SERMON BRIEF
Date Written: July 1, 2010
Date Preached: July 4, 2010
Church: OPBC (AM)
FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS
Series: Special Events/Days
Title: In America, what does Patriotism have to do
with Serving God!
Text: Hebrews 12:1-2 [ESV]
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
INTRODUCTION:
Today is Independence Day, and what I want us to understand is that this holiday is so much more than just hotdogs, cook outs, swimming and fireworks.
This holiday represents our country’s foundation and it represents HOW our country was founded… rooted and established on Christian principles that are found in God’s Word!
Now liberals and those who are history revisionists will say that our nation was NOT founded on God’s Word or by those seeking to worship Jesus, but historical information proves them wrong time and time again…
Our Founding Fathers were UNAPOLOGETIC in their faith, and in the fact that the founding of this country was something God had done… it was as much a spiritual issue for them as it ever was a patriotic issue…
Let me share some very common quotes from our Founding Fathers that represent their heart…and represent the desire of this great group of men when they… LED by God formed this great nation of ours!
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the gospel of Jesus Christ."
-- Patrick Henry
"We have no government armed with power cable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people... it is wholly inadequate to the government of any other..."
-- John Adams
When looking at our Founding Fathers, we know and understand that they were human and had their failures…as we ALL do. I recently read this about one of our Founding Fathers.
He rode among his army yesterday and admonished each and every one to fear God, to put away the wickedness that had set in and become so general, and to practice the Christian virtues.
From all appearances this gentleman does not belong to the so-called world of society, for he respects God's word, believes in the atonement through Christ and bears himself in humility and gentleness.
Therefore, the Lord God has also singularly, yes, marvelously preserved him from harm in the midst of countless perils and has hitherto graciously held him in his hand as a chosen vessel."
Of whom does the writer speak? Who is this humble gentleman who restrains evil and promotes goodness by precept and example? Have you guessed? General George Washington, a man who recognized the relationship between the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man in the affairs of state.
For instance, George Washington could say on the one hand, "It pleases the Almighty Ruler of the universe to defend the cause of these United American States, and finally to raise up a powerful Prince to establish liberty and independence upon the lasting foundation." Clear testimony to an understanding of God's lordship in the affairs of this nation.
And yet on the other hand, George Washington could pray, "Let my heart, gracious God, be so affected with the glory and majesty of Thine honor, that I may not do my own works, but wait on Thee, and discharge those weighty duties which Thou doest require of me. I acknowledge and confess my faults in the weak and imperfect performance of the duties of this day, direct my thoughts, my words and my work." A clear testimony to his understanding of his own role in the affairs of this nation.
What an encouragement to find in the heart of a national leader this understanding of the balance between the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man in matters of government.
In his farewell address to the nation after he had served two terms as President, George Washington is quoted as saying this…"Do not let anyone claim tribute of American patriotism if they even attempt to remove religion from politics."
This morning, I find great comfort and take solace in the fact that we were founded by such men as George Washington. Today as we contemplate our nation’s 234th birthday, we can rest in God's sovereignty in forming our nation, but we cannot forget our responsibility to keep this a Christian nation!
Scripture tells us in Psalm 33:12 that, Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, Now the Psalmist was directing this statement toward the people of Israel but it can be applied to ANY nation… When we lift up God, our nation is blessed!
With that being said, there is NO better place to start when thinking of patriotism and love of country than the local church and the body of Christ! We are the people called by HIS name… and it is our calling to be God’s people in our nation! Another verse of Scripture that was directed toward the Israelites but also applies to any nation who puts it into practice is when God told Solomon what it would take for Israel to turn around…
2 Chronicles 7:14 - "lf my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land."
Patriotism to our country is GOOD, but faithfulness and obedience to our Savior is foundational for ANY country to succeed and prosper! And when we look at the words of our Founding Fathers, we see that they knew this… they understood that America would NEVER move forward without the leadership of God!
