Freedom Depends On Moral Foundations

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RADIO MESSAGE—The Rev. Dr. Joe Renfro, Christ Over All, WNEG-AM630

Proverbs 1:1-8                 Sunday- July 3, 2011—12:30 p.m.     Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

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The youth of today are the adults of tomorrow. The followers of today are the leaders of tomorrow.   The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, his son in the faith,  “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”  (I Timothy 4:12)   The character of our youth is molded through our families, our friends, the media, churches, and the schools.  It is the foundation of our future nation.  But there are forces coming at us that very much attack the freedom that was basic to the freedom that developed this land.

A wise observer of human nature once said a sure test of a person’s character is to ask him or her to list honestly what things were luxuries and what are necessities for them.  When applied it was noted that under the heading of “necessities” some people put down items such as an expensive car, a large screen TV, fashionable clothes, membership in exclusive clubs, and lots of money with which to have a good time.  Others were more conservative and put down food, housing, and clothes to wear, but some went on and mentioned independence of spirit, moral commitment, integrity, and faith in God.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson back while speaking back in 1977 said: “One has to have an ethical base for a society. Where the prime force is impulse, there is the death of ethics.  America used to have ethical laws based in Jerusalem.  Now they are based in Sodom and Gomorrah, and civilizations rooted in Sodom and Gomorrah are destined to collapse.”

In our day we are seeing a secular, immoral, even anti-moral foundation developing in our land, which is very disturbing, as well as an irrational understanding of Islamic that is threatening the whole world.  Materialism with the lack of spiritual understanding seems to be spreading all over our land.  We are observing the seeds that have been sown often in the name of freedom that in the end contradicts the very freedoms once vital in our land.  And at the same time, a totalitarian morally is being imposed on much of the world from radical Islam.

Proverbs 1:7,8 says:   “The fear of the LORD is the beginning?^d? of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. ⁸ My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:”  Our nation was originally established on the basis of faith in God, and a commitment to Christian morality.  As we look back to the Puritan settlers, when they came to this continent, we find the principles of liberty as united with that of morality. Even the first contract of government in our land, the Mayflower Compact, was signed in “in the name of God, Amen.”

Our Declaration of Independence was concluded with the statement: “with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence”.  Our nation basically was committed to faith in God, but insistent to allowing each person to worship or not worship as they saw fit.   The first article of our Constitution stated:  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise of thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Notice that the first right to be established was the right of the individual to have his or her own faith, rather than one established by the state.  Religion and religious training were instrumental in establishing a morality in varying degrees that enabled our democracy to work.  The secular humanists often using the support of what is called “Pluralism” have, however, assaulted the foundation laid by our forefathers.

I wrote an education article about this threat of Pluralism, which secular humanism often gathers around and on the surface applauds. The theme of secular humanism has eclipsed education from being founded in the grandeur of God to a concentration on the corruption of humanity.   This was much behind the removing of Bible reading and prayers from the public schools.   We can see the shift in our society from the foundation of faith in God to a pluralism that goes everywhere, but nowhere.  Many secular thinkers such as Dewey, Marx, Freud, Neitzsche, Skinner, and others have sought to replace any Christian influences in education.

Pluralism is an ideology that basically is saying you can start with different presuppositions and reach the same goal.  I feel that much of the chaos in the contemporary American Public School education is that we have left the Christian influences that once germinated learning in our land and shifted to an amalgamation of everything that ultimately equals nothing.  It seems that our youth have no foundation, and the public schools give no positive direction.   Beliefs have effects on one’s perception of and understanding of reality, and Christianity cultivates a responsible freedom toward oneself, others and God.

The moral decline of our nation is very evident, as state governments have gone into the gambling business, same sex marriage is applauded, and our government is borrowing money to give food stamps and welfare support to illegal immigrants, while firing teachers who use Biblical references in the classrooms.   Yes, even freedom of the speech is on the chopping block whenever you say by something that might interpreted as a put down of another’s moral or immoral lifestyles, ethnic background, or socio-economic position, as many have had legal cases taken against them for quoting the biblical position on homosexuality or for using corporeal punishment which is taught in the Bible.

There are many things attacking the good seed Christ brings. Our Lord Jesus gave the parable of the sower.  He showed how the good seed is sowed, and some of it doesn’t take root.  Some of it as well gets choked by the weeds of materialism, secularism, occultism, and whatever and fails to bring forth fruit to the glory of God.  However, there is good seed, and it does bear fruit.

The Bible is the seed bucket from which we find the truly good seed. The Bible says that, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”  We have the glorious privilege at this time, contrary to the condition in many Islamic or Communist countries of being able to worship God through his revelation in Jesus Christ. It is the book through which we not only learn about God, his direction, but from which to find how to come to the personal relationship with God in Christ.  It is not the recounting of the words of one man who could not read or write like Mohammed, nor an ideology that promotes materialism to the exclusion of any spiritual values, as Karl Marx directed.

But the Bible, which developed over thousands of years and was written by many authors in several languages, and it comes forth with a message central in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ in such a way that it not only enables us to know and worship God, but to instill in us the spiritual focus that enables us to rightly relate to the material world about us.   God calls us to freedom, but this a not freedom to indulge, but freedom to live to God’s glory.

When a person decides to abuse his freedom and break God’s laws, he is like a person who ascends up to the top of a tall building and jumps off.  For the first few stories it might feel exciting—no restraints, nor restrictions, no hang-ups.  But just imagine how he begins to feel, as he gets closer to his tragic end.  Can he reverse the falling process?  Of course not, for it is too late.  The world is moving to destruction for it has ignored God’s laws and ways.  It has laughed at religion, laughed at morality, and I hate to see the result.

