1 00:00:04,660 --> 00:00:09,859 Greetings. This is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church with the 2 00:00:09,859 --> 00:00:14,939 Moment of Truth, where we challenge you to think through an important issue of life and faith. And 3 00:00:14,939 --> 00:00:22,699 today, I want to challenge you to think through, why is spiritual revival and reformation the one 4 00:00:22,699 --> 00:00:31,100 necessary key to unlock a Christian constitutional republic? Very important question. Why is 5 00:00:31,100 --> 00:00:37,159 spiritual revival and reformation the one necessary key to unlock a Christian constitutional 6 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:46,939 republic? For many weeks now, prior to my interview with Bill Azen, I have been arguing for a Christian 7 00:00:46,939 --> 00:00:54,140 constitutional republic to take the place of our now hopelessly lost secular constitutional republic. 8 00:00:54,140 --> 00:01:02,340 It has been a difficult and arduous conclusion for me to reach this stage, but I think it's a 9 00:01:02,340 --> 00:01:09,200 necessary one. Through neglect and laziness, we, the American people, have allowed the corrupt, 10 00:01:09,420 --> 00:01:17,120 corpulent, deep state to so suffuse and become identified with the constitutional republic that 11 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:23,299 the two can no longer be separated. It's like a cancer that is metastasized throughout the vital 12 00:01:23,299 --> 00:01:30,219 organs of the body politic. To cut the deep state out would mean that we would kill the patient. To 13 00:01:30,219 --> 00:01:35,599 cut off one head of a conjoined twin would kill them both. And that's what we've got, a conjoined twin, 14 00:01:36,099 --> 00:01:44,200 a deep state with a constitutional republic, and they cannot be separated. Eventually, I think everyone 15 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:50,480 will reach this conclusion. We're already seeing it in this election. There doesn't seem to be any way 16 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:57,799 out from the deep state. Nobody has stopped them. The American people have rolled over like a puppy, 17 00:01:58,219 --> 00:02:06,519 impede themselves in fear at the COVID virus, and have accepted and swallowed the entire cultic 18 00:02:06,519 --> 00:02:14,020 transformation of the American people with masks and lockdowns and isolation, which is indeed a cultic 19 00:02:14,020 --> 00:02:21,520 practice. We bought it. We are captives of the deep state. The entire dead and dying deep state must be 20 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:28,259 completely destroyed, therefore, burnt to the ground, leveled, so that no one stone will be left upon 21 00:02:28,259 --> 00:02:35,199 another, as Jesus said about the destruction of Jerusalem. This may be a controversial statement to 22 00:02:35,199 --> 00:02:41,219 make because, indeed, today there are three kinds of patriots, three kinds of patriots that I would 23 00:02:41,219 --> 00:02:48,439 characterize. Number one, there's the Pollyanna patriots. Pollyanna was a naive teenage girl who 24 00:02:48,439 --> 00:02:53,979 always saw the positive side of life, thought that everyone meant well, and thought everything would 25 00:02:53,979 --> 00:03:01,139 end well if we were nice to everyone and stayed positive. Most Americans adopt this attitude towards 26 00:03:01,139 --> 00:03:06,960 government, which is entirely the wrong attitude to take. The second kind of patriot we have now in 27 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:14,919 America is the course correction constitutionalists, the course correction constitutionalists. It's not 28 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:21,599 the document or the system of the constitution that needs to be changed, according to these kinds of 29 00:03:21,599 --> 00:03:28,319 patriots. Rather, the people's hearts, their minds, and their lives must change in order for the 30 00:03:28,319 --> 00:03:35,020 constitution to work, and in principle, this is true. This constitution was made only for a moral and 31 00:03:35,020 --> 00:03:41,379 religious people, John Adams said. This constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It 32 00:03:41,379 --> 00:03:47,580 is wholly inadequate to the government of any other, he went on to say. Revive and reform the people and 33 00:03:47,580 --> 00:03:53,819 the constitution will operate as it is supposed to. Make this course correction, according to these 34 00:03:53,819 --> 00:04:01,340 patriots. Make this course correction, and we will be back on track, okay? That's the second kind of 35 00:04:01,340 --> 00:04:07,259 patriot we have in America