God And The Nations - Raising Up A Nation - Part 1
Today we will be reading from Acts 17:24-31
The United States of America.
What do we know about the USA?
We declared our independence from British rule in 1776 and thereafter won the War of Independence.
America is known as a Christian nation throughout the world.
America’s financial power is known throughout the world.
America’s military power is known throughout the world.
America is a republic where we elect politicians to represent our interests.
America has had numerous peaceful changes of government over the past 200+ years.
What is it that has made America great?
Did WE, as humans, have anything to do with America becoming a great nation or are we just a nation that the Lord Himself has raised up for His purposes for such a time as this?
Let’s read Acts 17:24-31 (prayer for help)
OK. So, let’s take another look at part of the Scripture we just read
Acts 17:26
“From one man (Adam) He (God) made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He (God) marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.”
From one man - who was that one man? Adam
Made all the nations - who made all the nations? God did.
What did God control about the nations?
- When they would take place
- Where they would be located
And back to the beginning - who made Adam? God did.
That is the testimony of Paul in Athens as he was declaring the good news about Jesus.
How about the witness of a pagan king?
(Give a little background about what Nebuchadnezzar has just been through …)
- The Lord has raised up Babylon to discipline Israel because of their wickedness and rebellion
- Nebuchadnezzar thinks he is the greatest thing to ever live on the earth
- The word “humility” is not even a part of his vocabulary
- The Lord humbles him for seven years
- Nebuchadnezzar then repents and this is his testimony!
Daniel 4:34-37
“At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified Him who lives forever.
“His dominion is an eternal dominion; His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: ‘What have you done?’
“At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before.
“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything He does is right and all His ways are just. And those who walk in pride He is able to humble.”
So, we see that the Lord controls the nations of earth according to His timetable and His plans.
We also see that, “He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth.”
So, is America a dominant nation on the world stage because we have made it so or is America a dominant nation on the world stage because the Lord God has raised us up according to His plans and His purposes?
Did the Lord God raise us up because many of our founding fathers were devout Christians or did He raise us up by selecting devout Christians to be our founding fathers or for some other reason known only to Him?
Let’s take a look at some quotes from some of the founding fathers of America …
George Washington …
"While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian."
Samuel Adams (proclaiming a day of fasting)
"And as it is our duty to extend our wishes to the happiness of the great family of man, I conceive that we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world that the rod of tyrants may be broken to pieces, and the oppressed made free again; that wars may cease in all the earth, and that the confusions that are and have been among nations may be overruled by promoting and speedily bringing on that holy and happy period when the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and all people everywhere willingly bow to the scepter of Him who is Prince of Peace."
James Madison (4th US President)
“A watchful eye must be kept on ourselves lest while we are building ideal monuments of Renown and Bliss here we neglect to have our names enrolled in the Annals of Heaven.”
John Quincy Adams (6th US President)
"The hope of a Christian is inseparable from his faith. Whoever believes in the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures must hope that the religion of Jesus shall prevail throughout the earth … And may the associated distribution of the Bible proceed and prosper till the Lord shall have ‘demonstrated His holy power before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God’ (Isaiah 52:10)."
William Penn (founder of Pennsylvania)
"I do declare to the whole world that we believe the Scriptures to contain a declaration of the mind and will of God in and to those ages in which they were written; being given forth by the Holy Ghost moving in the hearts of holy men of God; that they ought also to be read, believed, and fulfilled in our day; being used for reproof and instruction, that the man of God may be perfect. They are a declaration and testimony of heavenly things themselves, and, as such, we carry a high respect for them. We accept them as the words of God Himself."
That’s a pretty good start, right?
So, did the Lord put godly men together in order to create a nation that He could use in the future or did God bless the nation because it was founded by men to feared and revered His Holy Name?
Either way, as it says in Psalm 33:12a
“Blessed is the nation whose God is (Yahweh) the LORD.”
So, what have we found so far?
1) The Lord raises up nations according to His plans and purposes
2) It is a great benefit to a nation to be led by those who love, honor and obey the Lord who raises up nations according to His plans and purposes!
Finally, what else could a nation do that would bring about the blessing of the Lord for that nation?
There is a blessing that is given to individuals and nations that was pronounced over Abraham, Jacob and the nation of Israel in three different instances. Does anyone know what that blessing is?
