How blessed we are! I'm sure this audience on Turkeyday (Thanksgiving Day), it has become Turkeyday for a lot of people, right? I'm sure it didn't go by you without thanking God that you live in this country. If I were a betting man, I would bet that everybody in here had some kind of thoughts along that line. How blessed we are to be in this wonderful country, to be able to congregate together on the Sabbath.

How long will those freedoms endure? When will it be that there will be a drought, a famine of God's word? "My country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing."

I also would bet if I were a betting man, that everybody in this audience and those on the web as well, are very much concerned that this sweet land of liberty is in big time trouble and we are seeing things that we've never experienced in our lifetime. Troubles unlike anything that we've seen so far, and it's so very disconcerting because nothing is stable anymore. We all are experiencing a continuing earthquake it seems. You know that feeling you get when you are walking along and you slip and that electric feeling then goes all over you. It is like continually having the rug pulled out from under you. Isn't that so?

I have often referenced something that has been happening in this country for a long time and it's increasingly apparent that it is happening and it really doesn't explain why things are happening the way that they are.

Turn with me in your Bibles over to Psalms 14. I wanted to go there because we all are so familiar with this and we're all in such complete agreement with it, I'm sure. It reads in verse 1, "The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God.""

Certainly we would all agree that only a fool would think that and say that, if it was actually true in one's heart to say that.

I want to point out to you that the manuscript actually says. "The fool has said in his heart, No God." The words there are italicized, they were added and I think correctly so by the translators to complete a thought, but the manuscript is specific. It just simply says, "The fool has said in his heart, No God."

As a nation, as a people, we have been saying "NO" to God in various ways. We say "NO" in academicians, we say "NO" in government, we say "NO" by virtue of the fact that we continue to abort millions of babies. That is a "NO" to God! That is a "NO" in His face, that is a fist in God's face. By saying "NO" to God by virtue of the fact that we have allowed politicians to redefine the God ordained concept of marriage, Gay marriage, that is another fist in God's face.

Why are the fortunes of America going so bad, because we are saying "NO" to God.

God has person. For a lot of people God is just an ethereal concept. They believe in God but God is not real to them, He's just a concept, but God has person just like we do. God has His own existential awareness of self, just like you and I do. He has a personality. God's word defines it for us and tells us about it. He has likes and dislikes. He can be insulted, and He can be offended. He can be angry and if we push Him away, because of His own sense of awareness and His own personal integrity of self, He is obliged to go. If we push Him away, if we push Him out of our institutions, out of our national life, He literally will go and as He goes, so goes the providential blessings that He has provided.

We are not just another nation on the block of nations. Now most of our politicians, at that point, for me saying that, would say, "That's a xenophobic statement! How dare you say something like that!" But we're not just another nation on the block of nations. We are unique, we are indeed a special nation, our nation was founded in the principles, the premises, the judgments and the commands of this Judeo-Christian Bible, by men who literally were thinking those thoughts, wrote those thoughts, said those thoughts, millions of their words survived them to prove what I just said, that this country was founded on their concepts of a Christian nation.

The providence of God, literally the coining of that phrase, comes from that era of time in North America, when people began to realize that God was doing something, and that this nation really is special. They brought us into existence because God is pragmatic (practical) and there are a huge number of prophecies in the Bible that literally require the presence of a United States of America in the time line of History, to set some of these prophecies up, for some of them to actually happen.

It isn't by chance that this nation came into existence. God brought us into existence to publish abroad the name of Jesus Christ and the simple salvific message of Jesus Christ and we have, incorrect theology notwithstanding. But even the most incorrect so-called Christian theology is a benefit and a plus to a world in darkness. Incorrect theology notwithstanding, the name of Jesus Christ and the concepts that this book teaches us about Him has value even when it is incorrectly preached. It has been a great benefit to the world.

The United States is unique in the annals of human History. The United States throughout our History has endeavored to take the gospel abroad and did you know that in today's world, almost 100% of missionary work, again incorrect theology notwithstanding, but almost 100% of missionary work is paid for by American money. It is America that still publishes abroad the word and the name of Jesus Christ.

God is pragmatic, this nation had to exist. The nation state of Israel could not exist right now, if it wasn't for the fact that America has been ensuring their security all these many years. It all fits together.

