Righteousness Exalts a Nation II
10/12/08
Proverbs 14:34
Judges 2:20-3:4
Tim Franklin
Introduction:
- Last Sunday I started a series of messages leading up to the elections in November entitled: Righteousness Exalts a Nation. I want you to be aware of what you have as a citizen of the United States of American and to awaken you from the apathy that has rocked the body of Christ in this nation to sleep regarding governmental things.
- Prov. 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people. NKJV
- Last week we defined righteousness as doing right, thinking right and living right. It is seen as conforming ones heart to the heart of God.
- We looked at what righteousness does to an individual and to a nation. It raises one up, lifts them out of the place despair, bring increase of joy, strength, and overall happiness in life.
- We looked at George Washington life brief and and caught a glimpse of what he saw and envisioned of our new nation.
- We looked at the responsibility we have as a free people to participate in our government. And we observed some statistics over the past couple of decades of our nation.
- We have a bulletin board in the hallway entitled: Governing Through Prayer. On that bulletin board we have created prayer targets, and thought provokers to stir you to be responsible in prayer, action and commitment to Christ and to the principles on which this nation was founded.
- Three things we looked at last week: Righteousness Exalts, Righteousness Requires Responsibility, and Righteousness Provides Rewards.
- Today –When Men Forget God, What God is seeking and What We Must Remember.
1. When Men Forget God
a. The pattern of doing evil. Judges 3:7, 12,
i. They forgot the Lord their God
ii. They served other Gods
iii. God strengthened their enemies vs. 12
iv. God delivers them to their enemies. 6:1
1. "When they forgot the Lord their God, then he sold them...," which happened repeatedly during the time of the judges (Judg 2:14; Judg 3:8; Judg 4:2; Judg 10:7). (from Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Copyright © 1980 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
2. When God sold Israel into the hand of her enemies He is simple saying they now have full right to you, to do whatever they want.
3. Lk 11:24 House swept clean but vacant will be filled with squatters.
4. Mt. 18: A man who is forgiven but refuses to forgive is handed to the tormentors.
b. The Bible is filled with this pattern.
i. The Book of Judges reflects this pattern
ii. The Book of the Kings and The Chronicles of the Kings reflect this pattern
iii. Jewish history reflects this pattern. When the Jewish religious leaders killed the Son of God multiple OT prophesies were fulfilled a few years later when Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jewish nation scattered to the four winds of the earth until 1948.
2. What God is Seeking
a. Proverbs 14:34 That righteousness exalts a nation. They really want us to know that and not forget. The pattern of doing right.
i. He is looking for men who will remember Him.
1. Six times Israel remembers God and cried out to Him and each time God delivered them.
2. God will remember America if we too will cry out to Him. But first we have to remember him.
ii. He is looking for men who will serve Him
1. A pattern in Judges is that when the people served the Lord with all their heart after crying out to him, is that their land received rest—freedom from war, famine and plague.
2. God is looking for men after His heart who will obey Him, not out of shear fear but Awestruck desire!
iii. He is looking for men into whose hands He can entrust the Kingdom
iv. He is looking for men who will serve as deliverers and remember the poor, and stand for justice and righteousness.
b. He is looking to hold the heart of men and nations in His hand.
i. 2 Chron 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those(Plural-parenthesis my words)whose heart is loyal to Him. NKJV
ii. 1 Sam 13:14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, NKJV A nation influencer.
iii. Acts 13:22 have found David* the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.'NKJV
3. What We Must Remember
a. We must understand and remember what our founding fathers knew. IT IS CRUCIAL! We must remember or be ready to face what Israel faced when she forgot God.
i. Let me ask this question: Is our nation a democracy? NO IT IS NOT! It is a republic. There is a major difference and that difference is where the source of authority rests.
ii. A democracy operates by direct majority of the people. Our founding fathers referred to democracy as “mobocracy” or how the crowd feels at the moment. The authority of a democracy rests in the popular feeling of the people.
iii. A republic is rule by law. And the authority of the Republic rests in the Word of God.
iv. “The Founders understood that Biblical values formed the basis of the republic and the republic would be destroyed if the people’s knowledge of those values should ever be lost.” David Barton pp. 337 Original Intent Therefore, a republic is the highest form of government devised by man, but it also requires the greatest amount of human care and maintenance. If neglected, it can deteriorate into lesser forms including: a democracy, anarchy, oligarchy (govt. by small council) or dictatorship.
1. Noah Webster-“Our citizens should early understand that the genuine source of correct republican principles is the Bible, particularly the New Testament, or the Christian religion.” Pp. 336 Original Intent – David Barton
2. Benjamin Franklin-“A simple democracy…is one of the greatest of evils” pp 335 Original Intent- David Barton
3. John Adams-“Remember, a democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” John Adams ibid.
4. Noah Webster- “A pure democracy is generally a very bad government. It is often the most tyrannical government on earth.” Ibid.
v. Understanding the foundation of the American republic is a vital key toward protecting it! Therefore, in analyzing public policy, remember to ask, “Is this act consistent with our form of government?” and support or oppose the policy on that basis. The Word of God is the stabilizing factor. Ie. According to the Bible murder will always be murder for the Word is clear on that.
b. We must remember God and hold His values to our heart.
i. It begins by holding the Word of God dear to our hearts and imparting it to our children.
ii. Did our Founding Fathers believe in separating religion from Federal and State governments? A resounding NO!
