LIVING IN A GOD BLESSED-NATION
This past week we celebrated the birthday of our country. I guess because of that, I have received 2 articles in the past week that I strongly disagreed with. The first was talking about how upsetting patriotic services were for some when they are held in the church. The second discussed how the writer thought it was wrong to have a United States flag in a church building.
I, on the other hand, have no problem with patriotic services, nor do I have a problem with flags in the church. The reason I have no issue with those items is because I believe America is a product of the mind of God.
> Daniel 4:17 This word is by decree of the observers; the matter is a command from the holy ones. This is so the living will know that the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men. He gives it to anyone He wants and sets over it the lowliest of men.
I. I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THE FLAG BECAUSE:
1. God is the One Who dreamt up this nation. This nation was discovered, founded, and populated by Christians. It was not merely religious folks. They were not Muslims, Buddhists, Mormons, or anything else that founded this nation. It was God-fearing, Bible-believing, Christ-loving, Church-attending, Jesus-serving, Christians that founded, designed, and built this nation.
2. God is the One Who protects this nation.
We have soldiers, and sailors, all around the world, working to protect our nation. I am grateful for all of them. I come from many generations of men who have stepped up and defended this nation when called upon to do so; but let me tell you, unless God continues to protect this country, all the rest is done in vain.
> Psalm 127:1 Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the Lord watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain.
3. God is the One Who Blessed this nation.
Our nation enjoys one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world, less than ½ that of many other countries. The cost of medical care in our country continues to rise, and yet we still enjoy some of the best health care in the world, and our pharmaceutical companies are staffed by some of the world’s brightest minds. There would be no debate about drugs from Canada, if those inventing new drugs in this country were not producing drugs wanted by others around the world and exporting them in the first place. We enjoy a standard of living, most in the world can only dream of, with many considered poor in this country still enjoying TV’s, cell phones, cars, and air conditioning; items only the wealthy enjoy in many countries. While some countries struggle just to grow enough food to feed their people, our nation’s farmers use countless thousands of farming acres to grow sod and ornamentals to decorate our yards, they export billions of dollars worth of agricultural goods, and still our citizens struggle with obesity.
We truly live in a “God-blessed” nation. This morning I would like you to notice with me the two ingredients required for living in a God-blessed nation.
- Read Romans 13:1-7
Paul tells us in the beginning verses of this passage that all government is established and ordained by God. God is so concerned for us that He established government authorities to help our society operate according to His plan. Society would be spoiled, and our nation would never flourish if every man were allowed to do what was right in his own eyes. So, God established government to punish evildoers and to reward those who do right.
Evidently our founding fathers understood that for they wrote in the preamble to our constitution that they were forming a new government: “to establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.”
Oh my friend, that is why our government was established, that’s the way God intended it, but there are two essential requirements in a God-blessed nation. First, we must have godly leaders.
II. REQUIREMENTS OF A GOD-BLESSED NATION
A. GODLY _LEADERS_
1. _WALK_ with God.
- Proverbs 8:12-16
> Proverbs 28:5 Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand all things.
My friend, godly leaders must walk with God. They must have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and walk with Him faithfully, for these verses tell us that only those who seek the Lord understand. They are the only ones who judge with wisdom.
It is all I can do to make the necessary decisions for my family. To make the decisions which chart the course of a nation and which lead it in the right direction requires the wisdom of God. Godly leaders must walk with God. Jesus said In
> John 15:5, I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Funny how quickly we forget that.
A godly leader walks with God. Second, a godly leader defends the weak.
2. Defends the weak.
- Proverbs 31:8-9 Open your mouth for the dumb, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.
The Bible views the unborn child as a human person who should be protected (Psalm 139:13; Luke 1:44).
A godly leader assumes the responsibility of protecting those unable to protect themselves and of appointing judges to do the same, and there are none more helpless, none more defenseless than our unborn children.
> Exodus 21:22-23 And if men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so she has a miscarriage, yet there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband shall demand of him; and he shall pay as the judges decide.
That leads to the third responsibility of a godly leader. A godly leader rules righteously regardless.
3. Rules Righteously regardless
> Proverbs 16:10 A divine decision is in the lips of the king; His mouth should not err in judgment.
A godly leader is going to do what he knows is right, he’s going to do what his heart and his Lord lead him to do, regardless of what is popular or socially acceptable at the time.
As Harry S. Truman said, “I wonder where the Israelites would be if Moses had taken a poll before they crossed the Red Sea.”
A godly leader walks with God. A godly leader defends the weak. A godly leader leads righteously regardless.
But, my friends, in a God-blessed nation there must be not only godly leaders, but there must also be godly citizens.
B. GODLY CITIZENS
Just as a building is no better than the materials you construct it with, a nation is no better than the citizens that make it up. If a nation is to be blessed by God, then it must have godly citizens.
Look there again with me at Romans 13 and verse 1.
-Read Romans 13:1
1. Obedient people – Verse 1 says that people are to be in subjection to the governing authorities. In other words, they are to be obedient people. In the book of Judges, when we see the nation of Israel slowly falling apart, we repeatedly read, “Every man did what was right in his own eyes.”