There's another reason why we're here, God keeps His word. He made a promise, He made a vow. Most people don't realize how significant that is. God made a special and very specific vow to Abraham, that literally would take away God's own personal integrity, if He didn't keep His word. God vowed that because of Abraham's faithfulness, he would be blessed, that His descendents would be blessed and there would be extravagant birthright promises. Promises that have to do with the Messiah and the bloodline but also promises of national greatness for God's pragmatic reasons, there had to be an America.

Right now America has become an impediment to the globalist movement on planet Earth, and the globalist movement right here in this country, and its winning. It is about to be on steroids on January 20th. if the election results that is apparent right now continues to be the same.

You know God didn't vote on November 3rd. America did. God is giving America what it wants.

A lot of people, maybe some of you in this audience, believe that in every instance and in every situation in every country throughout History, based upon what we are told in Daniel chapter 2, that God decides who will rule, who the kings are, who the presidents are, He puts them there and He knocks down. That's not so. That is not what Daniel two is about.

Daniel two is a specific situation where Daniel was telling Nebuchadnezzar, "You have your throne because God has allowed it." But don't construe that to mean that God micro manages in the affairs of men and nations. He does not and He never has, except on very rare occasions throughout the 6000 years of man's history and there has only been a handful of times when God actually intervened. There are lessons that have to be taught and His methodology is to let them learn.

The LORD says, "They won't listen to Me, I have already given them the words which they won't hear, so let them stub their toes and fall on their faces and run into the walls and experience the friction of life and the disappointments and then they'll learn."

This is called tough love. We as a nation have begun to experience tough love.

Turn with me in your Bibles, if you would, over to the book of Hosea, chapter 4 and verse 1, "Hear the word of the Eternal you children of Israel, for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land."

Sometimes even in God's word, it's understated, a controversy, to say the least. God has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.

"Because there is no truth, no mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land."

There is an incorrect knowledge of God in the land, and an authentic knowledge of God in the land is not here.

Verse 2, "By swearing and lying and killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break out."

The phrase "breakout" in the Hebrew is "parats" and it literally means "a breakdown of civility," it literally translates as a breakdown of law and order. There is a breakdown of civility and law and order and as a result, "blood touches blood," to finish the verse.

Verse 3, "Therefore shall the land mourn." The land shall (Hebrew) 'abal' lament. It is prophesied to happen. "And everyone that dwells therein shall languish," everyone shall (Hebrew) 'amal' which means to wail in grief. "with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away."

There are environmental disasters that are happening even now. Those millions of acres that have burned up and the consequence that it will have is not yet felt.

Verse 4, "Yet let no man strive nor reprove another for your people are as they that strive with the priests."

That is a kind of a clumsy translation, it means don't strive, don't struggle, don't place blame, there's enough blame to go around. from the pulpits, from the statehouse, to the White House, to the man and woman on the street, there's enough blame to go around.

Verse 5, "Therefore they shall fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall within the night, and I will destroy your mother." "I will destroy the land of your nativity" is another legitimate translation of those words.

"My country tis of thee."

Then this verse of Scripture that I was actually working towards here, Hosea 4 verse 6, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."

Now you can think about that in so many ways, certainly knowledge from God, but did you know that just a few decades ago the United States was number one, head and shoulders above every other nation in science, math, you name it. The United States was at the top of the list in academicia, now we are at the bottom. We are 37th. in math and science among the nations. There are children going to school in Jamaica in one room dirt floor schools who can conjugate a verb and know what an infinitive is. Can anybody in this audience do it? I just made my point, didn't I?

Did you know that the eighth grade graduation test required to graduate from the eighth grade in the United States of America, to be able to go onto high school in the year 1900, today's PhD's for the most part can't pass that test. I tried to take it some years ago and I failed it.

Now we've been dumbing ourselves down. We throw money at it. We spend more money on education than anybody else but our results speaks for itself.

This word 'destroyed' in Hosea 4 and verse 6, in the phrase "my people are destroyed, is (Hebrew) 'damah' literally means and can be used contextually to mean, "to be made dumb, to be made silent, to be brought down, to fail, to perish, to be stupid, to be destroyed." All of those ways that phrase can be used.

"My people are destroyed," the verb action literally and properly reads "My people are being destroyed for lack of knowledge."

They are not learning "because you have rejected knowledge," that takes us right back up to verse one, "there is no mercy, there is no truth, there is no knowledge of God in the land."

Continuing in verse 6, "Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you shall be no priest to me."

