Nation Under God?

Our question today, is one nation under God?

Let's pray. Father, I pray today that you'd open our hearts to your word.

Lord, help us to hear what you're saying.

See where we have wondered and respond with humility, courage, and obedience today.

Lead us back, Lord, to the good way and teach us to walk in it.

In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen.

You know, most of us know what it feels like to come to a crossroads.

Sometimes it's literal you're driving somewhere unfamiliar maybe the gps on

your phone or your dash or wherever if you have it,

gets quiet and at the exact wrong moment right and suddenly you're approaching

an intersection with several options

maybe you slow down you look around a little bit you try to figure out which

road you'll actually get on to get you where you need to go,

other times the crossroads are far more personal, right?

A marriage, in other words, reaches a place where the same arguments keep repeating

and both people have to decide whether they're going to keep defending themselves

or finally humble themselves.

A family reaches a season where everyone is busy.

You know what I'm talking about? Busy, tired, disconnected.

And somebody has to ask whether the place they're living at is actually producing,

the kind of home that they want.

A young person stands between what is popular and what is right.

A believer comes to a quiet moment of conviction and actually realizes,

I believe in Jesus, but there are parts of my life where I've stopped following him closely.

All nations reach crossroads, too.

There are moments when people have to ask questions that go deeper than the

economy, deeper than elections, deeper than public opinion, deeper than the

headlines that keep changing every week.

Questions like, what are we becoming?

Who do we honor? What do we honor? What are we teaching our children to love,

and honor? What are we becoming?

Where do we turn when we're afraid?

What do we do when God's word actually confronts the way we've been living?

Those are serious questions, church. And honestly, they're not always comfortable, are they?

But it's easy to talk about what's wrong out there. It's easy to point at culture,

at leaders, at institutions, at people who don't believe what we believe.

But scripture, don't miss this today. Scripture has a way of turning the light

on the house of God first.

The Lord has always cared deeply about nations, kings, systems,

justice, all that, public life.

But again and again, he begins by calling his people where? Back to himself.

That's where Jeremiah meets us today in this passage.

In fact, some of you may have a smartphone this morning.

And if you do, you think about that Maps app that you have.

What happens on the maps app that you have on your phone and the GPS keeps telling

you to turn here, but you keep ignoring it, what happens? Huh?

You're not going to really get where you're going, are you? You're going to

be really lost, right? You're going to get hopelessly lost.

But you have to ask yourself today, think of it this way.

Where has God's word been saying, turn here?

And you've kept driving past spiritually.

That's a good question today. Jeremiah was a prophet speaking to Judah during

a time of spiritual decline.

And the people still had religious language.

They still had the temple. They still had history, of course.

They still had stories of what God had done, but their hearts had drifted.

Their worship had become mixed with compromise. Their leaders were unreliable.

And the people had grown comfortable ignoring the word of God.

I pray that's not where we are today, but the people had grown comfortable ignoring the word of God.

So God gave them an image here in this passage we're about to read,

a nation standing at the roads or the ways, looking at the paths,

being invited to choose the good way.

So we're going to step into Jeremiah chapter 6 in a moment and listen carefully

Jeremiah 6 · chapter mention

because this passage speaks to every generation that has to decide whether it

will walk in God's ways or trust its own instincts.

Anybody ever had a check engine light come on in your vehicle,

now when they come on steady you know normally they say well you know you should

check it out it's not gonna it's not like it's gonna stop you in the water right

just a steady light but y'all have seen those right.

Now, how many of you have taken that steady light before and just like,

oh, it's not that bad. I know I got to check on it one day, but you just keep

driving with a check engine light on. Anybody ever done that before?

Like, I mean, I've met people that have check engine lights on for years, right? I mean, come on.

I don't know how many people do that, but what happens when they start flashing? What does that mean?

Usually, man, you better get to it because your vehicle is probably hadn't already

shut down. it's shaking like crazy and vibrating and you're about to,

I mean, you're going down, the ship's going down, right?