Answer: If you bless Abraham (Israel) you will be blessed. If you curse Abraham (Israel) you will be cursed!
So, here in Genesis 12, Yahweh is speaking to Abraham who is 75 years old and still does not have any children.
Genesis 12:2-3
“And I WILL MAKE YOU A GREAT NATION, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; AND I (YAHWEH) WILL BLESS THOSE WHO BLESS YOU, AND THE ONE WHO CURSES YOU I WILL CURSE. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
So, at that point we do not know how the Lord will make Abraham’s still-non-existent offspring into a great nation but He does.
Now, let’s jump ahead a few decades. In Genesis 27 we see that Abraham has had Isaac, the son of God’s promise. But, not only has Isaac been born but he has lived his entire life and is now on his death bed
Isaac is blind and is waiting to give his final blessing to his firstborn son, Esau, before he dies.
But, Jacob’s mother wants him to get the blessing instead of Esau. So she disguises Jacob as Esau and sends him in to get the blessing. It is all just one big, giant deception designed to steal a blessing.
You know, if you were going to write a story to invent a religion it sure wouldn’t be like this one! You would expect the writer to make Jacob, one of the forefathers of the faith, to be perfect, right?
Not so, my friend …
Genesis 27:27-29
“So he (Jacob) went to him (Isaac, his Father) and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes (which were put on so that he would smell like Esau, is brother), he (Isaac) blessed him (because Isaac thought Jacob was really Esau) and said,
“Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed. May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness - an abundance of grain and new wine. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. MAY THOSE WHO CURSE YOU BE CURSED AND THOSE WHO BLESS YOU BE BLESSED.”
There’s that blessing and curse again.
Well, we see it one more time when a wicked prophet named Balaam was summoned by Balak, the King of Moab in order to curse Israel. And, even though Balaam was wicked and wanted to curse Israel for the money he was going to get out of it, the Lord caused him to bless the nation of Israel instead.
Here’s what Balaam says in Numbers 24:5-9
“How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel! Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by (Yahweh) the LORD, like cedars beside the waters.
“Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water.
‘Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted.
“God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. They devour hostile nations and break their bones in pieces; with their arrows they pierce them. Like a lion they crouch and lie down, like a lioness - who dares to rouse them?
“MAY THOSE WHO BLESS YOU BE BLESSED AND THOSE WHO CURSE YOU BE CURSED!”
So, what have we seen about how a nation can become great?
1) That nation must be ordained by the Lord who raises up and destroys nations according to His plans and purposes
2) That nation must have righteous leaders. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord!”
3) That nation must bless Israel and not curse them.
These principles do not only apply to nations but to churches and families and individuals as well.
1) The Lord has ordained churches to be raised up in order to form the body of Christ here on earth so that His kingdom may come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
The Lord has ordained families to be the basic building block of society, where generations are instructed on how to fear and reverence the Lord and on how to raise the next generation of believers,
The Lord has called each person to become a son or daughter of the Living God by placing their very lives in His hands for salvation.
2) Churches and families and individuals all must have God as their Lord if they are to be useful to the Lord in any way.
3) This is not something we often talk about but churches and families and individuals must also bless Israel if they are to be blessed by the Lord.
The fact is that you cannot hate or despise God’s chosen people and remain in fellowship with Him. That would be like telling a man who is deeply in love with his wife that you enjoy him as a friend but his wife is a despicable and utterly disgusting woman. That’s not gonna fly!
Just this past week I was listening to a man who was a Muslim in Iran and who became a believer in Jesus Christ. This man used to HATE the Jews. Now, when he thinks about how much he loves them it nearly brings him to tears. He loves Jesus and he loves Jesus’ people.
So, what do you think?
Has America become a great nation because of its wealth and its armed forces and its politics or because the Lord has ordained it according to His plans and purposes?
Has America become a great nation because her founding fathers were servants of the Most High God or because the Most High God gathered people together who would do His will and follow His plans for the nation?
Has America been blessed because she stood beside and blessed Israel since the nation was reestablished on May 14, 1948?
Will America be cursed if we ever start cursing Israel?
It will unless God goes back on His word!
As a final thought; never, ever think of Christianity as a means to accomplishing the goal of keeping America a great nation.
That would be idolatry.
The Lord is the Lord. He is above all and over all. We do not know what the Lord’s plans and purposes for America are. What we need to know is that we are for Him, whatever He decides.
Final thoughts and prayer