Israel came into existence to be a priest to the rest of the world. Israel came into existence because God cares about all the Gentile nations. Israel's specific reason for existence was to be a light to the rest of the world, to teach the rest of the world how to eat, what to eat, what not to eat, how to wash one's body, how to eliminate our own human waste, who God is and who we are. Israel was to be the light. Israel is God's paradigm for teaching to the rest of the world. It was and it still is and it always shall be.

Israel is a concept and the United States is the furtherance of that concept. We exist for the same reason. Israel did not live up to God's expectation for them, so God rejected them, so that they would no longer be a priest and a light to the rest of the world.

Continuing in verse 6 of Hosea 4, "Seeing you have forgotten the law of God, I will also forget your children, your descendents, {7} As they were increased, in numbers and prosperity, so they sinned against Me, therefore I will change their glory into shame."

As I read these Old Testament Scriptures in Hosea here, does it resonate with you as it does with me, how it parallels the United States? How it parallels life in this country? Am I identifying with our own people in our own situation as I read these ancient words?

Turn with me in your Bibles, if you would, over to the book of Isaiah, chapter 59, and I will read several of these verses here, because they speak to us.

Beginning in verse 1, "Behold the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear."

God is sovereign, he can hear, He can see, but we are special.

Verse 2, "But your iniquities have separated you from your God and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear. {3} For your hands are defiled with blood, your fingers with iniquity, your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perverseness."

You have murdered 60 million babies!!!

Verse 4, "None calls for justice, none pleads for truth, they trust in vanity and speak lies, they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity."

In the Senate and in the House!

Verse 5, "They hatch cockatrice' eggs and weave spider's webs, and he that eats of their eggs dies, and that which is crushed breaks out into a viper."

Snakes come out of their schemes.

Verse 6, "Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works, their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. {7} Their feet run to evil, they make haste to shed innocent blood, their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, wasting and destruction are in their paths."

I don't want to overstate this, but am I describing our own politicians that rules us?

Verse 8, "The way of peace they know not, and there is no judgment in their goings, they made them crooked paths, whosoever goes therein shall not know peace. {9} Therefore is judgment far from us, neither that justice overtake us, we wait for light but behold obscurity, for brightness, but we walk in darkness."

Yes, as we push God away, the light goes and it gets dark. Yes, judgment goes, wisdom goes, entrepreneurial talents go, engineering talents go, military strength diminishes, everything goes.

Verse 10, "We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes, we stumble at noonday as in the night, we are in desolate places as dead men. {11} We roar all like bears, and we mourn sore like doves, we look for judgment, but there is none, for salvation, but it's far from us. {12} For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us, for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know them."

We do indeed know them.

Verse 13, "In transgressing and lying against the Eternal, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood."

Every time a politician opens His mouth.

"Judgment" {14} "is turned away backward, and justice stands afar off for truth is fallen in the street, and equity and justice cannot enter. {15} Truth fails, and he that departs from evil makes Himself a prey, makes Himself a target. {16} I wonder that there was no intercessor and there is none."

Turn with me if you would in your Bibles over to the book of Lamentations. I want to read something in the book of Lamentations. Lamentations immediately follows Jeremiah. I have paraphrased what I want to share with you. Is this something that is in our future? Is heartache and sorrow and tears over what happens to this country in our future?

My heart is breaking now for what's happening in my country. Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations as a result of the disaster that had happened in Israel, specifically to Jerusalem. So I'm going to interject some of my own words here in Lamentations chapter 1.

"How solitary and deserted America has become. Her streets are empty, once soulful people now they lie silent, like a widow, America mourns with grief. She who is the queen of nations and all of the world is now alone. She is in servitude, as a slave. {2} She weeps bitterly in the night, tears run down her cheeks and out of all of her lovers there is none to comfort her, there is none to help her. Her friends have betrayed her and have now become her enemies. {3} She's gone into exile from her domain, afflicted with harsh labor, she's far away from finding peace with no comfort. She dwells alone now, among the nations."

Is that in our future? Well it doesn't have to be.

Turn with me in your Bibles over the second Chronicles, I bet some of you know where I am going. Chapter 7 and verse 14, "If My People, which are called by my name."

Let me pause right there. Who are the people known by His name, in all the world today, who are the people known by His name? It is us, God’s Church!