So we have two choices though, when that check engine light comes on,

we can either cover it with tape, so to speak, or ignore it,

block it out in our mind or address the problem.

And I think a lot of people, and we can say all of us at times,

treat conviction from God's word the same way.

They ignore, rationalize, say, I'll get to it later, it's not that serious,

or distract themselves rather than respond to it.

And what I have to ask today, what warning lights has God been flashing in your

conscience that you've been covering up, so to speak?

Think about that as we read this passage today. We're in Jeremiah 6,

Jeremiah 6:16–19

verses 16 through 19. Jeremiah 6, verses 16 through 19.

Jeremiah 6:16–19

Thus says Yahweh, stand by the ways or crossroads and see and ask for the ancient

paths where the good way is and walk in it,

and you will find rest for your souls.

But they said, we will not walk in it.

And I set watchmen over you saying, give heed to the sound of the trumpet.

But they said, we will not give heed.

Therefore, hear, O nations, and know, O congregations, what is among them.

Hear, O earth, behold, I am bringing evil on this people, the fruit of their

devices or their plans, because they have not given heed to my words.

And as for my law, they have rejected it also.

So, Jeremiah 6, 16 begins with those words, Thus says the Lord,

stand by the roads and look.

Again, today, don't miss this.

We are standing at a crossroads, church.

This is such a vivid picture, y'all. God is telling his people to stop long

enough to see where they are.

Don't keep rushing forward spiritually. Don't assume that the road you're on

is safe because everybody around you is walking it.

Don't confuse movement, in other words, with progress. Stand,

look, ask is what he's saying in this passage.

The people of Judah were living in a time when they had grown used to spiritual compromise.

They had normalized what God had warned about.

They had made peace with sin, in other words, while keeping the appearance of religion.

And through Jeremiah, the Lord is saying, pause.

Consider your direction. That word, I think, is needed for every generation,

and it's needed in ours too. Amen?

I mean, a nation can have advanced technology, strong military power,

financial resources, global influence, and still be spiritually unwell.

A community can have full calendars, active churches, successful businesses,

and beautiful neighborhoods while families are breaking down.

Truth is being treated casually.

Prayer is being neglected, and people are quietly exhausted inside their very soul.

You see, the crossroads is not only about national identity,

it's about personal direction.

Because what? Because a nation is made up of who?

People, homes, churches, hearts, habits, choices made in private,

words spoken around dinner tables, priorities shown on our calendars and bank statements,

the way we treat the vulnerable, the way we speak about those we disagree with, the way we handle anger.

The way we respond when scripture corrects us.

God says, stand by the roads and look.

Stand by the roads and look. That means there are moments when the most faithful

thing we can do is slow down before the Lord and ask some honest questions, church.

Where is this road taking me?

What is this habit forming in me? What kind of disciple am I becoming?

Am I teaching my children the ways of Jesus only with my words,

or can they see his ways in the way that I live my life?

Have I become more shaped by outrage, fear, comfort, or political loyalty than by the Spirit of God?

Those questions, church, are not meant to crush us.

You know what? They're invitations to mercy. When God tells his people to stand

and look, he's given them a chance to turn before the road reaches ruin.

God's warnings, don't miss this today, God's warnings are acts of grace when

they wake us up before we lose our way.

The heartbreaking part is that Judah had been warned before.

God sent prophets. God gave his word. God called them back again and again.

Yet they kept walking in the wrong direction that's why this passage i think

today matters so much for us the issue is not whether we can identify problems

in our nation most of us could do that right if i ask you to name some problems

in the nation you could do it,

the deeper issue is whether we can humble ourselves enough to hear god speak to us,

before we ask what's wrong with them,

we need to ask, Lord, where do you need to correct me?

Before we talk about national renewal church, we actually need to consider personal repentance.

Every generation stands at the crossroads. Israel did.

Judah did. The church does.

Families do. You and I do. The question is not whether there is a road in front of us.

The question is whether we'll all stop, look, ask, and then walk in the way of the Lord. Amen?

Number two, the ancient paths still lead to life.

