Rev. David Holwick ZL First Baptist Church Ledgewood, New Jersey November 6, 2016 Psalm 11:3, Isaiah 58:12 FIRM YOUR FOUNDATION I. Rioting in the streets? A. This has been a very divisive election. 1) It will all be resolved on Tuesday - we hope. 2) Some people may have extreme reactions. a) One article mentioned 18 celebrities who say they will leave the country if Trump wins. Among them: Bryan Cranston Barbra Streisand Cher Samuel L. Jackson Whoopi Goldberg and Supreme Court justice Ruth Ginsburg [1] b) If Hillary wins, the predictions are more dramatic. [2] 1> Jared Halbrook, 25, from Wisconsin says he worries it could lead to "another Revolutionary War." "People are going to march on the capitols." 2> Paul Swick, age 42, owns "north of 30 guns," as he puts it. He says, "If she comes after the guns, it's going to be a rough, bumpy road." "I hope to God I never have to fire a round, but I won't hesitate to. As a Christian, I want reformation. But sometimes reformation comes through bloodshed." B. We identify with elections. 1) If the winning candidate reflects our values, we think the country is mostly like us. 2) If the other candidate wins, we feel delegated to the fringes, and that is very shaky ground. a) Celeste is so concerned about her parents' reaction she had them vote early. She hopes they keep the TV off. b) They may feel the foundations of the country they love has fallen apart. II. Everything needs a foundation. A. Building foundations are a great metaphor. Two years ago a new world record was set for the largest continuous concrete pour. The Wilshire Grand Center in Los Angeles had 208 individual trucks delivering 82 million pounds of concrete over an 18-hour period. The final building will be almost 1,000 feet tall and will cost $1 billion. The foundation better be pretty good - the building is close to the San Andreas fault. [3] 1) Metaphorical foundations serve the same purpose as concrete ones. 2) They have to be strong enough to hold everything up even when everything is shaking around them. 3) What are these foundations? B. The foundations of our lives. 1) Our American society and government. a) Rule by law. b) Freedom of speech and religion. c) Tolerance for differences. d) Freedom to make our own decisions and destiny. 2) Our families and relationships. a) Lifetime commitment. b) Genuine concern and love. c) Forgiveness and forbearance. d) Honesty and trust. 3) Our faith and church. a) God has revealed his plan through the Bible. b) God has revealed his nature through Jesus. c) We can experience God and walk with him daily. III. Our foundations are crumbling. A. Ancient Israel experienced this. 1) Foreign armies conquered them numerous times. 2) They also had civil wars and coups. a) King David saw it as a conflict between evil and good. b) He famously asks, "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" c) Many Americans are wondering the same thing today. B. There has been a seismic shift in our culture. 1) Every generation feels this way, but it does seem to be different now. 2) The internet and other technology has transformed how we connect to one another. a) Some is good and has fostered an explosion of knowledge. b) The vast increase in connectivity has also been disruptive - how many of you have seen your job or profession disappear? c) And the normal bonds between humans seem to be diminishing. 3) Standard moral principles have moved away from the Bible. a) We see it being tracked by the media every day. b) What we may not realize is that it's the foundation of our morality it what has shifted, not the details. c) People no longer look to their religious traditions for guidance on how to live. 1> What do they look to now? Good question. 2> We hear people throw out words like rights, but where do those rights come from, if not from God? C. Southern Baptists reflect the shift. 1) Their former leader Richard Land wielded great power. a) Politicians quaked before him. b) Presidents had him on speed-dial. c) This was the height of what is called the Religious Right. 2) Russell Moore has taken over Richard Land's role. a) The New Yorker magazine just did a long article on him titled "The Moral Minority." [4] 1> Moore speaks as if he's an outsider, not an insider. 2> He says Christianity is no longer the cultural norm. b) Their churches are stagnant - their denomination is the same size as 28 years ago, and with less baptisms. 1> In that same time period, America grew 25%. 3) Moore sees divisions among Christians on how to respond. a) Should we hunker down in our churches, or engage the culture? b) Moore thinks we need to engage, but as outsiders. 1> We have to explain why people should follow us. 2> Power was corrupting the church and its message, and lack of power may make us more pure. IV. You need to know what your foundation is. A. America was founded on Christian principles. 