El liderazgo para la justicia social en la educación como tema de interés reciente

Now there, three things I want you to see today as we look in our text in Proverbs chapter fourteen and verse thirty four: “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” And the very first thing I want you to see is that righteousness which is the exaltation of a nation. The exaltation of a nation—“Righteousness exalteth a nation.” Learn this, that righteousness and liberty are inextricably interwoven. You cannot separate righteousness and liberty. You see what God hath married let no man put asunder. The reason that we are in danger of losing our liberties is we are losing our righteousness.

Now what is righteousness? Righteousness is responsibility assumed and the more responsibility that you assume the more liberty you have.

For example, a little baby doesn’t assume any responsibilities. He doesn’t have to go out and earn a living; he doesn’t have to mow the grass; he doesn’t have to do the laundry; and he doesn’t have to do the grocery shopping. The little baby assumes no responsibilities. He’s fed and bathed and carried from this place to that place. He doesn’t make choices about anything. He doesn’t have any liberties either because he assumes no responsibilities. But that child continues to grow and after awhile, he can learn how to clean up his own room; after awhile, to carry out the trash; after awhile, to do the dishes;

after awhile, to cut the grass, after awhile, to come and go on time, and parents watch their child assume more and more responsibilities. And as that happens, the child is given more and more liberties. After awhile, he can walk to school by himself or herself.

Then comes that day, “Daddy, can I use the car?” Well, you’ve been, you’ve shown to be a responsible child and you give, to this teenager, the keys to that automobile which in today’s age is the symbol of almost total liberty. I’ve got the car now; Momma’s not driving me anymore. I can go where I want and wish within the rules that my mom and dad have set down for me—because I have shown myself to be a responsible

person.

Now learn this about government, and this is taught in the Word of God. The more responsibility we assume—that’s righteousness—the more liberty we’re given. The less responsibility we are willing to assume, the less liberty we will have. We have more or less liberty therefore according to our character or according to our righteousness.

When we lose responsibility, at the same time, or when we abuse responsibility, we lose liberty, and when there is demise in character there’s always a growth in government.

Did that sink in? When there is demise in character, there’s always a growth in government. You cannot be irresponsible as an individual or as a society and, at the same time, expect to remain free.

Now, our government, our Constitution began with a dependence upon Almighty God and the Constitution was written by people of character for people of character and it will work for no other people. If we lose our character in the United States, our

Constitution will not work. We’ll be shooting frozen chickens. It wasn’t made for that kind of society.

You see, this nation was born in the white heat of revival. From 1740 to 1770, Jonathan Edwards and George Woodby were preaching and America was aflame with revival. And other preachers were preaching up and down the seaboard of America and as a result, churches were built, institutions were formed, and character was placed in the heart and mind of the bosom of our founding fathers. Study the writings of our founding fathers and you will see that they were tincture and dyed and embodied with a great belief in God; in the Judeo-Christian ethic. And out of that; out of the fires of that revival; out of that character came the Constitution of the United States. And to our founding fathers, they believed in self-reliance; they believed in responsible lives; they believed in righteousness and therefore; they believed that the best government was the smallest government. The smaller government was the better; they believed it would be. And so our founding fathers formed a republic, “We pledge allegiance to the republic for which it stands”, which is a government of law with representative leadership and these representatives represent us. But they govern only with the consent of the governed. And it will not work, listen folks, it will not work apart from character.

“Righteousness exalteth a nation.” You say, "Well, what do you know about it, you’re a Baptist preacher." What do you know about civics? What do you know about

government? Well let me tell you what someone who did know said about it. His name was James Madison he was the architect of the federal Constitution; the fourth

President of the United States of America. Let me give you a direct quote form James Madison. We have a Madison Avenue here in Memphis, Tennessee. Let me give you a quote from James Madison, he said, “We have staked the whole future of American civilization not on the power of government. Far from it. We have staked the future on

the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.” That’s what Madison said; he said we staked

everything on this.

What he is saying is this; it’s not that government is going to do it. We must govern ourselves; there must be this inward character. And what was the basis of that

character? Not morality by majority but the Ten Commandments of God. That’s why I’ve just preached a series on the Ten Commandments of God. Which Ten Commandments our leadership in this nation must come down from the classrooms in America, because if they were to see those Ten Commandments they might begin to venerate them and obey them. So, the Ten Commandments are out, and x-rated humanistic literature is in.

But Madison said we have staked the whole future upon the ability of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God. What Madison, the architect of the Constitution, was saying it will not work, it will not work, unless you use it the way it was intended to be used. Don’t fire frozen chickens; that’s not the way we built this cannon. We built it; it was made for people of character by people of character and it will work no other way.

What is liberty? Liberty is responsibility assumed. Liberty is responsibility assumed.

License is not assuming responsibility; it is doing your thing. Now we think that we can have license and have freedom, but we cannot. Liberty is responsibility assumed. And real liberty therefore always comes from within. You have to take the policeman off the street corner and put him in our heart. The less God rules in your heart the more control your gonna have from without.

Now, let’s go back to the little baby that we were talking about. He has no

responsibilities, but he has no liberty. As he grows more and more, he gets more and more responsible; he’s given more and more liberty. But let’s say he gets to be an adult and as an adult he ceases to act responsible and becomes a criminal. Then what happens? He’s put in jail. He has no character; therefore his liberties are taken away.

Now, he has no responsibilities; he doesn’t have to turn out the lights. He has no

liberties; he can’t unlock the door. Because when he ceases to act responsibly, then his liberty diminishes. It follows as night follows day.

The difference between slavery and freedom is this…where are the laws—in

slavery, the laws are from the outside and we’ll make you do this; in liberty, the law is in the heart. It is righteousness that exalteth a nation. Now, when our founding fathers understood this…with a firm reliance upon divine providence, we’ll build this nation. And we’ve built a Constitution, as Madison says, that will not work apart from each of us governing ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God. When we believed this; when we came as a nation out of the womb of a revival, what happened? Well friend, we had an industrial revolution and great wealth was produced. Why is that?

Because Americans are bigger, better, brighter, smarter? No, we’re human; Homo sapiens like other people on the face of the earth. Why is it? Are there more minerals in our soil? Does it rain more on America? No, other nations are beautiful to travel to and see. What makes America different? God has blessed America. God has blessed America. That’s what makes America different. We have been the recipients of the beneficent blessings of Almighty God and God gave us wealth and God gave us military strength. Protect us by thy might, great God our King. But today the scream of the American eagle has become the twitter of a frightened sparrow.

Our military is in a shambles, I’m told. No, we have the technology but do we have the will? Do we have the manpower? We have let people tell us, today, we need to put women in the front lines in combat. And the people say, “Yes, we’ve got to do that, it’s the only reasonable thing to do.” Did you know in the Bible, when God spoke of his judgment upon a nation, do you know what God said? God said, “I will make their solders like women.” That was God’s judgment. God said I will judge them; I’ll make their solders like women. Women are not made for combat in the front lines. Did you know that? But what’s happened? We had a time when we as Americans were respected around the world and we were people of culture and people of respect.

Today, we’re laughed at, even by those nations where we have pumped money trying to buy respect. They cannot be bought with the Yankee dollar. Let this fasten itself upon your mind. Righteousness is the exaltation of a nation. “Righteousness exalteth a nation.” Righteousness is the exaltation of a nation.