Charles Swindoll, in Growing Deep in the Christian Life, talks about a man who bought a bucket of fried chicken for himself and his date late one afternoon. The attendant at the fast food outlet, however, inadvertently gave him the proceeds from the day's business – a bucket of money (much of it cash) instead of fried chicken. Swindoll writes:
“After driving to their picnic site, the two of them sat down to enjoy some chicken. They discovered a whole lot more than chicken – over $800! But he was unusual. He quickly put the money back in the bag. They got back into the car and drove all the way back. By then, the manager was frantic.
“Mr. Clean got out, walked in, and became an instant hero. ‘I want you to know I came by to get a couple of chicken dinners and wound up with all this money here.’
“Well, the manager was thrilled to death. He said, ‘Let me call the newspaper. I'm gonna have your picture put in the local paper. You're one of the most honest men I've ever heard of.’
“To which the man quickly responded, ‘Oh, no. No, no, don't do that!’ Then he leaned closer and whispered, ‘You see, the woman I'm with – she's, uh, somebody else's wife.’”
Ooops! An honest man without any integrity. It reminds me of the state of our American culture. We’re full of so-called “good, honest people,” but we lack the moral integrity that’s needed to keep us strong as a nation.
We’re in an accelerating slide into absolute moral ruin, which began with the sexual revolution in the 1960’s and has now led to the government prosecution of believers who will not celebrate same-sex marriage. Race riots are occurring with increasing frequency, requiring the National Guard to intervene twice in the last six months, first in Ferguson (November 2014) and now in Baltimore (April 2015). (Show Image)
What’s our country coming to? And what will it take to make America strong again? Well, I believe that the key to a strong nation is its churches. But the key to a strong church is its families. And the key to a strong family is its people.
That means you and I are the key to America’s strength (or lack of it). You and I are essential to our national security. You and I, as followers of Christ, are vital to our country’s vitality.
The question is: How? How can God use us to restore a nation that has gone so far away from Him? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Nehemiah 7, Nehemiah 7, where Nehemiah seeks to restore his nation.
Nehemiah 7:1-2 Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many. (ESV)
Nehemiah has rebuilt the walls. Now, he works to rebuild the people. They had returned from exile, which was a result of their turning away from God.
You see, Nehemiah knows that the walls are not enough to secure the city of Jerusalem. More than anything else, the city needs the right kind of people IN it and OVER it to make it strong, so He appoints two faithful men that fear God to lead the people; and that’s what it will take in our cities all across this land to restore America. It will take faithful, God-fearing people!
Do you want your family to be strong? Do you want your church to be strong? Do you want your nation to be strong? Then first of all…
BE FAITHFUL.
Be trustworthy. Be men and women of integrity.
In ancient China, the people desired security from the barbaric hordes to the north; so they built the Great Wall of China (show picture). It was so high, they knew no one could climb over it; and it was so thick, they knew nobody could break it down. So they settled back to enjoy their security. However, during the first hundred years of the wall’s existence, the barbaric hordes invaded China three times. Not once did they break down the wall or climb over the top. Each time, they bribed a gatekeeper and marched right on through the gates. (Bible Illustrator)
You see, no matter how strong a nation’s physical defenses, if that nation does not have people of integrity, then those defenses are useless. Faithfulness is fundamental to a strong country, a strong church and a strong family.
Just a few years ago, Dan Ariely conducted a massive study involving 30,000 college students to try and understand why some people lie, cheat, and steal. Ariely and his team went to college campuses all over the world and offered to pay students for every math puzzle they could solve in five minutes. At the end of the five minutes, the students were asked to grade their own papers and shred them in the back of the room. Then the students stood in line and received money for every right answer.
What the students didn't know was that the shredder didn't actually shred their papers. That way the researchers could check to see if they were telling the truth. Ariely found that, on average, students reported solving six problems, when in fact they solved only four. He got roughly the same results no matter what country they were in: the United States, Western Europe, Turkey, Israel, China and many other countries.
And after testing 30,000 people, Ariely found only 12 [what he called] “big cheaters,” compared to 18,000 “small cheaters.” The big cheaters stole a total of $150, while the small cheaters stole around $36,000 – just one or two dollars at a time.
Ariely concluded that most dishonesty happens among ordinary people who think of themselves as basically honest. But when added together, all this “little” dishonesty has a huge impact. (Tim Suttle, Shrink, Zondervan, 2014, pp. 114-115; www.PreachingToday.com)
You see, it is not life’s “big cheaters” who cause the most trouble – the criminals and psychopaths, no. It is typical, ordinary people, who find ways to rationalize their own bad behavior. It’s the “little cheaters” who in the long run cause the most damage. So if you want a strong country, a strong church, and a strong family, then be men and women of integrity not only in the big things, but in the small things, as well.
