ONE CITIZEN UNDER GOD
*INTRO> There are slogans, sayings we’ve all heard concerning our nation over the years:
-->America, love it or leave it.
-->My country, right or wrong.
-->Better dead than red.
-->Power to the people.
And there are statements that are especially applicable to our focus this morning:
-->Alexis de Tocqueville said it best when he realized even at the very beginning of our national life: "America is great because America is good. If America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great."
-->Thomas Jefferson explained: "Patriotism is not a short and frenzied burst of emotion, but the long and steady dedication of a lifetime."
But where is the BALANCE between being a child of God and a citizen of America?
-->Can we be soliers of the cross and disciples of Christ, and yet still pledge our allegiance to the flag of the United States of America?
--What exactly are our responsibilities as Christian citizens?
Turn to 2 Chronicles 7.
Let me answer one of those questions straight up: Yes, we can be soldiers of the cross and pledge allegiance to the flag.
-->In fact, as Christian citizens we should pledge allegiance...because God’s instructions to us are to submit ourselves to every institution and government, as God has authorized them for the purposes of peace and order.
But today, we’re looking at...
THE FIVE GOD-GIVEN RESPONSIBILITIES OF CHRISTIAN CITIZENS:
1) We are to PRAY.
-->2 Chronicles 7:14 -- "and (if) My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
<>The most important thing we can do as Christian citizens on behalf of our country is to pray.
--ILL>Mary, Queen of Scotland, once said: "I fear John Knox’s prayers more than an army of ten thousand men."
-->Unfortunately, that does not describe the intensity and fervency of many Christian’s prayer life.
---->ILL>I’m reminded of the story of two men who were walking together. The first challenged the other: "If you’re so religious, let’s hear you quote the Lord’s Prayer. I bet you $10 you can’t do it." The second responded: "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." The first man pulled out his wallet and fished out a $10 bill, muttering: "Wow! I really didn’t think you could actually do it!"
Did you "catch" what 2 Chronicles 7:14 is saying? -- It means the healing of our nation will come from God, and as the result of His answer to the prayers of believers within the country!
So, we’re to pray.
But how shall we pray? What should be our focus? What kinds of prayers shall we pray?
--a) Declaring our dependence upon God.
----->2 Chronicles 7:14 -- "and (if) My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray..."
----->We’re to humble ourselves, recognizing that the very preservation of America is in the hands of God.
----->We’re to recognize that there’s really only one true "super power"...and it’s NOT America, it’s God.
----->We’re to recognize that every country and civilization that ever believed it was "above God" fell, but God has never fallen.
--b) Declaring our submission to God.
----->2 Chronicles 7:14 -- "...and seek My face..."
----->Notice: we’re to seek His face, not His hands.
-------->Our goal is not to receive FROM Him, but to seek to please Him.
-------->We’re to come before Him and worship Him, adore Him, acknowledge His superiority and divinity.
--c) Confessing and repenting of our sins against God.
----->2 Chronicles 7:14 -- "...and turn from their wicked ways..."
----->We need to repent of our personal sins as individual citizen believers.
----->But we as a nation also need to repent of our national sins before we should ever expect God’s blessing.
----->The context of 2 Chronicles 7:11-14 is that Solomon had requested that the temple he had just finished building for God would be a place where the nation could come and pray to God and that He would hear their prayers of confession and repentance.
----->In those verses right before verse 14, God is explaining that He might choose to send pestilence or calamity on Israel due to the sinfulness of the people.
----->We know it was due to Israel’s sinfulness because as soon as they repented of their sin and turned to total dependence upon God, God healed the nation.
----->Whose responsibility do you suppose it is to pray for America’s spiritual awakening and its return to the faith of our fathers?
----->Whose responsibility do you suppose it is to call our nation to repentance?
----->Whose responsibility do you suppose it is to "model" good citizenship and moral, conscientious, and responsible living?
----->Of course, in all of these cases, it comes back to those who proclaim BOTH "My God" AND "My country."
--d) Interceding on behalf of others.
----->2 Chronicles 7:14 -- "...then I will...heal their land."
----->We’re to pray for the spiritual awakening of our nation...that our nation will return to desiring that God be recognized as the Lord of our land.
-------->ILL>At a meeting of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Bobby Richardson, former N. Y. Yankee second baseman, offered a prayer that is a classic in its brevity and poignancy: "Dear God, Your will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else."
----->We’re to pray for wisdom on the part of the elected leaders of our nation.
------->1 Timothy 2:1-2 -- "First of all, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."
----->Yes, we need to stand opposed to corruption, but if Christians spent as much time praying for our nation’s leaders as they do criticizing them, our nation would be much better off, and some mistakes can be avoided.
2) We are to PLAY.
-->1 Peter 2:13-14 -- "Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right."
---->We’re to "play by the rules" of the land, obey the law, respect the "system" that’s in place.
------>Yes, if there are laws that violate the Scripture’s instructions to us, then we’re to obey God.
------>However, that doesn’t include paying taxes, and doesn’t mean we can disobey laws simply because we don’t like them.
------>Look at Romans 13:1 -- "Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God."
------>Remember, when Paul wrote these words, the evil emperor Nero was on the throne.
------>So...we’re not free to violate laws because we’re Christians, thinking that somehow makes us exempt.
