Psalm 33:12 – 195 Nations – Bible study

Psalm 33:12 195 Nations I know the title probably makes no sense at this point, but I believe it will. Portions of the message that I preach this morning, I will not enjoy. I find parts of the message very distasteful. It will bring out truths that no one wants to hear, neither the saved nor the lost; but I will preach it because I truly believe it is the message God wants me to preach. Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. Would you consider four thoughts with me? I. The Universal Call A. Much of the Bible, especially the Old Testament is directed to the nation of Israel. 1. As early as Genesis 12, God had selected a people to be His. a. From that people, He would create a nation. b. From that nation, He would birth the Messiah. c. From the Messiah, He would redeem another people. d. With that people, He will glorify Himself for all eternity. 2. The first two parts of Gods plan then were to select a people and, with them, to create a nation. a. That nation was Israel, and much of the Old Testament was directed to Israel. b. It contains Gods efforts to shape that nation into something more than just the birthing parent for the Messiah but into a people that God could use. B. Yet this verse is not directed exclusively to Israel. 1. God did not say, "Blessed is Israel whose God is the Lord." 2. God said, "Blessed is the nation." a. God wrote this verse to be a Universal Call. b. It is not directed to a specific nation and neither is any nation excluded. c. That means it could be ANY nation. d. For that matter, it means it could be EVERY nation. (1) The United Nations recognizes 195 independent nations in the world today. (2) Every one of those nations could be the "blessed" nation. (3) Sadly, I do not believe a single one of them is. C. Note the Universal Call. II. The Universal Choice A. A Universal Call obviously leads to a Universal Choice. 1. Once the call goes out, each nation must decide whether they will answer the call or not. 2. Hence, the Universal Choice. B. Of the 195 recognized nations on the planet today, some have answered the call. 1. There was a time the United States of America stepped up t say, "Yes! Ill be the blessed nations!" 2. At least, according the Supreme Court of our land. 3. The case was, "Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States," 1892. a. The Church of the Holy Trinity had been found guilty of breaking the law and hiring a foreign clergyman. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that they were not guilty (although they actually had broken the law.) b. But what was interesting in the case was what Justice David J. Brewer wrote in the opinion of that case. Explaining why the Court had found the church not guilty, he listed as one of the evidence, "this is a Christian nation." c. While I do not normally favor the idea of court rulings establishing precedents, that one should have; but the article I read went on to say that that courts ruling has not had the effect that other rulings have had on shaping our nation into a non-Christian nation. https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/724/church-of-the- holy-trinity-v-united-states 4. The only way anyone can deny that the United States was founded by Christians to be a Christian nation is to deny the abundance of American history, including writings, documents, monuments, and buildings. C. But no nation can claim the Lord of the Bible is their God while committing the sins this country commits. For example: 1. Most in todays America have no idea who God is. a. According to a Pew Research survey, (1) 63% of Americans believe in god. (2) 20% are fairly certain there is a god. (3) 9% do not believe in God. (4) 8% do not know what they believe. https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/belief-in-god/ b. Of the 63% that believe in god, only 46.6% are Protestant, meaning all the remainder are not even being exposed to the Bible message at all. (1) They could be Catholic, Mormon, Jews, Buddhists, Hindu, or any other kind of "believer" you can imagine. https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/#religions (2) While we know each person has the right to believe in or not believe in any god they wish, if a person is not even exposed to New Testament or its truths, they cannot go to heaven! (3) 46.6% of 63% means only 29% of our nations population (at most) has any chance of believing in the God of the New Testament. (4) The sad truth is that most who are exposed to the true, Bible-believing God never accept Him. 2. In our country, the blood of an estimated 62 million babies cries from the ground. https://www.nrlc.org/abortion/ a. They say the number of abortions is on the decline, perhaps dropping every year since 2011. https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2019/09/us-abortion-rate-continues- drop-once-again-state-abortion-restrictions-are-not-main b. The decline is not believed to be due to any kind of moral conscience or the legal restrictions that have been put into place. c. They say women just arent getting pregnant in numbers as they once were. (1) Perhaps it is due to the "morning-after pill, which is still an abortion; but the it looks like the world has locked away information relating to the sale and usage of such chemicals. I couldnt find any. (2) Perhaps God has gotten fed up and decided to sterilize our whole nation. d. Regardless, if the blood of Abel cried out to God, the blood of the millions of babies will cry out until God judges our land. 3. And what of the sexual sins of this nation? a. Question: How many sexual sins are there? Answer: I do not know but this nation seems determined to host them all. b. In 2019, the US reported 980,000 same-sex households in the US. (1) 58% of that number are "legal" marriages. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/nearly-1-million-u-s- households-composed-same-sex-couples-n1240340 (2) Who would have thought our nation would ever to do away with legal marriage to allow for "illegal" marriage? c. Sex Trafficking is just one of the growing business of our country. (1) Yes. It is a business. (a) Its a $32 billion industry in the U.S. alone, the 2nd largest criminal industry in our country, second only to the drug trade. https://sites.uab.edu/humanrights/2019/08/28/the-sex-trafficking- industry-right-in-alabama/ (b) Apparently, many politicians and many of Hollywood elite are involved in it. (c) Smallville actress, Allison Mack, was convicted and sentenced to 3 years this past week for her involvement in such a ring. https://www.npr.org/2021/06/30/1011728671/allison-mack-sentenced-nxivm (2) In 2019, Polaris, a human-trafficking rescue organization received 11,500 hotline tips (in the US) which resulted in 22,326 rescues, the apprehension of 4,384 traffickers, and the noting of 1,912 suspicious business. Yet they note that human trafficking is notoriously underreported and these statistics are only a small fraction of the situation. https://polarisproject.org/myths-facts-and-statistics/ (3) The I20 corridor, running less than 4 miles from our church, is known as the "sex trafficking super highway." https://sites.uab.edu/humanrights/2019/08/28/the-sex-trafficking- industry-right-in-alabama/ (4) If you are not for national border control for any other reason, you should be for this. (a) American women and children are stolen and swept across state and national lines while woman and children from other nations are brought into America. (b) Taking their victims into foreign countries with languages they dont speak and cultures they dont understand makes it that much harder for the victims to be rescued and if they are, for the traffickers to be identified and caught. D. At one time, Americas voice was heard as a nation that called out, "Yes! Ill be the blessed nation;" but I do not think it possible that it is so today. 