A Plan For America

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One of the speakers at the Convention was Mike Huckabee. He was right when he said that the problem with America today isn’t a money problem. No matter how many trillions of dollars in debt we are… no matter how much the economy is in the tank… money is not our problem. He’s right. But he said that our real problem is a moral problem. Although I have great respect for Governor Huckabee, the more I have thought about it, I don’t think he’s right. He’s partly right, but in being partly right, he’s mostly wrong. Everybody in the world has a sense of morality. The welfare system was created to be a moral program. Concerns about global warming and animal rights and socialism are all very moral issues. The problem is, they are all godless, humanistic attempts at morality. Because people are created in God’s image… and because we live in a fallen and cursed world… everybody knows something is wrong. They know something is wrong and they create a moral code to try to deal with it. If you don’t believe that godless people have a moral code, look at all the outrage over Michael Vick killing dogs. No, the problem isn’t that people don’t have morals in America today. Our problem isn’t an economic problem. Our problem isn’t a government problem. Our problem isn’t a technology problem. Our problem isn’t an education problem. Our problem is a spiritual problem. And the only answer to a spiritual problem is a spiritual solution. Our passage this morning has that spiritual solution. When politicians run for office, they always run on a platform. And their platform is made up of certain issues that they say are solutions to all our problems. This morning we’re not real interested in any politician’s platform. Instead, we’re going to look at 5 planks in God’s political platform for America. The first plank is that America must praise God in His Glory. Look back at verses 1-3:

PSALM 33:1-3

We must praise God in His glory. We have already talked about a list of things that God has blessed America with. And we don’t have to think very long before we can come up with a whole list of more blessings. God does great things for us. But ultimately, God does great things for His glory. We thank God for what He does. But we praise Him for who He is. That is one of the signs that someone is truly a Christian. Anybody can thank God for the good things that happen to them. But only a true believer can praise God in the middle of a storm. Because, isn’t that what faith is? “Lord, I don’t understand this storm that I’m in. I don’t see you in it. But even though I don’t see you in it, I know that you are. And I know that however things turn out, you will work it together for good. You will, because you have promised to do so. You have promised to do so, and you are faithful to keep your promises.” That’s faith. That’s the kind of faith that only the righteous and upright of verse 1 can have. The kind of faith that can only be supplied by the righteousness and uprightness of Christ that He clothes every true believer in. And when Jesus clothes a believer in His righteousness, you just can’t help but praise God. Praise Him for who He is. Praise Him with words. Praise Him with music—emotional, heartfelt, theologically rich music. The kind that makes you feel like you’re pouring out your very soul to Him. Not out of habit. Not because it’s the next thing on the agenda. But because you want to pour out your praise and love to the only One who truly deserves it. To the one to whom all blessing and honor and glory and power belongs. If we want America to be truly blessed of God, then we must praise God in His glory. As His redeemed, as His righteous ones, as His upright ones. We’re the ones to do it. We’re the ones to praise Him. Calvin said, “that if the ungodly or hypocrites attempt this exercise, it will turn to the reproach and dishonor of God rather than to his praise; nay, more, that they only profane his holy name.” The redeemed of the Lord must say so. We must praise God in His glory. We must also mimic God in His character. The second plank in God’s political platform for America is that we must mimic God in His character. Look at verses 4-5:

PSALM 33:4-5

We must mimic God in His character. A couple of weeks ago, I asked the question, “Who is God?” That sounded easy enough until we thought about it for a minute. And we came to the conclusion that the only way we can describe who God is, is the way the Bible does. And that is by using His attributes. God’s attributes are like His nature or His character. That’s what these verses are talking about. They describe God’s character. His word is right. That word literally means straight or level or upright. It’s the meaning we have when we say that someone is always on the level with you. It means that God is faithful. He is steadfast. The Psalmist clarifies his meaning when he goes on to say that all God’s works are done in truth. It literally says, “all His work—faithfulness.” Everything that God does is according to His Word. His Word is true and will be accomplished just as He has said. Verse 5 says that He loves righteousness. He loves judgment. In other words, God is a holy God who loves holiness. He loves purity. He hates sin and judges sin because it is contrary to His nature. He is good. He is so good that He poured out His judgment for sin on His own Son in our place. He is so good that He did that in order that we might be able to stand righteous before Him. And as we stand before Him, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, He loves us just like He loves His own righteousness. That is the goodness of the Lord. The goodness that came into the world, even though the world received Him not. The goodness that loved the world enough to give His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him would not perish but would have everlasting life. That is the goodness of God. Philippians 2 tells us that we are to have the mind of Christ—we are to be like Him—we are to mimic Him. Is America right and faithful? In her dealings with other countries? Do we make promises to stand with countries and then turn our back on them when the political heat gets too high? Are we being faithful to Israel, or are we turning our back on her? Are we righteous in our judgment? Or do politics and money and corruption enter our judicial system? Are all our works done in truth? Or do we hear one thing from political leaders while they do something else? If America wants to be blessed of God, we must hear the cry of the prophet Amos in Amos 5:14-15: “Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.” The remnant of Joseph failed to heed the Word of God. God judged them and punished them and sent them into exile. Do you think He will do less to us if we don’t listen? Faithfulness, truth, righteousness, justice, goodness. We must mimic God in His character. We must also recognize God in His works. The third plank in God’s political platform for America is that we must recognize God in His works. Look at verses 6-9: