If you have your outline, the title of the message is, America, a crisis of spiritual and moral character. You've attended Hillsdale this morning, and you probably have observed these people are patriotic. In fact, I remember many years ago, we had some couples, well, a couple of ladies from England. They were here visiting one of our missionaries, and they were here for a July the 4th service. And afterwards, they commented they had never been in a service where the patriotism and the celebration of a nation was as they experienced here. They were from good old England. We could say, well, that's because we defeated you well back in the 1770s and 80s. But the reality is that we are a people that have celebrated the freedom and the liberties that God has given us. Any nation that has the freedoms that we have is a blessed nation and blessed of God. I have several comments for your outline and other things that I want to add to it. I'm going to stick with my notes just because I need to do that for the morning message. But let's say this, despite the flaws and the failures of these United States, Despite who is in the White House or who's in the governor's mansion, in spite of all of the faults and the flaws, we are living still in the greatest nation that this world has ever known. We are a nation that was uniquely, and this is a thought I believe for your outline, whose laws and governments were established and founded upon the principles and the precepts of God's Word. There has never been a nation like us apart from ancient Israel. That the founding fathers looked at this book And they determined, based on the Word of God, the means of governing this nation and people. If you had lived in the 1770s, in which the War of the Revolution broke out, you would have had, most likely, in your pulpit, a man that was part of the black-robed regiment. Now, it said in 1776 that something like 98% of Americans identified with Protestant Christianity. I've heard others that say 80%, others say 80%. But the fact is this, the vast majority of the citizenry of these United States were those who were Bible believers, at least in their testimony. standing before them in the pulpits across the nation, whether it was in the cities or it was in the countryside, were men that were bold in their faith. They realized that the heritage of this nation was one that we had left the nations of Europe, and our heritage is that our forefathers came to find liberty and freedom. from the restraints of government and tyranny, that we as a people might worship the Lord as we believed He would have us to do from His Word." But you realize that the winds of change are everywhere now, aren't they? And yet, I would agree with this thought here that's on the PowerPoint. that I believe still, and I hope that you do as well, that God would have men to be free, that we would be free from the tyranny of government that would restrict our individual rights and freedoms that he has given men. Never forget this. The freedoms and liberties that you and I enjoy as Americans are not that which has been given to us. It is that which God has blessed us with. We do not look to Washington for our freedom. Instead, we'll look to Washington as a place of enslavement. if they continue the path they're going. Let me give you, and I'm doing this especially for young people, because I realize in the school system today, they're not taught history. They don't understand the civic lessons and the principles of government that are a part of this nation. And so let me read to you some of the quotes of the founders of these United States. The first one would be John Adams. John Adams, the second president of the United States, wrote concerning colonial pastors these words, it is the duty of the clergy to preach against such sins as are most prevalent, and recommend such virtues as are most wanted." In other words, in the 1770s and 1780s, you would have found preachers addressing the sins of the culture, the sins of government, the sins of tyranny. Everywhere you would have gone, you would have no doubt heard faithful men boldly, unapologetically declaring God's truth. Evangelist named Charles G. Finney, 18th century, born in 1792, I believe, said this regarding the pulpit. If there is a decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible. If the public press lacks moral discrimination, The pulpit is responsible. If the church is degenerate and worldly, the pulpit is responsible. If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible. Across Tampa Bay, across Florida, throughout the United States, the vast majority of men that are standing in the pulpit today will not speak the truth regarding the culture and the decay of our culture. And sadly, as a result of that, even believers are muted when they should be speaking truth. as a pastor and as a congregation, and I hope you'll write this down, we have a sacred duty to acknowledge with gratitude that the United States was founded upon biblical principles. That will not be taught at Gaither, at Alonzo. It will not be taught at any of the public schools. But the fact is this, and history proves it, that our government, our system of government, was founded upon biblical principles If we would return back to those, we would once again become a great nation I want you to read with me this morning the next slide here It is the Declaration of our Independence. Would you read that with me? And we'll read it slowly, but let's read together. