Throughout this month I’ve been attempting to encourage us all to do a little soul-searching, which would lead us to true repentance, resulting in forgiveness and being reconciled into a right relationship with God and men.

In this final message I want to focus on the Right Hand Kingdom, the Church.

I believe that as the Church goes so goes the Nation.  Proverbs 14:34 says “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”  If we’re honest, we’d have to admit that the path upon which our nation is traveling is anything but the path of righteousness.  Who’s responsible for this?  The Church is.  In particular, Her shepherds.  We who are shepherds of the sheep are commissioned by God to feed our flocks the “fodder of the Father” (His holy Word), which makes for growth in righteousness (Romans 1:16-17), the effect of which, says Isaiah, is peace (Isa. 32:17) – peace within our soul, peace with God, peace among men, peace within our borders, and even our enemies to be at peace with us.  Lack of peace is the manifestation of a lack of righteousness.  And lack of national righteousness is the result of shepherds being negligent in their responsibility and derelict in their duty to teach the Word of God in all its truth and purity, without compromise.

Far too many of God’s sheepfolds are shepherd by hirelings who practice the very things Paul renounces (2 Corinthians 4:2; Romans 1:25; Revelation 22:18-19) – exchanging the truth about God for a lie, adding to and subtracting from God’s Word, feeding the flock noxious, poisonous plants, and leading them to drink from brackish tainted with the poison of the doctrine of demons.  Far too many pastors’ approach to ministry takes the form of “spiritual pragmatism,” which is never God’s way.  Just ask Uzzah (2 Samuel 6).  God cares not only that we do His will, but that we also do it His way.

I appeal to God, based on Jeremiah 23:1-4, that He would do what He promises: tend to shepherds who do not tend to their flock as God would have them, and set over His flock shepherds who will.  I also include myself in this appeal, praying Matthew 7:3-5.  Nothing brings me to repentance faster than going back and reading past sermons of mine from years gone by!  God have mercy!!  I thank God for the Spirit’s work of sanctification and the fact that God knows my heart.

As the Church goes so goes the Nation; and that is why judgment begins with the household of God (1 Peter 4:17).  Cleansing of the Nation comes about as the Church is cleansed of her apostasy, and this starts with those of us who are shepherds, who according to James, will be judged with greater strictness (James 3:1).

Lent is a time of deep soul searching, confession and repentance, and cleansing.  Thank God for His faithfulness in forgiving the sins of all who truly repent (1 John 1:7-10).  Thank God that Lent reminds us of Jesus setting his face to go to Jerusalem where the cross awaited him…for your sake and mine, for the sake of both Church and State.

Throughout the remaining days of Lent, let’s include the Right Hand Kingdom in this exercise of contrition, that we the Church may grow in righteousness, a righteousness that in turn will exalt the nation.