What America Needs

If you have your Bibles, I want you to turn to Micah chapter 6.

Micah 6 · chapter mention

Micah chapter 6.

Micah 6 · chapter mention

God's allowed me to serve on five continents through mission

trips and those type things.

And although I've enjoyed most moments on every trip, I don't

want to live anywhere else besides America.

I also happen to believe I'm in the best part of America with the

best people in America.

So I get to enjoy the best of the best.

And I am for America.

I don't worship America.

I worship God.

And I don't want to try to institutionalize Christianity as a

religion in people's hearts that don't want it.

That does not work.

Constantine tried that in Rome after he felt like God spoke to him in a

dream and he had victory in battle.

And so he institutionalized Christianity as a religion.

And the reality is you can't force conversions.

You can't force manipulations.

You can't make people do that.

And it led in that day and age to a weak and fake and watered down church

filled with more tears than wheat.

And that's very much what it would do.

Folks, I want to be clear.

America is not a Christian nation.

It's a nation that was founded on Christian principles.

But you cut the TV on when you get home, if you dare.

And you'll find that this nation that was established for us to have the right to

worship the way we're to worship was a nation that was started the right way,

even though it was flawed at the time, 248 years ago.

It is now a nation that went far away from its foundation.

It's a nation where Christianity is freely shared, and I'm thankful for that.

But most Americans are not Christians.

I'll go as far as to say that most that claim to be Christians are not Christians.

Verbal agreement with something is not enough.

You've got to be hooked into the vine.

You've got to be, you've got to know Jesus Christ.

And we can't legislate that.

Pass all the laws you want to and enforce them so that everyone does what's right.

But listen, if we get all the laws straight and everybody behaves and don't break any laws,

if they don't know Christ, they'll spend eternity apart from him.

I believe as American citizens we have a responsibility to vote.

The vote is not really about making America Christian.

It's about participating in the process to do everything we can to get the best,

most godly decisions that we can for America.

And when leadership in America appears to have no moral compass,

at least from a godly standpoint,

Did you watch the debate?

You may have to hold your nose when you vote.

America is desperate for good, godly leadership.

And you may have been like me and looked at the television and said,

How in the world can a nation, as great with opportunity as America is,

not have good, godly leadership in place to carry through?

I'll tell you why.

Our country senses it.

It is.

You can smell it and all the liberal, perverted godlessness that fills the news stories.

But I want to be clear about something.

Jesus said the devil is the ruler of this world.

You know what that means?

That means that people listen to evil influences more than they do godly ones.

However, we're not the first nation to deal with poor leadership.

We're not the first nation to have an ungodly atmosphere.

We're not the first nation to be plagued with lostness.

It's not a new thing.

It goes way back.

Sin sickness is one of the main reasons why Israel fell in 722 B.C.

Sin sickness will lead a nation to fall.

And in that day, God allowed the Assyrians, which was a very evil people among themselves,

to overtake the capital of Israel and lead to the fall of a nation.

And the prophet Micah predicted it would happen.

The word of the Lord came to him.

In Micah 1 verse 6, he said,

Micah 1:6

Therefore, I will make Samaria a heap in the open country, a place for planting vineyards,

and I will pour down her stones into the valley and uncover her foundation.

Their turn from God led to their demise.

Because God does not hide the heartache that comes from waywardness.

And we ought to learn from that example.

I believe he put it in scripture for us to see so that we'll learn from that example.

Not only did Micah speak of the fall of Israel, which he lived right in the midst of,

but he also spoke a concern of the same nature for Jerusalem, the capital of Judah.

And his message was one of warning.

I believe we live in a day when America needs a warning.

And if America is going to be renewed, I got news for you.

Renewal starts with God's people.

Not by voting it in, although we have a responsibility, again,

as citizens and godly folks to vote appropriately.

But by living and watching God bless that faithfulness.

Micah makes it clear what our priority is in such a situation as he lived

and in the situation as we live.

And it's actually the key passage in all of the prophecy of Micah.

It's found in our key passage, Micah chapter 6, verse 6 through 8, and says this,

Micah 6:6–8

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before God on high?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil?

Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has told you, O man, what is good.

Key verse in all this book.

And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness

and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah was a country preacher that went to a big city in Jerusalem with a burden and a message.

He described his situation in Micah chapter 3, verse 8,

Micah 3:8

But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might

to declare to Jacob his transgressions and to Israel his sin.

Micah was just a common man with a burning message,

and he knew if his nation didn't change their ways that it would not last.

And his prophecy came true.

Within these nations, there were a lot of unfair treatment.

There were corrupt leaders in business, corrupt leaders in politics, and in every way of life.

