INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• We have celebrated our 232nd birthday as a nation. This is the greatest country on the earth and I do not know if there has been any better.
• We have been given a great nation, we are stewards of a nation in which others fought, sacrificed and died for.
• Our Founding Fathers sacrificed a great deal so that we could have this great nation.
• Men like Jefferson, Washington, Adams, among others paid a great price for our freedom. Throughout the years countless numbers of people have laid their lives on the line to fight for the freedoms we now enjoy.
• How are we taking care of the nation that was handed to us?
• Would the Founding Fathers be proud of what we are doing with the freedoms they fought and many died for over 232 years ago?
• What is it that has made this nation great? What is it that has allowed this country to be a bastion of freedom around the world for over 232 years? Why is it that people are flocking from all over the world to come live in a foreign land to start all over? What drove your ancestors to make the trek to this great nation?
• We have been given a great gift, the opportunity to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
• I believe in the over 43 years of my life in this country, that the country is not doing very well in a lot of areas.
• I do not have to quote the crime stats, the declining social indicators, and the declining moral climate of the nation. You can see it all around you.
• Did the Founding Fathers of our nation die for what we are living for today?
• I am not going to spend the time we have together bashing all the ills of the nation. As great as it is, we are not without problems. We each have a responsibility to be engaged in the process to make sure things get better.
• I believe we are not heading in a good direction right not, it is time for a change.
• Today we are going look at “Redirecting A Nation.”
• To paraphrase Luke 12:48, “To much is given, much is expected.” Since we have been given a great nation to oversee, what are we to do?
• It is so easy for us to point fingers, today we are going to look at what we can do to help get the nation on the right path.
• We are going to turn to a familiar passage found in 2 Chronicles 7:14 for our recipe for change.
• In 2 Chronicles Solomon is building the Temple, the Temple in which his father David was not allowed by God to build. In the end of chapter 6, Solomon gives his prayer of dedication, and then in the beginning of chapter 7, fire came down from heaven to indicate that God was pleased with Solomon and the temple as a cloud of glory surrounded the temple.
• After some time had passed and after Solomon completed the Temple and the Kings palace, God appeared to Solomon one evening and told Solomon that his prayer had been heard and that God had chosen the Temple to be a place of sacrifice.
• Let us look at 2 Chronicles 7:13-14
• SLIDE #2
• 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 ( ESV ) 13When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14if 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 and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
Redirecting a nation:
I. BEGINS WITH GOD’S PEOPLE
• SLIDE #4
1. The nation’s problems are spiritual in nature.
• One of the things we need to understand concerning the problems our nation struggles with is the fact they are rooted in spiritual issues.
• When this country was founded, the foundation of the nation was the Word of God. The men who established this nation were God-fearing men.
• SLIDE #5
• Patrick Henry stated, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!”
• What has happened over the last 40 plus years is the fact that as a nation we are allowing the foundation of the nation to be destroyed. The house looks pretty, but the foundation is crumbling.
• For our nation to stand, we MUST have an OBJECTIVE standard by which to base our lives on. In other words, something where 1+1 is ALWAYS 2.
• The standard in which this nation was founded was the Word of God. I will spare you the quotes.
• Now if the Word of God is the foundation on which this nation is based on, and then that foundation is destroyed, what will happen to the house?
• Why is murder wrong? Because God’s word says it is. If we do not use God’s Word, then who determines that murder is wrong? Majority rule? Do you really want right and wrong determined by that or by some dictator? Heard of Nazi Germany? Heard of Roe V. Wade?
• We been duped into thinking that the church is supposed to stay out of government. Separation of Church and State. IT IS NOT IN THE CONSTITUTION. The government is not to interfere with the church.
• We are in somewhat of a crisis because forces have been chipping away at the foundation on which the nation was built. Our problems are spiritual in nature.
• Now with this in mind…
• SLIDE #6
2. God’s people must be the ones who fix the problem.
• Look at the beginning of verse 14. In verse 13 God is saying that if the land were to be under judgment, that HIS people MUST do something.