And yet when we read these quotes from our Founding Fathers, we come to realize just how OFF TRACK and lost the modern day politician, political activist, the current media are…
It is their desire to revise history to fit their personal viewpoints and there has been a massive campaign for the past 70-80 yrs to dilute and distort the TRUE and RIGHT nature about the founding of our country!
Those who came to this land fleeing religious persecution desired ONE thing and that was to be able to freely worship Jesus Christ and exalt His Lordship and Sovereignty in their lives!
Ultimately, America was founded by men and women who believed as those early Pilgrims did and in their own words they exalted Jesus Christ and believed firmly and resolutely that this nation could NOT be formed outside of the leadership of Jesus Christ!
With today being the birthday of our nation and we KNOW how our Founding Fathers felt about God and this nation… I want us to take a look at a parallel that we can see between our Founding Father’s allegiance and what OUR allegiance to should be in regards to our country and the One we call the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ!
First let’s take a look at these men whom we call our Founding Fathers…
They Made A Bold Declaration
What many people do NOT realize is that the initial battles of the American Revolution were NOT battles to form a new country, but battles to restore the rights of the citizens that the King had taken away.
But it was during this time that Patrick Henry, a man from Virginia rallied his countrymen to the idea of TOTAL freedom from England!
"It is in vain, sir to extenuate the matter. Gentleman may cry peace, peace, but there is no peace. The war has actually begun! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle?
What is it that gentleman wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery. Forbid it, almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death."
Then on July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted NOT to merely seek rights restoration, but they voted to declare independence, and would accept nothing less than absolute freedom from England. 2 days later on July 4th, the final wording was ratified and signed by ALL 56 members, representing the 13 colonies.
After the declaration was signed couriers took copies of it to George Washington who was with his troops in New York -- and on July 9th the declaration was read to the militia troops. This was a bold step by our leaders… it was BOLD declaration! We were challenging the most powerful empire of the world at the time.
At the time, we had NO official Army or Navy, and were manned only by volunteer militia units from the various colonies. However, these citizens were ready to defend their home and families… they were ready to throw off the chains of tyranny!
Our leaders boldly proclaimed to the most powerful nation in the world that we would NO longer stand for their oppression and were willing to fight and DIE [if need be] for our total freedom!
They made a bold statement, but it did not stop there, with this bold statement came a very harsh response from England and as a result of this bold statement, the leaders had to pay a high price for their stance!
They Paid A High Price
Once the declaration was made, we HAD to fight for our freedom. This proved especially difficult, partly because the people never fully united behind the war effort.
You see, there were a large number of colonists (about 1/3) who remained apathetic about the situation… they did not seem to care either way. And then there were as many as 1/3 of the population who actually thought it was England’s right to impose these things on the colonies… after all it was England who founded them! They called themselves loyalists.
This meant that victory in the Revolutionary War would be dependent upon those who believed we should be free! That was about 1/3 of the entire population.
Historical records indicate that over 33,000 men and families who were directly affected by the battles and rigors of our War for Independence. However, what about those 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? What price did they pay?
Of the 56 men:
5 were captured by the British and tortured before they died.
12 had their homes ransacked and burned.
2 lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army.
Another 2 sons were captured.
9 of the 56 fought and died from wounds of hardship of the war.
It is one thing to make a bold statement in the safety of a Continental Congress meeting… an ocean away from who you are declaring independence from… HOWEVER, it’s quite another thing to fulfill that bold statement on the field of battle, to be willing to pay for that declaration with blood; the blood of you and your family - and your neighbors...
Looking into the face of history we can see that the Founding Fathers made a bold statement, and as a result they paid a very high price. But that price was NOT without result… as their boldness and dedication… their pain and suffering produced great results!
They Reaped A Great Reward
The war for our independence that began on April 19, 1775, officially ended when the treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, nearly 2 years after the Gen Corwallis had surrendered!
Our Founding Fathers made a bold statement.
Our Founding Fathers paid a high price.
