Sermon Tone Analysis

July 4 Message

 

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

228 years ago, our founders declared independence which then took seven long years to fully gain.

This weekend, many of us will celebrate with friends, family, fireworks, and barbecues.

I have memories growing up of sparklers and homemade ice cream.

I hope this weekend will be a great one for you.

Many Americans will travel this weekend, since the 4th is always the highest travel period of the summer.

This year could set new records as around 40 million Americans hit the road.

If you are feeling left out, it’s not too late.

You could leave after church, and in just ___ hours of driving find yourself somewhere /really/ exciting, like Algona, Iowa—the home of the world’s largest Chee-to.

Have you heard about this Chee-to?

Here’s a picture of it—it’s the size of a lemon.

There aren’t cheetos that big in Dallas!

This is big stuff, and now the biggest tourist attraction in Algona, Iowa.

"This giant Chee-to could be a boon to our local economy," said Tom Straub, owner of the bar where the cheeto is on display.

"Anything we can do to attract visitors to our town would be good."

So, go support a small town and see the Giant cheeto.

But July 4 for our nation is obviously more than trips and fireworks and giant cheetos.

July 4 marks a turning point in this continent’s history and was the stake in the ground that eventuated this nation.

And since July 4 happens to fall on a Sunday, we are taking this weekend to devote to life as a Christian in America or in any human government.

Today we are talking about God and government, and what God asks us to do in relation to government.

We have just begun a Daniel series, and from that book alone we get so much information about how we who follow God are to interact with our wider culture—including our government.

God created several institutions: marriage, family, church, and government.

We aren’t so much talking about politics today as about government itself.

Talking about politics is like talking about money or football teams or any other controversial topic—but this message is not about politics.

It is about how we as Christians are to view and relate to government, in our case of course the United States.

And if you don’t like America, all you have to do is travel somewhere else for a few months and you’ll probably change your mind.

America is a very imperfect place and increasingly a troubled place, but I wouldn’t trade it.

And it is where God has placed us.

So what does it mean to be Christians in America?

How does God want us to view and relate to government?

This would have been a very similar question that Daniel would have wrestled with when he got to Babylon?

How was he supposed to relate to Babylon.

The answers are the same, and from his story and from the New Testament we learn a lot how to do so.

1)      Be assured that God establishes human governments

Daniel and the nation of Judah who had been conquered by Babylon would have needed that reassurance.

Like I mentioned last week, Jerusalem, God’s city where God’s temple was, fell into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar—and that would have thrown everyone for a loop.

How could God’s city and God’s temple be destroyed and defiled?

It would have caused quite a crisis.

Part of the reason the book of Daniel was written was to reassure God’s people in the Old Testament that God indeed is in control of the affairs of this world.

We see that in the next chapter.

Turn with me in your Bibles to Daniel chapter two.

We’ll look at this story in much more detail next week, but this week I want us to focus on this dream that the King, Nebuchadnezzar has.

He has this dream, and Daniel interprets the meaning for him.

Let’s read in 2:31-35.

And here’s what that statue may have looked like: Show picture.

Then Daniel interprets the dream, and notice God’s sovereignty throughout these verses: 2:36-45.

The point?

For the readers of Daniel, this would have been hugely reassuring—that God is in control of the affairs of men, and he raises up governments and tears them down.

And for us, it should even be more reassuring because this was prophetic—written centuries before much of this took place.

Here’s how that falls out: Picture.

We don’t have a lot of time to dwell on this, just to say that we can be assured even more so than the readers of Daniel that God is in control, and ultimately he is the one who sets up rulers and governments and who tears them down.

Eventually, Jesus himself will come back and rule from this earth with his kingdom—and that will be the first perfect kingdom that ever existed.

Until then will be a succession of very imperfect governments, some who honor God and most who do not, but all nevertheless under his ultimate control.

The New Testament amplifies this reality, as in Romans 13:1, “/Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.

The authorities that exist have been established by God." /(Romans 13:1).

You may or may not like the government, but God is the one who established it.

And that should be hugely reassuring to us.

We do need to be engaged as good citizens and concerned about the issues of our day.

Yet, we also need to realize God’s ultimate sovereignty.

As Christians, we have every reason to be optimists, because all that happens does so by God’s will.

As Christians, we need to be praying like crazy if we love this nation, because God is ultimately overseeing what happens here.

Sometimes I hear Christians talk about current events full of doom and gloom—like everything is going wrong and the country is fall apart and it is almost like God is in trouble.

He’s losing his air and biting his fingernails and obviously losing.

That’s just not true.

Now, don’t get me wrong.

I understand the sentiments, and there is truth there.

When a nation goes against biblical principles they do so to their own demise, and if you love this country it will be upsetting to see that happen.

However, there is this other side to it to—ultimately God is in control and it is his glory that is more important than any other concern.

We should therefore be engaged with great confidence and faith.

I was impressed a couple of months ago when I spent a couple of days in Washington, D.C. Senator Brownback addressed this group I was with, who is a Christian and a senator—and yes, I guess that’s possible.

And there are of course Christian senators and congressmen and women in both parties.

What I was most impressed with was his tone.

He has convictions that he stands for, but he was very balanced.

It wasn’t the end of the world if his views weren’t the ones voted for—he was doing his job and God wasn’t going to be in trouble if things didn’t go his way.

Whatever issues you are concerned about or whatever politics you hold, it should be reassuring to know that ultimately God really is in control.

That shouldn’t make us passive, but it should be reassuring.

I think Christians have every reason to be the most optimistic people in the world.

2)      Serve as a good ambassador to this world

 

Remember those old songs that said things like, “This aint my home, I’m just passin through.”

They are right.

This is not our home.

The Bible is very clear that our primary citizenship is in heaven, and our primary loyalty the kingdom of God.

We represent Jesus here on this planet.

2 Corinthians 5:20 says that we are Christ’s ambassadors to this planet.

We have a job much bigger than just being an ordinary citizen.

We are resident aliens, here to represent Christ and serve his mission.

In the Old Testament, we see Daniel doing a wonderful job of that in Babylon—which we will see in the weeks ahead.

But for today turn with me to 1 Peter 2:9-12, which is talking about us as Christians and together as a church in this world in which we live: /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 and into his wonderful light.

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but how you have received mercy.

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they may accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”/

You and I have to remember that heaven is our home and it is God that we represent.

And as the world around us gets darker, it gives even more opportunity for us to be light.

But it means that we must live differently in order to make a difference.

As we’ve said over the last few weeks, Jesus calls us to be people of irresistible influence—as we just read—to live such lives that “/they may see your good deeds and glorify God./”

How do you think we are doing as Christians in culture?

I read a survey not too long ago of Americans who are non-churched, how they viewed different groups of people in our culture—including Christians.

Here it is:

 

| *Question: Is your impression of people in this group generally favorable, generally unfavorable, or somewhere in-between?* |