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    ‑‑‑‑‑ THE PREACHER'S NOTEBOOK ‑‑‑‑‑

                Ecclesiastes 12:10

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NOTE:   The following message is intended to be a blessing to all nations,

not just the United States.  As a U.S. preacher, I am preaching to my people,

but every nation can have favored nation status with God,

as you will see as you read the message.

 

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Psalms 33:12         Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

 

 

THE TITLE OF THIS MESSAGE IS      A FAVORED NATION

 

 

The term “favored nation” has recently fallen out of favor

in the United States vocabulary.

 

 

               In the history of our country,

 

in our international dealings,

until just the last few years, the term “favored nation”

 

was used to describe those nations

with which we had entered into a specific trade agreement

of favored nation status …

 

          in essence, agreeing that we would give no other nation

          a sweeter deal or arrangement than we gave to them.

 

 

In other words, as I understand it,

any nation that was granted “favored nation” status

was given exactly the same trade arrangements

as we gave to our most favored nations in the world.

 

 

WE DON’T USE THE TERM ANYMORE.

THE TERM THAT IS NOW USED IS “NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS.”

 

IN THE 1990’S, THERE WAS A BIG BROUHAHA

CONCERNING CHINA HAVING “FAVORED NATION” STATUS

 

          following the events of Tiananmen Square

          and other charges of civil rights violations, etc..

 

 

THE FORMER SOVIET STATES, INCLUDING RUSSIA,

WERE GRANTED FAVORED NATION STATUS IN 1992.

 

 

 

BUT THERE WAS AN ONGOING HUE AND CRY

CONCERNING THE USE OF THE TERM     “FAVORED NATION”

 

          WHEN REFERRING TO THOSE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD

THAT WERE GUILTY

OF EGREGIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS.

 

 

 

IN REALITY, THE TERM HAD TO DO WITH TRADE AGREEMENTS

CONCERNING TARIFFS, ETC. & was designed to promote free trade.

 

SO, TO DO AVOID THE USE OF THE TERMINOLOGY,

THE TERM “NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS”

                   has replaced in the U.S. vocabulary

the “Most Favored Nation” status

 

 

EVEN SETTING IT IN THAT CONTEXT,

IT WOULD SEEM THAT THERE WERE THINGS

 

THAT A NATION MIGHT DO

THAT WOULD COST IT

ITS   FAVORED NATION STATUS.

 

                             & I think that is true even today …

 

                             that we would bring sanctions against certain countries

                             that fell out of favor with us because of evil deeds.

 

 

NOW, MY MESSAGE TODAY

IS NOT POLITICAL,

AND DOES NOT HAVE TO DO WITH FAVORED NATION

relationships between nations,

 

                                      But with FAVORED NATION STATUS WITH GOD.

 

         I’m interesting in our Diplomacy with the Divine.

 

&

even though I stand as a citizen of the United States,

I stand also as an Ambassador of Heaven.

 

 

 

Now, as an American,

I WANT AMERICA TO HAVE GOD’S FAVOR …

 

                                 to have God’s Blessings.

 

& I would trust that any patriot

of any nation would say the same.

 

 

LET ME SAY CLEARLY

THAT FAVORED NATION STATUS

IS NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN ONLY BE GIVEN TO ONE NATION.

 

IT HAS NOT BEEN TRUE AT THE HUMAN LEVEL

THAT ONLY ONE NATION COULD HAVE FAVORED NATION STATUS

AND  IT IS NOT TRUE AT A SPIRITUAL LEVEL.

 

 

GOD WILL ACCEPT ANY MAN

FROM ANY NATION.

 

Acts 10:35   But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

 

 

Re 5:9         And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

 

 

GOD’S EXTENSION OF FAVOR

IS NOT LIMITED TO ONE NATION OR ONE PERSON.

 

   What He said to Mary,

   He can say to Many.

 

        Luke 1:28     And the angel came in unto her,

and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured,

the Lord is with thee:

blessed art thou among women.

 

 

 

The Lord is not limited in what He is able to do.

 

 

          He can grant His favor

          as He Sovereignly sees fit.

 

 

IF WE WANT DIVINE INTERVENTION,

WE NEED TO DO INTERCESSION.

 

          We need to pray for America,

 

          and especially at this time.

 

                                      Today’s message is  a call to care;

It is a call to prayer.

 

 

ONLY GOD CAN MAKE A  NATION TRULY GREAT

 

                   God told Abraham

Gen 12:2     And I will make of thee a great nation,

and I will bless thee, and make thy name great;

and thou shalt be a blessing:

 

 

God can take only one man and make a great nation out of him

if He chooses to do so.

 

God told Moses this:

 

De 9:14        Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.

 

Isa 60:22     A little one shall become a thousand,

and a small one a strong nation:

I the LORD will hasten it in his time.

 

 

A NATION’S GREATNESS

IS DIRECTLY CORRELATED TO ITS CLOSENESS TO GOD.

 

          Moses knew and understood this.

 

De 4:7         For what nation is there so great,

who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?

8                   And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

 

 

A GREAT NATION IS NOT ONLY A BLESSING TO ITSELF,

BUT IT IS A BLESSING TO OTHERS.

 

          A truly great nation is not only a “blessed” nation.

          It is a nation that is a “blessing.”

 

                   Consider again

Gen 12:2     And I will make of thee a great nation,

and I will bless thee, and make thy name great;

and thou shalt be a blessing:

 

 

 

PEOPLE CAN DECIDE WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE

THEY WANT TO BE.

