" Blessed is the nation who’s God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance" Psalms 33:12
Introduction: French writer Alexis de Tocqueville, after visiting America in 1831, said, "I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forests--and it was not there. I sought for it in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her institutions of higher learning--and it was not there. I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution--and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!"
Transition: Have we as a country ceased being good, being great? Thankfully not completely! One thing you must know we are a blessed people! God has shed his grace on us…from the tip of Texas to the top of Alaska…from the Eastern seaboard to the West coast were a blessed people! Why? Are we somehow a special people… a people that have earned, achieved our place in history? I believe that for American in particular, history is "His Story". Furthermore I believe as we near the Fourth of July celebration…. the answer to the "Why’s" of our being blessed is found in the Old Testament book of Psalms 33:12.
While the context is referring to the nation of Israel, God has specially blessed us too as Americans! And we will be reminded today that we as Christian Americans owe a debt we can never repay for those who came before us sought the Blessings of God for this great country. The cry today in every home and every heart should be "God Continue to Bless America "
" Blessed is the nation who’s God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance" Psalm33:12 Notice today that God will continue to Bless America, when He is our very heart, when we desire to continue to be a nation who’s God is the Lord!
I. "Blessed is the Nation who’s God is the Lord"
The Psalmist of course is writing of the favor of God for the people of Israel. If we had time it would be quite apparent that the writer is teaching that: The best laid plans and intentions of the nations and the peoples are frustrated by God, if they are out of keeping with his own plan and intention. The nation who’s God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his own possession will be blessed! Broadman Bible Commentary PG 237 John I. Durham
It’s apparent that a nation and a people can choose not to follow God, to refuse to be led by his mighty hand. You see a blessing wouldn’t be waiting for those who do seek him, if people by choice could by there own free will say a resounding "No" to God!
What I want us to remember today is those who came before who pioneered this land did so more often than not with great faith and a certainty that the hand of God led them! Liberty there’s and ours was the result of so great a faith!
Peter Marshall, before the U.S. Senate said it ever so well in a prayer many years ago. "Lord Jesus, thou who art the way, the truth, and the life; hear us as we pray for the truth that shall make all free. Teach us that liberty is not only to be loved but also to be lived. Liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books. It costs too much to be hoarded. Help us see that our liberty is not the right to do as we please, but the opportunity to please to do what is right."
I am so thankful for men and woman of courage, who were willing to state that there God was the Lord! People who did the right thing! Why have we been blessed these many years? The secret isn’t really a secret at all, in the sophistication of our current society many assume that it’s because of intellect and ability that’s resulted in America being a "land of plenty". Our hearts know the real answer! " Blessed is the nation who’s God is the Lord"
Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence. Their conviction resulted in untold sufferings for themselves and their families. Of the 56 men, five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army. Another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships of the war. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships sunk by the British navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts and died in poverty.
At the battle of Yorktown, the British General Cornwallis had taken over Thomas Nelson’s home for his headquarters. Nelson quietly ordered General George Washington to open fire on the Nelson home. The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt. John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their thirteen children fled for their lives. His fields and mill were destroyed. For over a year, he lived in forest and caves, returning home only to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion. Kenneth L. Dodge, Resource, Sept./ Oct., 1992, Page 5.
What comes to mind when you think of Fourth of July? Apple pie, hotdog’s baseball and fireworks? Let’s be honest, yes! We can’t help it those thoughts have a home in our thinking and culture! I challenge you this fourth to take the time to remember, what it means to really be blessed. Freedom came at such a great price for so many!
II. We must desire to continue to be a nation whose God is the Lord.
Many are unaware that the Declaration of Independence did not come into being until a day of fasting and prayer had been observed. Appointed by the Continental Congress, it was kept by all the colonies on May 17, 1776. At that time in our history, God and the Bible were given more reverence and recognition than they are today. When the nation was finally born, our forefathers rang the Liberty Bell with great enthusiasm, and a legend says that it cracked as they zealously proclaimed their freedom. Years later the White Chapel Foundry of London offered to recast the huge carillon, but their proposal was of course refused. Apparently the symbolic value of the damaged bell, which recalls the religious and patriotic fervor of those early days, is something that America still wishes to preserve. This in itself is good; but in view of our nation’s moral decline, the crack may also suggest a break in our basic ideals and a serious defect in our spiritual attitudes. We can remedy the situation and avert the judgment of the Lord only by repentance, prayer, and a return to the faith of our fathers. In this sense, there is no time for delay in "mending the bell."
Let us begin mending the bell by honoring His laws. Let us as God’s children make the Ten Commandments a priority in our lives. We must also honor the name of God. We must stop taking his name in vain. When we take the name of God in vain we trivialize his majesty.
We must begin to honor the Lord’s Day, and respect His house.
And above all we must respect GOD.
If we will do this, then our nation will begin to once again feel the blessings from God. If we turn our eyes upon Jesus we will have less turmoil and unrest within. Our crime rates will decrease, our neighborhoods will be safer, and we will find we have more compassion for one another.
We have no idea how much God is willing to bless us if we will turn our nation back to God. If we will make God our Lord.
"This nation was built by the power of hope. No painter ever set brush to canvas, no writer ever set pen to paper, no builder ever set brick on brick, no enterpriser ever built an enterprise without having hope that he or she could do what they were dreaming of doing. We have not begun to fathom the power of hope in creating better lives for ourselves and our children." Lewis Smedes, "Keep Hope Alive," Preaching Today, Tape No. 139.
We can strengthen that hope with a strong foundation of Faith, and see great things begin to happen. Don’t let the hope die out, lets turn our memories of history into present day realities. Let us look into the past and be faithful to the memories of those who have passed before us, but at the same time, learn from the lessons they are teaching us.
Patrick Henry that great patriot who said "Give me liberty or give me death" also said this: It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ! Patrick Henry
If America is to continue to be blessed that’s a truth we must never forget!
" Blessed is the nation who’s God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritence" Psalm 33:12