1. On June 26, 2006, Mr. Barak Obama, while serving in the highest office of American government, made the statement: "Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers." https://www.factcheck.org/2008/08/obama-and-the-christian-nation-quote/ 2. Only a pagan could fail to understand the error of that statement. a. God will not be co-god with any deity, real or imagined. b. Either we are a Christian nation or we are a damned nation, and there are no other alternatives. 3. The fact that a heathen man like that would even be in office, let alone that he would have the audacity to make such a statement, tells us all that America is the blessed nation no longer! 4. There are 195 recognized nations on the globe today, but not a one of them can lay claim to being the blessed nation, to accepting Gods universal call. 5. Each of them have made their own universal choice, and the choices made lead me to the third point. III. The Universal Condemnation A. There is another Bible verse with a Universal Call, and it also gives a Universal Choice; but this verse introduces us to the Universal Condemnation. Ps 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. B. Notice the word "nations." 1. It is the same Hebrew word used in Psalm 33:12, our text. 2. It means that the truth of this verse is not directed to the nation of Israel alone but to any and all nations that meet the criteria. C. Then notice the word "forget." 1. Before a nation can forget God, they would have first had to have known God. 2. Down through the annals of time, several nations may have been the blessed nation; but they seem to have all forgotten God. a. Israel forgot God. This was the sad message of one of Jeremiahs sermons: Jer 2:11 Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Jer 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. Jer 2:32 Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number. b. And by both the actions of the American people and the declaration of Mr. Obama, so has the United States of America. D. And last, note the phrase, "shall be turned into hell." 1. The phrase denotes a future destination, hell. 2. Contrary to public opinionwhich doesnt change anythingthe Creator God says there is a hell. 3. Here we learn that not only individuals but entire nations shall be damned. a. Listen to something truly horrendous. (1) Presently, because the church is on this planet, spread like wheat throughout the entire world, it is "probably" impossible for an entire nation to be damned. (a) I would hope that God has not left one single country or nation without at least one believer in it. (b) If that condition were to exist anywhere on this globethat a single country or nation would not have a single Christian in it then the church is to be condemned for we have failed the Great Commission. (2) But once the rapture of the church takes place, every single Christian on the earth will be removed, leaving every country and nation without a single, solitary Christian. (3) Even worse for the world, Gods seed planting toolthe churchwill be gone, meaning the means to win new converts to Christ will be gone. (a) Now, I am sure that God has a means for winning more souls to Himself, but the devil with the anti-Christ will be doing his best to kill every seed before it has time to sprout and to kill every Christian as soon as he is born-again. (b) That means it is possible that when Jesus returns and lines the nations up for eternal judgement, every single soul who lived within the boundaries of a nation might be "turned into hell," every single soul. b. It might literally be a Universal Condemnation! (1) As far as I know, helping those souls is beyond us. (a) I hope our sermons, our tracts, our books, our videos, and everything else will be available to them. (b) I pray what I leave behind might win more souls to Jesus than I have ever touched in this life; but that is up to God. (2) But our duty is to win them now. IV. The Universal Command A. What can we do about it? a. Just two things. b. The same two things that has been the goal of every Biblical sermon ever preached. B. What? 1. If we are not saved, be saved. a. There are four reasons I can think of why a person should be saved. (1) For the glory of God. (2) For the sake of your own soul. (3) For the sake of your family. (4) For the sake of your country. b. This being our Patriotic Service, I would tell you once again that your nation needs you to be saved. (1) The time is running out, not only for America but for all 195 nations. (2) If you have ever wanted to do anything for your country, be saved today! 2. If you are saved, live like it. a. In our homes, business, and communities. b. In our conversations, our hobbies, and our habits. c. In our deeds and with our words. C. There is an accusation I have heard from those who call themselves "progressive" Christians. 1. They say we have allowed our patriotism to affect our Christianity. 2. That we are Christians second or even further back, and Americans first. D. Well, I would reject their notions on several fronts. 1. First, I reject the thought that they are "progressive." a. To be progressive suggests that they are moving on to being a better Christian. b. I dont see any progress being made by such Christians as producing anything better. c. They say the proof of the pudding is in the taste. d. I say in the years that progressive Christians have been progressing, they have not made anything better, especially the church. 2. Second, I reject the thought that God would have either the American Christians or the American non-Christians weaken their countrys borders or stability by allowing America or any country to be overrun with idol worshipping, God-rejecting immigrants who will not work. a. Neither God nor the Bible, New Testament or Old, advocates any such evangelism. b. What God and the Bible advocates is threefold: (1) Saved family (2) Holy home (3) Godly nation c. Case in point: Psalm 33:12. I am neither an American Christian nor a Christian American. I am a Bible Christian who lives in a countryit happens to be Americaand I want the nation I live in to be the blessed nation. And I want the nation that I live to help the other 194 nations to be blessed nations as well. May God help us to make it so!