“The Christian Citizen”
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen. In the early 1800’s the famous French philosopher and historian Alexis
de Tocqueville journeyed to the New World to tour the United States. His goal
was to discover the secret to America’s greatness. When he returned to France, de Tocqueville wrote his most famous book,
“Democracy in America.” He said his search for the secret of America’s greatness
took him from state to state, and town to town. He visited the centers of
commerce and industry; he toured the schools and cultural institutions; he
examined the government of this young nation. But, in none of these places, he
said, did he find the source of America’s strength. It wasn’t until de Tocqueville visited the churches of America that he
discovered the secret to this nation’s greatness. “America is great,” he wrote,
“because America is good; and if America ever ceases to be good, America will
cease to be great.” Holy Scripture says the very same thing in Psalm 33: “Blessed is the
nation whose God is the Lord.” But, the opposite is also true: Cursed is the
nation that turns away from the Lord. That is why our nation today faces
so many problems that seem insurmountable, because we are turning away from the
Lord. Most of the early settlers in America were devout believers, who came
to this land for religious freedom. And if you go through the signers of the
Declaration of Independence, you find that almost all the founding fathers of
our nation were self-professed Christians. It will surprise and perhaps shock you that as recently as 1892 the
United States Supreme Court declared in an official ruling: “Our laws and
institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the
Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise. . . This is a
Christian nation.” It’s hard to imagine, it wasn’t Billy Graham or some other
famous preacher who said that; it was actually the United States Supreme Court
that once declared, “This is a Christian nation.” However, less than 100 years later, in 1980, the same Supreme Court
outlawed posting the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. Why? The
Court’s decision stated its concern was that children might be, “induced to
read, meditate upon, venerate, and perhaps obey the commandments.” Can you
think of a more stark example of our nation turning away from the Lord? One of the elderly members of our congregation recalls graduating from
8th grade in the public school at Fontana, and as a requirement for graduation
she and everyone in the class were required to recite from memory the 23rd
Psalm. But, today, the Ten Commandments are banished from the public schools of
our land—because of the fear that children might obey them! No wonder we’re
having so much trouble in our nation. Of course, it’s easy to point to the Supreme Court, or the public
schools, or some other institutions or people, and blame them for our nation’s
woes. It’s a lot more painful to put the blame where it really belongs—not out
there, but right here, in our own sinful hearts. All those other things are actually only symptoms of the real problem.
The fact is, this is a sinful, ungodly nation, because we are a nation of
ungodly sinners, sinners like you and me. As the book of Proverbs says,
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” It’s not
someone else, but sinners like you and me, who have brought disgrace and a curse
upon our land with our sin and unfaithfulness. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” What can we do to turn
things around? What can we do to put our nation back on track? What can we do to
bring again God’s blessings upon our land? The first step is for you personally, individually, to repent and
believe the Gospel. Look to your Lord Jesus Christ, who by his blood made
atonement for your sin. On his account, God forgives you, and loves you, and
welcomes you with open arms. Trust in Jesus as your personal Savior. And live, in your own daily life, a life worthy of the Gospel of
Christ. That’s the place to start putting our nation back on track, for you to
seek God’s way and pursue it in your own life. Personal, individual repentance;
personal, individual faith in Jesus Christ; personal, individual obedience to
God’s word; that is the only way to revive and restore our nation. “You are the salt of the earth,” Jesus says. Just as a little pinch of
salt has a preservative big effect to keep food from decaying, your individual
life of faith and godliness as a Christian citizen of this land will have a big
preservative and restorative effect upon our decaying nation. But, I’m just one person; what can I do? “You are the light of the
world,” Jesus says. And enough little lights like you, all put together, will
overcome the spiritual darkness in our land. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” What does God expect
from you as a Christian citizen? What does the Bible say about your duty
as a Christian toward our government? You can sum it up in three words:
obey, pay, and pray. Scripture says, first of all, it is your duty as a Christian to obey,
to submit and be obedient to the civil authorities. As Paul writes in today’s
Epistle Reading from Romans, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing
authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.
