Church Sermon - July 3, 2005

Rev. Bernt P. Tweit

The Beginning of Government and Israel
Bible Readings: Deuteronomy 6:4-17
Deuteronomy 17:8-13

New Testament Basics about Government
Bible Readings: Romans 13:1-7

Christ’s Rule over Government
Bible Readings: Ephesians 1:18-22

Our Duty to the State
Bible Readings: Acts 23:1-5

Good Citizenship
Bible Readings: 1 Peter 2:15-21

Sermon Text: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people" Proverbs 14:34

A king once invited a hundred friends over to a party. He and his friends, his wives, and his concubines were celebrating. They were eating, drinking, and being merry. Then he took out some goblets, made of silver and gold. They filled up those goblets with wine and began to praise the gods (small ‘g’) of gold and silver, wood and stone.

While they were celebrating, some words were written on the wall where they were. The king became ghostly white. He became very pale. He asked people he knew to come and tell him what those words said. He asked the magicians, the sorcerers, and the diviners to come. They looked at those words on the wall and they could not decipher what those words said.

That is when the queen remembered a man who was able to decipher what those words said. The king called for that man. He came. He looked at those words written on the wall in Aramaic. He said, "Oh king, I know what those words say. Those words are telling you three things. First of all, oh King, the number of your days are up. Your kingdom is going to come to an end. Secondly, oh King, you have been weighed in the balance and you have been found wanting. You are lacking. Thirdly, oh King, today your kingdom is going to be taken from you and given to another country."

The king that I am talking about today is King Belshazzar. The country that I am talking about is the Babylonian Empire. And the man who revealed what those words on the wall said was none other than the prophet Daniel.

King Belshazzar had done a disgraceful thing. His father Nebuchadnezzar had stolen, from the treasury of the temple in Jerusalem, gold and silver goblets. And, for his own personal gain at his party, he had all of his guests drink wine out of those goblets, as they gave praise to the gods (again, small ‘g’) of gold, silver, wood and of stone.

God wrote those words on the wall in Aramaic. It was "mene, mene, tekel, parsin." And Daniel revealed to King Belshazzar what those words meant. "Oh King, your days are up. Your country is going to be taken from you. You have been weighed in God’s scale and you have been found lacking. And your kingdom is going to be given to the Meads and the Persians."

That account from scripture is a reminder to us of what the second half of our scripture reading says for us today.

Not only does God allow kingdoms to rise and nations to rise, but He also causes them to crumble. Tomorrow, we get a chance to celebrate the birthday of our great nation. As a matter of a fact, we are going to celebrate the 229^th birthday of our nation! I think the question begs to be asked today, "What kind of nation are we?" Are we a righteous nation? Or, are we a disgraceful nation?

Let’s go back and look at what our country was built upon, first of all. As we look at what our country was built upon, we see that in the year 1620, as the Pilgrims came over from Europe and settled in the northeast, they first stepped foot in Plymouth, Massachusetts. (Our high school youth are going to have an opportunity to see that this summer!) They came here, not fleeing from something, but they came here seeking something. That was freedom and liberty in their worship. All we really need to do is to look at the compact that they made with each other, when they got off of the Mayflower.

"In the name of God, Amen. Having undertaken for the glory of God and for the advancement of the Christian faith, we do solemnly and mutually swear in the presence of God, convenant and combine ourselves together."

Later on they said, "We came here for the glory of God and for the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

A few years later after that, one of the great leaders of our country, Patrick Henry had this to say. "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or often enough that our great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians."

If our nation was founded on the gospel of Jesus Christ, are we still today founded on that same message of Jesus, as our Savior? Are we a righteous nation, or are we a disgraceful nation?

How is it that an individual or a group of people, a nation, can be righteous? Our text tells us today.

