A.I.D.S. -
America In Deep Sin

In recent weeks, we have seen the rise of an obvious culture conflict in America. On the one side we have watched on the evening news how all moral restraint is being removed via the same-sex marriage movement. On the other side, we have watched in theaters nationwide "The Passion Of The Christ" film portray God's love for this wicked world. On the one side, we see homosexuals shamelessly kissing their partners and getting their marriage licenses. On the other side, we Jesus Christ emptying himself and dying on a cross for sinful men of women. On the one side is self-satisfaction while on the other side is self-sacrifice. Do you see the cultural war?

Most of us know that AIDS is an abbreviation for Auto Immune Deficiency Syndrome. But I believe it could be redefined and relabeled to represent America In Deep Sin. In essence, our nation is reaping what she has sown for the last thirty to forty years. Many Americans have convinced themselves that free sex and free love are acceptable. Marriage is seen as a dying institution. Divorce is no longer wrong. Fornication is no longer a sin. Homosexuality is seen by many as an alternate lifestyle. Our society has redefined its terms in order to make it more acceptable.

However, one's wealth can't buy life or time. The wages of sin is death. The Apostle Paul, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, issued three indictments against this world -three indictments that God brought to pass in the courtroom of His justice. Here is what God's Word has said.

First, Our Nation's Blindness Is Inexcusable

It is inexcusable, ladies and gentlemen, because we have chosen to ignore our conscience. We have chosen to ignore creation. We have chosen to ignore Christ.

A) We Have Chosen to Ignore Our Conscience (v. 19)

"Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them." Regardless of who you are, God has put into the heart of every person a conscience. It is there to help us discern between what is right and wrong. Yet, we have chosen to sear our conscience.

We can determine where we stand with God by asking these two questions: What makes us laugh, and what makes us weep? Answering these two questions will enable us to know where our conscience stands in relationship to God. Many in our country have seared their conscience - they no longer can tell what is right or wrong. We live in a day when the unsaved refuse to blush and the Church no longer knows how to weep over the sins of mankind. We have chosen to ignore our conscience and we have chosen to ignore creation. We are watching the sins that use to slink down our back allies now parade down Main Street.

B) We Have Chosen to Ignore Creation (vv. 19-20)

"Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being made, so that they are without excuse." Regardless of what language we speak, everything in this universe bears this stamp - "Made by God." Yet, many have chosen to ignore God, to make sure He has no place in our public school systems or our government. He is made fun of on television and in the movies. He is lampooned, ridiculed, cursed and blamed for all the economical and physical disasters of life. It is easier to get a Bible into atheistic nations than to get them into the schools of the United States of America.

We have chosen to ignore God our Creator. If there is a creation, there must be a Creator. Yet, we have chosen to willfully ignore Him. We've ignored conscience, we've ignored creation, and we have ignored Christ.

C) We Have Chosen to Ignore Christ (v.18)

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." The word "suppress" means to "smother," to "stifle." We have chosen to smother, to stifle, and to suppress the truth. It is not that we have never received the truth; we have chosen to press it down.

Jesus Christ is the truth. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." But we have chosen as a nation to ignore, to smother, and to stifle His message. No longer do we base our standards on what the Bible has to say; often we base our standards on what the experts have to say. We have chosen to ignore Christ. Our blindness is absolutely inexcusable.

A woman once shared with her pastor about her broken heart that was caused by her husband. With tears she told how her husband drank, cursed, gambled, and ran around on her. But she concluded by saying that her husband had a good heart. However, the pastor told her that the heart of the problem is the problem of his heart. Until a man's heart is changed, his life will never be changed. Never forget it, the reason for our condition is because the heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. Man is inexcusable in his sin.

Hear what the Bible has to say about man. Isaiah says man's head is sick. Mark says his eyes are evil. David said his mouth is deceitful. Isaiah said his lips are unclean. James said his tongue is unruly. Paul said his throat is an open sepulcher. Jeremiah said his neck is stiff. Matthew said his eyes are dull. Isaiah said his hands are full of blood. Solomon said his feet are swift to mischief. Job said his bones are full of sin. Mark said his heart is exceedingly wicked. Regardless of how fancy his car, how expensive his clothes, how wealthy he is, or how powerful he becomes, the Bible says that man is a sinner.