The authorities that exist have been established by God. . . Therefore it is
necessary to submit to the authorities. . .” The only exception is when the laws and commands of the government go
against the laws and commands of God’s word. Then, as the Peter and the other
apostles declare in the book of Acts, when they are forbidden to preach about
Jesus, “We must obey God rather than men.” But, apart from that exception, Peter
later wrote in his First Epistle, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to
every authority instituted among men.” “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” As a Christian
citizen you will also pay. You will first of all pay respect and honor. As
Paul also says in today’s Epistle Reading, “Give everyone what you owe him. . .
If you owe respect, give respect; if you owe honor, give honor.” As a Christian
citizen, you respect and honor the leaders God whom appoints over our nation;
you respect and honor those who serve to protect and defend us and our freedoms;
and you respect and honor the symbols of our nation, such as the flag.
That is why, despite all the faults of our nation, we still have in our church’s
sanctuary our nation’s flag, to which we pledged allegiance today: “If you owe
respect, give respect; if you owe honor, give honor.” “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” As a Christian citizen,
you will also pay in another way: paying taxes. As Jesus says in today’s Gospel
Reading, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the
things that are God’s.” And as Paul says in today’s Epistle Reading, “If you owe
taxes, pay taxes.” Paying taxes is not only an obligation the government places upon you;
paying taxes is a divine obligation, which the Lord commands. So, paying your
taxes is not just a duty decreed by the laws of men, but also a fulfillment of
God’s divine decree. Therefore, paying taxes is actually for you as a Christian
good work, commanded by God and pleasing to him. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” As a CHRISTIAN
citizen, you also have a very special and unique responsibility, which you are
commanded by God to perform on behalf of our government and its leaders: to
pray. Paul writes in 1st Timothy: “I urge first of all that requests, prayers,
intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in
authority, that we may lead peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and
holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior.” Just as King Solomon prayed to God for wisdom to rule over ancient
Israel, you as a Christian must pray that God will grant our governmental
leaders today wisdom to rightly rule over us. It is easy to complain about the
government, but what the Lord really wants to hear from your lips is not
complaints, but prayers, on behalf of our government and its leaders. Pray that God grant them wisdom from on high to meet the challenges and
overcome the problems facing our nation. Pray that they lead our nation in the
ways of prosperity and peace, so that, as Paul says, “we may lead peaceful and
quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” Pray that they make judgments
and decisions pleasing to God and according to his will. Pray, as Paul
says, “for all those in authority.” “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” Your duty as a Christian
citizen is to obey, pay, and pray. And in our democratic system, you also have
the privilege of participating in our government, especially the right to use
your vote to bring about changes for the good. That means when election time
comes, as a Christian citizen you need to be aware of the issues, how your
representatives voted, what the candidates’ positions are, and then use your
vote to make a difference for the better. That is a special privilege and
obligation given you by God in our democratic form of government. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” But, what is the most
important thing you can do to put our nation back on track? Joshua puts it this
way in today’s Old Testament Reading: “Choose this day whom you will serve. . .
but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” What is the most important thing you can do to put our nation back on
track? Your children. Like Joshua, set them an example of serving the Lord; as
Paul commands in Ephesians, “Bring them up in the training and instruction of
the Lord.” We worry so much about passing on to our children money and
possessions. But, what we TEACH our children is really the only lasting
legacy one generation leaves for the next. For the sake of their souls, teach
your children to trust in Jesus. And for the sake of our nation’s future,
teach your children to be good Christian citizens: leading godly, law-abiding
lives; being obedient and respectful to the authorities; paying taxes and
praying for our rulers; participating as Christian citizens. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” Can Christian citizens
really make a difference in our nation? In 1904 a great Christian revival swept
across the small country of Wales. In just five months 100,000 people—a huge
percentage of the population—turned to God in repentance and faith. And what
does history tell us the consequences were for that country, of all those souls
coming to Christ? Many judges retired, because there were almost no cases to
try. Robberies, murders, burglaries, and other crimes were almost entirely
eliminated. The district councils had emergency meetings to discuss what to do
with the police, since most of them weren’t needed anymore. That’s the kind of revival we need in our troubled land! It all starts
today, right here, with you, in your heart, and your life. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office
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