MELVIN M. NEWLAND
CCF, SILOAM SPRINGS, AR
A. Tomorrow is officially designated as a holiday marked in many communities by a variety of solemn observances. All across the United States people will gather in parks & cemeteries to commemorate what this day symbolizes.
Bands will play, speeches will be given, prayers will be offered up to God, “Taps” will be played, & guns fired as a salute to those whom our nation seeks to remember on this day.
From Valley Forge to Berlin, from San Juan Hill to Heartbreak Ridge, from Iwo Jima to Saigon & Desert Storm, the blood of American soldiers is permanently mingled with the soil of four continents & hundreds of islands.
And Memorial Day is our feeble attempt to remember & say “Thank you” to those who gave their best & all they had that we might continue to enjoy the liberties that are ours.
ILL. Our present commemoration of this Day came out of the Civil War. In 1865, shortly after the close of the war, some women in Vicksburg, Mississippi chose May 30th as a day to place flowers upon the graves of their war dead.
The practice of choosing a special day to decorate the graves of the war dead soon spread both North & South, & it came to be called “Decoration Day.”
In 1868, a group of women in Washington D.C. asked permission of the War Department to decorate the graves at Arlington National Cemetery, & to be allowed to have a special memorial ceremony to mark that occasion.
After a lot of discussion, permission was granted. But the officials attached a harsh provision: No flowers were to be placed on the graves of the Confederate soldiers who were buried in a separate section of the cemetery. The ladies finally agreed, & planned their program.
General James Garfield, a devout Christian who later became President of the United States, delivered the memorial speech. And in accordance with their agreement, flowers were placed only upon the graves of the Union dead - & not upon the graves in the Confederate section.
But after the crowds were gone, a strong wind arose & blew almost all the flowers over onto the Confederate graves. When that became known, many people believed that it was a direct result of God’s intervention. After that, the order to ignore the Confederate graves was never repeated. (Source - Poet, Journalist James Ryder Randall - See Poem, "At Arlington"
Now it is called “Memorial Day” & it is observed as a day to honor the fallen of all our nation’s wars – a time when our country pauses to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms that we enjoy. We owe them, & all those who served with them, far more than we will ever realize.
B. The key to Memorial Day is remembering, & the author of the Book of Hebrews calls us in the 12th chapter to remember that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. He writes:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1).
And by beginning that passage with the word, “Therefore,” he is intentionally calling our attention back to the heroes of the faith who are mentioned in the previous verses, the 11th chapter, the great “Faith Chapter” of the Bible.
Look back at the 11th chapter & notice some of the names that he is asking us to remember – Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab. Then in vs’s 32-34 he adds:
“And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised,
"who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword, whose weakness was turned to strength; and who become powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.”
What a great variety of people, many of them just ordinary individuals of faith, but used by God in extraordinary ways to accomplish His will. You see, God makes a habit of doing the impossible through people who are not that much different from you & me.
The secret of living a life that makes a difference is realizing that it is not what you do for yourself, but rather it is what you allow God to do for others through you. This is how we make a difference in this world, & how we make a lasting impact.
A songwriter, Steve Green, puts it this way:
"Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful,
May the fire of our devotion light their way.
May the footprints that we leave, lead them to believe,
And the lives we live inspire them to obey.
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful!"
I believe with all my heart that we are surrounded by a greater cloud of witnesses than we will ever know until we all stand together before the throne of our Lord & our God. We are the recipients of the faith, testimony & sacrifices made by unnumbered multitudes who have blazed the path before us.
Like the Psalmist of old, we cry out, “Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come” (Psalm 71:17-18).
"Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful!”
C. Now, with all that in mind, let’s suppose that sometime this week you turned on the TV News & heard these 3 announcements:
#1. “The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has just issued this statement: ‘Divine Providence (that’s God) has given to our people the choice of their rulers, & it is the duty of our Christian nation to select & prefer Christians for their rulers.’"
#2. “Inquiries by our reporters reveal that almost every state legislature has now passed a law requiring all elected officials to take this oath: ‘I do profess faith in God the Father, & in the Lord Jesus Christ His only Son… & I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old & New Testaments to be given by divine inspiration.’"
#3. “Legislation was passed today in Congress to affirm that, ‘The Congress of the United States approves of & recommends … the Holy Bible for use in the schools.’”
What do you think the response to these announcements would be, especially in the media? I think there would be more reaction to them than we could even imagine. But the amazing thing is this: Every one of these statements is historically accurate & factual.
It was John Jay, the very first Chief Justice & the “Father” of the Supreme Court, one of the primary writers of our Constitution, who declared, "It is the duty of our Christian nation to select & prefer Christians for their rulers."
It was the state of Delaware (along with most of the others) which required officeholders to take an oath affirming their Christian faith before they could take office. And they had a very practical reason for requiring it.
And not only did Congress in 1782 approve the use of the Bible in our schools, they even paid for them with tax dollars.
