“America – land that I love”
Signed – “God”
July 4, 2010 – Today the United States is 234 years old.
"Remember Me"
Lately I have become concerned about the people I represent. I no
longer see the Pride in your eyes that I once seen when I traveled
down your streets in the Veterans Day parades and on the 4th of
July. The people that once saluted me and those that held their
hand over their heart as I passed now just look around to see what
others are doing.
Could it be that they don’t see me? This is what it must be, because
I haven’t changed. I am still the same flag that accompanied so many
of our countrymen as they defended this great country.
As I wave in the breeze I am waving for each and ever one of them.
I represent the people of this country and not the disappointment
you may have with our Government. I have never had a vote in anything.
I stand for the freedom that the people have given to this country.
You are the heroes, not the Government.
You are the ones that go to work each day and do what is necessary
to see that the children have clothes and shoes and plenty of food.
That is why I call you heroes. This is the spirit that I represent.
This is why I was created, as a constant reminder to the people of
American that with pride in our country and a strong belief in God
we can over come any obstacle that is put in our path. We are still
the greatest country in the world. WE ARE AMERICA.
So the next time you pass by me just give me a wink or allow a
glimmer of pride or just a simple wave to let all the soldiers that
have died so you can live free and I can fly free will know that their
sacrifice was not in vain.
Signed: Your Flag
Colors of the flag: from - http://www.helpsaveamerica.com/meaning-of-our-flag.htm
THE MEANING OF THE COLORS IN THE FLAG – spoken by the flag.
My red stands for the blood that was shed for the freedom I represent. Yet, my red originated from the blood of Jesus who died and rose again for those who believe in Him and for whom the Pilgrims came to this country for religious freedom and for the freedom from tyrants who would not let them worship God except in a national denominational church. My people are now free to worship in the church of their
choice whether it be Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Calvary Chapel, Evangelical Free, Brethren, Episcopalian, Catholic, Vineyard or other denominations who believe in the One True God of the Bible. People here are even free to disbelieve or to doubt. All we ask in America is that the ones who do not believe in Jesus will not try to use the freedoms we give them to try to take away the freedoms of those of us who do believe in Jesus. Our Founders held church services in the Rotunda of the Capitol, in the treasury office, and in the offices of the Supreme Court. By 1867, the church in the Capitol had become the largest church in Washington, and the largest Protestant church in America. (from James Hutson, Chief of the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, Religion and the Founding of the American Republic, Washington, D.C., Library of Congress 1998). This, among many other historical writings and facts, is proof that the recent claims of a separation of church and state did not exist among the original intent
of our Founders.
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." Psalm 33:12
My blue stands for heaven, the eternal dwelling place of those who go to be with the eternal, everlasting Father who created us. My blue reminds me that those who want to go to heaven must believe and put their trust and belief in God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Obedience to the written message that God gave to them in His Holy Book, the Bible is the proof of my people’s faith in God.
My white reminds me that my motives must always remain pure, unselfish, without greed, & with arms outstretched to welcome all who long for freedom, justice, opportunity and equality under the law. My white reminds me that because I am the symbol of a Christian nation founded upon Christian principles and the law of God represented by God’s Ten Commandments that I am only pure and righteous because I was washed white in the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, and Savior of all who trust in Him.
"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people."
Proverbs 14:34
May all who love me work to elect Godly men and women who will live Godly lives in private and in public, who will honor me in their homes, their hearts, and in our nation, who will make righteous laws which reflect God’s righteous rules in His Holy Word, the Bible.
Thesis: God loves the United States and He is warning her to change her path so that He can bless her again and not allow disasters to destroy her.
Texts:
2 Chronicles 7:11-22
The LORD Appears to Solomon
11When Solomon had finished the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the LORD and in his own palace,
12the LORD appeared to him at night and said:“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.
13“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people,
14if 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 will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
15Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.
16I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
17“As for you, if you walk before me as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws,
18I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a man to rule over Israel.’
19“But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them,
20then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.
21And though this temple is now so imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’
22People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”
Judges 17:6, 21:25:
“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.”
“Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord…”
Introduction:
How long will America have to suffer before she awakens to the fact that God is trying to get her attention to get her to return back to Him?
God does use natural disasters, human disasters and economic disaster to get the attention of a nation that is departing from Him and moving from a nation under God to a nation under evil.
Just read 2 Chronicles 7:13: “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people.”
