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The Greatness, The God, The Guilt of
Ps.
33:12-22
Today we remember, reflect, and
honor our forefathers, our veterans, and our God.
All gave some, and some gave all, and we all benefit.
“Only In
• Only in
• Only in
• Only
in
• Only in
• Only in
• Only in
With all her faults,
1.
Her Greatness
·
Great for
her beauty
But that’s not what makes her
great. Beauty can be deceitful, and
ugly can go all the way to the bone.
Outwardly the new world hosts the prettiest places on the planet.
But what is true greatness?
·
Great for
her freedoms
The
There you have it. The lives of four men can take
you all the way back to the beginning of our country. We are so young. And yet
we stand tall among the nations because of the principles on which we were
established.
Real trend today in
They revise history to
undermine the character and integrity of our founding fathers, saying they
weren’t who we know they were. They
say they weren’t motivated by principle but by property, were motivated by greed
and desire for wealth.
But that’s not true…the men who signed the Declaration of Independence
had far more to lose than to gain!
Most were very wealthy already.
24 were lawyers and such, 9 were landowners or rich farmers, 11 were
merchants, the others were physicians, ministers, politicians, etc.
All but 2 who signed had families.
They were educated men of standing in their communities…they knew
security and prosperity, but felt there was something more important than
security: freedom!
They knew that the penalty for treason was death by hanging, yet they
signed!
John Hancock—[signed twice as
large as all others] “Now his Majesty can read my name without his spectacles!”
Stephen Hopkins—[old when he
signed] His hand shook as he signed…looked up and said, “Gentlemen, my hand
trembles, but my heart does not!”
4 delegates from NY were
particularly wealthy/British ships were nearing just a few miles off the coast
when they signed, most of NY had already evacuated…they and others were pursued,
some were captured and tortured, and of course, many died!
Young people, you need to know
when you look at this
American Flag that these
red stripes are bars
of blood, a price paid for you to be free!
And when people today burn that
flag in ignorant demonstrations, it’s not freedom of speech, it’s high treason
against the land of the free and the home of the brave, and should be prosecuted
as such!
That’s the greatness of
2.
Her God
Just as the
revisionists want to
rewrite history in order to undermine the character and integrity of our
founding fathers, they also want to
undermine our Godly
heritage. They try to
tell us this nation wasn’t really founded upon God.
Why can’t some Americans accept their roots?
Even a South American president years ago said, “People came to my
continent looking for gold, but those who came to
1620—1st
pilgrims arrived.
A little band of people crossed the
Dec. 13th: those
58 gathered w/ 80 friendly Indians and celebrated 3 days of thanksgiving which
the encyclopedia records as 3 days of preaching, praying, singing, and eating.
Check your kid’s textbooks,
most of which now say the pilgrims and Indians met to thank each other! [Thanks
for not killing me? NO!! To thank
God!]
1863—A.
Lincoln proclaimed a national thanksgiving day.
In his proclamation, he made an
important and accurate theological point.
We have been the recipients of
the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in
peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other
nation has ever grown.
But we have forgotten God. We
have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace and multiplied and
enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness
of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom
and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too
self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too
proud to pray to the God that made us.
The
Puritans:
they gave their reasons for coming to
Benjamin
Franklin, when once challenged about
having a political session opened with prayer said, "I've lived, Sir, a long
time, and the longer I live, the more convincing Proofs I see of this Truth —That
God
governs in the Affairs of Men.
And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable
that an Empire can rise without his aid? We have been
assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that except the Lord build the House
they labor in vain who build it.”
Some Christians have been
intimidated…and they’ve heard the ACLU talk soooo much about the separation of
church and state—that they’ve actually started to believe in it.
In case you don’t know, that
phrase never appears in the Constitution!
(however
it is found in Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto!) It was coined in the
Check it
out for yourself, the first amendment actually says:
Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof…
If there
IS such a thing as separation of church and state, it is intended as a one-way
street!
Some say, no, they wanted to
keep both separate!
Well, let’s think about that.
1. First colonies –
2. Puritans first act at
Plymouth Rock = kneel, praise and dedicate new colony.
3. Roger Williams
(Bapt. Minister) est.
4. Lord Baltimore held
church service in establishing
5. William Penn (Quaker)
est. Penn, NY, DEL, Conn, NC, SC, Georgia.
6. Will Penn in writing gov’t
policies for PA made sure “all treasurers, judges, and all elected officials
professed faith in Christ.”
Our Founding Fathers consistently spoke of the
need for utilizing the Bible and Judeo-Christian values in defining and
preserving this nation:
* Twelve of the original 13 colonies incorporated
the entire Ten Commandments into their civil and criminal codes.
Our first president, George
Washington, took the oath of office and put his hand on what?
(the Bible)
What was his first official act
as President? (kissed the Bible, then held
a 2 hr. praise/worship session in Congress)
How did they determine to open
sessions of Congress? (prayer)
Who would lead in those
prayers? (chaplains)
How would they be paid?
(tax dollars)
Does all of that sound like
they wanted to keep God out of government?
By the way, opening in prayer
is a mystery to investigate…why is it that the little boys and girls cannot in
school, but the big Congressmen can?
Who decided to put “In God We
Trust” on our coins? It was adopted by
Congress in 1956!
*In 1776, 11 of the 13 colonies
required that one had to be a Christian to be eligible to run for political
office.
*In 1777, the Continental
Congress voted to spend $300,000 to purchase Bibles for distribution in the
nation.
* President John Adams stated,
"The law given from Sinai was a civil and municipal code as well as a moral and
religious code.