And, in 1844, when someone sued to remove them, the Supreme Court ruled: “Why should not the Bible, & especially the New Testament, be read & taught as a divine revelation in the schools? Where can the purest principles of morality be learned so clearly or so perfectly as from the New Testament?”
Just think about this: If these people, who were so instrumental in establishing our nation, were here to say & do those things in our country today, they'd be considered right-wing extremists, & a threat to our nation. And I don't think that’s an exaggeration.
We've gone a long ways away from our roots as Americans. Most of our school systems & colleges & universities have become so secularized - so distanced from religion - that huge chunks of information about the spiritual roots of our nation are neglected, & unless you hear it from Christians, where will you hear it?
PROP. So, this morning, on the eve of Memorial Day, I want to talk a little bit about the early history of our nation that most Americans just don’t know. Here are some things that are worth knowing about the roots of our nation, about what’s right with America.
I. AMERICA WAS SETTLED BY PEOPLE LOOKING FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
The first thing right with America is that our earliest permanent settlers were people who came here primarily looking for religious freedom. Other nations, for the most part, came into existence by conquest for selfish & ambitious motives. But it was primarily in the atmosphere of God, not gold, that America was born.
ILL. The hardy souls who sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 fled from tyranny & oppression. And in the Mayflower Compact which they signed beneath the swinging lantern in the cabin of their ship, they proclaimed that they had come to the new world for "the glorie of God & the advancement of the Christian faith."
In the early colonies the first public building to be erected was a church house & the first public exercise was the worship of Almighty God. When sorrow came they gathered at the church to appeal to God for help. When bountiful harvests filled their barns they gathered at the church for thanksgiving to God.
ILL. In 1643, as more & more people arrived on these shores, they joined together to form “The New England Confederation.” They wrote a constitution, the very first constitution written in the New World, & it began with these words:
“Whereas we all came into these parts with one & the same end & aim, namely to advance the kingdom of our lord Jesus Christ, & to enjoy the liberties of the gospel in purity & peace…"
These are our spiritual forefathers who came to the shores of America so they could worship & practice their faith without fear of persecution. So the first thing that’s right with America is that its earliest permanent settlers came here primarily looking for religious freedom.
II. OUR FOUNDERS HAD A STRONG DESIRE TO BE PLEASING TO GOD & TO DO HIS WILL
The second thing right with America is that the founders of our nation had a strong desire to be pleasing to God & to do His will.
But before I go any further, I realize that some of you are thinking, "This isn't what I have heard about our forefathers." But you need to realize that around 150 years passed by from the time of the earliest settlers to the beginning of our nation. And we’re not very proud of some of the things that happened during those years.
You see, as time passed, & the original settlers died off, many of their descendants were more concerned with increasing their wealth & comfortable living than being faithful to God & His Word. And as wave after wave of immigrants arrived, many of them came for other reasons & with entirely different motives than those earliest settlers.
For example, whether out of concern for their well-being, or just to get rid of those considered “undesirable,” England began a program of emptying its prisons by making it possible for prisoners to come to the New World as “indentured servants.”
At the same time, the King of England granted vast tracts of land in the New World to his special friends, & slavery was introduced into the colonies to work these plantations.
The spiritual atmosphere deteriorated rapidly. Churches were dying & many of them that had once sought religious freedom for themselves were now being intolerant of others. And it was during this time that some went off in strange spiritual directions.
ILL. For example, in 1692 a slave girl was brought by her master to live in Salem, Massachusetts. She began to tell young girls there wild & vivid tales about the power of Voodoo, & it wasn’t long until fear filled the community & the Salem Witch Trials began.
The end result of it all was that by 1730, only about 10% of the people in the Colonies attended church at all. That which had begun “for the glorie of God & the advancement of the Christian faith” had almost disappeared from our land.
By the way, much of what you hear derogatory about our early history comes out of this period. Those who oppose Christianity love to point out the faults of that time.
B. But then something amazing happened! Beginning in 1734, a handful of preachers – Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Gilbert Tennant, John Wesley, & others – began to preach in the churches & in the streets & in the fields. These soon turned into great crusades & revivals that spread throughout the 13 Colonies.
So many people came to Christ that that era in our history came to be known as “The Great Awakening.” Tens of thousands dedicated their lives to Jesus Christ & were baptized. So many people came to hear Whitefield as he traveled the colonies that he had to hold open-air meetings because there just wasn’t enough room in the churches.
ILL. Benjamin Franklin wrote, “It was wonderful to see the change soon made in the manners of our inhabitants. From being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seemed as if all the world were growing religious, so that one could not walk through the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street.”
In fact, Benjamin Franklin was so impressed with Jonathan Edwards’ preaching that he helped build an auditorium to accommodate the crowds of more than 30,000 that came to hear Edwards preach. By the way, Philadelphia had a population of only 25,000 at that time. People were coming from everywhere to hear these preachers preach! And it was not just in Philadelphia, it was all throughout the 13 Colonies.
Openly-devout Christians were no longer just 10% of the population. Now they made up 50% or more.
