Calling the Nations to Repentence

God's vision for the nations is that they would repent and turn to Him. He is sovereign over the nations and calls them to obedience. The church has the responsibility to proclaim this truth to the nations. Psalm 67 provides a vision of the expansion of God's kingdom and the worship of all peoples. God's rule over the nations includes judging their conduct and bringing about His judgment. The nations are called to repentance and turn to God. The United States, as a nation, must also repent and turn back to God. God's engagement with the nations includes judgment but also offers hope for redemption. First, we'll look at God's vision for the nations. Second, we'll consider God's rule over the nations. And then third, we'll consider God's call to the nations. Through His holy word, God declares a call to the nations. And His call to the nations is the call of repentance. God is sovereign over the nations. We've been studying this in Ecclesiastes, and we know this to be true. God is sovereign over the nations. He rules and He reigns over the nations of the world, and His call and His command to the nations is that they would repent. Now, we know and we comprehend that repentance has two essential parts. To repent is, one, to turn away from sin, and then, two, to turn to God. This certainly describes the call of God before each individual person, and each man and each woman, each boy and each girl, is commanded to heed the call of God, is commanded to put away sin, and is commanded to reorient toward God and to then seek after God in humble obedience. But as we will see today, the nations are also called to this reorientation. And it is true that the nation that is headed away from God, pursuing its own design, its own plan, its own will, that nation must cease its movement in that direction. And that nation and all nations must reorient toward God and then move in the direction of God, and this is according to the will and plan of God. And so it is the task of the church to make this truth known. The world is not going to declare it. Nobody else is going to declare it. CNN isn't going to bother to declare it. Whose job is it? It's the job of the church. It is the task of the church to make this truth known. So every day it falls upon the church to proclaim this truth to the nations. This is a call for all the nations, and therefore it is a call before each nation. The responsibility of the church cannot be more clear. And so as we take time this week to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of our nation, we know that we must also fulfill this responsibility. The church must call our nation to repentance. Our nation must turn away from sin, and our nation must turn toward God so that it would conduct itself in a manner obedient to God so that it would glorify God. Now let's take a moment to define two particular terms which appear in the text here, which we will use today. First, let's consider what the psalmist means by peoples. Notice that the psalmist in our text is not referencing people, but peoples. Now we certainly understand that the concept of the peoples is what's given here in the text. We see this referenced throughout the scripture, particularly in our text in verses 3, 4, and 5 of today, of Psalm 67. And we're reading it correctly. The term is not singular. It is written as a plural. And that is correct. Peoples. The term that can refer to multiple groups of people are known as the peoples. And then second, let's consider the reference of the nations. Plural, of course, not singular. The term points to a group made up of one or more nations, and the psalmist is using these terms in a very particular manner. Now we certainly understand that the concept of nation today, with its complex constitutional structures and international commerce and communication and all the things that are going on in our world today, we understand being light years ahead of where it was to be a nation 2,000 years ago or 3,000 years ago. But there are some things about nation that have always remained the same. And sociologists and political scientists would offer that there are four general properties of a nation. First, that they have some form of government, whether it's a dictatorial monarchy or some form of elected representative legislature or some form of parliament. Second, that they would have a dedicated piece of land and a dedicated collection of people. Third, that they would have and understand a manner of enforcement of authority, either through police or through the military or through taxation or through bureaucracy. And then fourth, they would have the recognition of said nation by other nations. Now, we're not going to have a test on political science here at the end of the service. Maybe we should have, and that would be four points. It would be on the test. But we're not going to have that test today. But these properties existed in a fundamental form during the time that the Psalms were composed, and these properties exist today. So there are some basic fundamental things about a nation that existed then and also exists now. Certainly you could say, well, the modern nation state has only been around 200 years or so, and we wouldn't be the same kind of nation structure that we have now that we had back then. But there are certain fundamentals that remain, and they are the same. And it's important for us also to further remember the theological view. So beyond the sociologists and the political scientists, it is the understanding that God owns the nations, that God determined the nations, that God possesses the nations, and as we know, that God is sovereign over the nations. And there's a couple places