today. The third kind is the Christian constitutionalist, the Christian 36 00:04:07,259 --> 00:04:14,280 constitutionalist. Part of the reason we are off track at the present is due to an inherent flaw in the 37 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:20,319 constitution, and I would put myself in this group, Christian constitutionalists, because part of the reason we 38 00:04:20,319 --> 00:04:26,379 are off track at the present is due to an inherent flaw in the constitution. It's not a perfect document, and it's 39 00:04:26,379 --> 00:04:33,000 been there from the beginning. That is, the constitution's failure to acknowledge the two true supreme 40 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:40,220 authority of the republic, and that true supreme authority is Jesus Christ. It's not the people. I must 41 00:04:40,220 --> 00:04:48,480 be frank about this. A covenant, which the constitution is essentially, a covenant is a blood bond between two 42 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:55,360 parties, one of whom is a suzerain, that is a king, and the other of whom is a vassal, that is a servant, 43 00:04:55,360 --> 00:05:04,379 and that servant or vassal must always acknowledge the suzerain or the king if the covenant is ever to 44 00:05:04,379 --> 00:05:10,139 work. We've not done this in our constitution. We have not acknowledged our true king in that covenant 45 00:05:10,139 --> 00:05:17,279 document. Our true king in America is Jesus Christ. No king but Jesus was the rallying cry of the 46 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:24,720 revolution, and it's still true today. The original constitution of 1789 presents us with a circular 47 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:33,220 dilemma. The people in the constitution, the people is both the suzerain and the vassal of the same 48 00:05:33,220 --> 00:05:39,199 document. That's illogical. It is ultimately self-serving. When there are two parties to a 49 00:05:39,199 --> 00:05:46,300 covenant, one serves the other mutually. When there are two parties, when they both honor the terms laid 50 00:05:46,300 --> 00:05:52,800 out in the covenant, well, that covenant works. This is possible when Christ is the king and the people 51 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:58,259 are the servants of the constitution. When there's one party to a covenant, that is the people in our 52 00:05:58,259 --> 00:06:04,579 constitution, then the people serve who? Who do the people serve? Well, they serve the people. We serve 53 00:06:04,579 --> 00:06:10,339 ourselves, ultimately, and it eventually descends into self-serving chaos and tyranny as we see today. 54 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:17,980 Even at its best, Americans did not serve God. They served themselves. Additionally, there is, 55 00:06:17,980 --> 00:06:24,899 in the nature of the case, a polarity in every covenant. That is, in a covenant, there is always 56 00:06:24,899 --> 00:06:32,000 a suzerain at one end of the pole and a vassal at the other end, the other pole. And if it is not there 57 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:38,759 to begin with, it will develop over time. And this has happened to us. The homogenous people 58 00:06:38,759 --> 00:06:45,120 has evolved over the centuries into the polarized deep state, which has become the suzerain, 59 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:51,459 and the people. And we are the vassals of the deep state these days. The deep state has taken over as 60 00:06:51,459 --> 00:06:58,339 king of the covenant. Oh, the satanic deep state, if I can even go so far as to say the satanic deep 61 00:06:58,339 --> 00:07:05,120 state, is now the suzerain of the covenant of the constitution, and we are the vassals, the slaves to 62 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:11,680 the deep state. If we had acknowledged the true king of the covenant to begin with, and that would be 63 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:17,259 Jesus Christ, we would not have this problem to deal with. This is one reason why the Christian 64 00:07:17,259 --> 00:07:23,740 constitutionalist argues for scrapping, or at least seriously revamping, the present constitution 65 00:07:23,740 --> 00:07:29,620 in favor of an explicit Christian constitution. Well, let us assume for the moment that we were 66 00:07:29,620 --> 00:07:34,339 able to wave a magic wand and make this happen. What would we have? We would have Christ the king 67 00:07:34,339 --> 00:07:39,959 in order to form a more perfect union, to establish justice, et cetera, et cetera, through the preamble. 