A Nation Under God? B

Hi friend, this is Phil Johnson and welcome to a special edition of grace to you with John MacArthur. We've interrupted our regular schedule to bring you a message that John preached just a few days ago. There's no way to hide from the chaos that use the year 2020. The COBIT 19 pandemic and related lockdowns are obviously huge parts of that but also in the United States. We've had ongoing social disorder, rioting and attacks on police officers that magnify the turmoil. How did we get to this place where unrest is rampant where wicked and lawless behavior is tolerated across the social spectrum and even given hearty approval by government officials. Is there any hope for America. Are we really, as we say in the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag, one nation under God. What conditions does the United States or any country need to meet in order to receive God's blessing, consider those sobering questions as John MacArthur returns to this brand-new message titled a nation under God nations are obligated to worship the true God. Did you hear what I just said there obligated to worship the true God, and there are dire circumstances that will come upon them if they fail to do that. There is no God except the God of the Bible. There is no true morality but the morality of the Bible.

There is no true worship at the worship of the true and living God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no personal blessing apart from him. There is no national blessing.

Apart from honoring him and there is no way to him, except through Jesus Christ was and how broad the Bible says worship of the true God is Psalm 33, eight let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the nations of the world revere him. Psalm 117 one. Praise the Lord, all you nations and extol him, all you peoples know that has to come from leadership so Psalm 7211 says let all kings bow down before him and all nations serve him. All kings all nations. This puts a huge burden on leadership in a country I know that a lot of people who are pursuing political power.

That's a dangerous thing to pursue because God has requirements for those in power and I want to share just some of them with you because nations are basically formed by those who lead them in by what they demand and what they tolerate. The nation will be defined so what does God require its go back to some to give you a lot of scripture so just can't hang on and listen.

Psalm two verse 10 now therefore all kings, show discernment take warning all judges of the earth.

If you're in a position of power where they are a king or a judge governor, president, vice president, Congressman Sen. Mayor whatever.

Take warning, worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling due homage to the son that he not become angry, and you perish in the way for his wrath may soon be kindled.

How blessed are all who take refuge in him reject the son of God, and you will anger God and his wrath will fall on you.

Psalm 72.

11 again let all kings bow down before him all nations serve him listen to Psalm 138, four and five. All the kings of the earth. Earth will give thanks to you oh Lord, when they have heard the words of your mouth, and they will sing of the ways of the Lord for great is the glory of the Lord in Psalm 47 will clap your hands all peoples, all nations shout to God with the voice of joy for the Lord most high is to be feared. A great King over all the earth, that is a call to universal national worship of the true God. That is a command and not to do that is to bring upon oneself terrifying judgment. So what can we say should mark a ruler worship of the true God. Secondly, righteousness second Samuel 23 three. During the time of David says he that rules over men must be righteous ruling in the fear of God, so worship and righteousness go together. Listen to Proverbs 1612. It is an abomination for kings and rulers to commit wicked acts for a throne is established on righteousness. Proverbs 1434 righteousness exalts a nation sin is a disgrace to any people.

Proverbs 20 verse 28 loyalty, and truth preserve the king, and he upholds his throne by righteousness.

Proverbs 25. Five. Take away the wicked before the king and his throne will be established in righteousness, that's great wisdom, get rid of the evil advisors and a ruler has a chance at ruling righteously sometimes around here we we see people saying recall the governor let's get rid of our governor is upset. First of all we need to pray for the salvation of our governor. Secondly, God is not unaware and when it comes time for judgment. God will execute that wrath. If there is not repentance and salvation. There's 1/3 and very closely related characteristic of leaders.

The God requires and that is justice. Psalm 82 God takes his stand in his own congregation. He judges in the midst of the rulers.

This is a visit. If all the rulers of the world are gathered around and God is in their midst. How long verse two will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked vindicate the weakened fatherless do justice to the afflicted and destitute those of the people who can't bribe the leader rescue the weak and needy, deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. They do not know, nor do they understand they walk about in darkness all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

I said you are. God is the sarcasm to rulers.

You are God's argue all of you are sons of the most time that sarcasm you think you are God's. You think you are representing the most high, you will die like men and fall like any one of the princes arise. Oh God judge the earth, for it is you who possess all the nations. God calls together all the world rulers and that some judges, legislators, kings, presidents, governors, people in any responsible role of leadership. And God presides over all of them.

They are marked by darkness, intellectual darkness, and moral darkness. They rule unjustly, they undermine the moral order that God has established for human well-being and they think they're God's. And they're not there men who will be destroyed. Proverbs 29 for the king gives stability to the land by justice.

Amanda takes bribes, overthrows it.

Proverbs 815 by me kings reign and rulers victory justice by me.