in the scriptures that make this claim. First, Deuteronomy chapter 32, verse 8. Moses writes these words. Moses says, And then later in Acts, we know that Paul preached this sermon, and this was the sermon preached in Athens. And Paul says, Scripture declares that God is sovereign over the nations, and that the nations exist by His hand, and they exist according to His will. The nations belong to God. And with this, let's jump into our text for today. Let's consider first God's vision for the nations. Today we consider a text that offers a song of praise. It's going to be used during the worship of God's people. But as we will see, Psalm 67 also offers the people of God a vision, a vision of the future expansion of the kingdom and the display of glory throughout the world. This particular psalm we see has its foundation in two places. Did you notice this? It has a foundation in the Genesis story of covenants, and then in the Exodus story of redemption. Let's consider verses 1 and 2 of our text. First we notice verse 1. It says, The psalmist here is recalling the words of what's called the Aaronic Blessing. Recall this is a glorious petition that Aaron, the brother of Moses, would lift up before the people as the priest on behalf of the Israelite people. And this blessing, of course, is found in Numbers chapter 6, verses 22 through 27. We know this blessing that Aaron was called to preach over the people. The text says, So it is within the story of the Exodus, the wilderness journey of the people of God, that we find that God's people are indeed a redeemed people. By his power and for his glory, God has secured his people. He has taken them upon himself in order to deliver them home. The psalmist here in the text then continues his prayer, going even deeper into the history of God's people, into the covenant promise of God, and we notice it here in verse 2. Notice the text. The psalmist writes these words, Recall Genesis chapter 2, starting with verse 1. So the story of Genesis tells us of the promise made by God to Abraham, the covenant that God entered into on behalf of the people he loved, the work of the kingdom, that would see the expansion of the kingdom, so that all of creation would give glory to God. In the time of Abraham, God declared his love for his people. And in the time of Moses, God brought forth his deliverance for his people. And it's the retelling of these two stories and the reminder of these two truths that serve then as the foundation for this psalm, for Psalm 67. Here the psalmist is providing a glorious vision, a vision of the expansion of the kingdom of God, a vision grounded in the stories of Abraham and of Moses. That's why it's important to know your Old Testament. That's why it's important to learn those stories, because they appear all the time in the text. And the psalmist has referred to them here today. So now in our psalm, in Psalm 67, let's now jump down in the text to verses 6 and 7. Here the psalmist forecasts the outcome. It's the blessing that God would bring to Israel. Notice verses 6 and 7. The text says, Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him. Let's consider this a little bit closer. A harvest is promised. The psalmist makes reference to the abundance of a harvest of crops. But this is clearly a metaphor for a more glorious theme for a bigger picture. What is the harvest? We read about it in verse 2. What did it say? That your ways would be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. The harvest is the salvation of the peoples throughout all the nations, brought about by God and brought about through his people, so that God might be worshipped, that God might be glorified. The peoples of the nations in right relationship with God, the God who created them, and the God who sustains them. And this is the promise of God, the promise that God will fulfill. Notice again the beginning of verse 6. Then the land will yield its harvest. Not might, not could, not maybe, someday. No, no, no, that's not what it says. It says, the land will yield its harvest. God has declared this to be so. In his timing and for his glory, God will bring this to fruition. The land will yield its harvest. The salvation of God will be known among the nations. And this is a truth for all time, and this is a truth even for the church today, and this is certainly a truth for our church, for Grace Points. The work of the kingdom is the communication of salvation, the proclamation of grace and mercy of God, the declaration of the gospel. God has promised his blessing upon his people, and his people are those who communicate the salvation of God locally and throughout all nations. So this would mean the nations that are nearby and the nations that are around the world. This is the call of God upon his people, and this is the call of God upon Grace Point Church. So now let's focus on the middle of the psalm. Let's look at verses 3 through 5. This is a glorious text indeed. Here we read of the gathering of the nations, the people of God drawn from throughout the world. Notice the text, verses 3 through 5. May the peoples praise you, O God, may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly, and you guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, O God, may all the peoples praise you. Here we see that God will bless the nations, God will interact with the nations in three distinct ways. And we see each of these particularly in verse 4. Notice the text first. May the nations be glad and may they sing for joy. The peoples of the nations will be drawn into the family of God, and they will engage as one in response to God, engaging as one in the worship of God. The nations will worship. The nations will worship. May