68 00:07:39,959 --> 00:07:46,240 Christ the king, not the people. Then Christ the king does ordain and establish this constitution 69 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:52,720 for the United States of America. And we would also have, in this Christian constitution, a swearing 70 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:58,660 our oaths in God's name. For example, we would have, in the name of God the Father and his son Jesus 71 00:07:58,660 --> 00:08:04,699 Christ, I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, 72 00:08:04,699 --> 00:08:12,500 et cetera, et cetera. And we would also find that we meaningfully come to a national consensus as to 73 00:08:12,500 --> 00:08:20,000 what it means to be a Christian in a constitutional republic. Yes, we would take seriously what it 74 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:26,399 means to be a Christian then, in a Christian constitutional republic. Now, all of this might 75 00:08:26,399 --> 00:08:33,000 be hunky-dory. We might have everything the way the Christian constitutionalist wants it on paper, 76 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:40,000 but so what? So what if it's on paper, but not written in the hearts of the citizens of the 77 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:46,980 United States of America? Aren't we right back where we are now in the way the course correction 78 00:08:46,980 --> 00:08:52,340 constitution describes things? Only worse, maybe? Which is worse, to have a corrupt apostate people 79 00:08:52,340 --> 00:08:57,279 far from their God through, though the contract they have with him is not technically in his name, 80 00:08:57,340 --> 00:09:02,379 or to have a corrupt apostate people far from their God, which God is named explicitly in the 81 00:09:02,379 --> 00:09:08,440 contract there in black and white for all to see? Oh, obviously, the latter is far worse. God would 82 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:14,740 have even more reason to judge us than he does now for sinning so egregiously against his name. 83 00:09:15,340 --> 00:09:19,980 What is therefore utterly necessary for a Christian constitutional republic to work 84 00:09:19,980 --> 00:09:26,740 is for the hearts of all the people to be converted and revived. This is important. It's crucial 85 00:09:26,740 --> 00:09:33,879 for a Christian constitutional republic to work. There must be a miraculous wholesale conversion of 86 00:09:33,879 --> 00:09:40,039 the population of the United States of America for a Christian constitutional republic to work. 87 00:09:40,299 --> 00:09:46,639 And this, we frankly admit, oh, we frankly confess this for that matter. This is the sine qua non, 88 00:09:46,740 --> 00:09:53,220 that is, that without which the thing will not work. The people must be revived and reformed. 89 00:09:53,220 --> 00:09:59,259 And make no mistake, dear listener, it is God alone who sovereignly gives such conversion. 90 00:09:59,799 --> 00:10:06,860 As the psalmist says, as David says in Psalm 85, he says, restore us again, oh God of our salvation, 91 00:10:07,259 --> 00:10:14,159 and put away your indignation toward us. Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger 92 00:10:14,159 --> 00:10:21,019 to all generations? Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your 93 00:10:21,019 --> 00:10:27,360 steadfast love, oh Lord, and grant us your salvation. Unquote. Verses 4 through 7 from Psalm 85. 94 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:35,320 It was true for Israel as God's people, and it's also true for us, the church. A Christian constitutional 95 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:42,220 republic cannot come to fruition without a constitution which establishes a true republic, 96 00:10:42,220 --> 00:10:49,379 but also is composed of true converted Christians who make it work. Oh, it won't work without 97 00:10:49,379 --> 00:10:56,679 transforming the hearts and minds of the people. And we must all ask of God what a penitent King David 98 00:10:56,679 --> 00:11:03,259 asks, and that is, create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me. Unquote. 99 00:11:03,940 --> 00:11:09,720 There's nothing more urgent than the conversion and reformation of the American people. America, 100 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:17,259 do you not know? Can you not see? Know what God hates in a people, he says in Proverbs chapter 6. 101 00:11:17,259 --> 00:11:24,700 Solomon says in Proverbs 6, there are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to 102 00:11:24,700 --> 00:11:33,240 him. Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, 103 00:11:33,860 --> 00:11:41,159 feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord 104 00:11:41,159 --> 00:11:48,379 among his brothers. America, the deep state, has done all of these things, embraces all of these things, 105 00:11:48,379 --> 00:11:54,700 and until America awakens and comes to a realistic understanding of her spiritual state, 106 00:11:55,519 --> 00:12:01,240 America will never right the ship of state. She's teetering, she's listening, even now. 107 00:12:01,799 --> 00:12:08,960 America will continue to flounder and drown and sink in the waters of her sin. Yet, we see it not, 108 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:14,720 do we not? We are blind to this. We do not hear it, and we continue to prance and preen ourselves 109 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:20,159 in our sin, like the king in his new clothes. John puts it this way, he says, 110 00:12:20,740 --> 00:12:26,000 for you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, 111 00:12:26,419 --> 00:12:32,019 pitiable, poor, blind, and naked, unquote. He says this in Revelation chapter 3. 112 00:12:32,799 --> 00:12:37,419 Oh, but we must confess, and we must admit, and we must see that the king has no clothes, 113 00:12:37,419 --> 00:12:42,240 the church has no clothes, the people have no clothes. We think we're rich, that we have 114 00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:47,480 prospered, that we need nothing, and we do not realize that we are wretched, pitiable, poor, 115 00:12:47,679 --> 00:12:52,960 blind, and naked. And it is time for Americans to look at themselves the way God does, 116 00:12:53,480 --> 00:13:00,100 and do something about it then, once we see, and that is repent and reform before we are restored. 117 00:13:00,100 --> 00:13:05,840 What does that look like then, my friend? What does that look like? Well, first of all, we must 118 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:13,899 confess that repentance means there is a sight, sorrow, and sea change over our sin. Repentance 119 00:13:13,899 --> 00:13:20,000 means that there is a sight of it, sorrow over it, and a sea change over our sin. The hardest thing 120 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:26,139 for an addict to do is admit to his addiction. His entire ego is vested in lying to himself that he's 121 00:13:26,139 --> 00:13:33,059 okay, that he has it under control, that his abuse is not his master. Oh, but once the addict admits 122 00:13:33,059 --> 00:13:39,179 that he is powerless over his drug of choice, he's on the road to recovery. He has a sight of his 123 00:13:39,179 --> 00:13:45,659 sin. This is the first step in any nation's road to repentance, is a sight of their sin. In fact, 124 00:13:45,740 --> 00:13:50,659 Solomon says in 1 Kings chapter 8, if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been 125 00:13:50,659 --> 00:13:57,039 carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors, saying, we have sinned 126 00:13:57,039 --> 00:14:03,179 and have acted perversely and wickedly. Oh, this America must do. We must first acknowledge that we 127 00:14:03,179 --> 00:14:09,639 have sinned and acted perversely and wickedly. Right now, America struts around the world stage as if she 128 00:14:09,639 --> 00:14:16,840 is God's gift to glory and glamour. And as John says in Revelation, not realizing that you're wretched, 129 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:22,460 pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. There is no repentance until there is recall of transgression. 130 00:14:22,759 --> 00:14:29,740 That is the full realization that one has offended the Almighty. But when that does happen, another 131 00:14:29,740 --> 00:14:36,580 thing happens. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 7, the heart of a nation truly grieves over its 132 00:14:36,580 --> 00:14:43,000 offense to God. There is godly sorrow over sin. As Paul says, godly grief produces a repentance 133 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:51,279 that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. Unquote. When we see 134 00:14:51,279 --> 00:14:58,480 America's heart torn in sorrow, we will know that we are moving towards true repentance. It's happened 135 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:05,059 in the past, dear listener. Did you know that during the Great Awakening before the Revolution in 1776 136 00:15:05,059 --> 00:15:10,620 that this happened? Or even during the second Great Awakening in the early 19th century, 137 00:15:11,299 --> 00:15:19,259 Jonathan Edwards recounts that his congregation was extraordinarily melted by every sermon that was 138 00:15:19,259 --> 00:15:26,039 preached by George Whitefield. And Edwards says, almost the whole congregation being in