This verse tells me that God uses disasters to awaken a nation that is slipping quickly into sin. It’s to get the attention of the nation and His people. It’s to get them to repent and turn from their wicked ways.
Has God been trying to get the attention of this nation in 2010?
Let’s look at a few disasters that have hit just this year – we are about 6 months into the this new year and the following has happened already – it’s an astounding amount of disasters:
2010 Housing predictor facts and forecasts: http://www.housingpredictor.com/recession.html.
The following From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2010 Natural Disasters:
Eureka earthquake: The 2010 Eureka earthquake occurred on January 9, 2010 at 4:27:38 p.m. PST offshore of Humboldt County, California, United States. The magnitude was measured as 6.5 Mw, and its epicenter was located offshore in the Pacific Ocean 33 miles west of the nearest major city, Eureka.[1][2][3][4][5] Additionally, there was a separate earthquake further offshore of Eureka on February 4, its magnitude was slightly less, at 5.9.[6] It was also the most significant earthquake in the Eureka area in terms of magnitude since an earthquake in 1992.
Tornado outbreak: The April-May 2010 tornado outbreak is a multi-day tornado outbreak across a large portion of the Southern United States occurring at the end of April and the beginning of May 2010. Five people were killed from the tornadoes - one in Arkansas, one in Tennessee and three in Mississippi.
Tennessee Floods: The May 2010 Tennessee floods were 1000-year floods in Middle Tennessee, West Tennessee, South Central and Western Kentucky and northern Mississippi as the result of torrential rains on May 1 and 2, 2010. Floods from these rains affected the area for several days afterwards, resulting in a number of deaths and widespread property damage. Two-day rain totals in some areas were greater than 19 inches (49 cm). The Cumberland River crested at 51.86 feet in Nashville, a level not seen since 1937, which was before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control measures were in place. All-time record crests were observed on the Cumberland River at Clarksville, the Duck River at Centerville and Hurricane Mills, the Buffalo River at Lobelville, the Harpeth River at Kingston Springs and Bellevue, and the Red River at Port Royal.
Arkansas floods: The June 2010 Arkansas floods were flash floods that killed at least 20 people near Caddo Gap, Arkansas, United States, in the early morning of June 11, 2010. Heavy, localized rainfall from six to eight inches (150–200 mm) flooded the Little Missouri and Caddo rivers, sweeping through campsites in the Ouachita National Forest.
3 major blizzards: The First North American Blizzard of 2010 was a winter storm in Feb 3-6th and severe weather event that tracked from the U.S. states of California to Arizona through northern Mexico, the American Southwest, the Midwest, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic regions.[2] The storm created extensive flooding and landslides in Mexico, as well as historic snowfall totals in the Mid-Atlantic states, rivaling the Knickerbocker Storm of 1922. The storm stretched from Mexico and New Mexico to New Jersey before moving out to sea, then turning north to impact the Maritime Provinces of Canada. The storm caused deaths in Mexico, New Mexico, Maryland, and Virginia. Blizzard conditions were reported in a relatively small area of Maryland, but near-blizzard conditions occurred through a large part of the Mid-Atlantic States.[3] Additionally, some places across Eastern West Virginia, Maryland, Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Southwestern Pennsylvania, South Central Pennsylvania, Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey received between 20 inches (0.51 m) and 40 inches (1.02 m) of snow, bringing air and Interstate Highway travel to a complete halt. While rail service south and west of Washington, D.C. was suspended, rail travel between DC and Boston was available with limited service.[4]
The storm was followed just three days later by the Second North American Blizzard of 2010.
The Second North American blizzard of 2010 was a winter storm and severe weather event that afflicted the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of the United States between February 9–11, 2010, affecting some of the same regions that had just experienced a historic Nor’easter 3 days prior. The storm dumped 12 to 40 inches (30 to 100 cm) of snow across a wide swath from Washington, DC to Boston, with parts of the Philadelphia metro area receiving 18 to 24 inches (46 to 61 cm).[2], and Philadelphia receiving 28.5 inches 28.5 inches (72 cm). This storm started as a classic "Alberta Clipper", starting out in Canada and then moving southeast, and finally curving northeast while rapidly intensifying off the New Jersey coast, forming an eye. The National Weather Service, in an interview with the Baltimore Sun’s weather reporter Frank Roylance, likened this storm to a Category 1 hurricane. Forecasters told Mr. Roylance that "Winds topped 58 mph over part of the Chesapeake Bay, and 40 mph gusts were common across the region as the storm’s center deepened and drifted slowly along the mid-Atlantic coast".[3] This storm system, in conjunction with the first storm 3 days prior, has been nicknamed Snowmageddon and Snowpocalypse.
