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SERMON DELIVERED ON SUNDAY,
JANUARY 15, 2006 AT THE THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSORY SERVICE OF
THE INAUGURATION OF THE NEW GOVERNMENT FOR THE REPUBLIC OF
LIBERIA AT THE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, ASHMUN STREET,
MONROVIA
THEME : A
New Heart for Our Nation
Text: Matthew 5: 1 – 12
Introduction
My thanks and appreciation go to
the Chairperson and members of the
Inauguration Committee for
selecting me to serve as the preacher for this very
important occasion in the history
of our country. Indeed, this is an honor for me
and my family. Also, I praise and
thank God for bringing peace to our country through the
sacrificial efforts of the International Community: the UN,
ECOWAS, AU, EU, the Government of the United States of America,
all friendly nations, the Christian Denominations and our Muslim
Brothers in Liberia and around the world. It is a good thing
that we as a nation and friends of Liberia can assemble here
today to thank God for answering our prayers, and granting us
the desires of our hearts. So let us rejoice and be glad for
what God has done for Liberia. What, then, should be our
response to that which God has done for us? Should we shout for
joy? Should we dance? Should we sing?
In
consideration of these questions, I have decided to speak on
the theme: A New
Heart For Our
Nation – The text is Matthew 5: 1- 12,
with emphasis on verse 8 which reads thus: “Blessed
are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.”
Matthew 5 is referred to as the
Sermon on the Mount. A faithful, serving and an obedient heart
is the focus of this sermon. Jesus addressed this message to
His disciples because these were the leaders recruited and
trained for the promotion of God’s Kingdom on earth. These were
the persons who were to hold positions and power in God’s
earthly Kingdom. But Jesus was quick to warn them that
positions, power, pride and money must not blind their eyes from
doing the will of God. “If you heed to my command and lead my
people whom I will entrust unto you, you will be blessed,” said
the Lord.
It is good to be blessed, my
brothers and sisters. To be blessed means, to be happy, to be
fortunate, to be free, to accept one another, and to take
responsibility of the blessings that God has given to us. In
other words, when we are blessed, we look back and share the
blessings with others. In summary, to be blessed means that a
person will experience hope, joy and redemption. But the
requirement to enjoy God’s hope, joy and redemption is to be
pure in heart, says our Master.
To be pure means to be clean from
all falsehood and vanities. It also means rightness of mind and
singleness of motive. In this text, the word heart is used
figuratively, and it means total personality, which includes the
mind, will, and emotion.
When paraphrased, the text is
read: How happy are those who have no desire for falsehood, who
do not swear to lie, who have singleness of mind and strength to
do the will of God. Such persons will experience the visitation
of God in their lives. They will always dwell in the Holy place
of the Most High.
Those who are
pure in heart:
- will see
and know the purpose of God in the world.
- will be
aware of the movement of the Divine will of God in the midst
of suffering, hunger, pain, and rebelliousness.
- will
know, by intention, the leading of God’s spirit when others
feel bereft.
- will be
a people of vision.
Such people foresee the future
from a positive point in light of what God has ordained for the
human family.
No wonder why Jesus told His
disciples that only the pure in heart will see God. At
creation, God had placed a very good heart in every human
being. This was intended to reflect God’s image and likeness.
That is, the very heart of God was placed in us, allowing us to
live in a state of purity. But oftentimes, we refuse to use
God’s gift of a pure heart to us wisely. Scriptures tell us
that humankind lived in fellowship with God without fear or
shame.
But something happened, and the
relationship was broken! This sin of disobedience entered that
perfect state of life through the manipulation of the Devil.
The mind, will, and emotion of the human race became totally
polluted, and resultantly, human beings could no longer live in
the presence of the Holy God. Sin made them to appear naked.
In the same way, our sins over the years have not only separated
us from God, but from one another as Liberians. Just as
humankind fled from the presence of God, hid themselves and
covered their bodies with leaves, (Genesis 3: 7-8), today, we
find ourselves fleeing from God’s presence and becoming
overwhelmed by the evils of this world, which include, crime,
pollution, violence, rioting and other vices. These evils
continue to tear us apart as a nation and people, thus leaving
us heartless, hopeless, senseless, helpless, careless, rude,
blind and naked. But Brothers and Sisters, I have the belief
with a New Heart and our new leaders, we can defeat the evils
which have brought disgrace to us as a nation over the years.
