I got the basic outline and some material from Jerry Shirley’s Jan 6, 2004 “What God Has Done for America”
Some Things We Need to Remember
Dan 5:1-5
Jeffrey Powell
24 May 2009
Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American)
(Toby Keith) ©2002 Tokeco Tunes (BMI)
This was written a few days after the September 11th terrorist attacks. My father was a soldier in the Army in the ‘50s and always flew a flag to show his patriotism. I had just lost him in a car wreck six months before the attacks took place, so I wrote my feelings down. I never really intended for this to be a song. It was originally titled “Angry American.”
American Girls and American Guys We’ll always stand up and salute We’ll always recognize When we see Old Glory Flying There’s a lot of men dead So we can sleep in peace at night When we lay down our head, My daddy served in the army Where he lost his right eye But he flew a flag out in our yard
Until the day that he died He wanted my mother, my brother, my sister and me. To grow up and live happy In the land of the free.
Now this nation that I love Has fallen under attack A mighty sucker punch came flyin’ in From somewhere in the back Soon as we could see clearly Through our big black eye. Man, we lit up your world Like the 4th of July. Hey Uncle Sam Put your name at the top of his list And the Statue of Liberty Started shakin’ her fist And the eagle will fly Man, it’s gonna be hell When you hear Mother Freedom Start ringin’ her bell And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you
Brought to you Courtesy of the Red White and Blue.
Justice will be served And the battle will rage This big dog will fight When you rattle his cage, And you’ll be sorry that you messed with The U.S. of A. `Cause we`ll put a boot in you’re a@# It`s the American way Hey Uncle Sam Put your name at the top of his list And the Statue of Liberty Started shakin’ her fist And the eagle will fly Man, it’s gonna be hell When you hear Mother Freedom Start ringin’ her bell And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you Brought to you Courtesy of the Red White and Blue.
That song has a couple of strong concepts that bring a sense of pride and confidence to us as Americans. One, this nation is blessed to have men and women who possess a freedom fighting spirit. And, two, any nation or group who challenges our freedom better hold on because we have the resources to remove any evidence that they were ever in existence on this planet. Not every nation has this. I believe that a freedom fighting spirit, and the resources to support it are a gift from God to a nation who has historically supported and honored Him.
As we gather on this day before Memorial Day, we celebrate the many who died for our freedom. We are a rich and free nation because of the ultimate sacrifice of hundreds of thousands.
Today I want to encourage you to remember that our rich heritage and future is not just a result of red-blooded American raw courage, ingenuity, and superiority alone. National superiority is from the One and only God Almighty. History is proof that any nation that has failed to recognize this truth has failed and will fall.
We need remember the past so that we may live in the present and have life for the future. We must never forget what God has done in the past for America. We must have our eyes opened to see what God is doing for America in the present. Then we must realize what God will do to America in the future.
I. We Must Remember What God Has Done For America.
A. God Created America.
The first evidence we have of this is what we know from history in that one of the first acts of many colonies specifically Jamestown, Va. Was to build a church.
When the Puritans landed at Plymouth Rock, their first act was to kneel, praise and dedicate new colony to their God.
History records that William Penn who established Penn, NY, DEL, Conn, NC, SC, Georgia, wrote government policies for PA made sure “all treasurers, judges, and all elected officials professed faith in Christ.”
The list of historical actions in the beginning of the country that honor our God and Savior Jesus Christ is enormous. But sadly, America is having a hard time remembering what God has done for her.
Several years back the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that the Ten Commandments memorial placed in the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore must be removed.
Judge Moore authorized the memorial as a reminder that the biblical laws stand as the moral groundwork of American law.
We had a little outcry about it, but it’s gone none the less.
Right now there is a battle going on about a Mojave Memorial that honors WW I & II veterans. The ACLU has stepped in and got a judge to rule that the cross has to be covered up. They put a bag over and someone took it off. Then they boarded it up with a plywood box because they don’t believe America should have religious imagery anywhere on public property. This is serious and is headed to the US Supreme Court. If the ACLU wins, I wouldn’t put it past them to head to Arlington national Cemetery and demand that bags be put over all the crosses of our fallen heroes.
That makes me angry and I hope it makes you angry because our veteran’s memorials are symbols of who we are as a nation and where we have been. They force us to remember that our security and prosperity has been won at a great price, and that those that bear the Name above all names serve to remind us that our sovereignty rest in the hands of Almighty God.
But, here’s the thing, the challenge is not to just any memorial, it’s only to those memorials that point to God. Those memorials may be just wood, steel, or cement but they are a strong symbol of what this nations leaders and population as a who believe.
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.
President John Adams stated, "The law given from Sinai was a civil and municipal code as well as a moral and religious code. These are laws essential to the existence of men in society and most of which have been enacted by every Nation which ever professed any code of laws.
