TEXT: (Acts 10:34-35 KJV) "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: {35} But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him."

We are all impressed with the fact that God judges and deals with us as INDIVIDUALS, and not as families or tribes or nations.

Yet the Bible tells us that God is not oblivious to groups and masses of people, as nations. Today, we will be looking at God's dealing with Nations.

In the Old Testament dispensation, Israel, the Jews, were God's special nation, and when the talks about the nations in contrast with Israel, it is usually speaking of all the Gentile nations.

BUT GOD'S CHOICE OF NATIONS WAS A BIT LESS THAN ARBITRARY:

(Deu 9:4-6 KJV) "Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee. {5} Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. {6} Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people."

(Josh 23:3 KJV) "And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you."

(Job 12:23 KJV) "He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again."

AND THUS, GOD IS DEALING WITH NATIONS, AND NOT JUST WITH INDIVIDUALS ALONE.

(Psa 9:20 KJV) "Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah."

(Psa 22:28 KJV) "For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations."

(Psa 66:7 KJV) "He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah."

(Psa 72:11 KJV) "Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him."

(Psa 72:17 KJV) "His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed."

(Psa 86:9 KJV) "All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name."

(Psa 113:4 KJV) "The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens."

NO NATION'S GREATNESS IS A MATCH FOR GOD:

(Isa 40:13-17 KJV) "Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? {14} With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding? {15} Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. {16} And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. {17} All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity."

(Isa 60:12 KJV) "For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted."

(Jer 10:10 KJV) "But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation."

(Ezek 38:23 KJV) "Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD."

(Zep 2:4-5 KJV) "For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. {5} Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant."

(Jer 12:16-17 KJV) "And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people. {17} But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD."

WHEN GOD SENDS PESTILENCE OR PERVERSITY AGAINST A NATION, IT IS A CALL TO REPENTANCE:

(2 Chr 7:13-14 KJV) "If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; {14} If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

(Jer 18:6-10 KJV) "O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. {7} At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; {8} If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. {9} And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; {10} If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them."

(Jer 25:12-14 KJV) "And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. {13} And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations. {14} For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands.

(Jer. 25:30-32 KJV) "Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

(Rev 2:26 KJV) "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations."

(Rev 7:9 KJV) "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands."

GOD TELLS US CONCERNING THAT HEAVENLY CITY:

(Rev 21:23-26 KJV) "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. {24} And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. {25} And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. {26} And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it."

(Rev 22:2 KJV) "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

AND THUS WE ARE INSTRUCTED TO HONOR AND PRAY FOR OUR RULERS:

(1 Tim 2:1-4 KJV) "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; {2} For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. {3} For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; {4} Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."

(1 Pet 2:17 KJV) "Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king."

(Prov 24:21 KJV) "My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change."

(Micah 4:1-3 KJV) "But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. {2} And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. {3} And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."

(1 Pet 2:9-10 KJV) "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: {10} Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy."

(Mat 24:14 KJV) "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."

(Luke 24:47 KJV) "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

(Mat 28:18-20 KJV) "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. {19} Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: {20} Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

(Rom 1:5 KJV) "By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name."

(Mat 25:32 KJV) "And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats."

(Luke 21:9-11 KJV) "But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. {10} Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: {11} And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven."

(Phil 3:20 NASB) "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."

IS YOUR CITIZENSHIP IN HEAVEN TODAY???