• The implication here is that God was going to hold HIS people responsible for the direction the nation of Israel would take.
• I believe that God will hold the church accountable for the decline of a nation.
• We can sit around and blame people like Madelyn Murray O’Hair all we want, but the bottom line is that God will hold His Church accountable for allowing people like her to have the voice they had while the church sat in silence.
• SLIDE #7
• George Mason, the father of the Bill of Rights stated: As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, they must be in this. By an inevitable chain of causes and effects, Providence punishes nation sins by national calamities.”
• If things are going to turn around, it will have to come from God’s people doing something.
• SLIDE #8
Redirecting a nation:
II. TAKES ACTION
• God’s people need to start taking action right now! You may think that one person cannot make a difference. Well, those trying to destroy the very foundation of this nation do not believe that. Ms. O’Hair was one person who made a difference didn’t she!
• The other side has no trouble making their voices heard!
• What are we called to do? First.
• SLIDE #9
1. We must first humble ourselves.
• 14if my people who are called by my name humble themselves
• Humbling ourselves means that we are going to put God in His rightful place in our lives. It means that we will acknowledge Him as the Supreme ruler of all things.
• WE are not the masters of our universe, He is.
• We need to quit trying to do things our way and start doing things His way. Our pride causes us a lot of trouble.
• SLIDE #10
2. We must pray.
• and pray
• When we humble ourselves, it is time to pray to God. How often do you pray for our wonderful country? How often do we pray for our leaders?
• SLIDE #11
• 1 Timothy 2:1-2 ( ESV ) 1First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
• We spend way too little time in prayer. If we truly believe that God is the giver all and creator of all, why wouldn’t we take the time to pray to Him?
• SLIDE #12
3. We must seek God’s face.
• and seek my face
• What does it mean to seek God’s face?
• This phrase is used in Psalm 27:8 and Hosea 5:15.
• It means that we are not just praying to God for our will, but we are seeking what God wants done. We are seeking God’s will for our life and for our country.
• WE want to know what is best for us regardless of if we want it or not.
• When we seek His face our desire is to follow His desire.
• SLIDE #13
4. We must turn from our wicked ways.
• and turn from their wicked ways,
• This sounds harsh doesn’t it? I am not doing anything wicked! Am I?
• Remember, wickedness is doing the opposite of what God would want us to do.
• When we are not carrying out God’s plan and God’s will, when we are not living for Him, we are following wicked ways.
• SLIDE #14
• 1 Peter 4:17 ( ESV ) 17For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
• If we cannot follow God’s ways, how can we expect others to.
• SLIDE #15
Redirecting a nation:
III. REQUIRES GOD’S HELP.
• For things to get going in the right direction, we will most definitely need God’s help! With God all things are possible!
• SLIDE #16
1. We need God to hear us.
• then I will hear from heaven
• If God does not hear our plea, we are in trouble. God promises us that if we humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, He will hear us.
• Our disobedient spirit blocks a lot of blessings in our lives.
• We need God to hear us!
• SLIDE #17
2. We need God to forgive us.
• and will forgive their sin
• When we sin, we sin against God. We are telling Him that the sacrifice Jesus made for us was not enough. We need God to forgive us. WE need to be forgiven for our apathy among other things.
• God is a God who loves you and will forgive you, forgiveness is necessary for us to receive God’s blessing.
• SLIDE #18
3. We need God to heal our land.
• and heal their land
• Whatever is broken can be fixed. God can come in and make all things new!
• The only one who can heal our land is God.
CONCLUSION
• The Founding Fathers left us a WONDERFUL country.
• What kind of country are we going to leave our children and Grandchildren?
• Each one of us has a responsibility to make sure we are part of the solution, not the problem.
• Let us make sure we are engaged enough to make a difference, instead of complaining about how bad things are, let us get involved to try ot make a change. Let us help redirect a nation!
