KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL!
Romans 10:15
INTRODUCTION
I believe out of all of the 200 some odd countries in the world, America is the most blessed.
Do you believe that America is a blessed nation?
If you don’t, all you have to do is take a few international trips to some foreign countries and survey their people and their culture to see that America is indeed blessed.
In most countries, when you get a chance to speak to the average citizen and you ask them which country they would prefer to live in if they could, almost always they will say, “America.”
Even though there is some Anti-Americanism over seas, there are still many people who admire America and given the opportunity would jump at the chance to move here and make a life on our soil.
• Why is America the envy of the world?
• Why is the American dollar valued over every other foreign currency?
• Why is America’s Army The Most Elite Military Force in the world?
• Why did the great inventor, Alexander Graham Bell refuse to put on his grave stone any mention of his numerous inventions and honors but rather put this instead:
Alexander Graham Bell
Inventor-Teacher
Born
Edinburgh
March 3, 1847
Died
A Citizen of the U.S.A
1922
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” - Psalm 33:12
Turn that verse around and it simply says:
“The nation whose God is the Lord is blessed.”
Now, some people who read this verse would immediately throw their hand up and say:
“Wait a minute. A nation isn’t supposed to espouse any God at all. A nation should be religiously neutral. Remember, separation of church and state.”
The phrase separation of church and state is very misleading.
It really is a misinterpretation of the 1st amendment of the United States.
1947 was the first time the Supreme Court used this phrase in it’s explanation of one of its decisions.
The actual words, separation of church and state, are not found in the constitution of the United States.
Some people say that originally, the founding fathers meant by the 1st amendment that religion and government should be neutral.
But I don’t think that was their original intent.
As I was researching for this message, I ran across the requirements that the State of Delaware imposed on its delegates who were chosen to represent them at the Constitutional Convention.
If you were going to represent the State of Delaware at the Constitutional Convention, listen to what Article 22 in the Constitution of Delaware said:
“Every person, who shall be chosen a member of either house, or appointed to any office or place of trust…shall…make and subscribe the following declaration, to wit: “I, ___________, do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed for evermore; and I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration.”
This is just one example of the kind of faith that our founding fathers expressed as they formed the constitution of the United States.
It doesn’t sound like their intent was to keep God out of Government or the public sector.
As a matter of fact, listen to this quote from President James Madison, who was the fourth president of the United States and considered the most influential contributor to the Constitution of the United States:
“We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”
America was born making the Lord its God.
And as Psalm 33:12 says, “Whenever a nation makes the Lord its God, it is blessed.”
Without a doubt…America has been blessed because at least in the beginning, it started out honoring God and His principles found in His Word, The Bible.
And so, we sing songs like, “America The Beautiful which has lines like: ‘God shed His grace on thee’.
America is blessed, indeed America is beautiful, because God has shed His grace on us.
And why would God shed His grace on us?
Well, notice these verses from Romans 10:15.
“As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who brings glad tidings of good things!”
God looks at those who take the Gospel to other people, cultures and lands as beautiful.
He looks at their feet, which have carried them from where they lived to where other people lived, and says that when those feet were used to carry the Gospel message, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, they were beautiful feet.
And throughout her almost 300 year history, America has had many beautiful feet that have taken the Gospel of Jesus Christ literally all over this world.
America Is Beautiful Because America Has Proclaimed The Gospel.
Throughout its history America has been like a lighthouse to the rest of the world, lighting the way for others to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We call this missions. Taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to other peoples, cultures and countries is called missions.
Those who take the good news of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection are called missionaries.
And I believe that God has mightily blessed America because of the many missionaries that have gone out to other lands to preach the good news of the Gospel.
God says those who do this have beautiful feet.
We say that America is beautiful.
And I think that America has possessed a beauty beyond her mountain ranges, great lakes and open prairies.
I think America has possessed a beauty that God has given it because of its commitment to share the gospel with the rest of the world.
In the 1960’s, the Keep America Beautiful, Inc launched its anti-litter Public Service Announcements.
Their caption read: KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL: DON’T LITTER.
But I want to say that I believe in order to keep America beautiful, you and I are going to have to do more than merely pick up trash and refrain from littering.
We’re going to have to do something spiritual.
Something Biblical.