Verse 12 wisdom by wisdom kings reign and rulers, victory, justice that leads us to 1/4 characteristic rulers which is wisdom. I can't resist the going to Proverbs 8 for a moment, pick it up in verse 12, I wisdom dwell with prudence. I find knowledge and discretion.

The fear the Lord is to hate evil pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth I hate counsel is mine, and sound wisdom. I am understanding power is mine. This is wisdom personified by me kings reign and rulers, victory, justice by me princes rule ennobles all who judge rightly. I love those who love me. That's wisdom. I love those who love wisdom of those who diligently seek me will find me in riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness my fruit is better than gold, even pure gold in my yield better than choice the silver I walk in the way of righteousness in the midst of the passive justice to endow those who love me with well that I may fill their treasures.

God is one hold anything back but his blessings are in the path of righteousness.

The prophet Jeremiah chapter 22 verse one.

The sizzler go down to the house of the king of Judah, and their speak this word and say here the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on David's throne.

You and your servants and your people who enter these gate thus says the Lord, do justice and righteousness and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor.

Also, do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the author, the widow do not shed innocent blood in this place for a few men will indeed perform this thing, then kings will enter the gates of this house sitting in David's place on his throne writing in chariots and horses. Even the king himself and his servants and his people. If you will not obey these words. I swear by myself, declares the Lord. This house will become a desolation under your leadership innocence are slaughtered, you will pay the most innocent of all babies in the womb being murdered and that leads to the fifth characteristic of a ruler honesty. This couple verses along the line.

Proverbs 17 seven.

Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool, much less lying lips to a ruler. Are you not weary of lying people in power. Proverbs 2028 is loyalty, and truth preserve the king as a six characteristic of a ruler morality and that is in the final chapter of Proverbs family Proverbs 31 suffers a little bit because everybody starts with verse 10 about the wife and that is an incredible passage, but if you start at the beginning you're gonna learn about what God expects of a ruler, the words of king Lemuel, the Oracle which his mother taught him what all my son this is a king Lemuel 10 son of my wound and what O son of my Val is slow. Would you like to know what you want to know from your experience and wise mother do not give your strength to women or your ways to that which destroys kings morality is not for kings or Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine of rulers to desire strong drink, for they will drink, and forget what is decreed, and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to him was perishing using D somebody's pain when their dying wind to him was life is bitter but in drink, and forget his poverty and remembers trouble. No more but open your mouth for the mute for the rights of all the unfortunate open your mouth, judge righteously and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy warning against vices and morality with women overindulgence indifference is another characteristic of rulers that gun owners and this is powerful.

It's humility go back to second Chronicles 2nd Chronicles chapter 33 Manasseh King Manasseh who followed Hezekiah in southern kingdom of Judah was 12 years old when he became king, he reigned 55 years in Jerusalem he did evil in the side of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. He did evil in the sight of the Lord how to do that. He built the high places places for worshiping idols which Hezekiah, his father had broken down. Erected altar for the bales and made Asher room a kind of a deity worshiped all the host of heaven worshiped the stars, build altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said my name shall be in Jerusalem forever. He built altars for all the host of heaven and the two parts of the house of the Lord.

This is unbelievable. Manasseh is putting idols in the temple. He made his sons pass through the fire in the Valley of been hit him. That is to say, he burned up his children as sacrifices to mail practice witchcraft use divination practice sorcery dealt with mediums and spiritists did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. Then he put the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God said to David in the Solomon's son in this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel. I will put my name forever and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers.

If only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them according to all the law statutes and the ordinances given through Moses. Thus Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel, the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people and they paid no attention. Therefore, the Lord brought the commanders of the Army of the king of Syria. Gethsemane captured Manasseh with hooks bounding with bronze chains took them to babbling when he was in distress. He entreated the Lord his God humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers when he prayed to him. He was moved by his entreaty and hurting supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

Humility willingness to acknowledge sin, repent and turn before it's too late. God expects that out of evil rulers. We need to call rulers who were doing evil to repent fall before God cry out for forgiveness and mercy through Christ. There is no mystery about what God requires that we just suggest two other things, protection, protection. We just read it. Proverbs 31, eight, nine, open your mouth for the mute for the rights of all the unfortunate open your mouth, judge righteously defend the rights of the afflicted and needy. He's a protector Habakkuk 212 the prophets and woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and founds the town with violence there to be protectors Psalm 94, speaks to this this a few verses versus 20 and 21 and following Kenneth throne of destruction be allied with you, someone who allows killing one who devises mischief by decree the band themselves together against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent to death. All I can think about when I read that is abortion, but the Lord has been my stronghold and my God the rock of my refuge and he has brought back their wickedness upon them, and will destroy them in their evil, our Lord will destroy.

I don't know a more devastating warning to rulers who tolerate the death of innocence than that and finally courage.

