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Rev. John R. Hannem.
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Today is
Just like individuals, nations are subject to a sowing and reaping principle. We as a nation are in many ways, reaping what others have sowed generations before us. We are reaping for better and for worse. We are ranked as one of the best nations in the world to live in, and yet there are some things about our country that we’re not real proud of.
Here in the Maritimes there’s the disagreements over the Atlantic Accord and the sharing of future oil and gas revenues.
The actions of a few young people in North Sydney a couple of weekends ago have caused people to fear walking the streets after dark and to certainly think twice before helping a fellow human being who’s in trouble….. O
Then there is the whole political arena. where we became one of the first significant countries to change the definition of marriage since Adam and Eve. We have also moved to make homosexuals a distinct group in our human rights code. It sounds like it one day may be illegal in our country to express a contrary view to the mantra that homosexuality is normal, and should be promoted. …….. O
Then there is the church. We are neither mature enough or thoughtful enough, or Biblically literate enough to deal with our society. As much as it has pained me to see the direction Canada is going on marriage laws, it has pained me even more to see some of the hate filled rhetoric some of my brothers and sisters in Christ have engaged in…. in the name of Christianity
The church in our country is sick. Over all attendance is going down. While there are churches like ours that are healthy and spiritually vibrant - these churches seem to be the exception to the rule.
Most churches in our country have plateaued or are in decline. And many are extremely irrelevant to the cultures they find themselves in….. . O
When
One of the 33 Fathers of confederation, Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley, then Premier of NB, was in his morning devotions and he came across Ps 71. Of course at that time he would be reading from the KJV. And he read this
8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
He came down into the conference that day and said I know what
A letter signed by John A Macdonald,
The words “He shall have dominion from sea to sea” we subsequently inscribed on the
I believe those are more than just nice words. I believe they state the call of God on this country. We are not called to make this into a Christian country as much as we are called to see the
The end of that verse says, 8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
I believe that the call of God on this nation is that we are to be a blessing to the world. Despite our current military role in
A second scripture verse also inscribed on the Peace tower in
A third verse that is inscribed on the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill is Prov 29:18 where there is no vision the people perish Or as the NIV says “where there is no revelation the people perish”.
The primary issues in our country are not political, although they manifest them self in the political arena. The primary issues in our country are not structural, although they manifest themselves in the break down of structures. The primary issues in this country are not economic, they are not racial or language driven, they are not court driven. The primary issues in this country are spiritual issues.
Where there is no revelation, where there is no vision, when people cannot see spiritual things then they perish.
Our spiritual sight has become clouded in our country and we are seeing too many perish. Our highest value in
There is little in our Canadian framework to base ethical decisions on. There is little in our society to indicate what is right and wrong. So we consume, and we complain, and we look for the next good feeling.
Yet the good feelings are too few and too fleeting. You like me have sat with people going through divorce, and you have seen the pain and the hurt. Many of you have experienced growing up in dysfunctional families and you know the challenges that brings. Many of you have sat with people who because of our individualism in this country are lonely, suicidal, hurting.
What I have discovered as a pastor is that if you get to know someone deep enough, you will uncover a wealth of hurt. We have looked for meaning in relationships, in money, in power, in education, in careers, and we have found hurt.
What strikes me when I read of and see pictures of people in third world countries, is not just the great poverty - compared to us. They might live in shacks. They might have very little materially. But what strikes me is the joy you can see in their eyes, the exuberance that they express, the celebration of life coming out of those shacks is far greater than I have seen in most places in our country of
Here is what I believe.
Paul says, (2 slides) Galatians 5:19-21 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the
Unfortunately we have to admit that today we see so many of these traits in our country.
Jesus said, Mark 7:21-22 For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.
If we’re truthful we have to admit that we see so many of these things coming out of the heart of our country
(3 slides) Romans 1:28-32 says … Furthermore, since they did not think it worth while to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God_haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practise them.
That describes our country is so many ways.
And rest assured … where you see a lot of sin, you will see a lot of destruction. You reap what you sow. I don’t know if you noticed but sin has slipped out of the Canadian vocabulary. But just because we don’t acknowledge sin, doesn’t mean that sin ceases to exist … that the wounding stops. No, it keeps on going. It doesn’t disappear or go away.
And God’s perspective on the people of
So the Question is how do we as the people of God live in a nation, called to be under the dominion of God, but lacking the Spiritual insight to fulfil its destiny.
(4 slides) Eph 4:17-24 … So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
It amazes me that so often the church gets upset at the world for acting like the world, but we seem a lot more complacent when the church doesn’t act like the church. One should expect the world to act like the world and the church to act like the people of God. But we don’t always get what we expect.
Some people are called to fight the good fight in the political arena. Some are called to be salt and light in the middle of business, education, and government. You are in the market place, and God has called you to be there. Do what you can. But don’t get upset when the world acts like the world.
But you don’t need to live like they do. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
But that is not you.
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
The church in
This is a passion point for me. If you wonder why I am so passionate about Christians growing in their faith to spiritual maturity this is it. The church cannot afford be shallow any more. Pat answers don’t cut it in our complicated world.
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The wounds of this country will not be healed by better social policy. The sins of the country will not be forgiven by changing the laws to make sin normal. The destiny of this country will not be realized through strong leadership alone.
This is what the bible says, It’s not by might nor by power, but it by my Spirit says the Lord.
The world will be the world until God through his power moves his kingdom into our world.
We already know what God desires from us as his children. We as the people of God need to act like the people of God. The church needs to be more immersed in the
His orders are also to pray for our leaders. His orders are that we are to be salt and light to this needy world. And as we follow God’s leading, we do so recognizing that it won’t be our might, power, political strategy, or political mussel, that will change this country around, but that it will only be by His Spirit that we are ever able to live in ways pleasing to God.
It is time for the church to be the church, and make our hearts and lives ready for the Lords use. It is time for us to rise up to be the people of God, so that when he moves we are ready to move with him. It is time for the saints of God to recognize that our struggle isn’t against flesh and blood and to rise up in prayer in defence of our nation.
God keep our land, glorious and free, O
Let us Pray