And now because of their statements and actions our NATION reaped a great reward! We won our freedom, and were delivered from our oppressor and we had obtained our independence as a nation.
At that time a very particular kind of nation was established! We became a nation where every human being could be free, and have something to say about how they were governed.
And tho’ many signers of that Declaration of Independence paid a very high price, there were still others who reaped a great reward:
2 of the signers became Presidents,
10 US Congressman,
19 Judges,
16 became Governors and
dozens of others held other high political offices -- not to mention the enduring place they hold in our history.....)
They made a bold statement; they paid a great price and they reaped a great reward (freedom, a new land, new country a bright future, a bright future - a new beginning)
So pastor what does this have to do with church? What does this have to do with serving God? Well we can see a stark parallel between those Founding Fathers and those today who profess Jesus Christ as Savior!
We Too Made A Bold Declaration
If you are here today and you call yourself a Christian, YOU TOO have made a bold statement. You have declared your allegiance is to Jesus first and then to others! Your confession of Christ has brought you forgiveness and salvation! That which was promised in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Do you remember the day you declared to the world that you believed in Jesus? The day you professed Him as your Lord and Savior? The day you broke ranks with the oppressed of this sinful world and pledged your allegiance with Christ and declared your independence from the oppression of sin? Do you remember the day you said to your own soul… Give me liberty (Christ) or give me death?
Spiritually speaking when you did this, you were making a bold statement to the world around you AND to the powers of evil that had held you captive for all those years… bound by guilt, sin and selfish living!
In confessing Christ you made the boldest decision anyone could ever make…you stood in the face of our enemy, Satan and renounced your allegiance with Him and PRONOUNCED that Jesus was now the focus of your life… THAT is a bold statement… a statement that Satan does NOT like! You were proclaiming what Paul proclaimed in Gal 2:20 [ESV]
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
This is a BOLD statement to say to the world around you that you will no longer, live for yourself, you will no longer, seek your will for your life, and that you will no longer, live for the things of the world (power, pleasure, popularity and possessions).
But instead you have declared that you will live your life to seek God’s will, seeking to do what pleases Him! You are making the BOLD statement that God is first in your life!
The statement is akin to what Joshua said in Joshua 24 when he said, “15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
When you pledged your allegiance to the Lamb of God, you were making a very bold statement and that along with that bold statement we are going to pay a HIGH price!
You Must Also Pay A High Price
Those who followed Jesus understood and endured suffering and persecution that followed their bold statement of Jesus as Lord…
All of the disciples except one died a martyr’s death and they all endure great hardship and suffering because of their STATEMENT for Jesus as Savior! Hebrew 11 speaks of the high price many have had to pay for declaring Jesus as Lord.
“…Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy— wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth…”
There is a high cost for declaring Jesus as the Lord of your life… that cost is TOTAL allegiance NOT to our country or even to ourselves, but to the One who is Lord of Lords and King of Kings!
Its one thing, to make a bold statement in the comfort of a church building surrounded by church members and like-minded people! However, it is quite another to live out that bold declaration in your day to day life!
Declaring anything by voice is easy, but living out our convictions in the form of our own actions is a much more difficult thing to do… and we will suffer because of it…
But realize that the battle is NEVER won by those who making the statement! Understand that VICTORY is NEVER found in speaking words!
We cannot overcome by simply lifting up our voice! Victory only comes to those who are willing to be vigilant and pay the price FOR the statement they have made!
When we declare Christ to the world, we are declaring war against; "the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world, we are taking a stand against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms..."
In our Christian walk, there are real battles to be fought, real struggles for us to overcome and we are called in scripture to; "finish the race," "to fight the good fight," "to endure hardships like a good soldier."
YES, my fellow brothers and sisters… we are AT war! YES! We have a real enemy, and he does not like it when we opposes and challenge him!
He has proven that he will attack us, pursue us, tempt us, and try to make us lose our faith and fail in our walk in Christ! At times, he will come at us head on just like a roaring lion, and at other times he will appear as an angel of light, so smooth and lovely.
