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"Crumbling Foundations"
There is a passage of scripture I would like to call to your attention — one that has been read and another that I will refer to now. In the 11th Psalm, there is a question, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

Now when this particular passage of scripture was written, and even during my days as a child, the whole idea that the foundations would be destroyed was far-flung. For this passage of scripture coming out of the Old Testament and particularly in the Jewish community where the foundations, such as the home, the family, and stable community were so important not only to their religious life but to their existence as people. To suggest to them that there would come a time when the foundations would be destroyed did not make sense at all.

In my own life out in the rural part of Texas is a little place called Seguin, Texas, which is not hard to locate. It’s nine miles from Geronimo and three miles from Kingsbury, and two miles from McQueeney, and maybe thirty miles from San Antonio. To suggest that man would busy himself destroying the foundations would not have made sense.

I came out of a community, now classified as a poor community, where I was reared in a log cabin, fed on rabbits and possum, squirrels, peanuts and hickory nuts. But I came out of a very strong community, a very stout-hearted community, a community of love and compassion, a community where we shared one with another, and where we gave each other the kind of support it takes to make a society strong.

And in those days, if you had talked about the fact that there would come a time when the foundations would be destroyed — where the schools that were taught then by not only educated but godly people — where they
took very seriously all parts of the marriage ceremony, including that part that says, “Till death do us part” — where their children were taught to honor their parents and to obey their parents or suffer hurtful consequences — in those days, if you suggested that these foundations would be destroyed, you would have been ridiculed! It was a far-flung idea. But yet, you and I, and those who are listening to me right now, we have actually lived long enough where we don’t have to read the scripture anymore in that light. We don't have to say, “If the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” because you and I now live in a community, in a city, in a town, in a nation where the foundations are being destroyed. We live in a world where almost laid waste are the things that made us great as a people, great as a nation, great as a city. The foundations are being destroyed, and you can number them off.

You can talk about our schools. You can talk about our homes. You can talk about the ravageness of violence in our community up and down our streets where we no more have the opportunity to walk leisurely down the street and shop, and say “hello”, and be at peace with one another because the foundations are destroyed. We are living in an age of crumbling foundations. Every time you pick up a newspaper; every time you turn on television; there is some kind of international organization designed to destroy the foundations.

I always believed that I lived in an age of sin, and of wickedness, and whatever, but I never thought it would get organized in such international proportions. I never thought that we would live to see the day that sin would have national organizations with lobbyists and everybody else promulgating and promoting unrighteousness, ungodliness, unscriptural living — and they call it the alternative lifestyle, whatever kind of names they’re coming up with for sin now. I never thought I’d see the day that they would all have national organizations with great big budgets and lobbyists, campaigning and putting people in office, who go in office campaigning on sin. So we are now living in a day where the foundations are being destroyed. We no longer have even the appreciation for goodness and righteousness.

So now I decided to come by and discuss with you — what are we going to do in the light of the fact that the foundations are being destroyed, in the light of the fact that wrong is reigning, in the light of the fact that wickedness is walking unbridled down the streets of Chicago, and righteousness is looked down upon and wickedness is held up, even with large headlines in the papers as if it was something to obtain.

What are you going to do in a world where people who have six or seven divorces are nominated as men and women of the year? What are you going to do about this kind of society?

Well, there are three or four things that I’d like to share with you. I know of no other way to make it in an age where the foundations are being destroyed if we don’t pay attention to these things. If we don’t pay attention to these things, then this crumbling age and the foundations that are falling, will fall on us.

I believe it is in II Peter 1:10 that we find the most vital thing that is to happen, and that is where he says, “make your calling and election sure.” I plead with you out of the depths of my heart if there is any question about your personal relationship with Jesus Christ, if there is any question in your heart about where you stand with God, if you have any doubts whatsoever of being saved, I would like for you to make that sure tonight. If you have any question as to whether or not you die tonight and wake up in heaven minutes later, I think you ought to make your calling and election sure. Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Place as your top priority your relationship with God through Jesus Christ, so that you can say, regardless of what happens to this world, regardless of this crumbling world and these crumbling foundations, “I know, I know that I am saved.” That’s priority #1. I for one am doing all I can to help the community, help the nation, help the world. I am doing all I can to fight pornography, to fight abortion, to fight wickedness in high places. But the first thing that I’m doing and the thing I know above everything else, I thank God I know I’m saved. I didn’t say I was perfect. I said, “I’m saved.” I didn’t say I was perfect. I said, “I’m covered; I’m insured; and I’m assured.”

Well, there’s another thing that saved people ought to do, and I now move to the scripture that was read (Ephesians 6:10-17). Saved people in an age like this had better put on all of God’s armor. Saved people in a world like this, you can’t live in Chicago and the surrounding states and wherever this message is heard you can’t live as a child of God without putting on all of God’s armor. Because I want to tell you something: the devil that we are dealing with is for real whether or not you are for real at all. You might be playing, but he is not playing. You might not be for real, but the devil is for real. And there is a devil, he is real and he is out to destroy everybody and everything, to knock down all of the foundations. Behind every radical thought to destroy the homelife, behind every effort to destroy husband and wife, man and woman, father and child, mother and child, is the devil himself. And this passage of scripture here in the book of Ephesians says: Put on the whole armor of God. Put on the helmet of salvation. Get your breastplate of righteousness. Gird yourself with truth. Take up the sword of the spirit. Get everything that God has for you to battle in an age in which we live.