The Lord actually continues in verse 16. What does he say? Look at it.

And ask for the ancient paths where the good way is and walk in it and find

rest for your souls. I love it.

That phrase, the ancient paths, it sounds old fashioned at first, doesn't it?

As if God is just simply telling the people here to go backward in time,

you know, but he's not calling them to nostalgia.

He's calling them back to faithfulness church. That's what he's saying.

He's calling them back to faithfulness. The ancient paths are the ways of God

that have always been good because God himself is good. Amen.

His truth does not expire.

His character does not need updating.

His commands are not fragile things that become irrelevant when culture changes.

The Lord was willing and he was calling Judah back to the covenant here.

Back to his word, back to worship that flowed from the heart,

y'all, that back to justice, back to mercy, humility, holiness, trust, all of it.

And those paths are ancient. Why?

Because they come from the eternal God. They're good because what? They lead to life.

And notice the promise. Look at it there in that verse. Walk in it and what? Find what?

Find rest for your souls.

Whoo that's a beautiful phrase rest for your souls god is not merely interested

y'all in outward behavior he's not offering judah here a religious checklist,

right he's inviting them into a life that has order peace wholeness and strength

because why it's aligned with him.

Sin often promises freedom and gives weariness, doesn't it?

Pride promises control and creates a lot of anxiety.

Greed promises security and produces emptiness.

Sexual immorality promises satisfaction. What does it do? It leaves damage behind.

Bitterness promises protection and slowly poisons the heart.

Self-rule promises power, yet it leaves people restless because why?

The soul was never designed to carry the weight of being its own God.

The ancient paths are different. They teach us to worship the Lord above all else, y'all.

They teach us actually to honor life, tell the truth, keep covenant,

practice justice, show mercy, forgive as we've been forgiven,

even care for the poor, protect the vulnerable,

raise children in the knowledge of God, and live with what?

Humility before the one who made us.

That kind of life may look strange in a world addicted to self-expression,

right? But it still leads to rest.

How many people do you think around you have rest for their souls?

Us, I think it becomes very practical. If we want renewal, Eastwood Baptist

Church, we must recover confidence in God's word.

That means scripture cannot be treated with a helpful quote we pull out when

it supports what we already think.

It must become, God's word must become the authority that shapes our beliefs,

corrects our desires, and guides our decisions.

In our homes, the ancient paths may look like praying together again,

opening the Bible at the table, apologizing when we sin against one another,

refusing to let entertainment disciple our children more than Jesus does,

choosing a church, choosing church as a family priority instead of fitting worship

around everything else.

Our personal lives, the ancient paths, y'all, may look like confessing what

we've been hiding, changing what we've been excusing, forgiving the person we've

been resenting, telling the truth, even when a lie would be easier.

In our public life, the ancient paths may look like speaking with conviction,

without cruelty, caring about righteousness beyond party lines,

defending the dignity of people made in God's image and refusing to let fear become our master.

God told his people what? Look at it again. Ask for the ancient paths.

That means, church, we must become people who ask again. Lord, what is your way?

What does your word say? What would obedience look like here?

How do I honor you, Lord, in this decision?

Where have I become comfortable with what grieves you Jesus and then the Lord

says what after that what does he say look walk in it you see it walk in it,

that matters because you know why,

it's possible to admire the right road and never take it.

It's possible to believe the Bible is true and still ignore it in your daily life.

It's possible to sing about surrender and then keep our hands tightly wrapped

around the areas that we don't want God to touch.

Want y'all to know, as scripture says today, the ancient paths lead to life, but they must be walked.

They must be walked. And that leads us to number three today.

Forgetting God always leads to decline and renewal begins with his people. That's us, the church.

You see the end of verse 16, if you look at it, is one of the saddest lines,

in the passage. Look at it. But they said what?

We will not walk in it.

Then verse 17 says, I set watchmen over you saying, pay attention to the sound

of the trumpet. But they said what?

We will not pay attention.

God gave them the road Eastwood and he gave them watchmen. You know,

in ancient cities, watchmen stood on the walls, right?

