INDEPENDENCE DAY 2010
“ONE NATION UNDER GOD”
SELECTED VERSES
OPEN
Today is the 4th of July – a time for picnics, parties, parades, and fireworks. It is Independence Day – the day we commemorate the ratification of the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston were charged by the Second Continental Congress to draft the Declaration of Independence.
Two days earlier, the Congress had approved Richard Henry Lee’s motion that they declare the independence of the thirteen colonies from Britain and the rule of King George III. Because of Jefferson’s strong skills at writing, the group leaned heavily on his talents. After some changes by the committee and then by the congress, the Declaration of Independence was accepted. The 4th of July stands as the official birth date of our nation.
234 years later, we look at our country’s origins and evaluate where we are today. We need to understand our history and commit to our future. What was the role of Christianity in our nation’s beginnings and what is our role as Christians in our nation today?
WE NEED TO REVIEW AMERICA’S INDEPENDENCE
The intention of the founders of this nation was to establish a people and a nation where freedom and liberty were based on a scriptural foundation. However, forces have been at work for quite awhile to remove any reference or influence of God and His word in our nation. Our own president declared just a little over a year ago that America is not a Christian nation.
Our heritage is very clearly Christian. The foundation on which our nation was built is clearly biblical. The people who first settled our nation came to these shores looking to express their religious faith without government sanction or control.
Christopher Columbus wrote in 1504 the purpose of his travels in the discovery of the New World. He said, “I was led of the Holy Spirit to carry the message of the Gospel to undiscovered lands.” When the Pilgrims came in 1620, they joined together in what is called the Mayflower Compact. Listen to the beginning of that document: “In the name of God, amen. Having undertaken for the glory of God and for the advancement of the Christian faith, do solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, covenant and combine ourselves together…” A modern paraphrase might be: “We came here for the glory of God and for the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
23 years later, in 1643, as more and more people came to the shores of New England, they formed an alliance called The New England Confederation. It was the first written constitution in the New World. It began: “Whereas we all come into these parts with one and the same end and aim, namely to advance the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to enjoy the liberties of the gospel in purity and peace…”
There is much more evidence of the role of Christianity in the founding of our country. Listen to the words of these framers of our nation.
John Quincy Adams, 1821, said, “From the time of the Declaration of Independence, the American people were bound by the laws of God and the laws of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which they all acknowledge as the root of their conduct. We all came together to obey the word of God.” Patrick Henry said, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Our nation is formed around three co-equal branches of government that were designed to serve as a checks-and-balance system: The Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch. Do you know where the framers of our nation got the idea to create such a system? They got it from the Bible. Is. 33:22 – “For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us.” That passage tells us that God is our judge (that’s judicial), God is our lawgiver (that’s legislative), and God is our king (that’s executive). When the framers of our government got together, they asked, “How can we best organize our government?” So they looked to the word of God for the wisdom needed for the task at hand.
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 quotes of the founders of our nation were based upon the Bible. Our foundation is clearly biblical and Christian.
WE NEED TO REPENT OF AMERICA’S INDIFFERENCE
Somewhere along the line, we have lost our moorings. We have turned away from God and turned away from the Bible. Solomon warns us in Prov. 14:34 – “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
Righteousness among any group of people has a beneficial effect. Righteousness is when people live by just and godly principles that produce just and godly actions. That kind of behavior “exalts” a nation. The word in the original language literally means “raise to honor; to lift up.” It means that when the nation is a righteous nation then it will be honored among many and lifted up before all.
Our nation’s founders understood righteousness in a way that we seem to have forgotten. They knew that righteousness was the catalyst to give birth to this nation of people looking for freedom and liberty.
Righteousness does exalt a nation but Solomon also reminds us that “sin is a disgrace to any people.” The word translated as “disgrace” in the original language means “to dishonor; to shame; to bring down.” Sin has an unhelpful, adverse, and undesirable effect on a nation. Sin means “to miss the mark.” It’s disobedience to God and His principles. Sin is beyond our ability to cure and it will always find us out.