Sunday morning at eleven o’clock for one hour won’t do it. An occasional Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, won’t do it. An occasional religious thought won’t do it. You’ve got to put on the whole armor of God and I beg of you, there is no way (as a student in high school, as a student in college, as a laborer on a job, as a teacher, as a businessman) there is no way for you to cope with the devil unless you have on the whole armor of Jesus Christ.

So, #1 — make your calling and election sure. Make sure you’re sure you've been born again. My mama used to give that testimony in church when she was testifying. She used to get up in church and say, “Children, let me tell you something. I know, I know I have been born again.”

I beg of you — don’t make it just an intellectual gymnastic discussion. Don’t make it a matter of guesswork. Make sure you’re sure you have Jesus Christ as your personal savior. I don’t mean to suggest it is difficult. I don’t mean to suggest it is hard. But I do mean that you want to be certain and then put on the whole armor of Jesus Christ.

But there’s a third thing: Put on the whole armor of Jesus Christ so as we wrestle (not against flesh and blood) but against the devil himself, put on the whole armor of Jesus Christ — for what? Too many people unfortunately put on the whole armor of Jesus Christ to go to bed. Too many people who know they know they are saved and have on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, their loins girded about with truth, and are prepared to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, are doing nothing. Dressed up and doing nothing. Dressed up a member of the first church — member of this — member of that — and doing nothing.

In this age of crumbling foundations, in this age where there is a deliberate, consistent and persistent attempt on the part of the devil to destroy everything that is of God and of good, put on the whole armor of Jesus Christ and report to duty.

In an age like this all leaves are cancelled. In an age like this for every child of God, all furloughs are over with. In an age like this everybody who knows God must report for duty. Right here in Chicago there are gangs that must be dealt with, and we must present the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. You cannot build jails large enough to contain all of those who would be arrested. There are drug addicts that must be reached for Jesus Christ. There are pimps that must be reached for Jesus Christ. There are prostitutes that must be reached for Jesus Christ. There are down-and-outs and up-and-outs. There are politicians. There are millionaires, There are businessmen. But they cannot be reached for Christ unless we who know Christ and have on the armor of Christ will report for duty. Report for duty. Report for duty. Put on that whole armor of Jesus Christ and report for duty.

I’m preaching to somebody right now who knows Jesus Christ as his personal savior. I’m preaching to somebody who could teach a Sunday School class, who could help on skid row missions, who could help feed the poor, who could help us tutor the unlearned and the untaught children. And you are there in your comfortable living room. You may be in suburbia. You may be downtown on the Gold Coast. I don’t know where you are, but God did not save you to do nothing. God saves nobody to sit down. To everybody God saves, he says, “Into my vineyard.”

So in these days when the foundations are being destroyed and the foundations are crumbling, and it looks as though there is no possibility for us to make it as a people and as a race, and even our nation is being threatened as a nation, I beg of you to make your calling and your election sure. I beg of you to put on the whole armor, and I beg of you in the name of the Lord Jesus — report for duty.

There are enough saved people in Chicago that if they get to one sinner apiece, we could win all Chicago. There are enough people who know the Lord that if they ever reported for duty, we could run the devil out of this town. There are enough of us with different expertise and experiences, that if we make it available to Jesus Christ and to what he is trying to do in the world today, the devil would have to take a flight.

But all that is another thing. Not only must we make our calling and election sure, not only must we put on the whole armor of Jesus Christ, not only must we report for duty, but I come with my final one — you remember when Jairus went to Jesus, he spoke of his child being healed onto death. You will recall that for some reason in the book of Mark, Jesus kept doing several other things. Then as it appeared that Jesus was turning his attention in going toward the home of this official of the synagogue, a runner came to him and said, “Don’t bother the master anymore. Your daughter is dead.”

You remember what Jesus said to him in this crisis. Jesus said, “Keep on believing. Keep on believing.” And I really believe that is what God would really have me say in my final words. You and I live in an age and at a time of crumbling foundations. We are being bombarded by so many “isms” that ought to become “wasms” until I don’t even know how to explain it. Every morning somebody is coming up with some new kind of frustration for the church. Every morning somebody is coming up with a new idea of what the church ought to be like, and what the church ought to do, and what the word of God ought to be like, and what Jesus ought to be like. Every day we are faced with discouraging moments and everybody is always finding some bone hid somewhere to refute the word of God.

I want to appeal to you to not only make your calling and election sure, not only put on the whole armor of God — but child of God, keep on believing. Don’t you give up on God. Don’t you give out on God. God can be trusted. This is not the first frustrated, fearful age we have had. Our God can be trusted. And Jesus said to this man, “I don’t care about the reports of the death of your daughter, man, keep on believing.”

As I stand here preaching today, I know the frustrations, I know the fears, I know the doubts. But I tell you — keep on believing. And I’m glad to tell you tonight that I still believe. I’ve heard all the arguments — I’ve visited the professors and all those kinds of people. I’ve heard it all. I’ve heard them say that Jesus was not born of a virgin, but I still believe it. I still believe he was sinless. I still know he was the Son of God. I still know he died for my sins. I still know that he arose for my justification. I still have faith that he is coming back again. And although the foundations are falling and crumbling all around, I still believe that he is coming back again. Keep on believing. Though dark the day — keep on believing.

So in this age of falling foundations, in this age where sometimes we know not which way to turn, make your calling and election sure, put on the whole armor of Jesus Christ, report for duty, and keep on believing. God bless you.     

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