And just like our Founding Fathers, we do NOT fight this battle with the full support of all who are among us… I will tell you that of those who claim Jesus as Savior, NOT all are dedicated to the spiritual battles we must face! Not all are the warrior God called them to be…
Sadly, some even remain faithful and sympathetic to the enemy, and make the way hard for those of us who strive to see Christ exalted! But our detractors within the church are not all sympathetic to the enemy, but there others who simply do NOT care… they are indifferent… they are apathetic to the battle we are in…
I want us to understand that THERE is NO mistake about it - there is a high price to pay when we declare JESUS IS OUR LORD.... And when we place our faith and trust in Him, our Lord demands our total, unswerving and radical allegiance!
In Luke 9 Jesus said…
23 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
Scripture also warns about declaring Jesus with their mouths… but NOT willing to back up that declaration with their lives!
Jesus said in Matt 7:21-23, 21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
So WHAT is it that gets in the way of people keeping and fulfilling their declaration to Christ? The simplest answer can be found in one word...
"SELF" It is our own self that gets in the way! It’s OUR pride, OUR opinion, OUR desires, OUR comfort, OUR convenience, OUR will, OUR way... Many SAY "I pledge allegiance to the lamb" but in reality their allegiance is to THEMSELVES…NOT God.
However, when we ARE willing, the reward is great, the reward is worth it!
Reap A Great Reward
Jesus tells us in Jn 8:32, “
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will MAKE you free."
When we are ‘freed’ by Christ, we are freed from condemnation and the bondage of sin… NOT to go our own way, but to follow Him! To serve Him! Jesus not only becomes our Savior, but He becomes our Lord and we are called to be obedient and serve Him! We are freed from sin!
But freedom from sin is NOT all… because of what Jesus has done for us… because of the grace that God bestows upon those who place faith and trust in Jesus, we have a another great reward…
Rom 8:1 tells us that…
"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.."
Not only will we win our freedom from sin! We also escape death and the condemnation of God… We are no longer an enemy of God but we are an heir to His glory… a promised heir to eternal glory with Him in Heaven!
Freedom from sin AND the escape from the condemnation of Almighty God are great rewards, but we are also introduced to a familial type of fellowship that nurtures us in our spirit… Scripture speaks about how our fellowship must be a unified and ‘Koininia’ fellowship!
When we are saved we become part of the established church… the family of God. The family of God or… the church is where all people can come to know Jesus as Lord and experience great things...
In the church we can experience:
the good news being preached to all…
freedom being proclaimed and lived out…
recovery of our spiritual sight where we are NO longer spiritually blind…
the burdens and oppressions of this life to be released…
a place of hope for in a time of hopelessness…
a place of joy despite all of our circumstances…
a place of peace that the Bible says we cannot understand…
a place of love, forgiveness, healing and acceptance…where we bear up each other and help each other with their burdens…
a place of new beginnings and 2nd chances...
And that is not all. One day we will reap what is perhaps the greatest reward of all. One day we will stand before the Lord and all His glory and receive the crown of life which he gives to those who love him and long for his coming....
And we will hear those most precious words of the ages; "Well done they good and faithful servant, come and share your masters happiness..."
Our statement is bold, our suffering is real, but in the end our reward is beyond our comprehension to know! We are rewarded by the God of the universe to serve Him in this world, so that we can and WILL enjoy eternal fellowship with Him in the life to come…
This morning you come to worship in a church in a great and wonderful country… a country founded by men who followed God! They unashamedly proclaimed Christ and uplifted God as the founding element for our nation… Today I call on you to remember these great men, but remember MORE SO the Savior by which they all claimed allegiance… Jesus Christ!
Today if you do not know Jesus Christ as your savior.. I call on you to surrender to Him today, give your heart to Him and allow Him to provide you with peace in this life and an eternal resting place in His kingdom… Come as Bro Steve leads us in our hymn of invitation…