1. George Washington “You do well to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ…Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention.” Pp. 168 Original Intent.
2. Samuel Adams “Let…statesmen and patriots unite their endeavors to renovate the age by, educating their little boys and girls… and leading them in the study and practice of the exalted virtues of the Christian system.”
3. Daniel Webster—The Christian Religion—its general principles—must ever be regarded among us as the foundation of civil society. Ibid. p 164
4. Patrick Henry—The great pillars of all government and of social life…are virtue, morality and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone that renders us invincible. Ibid. p 164
c. Let us look at something else that may help you to understand your country. For the most part our nation is divided into two groups of people. Conservatives and Liberals. Each of those groups are sadly divided into two parties but we must seek understanding here. What does this mean to us?
i. Liberal comes from the Latin word Liberalis meaning free, not literal or strict; free thinker not bound by traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, view or dogmas. (Webster 1828 Dictionary and Dictionary.Com) Rooted in the Fr. Revolution. This means: liberal Justices do not see our constitution as something to be literally adhered to or strictly followed so decrees are made not based on original intent but individual interpretation.
ii. Conservative-from the Latin-conservitivous-favoring traditional views or values, conserving traditional values; keepers of traditions and traditional values. (Dictionary.Com) Was created in response to the Fr. Revolution. Regarding Justices this means that they look for the original intent of our Founding Fathers and not to interpret what they think they thought they meant. They seek to preserve the original intent of the Founding Fathers.
iii. As it applies to our nation conservatives seeks to preserve the Christian traditions and values of our nation. Conservatism seeks to remind us of our historical roots and the traditions out of which our nation was born. Then ones which we are now forgetting!
d. Why must we remember? Our Founders understood how God works with nations.
i. The Rev. Matthias Burnet (1803) Finally, ye . . . whose high prerogative it is to . . . invest with office an authority or to withhold them and in whose power it is to save or destroy your country, consider well the important trust . . . which God . . . [has] put into your hands. To God and posterity you are accountable for them. . . . Let not your children have reason to curse you for giving up those rights and prostrating those institutions which your fathers delivered to you. (A minister in CT that preached a powerful election sermon to his church in the infancy of America)
ii. The Rev. Charles Finney (1830s) “The Church must take right ground in regard to politics. . . . [T]he time has come that Christians must vote for honest men and take consistent ground in politics. . . . Christians have been exceedingly guilty in this matter. But the time has come when they must act differently. . . . God cannot sustain this free and blessed country which we love and pray for unless the Church will take right ground. . . . It seems sometimes as if the foundations of the nation are becoming rotten, and Christians seem to act as if they think God does not see what they do in politics. But I tell you He does see it, and He will bless or curse this nation according to the course [Christians] take [in politics].”
iii. The Rev. Frederick Douglass (1852) “[I] have one great political idea. . . . That idea is an old one. It is widely and generally assented to; nevertheless, it is very generally trampled upon and disregarded. The best expression of it, I have found in the Bible. It is in substance, “Righteousness exalteth a nation; sin is a reproach to any people” [Proverbs 14:34]. . . This constitutes my politics – the negative and positive of my politics, and the whole of my politics. . . . I feel it my duty to do all in my power to infuse this idea into the public mind, that it may speedily be recognized and practiced upon by our people.”
iv. Benjamin Franklin—read pp 298 The Christian Life and Character-Benjamin F Morris. It is the record of congress struggling for over five weeks to come up with a constitution when Ben Franklin proposed that they take a three day break and come back starting each day with prayer and seek of God.
1. We must call upon God in similar manner in this hour.
2. Repenting of our self sufficiency and
3. Leaning on God for Divine direction and care.
Conclusion:
· The fast.
o Declare a Fast—God Have Mercy! We will pray for our nation.
§ Oct. 14-Nov. 23. Eat on election evening.
§ First week soup.
§ Second week green leafy salads.
§ Broth/bullion, bread and grape juice. Finish with family communion.
§ Children are to eat good breakfasts and lunches. Let family meal time be one that is focused on the fast. Everyone should go to bed touched by hunger remembering the Lord and the night’s devotional thoughts.
§ We will supply you with a daily focus consisting of: scripture reading, prayer target, American history nugget or thought. See the web site to sign up for these family devotionals. If you signed up before but changed your email address without letting us know you need to update. You should also check your filter to make sure you can receive email from us.
o Adults have been asking me what do? Set your goal to eat only at dinner time.
· Invitation for salvation.
Prov 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. NKJV
Judg 21:25…everyone did what was right in his own eyes. NKJV
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