If you and I are going to help keep America beautiful we are going to have to do three things.
Keep America Beautiful.
Defend The Gospel!
One of the greatest dangers threatening America’s God-given beauty today is the error that is being mixed in with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
So called “Religious Experts” today are littering on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and throwing the trash of doctrinal error on it.
As Paul told the Galatian Christians:
“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel of heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you, than what you have received, let him be accursed.” – Galatians 1:6-9
There are many today who want to pervert the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As Paul said, these are phonies and false gospels.
There is only one true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In this passage in Romans Paul tells us that one of the errors some people are attempting to mix into the gospel is the error that salvation comes through good works, not through faith.
Some people believe that as long as their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds in the end, they’ll make it into heaven.
But listen to what Paul says.
“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Paul clearly says that there are groups who are seeking to circumvent God’s plan and have created their own plan which they think will get them into heaven.
Their plan goes like this:
My good works = the salvation of my soul
But Paul says they are wrong.
How does a person get saved? How can a person go to heaven?
Notice how Paul says salvation comes to a person.
“…If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture says, ‘whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame’.” – Romans 10:9-11
Salvation, Paul says, comes whenever you and I place our faith in Jesus Christ.
We cannot work our way to heaven anymore than we could sail across the ocean in a paper boat.
It just won’t work.
There’s only one way to God and that is through Jesus Christ.
And if you are I are going to keep America beautiful, then we must defend the Gospel from this gross doctrinal error of works salvation.
Illustration: Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation.
Sola Fide= Faith alone
There’s a second error you and I must defend God’s Gospel from.
The error, which says:
“The Gospel Is Exclusive. Only certain people can become Christians.”
But is that really true? Is the Gospel of Jesus Christ some elite club that only a few privileged people can become a part of?
Notice what Paul says in Romans 10:12-13:
“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Paul says that there’s no distinction between Jew and Greek.
Paul say whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
We must defend the fact that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, but we must also defend the fact that Jesus offers salvation to anyone regardless of race, origin, background or socio-economic status.
God always accepts the man or woman who will humble himself and come to God on God’s terms.
Illustration: If the doctor says there’s only one way to save your baby, and that’s by having a c-section. Should I then call that doctor a bigot and say, You’re being exclusive doc.
No. I say, Okay, there’s only one way. Let’s do it!
A 3rd error that many people will try to mix the gospel with is the error that says:
God wants all Christians to be wealthy, prosperous, and rich.
Notice verse 12:
“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.”
Now it doesn’t say that the same Lord over all will make rich all who call upon Him.
But this is how a lot of people read their Bibles.
They tell you that if you give your life to Christ, speak enough words of faith to yourself, and send your money into a television show, then God will take away all your money problems and maybe even your health problems too.
“Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, ‘Lord, I will follow you wherever you go’. And Jesus said, “foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” – Luke 9:57-58
Jesus says, “Be careful that you don’t enter into this Christian life business thinking it will be a lucrative deal for you.”
It won’t. Following me may mean poverty, it may mean sickness, it may mean loss.
Don’t follow me hoping to get rich off me. It won’t work.
That’s not what this is about.
We must defend Christ’s Gospel from this error.
I Peter 3:15:
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.”
Keep America Beautiful.
Declare The Gospel!
If you and I are going to KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL, then not only must we defend the gospel, we must also declare the gospel.
We must proclaim it, preach it, speak it.
In today’s world, the word ‘preach’ or preaching has become a bad word.
Today to many people it carries a negative connotation.
• We say things like:
“Why are you always preaching to me?”
• We say, “I don’t mean to preach, but…”
• Or we say, “I don’t want to get preachy, but…”
But in the Bible, the word preach is a beautiful word.
And those who preach are said to have beautiful feet.
To Preach: simply means to herald, to proclaim, to make something known.
And every Christian ought to be a preacher of the Gospel.
Not every Christian will become a Pastor, but every Christian is to be a proclaimer and a herald of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Notice what Paul says in Romans 10:14-15:
“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? How beautiful are the feet of them who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”
Keep America Beautiful.
Demonstrate The Gospel!
“But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our report’?” – Romans 10:16
“Never before in the history of the United States has the gospel of Jesus Christ made such inroads while at the same time making so little difference in how people actually live.” – George Gallup