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Would you notice in the opening statement that there is an assumption that is made in that declaration? And it is that there is a Creator. That is fundamental to our system of government. Deny that there is a God and deny that God is sovereign and holy, and you end up with the state of affairs that has become our day. But not only are we a created people, but we are created equal. Now, I know the feminists would have a hissy fit over all men created equal. But you do understand in the language, our language, it simply means mankind. We're all created equal. And some would say, well, look at the founding of our nation, and the failures, and the slavery. And it is, it is true. That part of the shame of our heritage is that there was slavery. But nevertheless, it is not God, but it is man that was wronged. But our founders declared, we are all created equal. By the way, that means the president is no higher than I am or you are. We should have one vote. And we cast that vote and we choose leaders with that vote if things are honorable and the system has integrity. Here's another thought that goes with that. The United States founding fathers then acknowledged in their writings, in their prayers, and in their speeches, that there was a dependence on the God of the Bible, and the God of the Bible is holy and sovereign. George Washington, the first president of the United States, said this in his writings, it is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible. Pastor Henry Mullingberg, and by the way, I believe he's the one that removed his black robe, and underneath it had the uniform of a colonial officer. He said of Washington, from all appearances, Washington does not belong to the so-called world of society. He respects God's Word. He believes in the atonement through Christ, and he bears himself in humility and gentleness. That's the founding father of our nation. What we wouldn't give to have a president today like that, right? Regarding John Adams, the first vice president of the United States, he wrote these words, the general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. He also went on to write, it is the duty, well, I've already read it, it's the duty of the clergy to address the sins of the day. Let me read another to you. Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, is often debated, but let me read to you a direct quote from one of his letters. God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, and that is a conviction in the minds of the people, that these liberties are the gift of God, that they are not to be violated but with His wrath, that is the threat of His judgment. And he goes on and he writes, indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever. Regarding his own testimony, Jefferson wrote these words in a letter to Benjamin Rush, another signer of the Declaration of Independence, and he said, I am a Christian in the only sense in which he wished anyone to be sincerely attached to his doctrines in preference to all others. Patrick Henry, wrote these words, the nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians. Not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. John Jay, the first U.S. Supreme Court Justice, writes, it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers. You want to know why we are in the state we are in? We keep electing corrupt, wicked, defiled, and sadly, senile politicians. And we expect them to govern any other way than who they are. James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, author of the first draft of the U.S. Constitution, wrote these words. We have staked the future upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments. We're divided, aren't we, as a nation? Some would have us to believe that we're divided right down the middle. I don't think that we are. I think there is still hope for America, but only if the churches lead by example. Let me give you a thought with that before we dive into the heart of our message. We are divided politically. Financially, we're insolvent, and spiritually and morally, We're bankrupt. And our governing elite will only be satisfied when they observe the most private moments of our lives, as well as our public lives. For your outline now, would you consider that we are in the midst, not of a financial crisis, even though we are, not of a political crisis, but we are in the midst of a spiritual and moral crisis. In fact, the greatest threat to our rights and our freedoms is the government's intrusion into the arena of moral and religious values. Let me say that again. The greatest threat to us is the fact that the government has decided to intervene into our lives and dictate moral values. But sadly, we have politicians, judges, liberal educators, media, and even the boards of the American corporations, all who have decided to champion immoral causes. They call it woke or whatever else you want to call it. But the fact is this, they're championing that which God has condemned. I wanted to go back, and you have your Bible, I hope, Isaiah chapter 5. It's on the PowerPoint, but I would invite you, let's read what the Bible says. I believe as you look at the United States, it is a parallel of the time of ancient Israel, just before God's great judgment and dispersion of His people. On that day, the prophet Isaiah wrote these words. Isaiah 5 and verse 20. Woe unto them that call or say that evil is good, and good is evil. That put darkness for light, and light for darkness. That put bitter, that is sin, for sweet, and sweet, that is virtue, for bitter. Woe unto them that are wise or proud in their own eyes, prudent in their own sight. Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine and men of strength to mingle a strong drink, which justify the wicked for reward and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him. As the prophet Isaiah was preaching to the people of his day, he was declaring the gross wickedness of those that were in leadership, wise in their own eyes, given to drink. Their rule and their judgments are unrighteous and against the righteous. And surely, that is the day in which we live. I would say to you this morning, and I'm going to invite you, turn back with me to Romans chapter 1, that you and I are finding ourselves living in Sodom and Gomorrah. There's no other way around it. If you want to know what Sodom and Gomorrah was just before God's judgment with fire and brimstone, you only need to look at the United States now. In fact, we have actively, under the Obama administration and under the Biden administration, we are exporting the wickedness and depravity of our culture and forcing it upon other nations and holding them hostage with our dollar that's almost bankrupt in itself. Romans 1, would you go back there? And I'm going to answer the question, how did we come to this? How did we come to be where we are now? Romans chapter 1, again, in verse 20, we read this earlier, for the invisible things of Him, of our God. from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power. And God answered that they are without excuse. That is, creation reveals that there is a God, and that God is a designer. He is the creator, and He is the sovereign ruler of the world in which we live. And yet verse 21 is the condemnation of man. Because 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." Let me say this to you today. I don't care how many degrees or letters a man or a woman has behind their name. If they deny that there is an eternal God who is the sovereign creator of this world and that man is due for his judgment, they are fools. They are fools. I think we're intimidated by the high talk and the descriptive words and all that is used by people in positions. But I can tell you from experience, they don't even know what they're talking about half the time they're talking. We should not be intimidated by the philosophy and the thoughts of men as long as we know the truth. I had somebody ask me on vacation, Pastor, why don't the churches, why don't the pastors teach people discernment? And I thought about it for a moment. And then my answer was, because they're not being taught the truth. You see, you can't teach discernment of that which are lies and falsehoods without knowing the truth. If you know the truth, then you recognize the lie. If you know the real dollar bill, then you recognize the counterfeit, right? Would you, on your outline, and I hope I don't upset anyone this morning, but what I'm gonna teach, I'm gonna teach out of love, okay? On your outline, I'm gonna give you a brief timeline that, in my opinion, charts the decline of America into moral debauchery, where we are today. Now, first of all, on the outline, letter A, the rise of the feminist movement in the 1960s was, in my opinion, the first step in our nation's moral decline. Some of you are my age. You remember it, right? Marching in the streets. Gotta be free, women's rights. I like what Rush Limbaugh, dead and gone now, I often wonder what he would say about today. But he called them feminazis, angry women. Well, let's talk about that for a moment. On your outline, consider this. Under the guise of rejecting patriarchal oppression, feminists rejected God and His created order. Now, let's look at the Bible, and let's see that in its revelation. Look at Romans chapter 1 and verse 24. Wherefore God also gave them up, He abandoned them to uncleanness, impurity, through the lust, that is, evil desires of their own hearts. to dishonor or to disgrace their own bodies between themselves, who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature, that is, the sun, the moon, the stars, nature, humanity, more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. In the 1960s, there arose in our culture a philosophy that women were oppressed by men. As a result of that, there was the casting off of cultural restraints. Young women rebelled against their fathers. Women rebelled against their husbands. Now, that's not to say that there were not men who were fathers who were abusive or men who were husbands who were oppressive. But in the context of making a universal claim of demanding liberty, in effect, what they did was rebel against God's created order. God created male and female. God gave to Adam this responsibility of being the provider and the protector and the lover of his wife. God gave to the wife the privilege and yet also the pain of childbirth. That women are uniquely blessed