tears most of the 139 00:15:26,039 --> 00:15:32,679 time. Unquote. And the Lord was moving by his spirit among the people of America, moving many to 140 00:15:32,679 --> 00:15:39,700 repentance. And the effect was quite remarkable. Repentance, excited humility, as Edwards says, 141 00:15:39,820 --> 00:15:47,139 self-condemnation, self-abhorrence, love, and joy. Many fainted under these affections. Unquote. Jonathan 142 00:15:47,139 --> 00:15:54,259 Edwards. And as our standards say, as the Westminster Shorter Catechism says, what is repentance unto life? 143 00:15:54,500 --> 00:16:02,080 Repentance unto life is a saving grace whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the 144 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:09,879 mercy of God in Christ, does with grief and hatred of his sin turn from it unto God with full purpose of 145 00:16:09,879 --> 00:16:18,220 and endeavor after new obedience. Unquote. Oh, but it doesn't stop there. Repentance is the beginning, 146 00:16:18,220 --> 00:16:24,639 but not the ending point. Not only is there a sight and sorrow over sin, but there's also a sea change 147 00:16:24,639 --> 00:16:32,320 over sin. A sea change over sin. That is, one begins to change his or her behavior to stop sinning. 148 00:16:32,740 --> 00:16:38,179 We will know when America has truly repented when the abortion clinics are shutting down 149 00:16:38,179 --> 00:16:44,000 and children are placed in families with men and fathers instead of trafficked for sex to men and 150 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:50,360 fathers. We will know America has truly repented when the evil traitors of the deep state are unmasked 151 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:56,580 and justice marches them down into Guantanamo Bay instead of closing Guantanamo Bay. We will know 152 00:16:56,580 --> 00:17:03,120 that America has truly repented when the hypodermic needle falls away from the arm of Uncle Sam and 153 00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:09,480 becomes strong again to defend the nation. Oh, but once again, it doesn't stop there even because 154 00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:16,279 secondly, the United States of America, excuse me, secondly, the United States of America must bring 155 00:17:16,279 --> 00:17:23,160 about a reformation of our morals and religious character. There must not only be revival, but 156 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:29,220 there must be reformation. We must bring about a reformation of our morals and religious character. 157 00:17:29,579 --> 00:17:35,140 There must be repentance and reformation before there is restoration. It's not enough to repent, 158 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:40,579 that is, to have a sight, sorrow, and sea change regarding sin per se, but we must also move on from 159 00:17:40,579 --> 00:17:47,680 there and reform what has become so terribly blighted and decayed in our country. John tells the church 160 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:54,000 in Ephesus, for example, remember therefore from where you have fallen, repent, and do the works 161 00:17:54,000 --> 00:18:00,579 you did at first. Do the works you did at first. That's the essence of reformation. America used to be 162 00:18:00,579 --> 00:18:08,240 a nation of goodness and righteousness. And as de Tocqueville said about America in the day, he said, 163 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:13,420 not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness 164 00:18:13,420 --> 00:18:19,880 did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good. 165 00:18:20,099 --> 00:18:26,559 And if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great. Though that was a profound 166 00:18:26,559 --> 00:18:34,099 insight by de Tocqueville. Make America good again. She will not be great again until she is good again. 167 00:18:34,099 --> 00:18:40,200 De Tocqueville was insightful. Our genius and power is directly proportional to our goodness. That is, 168 00:18:40,539 --> 00:18:46,640 it's bound to how righteous we are as a nation, the degree to which we practice godly biblical 169 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:53,400 righteousness. As Micah says in chapter 6, he says, he has told you, O man, what is good and what does 170 00:18:53,400 --> 00:19:00,220 the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God. 171 00:19:00,220 --> 00:19:08,599 How the United States of America stands in need of reform along the lines of Micah. When the United 172 00:19:08,599 --> 00:19:15,980 States is serious about biblical reform, she will practice justice again, as Micah says, justice and 