Do We Fear God?
Derek Melton's sermon emphasizes the urgent need for America to recognize and restore the fear of God in the face of pride and impending judgment.
Derek Melton delivers a powerful sermon on the lack of fear of God in America, drawing parallels between the days of Lot and the current state of the nation. He highlights the pride, arrogance, and idolatry that have consumed the hearts of Americans, leading them to prioritize financial security and worldly pursuits over reverence for God. Through the lens of biblical warnings and historical judgments, he calls for repentance and a return to the fear of the Lord before more severe consequences befall the nation.
Text
Romans 3:18 (KJV)
There is no fear of God before their eyes.
We are all familiar with the wisdom of the Psalmist declaring that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom as well as the Proverb that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of understanding. Yet, in the day to day lifestyles that we live we exhibit no fear of the Lord. The proof is in the pudding. It is apparent that the September 11 tragedy has not produced any lasting work of repentance in the hearts of Americans for we are as prideful and arrogant as we were before if not worse.
We are busy buying and selling on Wall Street and there is no room in our lives for God or anything that has to do with Him.
Luke 17:28-30 (KJV)
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
I believe that God has been warning America just as He warned Sodom and Gomorrah before its destruction. We have not heeded the cry of the watchmen that have been prophesying of coming destruction unless we repent. We have continued to live just as we have always lived. We are too busy buying, selling and building and we have missed the warning cries.
For some reason the American people believe that they are God's favorites and that God would never allow anything bad to happen to us: we are the great USA. Yet, God's truly chosen people, Israel, were judged by God and turned over to the hands of their enemies because they refused to hear the voice of the Lord through the Prophets and they only hardened their hearts against God.
We all watched the events of 11 September unfold before our eyes on CNN and during this horrible tragedy many of the broadcasts were more concerned about how long the New York Stock Exchange would be closed than the suffering of the American people. We do not fear God in America. We fear loosing our financial security, we fear what men think about us but we do not fear God. We must understand, God wants to crush all of these idols that we have placed our trust in as American people so that our fear would once again be the fear of the Lord.
We have been living as if there were no God and how much judgment will befall a nation before that nation has a change of heart? How much more tragedy will we experience before we turn back to God and seek Him with all of our hearts? These divine humbling providence's have been rejected by our nation and I fear more severe chastening providence's await us.
Sermon Outline
- I points: - Introduction to the fear of God - The importance of fearing the Lord - Contrasting wisdom and arrogance
- II points: - 'Warnings from history: Sodom and Gomorrah' - America's current state of pride - Ignoring prophetic warnings
- III points: - The illusion of American exceptionalism - Judgment faced by God's chosen people - Consequences of hardening hearts
- IV points: - The tragedy of September 11 - Misplaced fears in society - Call to return to God
- V points: - The need for repentance - Understanding divine providence - Preparing for potential judgment
Key Quotes
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” — Derek Melton
“We have continued to live just as we have always lived.” — Derek Melton
“God wants to crush all of these idols that we have placed our trust in.” — Derek Melton
Application Points
- Reflect on the areas in your life where you may be prioritizing worldly concerns over your relationship with God.
- Consider the historical warnings from scripture and how they apply to our current society.
- Commit to seeking God earnestly in prayer and repentance for both personal and national sins.