of God to give life And we as men and women are the perfect balance that God would have us to be when we submit to who God's will is and to God's design. But the feminist movement of the 1960s was a rebellion not just against man, but it is ultimately was a rebellion against God. Secondly, on your outline, feminists rebelled against what they deemed was patriarchal oppression. So they rejected the father's role. They rejected the husband's role. Number three, feminists declared they were liberated from societal values imposed by society. Therefore, they rejected being the maternal giver of life. Instead, they demanded the right to take life, even the life within the mother's womb. Fourthly, feminists argued that women have the right to be the boss. of their lives. I said it our kindergarten program. I haven't mentioned this to Tanya or to Pastor Peterman, but I listen as the K-5 children or each one telling what they were going to be when they grew up. Remember that? I kept listening for one little girl that would say, I want to be a mother. Not one time. I want to be a doctor, I want to be a nurse, I want to be a policeman, I want to be this. I think in my day when I was growing up, I believe little girls would have said, I want to be like mama. You see, even in our Christian school, it has seeped in that there is something greater than motherhood. We have absorbed the failings of the culture. This idea of being your own boss meant that it was unfair for women to be forced to give up their lives to be a mother. Therefore, women had the right to abort their children if their children would interfere in their pursuit of their careers. and they're being their own boss. The result of that culture was the sacrifice of 64 million children that never saw the light of day, never had the opportunity of growing up and becoming their own person. They were sacrificed within the mother's womb. That's what the feminists gave us. But the problem with the feminists is this, and I'm going to use an analogy that I heard somewhere else. They started the train running, but the problem is there are no stops. That brings us to the second step in this moral debauchery, and that is the surge of sodomy, homosexuality, lesbianism in the 1980s. Do you remember the scourge in 1980s was AIDS? Do you remember that? It started in the homosexual populations. San Francisco was a hotbed in other areas of the country. And instead of our culture addressing the source of this epidemic of AIDS, They started investing all of their effort in trying to cure AIDS. And slowly, the AIDS seeped itself into the general population until lives and families who had never participated in that homosexual culture suddenly themselves were infected by it. You have your Bible, Romans chapter 1 and verse 26, and we read, for this cause God gave them up to vile affections. And then this description of things that were to be and things that are now. For even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature. You realize that we're living in a culture today where women are unhappy. They're angry. But they've rejected the very blessing and value that God gave them that is uniquely theirs. And that is to give life and to nurture life. Instead, we've exalted the career woman over the mother who loves her children. and is working to train and teach another generation. Romans chapter 1 and verse 27, again, the debacle of sodomy. And likewise also the men leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust one toward another. Men working with men that which is unseemly and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was me. So here's what happened. There was a train called moral debauchery. And it started off with the feminist movement and a rejection of their role and their place in society and the value that God had placed upon them. And then it picked up the sodomites, the lesbians, and the homosexuals. But the culture didn't stop there. We thought, for sure, this is as bad as it's going to get, right? But then we come to the third step. And it is the LGTBQ movement, the crusade in the early 21st century. Lesbian, gay, transsexual, bisexual, queer. Now I can remember 20-30 years ago, if I had said queer in public, I would have been in big trouble. But they've embraced those things now. They boast about them. I know there's probably parents in here saying, I can't believe my children are here listening to this. Listen, your children are hearing it somewhere. At least they're going to hear the biblical basis of why we ought to look at it as that which is degenerate, is wicked. So let me continue with this. So we've got this train. I'm going to call it the train to hell, OK? It started off with the feminists rejecting their role in society. And then it picked up steam. And we had the next part, I guess I would say the next train section here, the next car added onto that train was homosexuality and lesbianism, sodomy. But then we had another group that decided to get on the train too. And they hooked on the LGTBQ now. So now we're living in a culture that not only have they rejected their role as a woman, not only has man decided to lie with man, but now we are added to this bisexuality, transsexuality. I remember back in, I guess it was the early 2010 era, where I was speaking in front of Hillsborough County School