Jack Graham - America's Way Home
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There is no person that God cannot save! There is no promise that God will not keep! There is nothing that our God can not do! The title of today's message is "America's Way Home". Because in so many ways America has lost its way. We are lost. And I want you take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Nehemiah in your Old Testament, Nehemiah. And when you look at the story of Nehemiah, it is a narrative, it is the journal of one man who made a difference in his nation and really changed the direction of a people. His name is Nehemiah. And he was a patriot. He was God's man.
And it's the story of how God used this man and a remnant within the nation to repair the brokenness of their country. To repair the brokenness of their lives. Because in Jerusalem after the captivity of the Babylonians, the walls of the city of Jerusalem were destroyed, the gates were burned with fire and the people were walking on the ruins in shame and reproach. Nehemiah lived at this point in Persia, one thousand miles away from Israel and Jerusalem. And yet we're going to see in his story how God gave him a heart and a burden to battle for his nation, to fight for the freedom of his own nation.
The Bible says that "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people". Yes, righteousness exalts a nation, God's righteousness. And the founders of our country believed this. You cannot rewrite history on this, though the woke-left and the secularist and the Marxists and the progressives in this country choose to change histories past and say that this is totally a secular nation without Christian principles, without Christian and biblical purpose and worldview. Though some say it, it is indisputable that the founders of this nation built this nation upon the principles of the Bible.
It is indisputable that this nation was built upon these truths that we find in the Bible and dependence upon God. And He uses people, men and women like the founders of this nation who are willing to risk and sacrifice in order to accomplish God's goal in our lives and for our family. The nation is under attack. And specifically, not from without, though we have enemies from without. But so many of our enemies are from within. There are many great things about America, and I believe there's hope for America. It's not too late. But our nation is now over 200 years old.
The average lifespan of a nation in history is around 200 years. And one professor by the name of Alexander Tyler spoke of the cycle of a nation that is birthed out of bondage, and then what happens. And he writes: From bondage every nation moves from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependance, from dependance back to bondage. This cycle of nations and countries has been repeated again and again, and we see it being repeated in the nation that we love. Politics will not ultimately change what's going on in America.
Because we are a nation filled with spiritual darkness, moral depravity. We are a nation like the nation of Israel in the ancient world. Our walls are broken down, judicially, the judicial system is being weaponized against political enemies. Internationally, we're vulnerable, economically, all of this is true. Morally, and the attack, ultimately, though is upon the family domestically. And that's why I'm addressing this subject today of America's way home and your family's way home. We're seeing the breakdown of the American family. Traditional biblical marriage is considered passe'. Divorce and adultery is rampant. Homosexuality is now normalized. More and more people are living together without marriage.
And, yes, America needs to find its way home, the family God's way. And so we have a choice and that choice is either retribution or revival. I believe the people in the sound of my voice right now want to choose revival. I know this church does. And like any other nation, we have seen the blessing and the favor of God upon us. But we are in danger, dear friends, loved ones, we are in danger of losing it all if we don't repent and return to the Lord. The first choice is one of judgment. When we break God's law, we cannot do anything but expect judgment. The scripture says, "Whatever a person sows that he/she will also reap".
And again, the problems that we face, the brokenness in America that we face will not be resolved in the next election or changing administrations in Washington, DC. And I want to change it. But that's not going to ultimately bring about the revival we need, or any other level of government, because government can't change the human heart. So what are we to do? Do we just hide and watch? Do we just wait for the rapture? Or do we get involved? Do we intervene and get engaged in the power of God through revival in our personal lives, the revival of God's church in the spiritual awakening of our nation?
So how does Nehemiah fit into all of this who lived so long ago? The first verse of chapter one of Nehemiah tells the story: "The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel (that is in Persia), that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, (that is) who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem".
You see, these exiles were living now in Jerusalem. So Nehemiah, living far away wants to know how they're doing and how the city is doing. "And they said to me, 'The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. (The King James says, in reproach and shame.) And the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.'" The walls of the ancient cities represented separation from the world, protection from all enemies. And in the case of Jerusalem and the walls and the gates of Jerusalem, these are pictures of the glory of God. So Nehemiah hears. He inquires, he asks, and he hears that it's in ruins, and the people are living in reproach.
