Blessed is the Nation

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SCRIPTURE

Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord;
it is fitting for the pure to praise him.
Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre;
make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.
Sing a new song of praise to him;
play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.
For the word of the Lord holds true,
and we can trust everything he does.
He loves whatever is just and good;
the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.
The Lord merely spoke,
and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
and all the stars were born.
He assigned the sea its boundaries
and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
Let the whole world fear the Lord,
and let everyone stand in awe of him.
For when he spoke, the world began!
It appeared at his command.
The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations
and thwarts all their schemes.
But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;
his intentions can never be shaken.
What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord,
whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.
The Lord looks down from heaven
and sees the whole human race.
From his throne he observes
all who live on the earth.
He made their hearts,
so he understands everything they do.
The best-equipped army cannot save a king,
nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—
for all its strength, it cannot save you.
But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
those who rely on his unfailing love.
He rescues them from death
and keeps them alive in times of famine.
We put our hope in the Lord.
He is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
for our hope is in you alone.
Psalm 33

Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.

Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.
Romans 13:1-7

SERMON

Blessed is the Nation

Randy K’Meyer

What feelings are invoked in you when you think about politics in America? Anger, anxiousness, apathy, cynicism, dread, exhaustion, outrage? How about excitement; what about hope, hope for a preferred future?

As Biblical adherents, we believe that everything on earth is infected with sin, including politicians and our political systems.

Paul, in Romans, wants his readers to understand that government is not only a political enterprise; government is a sacred enterprise because it was initiated by God for the benefit and blessing of humanity! And the Bible would have us know that politics is one limited for sure, but worthwhile way, to promote God’s freedom, justice, and righteousness; to seek the safety and prosperity of our nation, and even to love our neighbors as ourselves.

We all recognize that God desires that all people establish a relationship with Him through faith in His Son, Jesus, and then submit to His Lordship. But God also desires that nations, including this one, would submit to His rightful rule.

And the good news throughout the Bible is when people and nations repent and return to God, they will begin to experience good things that result from God’s blessings. II Chronicles 15:4 says, “But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found Him.” And in verse 15, it says, “They earnestly sought after God, and they found Him. And the Lord gave them rest from their enemies on every side.”

In the church, when we hear that truth, one of the first things that come to our minds as to how we can help people turn to the Lord is through evangelism. Last Sunday morning, Jim Brandenburg talked about the importance of reaching people for Christ in our mission field. Sunday evening, Dr. Daniel Shayesteh talked about the same on a global level.

And for sure, it is our privilege and high calling to point people to Christ, knowing that as more and more people come to faith in Christ, and begin to participate in His Kingdom of love and peace, there will be a positive impact on the world in which we live.

But that’s not the only way God works to bring His Kingdom in heaven to earth.

Paul in Romans makes it clear that God uses individual people; kings, emperors, presidents, and other elected officials who have the power to form policy and create laws that provide freedom, order, and safety for citizens. (Romans 13).

Notice I said elected officials. And this is another arena in which you and I as Christians have the opportunity to speak, to use our voices.

I am speaking, of course, about voting. You and I have, as a privilege of living in America, another voice with which to speak on God’s behalf. A voice that not only can be heard but must be heard.

God has given us the right to have our voices heard. It is not only our civic duty to vote, but more importantly, it is our Christian duty to vote. That is, to align our voice with God’s rule; God’s will for social structures, God’s will as it concerns the passing of laws that promote God’s freedom, righteousness, and justice, God’s will for morality, and then vote accordingly.

Notice that I did not say to vote for one political party or another. To approach voting by asking, which political candidate am I going to vote for? is the wrong way to approach voting.

The Christian should approach voting with the idea that I am going to vote for God. God is my Ruler, and pursuing His Kingdom is my goal. The Psalmist says, “God loves whatever is just and good” (33:5) therefore when given the choice to make my voice heard, I will align myself with the person, it doesn’t matter what party they associate with, the person that I think best represents God’s Kingdom and rule.

Paul, in First Corinthians, says, “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (10:31).
And to the Colossians: “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (3:17).