Board, and saying it is wrong. You cannot allow boys to go into a girl's locker room. This is wrong. This is wicked. And there was enough of a pushback that they backed up. But you know, it sneaked back in. It's becoming part of the culture. It's being accepted. It's being embraced. Romans chapter 1, look at verse 28. And even as they did not like to retain God, that is, acknowledge God in their hearts, in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, perverted, distorted, irrational, to do those things which are not convenient. Now let me say this to you. Our culture, some would say it's insane. Others would say, no, it's merely wicked. Others would say it's disturbed. But the fact is this, it's probably all of those things. In fact, in the 1970s, homosexuality was deemed by the medical field to be a mental illness. Now, we would have said in 1970 that no, it's not a mental illness, it's a spiritual problem. It's a sin. But they've gone from recognizing it as a, quote, mental illness, to all of a sudden accepting it as abnormal behavior. LGTBQ, and then we add on plus. You say, what is plus, Pastor? It's whatever they want it to be. Seriously. But we're not at the gates of hell yet. We're gonna put another car on this train. And it is this. The fourth step in rejecting God's created order and one's biological sex is sexual mutilation. You know that there are hospitals in Tampa Bay that are taking young women, girls, And they are giving them a double mastectomy because they declare that they are boys and not girls. Now, I know we have people of the medical field here. But your field has lost its moral compass. I think we first realized it during COVID. Would you agree? You can't go and visit your dying loved one. We're giving your loved one who's on a ventilator, we're giving a medicine that we know that has killed people in Africa, but we're going to give it to you anyway, it's going to shut down your kidneys, and finally you're going to die. And I don't say that with any apology. But there is something corrupt about our whole system of science, biology, and medicine. It doesn't mean everybody in the field is wrong. But it does mean that we need to question everybody who is in that field. Let me deal with this sexual mutilation. The claim is that one can be biologically born one sex, but they are the other. Children are taught that they may not be a boy or girl as early as kindergarten. Do you realize that as early as kindergarten, as early as five years old, They have people teaching them that you may not be a boy or a girl. And we would say as believers, that is lunacy. But what happens when you indoctrinate young children with this denial of creation and of God, and that's all they hear? And you can say, well, I'm going to teach them different at home. They've got they they're boasting. The educators are boasting. We have them seven to eight hours a day. We're going to change them. In fact, was it the march in New York? We're coming for your children. Here's a question for you. At what point do you and I become so offended that we are angry? and we confront this society. At what point do we say that is enough? Because I find, and I'm going to wrap this up with a couple of verses, I believe that you and I are being desensitized systematically. And there are things that would have made you angry 10 years ago that you just let go by. You know why? I go back to George W. Bush and his attack on Iraq. And I think they called it shock and awe. Do you remember that? That's what this culture is doing to you. It's shocking you so much that you're in awe. You say nothing. You do nothing. And these young people that are in this auditorium this morning, don't think that they're not absorbing and listening and perhaps slowly will be won over to the lies and the falsehood. I want to close with two verses. First Timothy chapter six, verse 20 and 21. I don't want to allow you to go home without at least telling you what you should do. So that's what I'm going to do right now. So we've looked at a train, right? Feminists started it. Homosexuals, lesbians, the sodomites attached their car to this train to hell. And then the LGTBQ crowd decided they would hook their car to that train. I believe that the feminists had no idea what was coming behind them. But you see, when they rejected God's created order, the next thing was for the sodomites to reject God's creation, who they are, and God's guidelines. And then the LGTBQ plus crowd, they tagged their car on. And I bet there are many feminists that would say, wait a minute, we didn't want it to go that far. But the problem is, when you remove the Bible and the standards that God has given us, there are no barriers. There's no break. There's no stop. And so then you tack on the very last one, and perhaps there's another one that I haven't dreamed of yet, but the mutilation of little boys and little girls. Giving little girls hormones that they don't go into puberty. giving little boys hormones that they began to develop breasts. And we as a culture are trusted a medical system. And we think somehow it's going to be alright. It's not going to be alright. They're coming for your children. By the way, they'll be coming for me. If we don't speak truth, if we don't push back, Now, understand, speak truth and love. I'll give you a quick illustration. I'm