God’s Plan To Help America | 1 Peter 2, Titus 1 | 7-5-26 Sunday AM

**Pastor Andrew Montoro** (0:01)
All right, well, it's good to see everyone here this morning, and we're in, usually, I like preaching through a series, and preaching through a book in the Bible, but we're in a little bit of a different series this morning. As last week, we dealt with biblical civics, a Christian's responsibility to human government. And then we dealt with that even on our July 4th picnic yesterday. We kind of worked through some of that. And this morning, our title, I'm just going to give you the title up front. It's going to be this, God's Plan to Help America. So we just, we sang the Star Spangled Banner. As we began the service, there is a desire, but is there teaching and commandments and instruction in the word of God for how we can help our country? And I believe there is. And I believe that God's word is clear, and we need to, and has the answers for today's problems, and has the answers for today's situations. And so it's going to be a little bit different style message, because we're going to be jumping over, jumping around and catching a couple of different passages. But we're going to try to focus on just what God wants Christians to do here in the United States of America to help our country. I believe that would be a very fitting topic to consider on July 5th, 250 years. And so if you found your place is 1 Peter chapter 2, 1 Peter chapter 2, we're going to begin reading in verse number 1 And we're going to read some passage. You might go, okay, how does this help America? We're going to tie it together with the Lord's help and make the application that we need. So verse number 11, 1 Peter chapter 2, the Bible says this, Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conversation honest among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king as supreme or to under governors, or as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well-doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. As free, not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God, honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. Turn over to Titus chapter 1
And we're going to pick up a couple of verses here, just as Paul here is writing to Titus, a young pastor on the Isle of Crete. And so Titus chapter 1, verse number 5, and we'll come back to these passages as we move through the sermon this morning. But in verse number 5 of chapter 1, Paul says this, For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting and ordain elders in every city as I appointed you. Then he begins to give the qualifications for a pastor, what a pastor needs to be. That would be an elder, elder pastor is talking about the same person. And then he gives the reason in verse number 10 for there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially they of the circumcision whose mouths must be stopped, whose overt whole houses teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucre's sake, for money, for gain, for greediness. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own said, the Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. Now, you talk about a sinful culture. This is what the Cretians talked about themselves. This was the testimony of Cretian culture. They are always liars, evil beasts, that means they're controlled by their appetites like animals, and slow bellies, lazy, we would call in America, we say lazy, no good for nothing. That's what slow bellies mean.
He's describing the culture of Crete. He said, this is what they even say about themselves. Here's how to deal with it. Verse number 13, this witness is true. Paul says, that's exactly right. Wherefore, rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in faith, neither giving heed to Jewish fables and the commandments of men that turn from the truth. That's what he says, rebuke them sharply. That's the culture you're in. That's how you need to deal with it. So here's our title this morning, once again, God's Plan to Help America. And we're gonna take the principles of God's word, we're gonna apply it to where we are, whereas how as God's people, we can serve and see God work through us in the country that we love. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, I come before you this morning. Lord, I do thank you for the United States of America, and I thank you for your grace and the mercy that you've shed upon our nation. But I pray that, Lord, we would not take it for granted, but that we would take, Lord, our role as Christians seriously. And Lord, that we would see you work, use us, Lord, give us a right understanding of what you've called us to do. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.