Not so in a nation that wants to continue to be blessed by God. In such a nation the citizens obey the governing authorities, as long as those authorities haven’t become so corrupt and twisted that they are commanding things against God’s commands. You and I do not have the option of picking and choosing the laws we are to obey. We do not have the option of whether or not to pay the taxes the government requires. That is not up to you. God says, “Do it,” and if you and I want this nation to continue to be blessed by God, then we must obey those laws. Think how much less stress and how much more peace there will be in your life if you never have to worry about blue lights in your rearview mirror and if you never have to worry about being audited.
- Look there are verse 3
Godly citizens are obedient people.
2. Involved people
- Read Leviticus 5:1
Did you see that? The Bible commands us to be witnesses, to testify to what we see. It burns my britches when I hear people talk about our society, our nation going to heck in a hand basket, when they are unwilling to get involved themselves. They often point fingers and blame others. They blame our government for not making the right laws. They blame law enforcement personnel for not catching all the bad guys. And then when the bad guys are caught, they get ticked because some jury lets them off. Well of course they do when the godly citizens make excuses and give reasons why they can’t serve jury duty.
My friends, law enforcement can get some people off the streets for a while, but they can’t change people’s lives. Jesus is the only One Who can do that and you and I are charged as His ambassadors to share the good news, to spread the light.
My friends, when Jesus charged you and me to be the light of the world, He didn’t mean we were to spend our time trying to get streetlights. He meant that you and I are to carry the light of the Lord Jesus Christ to the streets.
You want to do something about crime in our community, then get involved. If Jesus Christ can raise the dead; and by the way He can, He has, and He will again: if He can give sight to the blind, if He can change a Christ-hating man like Saul, into a Jesus-loving preacher like Paul, then He can change a drug dealer into Lord lover. He can change a wife-beater and child abuser into loving husband and father. He can change a prostitute into prayer warrior.
You want to change this community, you want to change our nation, then hit the streets.
You want to do something about juvenile crime in our country? You want to do something about our kids failing in or dropping out of school? Then find some children and get involved.
In the first century they complained that Christians were turning the world upside down. Well my friends, I want to see it again.
Godly citizens are obedient people. Godly citizens are involved people. Third, godly citizens are decisive people.
3. Decisive people - Turn with me to Joshua 24:15
> Read Joshua 24:15
In this verse, the nation of Israel had come to a decision time. Their leader Joshua said, “You do what you want to, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
My friend, if this nation is going to continue to be a God-blessed nation, then it must have in it people who know what’s right, who stand for what’s right, regardless of what’s popular or profitable at the time.
Do you know that there is very little difference between the people sitting in the average church and the people in the world? We often dress the same, watch the same shows, read the same books, and live the same lives as people who don’t claim to know Jesus Christ. We get distracted by the lust of the eye, buy the biggest TV’s, the newest cars, the trendy clothes, and sell our souls to Master Card, just like they do.
It’s high time you and I begin practicing what we preach and living like we believe what we claim, that it is a relationship with Jesus Christ that brings contentment and joy to life, and not the toys. Oh my friend, that pornography will only leave you frustrated. The bigger house only brings bigger bills. It’s time we quit playing around and compromising. The Bible says in,
> 2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
Godly people are decisive people. Lastly, they are selfless people.
4. Selfless people –
- Read Matthew 22:36-40
Jesus said, “The second commandment is to love thy neighbor as thyself.”
My friend, when this nation was started our founding fathers said the only way we could survive would be if we were a Christian nation. Why? Because, if we were not a Christian nation, then we would vote ourselves everything. In this upcoming election, what are many people voting about? They will vote for the people who promise them the most. It doesn’t matter what it does to other people. It doesn’t matter how it impacts our children, or our seniors, or anyone else. Just tell me what’s in it for me.
It was barely 40 years ago, that President Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” My how things have changed.
A marriage made up of 2 selfish people, is a household from Hell. A businessman, like some we’ve seen in the past few years, that thinks only of making money, is a scourge to us all; and a nation made up of selfish people will never be blessed by God.
My friends, we must pray like we believe God still answers. We must go, like we believe God will use us. We must live, like we know people will watch us. We must love, like Jesus showed us; and we must vote like we know our nation depends on us.
We can’t leave today, however, without looking at the good news.
III. RETURNING TO A GOD-BLESSED NATION
Our nation is going through a recession. People have lost jobs. Parents have lost children to the world. Our country has lost some of the power, prestige and influence it has enjoyed in the past. We have lost our citizens to terrorists, our savings to inflation, our neighbors to disease, and our sons to war; but it does not have to be that way. We can see God’s favor shine on our land once again.
> 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
I want you to notice in this passage, that our Lord says His blessing is in the hands of His people. It is only Christians, those sitting in the church today, those who are called by His name, that can cause His blessings to return.
We do that by:
1. Humility – We realize that it is not our efforts, or the efforts of our forefathers, that have built this nation. It is God’s blessing.
2. Prayer – Praying for our country and for our leaders …
3. Seeking – We make seeking God a priority in our lives, with our time and our efforts. We make determining His will in a situation, instead of our preferences, a priority.
4. Repenting – Turning from our back-slidden, disobedient ways. We get the things out of our lives that we know displease Him.
Then we have a promise. I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sin, and heal their la