*94% OF THE WRITINGS OF THE
FOUNDING FATHERS OF THE
*THE STATE CONSTITUTIONS OF ALL
50 STATES MENTION GOD.
*The famous "Liberty Bell" has
part of Leviticus 25:10 inscribed on it: "Proclaim liberty throughout all the
land unto all the inhabitants thereof."
*Part of the Scripture Proverbs
14:34 is inscribed above the
*An image of Moses carrying the
tablets of God's Law faces the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
*The
entering President takes his OATH OF OFFICE with his right hand on the Holy
Bible, and concludes his vow "So help me God."
* The
Supreme Court [bldg. looks like this…the justices MUST enter from the back or
something!] itself begins each of its sessions with the phrase 'God save the
*First Vice President and
Second President, John Adams wrote in 1798:
"Our Constitution was made only
for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of
any other."
*His son and our sixth
President, John Quincy Adams said:
"No book in the world deserves
to be so unceasingly studied, and so profoundly meditated upon as the Bible." -
* President Thomas Jefferson:
"I tremble for my country when
I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever." - 1781
*
"In this actual world, a
churchless community, a community where men have abandoned and scoffed at, or
ignored their religious needs, is a community on the rapid down-grade." - 1917
*Woodrow Wilson, our 28th
President and Governor of
"
*Calvin Coolidge, our 30th
President, said this about our founding fathers:
"They were intent upon
establishing a Christian commonwealth in accordance with the principle of self-
government. They were an inspired body of men. It has been said that God sifted
the nations that He might send choice grain into the wilderness... Who can fail
to see it in the hand of destiny? Who can doubt that it has been guided by a
Divine Providence." - 1923
*Franklin Roosevelt prayed this
prayer on a national radio hookup on D-Day, June 6, 1944, as our troops stormed
the beaches of
"Almighty God... with Thy
blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to
conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogance. Lead us to the saving of our
country. Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen."
*Harry Truman, our 33rd
President, not known to be a committed believer, understood the spiritual
heritage of this nation:
"If men and nations would but
live by the precepts of the ancient prophets and the teachings of the Sermon on
the Mount, problems which now seem so difficult would soon disappear”
*Gerald Ford, our 38th
President, quoted a 1955 speech by Dwight D. Eisenhower on December 5, 1974:
"Without God there could be no
American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the
Supreme Being is the first - the most basic - expression of Americanism. Thus
the founding fathers of
*President
Ronald Reagan:
"If we
ever forget that we are 'One nation, under God', then we will be one nation
gone under."
*George W. Bush was asked to
name the philosopher that had the greatest influence on his life, this was his
answer:
"Christ, because he
changed my heart"
It’s time for modern-day
Americans to wake up and smell themselves, and realize their warped attitude
stinks, and is inaccurate as to the facts!
The greatness of
3.
Her Guilt
The guilt of
All that is
necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke
Read the book of
Judges…clearly, our God
would rather forgive and restore than judge!
Over and over,
II Chron. 7
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.
The solution is not in the
white house, state house, court house, but in God’s house, and your house and my
house!
So long as there are homes where
fires burn; and there is bread;
So long as there are home where lamps are
lit; and prayers are said;
Although people falter through the dark; and
nations grope;
With God himself behind these homes we still have hope.
Jessie
5 things
every Christian must do for their government if they’re going to obey the Word of God
(most painful first):
1.
We must
participate in paying
for government
Jesus said to:
Yet some Christians, even
preachers, say, our gov’t is a pagan gov’t, therefore, we do not owe them taxes,
they are not of God!
Well, what gov’t was in
charge when this was written? The
When Jesus was here on
earth, He paid His taxes, and so should we!
“But, they’re unfair”
I agree!
“And, it’s wasted and used
unwisely” I agree!
Certainly we need tax
reform…
…but do YOU agree w/ Romans 13?
Then pay your taxes! Try to
justify doing things under the table if you wish, but you will be held
accountable, if not by the laws of our nation, then certainly by the law of God!
(pay for gov’t)
2.
We must
pray for gov’t
I Tim. 2
1 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.
Pray for revival/leaders/war on
terror/elections/God to use our leaders and defeat our enemies!
“The king’s heart is in the
hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water, He turns it wherever He wants”
We need to pay for gov’t/pray/…
3.
Praise our gov’t
Despite all our problems, the
(pay for gov’t/pray/praise/…)
4.
Participate in government
It is inconceivable that God
would ordain gov’t such as He has, and then tell His people to stay out of it!
It is our Christian duty to get
informed, and vote!
Shame on the Christian who
pledges their allegiance to that flag, and then doesn’t take action.
And, shame on the Christian
who pledges their allegiance to a political party, instead of to principles…the
Biblical principles upon which this nation was founded!
5.
Persuade our government
How can I really make a
difference?
We are a republic…that
means that, for the most part, public policy is shaped by public opinion.
And there’s only 1 way to affect public opinion:
and it’s not billboards, radio, or TV…it’s to get the Word of God into
the hearts of people.
I’ve spoken on political
freedom, thank God for it, but more important is spiritual freedom!
John 8:32
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
We’re all born bound by sin,
but Jesus holds the keys and His truth will set you free…
…from the penalty of sin [rom.
6:23]
Rev. 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and
open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
…from the pollution/power of
sin—like an outlet to plug in to in order to find the power to live for Him!
Don’t get cart before horse…just come w/ faith and a willing heart!
[rom. 10:13]
…and someday from the presence
of sin!
Enjoy the freedoms you have
which come at a high price to others, but free to us!
You’ve heard the truth, what will you do w/ it?