Is Jesus the Answer? Gospel Meeting Series
🔹Is Jesus the answer for my doubts?
🔹Is Jesus the answer for my happiness?
🔹Is Jesus the answer for my anxiety and fear?
🔹Is Jesus the answer for my family?
Good evening. I hope it’s been a great day and that you’re excited to be here tonight. It is an honor to see so many visitors with us, and I want to welcome you as well. I invite you to join with us as we have been studying the subject: Is Jesus the answer? For those who have been here, you understand the basis of this. This is not a question I’m asking so that you can give me an answer; rather, it is a question that makes a statement: Jesus is the answer. We’ve talked about various concepts so far in this series, and tonight we’re going to address whether Jesus is the answer for our country.
I’ve got to tell you, those who have been with me throughout this lesson set, most of the lessons you’ve heard up to this point, I would qualify as gospel-meeting-type lessons. Tonight, I’m going to qualify this one differently. There’s a lot to cover, and I need you to hold on because it’s going to be more like a seminar concept. That’s not to get away from a gospel-meeting concept, but I want to drive home a point. If Jesus is the answer for my family, my fear and doubt, and my anxiety, then you start to see a pattern. That pattern is that the person of Jesus, the power of Jesus, the presence of Jesus at the right hand of God—there’s something about Jesus that is obviously significant in the lives of individuals. I want to propose to you tonight that Jesus is significant to nations too, because we find out over and over again that God has expectations.
Righteousness Exalts a Nation
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” — Proverbs 14:34 (NASV)
Righteousness exalts a nation. In studying the book of Romans this last week in Oklahoma, the word “righteousness” is used multiple times by the Apostle Paul. It’s used in four ways: the righteous requirement of the law, the righteousness that God alone has, a righteousness that He deems upon His creation, and the righteousness that comes through obedience to the gospel. You and I can never claim to be righteous in and of ourselves; we are only made righteous by God. Throughout Romans, the only way an individual is made righteous is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ through surrender of their will and recognizing the power of the blood of Jesus in their life. I firmly believe that if we’re going to be what God would have us to be as a nation, we must make Jesus the central portion, the center of that whole discussion.
Founding Principles of America
When you and I think about America and the history of this great nation, I want to read some quotes from our founding fathers, John Adams and George Washington. We had a beginning as a nation that, while not perfect, was founded on different principles than it seems to be operating on today.
“It is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue.”
“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” — John Adams
The Constitution of the United States was written for people who had a moral compass and a religious starting point. Without those, Adams argued, the Constitution was not set up for that kind of nation.
“Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principles.” — George Washington
In our founding, we were established on the basic concept that with God at the center of everything we do, we will be a nation that can be governed and united by a constitution. I understand that some say, “We weren’t united in the beginning; the Constitution didn’t include rights for everybody.” I acknowledge that, but my point is that morality and virtue were foundational, and without them, much of America’s foundation has been lost.
Changes in Society
When you and I think about our nation, there are a couple of areas I’d like us to consider tonight that have changed. Change is going to happen over time; there’s no doubt about that. We’re not going to spend time whining over how things aren’t like they used to be. In 50 years, things won’t be like they are now either. But there are some fundamental concepts that concern me, pertinent to this seminar.
The Shift Away from Truth
One of those is the change in our approach to truth. We live in what has been termed a post-truth society, a concept where we don’t need facts to reach conclusions. Individuals aren’t interested in facts; they’re more interested in opinions and emotional beliefs. What’s scary is that when we think about the direction of the nation, I’m not as concerned about the older population’s stance on truth. My concern is what’s going to happen with the generations coming up.
We’re already seeing shifts, particularly among Generation Z (high school and college-age) and Generation Alpha (below high school). Both generations show a desire to return to something stable because our culture has allowed concepts to flow and change with emotion and temperament.
This shift isn’t necessarily toward religion. While younger generations want structure and stability, they’re not returning to worship. Many are turning to atheism and agnosticism, and we see a worldview shifting away from a biblical worldview. While they’re looking for facts, the people speaking to them often aren’t pointing them to the Bible or Jesus Christ as the source of truth.
- John 8:31
Some people don’t realize they’ve been enslaved to falsehood and that truth is what they need. This is especially relevant in a nation that seems to be spiraling away from a biblical worldview.
There’s a reason gospel preachers and Bible class teachers emphasize the authority of God’s word. Without authority, everyone has their own authority. It’s like the time of the Judges, when there was no king, and everyone did what was right in their own eyes. That’s the dilemma we face today. When truth is not accepted as coming from Jesus or the word, even a generation that wants truth and stability may not turn to what we turn to. However, this means there’s hope.