"And as soon as I heard these words (verse 4), I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, 'O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open'". This is the prayer for revival. It's the prayer of a patriot for revival among his people. And he said: "I pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel which we have sinned".
Notice, he includes himself in the prayer. It's not just we, it's me, "we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments", which is the very definition of sin: I have not kept the commandments of God, "the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant, Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples.'" That's judgment. You know, all God has to do if He wants to judge us is to take His hand of blessing off us. Judgment may come with force and fury, and it will one day.
Billy Graham once said, "If God doesn't judge America, He'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah". So the furious wrath and judgment of God will fall, because "whatever a person sows, that we reap". But all God has to do to really just a people is to remove His hand of blessing; to take off His hand of protection and provision. I believe we're seeing that in our country.
It's saying: "If you're unfaithful (back to verse 8) I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me (and here's your choice) and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them (and God has kept His promise and He gathers His people, Israel,) and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.' They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man", speaking of the king.
And he says, "Now I was the cupbearer to the king". That may not sound like a big deal. He was a layman; he was a cupbearer for the king. He was responsible for the hospitality of the king, for the meals and the drink to the king and all the guests to the king. So he had a high position as a slave, as Israeli slave. He had risen to prominence in Persia, had this very nice job with the king of Persia, and yet, though his feet were in Persia, his heart was for his people. His heart was still in his homeland. He loved his country.
So he couldn't leave well enough alone. He was sleeping on satin sheets and eating great meals and enjoying life as a trusted advisor to the king in one sense. But he cared so deeply that he asked, how is it back home? How is with my people, the country? And when he heard that they were in reproach and they were in ruins, it knocked him off his feet. He went down. And he began to pray and fast and seek the God of heaven. You know, one of the problems that we have today is apathy. Somebody said the problem in America is apathy, but who cares? And not only is there apathy but there is apostasy, which is to turn from God and to turn from the Bible.
Apostasy in the pews, apostasy in the pulpits of America today. Sin in the pews, sin in the pulpits of our nation today. The way God will revive and awaken a nation is to start with the family. Your family and my family. And the generations, therefore, that are to come. And this prayer that we read in God's Word is a prayer that we all can pray. I like to say that we can do more than pray after we have prayed, but we cannot do more than pray until we have prayed. Before we stand courageously, before we fight for our freedoms and the future of our family, we kneel. And every great revival that we have known as a nation, and we've seen some revivals and we've seen God move in miraculous ways.
Every revival it is, you can point to a kneeling figure, people who are praying, people who are seeking God with fasting and devotion. So this is what Nehemiah does. He's passionate about God and his country. He's a patriot who loves his people. He was politically active, though a slave now surrendered to God. God is going to use him in the nation.
Yes, we need revival and it starts with people like Nehemiah and men and women like you. A revival, simply put, is a new beginning of obedience to God. I like this quote from Martin Loyd Jones, a preacher from England. He said, "Revival awakens in our hearts an increased awareness of the presence of God, a new love for God, a new hatred for sin and a hunger for His Word". A hunger for the Word of God. And it all starts with what we see in Nehemiah's prayer. It starts with praise.
You see that there in verses 4 and 5? It says he began to praise God. He acknowledged the power and the presence of God. You are a great God, keeping covenant, keeping promises with your people. When you pray, don't start with your problem. Start with the presence of God, and the way into the presence of God is to praise Him, to praise God, to worship Him, to sing and shout how great you are! Because you start with God and because God has a plan and God has a purpose, He puts you in a position when we praise Him, when we pray to Him to show us what He wants us to do. Nehemiah praised God. "You are greater, You are bigger, You are more powerful, and You keep your promises. You are an awesome God. You are a great and glorious God".