The Third North American blizzard of 2010 was a winter storm and severe weather event that occurred in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of the United States between February 24–26, 2010. This was the fourth major snowstorm of the season for some of these areas, and the third storm in February (See First North American blizzard of 2010, Second North American blizzard of 2010). The storm dropped its heaviest snow of 12 to 24 inches (30 to 61 cm) (locally as much as 36 inches (91 cm)) across a wide area of interior New England, New York State, and Pennsylvania. The storm also brought flooding rains to coastal sections of New England, with some areas experiencing as much as 4 inches (10 cm). Aside from precipitation, high winds were experienced throughout the areas affected, with sustained winds at or above tropical storm force (39 miles per hour (63 km/h)) in many areas, and the highest gusts exceeding 60 miles per hour (97 km/h).[1] This storm was a complex combination of multiple systems, including an upper air low from the northern Great Plains states, and a surface low from the Gulf Coast states. As the surface low tracked northeast from the coast of North Carolina, the upper air low transferred its energy to it, eventually enabling the new storm to undergo rapid intensification near the shore of eastern Long Island. A strong blocking regime of high pressure over the Canadian Maritime provinces prevented the storm system from exiting to the east. This resulted in a cutoff low (not influenced by the predominant jet stream currents), which took a highly unusual track, retrograding west into New York state before looping back out to sea.
Other 2010 disasters:
Port Arthur oil spill: The 2010 Port Arthur oil spill was the result of a collision between two vessels in the Sabine-Neches Waterway at Port Arthur, Texas on January 23, 2010. The two vessels were the oil tanker Eagle Otome and a barge being pushed by the towboat Dixie Vengeance. - Loss of over 11,000 barrels of oil into the Sabine-Neches Waterway.
Connecticut power plant explosion: The 2010 Connecticut power plant explosion occurred at the Kleen Energy Systems power station in Middletown, Connecticut, United States at 11:17 am EST on February 7, 2010. Preliminary reports attributed the cause of the explosion to a test of the plant’s energy systems.[3] The plant had been under construction from February 2008,[4] and was scheduled to start supplying energy in June 2010.[5] Although initial reports estimated up to 250 people had been injured in the blast,[3][6] the number of injuries was later established to be 27.[2] While police first reported that two workers had died, they later retracted that statement, citing a misinterpretation.[7] The office of the mayor of Middletown later released a statement saying that five people had died in the explosion.[1] The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it was not investigating the incident as a terrorist attack, and that there was no evidence to suggest that it was.
The Upper Big Branch Mine disaster: Occurred on April 5, 2010 about 1,000 feet (300 m) underground at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch coal mine at Montcoal in Raleigh County, West Virginia. Twenty-nine out of thirty-one miners at the site were killed.[1] The explosion occurred at 3:27 pm. The accident was the worst in the United States since 1970, when 38 miners were killed at Finley Coal Company’s No. 15 and 16 mines in Hyden, Kentucky
Horizon deepwater explosion: The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion refers to the April 20, 2010 explosion and subsequent fire on the Deepwater Horizon semi-submersible Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU), situated about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of the Louisiana coast in the Macondo Prospect oil field. The explosion killed 11 workers and injured 17 others; another 98 people survived without serious physical injury. It caused the Deepwater Horizon to burn and sink, and started a massive ongoing offshore oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; this environmental disaster is now considered the largest in U.S. history
Horizon oil spill: Carol Browner stated, “The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is the worst environmental disaster the US has ever faced.” The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the BP oil disaster or the Macondo blowout)[4][5][6][7] is a massive ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that is the largest offshore spill in U.S. history.[8] Some estimates placed it by late May or early June, 2010, as among the largest oil spills in history with hundreds of millions of gallons spilled to date. The spill stems from a sea floor oil gusher that resulted from the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion. The explosion killed 11 platform workers and injured 17 others.[9] The gusher, now estimated by the quasi-official Flow Rate Technical Group to be flowing at 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of crude oil per day.[10][11][12] For comparison, this is an amount equal to the Exxon Valdez oil spill every 1 to 3 weeks. The exact flow rate is uncertain due to the difficulty of installing measurement devices at that depth and is a matter of ongoing debate.[13] The resulting oil slick covers at least 2,500 square miles (6,500 km2), fluctuating from day to day depending on weather conditions.[14] Scientists have also reported immense underwater plumes of oil not visible at the surface.[13] Experts fear that the spill will result in an environmental disaster, with extensive impact already apparent on marine and wildlife habitats.[15][16] The spill has also damaged the Gulf of Mexico fishing and tourism industries There have been a variety of efforts to stem the flow at the wellhead. Crews have been working to protect hundreds of miles of beaches, wetlands and estuaries along the northern Gulf coast, using skimmer ships, floating containment booms, anchored barriers, and sand-filled barricades along shorelines. The U.S. Government has named BP as the responsible party, and officials have committed to hold the company accountable for all cleanup costs and other damage.
Boston Water emergency: On May 1, 2010, a water pipe in Weston, Massachusetts broke and began flooding into the Charles River. This led to unsanitary water conditions in the greater Boston area which resulted in Governor Deval Patrick declaring a state of emergency and an order for residents to boil drinking water.[1] The leak was stopped on May 2.[1] On May 4, the order was lifted.[2] President Barack Obama signed an emergency disaster declaration offering federal help, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts with Massachusetts.
Let me ask you the question again: Do you think the Lord is trying to get the United States attention?
T.S. - Let’s look closer at 2 Chronicles 7:11-22 and see what we should be doing in the light of so many disasters that have been hitting the United States.
I. God’s warning to Solomon and to the United States leadership.
a. Warning – If I send disasters on your land then take note of your spiritual position with me and repent and turn from your wicked ways.
i. Judges is a disheartening book if you have ever read it from cover to cover.
1. It speaks of a nation that has forsaken God for evil ways.
a. The two verses in the book which resonate with me are these two and they are repeated in the book a few times by the author:
i. Judges 17; 6; 21:25: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.”
ii. Judges 3: 6: 6:1: “The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord…”
1. They forgot God and did evil in the sight of God.
ii. What does it mean to do evil in the eyes of the Lord?
1. To worship idols and not God Himself.
a. An idol is considered a man made god. It is used as the object of a person’s devotion and affection. A person’s heart is given to it and not to God.
i. Like a carved or formed figurine.
1. A statue – Like the Statue of Liberty.
2. A bull – like the bull on Wall Street. The golden cow of today.
3. An Aircraft Carrier?
ii. But it also denotes anything made by a man to be their god and it is what they live to serve.
1. Examples in the US today:
a. Sports Heroes
i. Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan
b. Sports itself:
i. Football, baseball, racing, hockey and the like.
c. Materialistic in nature
i. Diamonds, gold, precious stones, clothes.
d. Money
i. Many forsake family, friends and a life for the pursuit of money.
e. Things made by man:
i. Cars, houses, businesses, boats, planes,
2. To serve the Baals and Asherahs.
a. The Baal’s – is a worship of a male Phoenician god where they made sacrifices too – Jeremiah 19:5 reports that people offered up male child sacrifices to this idol god Baal worship was also connected with the name Molech.
i. It is no different than what many do in the process of abortion today.
ii. They sacrifice the life of a child for serving other gods, like careers, lifestyle, money, prestige and the like.
b. The Asherah’s worship was one of temple prostitution to worship this goddess. The name is taken after a sensual Canaanitish goddess Astarte, the feminine of the Assyrian Ishtar. Worship of this goddess was connected to sexual acts done in honor of this idol.
i. Exodus 34:13
ii. Do you think this nation worships the act of sex?
3. To be disobedient to the Lord’s commands and to continually break them is evil.
a. 10 Commandments
b. Courts comment, “We need to ban these from being posted in school settings because they may cause psychological damage to a student.” The courts will censor the Bible’s quotes and teachings and protect the freedom of porn in America.