Admiral William H. McRaven, a 36-year Navy SEAL veteran, gave the commencement address last year to the Class of 2014 at the University of Texas in Austin. The title of his talk was “10 Lessons to Change the World”, and the first lesson addressed this issue of being faithful in the small things. He said:
Every morning in basic SEAL training, my instructors… would show up in my barracks room and the first thing they would inspect was your bed. If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket folded neatly at the foot of the…bed.
It was a simple task – mundane at best. But every morning we were required to make our bed to perfection. It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that were aspiring to be real warriors, tough battle hardened SEALs – but the wisdom of this simple act has been proven to me many times over.
If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day… By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can't do the little things right, you will never do the big things right. And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made – that you made – and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better. [So] If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. (Admiral William H. McRaven, “Admiral McRaven: 10 Lessons to Help Change the World,” Real Clear Politics, 5-22-14; www.PreachingToday.com)
If you are faithful in the little things, Jesus said, “I will put you in charge of many things” (Matthew 25:21, 23).
Do you want a strong country? Do you want a strong church? Do you want a strong family? Then 1st of all, be faithful even in the little things. And 2nd, learn to…
FEAR GOD.
Reverence and respect the Lord. Know and love Him above everything else.
Did you notice in verse 2 that Nehemiah selected not only “a faithful man”, but a more “God-fearing man than many”. And that’s what we need to be if we’re going to build a strong nation. We must be faithful in the small things, to be sure; but we must be faithful for the right reasons. We must be faithful out of our love and respect for God Himself.
The problem is, too many people treat God like the Geek Squad (show logo). They are Best Buy’s technical experts, who will fix your computer, cell phone, or gaming device. They proudly declare, “We're geeky, yes, but we also know what you're going through, because nobody is more into technology than we are.” So when you have a problem, you give the Geek Squad a call, they fix your problem, and then they leave you alone.
That’s the way a lot of people treat God. When they have a problem, they call on God, expect Him to fix the problem, and then leave them alone. There’s no real relationship. Or to put it in terms of the text here: There’s no real fear of God.
Now, we’re not talking about a cowering fear that keeps us away from God, oh no! We’re talking about love-respect relationship that draws us near.
Lee Eclov, a pastor in Vernon Hills, Illinois, describes it like this. He says: “I used to think that living in “the fear of the Lord” is like driving down the street while watching the policeman in your rearview mirror. But actually there's a better picture for the fear of the Lord. It's like a teenage driver who suddenly spots her father's car in her rearview mirror. Seeing him back there puts her on notice to be on her best behavior – to use her blinkers and stop at the yellow light, and to keep both hands on the wheel. But it also tells her that her father cares enough to follow her. It tells her that she's safe. Her father isn't trying to trap or trick her. He's trying to help her develop good habits; not just to be careful on this trip, but to obey the laws and stay safe until she gets home. She's driving on her own, but not completely on her own.
“So it is for the people of God. The fear of the Lord means we live life with our heavenly Father always in our rearview mirror. We glance up and see his brilliant holiness but also his care and love. Our response, the fear of the Lord, is a mix of reverence, trust, and love. (Lee Eclov, Vernon Hills, Illinois; www.PreachingToday.com)
Isn’t that beautiful, that kind of a relationship with a Holy God? Let me tell you: that kind of reverence, trust and love, will motivate you to be faithful even in the little things; it will encourage you to live your life with integrity, no matter what the rest of the culture says or does.
You see, Oswald Chambers was right when he said years ago, “When you fear God, you fear nothing else; whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” (Reprinted in “Wisdom in a Time of War,” Christianity Today, 1-07-02, p. 47; www.PreachingToday.com)
Do you want a strong country? Do you want a strong church? Do you want a strong family? Then 1st of all, be faithful even in the little things. 2nd, fear God. And finally…
MAKE SURE YOU ARE IN THE FAMILY.
Ensure that you truly belong to the people of God. Make certain you’re a true citizen of the Kingdom of God.
When Nehemiah seeks to populate the now complete city of Jerusalem, he consults the official genealogical records. And that’s what the rest of this chapter is all about (from verse 5 to the end). It is a list of those Jewish families who returned from Babylon 100 years earlier under Zerubbabel. Steve, would you like to read all the names on that list, starting at verse 5? I didn’t think so, and I’m not going to read them either.