How has sin disgraced our nation? Almost 50% of all marriages end in divorce with the medium age for divorce being 34 for men and 30 for women. In 1960, a woman was the sole provider of her home in only 1 of 10 households with no husband present. Today it is 1 of 5. Gallup reports that there are enough students between the ages of 12-18 that are involved in some type of prostitution to support an addiction to illegal drugs to fill the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Sugar bowl, Orange Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. One million girls under the age of 17 will get pregnant outside of wedlock with half of those pregnancies ending in abortion. 40% of America’s 14-year-old girls will be pregnant before their 19th birthday. Almost 60% of evangelical Christian students ages 12-18 are sexually active. 60% of America’s students have reported that they use drugs or alcohol. Child abuse is up 240% in America since 1976. Corruption and conviction of public officials is up 450% since 1973. Sexual abuse of children is up 1,375% since 1962. America has the highest illiteracy rate of all the industrialized nations in the world.
Please don’t misunderstand me today. I know that not every part of American history has been godly and righteous. However, trends over the last 40-50 years have really eaten away at the scriptural foundations of our country.
In 1963, the Supreme Court took prayer out of our schools. The next ruling removed Bible readings from our classrooms. Then they took the 10 Commandments off the walls of all schools and public buildings. The Supreme Court also ruled that there is a certain segment of our society that does not have any rights – the unborn. One student wrote a term paper on the life of Jesus as part of an assignment called, “The man I admire the most.” She was given an “F” because her teacher said that it was unacceptable in public school.” Tragically, the ruling was upheld in the courts. Just a few years ago, the 9th Circuit Court ruled that our Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional because of its reference to God.”
Sadly, our nation has become indifferent to God. Many of our political leaders have turned away from biblical guidance for our nation. Many of our governing bodies and our public school systems have sought to ignore our spiritual heritage.
But our founders looked to God and the Bible for direction and purpose. Please listen closely to the words in the prologue of the Declaration of Independence.
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands
which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and
equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions
of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
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, and the pursuit of Happiness.
Notice that the central point of everything they hoped to accomplish was based in the fact that there was a Creator God who also gave human beings the gifts of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As you read on in the Declaration of Independence, you find following the prologue a list of 15-16 charges against King George III of Britain.
As you come to the close of the document, the “therefore” portion, they make several more references to God:
We therefore, the representatives of the United States of America in general congress assembled
appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of our intentions do, in the name, and by the
authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are,
and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British
Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be
totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace,
contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of
right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence,
we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.
They were saying that they were trusting God for the results of their conviction to be independent of British
rule.
Accountability to God and God talk has fallen out of favor. Every inauguration a group sues to keep the new President from saying, “So help me God.” The application of separation of church and state is totally out of sync with what our founders intended.
In fact, the phrase “separation of church and state” is not even mentioned in our Constitution. It comes from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson in response to questions posed to him by the Danbury Baptist Association about the phrase “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Here is what Jefferson said, “The First Amendment has created a wall of separation between church and state, but that wall is a one-directional wall, it keeps the government from running the church, but it makes sure that Christian principles will always stay in government.” We’ve charted a course away from that methodology.
Things have definitely come full circle. The value we place on the individual and individual rights is a
reflection of the value our founders believed the Creator placed on the individual. Now we use those same rights to distance ourselves from God.
By eliminating God from our national conversation, we eliminate our ability to publically recognize the source of our prosperity. This is an arrogance that will continue to eat away at our national conscience; our
national sense of OUGHT and OUGHT NOT.
Why? Because when we eliminate God from the national conversation, we lose our conscience as a nation.
Every man will do what is RIGHT in his own eyes. Law will continue to replace conscience. So while we line up behind conservative vs. liberal/progressive, Republican vs. Democrat, big government vs. small government, rich vs. poor, there are two other lines forming. Those who recognize God as the ultimate source of our provision and those who do not. Those who are not ashamed to say, “In God we trust” and those who say, “In
government and American ingenuity we trust. In ‘we,’ we trust.”
WE NEED TO RECLAIM AMERCA’S INSPIRATION.
On Tuesday, April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on a killing spree at Columbine High School in which 12 students and 1 teacher died, 21 students injured directly, and three injured trying to escape. They asked, “Do you believe in God?”
Rachel Joy Scott was one of the victims in this massacre. Her father, Donald Scott, later spke before the United States Senate. Here is what he said.
I’m here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy, it was a spiritual event that should be
forcing us to look at where the real blame lies. Much of that blame lies here in this room. Much of that
blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that
expresses my feelings. This poem was written before I knew that I would be speaking here today.
Your laws ignore our deepest needs
Your words are empty air.
You’ve stripped away our heritage
You’ve outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms
And our precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere
And you ask the question why.
You regulate restrictive laws
Through legislative creed
And yet you fail to understand
That God is what we need.