We don't want to call man's problem sin. We want to be more sophisticated. We want to come up with new labels. No longer is man homosexual, he has an alternate lifestyle. No longer do two people commit fornication, they are just living together. No longer is there adultery, it is now an affair. No longer is it called fraud, just insider trading. No longer is it lust, now it's a fantasy.

Regardless how we label it, regardless of how we redefine it, the Bible still says man's problem is sin - S-I-N. It is America In Deep Sin that has brought us to the place where we are today. Man's blindness is inexcusable. We have chosen to ignore conscience, creation and Christ. Not only is our blindness inexcusable, our nation's beliefs are irrational. There is no logic to the way we live.

2: Our Nation's Beliefs Are Irrational

Most of us know that AIDS is an abbreviation for Auto Immune Deficiency Syndrome. But I believe it could be redefined and relabeled to represent America In Deep Sin. In essence, our nation is reaping what she has sown for the last thirty to forty years. The Apostle Paul, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, issued three indictments against this world - three indictments that God brought to pass in the courtroom of His justice. Here is the second:

Our Nation's Beliefs Are Irrational

A) Indifference (v. 21a)

"For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened." God has given us this earth on which to live, and fresh air to breathe, and bountiful blessings on every side. To ignore God is the essence of selfishness. Our beliefs are irrational because we have become indifferent to God. We need a fresh, reverential fear of God. We need to fear God more than men. We need to fear some things, like snakes in the woods and drunk drivers, but we had better fear God. Our beliefs are irrational because of our indifference and our imagination.

B) Imagination (v. 21b)

"But they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened." When a person refuses to put his mind on the things of Christ, his mind will become a garden of weeds. We imaginatively create our sin. Man's mind has become full of the weeds of sin, of apathy and indifference. Our beliefs are irrational because of our indifference, imagination, and our ignorance.

C) Ignorance (v. 22)

When a person refuses to believe the truth, he will then believe the ultimate lie. One's mind cannot live in a vacuum. When an individual denies the truth, he will then distort the truth. He will become a practicing idolater. We live in a time when men want to enthrone human reasoning and dethrone divine revelation.

"Professing to be wise, they became fools." The word here for "wise" means a "learned man," a "cultured man." The word for "fools" is the Greek word "moros," from which we get the English word today "moron." Do you know what God says? "Man thinks he is wise, but I say he is a fool." When one starts with the wrong premise, he will end up with the wrong conclusion every time.

In many ways, America believes education will solve all of her problems. We are educating ourselves further and further away from God. Please do not misunderstand me. I tell young men and women everywhere I go to get the best education they can. I've had my fair share of sitting at a desk in the classrooms of education. I had the privilege of going four years to a Bible college, then earning two masters degrees while attending seminary for three and one-half years, and earning a doctorate within the next seven years. So, I am not against education.

But, a lot of people think that education holds the answer to all of our problems. Every time there is a crisis, we lift up the banner of education and say that education will help us out of our problems, whether the problems are AIDS, illegitimate births, drugs, or alcoholism.

The world says we need more education, I say we need more salvation. The world says we need more culture, I say we need more of Calvary. The world says we need to turn over a new leaf, I say we need to get a new life in Jesus Christ. Education is good, but education alone will not solve our problems.

We do not want to deal with the issues. We want to feel good about sin, to make it more sophisticated. While man professes he is wise, God says he is a fool. He is a fool because he has chosen to ignore what's right. Our beliefs are irrational because of our indifference, imagination, ignorance and idolatry.

D) Idolatry.

We may not bow down and worship sticks or stones, but our idols sometimes come in chrome and fiberglass. Sometimes they roll down the highway, or float on a lake, or even fly in the air. Sometimes they may come in the form of checkbooks, stocks, or mutual funds. Anytime we worship something man has made, God calls it idolatry. Notice what God says about idols.

1) Man Creates His Idol (v. 23)

"And exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures." An idol is a projection of the worst in mankind. Man makes a god out of his vices, anger, fears, greed, and hatred. Man's vices then become his virtues. Have you ever noticed how idols are disfigured and grotesque? That is because they represent what is deep in man's heart. Man first of all creates his idol and then he is consumed by it.

2) Man is Consumed by His Idol (v. 24)

"Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them." First, man molds his idol, then his idol molds him. We become what we worship, what we love. Nothing is too good for man's idols. The Bible says that, "...God gave them up..." Three times in Romans, chapter one, that phrase is used, "God gave them up...God gave them up...God gave them up."

