SCRIPTURE:
When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability.
Proverbs 28:2
OBSERVATION:
Exactly one month from today, America will be celebrating its 250th anniversary. As we look forward to our nation’s semiquincentennial birthday, King Solomon––the wisest leader who ever lived––offers our nation timely advice today.
Solomon writes, “When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability” (Proverbs 28:2 NLT).
Think about your dream house. What does it look like? How many bedrooms does it have? How many stories does it have? Whatever shape, size, or form it may take, imagine you had the chance to build that exact house yourself, and you had a choice of building it on swampland, landfill, sand, or solid rock. Which would you choose? Solid rock, right? We would all choose to build a different looking dream house, but we would all choose to build it on solid rock. Why is that? Because the foundation upon which you build determines how long it will last.
This is why Solomon warns us of moral rot. Because morality is the foundation of every nation––and where there is lack thereof, a nation will not last. As Christians, we know that Jesus does not simply define morality; He is morality. In John 14:6 NIV, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The world may encourage us to “define your own truth” and “live your own truth,” but this is simply wrong. We don’t get to define truth. Jesus is the truth. And Jesus doesn’t need any redefining, rewriting, or revision––for He, and His truth, are perfect. It’s us who need to conform to His truth; not the other way around.
Likewise, in Matthew 7:24-27 NIV, we discover that Christ is the Solid Rock and that building anything upon Him will stand. “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matthew 7:24-27 NIV).
When a nation builds upon Christ as its foundation and preserves morality as He defines it, it will continue to stand. However, when a nation forgets Christ and falsely defines its own truth for the sake of personal gain, it will not last.
APPLICATION:
This is why we, as Christians, should care deeply about politics. Don’t get me wrong––I’m not saying that Christians should become political lobbyists, create super PACS, or argue for the intertwining of church and state. I am also not saying that churches should shout so loudly about politics and patriotism that people know us more for what candidates we support more than the God we follow. Above all else, the church must be known for loving God and loving people because it exists to worship God, seek and save the lost, and be God’s hands and feet in this world that desperately needs Him.
What I am saying is that Christians should care deeply about politics because we know that the foundation upon which you build determines how long it will last––and if we build our nation upon anything other than Christ, we know with full certainty that eventually, it will fall. This is not just something that King Solomon knew; it was something that George Washington, our first president believed too. In his 1796 Farewell Address, he boldly and clearly declared “let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”
250 years ago, our founding fathers believed a free and successful nation required Christian morality and dependence on God. This is not some wild claim pulled out of thin air; this is a provable, indisputable fact. In his 1798 letter to the officers of the Massachusetts Militia, John Adams wrote, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” In his 1774 essay entitled “A Summary View of the Rights of British America,” Thomas Jefferson said, "God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever." In his Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789, George Washington declared, “it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor.” America was founded on Christian values––and throughout our history, God has honored us as we honored Him.
250 years after our nation was established on Christian values, I wonder what our founding fathers would think about the state of our Union.
- Would they celebrate the America we have become or would they mourn the loss of what once was?
- Would they honor the leaders we have elected, or would they aim to impeach them for forgetting their purpose?
- Would they be proud of the values, ideals, and morals we have defined, or would they encourage us to ratchet back to our beginnings––and to the Foundation they clearly defined as our success.
And more importantly, I wonder what our Heavenly Father thinks about our nation. Would he be proud of the nation we have become or disappointed in the nation we could have become? Psalm 53:2 NLT says “God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.”
On her 250th birthday, as God looks down from heaven on America, will He see us? Or will His eyes pass over us?
PRAYER:
God,
Thank You for 250 years of your faithfulness to our nation. As we celebrate our 250th birthday, we acknowledge You as the foundation of our nation and the sole reason for our success. Forgive us for the times we have fallen short, for the sins we have committed against You and one another, and for the times we have been unfaithful despite Your unchanging faithfulness. We pray, in Jesus name, that You would continue to bless America. We pray for our leaders, for every home, and every heart in this nation––may they come to know You as Lord and Savior and may they honor you with their life. We need You, Jesus. Be Lord over America once and for all. We love You, Lord. Thank You for loving us.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
