America's Santa Claus God — E.A. Johnston

America's Spiritual Decline and the Need for Repentance

I have a very solemn message for us today, friends. America and other nations sit on the brink of destruction through their multiplied sins and aggravations against a thrice holy God. America used to be a nation that maintained a fear of God in the land and looked to God for guidance.

God sent America great revivals and spiritual awakenings that blessed this country from coast to coast. It raised up faithful preachers who instructed men of their duty of repentance and their utter necessity of regeneration.

These old-time preachers pulled no punches. They called sin black and hell hot, and they warned folks of a future judgment that awaits all mankind. They were men full of the Holy Ghost, and they lived holy lives as they served God in third generation.

Religious Leaders Removed Before Judgment

The grandfather of Jonathan Edwards, Solomon Stoddard, observed regarding the passages of Scripture where Moses dies and Joshua dies, and he commented, There should be great concern to a nation when God removes its religious leaders without replacing them, for it often means that God is clearing the land for judgment.

And I look around today, friends, at the sad spiritual declension in the church and the terrible apostasy within our denominations, and how the government has become a promoter of evil and the overseer of slaughters of millions of innocent babies.

And I hang my head in shame to weep over the sins of the land. And it reminds me of over 10 years ago, I preached a sermon called America, Revival or Ruin. And I fear we're facing closer to ruin than anything else unless we have a heartfelt repentance and a turning of this nation back to the God of the Bible, because we've traded the God of the Bible for a Santa Claus God today.

The False Santa Claus God

Many believe in a Santa Claus God who won't punish sin, and that's the fairytale God most folks in this country believe in today. They believe in a God who exists to make them only happy. He's just a big, jolly Santa Claus who's become more tolerant towards sin.

Israel's Fall in 2 Kings 17

If you will, turn in your Bibles, friends, to the book of 2 Kings. We will be in chapter 17, beginning in verse 6. And in this striking passage of Scripture, we find God's dealings with his backsliding people as the northern kingdom of Israel falls to Assyria, who leads the inhabitants away captive.

It's a terrible loss to the people of God, for they lose their homes, their wealth, their freedom, as they become enslaved to their enemies. But there is a message within the message of our passage today, friends.

There are within our text reasons listed for Samaria's fall and exile. It is God who is punishing them for their multiplied sins against him. And he uses Israel's enemy as the errand boy to deliver the punishment, kind of like God did during 9 -11, where we all went back to sleep and turned our backs on him as a nation, as never before, by legalizing sin and legislating God right out of this country.

I'm going to read our passage from 2 Kings chapter 17, and I want you to pay attention, friends, to God's dealings with his wayward people. I think we can learn something from it. Here now is the word of God, and may the Spirit of the Lord attend the reading of his holy word.

In the ninth year of Hosea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Hala and in Habor, by the river Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, and walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel, which they had made.

And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God. And they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fence city, and they set them up, images and groves, and every high hill, and under every green tree, and there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the Lord carried away before them, and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger.

For they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. Yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah, by all the prophets and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.

Notwithstanding, they would not hear, but hardened their necks like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God. And they rejected his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them, and they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do like them.

And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the hosts of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.

Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight. There was none left but the tribe of Judah only. I will stop there, friends. Notice, here in our passage today, we find a list of sins that God mentions as the reasons for Samaria's fall and exile.

Thirteen Sins Behind Samaria's Exile

It's a dirty laundry list of iniquities and abominations, both secret and open, of provoking sins against a holy God. There are 13 of them, and I will list them for us, friends, one by one, so we will have a better understanding of how a sovereign God deals with sinful man.

Here now are those 13 reasons for Samaria's fall and exile. Number one, they walked falsely. Notice in verse 8,. And they walked in the statutes of the heathen. They were no longer walking with God. In Amos 3 .3, we read,.

Secret Sin and Idolatry

Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Well, the answer is no, friends. Number two, secret sins. Notice verse 9, which states,. And the children of Israel did secretly those things which were not right against the Lord their God.

The third reason for Samaria's fall and exile was the worship of idols. In verse 12, we read,. For they served idols whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. Number four, they served false gods.

Look at verse 16,. And made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped. The fifth reason which brought God's judgment upon them was this, friends,. Presumptuous, provoking sins.

Rejecting God's Prophets and Warnings

Look at verse 11,. And wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger. Number six, disobedience to God. In verse 16, we read,. And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God. Number seven, they despised God's prophets.

We see this in verse 13,. Yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah by all the prophets. Number eight, they refused to heed God's warnings. Verse 14 declares,. Notwithstanding, they would not hear.