It is a terrible thing for man to give up on God, but it is a far more terrible thing for God to give up on man. When man pushes God too far, there comes a time when God literally gives up on him. Giving up means God turns one over for sentencing or execution. He lets man go and do what he chooses, but man will suffer the consequences.

God gives a person up to uncleanness. Uncleanness means impurity, and literally represents the contents of a grave. God gives a person up to rot and to decay. God gives the person up to the decay and rottenness that lies in his/her heart. People spew out the uncleanness from deep within their hearts. It is like the foul smell from a broken sewer line. God gives a person up to his/her uncleanness and lust. The word "lust" deals with a person's wrong desires and illicit cravings.

When a man or woman is abandoned by God, he or she no longer lives by logic, but by lust. Others degrade themselves by displaying themselves in films and in person. The body thus becomes an extension of man's lust and abuse. It is America In Deep Sin. Man creates his idol, is consumed by his idol, and then he is corrupted by his idol.

3) Man is Corrupted by His Idol.

When a person is seduced by his idol, then he will spiritually serve his idol. If one's idol is lying, he will deceive; if it is hate, he will kill; if it is money, he will steal; if it is lust, he will fornicate and commit adultery. It is America In Deep Sin. Our behavior, our beliefs are irrational. There is no logic and there is no common sense about them. We no longer base our beliefs on what is right. We base our beliefs on what pleases self.

Years ago, Cal Thomas, wrote an article from which I quote: "We have been kidding ourselves that the sexual promiscuity of the last thirty years was without cost. Free love turned out not to be free at all, but expensive in the extreme. Open marriages, swingers, no-fault divorce, adultery, condoms in the school, all these regularly discussed on tabloid TV turned out to have a big price tag. We know the consequences of violating the physical laws of the universe, but we thought we could escape the consequences of violating its sexual, moral laws.

"In addition, sex of this kind has its own set of emotional, relational and spiritual costs unrelated to the physical consequences. The only safe sex is that practiced within a marital bond in which both partners are committed to each other. Truly safe sex means remaining chaste until marriage. The role models should not be the rock star Madonna - it should be the original Madonna. 'Avoid sexual looseness like the plague.' Each other sin that a man commits is done outside of his own body, but this is an offense against his own body. That's from the Bible, America's most banned Book.

"Ask yourself why condoms are now distributed in the public schools but the Bible, and the principles it contains are banned, and you will have a clue as to why our cultural fabric is unraveling. Its truths now ring with a new clarity in the age of AIDS. Since the 60s, we've treated sex like a recreational sport in which high scores took on a totally different meaning.

"We've stripped sex of its intimacy. Like so much else in our culture, focused on the gloss, the veneer, and the external. Sex is more than a physical act. It is thoughtfulness, tenderness, courtesy, gentleness, kindness, selflessness and commitment. It is caring, sharing, learning about another, giving of one's self fully to another and knowing the person in the deepest possible way.

"Promiscuous sex is the opposite. It is the ultimate in human degradation, disappointment and delusion. It is in fact dehumanizing. Anyone who watches someone die with AIDS must conclude that this disease is absolutely, and above all, anti-human. We should realize that it's time to come to our senses and to turn from our wicked ways and to consider where this three-decade journey is leading. It is leading us into the direction of destruction."

Our nation's blindness is inexcusable. Our beliefs are irrational. And our behavior is immoral.

I did not say amoral - amoral means no morals. We've got morals, but they are immoral. Depraved beliefs lead to disgusting behavior. Once a person has fashioned his god, he must bow down and worship it. I want you to see the way people worship their idols. First, they worship them perversely.

A) Perversely (vv. 26-27)

"For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire towards one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error."

God gave them up to vile affections, which means a passion for perversion or degrading desires. What is the ultimate expression of man's defilement against God? It is homosexuality. Homosexuality is the most dishonoring, disgusting, disgraceful, debasing, and degrading sin of all. It is a sin that is against nature. This sin is creeping across America and that's why America is In Deep Sin.

"And receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error."

God says, "Okay, you can have it your way, but you will suffer the consequences." He said that they will receive within themselves the recompense of their error. Do you know what God is saying through the Apostle Paul? You get what you get because you did what you did. I know that's not popular, but it sure is found in the Bible. You get what you get because you did what you did. You broke the ultimate commandment. You went against God and in ultimate defilement you broke God's supreme moral law.