Emotion and feeling have gotten this country into a predicament. Think about the riots of 2020, where individuals acted upon emotion and their own interpretation of truth, leading to actions some deemed immoral or illegal, while others saw them as expressions of hurt and pain. If you are the basis of what is true and I am the basis of what is true, how can you tell me what I’m doing is wrong? That’s just your opinion. Operating in subjective truth rather than objective truth always leads to confusion.
I see promise because we have a younger generation saying the way we’ve been doing things hasn’t worked. They want concretes, even if they don’t believe in the same concretes as you. They ask a lot of questions, which may seem like challenging authority, but their desire to know the “why” stems from generations being told what to do without explanation beyond “because I’m in control.”
Many of us were raised to do what our parents said because they said it. That’s not bad, because if children won’t submit to parental authority, they won’t submit to God. The idea was, “You do what I say because I said it.” We took that approach in religion and doctrine, raising a generation that struggled with issues like women’s roles in the church, instrumental music, and whether immersion is necessary for forgiveness of sins. If someone believes they just need to say a prayer to be saved, who are we to say they’re wrong? This led to a mindset of agreeing to disagree.
God’s word explains everything we need for life and godliness. Instead of shying away from questions, let’s lean into them and take people to scripture. After World War II, a generation was told to question everything—authority, parents, traditions. This led to the hippie movement and generational conflict. An older generation, raised to follow orders without question, clashed with a younger one taught to challenge everything. This led to rebellion and a generation that wasn’t taught the “why,” only the “what.”
Now, their children and grandchildren want to know why. When we get away from the truth of God’s word, we do a lot of damage. Culturally, as a nation, we’ve moved away from a standard of truth and into emotion, feeling, and questioning everything. Three generations later, even in the denominational world, people can’t always explain why they believe what they do. Biblical illiteracy does not exalt a nation, a congregation, or a family.
The Decline of Morality
Morality flows directly into this. A quote I found telling says:
“People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive.” — Blaise Pascal
Another quote:
“Men stumble over the truth, pick themselves up, and carry on in the direction they wanted.” — Winston Churchill
Sometimes truth isn’t pretty or attractive because it hurts, draws a line, or explains things we wish it didn’t. As we’ve moved away from truth, it’s led to moral chaos.
Laws of Thought
Let me introduce some laws of thought, not founded in me but in established principles.
- The law of identity states that if any statement is true, then it is true.
- The law of non-contradiction says no statement can be both true and false at the same time.
- The law of excluded middle asserts that any statement is either true or false.
These matter because when we abandon a standard of truth, individuals conclude that morality may be good for you but not for everyone. You don’t have the right to impose your morality on others. We live in a nation where my rights end where they infringe upon yours, but what about when the consequences of your morality make society pay a tax? Is there a point where those who support prison systems or homes for children born out of wedlock have a national accountability to one another? Our culture says no, often dealing with issues with kid gloves because of bigger problems.
When you talk about laws of thought, like the law of non-contradiction, you can’t have two contradictory statements about the same thing be true at the same time. This leads to existentialism, a philosophy where personal experience defines reality. Imagine blindfolded people touching different parts of an elephant—one feels the ear and says it’s a fan, another feels the trunk and says it’s a hose. Each is right based on their experience, but none describe the elephant.
Their experience leads to wrong conclusions. Existentialism says all are right because that’s what they experienced, but you can experience bad things and reach bad conclusions that aren’t right. Our experiences don’t drive right or wrong when dealing with objective truth. This leads to humanism, which becomes a major factor in determining right and wrong.
The American Humanist Association defines humanism as a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism or supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good. The problem is that the “greater good” is not consistently defined. When Adolf Hitler sent Jews to concentration camps, he believed it was for the common good, selling it to the German people as such.
Humanism sounds appealing, but whoever defines the common good holds the power.
A humanist manifesto contributor said:
“There’s nothing frightening about eternal dreamless sleep after death, preferring it to eternal torment in hell or boredom in heaven.” — Isaac Asimov
He was thankful to atheism for removing fears of death. Humanism often leads to atheism because if I sit on the throne, God doesn’t. If I don’t need a shepherd, Jesus isn’t the Good Shepherd. If I don’t believe in sin or eternity, why fear heaven or hell? This mindset dismisses truth, and morality becomes rooted in humanism.