Ps. 33:12-22 – “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth- he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”
What does it mean to be a nation that is blessed? “Blessed” means “happy, content, in a condition that is
desirable for all.” Blessing comes because we have sought to honor God in our actions and attitudes. Such a nation is blessed because we serve a real God – not some man-made idol And because God’s laws are just and good, they will always tend to promote the public welfare and prosperity. When we worship the true God and serve Him, it will tend to promote virtue, intelligence, purity, and truth over our land and that will promote the good of the nation.
We have become a nation whose people are “takers” rather than “givers”. It’s reflected in our communities and it’s reflected in our churches. The people who founded this nation understood that doing what was right involved sacrifice.
Do you have any idea what price our founders paid for the independence to live in a nation built on the righteousness of God? Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, five were captured and tortured by the British before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned to the ground. Two lost their sons in the war. One has two sons captured. Nine fought and died from wounds or the hardships of the war.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British navy. He sold his home to pay his debts and literally died in rags. Thomas McKean was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in Congress without pay and he died in poverty. Thomas Nelson’s home was seized by the British at the Battle of Yorktown and used as a command post. He urged General George Washington to open fire on it. The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt. John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields were destroyed. For over a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home only to find his wife had died and his children vanished. A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion.
Members of Congress were not the only people who gave their lives and fortunes in the quest for freedom. Common people of all kinds gave up their lives for liberty. 7,200 Americans were killed in battle during the war, 8,200 were wounded, 10,000 died from disease and exposure (nearly 3,000 men died at Valley Forge alone). An additional 6,500 died in prison after being captured and 1,400 soldiers were listed as missing.
How can we reclaim the inspiration and the power of God that was so obviously directing our nation’s founders? The answer to the questions rests in all of us who claim to be Christians.
I know that you’re saying to yourself, “How can we make a difference? The influence of Christianity is so small right now in our country.” But the effort to win freedom from British rule was actually accomplished by a few.
After we declared our independence, we had to win it by force. That task proved especially difficult, partly because the people never fully united behind the war effort. A large number of colonists (about 1/3) remained unconcerned about the outcome of the war. They were indifferent and supported neither side.
And as many as 1/3 of the population sympathized with Great Britain. They called themselves “loyalists.” The patriots called them “Tories,” the name of the political group in Great Britain that adamantly supported the King). These problems meant that victory in the Revolutionary War, depended on patriots who made up less than 1/3 of the entire population.
So let’s put aside the excuses and get to work. If you claim to be a man or woman of God, you have to live according to your faith. You have to live in the righteousness of Christ. You must influence your community, your state, your nation with your and your testimony. You need to quit riding the fence and do what we are called to do. Choose this day whom you will serve.
We need to pray for our nation and her leaders. 1 Tim. 2:1-4 – “I urge, then, first of all, that requests,
prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may
live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
We need to elect Christian people to leadership roles in our local, state, and national government. John Jay, the very first Chief Justice of our nation and often called the “Father” of the Supreme Court, wrote, “It is the
duty… of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”
We need to live our lives in a manner that reflects our trust in Jesus Christ. Mt. 5:13-16 – “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to
everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and
praise your Father in heaven.”
CLOSE
The celebration of our nation’s birthday is really a celebration of freedom. We celebrate the precious gift of freedom we have because of the price others paid. You see, we must remember that freedom isn’t free. Freedom is very expensive. It has cost some people everything, including their lives. Freedom isn’t free, but it is infinitely valuable.
The ideal of freedom is an ideal that our founding father’s believed valuable enough to risk everything on. They risked their fortunes, their families, their reputations, and their honor. They risked their very lives and many of them paid for our freedom with their own blood and the blood of their children.
Today as we worship in security and comfort, we do so because thousands upon thousands of people have given their lives and shed their blood both here and on foreign soil. They died in forsaken places with names
not remembered so that we could experience the joy and responsibility of freedom. In a letter to William Smith dated November 13, 1787, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time
with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” No, freedom is not free. The price is always paid in blood.
The blood spilled on battlefields called Concord and Charleston and Yorktwn was not the first time blood was spilled for freedom. About 2,000 years ago a young man’s blood spilled upon the ground so that we could all experience freedom.
Jesus came in order to bring us freedom from a host of human maladies. As Christians, we believe that Jesus is the Son of God. In John 8:31-36 it says, “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my
teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we
shall be set free?’ Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no
permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free
indeed.”