Courage rulers need courage encourages them hard to come by to be a virtuous ruler to lead a nation that God will bless the leader must worship the true God must conduct in his life and his affairs on behalf of the country or the nation with righteousness and justice, wisdom, honesty, morality, he must be humble.

He must be a protector of those who need protection and finally he must have courage as Moses hands the baton to Joshua to be the leader. Joshua 16 be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them only be strong and very courageous and what is this mean, what's the basis of that courage be strong and very courageous. Be careful to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you.

Do not turn from it to the right or the left so that you may have success wherever you go.

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. Then you will make your way prosperous, then you will have success have I not commanded you. Be strong and courageous.

Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

People say to me you have a lot of courage because you're doing what you doing no thankful the Lord has given me resolve. But I don't tremble and I'm not dismayed, no matter what comes because the Lord God is with me because I'm following his word and following the book of the law and it does not depart from my mouth day and night. I want to do everything that's written in it, and then the promise of God is your way will be prosperous and you will have success. Do not turn to the right return to the left. These are the characteristics of leaders and rulers.

The God blesses a man who has character conviction, virtue, righteousness, wisdom, honesty will be very careful with power and the first thing he'll do with his powers to make sure he honors God and the church of God and the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He will be a strong advocate for everything that honors God. He will submit himself to God's commands and to all of God's demands for him as a ruler. There is no other way to distinguish a good ruler from a bad ruler. It's not personality God's standards are the only way to distinguish a good ruler from a bad one standards very high. We need his likeness, which means we need to replace a whole are the ones we have or they need to repent and be saved. Is there any hope.

Is there an ideal king. You know the answer. Is there an ideal king were waiting for him. Only the King of Kings. Listen to what Isaiah said in Isaiah 3317 your eyes will see the king in his beauty, they will behold a far distant land. Your heart will meditate on terror.

Where is he who counts where is he who weighs where is he who counts the towers you will no longer see a fierce people. The people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends of the stammering tongue which no one understands. In other words, you're not going to be seeing another another invader, another conquering power with a foreign language look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feast your eyes will see Jerusalem and undisturbed habitation intent which will not be folded its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its cords be torn apart, but there the majestic one.

The Lord will be for us a place of rivers and wide canals on which no boat with oars will go and on which no mighty ship will pass. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our King. He will save us.

Love that he will save us back to Daniel. Very frustrating because a lot of other scriptures but I only have another half hour nine Daniel chapter 7 verse 13 Daniel says in chapter 7 verse 13.

I kept looking in the night visions, and behold with the clouds of heaven, one like the Son of Man was coming and he came up to the ancient of days and was presented before him.

To him was given dominion and glory in the kingdom that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. Is there an ideal king.

Yes, we know who is the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back to establish his kingdom.

He comes in the book of Revelation riding on a white horse, King of Kings and Lord of lords. The psalmist said in Psalm 28 ask of me and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as your possession.

The father saying that to this and I'll give you the nations. Psalm 22, 27, all the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord and all the families of the earth will worship you.

Psalm 102 15 so the nations will fear the name of the Lord and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory. A king will come who will reign righteously, and he will establish his kingdom. None other than the Lord Jesus Christ were waiting for them only waiting for him as we wait. We have hope that is a realized hope we already cling to it firmly because it's promised in the word of God. Let me close with some 67 God be gracious to us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us that your way may be known on the earth.

Your salvation among all nations.

Let the people praise you oh God, let all the nations praise you let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you will judge the people with uprightness and guide the nations on earth.

Let the people praise you oh God, let all the people praise you. The earth has yielded its produce God, our God blesses us, God blesses us that all the ends of the earth may fear him. Psalmist is saying if we are a blessed people let the world see it. Why were here today because we want the world to see God is a God blesses his faithful people pray it is a fine holy privilege beyond expression to navigate the truth of Scripture see its consistency, its power, its clarity it brings upon our souls. Both conviction and blessing.

Fear and joy, judgment and forgiveness threat of wrath and the promise of heaven.

We pray for our country.

Pray for our leaders pray for their salvation. First of all, and we pray that those who are evil leaders will be replaced and you will and graciously of us righteous. Just truthful worshiping leaders who will restore to us the national blessedness that is so far gone. Thank you for meeting us today. Now, may we go from this place committed afresh to live for your glory in your honor proclaim Christ as Lord. Pray in his name and everyone said thanks for being here for grace to you with John MacArthur on Phil Johnson. We broke from our regular schedule to bring you today's lesson called a nation under God. John delivered this message just a few days ago the content was so timely. We wanted to make sure you heard it. Now if you'd like a free copy of the full length message will send it to you just ask for it. In addition, we want to give you a free copy while supplies last of John's classic book titled the vanishing conscience. This book sheds biblical light on the issues. John talked about today. It will arm you in your battle against sin of all kinds. It outlines the path to true blessing from God.

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