The point is Nehemiah wants to make sure that only Jewish families inhabit the city. He wants to ensure that only God’s people become its citizens. Why? Because that’s very important for the strength and security of the city. You see, if any imposters became permanent residents, they could undermine the city’s defenses from within.
So Nehemiah ensures that they’re all God’s people, and that’s what we need to do to build a strong church today. Each of us needs to make sure we’re truly a part of God’s family.
2 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.”
You may dress like a Christian; you may talk like a Christian; and you may look like a Christian. However, that does not mean you ARE a Christian.
Virginia college sophomore, Danny Foley, wanted to be part of his school’s basketball team – even if it meant faking his way onto the court. Danny noticed that all of his team's assistant coaches wore the same suit with a bright orange tie. So before Virginia’s conference championship game against Duke on March 16 last year (2014), he and his friends went searching for some cheap knockoffs. He found everything he needed at Walmart – a suit jacket, suit pants, dress shoes, dress socks, a white dress shirt, and the orange tie.
The next morning, he bought $30 nosebleed tickets just to get in the door and headed to the game. During a TV timeout, Danny made a move, confidently marching past an usher and onto the court. Danny said, “I walked right behind the cheerleaders and onto the court and joined the [team's] huddle on the court.”
Following his team's big win, he went for an even bigger thrill. When the game's final buzzer sounded with Virginia defeating Duke 72-63, Danny joined his [so-called] “teammates” in the handshake line. As the confetti fell around him, Danny got to shake hands with “Coach K,” the legendary coach for Duke. Photos from the end of the game show Danny wearing a championship t-shirt over his suit and smiling in the middle of the confetti-covered arena.
After celebrating with the coaches and players, Danny was caught by a member of Virginia's staff, but he quickly climbed the railings and disappeared into the stands. (Joshua Gardner, “Hidden in plain sight: Student uses orange Walmart tie to help him sneak into UVA huddle just before historic ACC win,” Daily Mail, 3-20-14; www.PreachingToday.com)
That was a harmless prank, faking his way onto Virginia’s team. However, when people try to fake their way onto God’s team, it can be very harmful, not only to the person’s soul, but to the reputation of the church itself. So examine yourself and make sure. Make sure that you haven’t just bought the suit and tie without really joining the team.
So many people in our evangelical churches are depending on the fact that they prayed a prayer when they were young, that they “asked Jesus to come into their heart”. Then they go on living their own lives their own way and think they’re safe and on their way to heaven. Well, nothing can be further from the truth, because nowhere in the Bible does it say, “Pray a prayer, asking Jesus in your heart, and you will be saved”. No! The Bible says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
The word “believe” means to trust, to depend upon. In other words, you must trust the Lord Jesus with your life and your eternal destiny. You must depend on Him to save you from your sins and give you a new life. Now, many people express that trust with a prayer, but it is NOT the prayer that saves you. It is Christ who saves you as you depend on Him.
So make sure this morning. Examine yourself, to see whether you are in the faith. Look at your heart, and ask yourself: Am I truly trusting Christ with my life? Am I depending only on Him to save me from my sins? And has my life demonstrated a real change since I trusted Christ as my Savior? For true faith always expresses itself in obedience.
If you can honestly answer yes to these questions, then you can be certain you are on your way to heaven; because that’s God’s promise to you and me.
Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).
If you believe, i.e., if you have trusted Christ with your life, you HAVE eternal life right now; you HAVE already passed from death to life. It’s not something you get in the future. You have it right now, and you cannot lose it. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be eternal, would it?
But that’s a promise only for those who truly believe, who truly depend on Christ. Does that describe you? If you’re not sure, then make sure today! Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved!
Do you want a strong country? Do you want a strong church? Do you want a strong family? Then 1st of all, be faithful even in the little things. 2nd, fear God; and 3rd, make sure you are in the family.
Ethel Barrett tells the story of an ancient king in Sparta, who was entertaining a visiting monarch. Sparta’s king wanted to impress his royal visitor, so he bragged about the mighty walls which surrounded the city.
However, there were no walls, and the visiting monarch was not impressed. “I’d like to see those walls,” he said to his host. “Show them to me!”
Then Sparta’s king pointed to some of his best and well-trained troops. They were part of Sparta’s mighty army, and the king said, “There they are! Those are the walls of Sparta!” (Ethel Barett, It Only Hurts when I Laugh)
My dear friends, the strength of a nation, the strength of a church, the strength of a family is its people. It’s you and me! So, as we depend on Christ together, may it be said of us, “There they are! Those are the walls of the United States of America.”