Homosexuality is the picture of man or a woman making love to his/her idol. It brought the judgment of God upon Sodom and Gomorrah. It is a perversion against the order of nature. Isn't it interesting that people will do things that animals will not do? It is America In Deep Sin.

In the United States those who have given themselves to these despicable vices are binding together and demanding public recognition, public revenue, and personal rewards for their perverted way of life. Same sex marriage is their goal. Off-beat sex is their theme. It is being glamorized in books, magazines, movies and on television talk shows. It is a glimpse of America In Deep Sin. It is a picture of man worshiping himself perversely and then he worships himself publicly.

B) Publicly (v. 28)

Paul gives us a list of the qualities of man when he disobeys God. Did you notice what the Bible said in verse 28? "And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper."

A reprobate mind is a worthless mind. It cannot tell the difference between right and wrong anymore. Many have been given over to a worthless mind. That's why our society has debased human expressions, entanglements, human ethics and endeavors. You get what you get because you did what you did. Then, we find that man worships himself persuasively.

C) Persuasively (v. 32)

It's one thing to worship yourself perversely and publicly, but to do it persuasively is the bottom of the pit.

"Although they know the ordnances of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." You see, man is not content to keep his perversion to himself. He wants to pervert other people as well. He wants others to live as he does. Many lift up homosexuality as a valid alternate lifestyle and now want "same sex marriage." People applaud sinful behaviors in order to persuade others to accept it because they know there is power in numbers.

Do not be persuaded by the media, and those who want to persuade us to compromise our convictions and commitments to God. It can be seen on many television programs. They applaud it and want everyone else to laugh and applaud.

When is it going to end? Who will stop it? Richard Halverson, the former Senate chaplain in Washington, D.C., said, "We demand freedom without restraint, rights without responsibility, choice without consequences, and pleasure without pain. In our narcissistic, hedonistic, masochistic, valueless preoccupation we are becoming a people dominated by lust and greed. What should our response be? What should the Church of the Living God be doing?"

What should the Church do? We ought to pray for a nation-wide revival that would reawaken millions of people spiritually so they can find Christ as their personal Savior. Until there is a genuine move of God in this nation, we will see this nation gradually, continually defile the commandments of God. We need to pray that God would send us a sweeping, weeping, reaping revival and give us lost souls before it is too late.

There is a cure for AIDS - and His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of Almighty God. He is still the answer - the only answer. He is the answer for those suffering with the problems of drugs, alcohol, broken homes and broken hearts. Jesus Christ is still the answer. If we will lift Him up, He will draw all men and women unto Himself.

Many years ago in Belfast, Ireland, an evangelist named Hyman Appleman came to town preaching the Gospel. A young man who traveled with him was a trumpeter who ministered with his instrument each evening of the crusade. But God laid a burden on his heart to be an evangelist as well. He didn't have any meetings scheduled, but he began to pray.

One Wednesday afternoon while in Belfast, the telephone rang in his room. A pastor from the other side of the city invited him to come and hold special services in his church. Immediately the young man said he would be there Sunday morning. As the days passed, the young man continued to pray that God would move him in a special way. He called the pastor on Friday afternoon to ask how the promotions were going and if there was anything he could do to help.

The pastor said to the young man, "Let me be honest with you, son. My people don't even know you are coming. Not only that, they've never seen what you call an invitation and they are not going to respond when you give one. My people don't like Yankee preachers and so they probably won't accept you either. My church seats about 400 people.

I've been here thirteen years and it's never been full. In the last twelve months, we have not seen one person find Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. I just don't want you to get your hopes up."

The young man answered, "Okay, but can we have a prayer meeting on Saturday night? Can you get at least a few people together? We'll meet at the church about seven and pray that God will bless our efforts."

The pastor agreed, and at seven a few people began to pray. One hour turned into two, then three, and four. In fact, the group literally prayed all night until the breaking of a new day. By church time, the sanctuary was filled. After preaching his message, the young man gave an invitation and eight adults went to the altar for prayer and accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Then, ten adults from the standing-room-only crowd on Sunday night responded. Before that seven-week revival meeting ended, hundreds of people found Jesus Christ as their personal Savior in Belfast, Ireland.

The secret for us is to call the people of God back to prayer. It is time for us to pray until God touches our hearts and our communities with the convicting presence of the Holy Spirit. What God has done in the past, He can do again. What He has done for others, He can do for us. There is a cure for AIDS - His name is Jesus. May He use each of us to help bring that cure!

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