People of God, Historians tell us
that in 18th Century England, there were problems of
pollution, crime, violence, and rioting. The English people had
just discovered gin. As a result, people got carried away with
excessive drunkenness. Worst of all, family ties
disintegrated. But one important question that comes to mind is
what saved England from that terrible situation? How did that
nation overcome its nightmare? We learned that England was able
to overcome its national tragedy through John Wesley, the
Founder of Methodism. His movement had profound religious,
social, economic and political consequences, which transformed
and saved that nation. But this would not have been possible if
John Wesley did not cultivate the pure heart which God had given
him.
Around our world today are
evidences of the holistic nature of John Wesley’s understanding,
acceptance and practice of a pure heart as declared by Jesus in
His Sermon on the Mount.
What is important about the
Methodist Movement is that it began as a spiritual revival and a
spiritual awakening. This nation of ours, Brothers and Sisters,
needs a strong, spiritual revival and re-awakening. This will
help create and improve the socio-economic, political and
religious life of our country. We need Liberians who will do
for this day in Liberia what John Wesley did for his country.
Liberians, we need a new heart – a heart that is kind, sincere,
peace-loving, and caring- a heart that is dedicated to the
rebuilding of this nation of ours.
We can understandably compare John
Wesley with past African Leaders like the Late Presidents
William V.S. Tubman of Liberia, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, and
Sekou Toure of Guinea. These men not only fought for social,
economic and political rights in their respective countries, but
they worked real hard for the unity of Africa. Out of their
tireless efforts, came the Organization of African Unity (OAU),
now the African Union (AU). The Late Tanzanian President,
Julius Nyerere is another roll model in the exercise of good
leadership, based upon the concept of a new and pure heart for
one’s country. World reports said that President Nyerere died
without having millions or billions of dollars of his country’s
money stacked up in banks around the world. He led his people
and country in love, humility, honesty, and integrity.
Also, the Late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah
is another example in West Africa who united his people and was
working towards uniting Africa with a pure heart. And sure with
the first female elected President, Africa will be united
towards peace, justice, and sustainable development.
Today, fellow Liberians, God has
given us a new leader. A mother, whom I believe has a gracious
and kind heart, ever willing to lead Liberia forward, by God’s
command. It is therefore our responsibility to surround her
with a new heart for our nation, and thus press forward with a
movement for sustainable development. This movement, like the
one started by John Wesley, must take into account the
spiritual, educational, health, and agricultural needs of our
children and people.
I can assure you, Madam
President-elect and those of your leadership team that if you do
the will of God concerning His people in Liberia, your
administration will be blessed and your godly leadership that
will involve everyone who will make a positive difference for
our country. In his book, The Leader Within, Howard G. Haas
writes, “You cannot lead by yourself. You have to lead through
people. Just as there is an art of leadership, there too is an
art of follower ship.” Remember the words of Jesus when He
said, ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.’
With a new and pure heat, Liberia,
through the power of the Holy Spirit, will be saved from
backwardness to forwardness. A new and pure heart will move us
towards tolerance and peaceful co-existence. With a new heart,
we will rededicate ourselves to a national spirit and move on
eagle’s wings across the length and breadth of this land.
This new heart will help transform
our country into a glorious land, a land of liberty and justice
for all. This new heart moves us from despair to hope, and
inspire us to turn from greed and violence.
With a kind, loving and sincere
heart, the things that caused Liberia to be a ‘failed state’
over the years, will totally be of the past. We will no longer
think of the 1979 rice riot which eventually led to the bloody
civil war. The consequences today are widespread corruption,
bribery, disrespect for the rule of law, justice, and honesty in
government, the Church and business transactions.
With a new and pure heart we must
rise to leadership in order to serve and protect our people and
country, and not ourselves. Too much of selfishness and greed
have kept Liberia backward for a long time. It is about time we
put Liberia first. It is about time we focus on the security of
Liberia. For too long we have lived in the state of insecurity,
but God says, “I have given you a New Liberia, and I am ready to
transform your hearts. And when I transform you, you will
totally be free from threats, looting, and indiscriminate
killing.”
In this spirit, Brothers and
Sisters, God is urging us never again to be a stubborn people.
