|
|
Will God Continue To Bless This Nation Introduction: George Washington said, "it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor" Abraham Lincoln in proclaiming October 3, 1863 as a Day of Thanksgiving spoke of the fruitful fields and healthful skies and the great blessings we receive to the point of taking them for granted. Which he attributed to the watchful providence of the Almighty God. This nation has been greatly blessed. When compared to other nations, we enjoy many physical blessings. Just look to the south and Mexico and we see people living in poverty. The immigration problem this country is facing is due to our prosperity and people wanting to take part. The question we want to ponder this morning is, "Will God continue to Bless this nation?" In a book titled, "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", the historian, Gibbon, gives the following reasons for the fall of Roman. The rapid increase of divorce, with the undermining of the home, which is the basis of society Higher and higher taxes; the spending of public money for bread and celebration The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and brutal The building of gigantic armaments, when the real enemy with within; the decadence of the people The decay of religion; faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life, and becoming impotent to guide it When looking at the above points we may wonder what hope does our nation have of continuing on? Here’s what we can say about our country. I) God Is In Control A) This is a lesson that Babylon learned the hard way 1. God will weight the nations as well as individuals, Daniel 5.18-21 a. Through out the Old Testament we see God passing judgment on various nations: Egypt, Assyria, Syria, Edom, Babylon, etc. b. God often used one nation to punish a wicked nation and then use a third country to punish the other wicked nation. 2. What happened to the Roman Empire, Psalm 9.17 B) God is in control today, Psalm 22.28; 113.4 1. Man may build armies, create bombs, and various weapons to destroy it enemies but they are useless against the power of God. 2. As stated with the fall of the Roman Empire its greatest enemy could not be destroyed with armies to bombs for its greatest enemy was its own decadence. II) God Will Continue To Bless This Nation If… A) We honor Him as God, Micah 6.8 1. Evolution has been taught so as to exclude the existence of God and His word. a. Man is just an animal with no morals or a soul. Everything is right and nothing is wrong. 2. Many of the so called God believing people are not God fearing, Romans 3.11 a. Tendency to place God in a little compartment and there He must stay 3. Many so calls religions are advocating things contrary to the Bible a. Romans 1.20-27 has been recycled and called the New Age Movement; Satanism, Witchcraft, etc. b. Such leads to foolishness and destruction, Proverbs 14.34 B) Our Government Fulfills its Ordained Purpose, 1 Timothy 2.1-4 1. The role of government is to protect the innocent, 1 Peter 2.13-14 2. The role of the government is to punish evil doers, Ecclesiastes 8.11 a. Today the opposite seems to be the norm—rights of homosexuals are being expanded (in schools books advocating homosexuality are being used while the Bible is not allowed); while the rights of parents are being taken away (possible for a child to receive birth control without the consent of the parent). b. Murders are protected while the victims are quickly forgotten, Genesis 9.3-7 3. The government is to be an instrument of God, Romans 13.1-6 C) We Preserve the Home 1. We must get back to the purpose and pattern for the home a. One man for one woman, Matthew 19.5-6 b. Man is to provide for his family, 1 Timothy 5.8 c. Woman is to be the helper and home maker, Titus 2 d. Children are to be obedient to God and their parents, Colossians 3.20 D) The Salt Does Not Lose Its Flavor, Matthew 5.13-16 1. The Christian is to be pure, uncontaminated by sin. 2. What happens when the righteous become like the unrighteous? Genesis 18.23-32 3. If Christians become just like the rest of the world; they will be lost and so will our nation. Conclusion: "The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: 1. From bondage to spiritual faith 2. From spiritual faith to great courage 3. From courage to liberty 4. From liberty to abundance 5. From abundance to selfishness 6. From selfishness to complacency 7. From complacency to apathy 8. From apathy to dependency 9. From dependency back again into bondage As valuable as this nations and our freedoms are to us; they are temporary. One day this nation will cease to exist. Our freedoms can be eroded by the courts and our own laws. Our citizenship can become worthless. However, our citizenship is in the kingdom of God, and that is priceless, Philippians 3.20. (Lesson adapted from a sermon that I heard Connie Adams preach a number of years ago. D.T.) D.T. @ Westside Church of Christ 11.18.07 |