Dan Gatlin - October 2, 2019 pm - Gospel Meeting MP3 PP
The Rise & Fall Of Nations
Intro.— In
Daniel 4, king Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that disturbed him.
Daniel was called to explain.
A. "24 this is the
interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which
has come upon my lord
the king: 25 They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall
be with the beasts of the field, and they
shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the
dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass
over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the
kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He
chooses." -
Dan. 4:24-25
1. In Chpt. 2,
Nebuchadnezzar recognized Daniel's God as the one true God.
In Chpt. 3 he had to relearn that
lesson again.
2. In Chpt. 4,
Nebuchadnezzar had become arrogant again.
3. He would be
humbled as this dream was literally fulfilled (i.e., he ate grass like
an ox for some period of time).
4. He would
continue to live like an animal until he recognized that God "rules in
the kingdom of men."
B. Most today
do not recognize that God is still ruling.
1. This is not
to say that He controls everything that happens (Calvinism).
2. But, God is
the one who raises and destroys nations.
C. Why does God
exalt a nation, and why does He destroy them?
I. The
Concept of Government
is From God.
A. "1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.
For there is no authority except from God, and the
authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore
whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance
of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on
themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good
works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the
authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise
from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good.
But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear
the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to
execute wrath on him who practices evil.
5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath
but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of
this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers
attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render
therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due,
customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear,
honor to whom honor." -
Rom. 13:1-7
B. Notice that
the form of government doesn't matter.
Monarchy, democracy, or representative republic.
C. God prefers
order over anarchy.
D. Monarchies
are not inherently evil.
There have been benevolent monarchs.
E. Our
representative republic is
not inherently
good. The problem with "government of the people, by the people, for
the people" is seen when
"the people" become corrupt.
II. God
Controls The Rise & Fall Of Nations
B. God's
sovereign control as seen in the O.T.
1. "13 Then He said to Abram: 'Know certainly that your
descendants will be strangers in a land that is not
theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four
hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom
they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with
great possessions. 15 Now as for you, you
shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a
good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation
they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is
not yet complete.'" -
Gen. 15:13-16
a. God is
revealing the future for the descendants of Abraham.
b. V. 14
God would judge Egypt, but notice that Israel would leave with
"great possessions."
c. V. 16
God tolerates the iniquity of a nation, until He no longer can.
There is a "completing of sin" that takes
place.
2. "5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose
hand is My indignation. 6 I will send him
against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My
wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil,
to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of
the streets. 7 Yet he does not mean so, Nor
does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy,
And cut off not a few nations. 8 For he says, ‘Are
not my princes altogether kings? 9 Is not Calno like
Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not
Samaria like Damascus? 10 As my hand has found the kingdoms
of the idols, Whose carved images
excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria, 11 As I have done
to Samaria and her idols, Shall I not do also
to Jerusalem and her idols?’" 12 Therefore it shall come to
pass, when the Lord has performed all His
work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, "I
will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of
the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks." 13
For he says: "By the strength of my hand I
have done it, And by my wisdom, for I am prudent; Also I
have removed the boundaries of the people,
And have robbed their treasuries; So I have put down the
inhabitants like a valiant man. 14 My hand has
found like a nest the riches of the people, And as one
gathers eggs that are left, I have gathered all the
earth; And there was no one who moved his wing, Nor opened
his mouth with even a peep." 15 Shall the
ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the
saw exalt itself against him who saws with it?
As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up,
Or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not
wood! 16 Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, Will send
leanness among his fat ones; And under his
glory He will kindle a burning Like the burning of a fire." -
Isa. 10:5-16
a. Assyria is
merely a "rod" and a "staff" (v. 5); an "axe" and a "saw" (v. 15).
Assyria is simply a tool in the hand
of God, but it
is God who directed them.
b. Assyria did
not recognize that they were to be used by God.
Their heart was set on destruction (Vs. 7-11).
c. The
arrogance of the Assyrians is expressed in Vs. 13-14.
d. When God was
finished using Assyria, He would judge them, Vs. 12, 16.
C. The
principle in the N.T.
1. "1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.
For
there is no authority except from God, and
the
authorities that exist are appointed by God."
-
Rom. 13:1
2. "24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is
Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in
temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s
hands, as though He needed anything,
since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And
He has made from one blood every nation of men
to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined
their preappointed times and the boundaries of
their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in
the hope that they might grope for Him and find
Him, though He is not far from each one of us" -
Acts 17:24-27
a. God has
determined "their preappointed times," i.e. how long a nation will
stand.
b. He also
determined "the boundaries of their dwellings," i.e. how much territory
it will posses.
D. Nations
exist w/o ever coming to power (having dominance)
1. Assyria &
Chaldea existed for centuries before being raised up & used by God.
2. When He was
finished, He brought them down.
3. Some nations
will linger & be dominated—like Egypt.
4. Other
nations will be destroyed—like Israel & Babylon
III. What Makes
A Nation Great?
A. What do we
mean by "great?"
1. Is it
military power, material prosperity, living in peace?
Is there a spiritual component to national greatness?
2. Consider
what God promised to Israel in Deut. 28-32.
Their faith would produce
prosperity, peace, and freedom
from their enemies.
B. The
foundation of God's blessings is the righteousness of it's citizens.
1. "Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any
people." -
Prov. 14:34
2. God may
preserve a nation even if only a small percentage is righteous.
C. A
distinction: A nation can exist for centuries w/o ever being "great" or
exalted.
1. God will
raise up a nation for two reasons:
a.
Because of it's righteousness.
b.
Because God will use one nation to punish another (though
both may be evil).
Assyria/Israel; Bab./Judah.
2. Most
recognize that America is in decline.
That corresponds with our rejection of God.
IV. What Brings
A Nation Down?
A.
Sin destroys a nation.
1. "….But sin is a reproach to any people." -
Prov. 14:34
2. "….for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." -
Gen. 15:16
B.
Destroyed foundations.
1. David writes
of the injustice that existed in his day: "2 For look! The
wicked bend their bow, They make ready
their arrow on the string, That they may shoot secretly at
the upright in heart. 3 If the foundations are
destroyed, What can the righteous do?" -
Ps. 11:2-3
a. "The word 'foundations,' here, refers to those things on which society
rests, or by which social order is
sustained — the great principles of truth and righteousness that uphold
society, as the foundations on which
an edifice rests uphold the building. The reference is to a destruction of
those things in a community, when
truth is no longer respected; when justice is no longer practiced; when
fraud and violence have taken the
place of honesty and honor; when error prevails" - Albert
Barnes
b. Two
foundations of our nation are the pursuit of "life" and "liberty."
1) Abortion had
taken 10's of millions of lives.
2) Our
constitutional liberties are being eroded: free speech (political
correctness), freedom to practice
religion w/o
government interference.
V. Can a nation
headed for destruction turn around?
A.
Yes, if there are a righteous few.
1. The example
of Sodom, Gen. 18.
2. God would
spare that wicked city if there were 50, 45, 40, 30, 20, 10 righteous
men
B.
Yes, if that nation repents.
1. "7 The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a
kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to
destroy it, 8 if that nation against whom I have spoken
turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that
I thought to bring upon it. 9 And the instant I speak
concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to
build and to plant it, 10 if it does evil in My sight so
that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent
concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it." -
Jer. 18:7-10
2. Nineveh
(capitol of Assyria) repented at the preaching of Jonah.
Con.
Righteousness will exalt a nation.
That happens one soul at a time.