God Bless America

INTRO.- God bless America! That’s not just an expression used by politicians and presidents! It’s an expression that we, too, should use. Why? BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT GOD HAS BLESSED AMERICA AND WE STILL WANT HIM TO BLESS AMERICA!

ILL.- Lee Hufstettler wrote in Reader’s Digest, “ It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Georgia. After an early dinner, I asked my uncle if he would like to go for a walk and look at a few garage sales down the street. He said a walk would be fine, but that he didn’t much care for garage sales. I asked why not, and he answered, "Because if they don’t want it, I don’t want it either!"

We have so much in America that we have garage sales to practically give it away!

In fact, I think our church ought to have one big garage sale in order to give stuff away. Everyone in the church could contribute their stuff and help to staff the church for the big day. We could advertise it in the paper and in the radio. Have it early some Saturday morning for just a couple of hours. We would have hoards of people come by our church. WHAT A GREAT WAY TO ADVERTIZE!

ILL.- Some years ago Richard DeVos, co-founder of the Amway Corporation, made a comparison of America and what was then the Soviet Union. He told what America would have to do to equal Russia. We would have to rip up 13 of every 14 miles of our paved highways. We’d have to scrap 19 of every 20 cars and trucks and destroy over 2000 colleges. We’d have to destroy 7 out of every 10 single-family houses and cut our living standard by 2/3’s! Hmm, cut our living standard by 2/3’s. Doesn’t sound very good to me.

Any takers? I don’t think any of us would want to do these things. AMERICA IS THE LAND OF PLENTY!

ILL.- B. J. and Nelda’s son and daughter-in-law, Rick and Sherry Simpkins, just got back from a trip to Spain. Nelda told me they said it was nice but the food wasn’t very good and they don’t want to go back.

Doesn’t this tell you something about America? How blessed we are with good food/restaurants, pleasant surroundings, comfort, luxury, etc.?

ILL.- When I was just a young man starting out in the working world in 1959-60 there were not many restaurants. I think maybe Dairy Queen, McDonald’s and I don’t remember what else. BUT LOOK AT WHAT WE HAVE TODAY? We have more eating places in Jonesboro than you could count! And it’s not just food. We have everything in America! Why do you think people in other countries are so envious of Americans?

ILL.- When we were children we had no AC in our homes, just screen doors and most of them had holes in them to let the flies in. And some doors had no screens at all! BUT look at what we live in now? There’s hardly anyone I know who doesn’t have AC and a nice house to live in.

God has blessed both America and us! But it doesn’t just stop with material blessings. He has also blessed America spiritually. Look at the churches across America, the Christian TV programs, the Christian books and the gospel music, etc. that are available to us in America.

Our church buildings are far more comfortable than they used to be: AC comfort, padded pews, etc. And in some cases, the music is better, the preaching is better, etc. At least, in the sense of not so much “hell-fire and brimstone.”

Preaching is more geared to meet the needs of people today in this fast-paced, stressed out society. This is not to say that we still don’t preach against sin, because we do. Just not the same way.

We are blessed in America! God has blessed America. Now it’s our turn.

PROP.- Let’s think about some ways that we as Americans and American Christians can bless America.

1- Respect the government

2- Pray for the authorities

3- Live the life

I. RESPECT THE GOVERNMENT

I Pet. 2:13-14 “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors (for us, police officers), who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.”

ILL.- A policeman said to a woman, “Here is your parking ticket, maam.” The woman said, “And just what you do you do when you catch a real criminal?” The police officer replied, “I don’t know. All I ever catch are the innocent ones.”

Many times when people get ticketed by the police for speeding or whatever, they don’t think they deserve the ticket so they try to argue their way out of it. I have found that doesn’t work. Sometimes it just means a bigger ticket. RESPECT AND SUBMISSION ARE BEST.