Wonderful Love in Besieged City

[Editor's Note: This sermon was preached after 911, but contains information helpful for calling Christians in America back to a commitment to our Lord.]

Introduction

Today we shall look at 2 Chronicles 7:14, Philippians 1:27, and Psalm 31:21

Where were you on September 11, 2001? That one question will be asked for the rest of our lives. It is a day that will live in infamy, to borrow a phrase. It is a crisis of magnitude that has impacted the lives of not only all New Yorkers but also for all America. It is a tragedy that will test the character of a nation. It has been said,

"Character is best formed in the stormy billows of the world." Goethe

While you experienced first-hand the blunt of the crisis, the crisis has had a rippling effect throughout our nation. My wife and I sat stunned thinking just four months prior, we enjoyed the Marriott in the surroundings of the World Trade Center on a trip here because of our burden for New York City.

Believe me, the thought went through our minds that this could have happened while we were there. This event even penetrated our church.

i. The daughter of one of our families is the Sheriff of Arlington County, Virginia where the Pentegon is located.

ii. Kelly, the daughter of the Edwards family in our church, and her husband Nelson Searcy had just come to work with you in this great city.

iii. We prayed and prayed and prayed for the people of this city.

The newspaper and other media kept us informed of the changes as they occurred. Rescuers dug for bodies in the World Trade Center's smoking rubble early today - thousands are likely dead, but cries could be heard and there reportedly were cell phone calls from people trapped inside.

Firefighter Scott O'Grady said, "It is unimaginable, devastating, unspeakable carnage. To say it looks like a war zone and to tell you about bodies lying in the streets and blood and steel beams blocking roads would not begin to describe what it's like. It's horrible!"

For us, the headlines said it all:

The Hunt for Evil

Another Day of Infamy Sickens Americans

Local Muslims Fear a Burst of Spite

Weight on Bush's Shoulders Suddenly is Much Heavier

City Gripped by Fear, Disbelief

A Grim New Chapter in Terror

In the last month, we have had every range of emotion to flood our hearts. Every adjective has been used to describe the feelings of America. A recent poll shows that the vast majority of Americans want those who are responsible for such an attack brought to justice and rightfully so.

However, our responsibility as Christians today is not to take vengeance in our own hands but to turn to the Lord who created heaven and earth. It is time for us to focus on God and focus on the opportunity of ministry to show the wonderful love of God in a besieged city.

The question that many are asking is, what can we do in the face of this national crisis?

There are three things we must do if we're going to show the love of almighty God to a besieged city.

I. Remember Our Heritage

A. A Nation Founded Upon God

Just remember the dream.

1. The dream has always been a nation committed to God.

2. It was to be a nation committed to His righteousness.

3. The Pilgrims knelt down when they arrived.

When our pilgrim fathers left the land of litigation and came to the land of liberty, they knelt on the shore at Plymouth Rock and dedicated this country to God, our Creator.

4. What has made our history great is not the pride of the American people but the power of almighty God.

Let us never forget that truth! The only way to remain free and be in the place of blessing is to seek the will of God. God says, "Righteous exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people."

B. A Nation Focused Upon God

We have always built our nation upon prayer. Let me give you a quick history of prayer in America.   Our founding fathers went to their knees imploring God's divine help and blessing. We are the only country in the world with an official day of prayer. In 1620 100 new pilgrims huddled together between the decks of the Mayflower. Before they landed they drafted the Mayflower Compact. Listen to the commitment of their hearts written in this Compact.

"In the Name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten...having undertaken for the glory of God an advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our king and country a voice to plant the first colony...do by these presence solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and of one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends of foresaid...".

In 1774 the Continental Congress met. The very first act was prayer.

In 1775 the Revolutionary War began as we sought our independence from England.

In the first order of General George Washington, he called upon the men in his troops and said, "Every officer and man...to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country."

In 1776 the Continental Congress called for the first national day of fasting and prayer, that the Lord might bless this land.

In 1777 the Continental Congress ordered 20,000 Bibles for American troops.

In 1787 55 men gathered in Philadelphia to frame the Constitution for this new nation.

It was then that Benjamin Franklin addressed George Washington, who was presiding and said to him, "I have lived, sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probably than an empire can rise without His aid. ... We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings that 'Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.' I firmly believe this, and I also believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel...I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessings on our deliberations be held in this assembly."

We have always been a nation focused upon God.

John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court said "We must elect Christians as leaders."

John Adams stated, "It must be felt that there is no national security but in the nation's humble, acknowledged dependence upon God and His overruling providence."

Benjamin Franklin proclaimed, "We need God to be our friend, not our enemy. We need Him to be our ally, not our adversary. We need to make sure that we keep His concurring aid."

John F. Kennedy stated, "The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God."

George Bush said, "The Lord our God be with us as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us or forsake us so that He may incline our hearts to Him to walk in all of His ways... that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God. There is no other!"

The point is this: Let us remember "in God we trust!"

II. Return To Holiness

A. Return To Righteousness

We should never so idealize our nation to the point we do not see its faults. When a crisis comes it should cause each of us to reflect and consider how we moved away from God. We need prophets like Amos, Jeremiah and Hosea who in the midst of crisis would call the people of Israel to mend its ways and return to God. Could it be that 2 Chronicles should be heard in the heart of this trouble? "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, will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14) It is a call to return to the righteousness of God.

B. Return To Holiness

We must be willing to confess our sin personally and collectively as a nation. Only through confession can we receive the forgiveness and mercy of God. "Pastor, our nation did not bring this crisis about." I know, but we must use it as a time of cleansing for there to be healing. The writer of 2 Chronicles says when we confess He will hear and heal our land. The point is simple: we must make sure we are in right step with God.

Abraham Lincoln was right when he said, "The question is not whether God is on our side, the important question is whether we are on God's side."

III. Resolve To Healing

A. The Command To Be Followed (Philippians 1:27)

I Am A Citizen Of America And Proud Of It.

Paul reminds Us, However, We Are Also Citizens Of The Kingdom.

"If a man cannot be a Christian where he is, he cannot be a Christian anywhere." - Henry Ward Beecher

B. The Calling To Be Fulfilled

What can we do? We can show the great wondrous love of God in a besieged city. Find ways to be Jesus to those who desperately need Him. The songwriter penned, "You Are the Only Jesus Some will Ever See." If there was ever a time for Jesus to be seen it is now. Find ways to give of yourself.

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, said:

1. Do All That You Can

2. By All The Means You Can

3. In All The Ways You Can

4. In All The Places You Can

5. To All The People You Can

6. As Long As Ever You Can

In other words, "Goodness is the only investment that never fails." - Henry David Thoreau

C. The Courage To Be Faithful

We can be faithful in showing marvelous kindness in this besieged city because of our convictions. Our courage is based upon convictions.

1. God Is Sovereign

While our world may seem out of control, God is still sovereign God. Sovereign means God does what He pleases and is always pleased with what He does. The promise of Scripture, Romans 8:28 NASB: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

2. God Is Salvation

If there was ever a time that salvation should be clear and focused, it is now.

3. God Is Our Solution

4. God Is Our Strength

5. God Is Sensitive

What a great opportunity to show the love of God in a besieged time. If there was ever a time to be an eagle Christian, it is now. One lady said it well when she asked if we knew why America chose the eagle as our symbol. "Because the eagle is never afraid of the storm!" I don't know about you, but I am proud to be a Christian whose King is still on the throne.