Their job was to stay awake, scan the horizon and sound the trumpet when danger appeared.

If the people ignored the trumpet, the problem was not the warning was unclear.

The problem was that they refused to listen.

That's what Judah did.

They didn't simply stumble in confusion. They resisted correction here.

They would not walk. They would not pay attention.

Then the Lord says in verses 18 and 19, take a look. Therefore,

hear O nations and know O congregation.

What will happen to them here oh earth behold i am bringing disaster upon this people,

the fruit of their devices because they have not paid attention to my words,

and as for my law they have rejected it,

that phrase the fruit of their devices is sobering church.

Is saying there comes a point when people begin to harvest what they planted.

Their choices grow into consequences. Their private rebellion becomes public damage.

Their rejection of God's word produces disorder, pain, and judgment.

This is true, Eastwood, in individuals. It's true in families,

and it's true in churches and nations, by the way.

If a person feeds bitterness for years, eventually relationships suffer.

If a family ignores God's design, eventually confusion and hurt grow in that home.

If a church values comfort more than holiness, eventually its witness becomes weak.

If a nation cast off truth, celebrates sin, is prideful in their sin,

neglects justice and treats God as unnecessary, decline does not happen all

at once, but it does happen.

Spiritual drift if you will becomes cultural consequence,

you see this is not hard to see when truth becomes flexible trust erodes when

life is no longer treated as sacred people become disposable,

little babies become disposable when marriage and family are weakened children

carry wounds they did not choose when greed is admired church the vulnerable overlooked.

When entertainment becomes more formative than wisdom people become distracted,

anxious they become shallow when courage becomes normal or i should say when outrage becomes normal,

neighbors become enemies.

Jeremiah here in this passage is showing us that forgetting God is never harmless.

Come on, don't miss this. Forgetting God is never harmless.

Yet even here, I want y'all to see this today, Eastwood, even here,

we need to hear this passage rightly.

The goal is not for God's people to become smug critics of society.

The goal is not fear. You know what the goal is?

Return to God. Renewal, church, begins when God's people stop explaining away

disobedience and begin humbling themselves before the Lord. That's when it begins.

The path forward is not blame, church. It's repentance.

It's repentance. It's not panic. It's prayer.

Well, it's not grabbing for control. It's surrendering again to the rule of Jesus.

2 Chronicles 7.14. Y'all know it, don't you?

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my

face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will

forgive their sin and heal their land.

Notice what it begins with, my people.

God's not confused, Eastwood, about what's happening in the world.

Did you know that? He sees every injustice, every lie, every corrupt system,

every broken heart every hidden sin every act of faithlessness and faithfulness

by the way nobody else notices,

the question for us is whether his people will live as his people,

a renewed nation don't miss this today a renewed nation who we're celebrating

250 years begins where with renewed worshipers.

Who repent quickly, people who pray earnestly, people who obey quietly and consistently,

people who love truth more than convenience,

people who care about holiness in private and justice in public, y'all.

People who are more committed to the kingdom of God than the kingdoms of this world.

And the good news is that God has not left us to find the road on our own, has he?

Jesus said, John 14, 6, who can quote it?

I am the way, the truth, and the life.

The ancient paths find their fulfillment in who? Jesus.

He is the faithful son where Israel failed.

He is the righteous king our world needs, church. He is the savior who took

judgment upon himself at the

cross so that rebels like you and me could be forgiven and brought home.

So when we talk about returning to God, we're not talking about cleaning ourselves

up enough to be accepted, are we?

We're talking about coming to Jesus with empty hands, confessing our sin,

receiving his mercy, and then following him in obedience.

That's where renewal begins. Not somewhere vague, not someday later,

right here, right now with us here at Eastwood in Babinet, Alabama.

You see, we started today with the image of what? Crossroads, right?

A person can stand there and actually keep moving without thinking even.

A family can do the same, by the way. So can a church.

A nation. Judah stood there in Jeremiah's day, and God graciously called them

to stop, to look, and to ask for the ancient paths and walk in the good way.