When an individual, or a group of people lives under godly principals, it shows itself in godly living. And so, how does an individual or a nation become righteous? Well, it is the scriptures that tell us how an individual or a nation is righteous. David, in the Psalm chapter 51 had this to say,

"Create in me a pure heart oh God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

In that whole section of scripture it becomes quite clear that we are not righteous by nature, but that we are sinful. It reminds us that we cannot become righteous by ourselves. It reminds us that we, as individuals, or as a nation, can only become righteous through the blood of Christ. Scripture is very clear when it says,

"God made Him

who had no sin, (that is Jesus),

to be sin for us,

so that in Him (Jesus) we might become

the righteousness of God."

Are we today, in modern America, still founded on that same foundation of our forefathers? Let us look to see if that is true or not. I think we all know in our minds that modern day America faces God’s judgment, because of its sins. We see how things have changed since our nation has founded. For example, there is a continual breakdown of the family. Statistics tell us that one out of every two marriages end in divorce. It goes against God’s Word, which says,

"Do not separate what God has joined together."

It is disgraceful.

Abortion has been legal for 30 plus years now. That goes against what God’s Word says, when God tells us,

"You shall not kill."

That is disgraceful.

The words or the language that come out of our mouth goes against God’s Word, which tells us,

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only that which is

helpful

for building up your brother."

That is disgraceful.

More and more people are living together outside of marriage, and being sexually active before marriage, which goes against what scripture says. As God says,

"The marriage bed should be kept pure."

It is disgraceful.

If given enough time, and we as a nation continue to stray from our foundation, we, like all other nations that have ever existed, will come to a screeching halt.

Let’s also look at ourselves as individuals, as we live in this nation. As individuals, how is it that we would be found, if we were to be weighed in God’s scale? We saw how King Belshazzar was found. Scripture says he was found wanting. I think there are a lot of people in our country who are under the impression that if we were to place our sin and our good works in God’s balance or God’s scale, that if we have more good deeds than sin, we would be found in God’s favor. And yet, that is not what scripture says. The scripture even tells us that if we have one sin, and thousands of good works, that one sin easily outweighs those good works.

"If we keep the whole law

and yet stumble at just one point

we are guilty of breaking all of God’s Law."

How then is it that we are able to find God’s favor, as we are weighed in His balance? The only way is through the blood of our Savior, Jesus. The scriptures tell us the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purifies us from all sin. As our sin is placed in God’s balance, and as Jesus, God’s Son, and His blood is placed in the balance, we are found in God’s favor (through faith in Jesus, through the blood that He shed for us). He considers us, as individuals, to be righteous, forgiven – with freedom and liberty from sin.

Knowing that as individuals, we have freedom and forgiveness from all of our sin, how should then we, as righteous individuals, live in this great nation that God has given to us? There are many places in scripture in which God shares with us how it is that He wants us to live. For example, God says (Galatians 6:10),

"As you have the opportunity,

do good to all people,

especially to those who belong to the household of faith."

God says (I Peter 4:8),

"Love one another deeply,

because love covers over a multitude of sins."

Listen to what God told Daniel to do. Remember Daniel was in exile in Babylon. God shared words of encouragement, with Daniel, that He also shares with us today when He said (Jeremiah 29:4-7),

"This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters and increase in number there. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." As we read just a few moments ago in our scripture reading from 1 Timothy, chapter two, we see Paul encouraging us to pray, "for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."

Finally, it is Peter who shares with us (I Peter 2:11-12),

"Dear friends abstain from sinful desires. Live such good lives among unbelievers that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day that He visits you."

This Fourth of July weekend we remember the reason that America is a great nation is because God has blessed us. It is only through the blood of our Savior, Jesus, that we can be found righteous in God’s eyes.

"Righteousness exalts a nation,

but sin is a disgrace to any people."

This weekend, and specifically tomorrow, as we celebrate the birthday of our nation, (again the 229^th birthday of our nation), not only do we remember the lives that were given, so that we could have freedom and liberty, but far greater than that, we remember the life that our Savior, Jesus, gave with His death on the cross, with the blood that He shed, so that we could have liberty, so that we could have freedom and forgiveness from all of our sin and be found to be righteous in God, our Heavenly Father’s, eyes. May God continue to grant that to us a nation. And, may God continue to grant that to you, as an individual of this nation, for Jesus’ sake.

Amen.

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