What causes a nation to fall from greatness?

WHAT CAUSES A NATION TO FALL FROM GREATNESS?
DEUTERONOMY 4:1-9
Introduction
Read "Will History Repeat Itself?"   (Found at the end of this sermon.)

I. REFUSING TO HEARKEN TO THE WORDS OF THE LORD. (Vs. 1)
Hearken–“to hear intelligently which implies both paying attention and being obedient.”
Jeremiah 6:16–“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.  17-Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet.  But they said, We will not hearken.”
Jeremiah 22:21–“I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear.”

II. CHANGING THE WORDS OF THE LORD. (Vs. 2)
Deuteronomy 12:32–“What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.”

Joshua 1:8–“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.”

Proverbs 30:6–“Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”
A. Changing By Adding To God’s Word.
B. Changing By Diminishing From God’s Word.

III. NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO GOD’S DEALINGS WITH OTHER’S SINS.
(Vs. 3-4; Cf. Numbers 25:1-9; Joshua 22:16-18)

IV. ABANDONING WHAT MADE THEM GREAT. (Vs. 5-8)
A. Abandoning The Word Of God.
1. The Word Of God Brings Understanding. (Vs. 6)
“Understanding” is “knowledge.”
According to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, it is “comprehending; apprehending the ideas or sense of another, or of a writing; learning or being informed.”
2. The Word Of God Brings Wisdom. (Vs. 6)
“Wisdom” is “the proper application of knowledge.”
According to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, it is “the right use or exercise of knowledge; the choice of laudable ends, and of the best means to accomplish them.”
B. Abandoning The Nearness Of God. (Vs. 7)

V. NOT TAKING HEED TO THINGS THAT REALLY MATTER. (Vs 9)
A. Taking Heed To Self. (Vs 23)
For us today that would include such things as Church attendance, reading and studying the Bible, prayer, etc.
B. Keeping The Soul Diligently.
Proverbs 4:23–“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

VI. FORGETTING THE THINGS WHICH GOD HAS SHOWN. (Vs 9)
A. God’s Works.
Psalm 105:5–“Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;”
B. God’s Wonders.
Psalm 105:5–“Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;”

Psalm 106:7–“Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea.”
C. God’s Judgments.
Psalm 105:5–“Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;”
D. God’s Mercies.
Psalm 106:7–“Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea.”
E. God’s Benefits.
Psalm 103:2–“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:”
F. God’s Way. (Deuteronomy 8:2-4)
G. God Himself. (Deuteronomy 8:10-20)
Psalm 106:21–“They forgat God their Saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;”

Deuteronomy 32:18–“Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.

VII. A FAILURE TO TEACH THE NEXT GENERATIONS. (Vs 9; 6:6-7) Cf. Judges 2:10ff
Conclusion
In a word, what causes a nation to fall from its greatness is “S-I-N” Proverbs 14:34–“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF?
Introduction
In addition to the rise and fall of many civilizations historically addressed by the Holy Bible, two writers conducted research on the history of Rome and Athens Greece, in attempts to discover if there is a general or specific cause for their fall.  It is interesting to compare the findings of these two authors on these TWO different civilizations.

I. THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.
One of the most widely read books of all time is "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire".  Written in 1788 by Edward Gibbon it sets forth five basic reasons why that great civilization withered and died. These were:

1. The undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the family, which is the basis for human society.
2. Higher and higher taxes; the spending of public money for free bread and circuses for the populace.
3. The mad craze for pleasure; sports every year becoming more exciting, more brutal, more immoral.
4. The building of great armaments when the real enemy was within - the decay of individual responsibility.
5. The decay of religion; faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life, losing power to guide the people.

II. THE DECLINE AND FALL OF ATHENS.
Twelve years later, in 1801, another great man by the name of Professor Alexander Fraser Tytler, in a famous statement on "The Cycle of Democracy", predicted the tendency of one-man, one-vote democracy (as opposed to a Republic) to be destroyed by the elective power of the majority to demand benefits to which they are not entitled.
Tytler (1742-1813) was a Scottish jurist and historian, and was professor of Universal History at Edinburgh University in the late 18th century.  He studied various civilizations, and wrote "The Demise and Fall of Athens."  The quotation below is from the 1801 collection of his lectures:

"A Democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government.  It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largess from the public treasury.  From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising them the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.

The average age of the world's great civilizations has been 200 years.

Nations have historically progressed through THIS sequence:
1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From great courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to selfishness;
6. From selfishness to complacency;
7. From complacency to apathy;
8. From apathy to dependence;
9. From dependence back again to bondage."

What Tytler postulated, and what is rapidly coming to pass, is that a democracy bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction; that excellence of any sort is rare and tends to be overwhelmed by the politically achievable of the ordinary, less-than-excellent, masses.  Not only is fiscal compensation distorted, but excellence is actively discouraged.

---

I have been fortunate enough to hear a lot of good preaching and teaching over the years.  Some of this material may be "original," but I cannot deny the influence that many Bible preachers, teachers, laymen, and authors have had in my training.  Therefore, I don't claim originality in total on any of this material.  It was original with God, but not with me.  Ecclesiastes 1:10--"Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new?  It hath been already of old time, which was before us."  Freely I have received of others, and freely I offer these to you.  NOTICE: These sermons are free to be used but are not to be sold!  Bible Baptist Church, Parker City, Indiana; Pastor: Doug Keppel

---