"If My People which are called by My Name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My Face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

In spite of your sins, in spite of your wickedness, "If you will seek My Face, if you will turn from your evil ways, I will forgive you and I will heal you your land." Jacob has lessons to learn. America has lessons to learn.

You know from the garden of Eden to the present time human nature remains constant and hasn't changed, and when you look at the record, Israel's nature as a nation remains unchanged. It is still the same. We can go back and check the record and parallel it with American life today, we are a stiff-necked rebellious people and so the lessons will be learned the same way, but when the lessons have finally been learned, God will redeem us.

I submit to you that the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom must include second Chronicles chapter 7 and verse 14. Repentance is critical and essential for God to forgive and heal our land.

Turn with me in your Bibles over to first Corinthians and chapter 10. I want to reference the fact that History is repeating, the History of Israel is repeating and when we understand that we are indeed Israel, we are Jacob.

In chapter 10 verse 1, "Moreover, brethren, I would not that you should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, {2} And all were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and the sea. {3} And we all did eat the same spiritual meat, {4} And all did drink the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ."

The same Christ that has followed this country, and sustained this country through our many baptisms of life and trouble and wars.

Verse 5, "But with many of them God was not well pleased for they were overthrown in the wilderness. {6} Now these things were examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted."

In other words, learn the lesson.

"Neither" {7} "be you idolaters, as were some of them, as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." {8} Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day 320 thousand. {9} Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents. {10} Neither murmur you, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer."

Now this is what I was working toward.

Verse 11, "Now all of these things happened, all of this that is recorded, it all happened unto them for examples, and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come, {12} Wherefore, or consequently, let Him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. {13} There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able."

No matter what's coming down the road, I can do all things through Christ and so can you. He will not put anything on us that we can deal with.

Continuing in verse 13, "But will with the temptation He will make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it, {14} Wherefore, consequently, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. {15} I speak as to wise men, judge what I say, {16} The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? {17} For we being many are one bread, and one body, for we are all partakers of that one bread."

We are all in it together in that one bread of God's church.

Turn with me to Acts chapter 3. In light of John's sermon. In light of what I have shared with you today. In light of the realities of this day and age in which we live, the disappointments that perhaps many of us are experiencing right now because we are not thrilled.

Was anybody here thrilled with the election? You have to admit though that it's pretty miraculous that entire graveyards managed to vote. Maybe God is interfering?

Here in Acts chapter 3, In light of all this, what should we as brothers and sisters in Christ, as one bread in Christ, what should we be doing? {19}, "Repent you therefore, and be converted."

Does anybody here need to repent of anything? I am not getting much response! Does anybody here need to repent of anything? So you're not perfect? Do you still sin? Are you sinners saved by the grace of God? Is that what I'm preaching to? But those words could be misleading, we still need to repent, don't we?

I'm an unfinished possibility, just as you are.

"Repent" {19} "and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."

From the beginning of God's plan to the end of it, it's real messy in there, but God's Son is going to return.

"The times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord, {20} And He shall send Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you, {21} Whom the heaven must receive, it has indeed received Him, until the times of restitution of all things."

This includes God's paradigm (an example or pattern of something) for Israel and His paradigm for us. We will exist in alignment with God's paradigm for us or we will not exist as a free and sovereign nation and if it has to be tough love, it will be!

But, we are intercessors aren't we? Are we intercessors? Is a Christian an intercessor? When do you most specifically look like Jesus Christ in the sight of God your Father? When you're on your knees and intercessing for someone else. For all those sick people, for all those people who need prayers, for the intercession required of us for each other. We are intercessors!

Are you intercessing for America? Are you praying for America? Have you shed any tears for America? If you haven't, WHY NOT? If you haven't been on your knees, feeling deep emotion, for what's happening in this country, don't tell me about it! Because I will be upset with you.

Acts 3 verse 20, "Jesus Christ shall return, which was preached to you, {21} Whom the heavens must receive until the restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all of His holy prophets since the world began."

Turn with me over to first Timothy, chapter 2 and verse 1, "I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, {2] For kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. {3} For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, {4} Who will help all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth. {5} For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, {6} Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."

And in due time, brethren, the paramount will of God, the irrepressible, irresistible and mutable will of God will come to pass and we will move with it or it will roll over us. God be with you.

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This article was transcribed with minor editing from a Sermon given by

Wayne Hendrix titled: Intercessory Prayer for Jacob

November 2020 #2067

Transcribed by: bb 1/21/21

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