the nations be glad, may they sing for joy. Second, God rules the peoples justly. The sovereignty of God, the lordship of God, is maintained over all the nations, and further that God will over all the nations, He will rule over them with compassion and with justice. So God will rule the peoples justly. And then third, we see in verse 4, that God guides the nations of the earth. That God guides the nations of the earth. The nations will go forth to thrive under God's love and to serve under God's direction. And we can't help here but recall the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, reported to us, of course, by Luke the evangelist. Just before Jesus makes His ascent from earth and up to heaven, Jesus says to His disciples, Acts 1, verse 8, you'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. There is a day coming when God will bring about the completion of His harvest. The gathering of the children of God will be a glorious day indeed. And the completion of His harvest will not be just the receiving of salvation. The salvation of the people of God is necessary, but it's not the ultimate goal. God's people know and receive salvation. Why? So that God might be glorified, and He would have complete rule and reign over all creation, and the people of God would be made as one. When you and I communicate the truth of the gospel, when we share something about Jesus, it's not just so someone would become a Christian, but we desire them to do that. We desire them to profess faith in Christ, but we desire that they would go forward then and grow in grace and grow in the knowledge of God, and we see discipleship occurring in the life of that individual so they would grow in their faith in Christ. Next we look at God's rule over the nations. We've looked at Psalm 67. Now let's consider in the bigger picture the text and its communication about God's rule over the nations. So according to Scripture, we see and comprehend God's vision for the nations. Here in Psalm 67. If we then ask the question as to how is it that God determines to bring about His vision for the nations, it is because, as we will also find in Scripture, God's rule over the nations. Now there's a number of places that we can go, and these verses aren't necessarily pleasant, but they're the truth about God and the way He is going to interact with the nations and the way He will rule over the nations. Let's look at a few of these. First, we're going to look at Psalm 2, verses 1 and 2. And we'll see here that by God's lordship, He possesses the right to judge the nations, to view their conduct, to declare His acceptability of their conduct. We see this most clearly in Psalm 2, verses 1 and 2. You know these words. Listen to what God's word says. Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His anointed One. We must understand and we must sense the gravity of this statement. God has not here merely stated His opinion concerning the conduct of the nation. Rather, God has judged the nations. And He has rightly determined their conduct. And He has declared it to be in disobedience of His word and rejection of His authority. Why do the nations conspire? Why do the peoples plot in vain? Because clearly the kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His holy One. Second, we read of God's commitment to the impending day of judgment in Joel, chapter 3, starting with verse 1. Listen to what Joel writes. This is what God says in Joel's word. He writes, In those days, and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Now, we're going to clarify here. We haven't yet discovered an actual place known as the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Archaeologists may find someday that that place actually exists. We don't really know. But the name Jehoshaphat means the Lord has judged. And so we may yet find an actual place. We may find someday some place that we identify as an actual place known as the Valley of Jehoshaphat. But even if we do find that place someday, we will always remember the metaphor that's offered here, referencing the place and the time where God will ultimately carry out His judgment. So there may not yet be a place known as the Lord has judged, but there will one day be a place forever known as the Lord has judged. Now let's go forward into Joel, Joel chapter 3. There, God says, I will enter into judgment against them, against the nations, concerning My inheritance, My people Israel, for they scattered My people among the nations, and they divided up My land. And though God is certainly not required to do so, here in Joel, He gives us a glimpse, just a glimpse, into the sin and the degradation by which this world is corrupted and by which the nations are judged as guilty. And does not the sin described in verse 3 seem all too familiar with the disregard for the image of God which is so abhorrently prevalent in our culture today, what was only a few years ago understood as depravity, but now is paraded as virtue? Look at verse 3, speaking of the nations. They cast lots for My people, they traded boys for prostitutes, they sold girls for wine that they might drink. Now, what of you against Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying Me for something I have done? If you are paying Me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. Third, let's look at one more text. This is the Apostle John's depiction of the judgment of the nations, the day when the judgment of the nations takes place. It's his vision of that judgment. This is Revelation chapter 19, starting with verse 11. Look at what the text says. John says, I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Notice verse 15. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty, and on his robe and on his thigh he has his name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Let's remember, as we said before, and we understand, that all nations exist by the hand of God. They exist at the pleasure of God, and so all nations are to serve as administrative function in accordance with the Word of God. Therefore, all nations are subject to the judgment of God. No nation is exempt from the judgment of God. And God will look at and He will consider the conduct of the nations, and He will, according to His own righteous will, carry out His judgments upon the nations. And so, while this day is yet to come, what must the nations do in the meantime? What must the nations do? Well, God's call to the nations is this, repentance. God's call to the nations is this, it is repentance. A few minutes ago we looked at the first two verses of Psalm 2. Now let's consider the closing verses of Psalm 2, verses 10 through 12. This is the warning of God. This is the warning for the nations. Listen to these words. Therefore, you kings, be wise. Be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you be destroyed in your way. For His wrath can flare up in a moment, and blessed are all who take refuge in Him. Here the psalmist calls the nations and the kings and the rulers to turn away from their disobedience and their distrust. God is God over all creation, and the nations which He has established must turn away from their sin, and they must turn to God. So the church must be clear and bold to declare that God is calling the nations to repentance. All the nations of the world. God is calling the nations to repentance, and this includes, this certainly includes our own nation. This nation, our nation, has turned its back on God in disobedience to Him. The United States must repent of its sin, and it must turn back to God. And we must do this just not to receive the blessing of God. We know that God may choose so to bless. But we must do this, why? Because God is God, and He is the only one who is worthy of obedience and devotion. We must repent of our sin and turn back to God. Now, there is hope, for God's engagement with the nations will not end with His judgment. This is the glorious truth, and this is the love and the compassion of God, and this is something that only God can do. No one else would think of this. No one else would go there, but this is what God does, because God's engagement with the nations will not end with judgment. Listen to what, we have one final reference to the nations found in Scripture, and it's at the very end, the very end of Scripture. Revelation chapter 21, verses 22 and following, and there's just some selected verses in there we're going to look at. But it demonstrates God's engagement with the nations not ending in judgment. How does it end? Let's notice and see what the text says. John writes this. I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. Now we go down to verse 26. The glory and the honor of the nations will be brought into it. Now we go down to chapter 22 and verse 1. And there the angel showed me the river of the water of life. Verse 2, on each side of the river stood the tree of life, and then concluding verse 2, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. The evidence of the repentance of the nations will be known on that great day and that glorious day, because the healing of the nations will be known throughout the world. Looking forward, we have no way of knowing what status the nations will ultimately hold, or what functions they will eternally serve. But we do know this, as the psalmist has declared, we know this truth about the nations, and it is this. The peoples will praise you, O God. All the peoples will praise you, and the nations will be glad, and they will sing for joy on that day, and for all eternity the nations will indeed sing for joy. Let's bow our heads and pray, shall we? Father, thank you for this truth that you remind us of this day. Father, we confess that our nation has drifted far from you. We have tolerated things which are not of you. We have put up with stuff which is clearly against your word and against your will. Father, forgive us for our many sins. Forgive us for our transgressions. Forgive us for all the things we count as virtue but yet exist in direct opposition to your word. Father, would you call this nation to repentance on this day? Would you bring revival in our midst? Father, would you pour out your Holy Spirit upon our land and upon our people and upon our nation even in this day? And may this nation rise up and be a nation which proclaims you, as all the nations must do so, for you have called all nations to repentance. Father, would you call this nation unto yourself this day? Father, would you encourage the church to be bold in its witness of the gospel? And would you call the church this day to be bold in its communication of the truth that this nation must turn away from its sin and must turn to you? Father, give us the courage. Give us the boldness. Give us the strength this day that we might communicate this truth to our own nation. And then, Father, would you call the church again to repentance, that we would be an example for this nation and for the world, that the church would be a group of people who would place their faith and trust in Jesus and the church would be the family of God that would be obedient to the word of God. Father, use us as an example, if you will. Father, we thank you that your hand would remain upon us, that you continue to be the God who is faithful, to be gracious and merciful. Father, would you pour your grace and your mercy upon us this day? In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.