1. We have before us a solemn warning from the lips of our Saviour.
2. Our Lord upbraided the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, “because they repented not” (Matthew 11:20).
3. Another Scripture that comes to mind is Psalm 9:17.  “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”
4. Has America forgotten God?
5. There is still a large number of faithful Christians in our country but our numbers are shrinking day by day, and it seems more and more like the days of the Judges, where we read, “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; 21:25). 
6. I have entitled this morning’s message, “Is It Too Late For America?”
7. Alexis de Tocqueville was born in 1805 and died in 1859. He was a famous French statesman, historian and social philosopher. He traveled to America in the 1830’s to discover the reasons for the incredible success of this new nation.
8. He published his observations in his classic two-volume work, Democracy in America. He was especially impressed by America’s religious character. Here are some interesting excerpts from Tocqueville’s great work:

Upon my arrival in the United States the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention; and the longer I stayed there, the more I perceived the great political consequences resulting from this new state of things.

In France I had almost always seen the spirit of religion and the spirit of freedom marching in opposite directions (note: France is a RC country). But in America I found they were intimately united and that they reigned in common over the same country.

Religion in America...must be regarded as the foremost of the political institutions of that country; for if it does not impart a taste for freedom, it facilitates the use of it. Indeed, it is in this same point of view that the inhabitants of the United States themselves look upon religious belief.

I do not know whether all Americans have a sincere faith in their religion –  for who can search the human heart? But I am certain that they hold it to be indispensable to the maintenance of republican institutions. This opinion is not peculiar to a class of citizens or a party, but it belongs to the whole nation and to every rank of society.
 
In the United States, the sovereign authority is religious...there is no country in the world where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America, and there can be no greater proof of its utility and of its conformity to human nature than that its influence is powerfully felt over the most enlightened and free nation of the earth.
In the United States, the influence of religion is not confined to the manners, but it extends to the intelligence of the people... Christianity, therefore, reigns without obstacle, by universal consent...

I sought for the key to the greatness and genius of America in her harbors...in her fertile fields and boundless forests; in her rich mines and vast world commerce; in her public school system and institutions of learning. I sought for it in her democratic Congress and in her matchless Constitution. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.

America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.

The safeguard of morality is religion, and morality is the best security of law as well as the surest pledge of freedom. The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive the one without the other. Christianity is the companion of liberty in all its conflicts – the cradle of its infancy, and the divine source of its claims.

9. What would Mr. de Tocqueville think if he were to come back and see America today? 
10. In many ways, America is like ancient Israel.  God blessed Israel.  They were His chosen people, but they turned to backsliding and idolatry.
11. God sent many prophets to warn them but they rejected the prophets, and even killed some of them.  They finally reached the point of no return (cf. Jer. 5:7-15).
12. I remember in the days following September 11^th, many people were singing, “God Bless America.”  Signs everywhere proclaimed that message – “God Bless America.” 
13. I think, “God Help America” would be more appropriate.
14. Has America reached the point of no return?
15. When our Lord upbraided Capernaum, He said, “And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee” (Matt. 11:23, 24).

I. THE MIGHTY WORKS THEY HAD SEEN (11:20, 21, 23).

1. Jesus said that the city of Sodom would not have been destroyed with fire and brimstone if they had seen the same “mighty works” as Capernaum. 
2. Our Lord uses the term “mighty works” three times in this passage (11:20, 21, 23).
3. The Greek word translated “mighty” is dunamis.  It is where we get our English word “dynamite.”
4. The word means “power” (especially miraculous power, i.e., God’s power).   “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
5. The Gospel of Christ was preached with mighty power in Capernaum.  They saw our Lord’s mighty miracles. Capernaum had become our Lord’s adopted home town.
6. Matthew Henry said, “Some places enjoy the means of grace in greater plenty, power, and purity, than other places.”
7. What about America?  Have we not enjoyed “the means of grace in greater plenty, power, and purity, than other places”?
8. We certainly have.
9. The songwriter put it this way, “America, America!  God shed His grace on thee.”  And God did abundantly shed His grace on America.  In a short period of time, America became the greatest nation on the face of the earth.  How?  Why?  The grace of God.
10. But America has turned its back on God.
11. Today there is no more Capernaum – there is nothing there but ruins; it is completely desolate.
12. Could the same thing happen to the USA?  If you study Bible prophecy, you will not find any mention of the USA.
13. You will find Russia, China, Rome, Persia (Iran), Babylon (Iraq), Egypt, and of course you will find Israel.
14. But you cannot find even a hint of the USA.  In their search for America in the Bible, many people point to Revelation 17 & 18.  However, the apostle John describes the harlot in Revelation 17 as a religion and a city, not a nation.
15. Furthermore, in Revelation 17:18, John identifies the city as Rome, “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”
16. Our Lord rebuked the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum (Matt. 11:21-24), and this is the principle: Those who reject the most light receive the greater punishment.
17. Our Lord said Sodom did not have the light that Capernaum had.  The Gospel was not preached in Sodom.
18. “For if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day” (Matt. 11:23).
19. The people of Sodom did not have any churches or Bibles or preachers.  All they had was Lot – a backslidden believer (cf. II Peter 2:7, 8).
20. Because of their great privileges, our Lord said it would be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for Capernaum.
21. And what about our great privileges here in America?  We have churches on every corner, Bibles in every bookstore, preaching on the radio and on television and on the Internet, etc.
22. Our Lord upbraided the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida and Capernaum, because of their refusal to repent.  Our Lord had done many mighty works in their cities, so it would be “more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment,” than for them (Matthew 11:23, 24).

