In God We Trust

In God We Trust Ezekiel 19 Emmanuel Christian Church 8.11.24 INTRODUCTION: “IN GOD WE TRUST” Really? Well, in case you didn’t know, that has been our official United States motto since congressional action in 1956. But, REALLY? Do we REALLY believe that? And if our trust is not in God, then where is it? Now, those are not questions just for us this morning, they’re questions for every individual in every generation since the beginning of the human race. And the way in which they’re answered is what we need to think about this morning! That brings me to our text from God’s Word- Ezekiel chapter 19. Now, just like chapter 17, God is going to make His point to us by using prophetic parables- the first is a story about a lioness and her two cubs, the second is about a vine. Both are parable/prophecies about what’s left of the battered nation of Israel and what is about to be their fate. PROPOSITION: The real point of Ezekiel 19 is this- to confront us with our individual, personal answers to the questions before us: “Do we really trust God?” “If not HIM, then WHAT?” To answer these questions, let’s hear the first of the two parables: Ezekiel 19:1 “Take up a lament concerning the princes of Israel 2 and say: “‘What a lioness was your mother among the lions! She lay down among the young lions and reared her cubs. 3 She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a strong lion. He learned to tear the prey and he devoured men. 4 The nations heard about him, and he was trapped in their pit. They led him with hooks to the land of Egypt. 5 “‘When she saw her hope unfulfilled, her expectation gone, she took another of her cubs and made him a strong lion. 6 He prowled among the lions, for he was now a strong lion. He learned to tear the prey and he devoured men. 7 He broke down their strongholds and devastated their towns. The land and all who were in it were terrified by his roaring. 8 Then the nations came against him, those from regions round about. They spread their net for him, and he was trapped in their pit. 9 With hooks they pulled him into a cage and brought him to the king of Babylon. They put him in prison, so his roar was heard no longer on the mountains of Israel. The Lioness And Her Cubs

This is a story about trusting POLITICIANS instead of God.
The two politicians (lion cubs) in this parable are none other than the last two kings of the failing state of Judah.
The first cub trusted by the people of Judah was King Jehoahaz. He made the mistake of picking a fight with the world superpower Egypt and was carted off to Egypt where he subsequently died.
The second cub was the son of the half-brother to Jehoahaz- his name was Jehoiachin. He made the mistake of picking a fight with the world superpower that defeated the previous world super power Egypt. That was none other than Babylonian empire of Nebuchadnezzar.
After that, there would be only one more king over Judah- king Zedekiah. A man chosen not by the people of Judah, but by Nebuchadnezzar himself. A powerless vassal to Babylon who would ultimately rebel and bring about the total destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.
For those whose trust is in politicians, hear the word of the LORD: Psalms 146:1 Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. 2 I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. 4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. 5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them — the LORD, who remains faithful forever. 7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, 8 the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. 9 The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. 10 The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD. APPLICATION: No politician is worthy of our absolute trust. They may be good or bad, but one thing is for sure - they are all sinners like us and they are all mortal - like us! As the Psalmist makes VERY clear, only God is worthy of our trust. He is the IMMORTAL CREATOR, He is the RIGHTEOUS JUDGE, He is the GREAT PROVIDER who FEEDS the hungry, FREES the prisoner, HEALS the blind and RAISES those bowed down. He alone is the MIGHTY ONE worthy of our trust, praise and worship! The name of the LORD is used 12 times in Psalm 146! Get the point? Having said all that, let me bring us back to our day and share with you my convictions regarding our Christian responsibility as political citizens of the United States Of America. First, one thing its for sure- of the two candidates for President one will be elected. Second, as citizens we have a responsibility before God to exercise our right to vote in a way that is first and foremost in line with God’s own values and agenda. As long as at least one of the two candidates reflects at least some of those godly values, I believe we have a moral responsibility before God to support that candidate. Third, that responsibility requires that we become informed of the positions espoused by the candidates and their political party and weigh them in the light of Scripture. Convinced of my responsibility as an American citizen, and as a disciple of Christ; having carefully considered the positions of the candidates themselves- I will be voting for Donald J. Trump on November 5th. Let’s give our attention now to the second parable in our text: Ezekiel 19:10 “‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water. 11 Its branches were strong, fit for a ruler’s scepter. It towered high above the thick foliage, conspicuous for its height and for its many branches. 12 But it was uprooted in fury and thrown to the ground. The east wind made it shrivel, it was stripped of its fruit; its strong branches withered and fire consumed them. 13 Now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land. 14 Fire spread from one of its main branches and consumed its fruit. No strong branch is left on it fit for a ruler’s scepter.’ This is a lament and is to be used as a lament.” The Strong Vine
This is a story about trusting NATIONAL POWER instead of God.
What was left of the once powerful nation of Israel was about to be uprooted and burned by the east wind of Babylon.
At one point in history, the nation of Israel was undivided and WAS THE world’s superpower. SAD to be sure. BUT here’s a sobering thought- the same could be said of Rome, and Great Britain, and possibly now even the United States.
The point here is simple, no nation has been able to make permanent claim to the title of “World Superpower”. Not Israel, not Rome, not the United States.
History is VERY consistent in teaching us- NATIONS FALL.
It doesn’t matter if a nation has the most powerful economy. History teaches us it will fail.
It doesn’t matter if a nation has the most powerful military force. History teaches us it will fail.
King David, who was at the nation’s helm when it was a world superpower said this: Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Two hundred years later, as the nation of Israel was divided and in decline, the prophet Isaiah gave this warning against political alliances and trusting in national power: Isaiah 31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD.
So here’s the BIG question: “What IS it that makes a nation great?”
Hear the word of the LORD: Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.
Well, that’s all fine and good- but what is “righteousness”? (Funny that we should be asking that question!)
Hear the word of the LORD: Romans 4:3 What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” CONCLUSION: To believe God, to follow and obey Him, TO LIVE OUT the words “In God We Trust” is the sure strategy for individual as well as national greatness! Is this promise only for Israel? NO! It is for ANY nation that chooses to follow that righteous path! Listen to God’s Word delivered through the prophet Jeremiah who spoke directly to the Jews in Jerusalem at the same time Ezekiel was speaking to the Jews held captive in Babylon: Jeremiah 12:14 This is what the LORD says: “As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel, I will uproot them from their lands and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them. 15 But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them back to his own inheritance and his own country. 16 And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’ — even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal — then they will be established among my people. 17 But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it,” declares the LORD. “In God We Trust” - Not in politicians, not in national power or greatness. Again, hear the word of the LORD: Jeremiah 17:5 This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. 7 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” As the hymn writer has said: “Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”