4. To forsake or abandon God.
a. It means to reject God, forget God, ignore God, kick him out of His rightful place in society and in government. Jerry Shirley notes the following (points i-xxxi reveal about how our country’s forefathers had God in His rightful place and how over the last 50 years He is being forced out of His rightful place in our society:
i. Some Christians have been intimidated…and they’ve heard the ACLU talk soooo… much about the separation of church and state—that they’ve actually started to believe in it. In case you don’t know, that phrase never appears in the Constitution! (However it is found in Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto!)
ii. It was coined in the U.S. from a letter the principle framer of the Constitution and Third President Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptist Association assuring them that he would keep the Government out of the Church (NOT the Church out of the Government). He was saying, never again will there be a government sponsored church like you had back in England, where everyone is forced to attend and support!
iii. Check it out for yourself, the first amendment actually says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…
If there IS such a thing as separation of church and state, it is intended as a one-way street!
Some say, no, they wanted to keep both separate! (not true).
iv. Well, let’s think about that.
Our first president, George Washington, took the oath of office and put his hand on what? (the Bible)
What was his first official act as President? (kissed the Bible, then held a 2 hr. praise/worship session in Congress)
v. How did they determine to open sessions of Congress? (prayer)
vi. Who would lead in those prayers? (chaplains)
1. How would they be paid? (tax dollars)
vii. Does all of that sound like they wanted to keep God out of government? By the way, opening in prayer is a mystery to investigate…why is it that the little boys and girls cannot in school, but the big Congressmen can?
viii. Who decided to put “In God We Trust” on our coins? (Because they pulled a fast one on a government that wanted to keep God out of government!) It was adopted by Congress in 1956!
ix. In 1776, 11 of the 13 colonies required that one had to be a Christian to be eligible to run for political office.
x. In 1777, the Continental Congress voted to spend $300,000 to purchase Bibles for distribution in the nation.
xi. The GETTYSBURG ADDRESS states "...this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom..."
xii. 94% OF THE WRITINGS OF THE FOUNDING FATHERS OF THE U.S. CONTAINED QUOTATIONS FROM THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.
xiii. THE STATE CONSTITUTIONS OF ALL 50 STATES MENTION GOD.
xiv. On that First "Thanksgiving", who do you think the people were giving thanks to? To God!
xv. The famous "Liberty Bell" has part of Leviticus 25:10 inscribed on it: "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof."
xvi. Part of Proverbs 14:34 is inscribed above the L.A. city hall door: "RIGHTEOUSNESS EXALTETH A NATION: BUT SIN IS A REPROACH TO ANY PEOPLE.”
xvii. An image of Moses carrying the tablets of God’s Law faces the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
xviii. The entering President takes his courtroom OATH OF OFFICE with his right hand on the Holy Bible, and concludes his vow "So help me God."
xix. The Supreme Court itself begins each of its sessions with the phrase ’God save the United States and this honorable court,’
xx. First Vice President and Second President, John Adams wrote in 1798:"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
xxi. President Thomas Jefferson:"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever." – 1781
xxii. Our sixth President, John Quincy Adams said:
"No book in the world deserves to be so unceasingly studied, and so profoundly meditated upon as the Bible."
xxiii. At the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Benjamin Franklin said, "God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?"
xxiv. The Christian writings and pronouncements of our 16th President Abraham Lincoln would fill an entire book. He said this when he assumed leadership over a nation on the brink of civil war: "We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven… But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us. It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness." – 1863
xxv. Theodore Roosevelt, America’s 26th President, wrote:"In this actual world, a churchless community, a community where men have abandoned and scoffed at, or ignored their religious needs, is a community on the rapid down-grade." – 1917
xxvi. Woodrow Wilson, our 28th President and Governor of New Jersey, said this:"America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of the Holy Scripture." – 1911
xxvii. Calvin Coolidge, our 30th President, said this about our founding fathers:"They were intent upon establishing a Christian commonwealth in accordance with the principle of self- government. They were an inspired body of men. It has been said that God sifted the nations that He might send choice grain into the wilderness... Who can fail to see it in the hand of destiny? Who can doubt that it has been guided by a Divine Providence." – 1923
xxviii. Franklin Roosevelt prayed this prayer on a national radio hookup on D-Day, June 6, 1944, as our troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France:"Almighty God... with Thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogance. Lead us to the saving of our country. Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen."
xxix. Harry Truman, our 33rd President, not known to be a committed believer, understood the spiritual heritage of this nation:"If men and nations would but live by the precepts of the ancient prophets and the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, problems which now seem so difficult would soon disappear”
xxx. Gerald Ford, our 38th President, quoted a 1955 speech by Dwight D. Eisenhower on December 5, 1974:"Without God there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first - the most basic - expression of Americanism. Thus the founding fathers of America saw it, and thus with God’s help, it will continue to be."
xxxi. President Ronald Reagan:"If we ever forget that we are ’One nation, under God’, then we will be one nation gone under."