 

A NATION CAN BE A FAVORED NATION

OR IT CAN BE A FOOLISH NATION

 

 

Deut. 32:28           For they are a nation void of counsel,

neither is there any understanding in them.

 

 

NOT ONLY CAN A NATION BE FOOLISH;

A NATION CAN BE REBELLIOUS

 

Eze. 2:3       And he said unto me, Son of man,

I send thee to the children of Israel,

to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.

 

 

 

A NATION CAN BE AN UNGODLY NATION

     made up of ungodly people … Godless people.

 

Psalms 43:1           Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.

 

 

A NATION CAN GO BACKWARD INSTEAD OF FORWARD

 

Isa 1:4         Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

 

Hag 2:14     Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean.

 

 Mal 3:9      Ye are cursed with a curse:

for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

 

 

          It remains universally and eternally true that

 

Proverbs 14:34      Righteousness exalteth a nation:

but sin is a reproach to any people.

 

In the natural, even increase is not always improvement.

 

Isa 9:3         Thou hast multiplied the nation,

and not increased the joy:

 

 

A NATION DARE NOT BECOME PROUD

 

Isa 18:2       speaks of

“… a nation scattered and peeled,

a nation meted out and trodden down, …”

 

 

A NATION WILL BE BLESSED

IN RELATION TO ITS RESPONSE TO TRUTH.

 

Isa 26:2       speaks of a

“righteous nation which keepeth the truth … . “

 

 

Such a nation is blessed

and will be blessed.

 

 Isa 26:15    “Thou hast increased the nation,

O LORD, thou hast increased the nation:

thou art glorified:…”

 


SO, IN ONE SENSE,

A NATION GETS TO DECIDE

WHETHER IT HAS FAVORED NATION STATUS.

 

True in the world today.

 

& It is true spiritually.

 

 

 

WHAT KIND OF A NATION WILL WE BE IN THE FUTURE?

 

IS THERE ONE WHO DOUBTS

THAT WE HAVE HAD FAVORED NATION STATUS WITH GOD ?

 

          But the question is,

          Will we lose that status

as a nation?

 

 

AGAIN, WE GET TO DECIDE.

 

Isa 58:2       “… they seek me daily,

and delight to know my ways,

as a nation that did righteousness,

and forsook not the ordinance of their God:

they ask of me the ordinances of justice;

they take delight in approaching to God.

 

 

 

DO WE AS A NATION TAKE DELIGHT

IN APPROACHING GOD?

 

          Think about it individually.

 

          Do you take delight in going to worship … and in worshipping …

          or do you miss at every opportunity, and for any reason.

 

Matt. 6:33             seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 

 

 

TUESDAY, WE WILL VOTE ON WHO WILL BE PRESIDENT.

 

          There is a sense in which we vote weekly

          on whether or nation has FAVORED NATION STATUS with heaven.

 

                   ONE ILLUSTRATION FROM ONE ARENA:

 

If each time you went to church

because you wanted to worship and honor God

counted as

ONE VOTE FOR FAVORED NATION STATUS

with heaven.

 

 

and if each time you missed without valid reason before God

counted as

ONE VOTE AGAINST FAVORED NATION STATUS

with heaven.

 

 

 

I WONDER HOW AMERICA IS VOTING THIS YEAR.

 

          How are you voting?

 

          & I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT TUESDAY’S ELECTION.

 

                             I wonder if we are in danger of losing

                             our Favored Nation Status with heaven.

 

 

 

 YOU KNOW,

IN THIS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION,

I ONLY GET ONE VOTE.

 

          I have already voted,

          and it is not allowed that I could vote again.

 

          If it were legal, and others could do it (had the same right)

          then I would surely vote every time I could.

 

 

 

WELL, I GET TO CAST MY VOTE OVER AND OVER AND OVER

FOR FAVORED NATION STATUS WITH HEAVEN.

 

Isa 58:2       “… they seek me daily,

and delight to know my ways,

as a nation that did righteousness,

and forsook not the ordinance of their God:

they ask of me the ordinances of justice;

they take delight in approaching to God.

 

 

 

I WANT TO CAST MY VOTE

EVEN IF NOBODY ELSE DOES.

 

I’ve been talking this hour

about national survival,

may I switch gears in closing

t o talk about personal salvation.

 

 

Did you know that

Everybody in your entire nation (or family ) could be lost

and you could still be saved.

 

Phillipians 2:15     That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

 

 

THERE IS A SENSE IN WHICH AT CALVARY

JESUS CAST HIS VOTE FOR MY SALVATION.

 

          I’m glad that I have cast my vote for Him

          as my Savior.

 

                             I have asked Him into my heart.

 

          I HAVE GIVEN HIM “FAVORED STATUS”

          & HE HAS DONE THE SAME FOR ME.

 

 

 

IT IS TRUE AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL.

 

          Nations do not grant Favored Nation Status

          to a nation that does not grant them the same status.

 

 

 

IT IS TRUE AT THE PERSONAL LEVEL.

 

 

          He has already shown you His favor, His Grace … His unmerited favor

          by what He did at Calvary.

 

1 John 4:19           We love him, because he first loved us.

 

 

 

IF YOU WISH TO EMBRACE HIS FAVOR, HIS LOVE TODAY,

YOU CAN.

&

GIVE HIM YOUR FAVOR, YOUR LOVE TODAY.

 

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The preceding is a sermon written by Ben Shepherd.

Copyright 2004 Ben Shepherd

Permission is freely granted to those who minister

to use in public proclamation without stating

attribution.  All other rights reserved.

 

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