No Government Can Do What Only God's Word Can

We live in a nation that puts great faith in systems, elections, and leaders — but no government has ever been able to do what only God's Word can do. In this episode, we look at why a people without the Word will always be a people in trouble, no matter who is in office. Politics can change a law. Only the Word can change a heart. It's time we stopped expecting from government what only God can give.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello, Christians. This is Dallas Beecham. Stand by for good news. Democracy cannot save a people without truth. The Bible says righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. And Jesus said, You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. That means freedom cannot live long where truth has been pushed aside. There is a hard lesson that nations often learn too late. No system of government can save a people who no longer know how to govern themselves under God. Democracy can be a blessing. It can give ordinary people a voice. It can restrain tyrants, it can protect liberty, but democracy is not a savior. If the people are wise, humble, morally formed, the power placed in their hands may be used for good. But if the people are restless, confused, angry, deceived, are untethered from truth, that same power can be used to destroy them. That is not only true in a nation, it is true in a church. God gave one book, one word, one truth, yet men have divided it, arranged it, defended their own camps with it, and built thousands of competing churches from the same Bible. The problem is not that Scripture is unclear where God has spoken clearly. The problem is that man wants a vote over God's final command. That's why the prophet warned against those who say, Speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits. A people can ask for words that please them, but only truth can heal them. We want to rule of the crowd, or the rule of the expert, or the rule of the institution, or the rule of the tradition. And if we are honest, we rule. But if the people are restless, confused, angry, deceived, or untethered from truth, that same power can be used to destroy them. That is not only true in a nation, it is true in a church. God gave one book, one word, one truth. Yet men have divided it, rearranged it, defended their own camps with it, built thousands of competing churches from the same Bible. The problem is not that Scripture is unclear where God has spoken clearly. The problem is that man wants a vote over God's final command. That is why the prophet warned against those who say, Speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits. A people can ask for words that please them, but only truth can heal them. We want the rule of the crowd. We want the rule of the expert, or the rule of the institution, or the rule of the tradition. And if we are honest, most of the time we want the rule of ourselves, but scripture first calls us back to a better order. The answer is not less responsibility, the answer is not more human control. The answer is not to trade one earthly system for another and imagine that man can still save himself. The answer is submission to God. A nation without truth will misuse freedom. A church without scripture first will misuse religion. A soul without God's word will misuse even its own conscience. That is why the good news is not simply that we can choose. The good news is that God has chosen to speak. He has given us His Word. He has given us His Son. He has given us the way of life. Jesus Christ is not elected by majority vote. He is our Lord. His truth does not rise and fall with public opinion. It stands forever. Jesus said it clearly, heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Public opinion changes, governments change, even cultures change, but the word of Christ does not pass away. So Christians, let us be careful where we place our hope. Not in the crowd, not in the state, not in the party, not in the denomination, not in the preacher. Our hope is in God, and God has ruled his people by his word. When the people, the pulpit, and the nation are no longer governed by the word of God, no system can save them. But when Scripture is first, authority begins to return to its rightful throne. I hope this message today has touched your heart and causes you to have a good.