And their fatal sins involved moral corruption, violence, deceitfulness.

In Micah chapter 3, verse 9 and 10, he reveals the sad lack of loyalty among the leaders.

Micah 3:9

When he says this,

Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel,

who detest justice and make crooked all that is straight,

who build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity.

Micah predicted disaster would come to a nation,

and such disgrace would come to the whole nation,

would cause them to blush with embarrassment.

Proverbs 14, 34, and I always think about this passage on July the 4th and the week of.

Righteousness exalts a nation,

but sin is a reproach, also translated a disgrace to any people.

With the moral corruption,

the unfair treatment,

the riotous living,

the lack of purity,

and the lack of loyalty

that characterize these nations.

Their profile, sadly, but surely,

resembles some things we see in our country today.

It does.

And let me imply, therefore,

if we heed their warnings,

we can be helped.

In a day when we celebrate sodomy

for a whole month,

and are proud of our sin,

and parade our shameless sin around,

when we have outward demonstrations of hatred

toward God's chosen people,

when somehow you can be racist

toward some people,

we have looked

to an amoral,

incapable,

ungodly

host of leadership

in our country.

And we've traded bedfellas

like baseball cards

to the nation

in so many ways

as a disgrace.

When illicit sex

is celebrated,

and drug moderation

is promoted,

and by the way,

alcohol is still

the most deadly of them,

homosexuality

is condoned

and celebrated,

abortion is ignored,

lying is expected,

most marriages fail,

and most kids are parentless.

When government is helpless

and crime is relentless,

Christians too often

are gutless.

The church

has little influence

in those atmospheres.

So how does the church

respond

to America?

What can we do

to change a nation?

Well, I encourage you

to learn from our past

because we can continue

to protest,

we can picket,

we can sue folks,

we can march,

we can pass laws,

we can publicly pray,

we can hold vigils,

we can make posts,

we can retweet stuff,

we can write books,

raise money,

wear t-shirts,

we can even smack

on bumper stickers.

It's not making

a lot of difference

in America.

it's on a downward

moral spiral.

And the church

is too often

influenced by the culture

instead of influencing

the culture.

And that's the exact

opposite as to how

Christ told us

to respond to our world.

So don't hide

the light of God's love

and truth under a basket.

As Jesus said,

let it shine.

Shine forth.

We are the spiritual

zest of this nation.

the guiding lights.

It is our responsibility

as the salt of the world

to flavor our society.

And the best options

that Americans have

is the same options

that all Americans have.

The best option

is salvation

through Christ.

And we must do

everything we can

to honor

and glorify Christ.

We have a message

the world needs to hear

through our mouths,

through our lives,

through our love.

We grow disgusted

often because

we're looking at a world

that lacks hope,

that lacks peace,

and we're wondering

why they act like they do.

We're expecting righteousness

to come from people

who don't know the Lord.

That's a bogus thought, folks.

Don't expect godliness

from those

that don't know the Lord.

It's not going to happen.

It's not going to happen.

America cares little

about Christianity

because most that claim

Christ are not living for Him.

And the world sees

the difference in that

in too many lives.

Faith's not merely

associating with Christ.

It's having your life

changed by Christ.

It stirs what we do.

It stirs why we do it.

And I believe

to win the world,

we have to do

what verse 8

instructs us to do.

Christians,

this is how

you can make a difference

in your nation.

act justly.

Uphold what is right

in our lifestyle.

Take on spiritual

responsibility

seriously.

I want you to hear

what John says

in 1 John 1, 5-7.

He says this,

this is the message

we've heard from Him

and proclaim to you

that God is light.

In Him there is

no darkness at all.

Listen to this,

if we say we have

fellowship with Him

while we walk in darkness,

we lie and do not

practice the truth.

But if we walk

in the light

as He is in the light,

we have fellowship

with one another

and the blood

of Jesus His Son

cleanses us

from all of our sin.

If our lives

are not marked

by our fellowship

with God,

by our fellowship

with His people,

we're not in fellowship

with the Lord.

It has to show forth

in our lives.

And any time

that we proclaim

to have the Lord

and feel secure

about that,

but yet don't resemble

that in our life,

it's shady at best.

Our lives are to be marked

by acting out our faith

and that is described

here as justly.

So how do you do that?

Well, you surrender

your lives to Him.

It begins in one day

when you surrender

your life to the Lord Jesus,

asking Him to forgive you

of your sins,

to come into your life

and to cleanse you.

There has to be

a starting point

to this relationship

as any other relationship.

There has to be

a starting point to that.

And so one day

you surrender your life to Him

and do you know

what you do the next day?