II. THEY DID NOT REPENT (11:20, 21; cf. 10:11-15).

1. As we go from house to house distributing Gospel tracts, most people are cold and indifferent, and some are even hostile and angry.
2. Our Lord said, “it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment,” than for these people (Matt. 10:14, 15).
3. The people of Capernaum heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they knew that God’s power was present, working amongst them; but they rejected Christ, and they chose to remain in darkness.
4. Most Americans have rejected the Gospel light, and they prefer darkness.  John 3:19 says, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
5. Six states in the USA have legalized so-called “same sex marriage.”
6. Leviticus 18:22 says, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”
7. Romans 1:26 refers to homosexuality as “vile affections,” and says it is “against nature.”
8. America needs to repent. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and He will surely destroy America unless our country turns back to God.
9. This past Monday, President Obama became the first Chief Executive to host a White House ceremony celebrating “gay pride,” telling several hundred homosexual guests in the East Room that they now have “an ally and a champion” in the Oval Office (cf. Romans 1:24-32).
10. Preachers are getting in trouble in Europe and Canada for preaching against homosexuality.  How much time do we have left here in America?
11. Ezekiel 16:49, 50 says, “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.  And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.”
12. Doesn’t this sound like America?
13. America needs to repent of covetousness and materialism.  The deadening effect of materialism is killing churches all over our great land.
14. Every winter people go and get their flu shots so they do not come down with influenza.  But there is a sickness in America today far worse than influenza and that is “affluenza” (cf. Luke 12:15-21).
15. Remember, the religious leaders who hated Jesus and had Him killed were the Pharisees.  In Luke 16:13, our Lord said, “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
16. The next verse, Luke 16:14, says, “And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.”
17. Back in 1954, Earle Cairns wrote about some of the dangers facing Christianity, such as liberalism, communism, and evolution.  Interestingly, he said one of the greatest dangers was materialism.
18. He wrote, “More subtle perhaps than higher criticism, materialism may be defined as the practice in modern society of emphasizing the material values of a high standard of living. To the extent that man’s attention is concentrated on this life, he will neglect the spiritual values of eternal life.”
19. Someone once said that when a Christian gets a raise in his standard of living, he should then raise his standard of giving.  But unfortunately that is not always the case.
20. Materialism leads to stress, the erosion of the family, divorce, skyrocketing debt, and covetousness, which the Bible says is idolatry (Col. 3:5).
21. Covetousness is always ugly but it is especially horrible when it affects Christians, who are supposed to be living for Jesus, not for the trinkets and toys of this wicked world.
22. Covetousness leads to uncontrollable shopping sprees, out of control credit card debt, spending more than you’re earning, “keeping up with the Jones,” working on Sundays, etc.
23. Sunday is the Lord’s Day.
24. Millions of Americans are living beyond their means, and many are even filing for bankruptcy, and many of them call themselves Christian!  What a terrible testimony!
25. The Lord has put it in my heart to preach more about materialism because I can see how it is plaguing our churches, destroying our families, and dragging our country down to hell.
26. In fact, all of America’s big sins are connected to the love of money – abortion, homosexuality, gambling, alcohol, pornography, etc.
27. The American economy is collapsing.  Our government is running up a 1.8 trillion dollar deficit, and the US dollar is becoming worthless.
28. But most Americans still refuse to get right with God.

III. MORE TOLERABLE FOR SODOM & GOMORRAH (MATT. 11:24).

1. To fully appreciate this warning, we have to consider God’s devastating judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah.
2. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is taught in Genesis 19, and then is referred to twice in Deuteronomy, four times in Isaiah, three times in Jeremiah, once in Lamentations, six times in Ezekiel, then once by Amos and Zephaniah.
3. It is mentioned six times by our Lord in the Gospels, once by Paul in the book of Romans, then once by Peter, once by Jude, and once in the book of Revelation.
4. Why so many times?  Jude 7 says, “for an example.”
5. In fact, Jude 7 says, “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”
6. Can it get any worse than that?  To be destroyed by fire and brimstone in this life and then to be cast into hell for all eternity, “suffering the vengeance of eternal fire”?
7. According to the words of our Lord, “it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment” (Matt. 11:24), than for the citizens of Capernaum, our Lord’s adopted hometown.
8. Which “day of judgment” is our Lord referring to (11:24)?   He is referring to the great white throne judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).
9. The lost will be “judged according to their works” (Rev. 20:12, 13), and those who have rejected the most light shall receive the greater punishment.

CONCLUSION:

1. It is very likely that the USA will become a rather insignificant nation after the rapture, and during the tribulation.
2. I believe America will become part of the Revived Roman Empire of the Antichrist, since that it is the direction we are currently heading.
3. The United States will be included in the prophetic destiny of the Gentile nations (cf. Zech. 14:1-3). 
4. In the meantime, we must keep busy preaching the gospel and winning souls (cf. Titus 2:11-13).