WEEKEND Edition 3,4 July 2021 “America drifting”

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Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends all around the world.

This weekend is a big deal for almost every living person, in every nation of the world. Why? Sunday is July 4th, and on that date in 1776, a group of very courageous men signed a Declaration of Independence, in the city of Philadelphia. Their declaration launched the Revolutionary War as 13 Colonies of immigrants, mostly from Great Britain, were birthing a new nation, to be known as The United States of America. For 245 years this nation has been an experiment in a unique style of government, a unique balance of regions of the country known as ‘States’ which have a degree of autonomy, yet united together to form one nation. America has been an experiment in assimilation of peoples from all over the world, so that almost all “Americans” today trace their family heritage roots to some nation outside America. Some ‘native Americans’ are still among us who trace their heritage to the people who lived here when the very first settlers arrived from Europe.

America has been an experiment of relationship between religion and politics, both serving the people of America yet totally separate from each other in authority and influence with the people. America has been an experiment in generosity to the world, in response to tragedy and crisis around the world, and also influence without domination of other nations around the world. Perhaps above all, America has been an experiment in citizens living in mutually respectful community, while allowing almost unlimited personal FREEDOM. Almost every nation of the world has profoundly benefitted from this American experiment and yet in recent years many would say America is crumbling, perhaps a better word is IMPLODING, as the insistence on personal freedom is now more and more accompanied by a refusal for accountability or a total disregard for how exercise of that personal freedom affects other people.

We’ve come today to the final words of a letter written by James, the 1/2 brother of Jesus, in about 50ad, to Jewish followers of Jesus Christ living scattered around the Roman Empire. Personal freedoms were few in those days. Both politicians and religious authorities demanded strict obedience to a long list of rules and regulations. Punishment for not following those rules was harsh. Jesus had spoken often of the kingdom of God, which by contrast, was a kingdom of God’s love and freedom, for by His death on the cross, Jesus earned forgiveness from God for repentant sinners, and freedom from sin bondage and sin condemnation!

James wrote his letter to help Jewish followers of Jesus more fully understand HOW to live this new life of freedom in Christ! But then, as now, we humans have a tendency to drift, don’t we? We drift from our deeply held family values, we drift from the truth as we have learned it, we drift from our commitments, we drift from our guiding life principles. And when we drift as individuals, as families, as communities… then, guess what… we inevitably influence our nation to drift! America has been drifting dramatically in recent years, and the entire world sees it, is amazed by it, and is being negatively affected by a drifting, floundering America!

With his closing words James admonishes us about our drifting! Do you see that? Listen: “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19,20) Wow, that’s a powerful statement, isn’t it? Wander from the Truth! Look around, especially America. Do you see drifting, wandering, even outright rejection of God’s truth? Of course we do, and it’s everywhere! And as a person or family or business or school or community or church wanders from the truth, or outright rejects the truth, what do you observe is the result? Chaos, anarchy, confusion, dysfunction, implosion? I’m sure I don’t need to articulate for you the wide range of examples of American people “wandering from the truth”! Sadly, many of those who are wandering are now demanding that everyone else respect their wandering, affirm their wandering, celebrate their wandering, and keep any objection or concern about their wandering, silent!!

But do you notice James admonishes us, followers of Jesus, to NOT do that! “If…someone should bring him back, [from his wandering] remember this: whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death…”! A lifeguard who stands on the beach watching the flailing swimmer drown is unworthy to be called a lifeguard and is complicit in their death, do you agree? But what about the lifeguard who leaps into the water, swims to the drowning person, but that drowning person rejects their help, and then drowns? So I ask you friends, how can you and I be helpful, no matter where you or I live in the world, to a drowning America?

600 years before James wrote his little letter, a man by the name of Ezekiel was living at a desperate time in the history of Palestine. Israel, God’s people, had drifted badly, in fact they had rejected God and those whom God sent to warn them of their moral and spiritual drift. Jerusalem had been invaded and many dragged off to captivity, among them Ezekiel. God gave Ezekiel a very, very powerful word regarding ‘the watchman’! I think it fits perfectly with James 5:19,20 and with our world today, especially America on this 245th anniversary of America’s birthday. May I invite you to read Ezekiel chapter 33 this holiday weekend and ask God to help you understand how it applies to you and America in 2021?

God said to Ezekiel “I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel, so hear the word I speak and give them warning from Me…” (Ezek. 33:7) If you have trusted Jesus Christ to be your Savior, the Apostle Paul wrote this: “We are therefore ambassadors of Jesus Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20) Do you see a similarity between those two powerful statements from God?

God continued with Ezekiel: “When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die’, and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways, that wicked man will die for his sins, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his evil ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.” (Ezek. 33:8,9) Can you make application of this to our world in 2021, wherever you live?

And then God added one more summary statement. He told Ezekiel to speak to the people: “Say to the people: ‘as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their wicked ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die…?” (Ezek. 33:11) My friends, do you hear the almost desperate appeal from God to mankind, which is wandering from God’s truth, rejecting God and God’s truth? Peter echoed Ezekiel’s words writing about the same time as James… 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

So my “Walking with Jesus” friends, we close the little letter from James. Oh my it is so relevant to 2021 in every part of the world, isn’t it? I’m going to call us to end today praying for the people of the United States of America, both the legal citizens and the millions of undocumented immigrants living in America who desire to make America their home. America is drifting badly, morally and spiritually. Godly wisdom is desperately needed. God says “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom…” (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10) I wonder how the Holy Spirit of God will lead you to pray for America this weekend, and what role Jesus will call you to live in helping to turn America back to God, before it dies!?

I had hoped to find a song to help us consider America’s decline this weekend, but I think I’ll invite you to ponder Ezekiel 33 instead. Oh God, I pray for America. . .

Today’s Scripture is James 5:19, 20; Ezekiel 33.

Choose below to read or listen.

James 5:19,20

Ezekiel 33

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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