America and God

Psalm 33.12-15

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[Today is Independence Day in America; a day of celebration and remembrance, a day when we recognize our freedom and liberty under the light of the great sacrifices that were made and the great deliverances that were provided to earn our liberty and responsibility.  Let us never forget that freedom is never free, and liberty carries with it great responsibility.  Today, we must examine the founding of our great nation and must consider whether God had a hand in liberating our nation or not.] 

A.    God’s Birthing Of America [-   2 things:] 

1.      America Was Born Of God [- We sing,]  

[“My County Tis of Thee,  Sweet land of liberty”] 

[Last Stanza, “Our Fathers’ God, to thee,
Author of liberty, to thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With freedoms holy light;
Protect us by thy might, great God, our King.”] 

a.       [First colonies – Jamestown, Va. First community building was a church. It is the only building with a wall still standing. ] 

b.      [The Puritans first act at Plymouth Rock was to kneel, praise and dedicate the new colony.] 

c.       [Roger Williams (Bapt. Minister) est. Rhode Island.] 

d.      [Lord Baltimore held a church service in establishing Maryland.] 

e.       [William Penn (Quaker) est. Penn, NY, DEL, Conn, NC, SC, Georgia.] 

[Note -- When you read their writings you see no doubt that God birthed America.] 

[William Penn in writing government policies for PA made sure “all treasurers, judges, and all elected officials professed faith in Christ.” ] 

[In Contrast - The U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a Federal trial court that the Ten Commandments memorial placed in the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore must be removed.  Judge Moore authorized the memorial as a reminder that the biblical laws stand as the moral groundwork of American law.] 

[Our Founding Fathers consistently spoke of the need for utilizing the Bible and Judeo-Christian values in defining and preserving this nation:] 

f.       [Twelve of the original 13 colonies incorporated the entire Ten Commandments into their civil and criminal codes.] 

[In 1782, the U.S. Congress voted in favor of a resolution recommending and approving the Bible for use in the schools.] 

g.      [President John Adams stated, "The law given from Sinai was a civil and municipal code as well as a moral and religious code.  These are laws essential to the existence of men in society and most of which have been enacted by every Nation which ever professed any code of laws.  Vain indeed would be the search among the writings of secular history to find so broad, so complete and so solid a basis of morality as the Ten Commandments lay down."  (Note that the American Bible Society was started by an act of Congress and John Adams, our second president, served as its first leader.)[1]] 

[Our laws are based on 10 commandments and Bible. ] 

1)      [Supreme Court building - built 1935 – carved on front Moses and Ten Commandments. [justices must enter back way!] 

2)      [House of Representatives - across speakers’ seat – sculpture of Moses.] 

h.      [President George Washington said, "It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible.  Of all dispositions and habits that lead to political prosperity, our religion and morality are indispensable supporters."[2]] 

[What George Washington Meant by religion – General Order Given - "The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country."[3]]

[General Order Given - "While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian."[4]]

i.         [Henry Laurens, fourth president of the Continental Congress, stated, "I had the honor of being one who framed the Constitution.  In order effectually to accomplish these great constitutional ends, it is especially the duty of those who bear rule to promote and encourage respect for God and virtue."[5]] 

j.        [Patrick Henry, first governor of Virginia and a member of the Continental Congress, stated, "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ."[6]]

 1)      [Constitution ends “in the year of our Lord.”]

2)      [Nation’s motto: “In God we trust”]

3)      [Pledge “One nation under God”] 

[God birthed America but…] 

2.      America Was Blessed By God (Joshua 10.8-9,11, 12-13 ) [– Our American history—Our History is permeated with volumes of stories of God’s miraculous intervention.  But most history books today are written by humanists who deliberately keep facts out of textbooks. ]

[Illustration -  1776 Revolutionary War in New York - In 1776 British commander William Howe was moving 30,000 Veteran British soldiers to take New York. General George Washington only had 18,000 inexperienced troops.] 

[British troops outflanked Washington. Washington lost 1,000 men and two top Generals. Washington’s troops were very discouraged, their defeat seemed inevitable. Without any reason the British halted their troops.  Had they pressed on in the battle they would have destroyed Washington and his troops who were trapped on Long Island. The only route of escape was the treacherous East river. The weather very bad and it seemed impossible to cross the river.] 

[Washington called for a prayer meeting to ask for God’s guidance and help. He then decided to attempt the river crossing.  It was storming, then suddenly at 11:00 pm the wind died and the rain stopped. The river was as smooth as glass. Washington and His troops started crossing and a gentle breeze came up behind them to push them along.  Even with this miracle it would be impossible to get all troops across to Manhattan Island before daybreak.  Just before daybreak a thick fog draped over them, hiding them from the British troops.  When the fog lifted British commander Howe was shocked; Washington’s troops had escaped.  Washington and his men recognized God’s blessings on America.] 

[Does God intervene in such ways?] 

