One Nation - Going Under

Our nation has a past and it is our yesterdays that have brought us to today. But we have many problems that we are dealing with as a nation and where our future takes us is dependent upon how we deal with those problems.

What is one of the biggest threats our nation faces today? It is something called, ‘Political Correctness.’ But it isn’t just America’s problem; it is a global problem. This week, I heard a report that says Sweden has abolished urinals in men’s bathrooms because they represent man’s dominance over women. This is but one example of how political correctness has changed the face of society.

Another news story said a school in America has a new policy that there will no touching at all in school. Even giving someone a hi-five can get you suspended from school. My first thought was what would you do if someone fell and needed help getting up. Can you imagine getting suspended over that, or because you shook hands with someone?

If you are an average person with even average intelligence, you know these things are ludicrous. In reality, political correctness is the perfect alternative to common sense. And what this is doing to the face of our nation hurts me deeply.

An old farmer used to come into town once a month to do his shopping and to take care of any business he had to take care of. This man hated to spend unnecessary money though, so he would drive all around the downtown area looking for an empty parking place with money still left on the meter. He would continue to do this until he saw one with time still left on it, and he would quickly pull in and go about his chores.

This man was truly parking on somebody else’s nickel.

On Wednesday, we will celebrate our national independence - our day to stand proud and tall for who and what we are. During the day, there will be cookouts and barbeques in most American backyards; and Wednesday night, America will have fireworks displays in every city across her great land.

We are proud to be Americans, aren’t we? We live in a land that by every single standard has been more blessed than any other country in the history of the world.

During the last two centuries, America has become the world’s greatest economy, political machine, and cultural power the world has ever seen. In short, we have become the world’s greatest – well, the greatest everything!

And, as much as we boast on these things, there is something else we have done that you rarely hear about. We have been used by God to carry the Gospel of Jesus Christ to millions around the world. And, if it is true that America has been blessed more than any other nation in the history or this world, then there is a question that needs to be asked: “Will we continue to receive God’s blessings in our future?”

PROVERBS 14:34

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”

We have discussed that another word for ‘righteous’ is ‘rightness.’ What many of us fail to realize is that true ‘rightness’ can only be found in the Lord.

Our nation has been been lifted up by God Himself to be the example to the world. History will always confirm that a nation’s true greatness is not based on its numbers, its military, or its political structure. Nor is it a nation’s intellectualism, progress, or cultural greatness that determines its true greatness.

What determines a nation’s greatness is its conduct, and whether that conduct is in accordance with the standards of God.

PSALM 33:12 says it best.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance.”

It is no coincidence that the blessings we have received came to us because we put God over this nation. Even though there are many today that will tell us otherwise –

1. AMERICA REALLY WAS FOUNDED AS A CHRISTIAN NATION

It all started out on one chilly day back in 1607. That is the day when three boats were seen on the horizon. They were barely larger than today’s cabin cruisers that are up at any local lake. They quickly reached land and 120 very tired Englishmen came ashore.

Can you imagine being cooped up on a small boat like that for several months? What would be one of the first things you would do when you got to shore? I think I would take off my shoes and walk barefooted on the ground again, or go pick a blade of grass and make a whistle out of it. Or, I would just sit in the sand with my feet in the water.