The invitation was clear. The promise was so beautiful.

And find rest for your souls. Yet they said, we will not walk in it.

That is the warning church we need to take seriously. God's word,

again, it's not something to admire from a distance.

His way is not something to praise. Don't miss this. His way is not something

to praise while we continue walking in another direction.

If we believe he is Lord, then his lordship must reach our habits,

our homes, our speech, teach our money,

our sexuality, our politics, our priorities, our forgiveness,

our worship, and our willingness to repent.

A nation's greatest strength is not found in power, wealth, politics,

or even self-rule, y'all.

It's found when people return to God and walk in His ways.

Here's the call for us today. Stand by the roads today, Eastwood, and look.

Ask the Lord where you are drifting.

Ask for the ancient paths.

Open his word again with a humble heart. Pray for our nation,

but don't pray at a distance, as if the problem's out there.

Pray this, so pray, Lord, begin with me.

Lord, send revival. Start with me.

Begin with my home. Begin with our church.

Make us faithful. Make us holy. Make us courageous, Lord. Make us tenderhearted.

Teach us to walk in your ways.

And if there is an area where you already know God's been speaking to you, and some of you do today.

Don't delay the obedience. Don't wait for the feeling to become stronger.

Don't wait for life to become easier.

Take that next faithful step this morning. Confess the sin. End the compromise in your life.

Repair the relationship. Return to true worship. Rebuild that altar of prayer, if you will.

Bring your family back to the Word of God. Follow Jesus where He's leading That

invitation, again, still stands, church.

Listen, we stand at the crossroads today.

God's word isn't something to admire from a distance. His way isn't something to praise.

As I said, while we're walking in another direction, if he's Lord,

his lordship must reach our habits, our homes, our speech, our money,

our priorities, our forgiveness, our worship, and willingness to repent.

Stand by the roads and look. Ask the Lord where you've been drifting.

Open his word with a humble heart.

Pray for renewal, beginning with yourself. Take that next faithful step.

We talked about earlier about those watchmen that were set up right in the passage.

Who are those watchmen today?

Teachers, pastors, those who expound God's word, who God set up as watchmen,

giving the warnings, but are we listening to God's watchmen?

The crossroads again is a serious place, but also a place of mercy,

church, because the Lord is still speaking. He's still inviting.

He's still forgiving, and he's still leading his people into the good way.

It's time to return to find rest for our weary souls. Let's stand together.

Father God, as we come before you today, Lord, I just ask today that you would

move in our hearts, Lord. Help us, Lord.

Help us, God, to respond in obedience and truth today, Lord.

Help us to come before you and consider what you've said in your word, Lord.

And God, not to be at a place where, God, we are like the people here in this

passage who literally say we will not walk in it. We will not listen.

God, break our hearts. Help us to listen to your word being proclaimed today.

Your warning light that is flashing in our midst for us first is your house,

and then for this nation.

In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.

As Ms. Sharon plays, you contemplate this morning as you pray before the Lord,

just say, God, do you want this renewal this morning?

Do you want to walk in God's ways?

Are you looking at the direction your life is headed?

Do business with God, I encourage you today, whether it's where you stand or

whether you come up here to this altar and come before God and say,

Lord, forgive me, Lord, restore me. Lord, I want to be renewed.

I want to be made right with you, God.

If that's you today, don't delay your obedience.

Don't just sit back and say, boy, I admire that way. Thank you, God, and never take it.

Y'all, this is talking about, this is life transformation. This is rest for your weary souls.

It's not something you can admire from a distance. It's something you experience firsthand.

Let God's spirit bathe you in his conviction, in his love, and his drawing you,

to the place you need to be in your life.

God always begins with the house of his, with the house of God.

And it's your chance today to respond to him and say, Lord, I will walk in your ways.

Lord, I will lead my family in your ways.

Lord, I will make you a priority in my life, the priority again.

Lord, I'll stop fitting everything else in my life except you.

Lord, I'm coming back home. That's the call. That's the call.