[Joshua and the Five Kings of the Amorites] 

[Joshua 10:8-9 ⁸ And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. ⁹ Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night. ]

[Joshua 10:11 ¹¹ And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword. ]

[Joshua 10:12-13 ¹² Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. ¹³ And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. ]

[Illustration – Burning of Washington DC, War 1812, August 25, 1814[7] - Many know of the War of 1812, but few know the details of the war.  In August of 1814, after two years of war, 4000 British soldiers advanced on Washington DC which was defended by about 1000 regular troops, 400 Sailors, and 6000 militia.  The secretary of state thought Baltimore would be the target of choice for the British, and our Nation’s Capital was poorly defended.  The British quickly broke through into Washington DC and began burning the city.  Right in the middle of their razing our nation’s capital a strange and unexpected storm developed and a tornado roared through the city.  As a result many British soldiers were wounded and the next morning the British retired from the city.  Washington DC had been spared by an act of God.] 

B.     God’s Beholding Of America (Gen 18.20-25; 31-33; 1 Pet 4.17-18) [– When God looks upon America what does He see? He sees how far we have come since our birth in 1776.  ] 

[One Pastor asked, In God’s eyes are we better to Him or bitter to Him [to look upon]?  How long will God’s blessings still come to America? ] 

[Illustration - Authorities say servicemen in Iraq were safer than our own citizens walking thru the streets of our major cities].  

[Every hour in America (latest Statistics, 2008)[8]] 

·         [155 Violent Crimes]

·         [1.82 Murders]

·         [10 Rapes]

·         [93.76 Aggravated Assaults] 

[USA Today Reported[9] in a poll taken of 18-29 year olds] 

·         [65% rarely or never pray with others]

·         [40% almost never pray by themselves]

·         [65% rarely or never attend worship services]

·         [67% don’t read the Bible or other sacred texts]

·         [½ say Jesus is not the only path to heaven – of the half who said Jesus is the only way to heaven,]

o   [68% dod not mention faith as really important in life.]

o   [50% do not attend Church at least weekly]

o   [36% rarely read the Bible] 

[Our Determination in light of our nation – But for only ten righteous souls.] 

[Genesis 18:20-25 ²⁰ And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; ²¹ I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. ²² And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. ²³ And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? ²⁵ That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? ]

[Genesis 18:31-33 ³¹ And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. ³² And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. ³³ And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place. ]

[It would have taken only ten righteous people to save Sodom and Gomorrah.  Think about that, of all the wicked, abominable people living in Sodom only ten people would have won mercy for the entire city.  But there were not even ten righteous souls in that city.] 

[1 Peter 4:17-18 ¹⁷ For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? ]

[It is God’s people who bring God’s mercy and grace upon a faltering nation.]

C.    God’s Bearing With America (2 Chron 7.12-14) [- Is America in peril with God?  Is America being judged by God?  Not too long ago I heard one national preacher state that some tragedy, that had taken place, was a judgment by God.  Almost immediately another well-known preacher was seen on national television stating that natural disasters were not a judgment by God.  It reminds me of Israel, when they had become wicked in the sight of God, there were many false prophets declaring God’s blessing on the wicked nation while there were only a few prophets of the Lord declaring the judgment of God.  This was evident when Ahab was King of Israel and Jehoshaphat was king of Judah and Micaiah was called to prophesy about an upcoming battle (1 Kings 22).  It was the case when Jeremiah prophesied.  It was the case of many of the Old Testament prophets.] 

[Is God dealing with America, or for that case with our world,] 

[Romans 1:21-32 ²¹ Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. ²² Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, ²³ And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. ²⁴ Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: ²⁵ Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. ²⁶ For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: ²⁷ And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. ²⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; ²⁹ Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, ³⁰ Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹ Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: ³² Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. ]

[The fact that America has lost its blush reveals the judgment of God manifesting itself all around us.  Is there judgment in the natural disasters occurring all around the world, without a doubt the Bible reveals that these things are judgments sent by God to wake up reprobate people.  Is the oil disaster in the gulf a judgment by God, certainly it is a wakeup call to all who think that mankind, and his technology are gods in themselves.  All of these things, the wars, the pestilences, the financial earthquakes, the uncertain and unpredictable weather patterns are God’s warnings to lost and unbelieving people everywhere.] 

[But all of these pale in comparison to what is on this worlds horizons in the great tribulation that is soon to come upon all the world.  Jesus said,] 

[Matthew 24:21-22 ²¹ For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. ²² And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. ]

 [What must the righteous do?  What must God’s people do in the midst of all of this turmoil and uncertainty?  We are reminded of our Lord’s words to King Solomon,] 

[2 Chronicles 7:12-14 ¹² And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. ¹³ 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. ]

[God’s people must be faithful, pure (righteous), and praying.  We must be the faithful remnant that will deliver a lost and corrupt world from the judgment of God.  Let there be at least ten righteous people in Terre Haute, at least ten righteous people in Marshall, at least ten righteous people in Clinton, at least ten righteous people where you live to deliver all the abominable around you from the judgment of God.]