As the Bible says, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

Cross references:

1. 1 Timothy 2:1 : Eph 6:18
2. 1 Timothy 2:2 : Ezr 6:10; Ro 13:1
3. 1 Timothy 2:2 : 1Ti 3:16; 4:7, 8; 6:3, 5, 6, 11; 2Ti 3:5; Tit 1:1

We are going to pray and ask God to not only bless but give wisdom and leadership to our leaders. We will thank God for putting President Obama in the White House; we need to be a people who are giving thanks. Let’s pray.

Father, we know that it’s just a saying that “united we stand and divided we fall”, but it is true. So Lord we want to do exactly what you asked us to do. We entreat you on behalf of our leadership. We pray that you would give them wisdom. We pray that there will be unity in the Congress. We pray that you will give wisdom and insight to the leaders and the president. We thank you for what you are doing in our country. We may not understand the whole ways of God but we know that you have everything under control because nothing takes you by surprise. So Lord we ask that you would bless this country and that you would give wisdom to our leaders. We pray for them. We are thankful for them and we pull together as a people here in this country in Christ name we pray. Amen

Was God surprised by the results of the election? No, God is never taken by surprise. But what I want to speak about today is the importance of you the church, much more than the Electoral College. The destiny of our nation is not in the hands of man but in the hands of God.

The barometer of our nation is not at the White House, it’s in God’s house. From the beginning of time, God always treats a nation based on the obedience and holiness of His people that He places there. We are the thermostat and whatever happens in the church will be reflected in the nation. If our spirituality drops, you will see the spirituality outside the church dropping. If our morality goes flat you will see it happen beyond the church. If you see us getting jealous and gossiping, you will see people getting jealous and gossiping in Congress and everything else. When the nation gets blessed it is because the righteous people get righteous.

As the Bible says, "When the righteous increase, the people rejoice" (Prov. 29:2) and "Righteousness exalts a nation..." (Prov. 14:34).

It is also written, "If My people who are called by My name shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land" (2 Chron. 7:14).

But it depends on us and the bend of our knee and the humility of our heart and not out there. You see it all the time where God speaks about the barometer of the nation which will be in the people that He takes and puts in that nation and that are called the people of God. He sees another nation and chooses people and puts them in the exact places where they should live. You could have been born anytime in the history of mankind if God wanted you to be born back then. But for some reason he has us born now as contemporaries. God has a purpose for us---God’s people in Hawaii. Why? Because we are the barometer of what’s going to happen in Hawaii.

Like Sodom and Gomorrah Abraham asked God if he was going to destroy those places because they were so wicked. God answered yes. So Abraham asked what if he could find 50 righteous people living there - would he destroy it? God said no. And Abraham kept asking what about 40 people? 30 people? And finally he said 10 people and God said he would not destroy the city if 10 righteous people could be found. But Abraham could not find 10 people that were righteous and so God destroyed the city. That’s because righteousness was destroyed. The nation is going to mirror what happens within the church.

The destiny of the nation is in the hand of God. We are the barometer. So God looks to see if the people within the church are immoral or not. If the church starts to compromise then what happens to the people outside the church? We lose hope.

The church is the one group of people in the universe that God has given the power and authority over Satan and hell. We are able to say, “Be gone” and Satan has to obey. However if we rescind our authority, we don’t use our authority and instead make truces with the devil, the nation is in trouble. So do you understand how important you are?

It’s not Herod or Pontiac Pilate or Agrippa that turned the course of the nation of Israel or the world. Rather it was people like Paul the Apostle who was imprisoned in Rome. Don’t underestimate how important you are. God can use a President or a Government like pawns on a chess board. The Bible says that the heart of a king is in the hand of the Lord. He turns it in whichever way He wills. But if the righteous decrease the nation will be in shambles. The nation will always reflect the people of God. If the people of God are exulted and we do well then the people around us will do well.

The condition of a nation’s spirituality will eventually be reflected in that nation’s society. In other words the spirituality of the church is going to be mirrored in the society of that nation. The morality of the nation’s churches will eventually be reflected in the morality of a nation’s culture.

What’s happening spiritually will be manifested physically. You see that in a person’s life. If I am doing poorly spiritually, it will affect my physical life. If I hate God and I am bitter, if I am involved in greed, idol worshiping, and immorality it’s going to affect everything about me. So my spiritual condition affects my physical. Likewise, a husband’s spiritual condition is going to affect his family. If he is doing well it will be to the benefit of his family. If he is doing poorly it will be to the detriment of his family. The same is true in a nation. The spirituality of this body is going to affect them positively or negatively. It’s been like that since the beginning of time. Look at the history of the church. The barometer is based on the health of the spirituality of the churches.

