Introduction: In WW1, we were at war with Germany. In WW2, we went to war against Germany, Italy and Japan. Many people don't realize it, but we have been at war with Militant Islam for a decade. Last Thursday marked the second anniversary of the second attack on the World Trade Center in New York. The first attack on the WTC was ten years ago, when Militant Muslims set off a car bomb in the basement of the building, in an attempt to bring it down.
President Bush understands that Militant Islam has declared war on the United States, and he has responded by declaring war on Terrorism. Since 9/11/2001 we have taken steps to defend ourselves, and strengthen our nation. We have established a department of Homeland Security. We have increased security at airports. We have sent soldiers to Afghanistan and Iraq to find and destroy terrorists.
These things are all well and good, but Psalm 33 tells us of other things that are even more important for making our nation, or any nation, strong. If we want victory in this war, there are three things we must do:
I. We need to win more Americans to faith in the one true God (Ps. 33:8).
Psa 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.
Psa 33:9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
Whenever you see the word "LORD" with all capital letters in the Bible, you should recognize that it is God's name, Jehovah, not just a generic word for God.
Psalm 33:8 is a challenge to the spirit of tolerance that now commands America. People consider evangelism to be insulting, insensitive, crass and hateful. But in His final words to us, Jesus commanded us try to get people to leave their false religions, and false gods, and to become His followers.
Mat 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Mat 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Mat 28:20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
The book of Acts is a history of the work of Peter, Paul and the other Apostles, who preached the Gospel, and turned people away from Judaism, spiritism, and the worship of the false gods of the Greeks and Romans.
What does the Bible say?
Exo 20:2-3 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me."
Deu 6:14-15 "Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land."
If we want America to be blessed by God as a nation, then America needs to stop its love-affair with pluralism. America needs to recognize that all religions are not good, and that there is only one God, Jehovah, the God of the Bible.
Psalm 33:12 says: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance."
In Old Testament times, the nation of Israel was God's chosen nation. At this present time, there is no earthly nation which is particularly chosen by God. The national covenant that God made with Israel has come to an end.
Heb 8:7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.
Heb 8:8 But God found fault with the people and said: "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
Heb 8:9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.
Heb 8:10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Heb 8:11 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
Heb 8:12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
Heb 8:13 By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
That old national covenant is over. The Israelites were not faithful to the covenant, and God turned away from the nation. God made that covenant obsolete, in favor of a New Covenant.
Jesus established the New Covenant at the Last Supper:
Mat 26:28 "For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
God's chosen people NOW is not a political nation state, but the Church. Peter wrote of this in I Peter 2:9-10:
1 Pet 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Pet 2:10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
There is therefore ONE WAY in which America can become God's chosen nation: If most of the people in America become Christians. If we as individuals are God's chosen people, then our nation will become, in a sense, God's chosen nation.
There is a lot of debate about whether America is a Christian nation. The Declaration of Independence mentions God. And the Constitution is a great document for running the nation (9/17-9/23 is Constitution Week. We are going to ring our bell on Wednesday 9/17). But that does not make us a Christian nation. Placing the 10 Commandments in public buildings won't make us a Christian nation. Placing "In God We Trust" on our money won't make us a Christian nation. Singing "God Bless America" won't make us a Christian nation. Words on paper, monuments in rotundas, songs about God. These are all very nice, but not sufficient. We need to be a Christian nation in reality. You will know we have become a Christian nation when most people really have been born again by the power of the Holy Spirit, and when they start living like Christians in every area of life.
II. America's leaders need to make plans that fit in with God's plans (Ps. 33:10-11).
Psa 33:10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
Psa 33:11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
Joshua, the leader of Israel, once met the Angel of the Lord, without realizing who He was. They had an interesting conversation:
Josh 5:13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"
Josh 5:14 "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?"
Joshua had plans. But he was immediately willing to change his plans in order to follow God's plans.
If America is to be strong, she needs leaders who are willing to follow the plans of God. We need leaders who are Christians. We need leaders who study the Word of God. We need leaders who pray to God and ask for guidance.
III. In order for America to be strong, we need to stop the immorality that is spreading (Ps. 33:13-15).
Psa 33:13 From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind;
Psa 33:14 from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth--
Psa 33:15 he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.
A. God watches and sees all that we do. He knows all we think. He hears all we say. Does this make us happy, or does it make us afraid? After Adam sinned, he was afraid of God, and hid behind some trees. When Isaiah had a vision of the holiness of God, he was frightened of God because of his sinfulness.
"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." (Isaiah 6:5)
Proverbs 14:34 says, "Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people."
B. One reason we are at war with Militant Islam is our immorality. We have a reputation as "The Great Satan." That is our name in many nations of the world. Why? Omar told us when he visited several months ago that the people of the Middle East have satellite TV. They can see American TV. they can watch American movies. And they are shocked at what they see.
Years ago we broadcast a good image to the world:
And many other decent programs.
In the past 40 years America has gone far down the slope of immorality. Divorce is now the norm. Many of our pastors are gay. Our popular music, TV and movies are blatantly sexual. Cheating and stealing are an epidemic. We have earned our nickname, the Great Satan. More important than our reputation in the world, how does God view America? Does He see us as moral, or is He deeply offended by our sins? If we want our nation to be strong, America needs to honor and live by God's Laws, the 10 Commandments.
Conclusion: In order to strengthen the nation, we need Something stronger than armies and weapons. America is the greatest military power on the face of the earth. But if we continue on our present course, we are going to be in trouble. We need Someone stronger than armies: We need God. It is God who decides the outcomes of battles. We need to be sure that we are fighting on God's side, and that we are relying on God for victory, and not arrogantly relying on our military power. If America is to be strong, three things must happen:
1. More of us need to become genuine born-again Christians.
2. Our leaders must acknowledge Jehovah, and humble themselves under God's hand.
3. Our citizens must turn away from our widespread immorality.