Stubbornness is an impediment to happy living. With pure
hearts, we will hear God’s invitation to us in these words,
“Come unto me, and I will forgive your sin. You are stained
with red sin; I will wash you as clean as snow. Although your
sins are deep red, you will be as white as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18,
G.N.B.). That is, God is committed to the process of producing
new hearts with sustained peace and unity for our country and
neighbors.
God desires a new heart and spirit
for our land. Hear what He says to us, “give up all the evils
you have been doing, and get yourselves new minds and new
hearts.” (Ezekiel 18:31). Let us heed the word of God and
believe and claim what God has promised. For He says in Ezekiel
36:25-26, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and make you
clean from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put
a new spirit within you; I will remove from you a heart of stone
and give you a new heart of flesh. I will put my spirit in you
and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my
laws.”
Brothers and Sisters in Jesus
Christ, with a new heart for our nation, there must be a genuine
commitment to the Constitutional responsibility within the three
branches of government in order to make the laws of our land to
work. This implies that God wants the three branches of
government to work together in the spirit of unity, justice,
integrity, accountability, transparency, and moral
up-rightness. Once these virtues are upheld by you, our
leaders, then we, the citizens, will happily submit to your
authority without murmuring. In the words of Paul, as recorded
in Romans Chapter 13, verses 1 and 2 comes this admonition:
“Everyone must submit himself or herself to the governing
authority, for there is no authority except that which God has
established.” Your authority, as our leaders, is established by
The God of love, justice, and peace. Therefore, you are called
to lead and walk humbly with God with new hearts.
A New Heart
for our nation therefore requires:
- A
demonstration of sorrow and regret for the sins we have
committed against
God and each other for these
many years. We, as Liberians, must grieve
over our wickedness in
relation to God’s standard of righteousness and
the power of God’s rule in
our lives.
2. A
demonstration of confession, forgiveness and reconciliation.
Madam President-elect and
Vice-President-elect, elected members of the Legislature,
distinguished guests, Brothers and Sisters of the household of
faith, the way forward for Liberia, a country emerging from the
ruins of war, is for every Liberian to take on a new and pure
heart so that peace, reconciliation, and national unity will be
the hallmark for restoring the years
the locusts have eaten.
With a pure and new heart
for our nation, the blessing of God awaits us, as it started
with a peaceful, free and fair election. We must, however,
remember that the inauguration is not an end in itself, but a
means to an end. Therefore, God expects us to take advantage of
the most important portion of the blessings which is the
rebuilding of our lives and country.
And the rebuilding will not be achieved without the
participation of all political parties and their supporters.
Let us remember that this country belongs to all Liberians.
Finally, fellow Liberians I pray
for a faithful and an obedient heart for this country, once
called ‘SWEET LAND OF LIBERTY.’ For you see, with a faithful
and an obedient heart, we can do God’s good will and He will
abide with us forever. He will heal us. He will guide us. He
will embrace us and bring us victory and success. For it is
written, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and whose
leaders and followers are pure in heart.” For when we shall have
accomplished our task here on earth, then, we shall see God, as
He has promised, and our former relationship with Him at
creation will be re-kindled.
I therefore, challenged you, our
new leaders, in these paraphrased words of caution from John
Wesley, that you do all the good you can to all your people in
all the counties, districts, townships, cities, towns and
villages. You are called to lead us with kindness, love,
justice, and equity. And at the end, Liberia will experience
the transformation as a new nation whose people will exhibit a
pure heart.
Kent N. Keith in his book,
The Paradoxical Commandments For
Christians, adds his voice to John
Wesley’s Counsel in these words for the work you, Madam
President-elect an your team of leaders have been called to do
for our nation:
- People
are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
- If you
do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
- If you
are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
- The good
you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
- Honesty
and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
- The
biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot
down by the
smallest men and women with the
smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
- People
favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
- What you
spent years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
- People
really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
- Give the
world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have
anyway.
JESUS DID IT ANYWAY!
In
anticipation of this national rebirth, I now invite us to rise,
sing, and dance the song of hope, joy and happiness, “Liberia!
Sweet Land of Liberty”, written by Ambassador, Marron Cassell.
Liberia! Sweet Land of Liberty
We
prophesy to you, you will rise,
You
will shine, you will prosper in Africa
Yea, the world.
Liberia, you are lifted, Amen, you are lifted.
We
prophesy to the world, you are lifted, Amen,
Alleluia, you are lifted.
“Blessed are
the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
IN THE NAME
OF THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT.
AMEN! |