The way a nation goes is not primarily determined by who is chosen to be in the White House, but by those who have chosen to be in God’s house.

The barometer of a nation has always been the people of God.

Where did the slide begin that has brought this country down? In the early 50’s Christianity was considered the norm in America. If you were a Christian you were considered a good person. So everyone wanted to be identified as a good Christian. But as time moved on things started to slowly erode. People began to tolerate immorality, bickering, gossiping, wrongness, and injustice. And it started through the erosion of language - how we speak about things. For example, when you unduly take profits from someone, or bilk someone out of their money, in those days that used to be called “unfair practices”. But today we change the language and say that’s “good business”. This process took almost two generations to change. And when things change ever so slowly you are almost unaware of it happening.

How did the slow erosion of being a Christian happen? It is through the slow evolution of the American perspective. For example, what once was called Homosexuality, evolved into Domestic Partnerships, and then Civil Unions, and then to the present language of Marriage Equality.

Theism is God’s law---the highest law. Statism is the State’s law which is its highest law. If we follow Statism we will follow laws that are destructive because Statism will tell you what is moral and immoral, and what is right and wrong. But as a Christian you need to go with what God says because we must obey God rather than man.

The Bible says, “The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way” (Jeremiah 5:31).

Our nation is split because our church is split. Our nation does not know right from wrong because we don’t know right from wrong. But God is going to do everything that He can to bring the nation back to Himself, especially the people of God.

It is written, “Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen” (2 Chronicles 24:19) and“You have rejected me,” declares the Lord. “You keep on backsliding. So I will reach out and destroy you; I am tired of holding back. I will winnow them with a winnowing fork at the city gates of the land. I will bring bereavement and destruction on my people, for they have not changed their ways Cross references: 2 Chronicles 24:19 : S Nu 11:29; Jer 7:25; Zec 1:4 (Jeremiah 15:7).

* God's goal is always for His people to RETURN to Him!

God is putting stress on the people of America because He wants us to come back to him.

Is Christianity diminishing in America?

- Christianity is not diminishing. Cultural Christianity is!

So called “Christians” vote and make truces with the world. So they still have that name but they live incongruently and have a low connection to God.

God warns, "Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth" (Rev. 3:16).

- Christianity is not being collapsed. It’s being clarified.

, "And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward" (Isa. 37:31).

God is going to bring together a group of people whose knees are bowed and whose hearts are broken.

God wants to bless America. But God does not respond to pride, autonomy, arrogance, selfishness, immorality, and self-serving. Rather he responds to brokenness, humility, and grace. And when we come back to those qualities, God says now He can bless America and now He can bless Hawaii.

God says that we are the epicenter, the key in the whole thing. But if there is immorality and brokenness here, it will also be out there.

So what do we need?

1. We need a clarity of purpose.

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light" (1 Pet. 2:9).

Don’t forget who you are because Hawaii and her future is far more dependent on the church of the living God then you will ever know. Even in your individual lifestyles we must be representatives as ambassadors of heaven. That’s our country. We are just passing through in this world. The law that we go by is a higher law. Don’t forget who you are. Stay clear in your purpose.

2. A commitment to God’s laws.

Stay true to that. We are people of a different citizenship. Don’t lose that citizenship.

Remember, "Not everyone who says to Me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of My Father in heaven" (Matt. 7:21).

3. A first hand genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.

"If the Lord is God, follow Him. If Baal, then follow him. But don't hesitate between two opinions!" (1 Kings 18:21).

There is no compromise. We are in the world but we are not of the world.

I wish I could tell you that things are going to get better. But it won’t. America will continually be humbled by God and He can use our government to lead our nation to kneel once again before the one who desires to bless our country. The future will not get any easier. The economy will worsen. The educational system will continue to lose its morals. Our leaders will be blinded to the truth. And you will see the church will be divided like never before. There will be jealousy and immorality. This will all happen unless there is a movement of God’s people who will cry out to Him and worship God with no compromise and no pretense. Unless there are a people who take root downward and follow Jesus Christ, the nation will be lost. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord no matter what.

I’m asking New Hope to be a part of that number. I’m asking New Hope to be that kind of church and I’m asking you to be that kind of people in these days. God is looking for us because he wants to strongly support those whose hearts are fixed on him.

Questions

1. Was God surprised by the results of the election?

2. Where did the slide begin that has brought this country down?

3. How did the slow erosion of being a Christian happen?

4. What are the good traits that God responds to?

5. Why is the righteousness of the church important to the outside world?