet I want to point out something beyond that. In verse 25, talking about Josiah, it said, Before him there was no king like him. Now that includes King David, so Josiah was an amazing man. Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all of his heart, with all of his soul, and with all of his might, according to the law of Moses, nor did any arise like him after. However, the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of his great wrath, with which his anger burned against Judah, because of all the provocations which Manasseh had provoked him. And so, even though the king, Josiah, had repented, even though the people repented and entered into a covenant to serve God, and even though they, even though they did with the sexual immorality and the sacrificing of children. What they had done in the past was so great that it had to receive a physical punishment. And, and so here's something to understand. After Josiah died, they had 22 years before Jerusalem was destroyed. During that time, about, oh, I don't know, maybe five years after, after he died there was a deportation into Babylon. And, and in that deportation were men like Daniel and the ones whose names were changed to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They had been influenced by Josiah's righteousness. Their parents had been influenced by Josiah's. righteousness. And so even though the, the penalty was still going to come, there were people who were going to be saved. And it was people like Daniel and Shadrach who went into captivity into Babylon, who were able to preserve the line of Israel because they were righteous. And so all was not for nothing in their repentance. But we do have to understand that there was still a threat. physical penalty that had to be paid. And in second Kings chapter 24, we read about the penalty and we read about the destruction of Jerusalem in chapter 24. And it says it starting in verse two and three, it talks about surely these things happened because of the sins that Manasseh had caused the people to commit, including the shedding of innocent blood, which the Lord was unwilling It's not that the people could not be forgiven of their sin and still live spiritually. It was that the sin of the land had gotten so great and they had shed so much innocent blood that there had to be a physical penalty given. And again, it wasn't just Jerusalem, it was all the nations of the region around them. There was a physical penalty that was demanded. And that's something for us to remember as well. Even though we are going to do our best to solve the problems that may not remove the physical penalty, but it will allow us to be saved spiritually. And as we talk about the solutions for the problems that we have, we have to understand this. Our children are worth it. And our grandchildren are worth it. Those who will follow them are worth it. They've done nothing to deserve what's coming. They've done nothing to, to deserve inheriting a nation like America that was so righteous for so long and that had lived under the blessings of God for so long. And yet the people turned their back on God to the point now where many of our cities look more like garbage pits. Then they do the shining examples of commerce and industry that they once were. We're living amongst garbage right now. We're living on top of garbage right now. We've got to realize that we've got to do something about it. And I want to say again, we may not be able to avoid a physical penalty. America may just have it to go through. We don't know, but regardless of that, we need to repent of our sins. And then we need to try and do our best to turn the nation and encourage them to repent as well. God doesn't want any to perish. But most will choose to perish and we have an obligation. In Ezekiel three and in Ezekiel chapter 33, God talks to Ezekiel and he gives the example of a watchman. We've talked about this already, so I'll go over it very quickly. But the watchman, when the enemy was coming, had an obligation to blow the trumpet. If he blew the trumpet and people didn't pay any attention, well, their blood was on their own head. But if. Watchman didn't blow the trumpet of warning, then the people would die because they didn't know the enemy was coming and the Watchman would be held accountable for their blood. But if the Watchman blew the trumpet and people ignored it while they were responsible for their own sins, the Watchman would save himself. But if he warned them and they heeded the warning and they took shelter, they'd all be saved. Well, when you think about it in that light, we realize that we have the obligation to be a watchman. Not necessarily for the entire world, but for those who are in our circle of influence. Our family and our friends and we can warn them, we can get into discussions and talk about some of the things that are happening and, and talk about what it is we need to be doing. But the bottom line, once we figured all out, is we need to repent of our sins and we need to encourage as many others to repent of their sins. It still may not remove the physical penalty, it might. We don't know God's will on this, but we do know God's will is that we repent. And so this is what we need to be doing right now. As far as your responsibility, you might, you might say something along the lines of, well, it's just not, it's not my problem. In Proverbs 24, this is what God said. Verse 11, rescue those being led away to death. Hold back. Those staggering towards the slaughter. If you say, but we knew nothing about this. Does not, he who weighs the heart, perceive it, does not He who guards your life not know it. Will he not repay each poor person according to what he's done? When we look at the problems, we might be tempted just to save ourselves, but we have an obligation to help save those whom we can. Just like Noah did, just, just like Lot did in Abraham, and just like Josiah and the people during that era did. They weren't able to save many, but they were able to save some. They were a watchman. and some, those who heeded the warning and repented were saved, both spiritually and also some from the physical penalty. In Isaiah chapter 15, or excuse me, in Isaiah chapter 1 and verse 15, this is what God warned the people who were, you know, not repenting of their sins, but they were still wanting to pray to God for things. He said this, Isaiah 1 verse 15, When you spread your hands out in prayer, I'll hide my eyes from you. Even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. How come? God said your hands are full of blood. So here was the solution in verse 16. Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight. Stop doing wrong. Learn to do right. Seek justice. Encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless. Plead the case of the widow. Come now, let's reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they're red as crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat from the best of the land. But if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. And so here at the very beginning of Isaiah's prophecy, he was telling, telling the people, stop praying to God when you still have sin in your life. You've got to stop doing evil. And then Once they've repented, they could go to God and they could receive blessings. And there, there at that point was still a time that they, the nation could be saved. There came a point where the, even the nation could no longer be saved, but the righteous could be, they could be spared eternal loss and an eternity in hell. And so too can we, but our, our desire, our hope is that our nation can be saved so that our families can continue on. But more than anything else, we want them to survive spiritually, and we want to survive spiritually ourselves. So, We have to issue the warning in Ephesians chapter four in verse one, talking about solutions. Paul, writing from prison said this, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you've received. Well, you think about it. God has extended his grace towards us. We didn't deserve it, but there it is. We need to try and live a life worthy of that. Jesus died for us. We didn't deserve that. We need to try. And live a life worthy of that now. The question is, will we be willing to? It's the only solution, by the way, repentance and doing what's right, but many will not accept it. In Zechariah chapter 8 and verse 16, these are the things you are to do. Speak the truth to each other and render true and sound judgments in court. Do not plot evil against your neighbor and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this, declares the Lord. And so part of the solution is to begin to speak the truth to each other. Amen. Amen. It's really easy to tell people, oh, it's going to be okay. Don't worry about it. Doesn't matter that all these things are happening. It's going to be okay. It's not going to be okay. It wasn't okay at the time of the flood. It wasn't okay for Sodom and Gomorrah. It wasn't okay at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem and all the nations around there. It's not okay now. America's in serious trouble and we need to speak the truth to each other and admit that, and then try to do our best to remedy the evil that's going on right now. It's going to begin with repentance of your own sins and then the encouragement to get others to live a righteous life and to cease from sin as well. And finally, here is, here is a warning from Jesus himself. It's found in Revelation chapter two in verse 10, he says, do not be afraid of what you're about to suffer. The church there was going to suffer, even though they were righteous, the world was so wicked that it was going to persecute them. And so Jesus just said, don't be afraid of what's about to happen. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you and you'll suffer persecution for 10 days. Now we know he's just speaking figuratively. We don't know what this prison and persecution is exactly. Although looking back on history, we can see it was very difficult for the New Testament church. But Jesus just told them to not be afraid, but to be faithful. And that's how he concluded verse 10, be faithful even to the point of death, and I'll give you a crown of life. In other words, if they would endure what they had to endure unto death, they would receive a crown of life. Heaven from Christ and from God in verse 11. He said this he who has an ear Let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches he who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death Well, the second death is the spiritual death, isn't it? The second death is eternity the second death comes at the judgment when we receive Our reward that we don't deserve it of heaven Or when we receive exactly what we deserve, the punishment of hell. For those who accept God's terms of repentance, for those who will live their life for God, there's going to be heaven someday, even though we might have to endure the devil's persecution for a while. The question is, are we willing to do that? And maybe an even better question is, are we willing to try and prevent others from suffering? that persecution. You're a watchman whether you like it or not. You may not have a large circle of influence but you have a certain scope of influence. There are people who count on you. You're somebody's best opportunity for salvation and you need to make sure that you take your responsibility on that. I believe this nation can be still saved. I don't know that. It may be too late. But I know the people within it can be eternally saved if they'll just repent of their sins and turn to God. So, that's the solution, isn't it? Let's review it. Find out what God's word says about your problem. We're living in sin and surrounded by sin. And then stop sinning, repent of what you've been doing. And don't just stop sinning, but now start living for God. Repentance is not just stopping going in one direction. It's actually turning and going in another. So when we talk about repentance, we're talking about stopping your sin and starting to live for God. Then we need to urge others to do the same. Some are going to pay a penalty, a physical penalty, penalty still, but we want to be able to rescue those whom we can rescue. Be determined to do right is part of the solution. Build your family an arc if that's what's needed. And spiritually, that is what's needed. It's not easy to do, is it? Noah worked for 120 years, it appears, in building that ark to rescue his family. But when the rain started, if you were to ask him, I'm sure he would have told you it was worth every moment of that work. The solution to our problems is hard work. Harder, perhaps, than anything you've ever done before. But you still need to do it. Build your family an ark. Live a life that's worthy. You don't deserve God's grace. You don't deserve Christ's sacrifice. But since they've offered it, let's try and be worthy of what they've done for us. And then persevere. Be faithful unto death. Don't just be faithful for a little bit and give up. Be faithful unto death and Christ will give you a crown of life. And never forget our goal is heaven. This world's not our home. This physical world may have some physical punishments that it's got to go through, and we may have to go through it with them, but heaven is our goal. And if you and I are living for God in his way and encouraging as many others to do that as possible, heaven will be ours someday because God will do his part. He's promised salvation. to those who will accept his terms, and he will not fail on his end of the bargain. So if we don't make heaven, it's only because we failed. We must not fail. But you don't have to. Be faithful unto death, do your part, warn people about the need to repent, and start having a little compassion on your children and your grandchildren and those who will follow our generation. We've got a garbage dump in the middle of our society. It's not too late for us to stop dumping garbage and to remove the garbage we've got and to cover over the rest, but we've got to begin now. And once we do that, then we can begin to build something that is magnificent for God. That's the solution. It's not easy, but I'm determined that I'm going to stop being lazy and do my part. Will you join me? Well, that's the lesson for today. Tomorrow we're going to look at the last part of the four step process of solving a problem to actually act on the solution. But until then, I certainly appreciate your tuning in, appreciate your attention. I pray that God will richly bless you as you seek to do His will to the very best of your ability.