Unbelief and Rejection of God's Word

Number nine, their unbelief. And in verse 14,. But hardened their necks like to the neck of their fathers, That did not believe in the Lord their God. Number 10, they rejected God's word. Look at verse 15,.

Conformity, Vanity, and Occult Practices

And they rejected His statutes and His covenant. Number 11, they conformed to the pagan society in which they lived. Verse 11 declares,. They burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen. Number 12, they departed from God.

In verse 15, we read,. They followed vanity and became vain. And lastly, the 13th reason, God brought judgment upon them was this, friends,. They went to the devil. This is clearly seen in verse 17. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire And used divination and enchantments And sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord To provoke Him to anger.

Thomas Brooks and the Judgment of London

A similar document to this biblical passage Is found in a sermon by the Puritan Thomas Brooks Who in 1666 made a declaration to the mayor of London That's 277 pages long And it's called London's Lamentation On the late fiery dispensation That turned our once renowned city Into a ruinous heap of ashes.

The London fire of 1666 was so terrible It literally burned the city walls. In fact, when I was in London years ago I visited part of the ancient city walls And I could still see the charred marks on that ancient stone.

And in Thomas Brooks' discourse He lists 13 reasons why He believed God sent that fire to London To burn it up as a judgment Further multiplied sins. Just like those 13 reasons from our passage today, friends.

He had 13 reasons why God punished London. Let me take this time now, friend, to read you these reasons. Brooks said God burned up the city of London in 1666 Because of them. And I want you to take note I want you to notice any similarities Between that time in London In our day, in present day America Number one, atheism.

There was open defiance of God. Two, luxury and intemperance. Public drunkenness was so prevalent in London at the time That members of parliament would go to work dead drunk. Thomas Brooks said that widespread intemperance Was a God-destroying, God-provoking, soul-damning And land-destroying sin.

Three, greed and covetousness. That people were consumed with greed and material things. Four, their incorrigibleness and unreformness Underwasting and destroying judgment. Here, Brooks makes reference to the great plague of 1665 And the loss of life from it And the people's refusal to learn from it.

Five, oppressing the poor. This was a great God-provoking sin. Six, rejecting the gospel. Seven, lying, telling lies Was commonplace throughout society. Eight, a great judgment of fire Was brought upon the city of London For they had given themselves over to fornication and sodomy.

There are numerous records of promiscuous homosexuality in 17th century England Documented by plays, poetry, and prose of the times. Nine, profane in the Sabbath. Ten, wickedness and lewdness of the clergy.

The priests have polluted the sanctuary. Eleven, sins of princes and rulers. Twelve, despising, abusing, and mocking the messengers of the Lord. And lastly, thirteen, shedding the blood of the just. Those, friends, were the striking reasons Given for the London fire by Thomas Brooks.

Applying London's Warnings to America

And I want you, friends, to take some time now To reflect on our own nation and what has transpired in it Over the last two decades. I don't know about you, friend, but I grew up in the 1950s And I've never, ever seen such a time as this In this country, where there's so many Natural calamities and disasters Befalling our nation from one end of the continent to the other From fires to floods to earthquakes and volcanoes Tornadoes and violent storms, plagues and pestilence One right on the heels of another What looks like a page taken right out of the Old Testament.

And where is the church in all of this? She refuses to preach sermons On the remedial judgments of God on a nation Because she mainly believes in a Santa Claus God Who is only love, mercy, and tolerance.

A Call to National Repentance

In America right now, we sit on the very brink of annihilation For a multitude of sins against a holy God In a rejection of His Word and His Son, Christ Jesus. You can take those 13 reasons why God burned up London friends in 1666.

And apply them to America right now. Right now, we have changed our God for no gods. We've legalized sin, we've legislated God And prayer right out of our society. We call evil good and good evil. And if we don't turn back to the God of the Bible We will be destroyed as surely as the sun comes up tomorrow.

America's Mission and Moral Decline

America has always influenced the world for good. With revivals, spiritual awakenings, missionary enterprise Bible distribution, the spread of the Gospel. But now, sadly, shamefully, we as a country Are a purveyor and promoter of perversion and debauchery Throughout the world.

Final Warning to Return to God

Why would a righteous holy God Not bring the curtain down on our wicked civilization Like He did in the days of Noah And in the days of Lot You better review your life friend. You better get rid of the wrong God you've been serving.

Get rid of that Santa Claus God. And get right with the right God of the Bible. Before it's too late.