Patrick Henry, first governor of Virginia and a member of the Continental Congress, stated, "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
That is a far cry from the kind of leadership we have today. President Obama gave a speech at Georgetown University a had the Cross of this Catholic University covered while he gave the speech because he didn’t want to offend anyone. He, the leader of the greatest nation on earth, views any symbol of the God who created this nation. It is this type of leadership that has been brewing in this nation for decades that will ultimately lead to the destruction of this nation.
I am not bringing this to your attention to slam the president but to contrast the beginnings and the sustaining power of this great nation with its relationship and recognition of a Holy God, and its present leadership which in complete opposition to the One Almighty God who created it.
I understand that present day politically correct preaching is supposed to stay out and stay separated from the government. And I have not publicly indorsed any political figure from this pulpit. But brothers and sisters of the faith, we are in a battle for this great nation and we must awaken to the call of God and proclaim the truth that keeps us free!
John Adams once remarked, "It is the duty of the clergy to accommodate their discourses to the times, to preach against such sins as are most prevalent, and recommend such virtues as are most wanted. For example, if exorbitant ambition and venality are predominant, ought they not to warn their hearers against those vices?
If public spirit is much wanted, should they not inculcate this great virtue?
If the rights and duties of Christian magistrates and subjects are disputed, should they not explain them, show their nature, ends, limitations, and restrictions, how muchsoever it may move the gall of Massachusetts?"
Those men and women who formed this great nation, who shed their blood for our freedom, were men and women who feared God and devoted themselves to His Holy, Inspired, Infallible Word. When they put up Christians symbols on government or public property they did so because they knew where their freedom came from and they wanted to honor him.
At the present, our leadership is a house of men and women who snub their nose at Almighty God. If the church does not wake up and stand up as we should for this Almighty God, it will not be long before the government will bring plywood and cover up our doors.
You’ve had your Bibles open to Daniel 5, look at vs 3-4
While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
From the Whitehouse to the outhouse our nation is praising the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone instead of Almighty God. We are watching the symbols of a Holy God be treated with utter contempt. We are watching this nation’s leaders feverishly remove every evidence that Jesus has anything to do with existence of this great Nation. This is not tolerance and it will become tyranny, oppression, and dictatorship. That is where these people’s hearts are and we better read the warning signs.
God Created America, God made America great and…
God has Sustained America
We have a rich history of how God miraculously intervened in the creation of this nation. You won’t read this in the public school history books because anti-Christian writers take great pains to remove God’s handiwork in the building of America.
In 1776, British commander William Howe was moving 30,000 Veteran British soldiers to take NY. Gen. George Washington only had 18,000 inexperienced troops.
The British troops were gaining ground and Washington lost 1,000 men and 2 top Generals. Outnumber and outclassed, Washington’s troops were discouraged. But for some reason the British halted their troops. They could have pressed on and destroyed Washington and his troops at the banks of the Delaware trapped on Long Island because the only route of escape was treacherous East river. The wind was blowing, icy cold rain was coming down and the river was full ice that would crush their boats as the waves and ice battered against them. There was no way out and William Howe, for some unknown reason, decided to wait till morning to attack.
With no escape possible, what did Washington do? He called for a prayer meeting to ask for God’s guidance and help. Then he decided to cross river in the midst of the storm any way. Then suddenly the wind died and rain stopped. The river calmed smooth as glass. As they started crossing and gentle breeze came up behind them to push them along. Even with this miracle it still would be impossible to get all troops across to Manhattan Island before daybreak. But then God stepped in again because just before daybreak, a thick fog draped over them and hid them from British troops. When the fog lifted, British commander Howe was shocked. Washington troops had escaped. Washington and men recognized God’s blessings on America.
History is full of stories just that were God has stepped in and sustained our freedom.
Today we remember those men and women who paid with their lives for the freedom we enjoy. But we must recognize, that it is God Almighty who give us the great men and women and resources necessary to sustain this freedom.
What has God done? God created America and Sustained America.
II. What God Is Doing For America
God is Watching America. He sees how far we have come since our birth in 1776. He is watching the Church and the impact we are having on this land. And we must shamefully admit that God’s people are dropping the ball when it comes to having an impact.
Authorities tell us servicemen in Iraq are safer than our own citizens walking thru streets of our major cities.
National statistics report a murder every 24 minutes, forcible rape = 7 min. Robbery = 68 seconds, Aggravated assault 51 sec. Violent crime 27 sec. ; which a means a major crime is committed every 3 seconds in America.
Nationwide, 46.8 percent of students (K-12) have had sexual intercourse.
There are 19 million new cases of STIs reported per year; half of which occur among 15-24 year olds. 19 million is equal to the combined populations of Chicago, Phoenix, San Francisco and Oklahoma City.
These statistics are not unique to unchurched. These are our people, supposedly God’s people.