Our founding fathers said our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. Without those, self-governance—abiding by the law because it’s authoritative, not out of fear of jail—breaks down. You get a culture that says, “I’ll keep doing it until the punishment deters me,” or one that minimizes punishment. We’re dealing with less of a God-centered society and more of a godless one, where the god is self.
“The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.””— Psalm 14:1
The Impact on Family
This plays into what we discussed last night about God being the answer for families. Husbands are to love their wives, and wives their husbands, in an agape sense—a love of decision where joy comes from seeing your spouse thrive. Tonight, we’re talking about what happens in a culture where God’s word is no longer respected, and the moral compass is rooted in humanism. Society has done a number on itself, particularly with families.
There was a time when divorce was not spoken of in families. Recently, we were discussing the differences for those married 50-plus years. First, your spouse has to live long enough, but when I ask couples married that long for their secret, I hear commitment and “divorce was not an option.” I’m not suggesting there aren’t times when divorce happens due to others’ decisions, causing pain.
We’re talking about a cultural shift that ramped up after Ronald Reagan, as governor of California, signed no-fault divorce into law. You no longer needed a reason to divorce, and now you can file paperwork online with little time or money. Most adults born in 1940–1944 married early and stayed married longer. By contrast, only 30.3% of women and 20.3% of men born between 1990–1994 were married by age 25, compared to 79.6% of women and 65.3% of men half a century earlier.
We’ve stopped emphasizing the importance of family and lasting marriages. Today, men marry in their thirties, women in their late twenties. We’ve elevated career, education, and money, with many saying they can’t marry because they don’t have enough money. Those married a while know you never have “enough” money. Early days were often ramen noodles and hand-me-down dishes because cultural expectations were different. Young people today expect to graduate college, marry, and move into a five-bedroom house on acres, but reality often means starting in an apartment.
We’ve deemphasized family and overemphasized other markers, leading to attempts to redefine family.Cohabitation rates have increased significantly, with cohabiting individuals showing weaker workforce engagement and earnings. Trends suggest cohabitation will surpass marriage in the future. In one study, 62% of respondents said it’s morally acceptable to have children without marriage, 34% said it’s morally wrong, and 3% said it depends. This explains the rise in single-parent households, not always due to unwanted divorce but choices to leave.
My mother, an educator, said many special-needs children she worked with had family issues, not just learning difficulties. At a children’s home for violent or aggressive youth, we said many problems could be fixed by addressing parental issues. Trends point back to the family, and the family changed because of a moral shift in America, driven by abandoning God’s word.
The Consequences of Moral Shift
Statistics show a divorce every 30 seconds, often initiated by women due to lack of commitment, arguing, infidelity, marrying too young, unrealistic expectations, lack of equality, or inadequate preparation. Generations past married in their late teens, not understanding everything but believing divorce wasn’t an option because there was a bigger picture. It wasn’t that everything was perfect in the 1920s, ’30s, ’40s, or ’50s—many suffered silently, and marriages held together out of obligation. As the religious climate changed, so did the moral and family temperature. You need something to base consequential decisions on, not just for you and your children but for your children’s children.
The Opportunity for Change
We can look at society and say it’s miserable, or we can see this as a great opportunity because Jesus is the answer for our country. It’s not in the next election, where imperfect candidates make promises, do some things we like, and others we don’t. The answer lies with God’s people. It’s time to plant seeds outside church buildings, talking to neighbors, coworkers, and friends about why Jesus is the answer individually. In 1 Peter chapter 2, we’re called to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. We have an awesome opportunity to give a younger generation, hungering for stability, an answer.
A Call to the Great Commission
As you contemplate this lesson, I recognize I asked you to treat it like a seminar. The previous lessons were personal; this one is generic for us to consider. The challenge is: Are you living up to the Great Commission?
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” — Matthew 28:19-20
Knowing the state of our country and the tremendous opportunity ahead, how are you doing with the Great Commission?
Let me get personal: When was the last time you had a Bible study with someone? When was the last time you said at the grocery store, “Jesus is so awesome; can I tell you about Him?” When was the last time you lived differently, and someone noticed, and you said, “I’m so glad you said that. Do you have five minutes for me to tell you the difference Jesus has made in my life?”
How are you doing with the Great Commission? It’s easier to keep it generic, but tonight’s invitation is to reflect.
If you’re not a child of God, we invite you to confess Jesus as Lord, repent of your sins, and be immersed for the forgiveness of sins.
If you’re a Christian, contemplate: maybe come forward, and we’ll pray with you, or go home and consider where our country is and what the answer is. I propose it’s Jesus Christ.
If we can help you please contact us.