173 00:19:15,980 --> 00:19:21,779 mercy and walking humbly with our God. When the United States is serious about biblical reform, 174 00:19:22,180 --> 00:19:27,700 she will practice justice again. Presently, there is a two-tiered system of justice in America, 175 00:19:27,700 --> 00:19:32,500 one for the Democrat and Republican elite, and one for the rest of us. For example, 176 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:39,559 Dinesh D'Souza goes to prison for mistakenly handling $10,000 in campaign donations. He's an obvious 177 00:19:39,559 --> 00:19:46,319 political prisoner, having produced a film critical of then-President Obama, while Hillary Clinton goes 178 00:19:46,319 --> 00:19:52,799 scot-free, betraying the United States as Secretary of State and grafting millions of dollars in the 179 00:19:52,799 --> 00:19:59,359 Clinton Foundation. Fat cats like Hillary are too fat to fail, while the rest of us are too small to 180 00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:04,980 warrant being free. And secondly, when the United States is serious about biblical reform, she will 181 00:20:04,980 --> 00:20:10,980 love mercy again. Yes, loving mercy. That's one of the things God requires of us, to love mercy. 182 00:20:11,660 --> 00:20:17,359 Mercy in the Bible is that attribute of God which shows compassion towards the helpless and the 183 00:20:17,359 --> 00:20:23,039 forsaken, those who perhaps cannot help themselves and who may not otherwise even deserve our help and 184 00:20:23,039 --> 00:20:28,440 compassion. That's mercy. God has mercy on the sinner who cannot save himself. And we, in turn, 185 00:20:28,539 --> 00:20:33,819 show mercy to one another and to others who otherwise may not be able to help us. And we will show 186 00:20:33,819 --> 00:20:40,079 compassion towards the unborn, the sojourner, the orphan, the sick, the hungry, and the poor among us. 187 00:20:40,079 --> 00:20:46,579 But this will be done by the church and not the government, indeed, when genuine biblical reform 188 00:20:46,579 --> 00:20:52,099 comes about. And then lastly, as Micah says, when the United States of America is serious about 189 00:20:52,099 --> 00:20:59,839 biblical reform, she will walk humbly with her God. In the past, America has owned the God of the Bible 190 00:20:59,839 --> 00:21:07,740 as her own. The Supreme Court in 1892 stated flatly, our civilization and institutions are emphatically 191 00:21:07,740 --> 00:21:12,660 Christian. The Supreme Court said that. They wouldn't say that today. George Washington was 192 00:21:12,660 --> 00:21:18,480 insistent that the divine hand of providence was upon him and the entire course of the American 193 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:25,660 Revolution, too. The task of reforming America along the lines of justice, mercy, and a humble walking 194 00:21:25,660 --> 00:21:31,980 with our God. These are immense. That task is immense. But it must not be ignored. It must not be 195 00:21:31,980 --> 00:21:38,819 shirked. The longer we delay repentance and reform, the deeper we sink into the morass and decay of our 196 00:21:38,819 --> 00:21:44,940 sin, and the more difficult it will be to bring reform. There is an urgency to this, dear listener. 197 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:51,400 Not only does the task of reform become a more difficult task with every moment we neglect it, 198 00:21:51,759 --> 00:21:58,640 but we also tempt the patience of God in judgment. The longer we postpone repentance and reform in the 199 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:05,539 secret counsel of God's own will. And in his own sovereign timing, God does reach a point when 200 00:22:05,539 --> 00:22:12,980 repentance and reform are no longer an option, but only judgment is an option. He tells Jeremiah in 201 00:22:12,980 --> 00:22:19,440 chapter 14, he says, Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. When they fast, 202 00:22:19,559 --> 00:22:24,700 I will not hear their cry. And when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them, 203 00:22:24,700 --> 00:22:32,460 but I will consume them by the sword and by the famine and by the pestilence." Unquote. Oh, I'm afraid 204 00:22:32,460 --> 00:22:39,500 for America when I consider this about God. Behold what must happen, dear listener, before the United 205 00:22:39,500 --> 00:22:46,859 States of America can ever hope to be transformed into a Christian constitutional republic. She must 206 00:22:46,859 --> 00:22:53,740 repent of her sin and reform her way of life according to biblical principles. Without this fundamental 207 00:22:53,740 --> 00:23:01,339 transformation, any talk of a Christian constitutional republic or