1) Not all the founders were orthodox Christians. a) However, their world still accepted the truths of the Bible on how to live. b) They felt that without religion there would be no morality. 2) That is why we have our elections on Tuesdays, a work day, instead of Sunday like they do in secular Australia. a) We couldn't vote on Sundays because that was the day to go to church. b) As a nation we need to honor the principles of the Bible again. B. Your family needs to be grounded in Christian principles. 1) Belief in God is a starting point. a) Does everyone in your family believe? b) Is God a priority for you, or a side hobby? c) Does your faith extend beyond going to church and saying grace at Thanksgiving? 2) You need to practice Christian virtues with each other. a) Challenge each other to do good, to strive for higher things. b) Continually affirm your love for each other. 1> Hugs and kisses are nice, but can you do something more thoughtful? 2> Make an effort to build each other up with positive actions. c) Practice faithfulness and forgiveness. 1> We should be committed to our spouse no matter what, not as long as we feel like it. 2> Real life involves real problems and so forgiveness and grace will always be needed. C. Your own foundation needs to be firm. 1) What do you really believe? What are your values? a) Does your faith go beyond believing in God? b) Do you have assurance that Jesus has saved you? 1> If you do, are you fearful about present conditions? 2> People of real faith know God is always in control. 2) It may take crisis to show the quality of our foundation. a) If a loved one is sick or near death, or your job is in jeopardy, or your kids are in trouble - that is when you find out what you are really made of. b) At a time like that, do you have a faith that will sustain you? If not, you need a new faith. V. Broken foundations can be rebuilt. A. You may face crumbling foundations through no fault of your own. 1) Others may have failed you and abandoned you. a) Sometimes broken relationships can be rebuilt. b) With God anything is possible. 2) If failure is a fact, then start over but do it differently. a) Apostle Paul - when you remarry, choose someone who is committed to Jesus: 1 Corinthians 7:39 "A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord." B. Even America's foundations can be restored. 1) We have had huge revivals in the past, often after times of great turmoil. It can happen again. a) The revivals began small, when a handful of Christians would pray or study the Bible together. b) When people started coming to God in a new way, amazing things happened. 2) Revivals are not just people getting excited about religion. a) True revivals result in the changing of people and their communities. b) Reforms start taking place. Priorities change. c) Even foreign policy is transformed. 1> Much of our emphasis on foreign aid arose out of the concern of churches. 2> Racial reconciliation as well. C. You might be surprised by some who see the need for this today. Back in 1996, a preacher sent a Bible verse to the President. The preacher was Robert Schuller and the President was Bill Clinton. Clinton had just been re-elected and Schuller's note of congratulations to him included Isaiah 58:12 -- "Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in." Clinton liked the verse so much he used it in his inaugural address and had his Bible opened to it when he gave his oath of office. He also quoted it in his State of the Union speech and said: "I placed my hand on that verse when I took the oath of office, on behalf of all Americans. For no matter what our differences -- in our faiths, our backgrounds, our politics -- we must all be repairers of the breach." Perhaps the President was feeling more pastoral out of guilt - he was in the middle of his affair with Monica Lewinski at that time. But the principle remains valid. Our walls are broken down and someone needs to repair them. Could that someone be you? Be the kind of person who has a strong enough foundation you can help others to shore themselves up, as God enables you. #65358 ========================================================================= SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON: 1. “18 Celebrities would move to other countries,” by Maria Vultaggio, November 5, 2016, <link>. 2. “Some Donald Trump Voters Warn of Revolution if Hillary Clinton Wins,” by Ashley Parker and Nick Corasaniti, New York Times, October 27, 2016; <link>. 3. “LA construction workers break record for largest concrete pour for new Wilshire Grand,” by Kevin Lynch, February 17, 2014; <link>. 4. "The Moral Minority," by Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, November 7, 2016, p. 34. #65358 “Repairers of Broken Walls,” Rev. David Holwick, adapted from the article "President Finds Power In Preacher of The 'Hour'," by Peter Baker, February 12, 1997; <link>. 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