There have always been elements within society that want an anarchic, ungoverned social approach to sexual behavior. From the 1960s—the dawn of the "sexual revolution"—until the late 1990s, the sexual anarchists largely had their way in influencing society through legislation and education. Sexual anarchists controlled congressional purse strings for sex education funding. The results were disastrous. Then in the late 90’s Abstinence education was started and has had some promising effects:
Teen Sexual Activity is Decreasing (Abstinence ed is working!):
1991 = 54.1% high school students were active
1995 = 53.1%
1999 = 49.9%
2003 = 46.7%
2005 = 46.8%
Teen Birth Rates are Decreasing (Abstinence ed is working!)
1991 = 61.8 per 1,000 teens
2006 = 41.9 per 1,000 teens
However, this year, and here’s another one of those signs: under the Obama administration, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 conveniently left out continued funding for Title V abstinence education.
The elected officials America put in office don’t believe in moral based education. Their mission is to shred anything that promotes Christianity.
The sad truth is that today there are more than enough churches to with more than enough Christians to turn these statics around. But for some reason the church is growing more and more powerless as secular government produces more and more policies to remove God from America.
Where is the living God in all this?
God is not only Watching but I believe, Warning America
In Jesus’ day His world was not unlike ours. The Gov/churches were corrupt. But one day in midst of Jewish holiday among crowds in street Jesus stood up and shouted, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life…” Today amid our confused world those words are still echoing.
Christians should know and respect with an understanding that guides our lives Who it is that sustains the freedom we enjoy. “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life…” was not a suggested statement for curious onlookers. It was and is a statement of the “what and where” of “Life, liberty, and freedom.”
What we enjoy as American’s today began in the hearts of Christians hundreds of years past. They believed the “life, truth and way” enough to leave their homes and cross an ocean to begin living under the stars with no beds, no readily available food or shelter; no doctors, medicine or any real comfort. What they had was faith in God, faith in Jesus Christ, “the Way the Truth and the Life. They had His Word and were determined to find a place where they could live accordingly as God directed them.
We live in a land with more than enough church members to keep that Truth alive, but sadly the church is complacent and holding on to an unconscious belief that this nation will survive with or without God. Our churches are on the same track as the rest of a materialistic America. The common passion is for Iphones, laptops, fast cars, loud music, tanning beds and implants. They go to church Sunday by Sunday with a concerned, but mostly indifferent ear to the signs all around. Instead of recognizing the urgency for public righteous living, fasting, and prayers, they take their ease and enjoy their freedom.
Some of you remember well, where you were Dec 7 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked. At the time, the public didn’t know all the warning signs our government had received that could have prevented that attack or at least kept it from being so horrific. Some of you vividly remember where you were September 11 2001. At the time we didn’t know all the warning signs that our government had been given that would have completely stopped that attack.
Christians, the warning signs are all around us. We live in cities and counties with more than enough churches to storm the gates of hell. We have an overwhelming army of Christians attending worship each Sunday with the message of salvation that if let loose would turn America into a revival. But sadly, our church membership is dwindling, evil is triumphing and the gospel message is being safeguarded inside the walls of our hearts and buildings.
That ought to be a wakeup call. We know that Jesus is the way. We know life and freedom are found in Him and His commandments. But what does that mean to us who know Him and to our society who is overwhelmingly rejecting His demands for righteousness?
III What Does God Want to Do for America?
1. God created America to Carry out the Great Commission. It is the fulfillment of the Great Commission that has brought true freedom to any nation. Jesus said in John 8
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
God wants us to do what He called us to do. His passion is for the souls of lost men and women and we live in a nation saturated with the lost. The most assessable mission field for most of us is right across the street from our house. If we, as God’s chosen people for this time in history will recognize the Great Commission as our personal mission in life, we will see major changes in this great land.
2.God Created America as a Beacon of Freedom and Hope. History has proven that only hearts given to Jesus will maintain a society given to freedom. History and the present world we live is proof positive, “Where there is little Jesus, there is little freedom, But where there is much Jesus there is much freedom.
No matter where you look all around this globe, if Christianity isn’t being freely practiced, then corruption of all sorts is being freely produced. Whether it’s Communist China or Islamic Iran, if Jesus Christ is forbidden so is freedom.
No nation can thrive in freedom and prosperity without God’s blessing. And no nation will get His blessing while God’s people set back and allow sin and evil to rule.
God blessed this nation and gave us the most power military force this world has ever known. Today we remember their sacrifice and dedication to one nation under God. We thank God for the freedom we enjoy. But church I pray that we can recognize the importance of these words in 2 Chr 7:14
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Church leaders across this great nation are calling for times of prayer and fasting and repentance. God is calling you
“Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were [are] about to die” Rev 3:2 and
“Remember therefore from where you [we] have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.” Let God speak to your heart.
