Three other words are found in this second verse. They embody a condition which could well take many broad casts to discuss fully. It is the phrase, “disobedient to parents.” Of course, we have a more scientific term for it to day. It’s called “juvenile delinquency.” It reminds me of the unthinking moth er who never disciplined her son. So when he went to school she had to write a note to the teacher, stating, “Don’t spank Johnny; we never do ex cept in self-defense.” Some parents need to be reminded of the fact that a child can be best straightened up by being bent over! It’s true that most everything is being run by switches, except the children. But some people blindly close their eyes and say, “Yes but it’s no worse than it has always been. Divorce has always been preva lent.” A few decades ago here in our coun try, national records reveal that the average was one out of 40 marriages was ended in divorce. But today our national record has gone from one out of 40 to one out of three. And here in Los Angeles, which has become the di vorce capital of the world, according to the Los Angeles Times, the average goes to one out of every two and a half. Now, unmistakably, the real cause for the large number of young people who are incarcerated in juvenile hall is not just juvenile delinquency, for the ma jority of these young people come from broken homes, it is parental delinquen cy. One real estate broker reports that last year, in his area, 90% of the homes sold were changing hands because of families which were breaking up. What tragedy is written through divorce. A member of the United States Brew er’s Association made the recent declar ation that two out of every three American homes serves some form of al coholic beverage. Dr. Andrew C. Ivy on the other hand, points out that we are creating more than 7,000 alcoholics daily. All of which is fulfilling this sign which Paul has given. In Kansas, the 9th judicial district, Judge Samuel H. Sturms has declared, (Continued on next page) 27
dares that men. shall be saying, “Where is the Word of the Lord? Let iit oome now. (Jeremiah 17:15). If there is- such a thing as God then let Him speak to us. He has been silent far too long. We can guide our ship of state much better than He.” Then notice the fifth word that comes to us in II Timothy 3:2, “blasphemers.” Recently on these programs as we dis cussed die Third Commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain,” we pointed out that America has become a most profane nation. How tragic that our beloved land should be so scarred with the rav ages of profanity and blasphemy. America’s only hope lies in her return to God, repentence, revival, and spir itual understanding. For, “Righteous ness exalteth a nation, but sin is a re proach to any people.” The other day we purchased some recordings of good music, some of it folk music for the children to hear. One evening, after they had gone to bed, we put on one of the records, just to see if it was what we wanted. Frankly, I was surprised and disgusted to hear cursing on one of them; the taking of the Lord’s name in vain right in the recording. I thought of some un suspecting parent who might play this to his child. This word “blasphemers” has an other translation also which is “foul- mouthed.” It seems that no matter where one goes, no matter the society or area, there are the dirty, filthy stories which are prevalent; so called jokes with double meanings. Why must com edy resort to the suggestive and de graded, appealing to the depraved na ture of man. Today, not only is it used but it is applauded. Young people in grammar school, junior and senior high school, college, and around in your own area of service, your ears will hear such things. But when these things are evidence in a growing sense, just re alize, too, the words of the Apostle Paul, for the days are perilous, the time of the Lord’s return is near, and blas phemers are another of the signs along the way.
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