Karl Marx put down religion, as hewrote, “Man makes religion, religion does not make man. Religion is indeed  the self-conscious and self awareness of man who either has not yet attained to himself or has already lost himself again…Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the feeling of a heartless world, and the soul of the soulless circumstances.  It is the opium of the people.”  And then again he wrote, “The Communists doe not preach morality at all.”  In fact, morality was seen by Marx, as being something artificially imposed by the church and state on the people.

On the surface it would appear that Marxism is very much opposed to all religion, but often even conflicting ideologies will unite often when opposed to a common enemy, and in this case, that enemy is Christianity.  And the other threat to freedom in the world and our land in particular is that of Radical Islam. Back in February of 2011 a Muslim cleric was being interviewed by Hannity on TV, and he said:  “Egypt will be ruled by Sharia law and eventually the United States – and the whole world – will fall to radical Islam…Sharia will come and it will remove the corruption of democracy, and freedom, and all of your exploitation.”  The Islamic understanding of freedom is not what we understand as freedom at all, and this why the Muslim cleric threatened to remove “freedom” from America.

Communists denounces morality, and Islam has a different understanding of moral freedom from Christianity.  The Islamic morality has high ideals, much like Judaism and Christianity, but the actions are not in the context of freedom.  However, the true morality finds its roots in the teaching of the Bible.  I John says:  “To love not the world or the things in the world.  If any man loves the world the love for the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world, and the world passes away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever.”  Recall the Lord Jesus said, “And I shall make you free, and if I shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” The freedom in Christ enables us to in the world and yet not of the world!

I Timothy 4:12 gives a good guideline for the development of moral freedom, that is a freedom that is moral and promotes morality, as the directive to young Timothy was to “Let no one think little of you because of your youth; instead, become in speech, in behavior, in love, in faith, in purity, and example before those who believe.”

The example Paul called for young Timothy to set, should be see as well as a pattern for the development of a positive morality for the glory of God and the benefit of all.  First of all there is call to use the right kind of speech in word.   Secondly, it is a call to speak sound words, not to be caught up in obscenity, profanity, or irreverent speech. It is a call to display positive behavior, to be sober minded continually in control of your mind, to not just talk the talk, but to walk the walk.  Then thirdly, it is a call to love, to love God above all, for God is love and love is the first fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Fourthly, it is a call for ones life to be in the spirit, this in contrast to a focus on materialism, as the new life builds a disposition of humility, godliness, wisdom, and respect. The fifth moral characteristic is faith, which is faith toward God and the connection to the grace of God, through which we can know God and be saved for his glory, not a morality of externals but internals.  And the fifth moral characteristic is that of purity—to overcome the lusts of the flesh, such as harmful drugs, harmful habits, sexual immorality, and profanity, corruption of all kinds.

In America today through so many channels of life we are observing a constant attack on the very foundation supports that made our nation great.  Not only should we remembers that which made our nation great, but characteristics that should be present in our youth as they grew to become positive leaders in our land.  The directive Paul gave to Timothy certainly isn’t what would go in the contemporary school curriculum, but we need it.

Neither would this go very well in the entertainment media.  These are five supports that the Bible mentioned build strong lives for God’s glory and that can have real positive effects on society at large.

In an experiment a schoolboy and some other students put a frog in a container of water and began to heat the water very slowly. The frog just remained in the water and did nothing.  Although the water reached the boiling point the frog just stayed there and never tried to jump out.  Why?  Because changes in the environment we so slight and slow to occur the frog didn’t notice them until it was too late.  In our personal lives and in our Christian influence in America we might see ourselves in a similar situation.  There are changes.  We hear about change all about it, but are these changes for better or for the worse? Is the heat increasing and moving toward the dangerous zone?

Where is our foundation?  If you have ever lived in a large city, you probably have had a chance to watch a skyscraper under construction.  For the first six months or so of the project, all the workmen do is to make a great hole in the ground.  To build a tall building by starting far below the surface might sound absurd, even crazy to some. But, as you suspect, there is a good reason for the large hole.  To build a mammoth building, it is first necessary to dig down until as strong foundation can be built, one that is capable of supporting the skyscraper.

A doghouse needs no foundation, and an ordinary house can be built on little more than a concrete slab.  But a skyscraper, that’s different.  It requires a deep and solid foundation.  So it is with the foundation of our personal lives and that of our nation, for all ultimately depends on the foundation.

I believe very firmly that America was built on the foundation of respect for God’s ways, and feel this foundation works, for I’ve come to find the realization in the new life in Jesus Christ.  It works!  Our society needs that moral foundation, as each of us need it.  Our nation has done some things contrary to this foundation, as has each of us who maybe name the name of Christ. It is the fact of sin, and it is a continual problem personally and nationally.   But nevertheless, freedom does depend on moral foundations, and God calls on us to have and build on it.

The morality we need in our lives and land will not come from materialism, nor will it come from Radical Islam that only brings bondage.  There is a call in the Bible from II Chronicles7:14, that says: “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven. I will forgive their sin and I will heal their land.”  Freedom is theme through the Bible, ultimately revealed in Christ!

True freedom depends on moral foundations.  It is not a question of doing what you might want but rather wanting to do what you ought to do.  In the Christian life it is harmonizing our wills to God’s will.  May God help us individually and our land to turn to his ways and avoid the route to destruction, for much in our contemporary USA is not in accord to the directives of God’s word, the Bible.  May God help us!  AMEN

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