--------->And remember too, if you get pulled over and are given a speeding ticket by a patrolman for driving 50 miles per hour in a school zone, you’re not being persecuted as a Christian. Instead, you’re simply facing prosecution as a citizen. That’s a big difference.
----->To state the principle again: We’re to "play by the rules," obey the law, respect the system that’s in place.
3) We are to PAY.
-->Matthew 22:21 -- "...Then He said to them, ’Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.’"
-->Romans 13:6-7 -- "For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor."
-----ILL> A man on vacation was strolling along outside his hotel in Acapulco, enjoying the sunny Mexican weather. Suddenly, he was attracted by the screams of a woman kneeling in front of a child. The man knew enough Spanish to determine that the child had swallowed a coin. Seizing the child by the heels, the man held him up, gave him a few shakes, and an American quarter drpped to the sidewalk. The woman cried out, "O thank you! You seemd to know just how to get it out of him. Are you a doctor?" The man replied: "No, I’m with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service."
----->You see, as much as we might not like to hear it, paying our taxes is a very clear-cut responsibility spelled out for us in Scripture.
----->It’s not a new argument or issue at all.
-------->The Pharisees knew how much it grated on Jews to have to pay taxes to Rome, so they used that unpopular idea to try to trap Jesus.
-------->They asked Jesus if it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, knowing that if Jesus answered yes He would be very unpopular with the Jewish people. But, if He answered no He would probably be arrested on the spot by Roman soldiers nearby.
-------->They thought they had Him trapped. And yet, He’s God, and a whole lot smarter than the Pharisees. He asked them to show Him a coin and asked them whose picture was on it. Of course, the picture was of Caesar, so Jesus told them to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, while still giving to God what belongs only to God.
-------->Jesus’ response both diffused the issue and defined it for every believer throughout history:
----------a) We’re to give to Caesar what is due Caesar (tax dollars in order to ensure the government can function in its God-established role of providing protection, order, and fostering peace rather than allowing chaos).
----------b) But we’re also to give to God that which is God’s (our heart’s allegiance, our worship, our priority).
So, we need to PRAY, PLAY, and PAY, but the final two responsibilities are also important...
4) We are to PARTICIPATE.
-->Matthew 5:41 -- "Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two."
---->In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught His disciples (and us) that they can show the Lord’s influence most by "working within the system."
------>So, if a Roman soldier were to demand them to carry his armor one mile (which was perfectly legal for them to do), they were actually NOT to refuse to participate, refuse to abide within the structure and framework of the laws and system of government in the land. In fact, they were to allow the system to provide them with a great opportunity to "shine" for the Lord by actually carrying the soldier’s gear a SECOND mile...the first one by order, the second by choice. Not bucking the system, but working within it is a better choice, and a Godly instruction for us.
------>If they were slaves (which was also legal), rather than "bucking the system," they were to serve their Masters better than any of the other slaves.
<>The same principle applies for us...
----->Since the way OUR system is set up, leaders are elected and policy is decided by elected officials, then we need to be INFORMED VOTERS.
----->And we need to VOTE.
------->Yes, there might come times when we need to rise above the system, and we certainlyneed to "go over the heads" of our elected officials by praying for them.
------->However, we also need to GET INVOLVED and participate as informed and concerned citizens.
----->We need to be actively involved in causes important to us.
------->Whether it’s as local as a school board election, or in national and Presidential elections, we need to participate.
------->We need to actually watch the debates, read the candidate’s platforms and know his or her viewpoints.
------->We need to view the candidates’ websites.
------->We need to be aware of which bills are coming before Congress, and which way would constitute a morally correct vote on that issue.
------->We need to know who our Congressmen/women are, and we need to write them periodically regarding our views on specific issues.
------->Then, we need to hold them accountable for their votes and actions by participating in the built-in "term limits" provision of our Constitution: it’s called ELECTIONS.
---->QUOTE: Anonymous> "It is impossible for a believer to be a good Christian and a bad citizen at the same time."
5) We are to PREACH.
-->Romans 10:13-14 -- "For whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?"
--Matthew 5:14-16 -- "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
---->There are some who say you should never mix politics with faith (religion), and they couldn’t be further from the truth! Our faith should be seen in how we participate and what we proclaim as Christian citizens. And notice, we’re Christians first in our allegiance, but we’re also citizens with responsibilities in carrying our load and helping our country.
---->You see there really is a higher purpose than merely living the "American dream": It is proclaiming the Father’s purpose.
------>The very reason the Lord leaves us on earth after we’re saved is so we can influence others, proclaim the good news to those who haven’t heard or who haven’t responded to it.
------>We’re to let Jesus "shine" in our lives, in our message, and we’re to bring people from darkness into light...especially in times like these, when even unsaved Americans recognize that America is on a wrong path, beginning to fall from within.
------>As Christian citizens we need to rise up and show the way home!
BRINGING IT HOME...
Today I encourag you to ask yourselves how to stack up to truly being ONE CITIZEN UNDER GOD:
-->Am I praying for God’s will to be done in America?
-->Am I praying for elected officials?
-->Am I praying for our troops serving on foreign fields and in danger simply to preserve and defend our freedoms?
-->Am I playing by the rules, obeying the laws of the land?
-->Am I paying my taxes?
-->Am I registered to vote?
-->Am I ready and informed, prepared to vote?
-->Do I know who my Congressmen/women are?
-->And, as a Christian citizen, is Jesus shining out in my life?