In his fine book, Kingdom Politics, Dr. Tony Evans writes,

The theme of the Bible is the glory of God through the expansion of His Kingdom. God is concerned about one thing: that He be glorified and His Kingdom expanded. Once you leave that, you’ve left the theme of the Bible. And once you’ve left the Bible, you’ve left God. The Bible is clear that God rules over all. Psalm 22:8 states it like this: “For dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations.”

God is King. He is running a Kingdom that involves the nations. God has established the world in such a way to give you the opportunity and responsibility to participate in the process of how He runs it. You participate, at a minimum, through your vote. Now I understand that this creates consternation because what we are voting on is not God or His policies, but rather to fill roles who may or may not reflect God’s principles. But we are still called upon to vote according to our conscience in a manner that will seek to bring God glory.

If you are a Christian and you name the name of Jesus Christ, you don’t get to leave God out of your vote. Nor do you just get to vote how you want to vote. You only get to vote for God’s glory and the expansion of His Kingdom. That’s the primary drive behind your vote. Your vote should seek to expand God’s Kingdom rule on earth. And while I understand and acknowledge that there are a lot of variances in terms of specific applications to specific policies and politicians under that banner, the goal of glorifying God must be foremost in your vote. ¹

When voting for a candidate, the challenge is to know which candidate best represents God’s Kingdom. We’re going to have to do some digging. The first thing I want to know about a candidate is, whether are they a Christian. If I have the choice to vote for someone who claims to be a Christian versus someone who does not, the choice is clear. But what if I don’t know for sure, or what if both candidates claim to be followers of Jesus?

Then I must examine their voting record to see if the voting record of that individual represents God’s Kingdom of justice and righteousness.

When voting on an issue, as Christians, we must resist the temptation to vote the way our culture tells us to vote and search the scriptures to identify the way that God would have us vote on a particular issue.

Don’t get me wrong today; it is not my intention to emphasize the power of the flag over the power of the Cross.

The gospel, not the voting booth, is the power of God unto salvation. Christ and His gospel of grace must always reign supreme in any church, including this one. For the Lord’s purpose for His Kingdom will continue to move forward no matter how elections go on Tuesday.

But our political lives are one part of our lives that we are called to offer up to the God who saved us with the precious blood of His Son Jesus Christ.

So what am I saying today? I am saying that it is not just our civic duty to vote,
it is our Christian privilege and responsibility to vote. I am saying that as we vote, we do not vote our personal preferences for particular issue or causes based upon what society and our culture dictates, but rather, on what God dictates in His word.

Why? Because “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12).
Blessed would be America if God were America’s Lord.
Blessed would be America if God were America’s Lord.
Blessed would be America if God were America’s Lord.

And it’s obvious to most of us, is it not, that the United States of America as a nation is distancing itself further and further from God. Right and wrong are being redefined today. Things that used to be right are now considered wrong and things that used to be considered wrong are now right. Isaiah warned us about this: “What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil” (5:20). More and more decisions are made and allegiances formed based upon what people say, think, and mostly feel, and not on what the Word of God declares. The morality of our country is on a downhill slide away from God.

There is an ever-increasing narcissistic emphasis on the love of self. The love of money is the bottom line that drives much of our nation. The number of people who claim to be followers of Christ is declining. The influence of the church is waning. People who follow Jesus are more and more slandered in the public sphere. Even God is mocked.

Only God can fix what needs to be fixed in America!

And time may be running out to turn it around.

We may be living in the last days. Paul writes his son in the faith, Timothy:

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves, and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing scared. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. (3:1-4).

Paul is indicating to Timothy and to us that there is an urgency in the imperative for God’s people to assist God in bringing His Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven.

And I am indicating that we have an opportunity this Tuesday to put our faith into action, to make our voices heard in a place where the rubber of Christianity meets the road; in the voting booth.

The best strategy for the future of the United States of America rests in God and God alone. When we enter the voting booth, it is another opportunity to bow the knee to Christ and His Kingdom. The closer we align with Him and His Kingdom through the voice of our vote, the greater we will experience His help, His power, His presence, His love, and His influence in our nation.

As the Psalmist put it today: “We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice for we trust His holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in You alone” (Psalm 33:20-22).

May the good Lord give His people, His Church more time to help our nation rally around His Kingdom rule that there might be healing in our land!