Start there! That we elevate our God, His rightful position as King and Lord and Savior. And then he repents of sin in verses 6 and 7: I paused when we read his prayer because he included himself in his own father's house and his nation as well. "We have not kept your commandments". As I said, the very definition of sin that we break the commandments of God, either in substance or in spirit. And we've all broken the commandments of God, we've all been broken. And when we break God's commandment, we are broken by our sin. This is the reason we need Jesus, because we've broken God's commandments and the responsibility for all of us in our disobedience to God is to own it! To confess it!
And the word confess in the New Testament means to say or agree with God, the same as God, to agree with God. "God, I am wrong"! No more excuses, no more hiding, no more holding on to this. No more rationalization or justification. No! If you want revival in your life, if you want revival in your home, if we pray revival could come to our nation, we need to come like prodigal sons to the Father, and return to Him in repentance. This nation is a prodigal child! And America needs to come home to the Father! Repentance means we are turning around. We're going in one direction, the wrong direction. We've lost our way!
But to repent means to turn around and go a brand-new direction as we seek God. The way home is repentance. It starts with praise, recognizing the greatness and the glory of God. It moves to repentance and then it moves to a recognition, a realization, a remembrance of God's promises. That's verse 8 and 9, when he says, "You are a covenant making God. You've made a promise to us that if we will believe You and trust You and follow You, You will keep your promises".
So Nehemiah is remembering God's word and pleading God's promises. That's what Nehemiah is praying. He's saying, God, the walls are broken. The people are living in shame and reproach. We've all sinned. We all need to repent of our sins and turn around and come to you as a prodigal people. But, oh God, you made us a promise, and that promise is that if we would turn to you and trust in you and repent of our sins, what does the Bible say? "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land".
Yes, revival comes to our own hearts, to our own lives when we begin claiming for ourselves the promise and the promises of God. Personalize them, pray over them, plead them. "Lord, I agree with you. I agree with your Word". And then he cried out for God's favor and blessing in verses 10 and 11. He requested God's favor and God's blessing and God's success. He said, "Lord, give us success. God, we failed you, but you've never one time failed us. Not one time has God broken His word to us".
Now the question is, do you really want revival in our country? Do you want revival in our church? Do you want revival in our homes. Someone said, as long as we are content to live without revival, we will. We will. Sometimes we can just get numb to things around us. It's a kind of psychological psychic numbness. Just like the people in Jerusalem who were living in reproach, just walking on the ruins day after day. But God had a better plan. God gave them something better and a promise for the future.
The psalmist said in Psalm 85 and verse 6: "Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you"? Yes, this patriot Nehemiah prayed for his country. And so must we pray. Revival starts with you and me, that we would draw a circle around our own lives and our own families and stay there until we're right with God. Will you reconnect in your relationship with Christ? Will you rededicate? Will you begin to say, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord".
Nehemiah saw himself as God's servant. He was fully surrendered to Him. And so he prayed, and then he got God's provision through the king and he went back to Jerusalem, and the rebuilding of the walls took place, which was a sign and a symbol that the hand of God was upon him. You know what happens in revival? Our children are moved to serve and follow Him in the next generation. When revival comes, Christians get their hearts right with God. When revival comes, lots of people get saved; born again into the family of God. Churches are renewed.
So we can't just go through the motions if we expect things to change. We need to have the heart of this man. This is my prayer for. But I like you, I believe we all want to be 100 percent all in. We can't just sit by and stand by and do nothing. As the world grows darker, may we grow brighter. Let the church and the people who love God be all that God has created us to be. Men, that we would love and serve our wives. That wives would live godly and devoted, faithfully serving their families. That children would grow up to honor God and to live for Jesus in a new generation. That our homes and our families would be renewed.
We're a family with a good, good Father. So with all of the despair that is round us, it's not time for despair; it's time to repair. It's time to rebuild some things in our nation, starting with our faith and our families. Just as God built it, He will use us by His hand to rebuild, as in the broken city of Jerusalem. Revival restored His people. They were building, they were battling, and we will keep doing this unto the whole world hears and the work is done.