even a restored historic constitutional 208 00:23:01,339 --> 00:23:08,160 republic is academic, and it's doomed to certain failure. Ezekiel puts it very succinctly. He says, 209 00:23:08,259 --> 00:23:16,140 Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Ah, this is the future of America 210 00:23:16,140 --> 00:23:22,500 without repentance and reform, dear listener. Lest we not apply this personally, individually, 211 00:23:22,500 --> 00:23:28,519 do not do what I tend to do when I hear something I agree with. I say, amen. Go get them. You tell them, 212 00:23:28,599 --> 00:23:36,880 preacher. When in reality, it's probably precisely the very thing I need to hear personally, which it is 213 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:43,900 for me. This is something I need to hear personally. Repentance, like judgment, begins with me in the 214 00:23:43,900 --> 00:23:50,259 house of God. Peter says in chapter four of his letter, first Peter chapter four, it is time for 215 00:23:50,259 --> 00:23:56,480 judgment to begin at the household of God. And if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those 216 00:23:56,480 --> 00:24:03,079 who do not obey the gospel of God? Unquote. Yes, I have begun to change the way I live, dear listener. 217 00:24:03,380 --> 00:24:10,240 There are areas of my life where I get lazy and I need to repent of these things. I have people who 218 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:15,660 hold me accountable. Fortunately, blessedly, there are people that hold me accountable personally. 219 00:24:15,660 --> 00:24:22,059 And God always begins holding those with whom he is in covenant. He holds them accountable first. 220 00:24:22,059 --> 00:24:29,099 And we are in the covenant of the constitution and we will be judged for our delinquency. It is time 221 00:24:29,099 --> 00:24:34,000 for judgment to begin at the household of God, Peter says. Yeah, it's time to begin with us. That is 222 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:40,079 the church. As goes the church, so goes the nation. And we need to keep that in mind as the people of 223 00:24:40,079 --> 00:24:46,259 God, that the nation will go as the church goes. Repentance must begin with the church and the 224 00:24:46,259 --> 00:24:52,259 repentance in the church must begin individually with you, the particular believers within that 225 00:24:52,259 --> 00:24:58,640 church. Oh, dear listener, if you know that that judgment is coming and God will judge America for 226 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:04,079 her sins, unless we repent, it may already be too late. But let us not presume upon the grace of the 227 00:25:04,079 --> 00:25:10,140 Lord Jesus Christ. And let us repent here and now, personally first, then as the church, and then 228 00:25:10,140 --> 00:25:16,660 as a nation. Dear listener, if you know that this is coming, that judgment is coming, then get your 229 00:25:16,660 --> 00:25:23,720 household in order, believer. This is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church. 230 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:29,299 And we meet for holy worship at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. 231 00:25:29,299 --> 00:25:37,200 And I would just urge you then to also join us for a conference on the Trinity. Many of the ministers 232 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:44,839 in Idaho Falls have gotten together, five different ones of us, and we have assembled then a conference 233 00:25:44,839 --> 00:25:56,039 on the Trinity, which will be held Friday and Saturday. That is October 23rd and 24th, 234 00:25:56,039 --> 00:26:03,259 and that's going to, or 24th and 25th, Friday and Saturday. And I just encourage you to come and 235 00:26:03,259 --> 00:26:08,519 join us on this conference on the Trinity. I'm very excited about it. And we've managed to assemble 236 00:26:08,519 --> 00:26:15,720 five ministers from five different churches across Idaho Falls. And we'll be speaking to this topic on 237 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:23,180 the Trinity. And you can call us for more information on this at area code 208-523-0196. 238 00:26:23,180 --> 00:26:29,480 And we meet for holy worship at New Geneva. We meet for holy worship on Sunday at 10 a.m. 239 00:26:29,720 --> 00:26:35,140 at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. I encourage you to join us for worship on Sunday, 240 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:41,240 10 a.m., 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. And you can call us for more information 241 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:49,779 at area code 208-523-0196. 208-523-0196.