1. (i-xxxi all the above from sermoncentral.com)
xxxii. So a case could be made today as we celebrate our 234 birthday that this nation is abandoning God for other gods and idols:
1. We have kicked God out of our schools, out of public places and this is all based on a lie, not truth!
a. Remember who the author of lies is?
2. This year alone President Obama has:
a. He said, “We are not a Christian nation anymore - if we ever had been!”
b. He rejected the National Day of Prayer as unconstitutional and refused to participate in it.
c. But he has participated in the Hindu high religious day and light a candle in honor of it in the White House at a Hindu celebration hosted there. During the Muslims time of Ramadan he hosted Muslim clerics and acknowledged their belief system. But he has had nothing to do with any of the Christian celebrations.
d. This new Congress is passing laws which are contrary to Scriptures teachings. They are pushing laws which go directly against Biblical teachings. All in the name of change – change for evil or good?
5. To allow their society to become brutal and perverted.
a. Homosexuality unleashed, Gay lifestyle embraced.
b. Violence and rape on the increase.
c. No boundaries on societal behavior – anything goes in our society today.
II. God’s promise is to bring healing to our land when we discover that we are caught up in the trap of evil.
a. What can we do to bring revival or healing back to our land, government, schools and society?
i. God says this, “If my people” do the following: That means God’s people – Christians that is – that would be us right here today.
1. Humble themselves: Means we let go of our ego! Admit we are wrong in our beliefs, our lifestyles, our values, our idols!
2. Pray – it means to cry out to God for our country, for a spiritual awakening, to intercede for our nation.
3. Seek His face – let go of all the ways which are contrary to God’s teachings and seek Him and His ways only.
a. Let go of humanism, communism, racialism, intellectualism, secularism, and the like!
4. Turn from their wicked ways.
a. Means to quit sinning – it means to turn toward God’s truth and not continue to practice and live by evil and deceitful ways.
b. It means making an about face and moving in the opposite direction of sin and evil.
c. It means no playing with sin and evil ways anymore.
d. If we do the above then God will hear our prayers. When we do He will hear our prayers and they will make it into Heaven and into His ears and into His eyes.
5. If we do the above - Then He will do the following:
a. He will forgive our sins.
b. He will heal our land.
c. He will restore us, our families, our cities, our schools, and our nation.
Conclusion:
In 2 Chronicles 7:11-22 - Solomon’s is given the promise by God that if they stay true and faithful to God then they will be guarded and blessed, but if they refuse and fall away then God will allow disaster to come on the Israelites and the Temple will be destroyed.
By the way - Everything happened historically as God predicted it would if they did not listen! God is true to His word! He judges evil! He holds nations accountable! He will hold this nation accountable and he will hold you accountable.
The Lord also told Solomon that people will question why God allowed the nation of Israel to be dispersed and the temple destroyed.
1. The reason was because the nation had rejected the ways and the teachings of the Lord God.
2. It was because they embraced other god’s and served them instead of the true God.
3. This is why disasters came on Israel because they rejected God! Could the following disasters be wake up calls for this nation?
Our lesson today as we celebrate our 234th birthday is this, “Maybe God is trying to get our attention as we have observed all these disasters of 2010. He is calling to us to return ourselves to Him before something worse happens! Our nation is doing what Ronald Reagan and other leaders of the past warned us against: "If we ever forget that we are ’One nation, under God’, then we will be one nation gone under."
We as Christians need to do the following for our nation and for our kid’s future:
1. Humble ourselves before God – admit we need Him! Admit we are in the wrong!
2. Pray for economic restoration, truth in our public school systems, healing for the broken lives impacted from sin/evil, a return to God and His teaching in our society, and for revival – a spiritual awakening.
3. We need to seek His face – aggressively go toward God not run away from Him! This is why we are praying this summer so adamantly!
a. Many of you need to shut your Tv’s off and come pray for this nation, many need to abandon the idol of sports for worship too God.
4. We need to turn from our wicked ways as Christians – let go of the sin! Turn 100% away from it!
a. We need to run back into the arms of God!
5. Then God will hear our prayers!
a. Then He will forgive our sins.
b. He will heal our land, our families, our wounds, our economy, our government, and our nation!