You surrender your life to Him.

No, you don't get saved again,

but you get renewed once again.

You spend the rest of your days

giving the Lord your life,

surrendering our lives to Him.

Not one time just,

but all the time

from this day forward.

seeking His will in prayer.

We live our lives by His word

where His will is revealed.

We grow together with His people

because you will not be everything

that you need to be for the Lord

if you try to go it alone.

Jesus came

to go on a cross

and die for sinners.

rise again

and promise eternal life

found in Him.

And He came to establish a church

to reach the rest of the world

and to give us strength

to do everything that we can

for the Lord Jesus Christ.

We act justly.

Second thing is we love mercy.

There's a difference in grace and mercy.

Acting gracefully

is giving to people

what they do not deserve.

treating people better.

Mercy

is not giving people

what they deserve.

And God calls us

to be merciful.

To treat people better

than they deserve.

It is a word,

this word for mercy

is a word that is used

in consistency

to talk about

the consistent,

reliable,

kind,

love

that God has for us.

And when we love mercy,

we share His love

with other people.

I want you to hear me clearly.

There's no greater need on earth

than the love of Jesus Christ.

And so we love folks

in the Lord

and when they ask us

why we're doing it,

we tell them why.

Because Jesus changed my life

and He changed yours too.

We love mercy.

Lastly,

we walk humbly

before our God.

How much time

do you give the Lord

each day?

You don't have to be honest

with me,

be honest with yourself,

be honest with the Lord.

How much time

do you give the Lord

each day?

When He reveals

what you ought to do

in your life,

either through the precepts

of His word

that you're familiar with

or in your own time

with Him

when He reflects

and uses His word

to speak into your life,

how much do you obey His will?

How much do you even ask

of His will?

A humble walk

before God

is one where

we put God first,

then we put others

before ourselves

and then

we come along.

Now,

if you look at this

whole passage

and you look at

everything that it calls for

to

do justice

and love kindness

and to walk

humbly with your God,

if we do those things,

that means that

humility,

obedience,

and mercifulness

proclaimed in a total

lifestyle

is not only

our Christian duty,

but if being a good

American means

loving your country,

leading it in the

right direction,

helping all Americans

to succeed,

and letting everyone

enjoy their rights

without the infringement

of others,

then our American duty

is to share Christ.

I believe

our greatest

infringement

as Christians,

our greatest

infringement

to America

is failing

to tell them

their house

is on fire.

It's failing

to tell them

that the smoke

of our nation's

activities

are choking them.

Now,

let's just get real.

The fires of damnation

are licking

at their feet.

But that's exactly

what we do

when we don't

share Christ.

We just don't

bother to get involved.

Jesus said,

what does it,

what does one

prosper if he gains

the whole world

yet loses

his own soul?

And because of that,

we have a responsibility

to share Christ

with our nation,

sharing the greatest

love possible.

We have a responsibility

to sharing Christ

with our neighbor,

pointing them

toward righteousness.

We have a responsibility

to sharing Christ

with our coworkers,

giving them the opportunity

at true success

because true success

can't be found

outside of Christ.

We do not have

the right to stand

in the way

of one's opportunity

in Christ.

And when we know

the answer

and don't give it,

would you warn a child

playing in the road

that a car was coming?

If a family was asleep

in their house

and you noticed

their house was on fire,

would you bother

to wake them up

and tell them?

much of America,

much of America

does not know

that they'll spend

eternity apart from God.

They're just not aware of it.

They haven't listened.

So let's not yell at them.

Let's tell them

of our concern.

Let's live it out

before them

and walk it before them

and tell them

your story.

Has Christ

changed your life?

best person

to tell that story

is you.

And you need to trust

not your eloquence

in being able

to say it.

You need to trust

that God's instructed

us to do that.

And he gets

in the middle of it.

And the Holy Spirit

gets in the middle of it.

And your humble,

somewhat broken testimony

of what Christ did

to you somehow

impacts somebody

else's life,

not because of the power

of what you say,

but because of the power

of the Holy Spirit

of God

working between you

and working

in their lives.

You never understand

the timing of God.

I question it sometimes.

But I'll tell you

what's special about it.

What I do know

is that God's working

in people's lives

that I don't know

anything about

and God's working

in my life

that people don't

know anything about.

And when he puts us

in contact with one another,

special things

can happen sometimes.

Divine appointments

where lives can change.

And that's our responsibility.

So my hope and prayer

this week of the 4th,

may we be stirred

by the power

of the gospel

more than the power

of politics

and more than the power

of our own selfish priorities.

may we be stirred

by the power

of the gospel.

Never head bowed,

never I could...