at a Starbucks on our vacation, and there's this ugly looking, I don't know why, the ugliest guys in the world wanna wear dress, but they do, all right. This ugly guy behind the Starbucks counter, wearing lace and all, and I'm looking, I mean, And I had determined, I'm going to say, I bet your father's proud of you. And then the Holy Spirit in a feminine voice next to me said, don't you dare. Don't you dare. Then I thought, speak the truth in love. And that wasn't the time or the place. Besides, you might have spit in my coffee, too. So, you know, that's another issue. The point is this, there is a time and a place to speak truth. But being silent is not an option. I Timothy 6, look with me at verse 20 and 21. I want to give you three thoughts here. The first is this, when men reject God, God abandons men. I Timothy 6, verse 20 and 21, I believe gives us the spiritual duty of believers. And I am going to read that verse. We read old Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust. Well, why have been committed to Timothy? And the answer is the word of God, the truth. So the challenge to Timothy was to keep it. Literally, it means to guard. The trust is an investment. You and I put money in the bank and we hope that it's going to still be there. we have a level of trust. Now, let's look at this. Oh, Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust. That is the gospel. It is the truth. And then it goes on to say, avoiding profane and vain babblings and oppositions of science falsely so called. Now, let me break that down. Don't waste your time arguing with people about the things that are obviously true. Don't spend your time arguing with someone who is wholeheartedly committed to depravity and wickedness. You could drive yourself crazy doing that, but by all means though, declare the truth. Don't waste your time with a bunch of chatter. You know, I used to, when I was first starting in ministry, and you're counseling with someone, and I had to learn, I'm only counseling with someone if they are a counselee. That is, if they're listening. But if they're not listening, and they're not wanting to hear the truth, that I'm wasting my time and I need to move on where someone is willing to listen and hear the truth. Again, look at verse 20. Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings and, watch this, oppositions of science falsely so called. We started in, well, earlier than the 60s, but in the 60s, evolution was creeping its way into the public school system, 1964, 1965. Evolution has taken its place, denying that there is a God, teaching men that we're just, we're higher animals rather than understanding we are eternal souls created in the image of God. But the opposition of science is that there are false sciences The same scientists that would say, believe evolution, are the same scientists that are now saying, well, biologically, I can't tell you if you're a male or a female. Really? Chromosomes don't lie. Visual doesn't lie. It's obvious what the truth is. But they are denying the truth now. Then look at verse 21. In verse 21 we read, "...which some professing have erred concerning the faith." What is he writing? That there were some in the church in Timothy's day that had listened to the lies and believed. that which was false. As a result of that, they left the faith. Here's my urgency for us as families. Our children will leave the faith if we do not teach them the truth. Our children will leave the faith if we're not passionate about instilling in them the Word of God. and that they see in us not just what we say we believe, but they see in us that we practice what we confess. You and I, I don't believe, have the luxury of a generation to turn things back. But I do believe that we can make a difference in our homes, our families, and our communities. I close with this here. The spiritual diagnosis. What's wrong with America, Pastor? And it is this at the heart of man's problem. Is always a problem. A man's heart. God help us. To raise a banner for righteousness. Unapologetically stand by it. Even if all hell condemns us. May God find us faith. Let's bow our heads and close our eyes. I don't know what to tell you, Steve, for a song. I'll let you pick that out. I don't know how to give an invitation, so I'm just going to just Ask you to do this, will you not asking you to raise a hand or anything? Will you recognize the culture that we're living in for the wickedness that it is? Will you determine as a father and a mother and as a son and a daughter? That I will believe the word, I will stand faithful. I will not be carried away by the vain babblings of everybody around me. I will stand and be faithful. When it's not popular, when I stand alone in a classroom or at work, I will speak truth and love, but I will not be silent in a culture that desperately needs a light. problem in the culture is the heart of man. And the answer for the culture is Jesus Christ. May God find us faithful. Maybe you're here today and you'd say, Pastor, I don't even know any of this about truth. We're going to stand in a moment, we're going to sing one verse. And I or someone would love to open the Bible and show you How you can know God, not just as your creator, but you can know Him as your Savior. And you can trust Him. You can't trust men, but you can trust Him.