Many today are asking ‘why’ and ‘how’. Some of you may be worried and very disappointed. Our nation has made a decision. Our state has made a choice. As a nation, we have decided to turn away from our Creator. We have chosen the lie of Satan and the pleasure of Sin over Righteousness and Truth. However, God is still on the throne. He knows what He is doing though we do not understand. After what has taken place in our country, I believe it is important that we examine Romans Chapter 13:

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

                Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

                Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desire.”(Romans 13 ESV)

As Christians, we have a responsibility to submit to the authorities and to pray for them. However, I think it is good for us to examine what the Bible says about the governing authorities being appointed by God as a means to bring judgment on sin or as a reward for righteousness. Perhaps, what we have seen in our nation this week is a message from God. Perhaps, He is pouring out His judgment on America and, in particular, on the Christians of America for turning our backs on Him. We cannot blame the world for what has happened. We cannot blame the politicians. We are the ones to blame. It is our sin that has brought this nation to its knees. It is because of our sin that society itself is crumbling. If the Christians of America took the Great Command and the Great Commission seriously then we would not be where we are today. If the Christians of America had not fallen prey to materialism then we would not be where we are today. If the Christians of America had focused on proclaiming the Gospel rather than bickering and fighting amongst themselves with ‘vain babblings and debates’ then we would not be where we are today.

So, what is God calling us to do? The answer is found in the passage above. God is calling us to ‘owe no man anything.’ Yes we are to do our best to get out of debt and to handle our finances according to Biblical principles. But, it goes deeper than that. We are not to owe in anyone payment for our sin. We are to live honest lives. We are to be holy. We are to free ourselves from the chains of sin and the world. God is also calling us to ‘love each other’. The scriptures teach us that if we do not have love for the brethren, then we do not belong to Christ. The real test of a Christian is our love for each other, our love for other brothers and sisters in Christ. Perhaps, we are facing God’s judgment because we don’t love each other. Perhaps God has allowed things to go the way they have gone in order to bring God’s people together. Instead of focusing on preaching the Gospel and standing for the Truth in our nation, what have we done? We argue about who has the biggest and best church. We argue about how to spend God’s money. We argue about what style of music we use in our worship. We argue over our use of Bible versions. We argue over who has the best method for ministry. We argue over the best way to support missions. We argue over labels such as evangelical, conservative, or fundamental. We argue over material things such as church buildings and our own comfort. Do we really love the brethren? We say we do. But, have we lived it? Do we show our love for one another? Or do we just stay divided and do our own thing? God is also calling us to ‘wake up’. Jesus is coming soon! But, there is work to be done. God is calling us in these last days to wake up and be His people once again. God is calling us to turn away from our immoral ways. God is calling us to clean our houses from the filth that we allow. God is calling us to put on His armor and bring light to a dark world. He is calling us to stand for the truth. He is calling us to turn away from our sin, put on our battle clothes, and go out into the world and fight the forces of evil in our nation. If there ever was a wake-up call for the Christians of America, this is it! We have never faced anything like this before in the history of our nation. If we are going to get serious about revival, now is the time! If we are going to get serious about prayer, now is the time! If we are going to get serious about standing for righteousness and truth, now is the time! There is no time for division. There is no time for fighting within. There is no time for complacency and satisfaction. Now is the time to prepare for war. Now is the time to get right with God. Now is the time to attack Satan instead of just defending ourselves. Now is the time to wake up!

The way our nation is going is not a judgment on the sins of those who do not know Christ. It is a judgment from God on the sins of His people. When will we get right with God? When will we turn from our wicked ways? When will we humble ourselves and pray, so that God can hear us and heal our land? When will we wake up?