Heal Our Land

HEAL OUR LAND

ILLUSTRATION:

French writer Alexis de Tocqueville, after visiting America in 1831, said, “I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forests—and it was not there. I sought for it in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her institutions of higher learning—and it was not there. I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution—and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!”

COMMENT:

The America that Alexis saw in 1831 is not the same America today. I may have been rather naïve, but I believe the America that I grew up in as a boy is not the same America that my grandchildren are growing up in today. If Alexis were alive today and visited America for the first time, I personally don’t think he would have written: “America is great because America is good.”

A. Has America CEASED being GREAT?

1. A Nation is as GREAT as is its ALLEGIANCE to God.

-“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord . . .”- Psalm 33:12a

2.. Sadly, I believe America has become less and less a nation who recognizes God is Lord.

ILLUSTRATION:

I believe it all started when Madalyn Murray O’Hair and her proponents successfully led the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 1963 decision, to ban organized PRAYER in public schools. Now PRAYER had been BANNED at most SCHOOL SPONSORED SPORTING EVENTS, GRADUATION COMMENCEMENTS and other SCHOOL SPONSORED SCHOOL EVENTS.

It has been ruled that the 10 COMMANDMENTS can no longer be displayed in COURT HOUSES and other PUBLIC BUILDINGS. And although trial witnesses are still asked or given a choice to place their hands on the Bible while swearing to the tell the truth, the phrase “so help you God” has been removed.

The debate still continues in federal courts as to whether it is UNCONSTITUTIONAL to say the PLEDGE of ALLEGIANCE because of its REFERENCE to “ONE NATION UNDER GOD”.

Now a movement is under way to remove the phrase “IN GOD WE TRUST” from American currency.

B. Have we as a NATION ceased being GOOD?

1. When God is no longer REVERED then a NATION will gradually slip into MORAL DECAY.

ILLUSTRATION:

Since the Roe vs. Wade ruling in January 1973 there has been close to 50 million unborn babies, who were “knitted together in their mothers’ wombs and fearfully and wonderfully made” by God Almighty (Psalm 139:13-14), who have been ABORTED—legally MURDERED, if you will.

Now CONGRESS and our COURTS are trying to redefine MARRIAGE as God intended between one man and one woman, and make it LEGAL for HOMOSEXUALS and LESBIANS to MARRY each other. “MEN with MEN and WOMEN with WOMEN that the Bible clearly teaches is SINFUL and UNNATURAL”- Romans 1:26-27

2. Regardless of what our COURTS and CONGRESS are doing, I believe MANY Americans, and possibly the MAJORITY, are against ABORTION and GAY MARRIAGE.

MESSAGE:

COMMENT:

The only reason that America HAS BEEN and, I believe, STILL IS the GREATEST NATION on EARTH is because God has RICHLY BLESSED us. However, it is by God’s CHOOSING if America remains GREAT. Our GREATNESS is not CONTINGENT upon how POWERFUL we are. It’s not DEPENDENT upon who’s ahead in the ARMS RACE. Whether we have a DEMOCRAT or REPUBLICAN in the WHITE HOUSE doesn’t matter. Our GREATNESS and our SURVIVAL are DETERMINED solely by our FAITH in God and making Him LORD and KING!

This is especially EVIDENT at this time when many of our own GOVERNING LEADERS are attempting to DETHRONE God and with the ever declining MORALITY in our COUNTRY, I think you would agree that our NATION needs the HEALING TOUCH of God, our Lord and Savior.

HEALING of our NATION is AVAILABLE only if America FOLLOWS God’s INSTRUCTION laid out in II Chronicles 7:14 (READ).

During the PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION, the Bible on which the PRESIDENT-ELECT takes the OATH of OFFICE, is opened to the PASSAGE we just READ. I can only HOPE and PRAY that our PRESIDENT and our FUTURE PRESIDENTS take SERIOUSLY God’s INSTRUCTION for HEALING a NATION.

I. ACTIONS AMERICA MUST TAKE TO PROMOTE DIVINE HEALING

A. HUMBLE ITSELF

1. Being the WEALTHIEST, the most POWERFUL, and/or the most INFLUENTIAL, are not the CHARACTERISTICS that God is CONCERNED about in a NATION.

COMMENT:

Because I believe America is all of these I just mentioned, it is so easy for our nation’s LEADERS and for us as its CITIZENS, to be rather PRIDEFUL. Now, this doesn’t mean that we can’t have PRIDE in our NATION. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong in being APPRECIATIVE that we LIVE in a NATION that has been GREATLY BLESSED by God.