C. Why am I telling you all this? Because this “Great Awakening” was a precursor to the American Revolution.
Our Founding Fathers, the signers of the Declaration of Independence, those who wrote our Constitution & the Bill of Rights, those who put their lives on the line, who fought & died that we might be free – all these grew up & came into leadership while this “Great Awakening” was engulfing the land.
The generation that experienced the “Great Awakening” became the leaders of the American Revolution!
ILL. Check out this prayer recorded in the personal diary of George Washington, & in his own handwriting: "Let my heart, gracious God, be so affected with Your glory & majesty that I may ... discharge those weighty duties which thou requirest of me ... Again, I have called on thee for pardon & forgiveness of sins ... for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ offered on the cross for me. Thou gavest thy Son to die for me; & hast given me assurance of my salvation."
I don’t care what you have heard about George Washington from the modern debunkers of our history. He was a devout Christian! And he wasn't alone in his faith!
ILL. Over a 10-year period, political-science professors at the University of Houston collected & cataloged 15,000 writings by the founding fathers. Their goal was to determine the primary source of ideas behind the Constitution by identifying the sources quoted most often by them. Guess what that primary source was?
It was the Bible. 94% of the recorded quotes of the founders of our nation were based upon the Bible.
SUM. The point of all this is that the cultural environment on the eve of the American Revolution was undeniably spiritual. And this focus dramatically affected the men & women who gave birth to this nation.
III. AMERICA WAS FOUNDED BY MEN & WOMEN WHO ACKNOWLEDGED GOD’S SUPREME RULE OVER MEN & NATIONS
Here’s the third thing that I think is right with our nation: “America was founded by men & women who acknowledged God’s supreme rule over men & nations.” They weren’t perfect. They weren’t all devout Christians, but they all acknowledged that God was the supreme ruler over men & over nations.
ILL. Sometime you ought to read again the Declaration of Independence. Most of you are familiar with the prologue that says,
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, & the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
They’re saying, "We want a form of government whose job is to protect what the Creator has given to each of us." Then, after listing about 15 or 16 charges against the actions of the King, they make two more references to God:
"We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled,” (listen to this) “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World…” In the Declaration of Independence they’re saying that God is the Supreme Judge of the World!
And then they end their Declaration with these words: “And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence” (that’s God), “we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes & our sacred honor.”
I’ve seen a painting of the First Continental Congress. And many of you have heard the story of how they were deadlocked, discussing & debating the wording of the Declaration of Independence.
Finally, it was suggested they all get on their knees & ask God what should be done. And these 55 signers of the Declaration of Independence went to their knees as one man & began to pray & seek the wisdom & guidance of God.
ILL. John Adams, in a letter he wrote to his wife, Abigail, about this meeting of the First Continental Congress, said, “The most amazing thing occurred. Even the stern old Quakers had tears gushing down their cheeks.”
Wouldn’t it be wonderful today if our president, our congress, & our Supreme Court, if they would just get down on their knees like our forefathers did & ask, "God, what do you want for this nation?"
ILL. At the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Samuel Adams, often called the "Father of the American Revolution," declared: "We have this day restored the Sovereign to Whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in Heaven, & from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His Kingdom come."
So that’s the third thing that’s right with our nation: “America was founded by men & women who acknowledged God’s supreme rule over men & nations.”
CONCL. Now folks, I’m not anywhere near through with the things that could be said about the founding of our nation. But we need to bring this message to a close. Before I do, though, let me give you just an idea of some of the things that I’m skipping.
First of all, I believe that America was protected & directed by God from the very start. The British Empire at that time possessed the most powerful fighting forces on the face of the earth.
The ragtag assembly of volunteers, farmers & tradesmen who composed the ranks of the Continental Army were out-manned, out-gunned, & out-financed. Only a miracle could have brought them success. And I know of at least 2, maybe 3, miracles for which there are no logical explanations.
Again, American Government is patterned after & based on Biblical principles. Where did they get the idea for 3 branches of government? They got it right out of the Bible, that’s where. And there’s more.
Again, American law as written by our founding fathers guarantees our religious freedom to practice & proclaim our faith, regardless of what many are saying today.
And in accordance with that, there are some thrilling stories about how our young people, & older ones, too, are standing up for their rights, & refusing to let anyone quench their faith & their witness for God.
ILL. By the way, do you know what the tallest structure in Washington, D.C. is? It’s the Washington Monument. And by law, nothing taller than the Washington Monument can be built there. And do you know what is inscribed at the pinnacle of the Washington Monument? These words from scripture: "Let God be praised."
There may be legislators who don’t know that. There may be presidents who don’t know that. There may be Supreme Court justices who don’t know that. But at the very top, the pinnacle of our nation’s capitol city are these words, "Let God be praised."
Oh America, on this Memorial Day, lift up your eyes & praise God for the greatness & the blessings of this country in which we live. Ands may all those who come behind us find us faithful! Let’s pray.
