MELVIN NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
REVISED - 2015)
This Wednesday will be Veterans’ Day. As that day dawns, will you pause to think about what it signifies: the men & women who offered themselves in service to their country - & those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we might have the freedoms we enjoy today?
Oftentimes, when I think of Veteran’s Day, I remember funerals with flag-draped coffins & armed soldiers who gave 7-gun salutes, & folded flags being presented to grieving widows. And I’m reminded of the generations that have preceded us, & the price they paid for our freedom & our heritage.
PROP. The song says, “God bless America, land that I love…” I’m convinced that God has blessed America. But the Bible teaches that to whom much is given, much is expected. If so, then God must expect a lot from America.
I. AMERICA'S PAST
Would you think with me a moment about America’s past?
ILL. History tells us that in 1620 a group of Christians, who called themselves Pilgrims, made their way from England across the Atlantic Ocean to the shores of this land. They had received permission to settle in the northern part of the region known as Virginia to establish a colony & erect a church that they hoped would be free & independent of the Church of England.
But late fall winds battered their boat, pushing them northward. And when they finally sighted land it was at a place we now call Cape Cod, Mass. The date was Nov. 21. They didn’t want to land there because it was a cold & forbidding wilderness.
So they debated for a while. “Should we try to get to Virginia, or just go ahead & settle here?” Finally, they decided that their boat would probably not make it to Virginia. So they came ashore at a place we know as Plymouth Rock.
But before they did, they wrote what is known today as “The Mayflower Compact.” It began with these words:
“In the name of God…, we whose names are underwritten… Having undertaken, for the glory of God, & advancement of the Christian faith…, a voyage to plant a first colony in the northern part of Virginia, do… solemnly & mutually in the presence of God, & one of another, covenant, & combine ourselves together…”
Do you realize what they were saying? “We have come here in the name of God.” “We have come here to glorify God.” “We have come here to advance the Christian faith.”
They were saying, “We are unashamedly Christians, & we search for a place where we can worship God the way we feel the Bible teaches us to worship Him.”
ILL. Someone has said, “The difference between North & South America is that the Spaniards went to South America in search of gold, but the Pilgrims & Puritans came to North America in search of God.” There is enough truth in that to explain some of the differences in the history & development of our two continents.
The earliest foundations of this new land were spiritual foundations. We are a nation built upon faith in, & a commitment to, God.
II. AMERICA’S PRESENT
A. Secondly, think about America’s present. Are you proud to be an American? I am. I still get chills when I sing the “Star Spangled Banner.” I still get tears in my eyes when I say the Pledge of Allegiance. I love this country, & I’m proud to be an American.
There are so many things you can do in this land that you can’t do anywhere else in all the world.
ILL. There is an old story about a Lieutenant, a Private, & a beautiful young lady who were all sitting in the same compartment of a train. They didn’t know each other, & since Lieutenants don’t talk to Privates, & Privates don’t talk to Lieutenants, they traveled in an awkward silence.
They came to a tunnel & suddenly their compartment was engulfed in darkness, a darkness punctuated by 2 unmistakable sounds. The first was the sound of a passionate kiss, followed by a loud slap.
When they came back into daylight, the Lieutenant had a very red mark on the side of his face, & he was thinking, “That lucky Private. He kissed the beau-tiful girl, & she tried to slap him. But instead of slapping him, she slapped me.”
The young lady was thinking, “The Lieutenant must have tried to kiss me, but by mistake he kissed the Private & the Private hit him.” The Private sat there thinking, “Only in America can you kiss the back of your hand, slap a Lieutenant & get away with it.”
B. There are many wonderful things about our country that we could mention this morning, but I’m concerned about America.
Listen to this warning found in 2 Chronicles 7:19-22. God is speaking to Solomon & to the people of Israel. He says,
“If you turn away & forsake the decrees & commands I have given you & go off to serve other gods & worship them, then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, & I will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name.
“I will make it a byword & an object of ridicule among all peoples. And though this temple is now so imposing, all who pass by will be appalled & say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land & to this temple?’
“People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers, … & have embraced other gods, worshiping & serving them – that is why He brought all this disaster on them’”
The Bible very clearly teaches that if we love God & obey Him, then He will bless us. But this passage teaches that if we forsake God, if we serve other gods & worship them, then God will remove His blessings. That’s what happened to Israel. And I think that’s what is happening to us today.
ILL. A few years ago a New York elementary school teacher was fired from her job. It was not because she was immoral, not because she abused the children, not because she used vulgar language, but because when one of her students died tragically, grieving classmates asked the teacher, “What happens when you die?”
She answered, “I think she’s gone to heaven. But if you want to talk about this, I’ll be glad to meet with you after school is over.”
Twenty-nine of the kids met with her after school, & she told them about her faith in God & His Son, Jesus. She told them she believed in heaven & that their classmate was with God now & happy for all eternity. Then she prayed with them.
But one of the kids in her class who had not stayed after school was upset with what she had done & went to the administrators. The teacher was fired immediately, & told to clean out her desk. Before crying students she cleaned out her desk & went out into the world of unemployment.
Someone has said, “You know, it’s ironic. They tell us about guns & the danger of guns. They pass out condoms & say, ‘Go home & have safe sex.’ But when we want to talk about the One who created us, we can’t talk about Him.”
We have slid a long ways down the slippery slope. And if we don’t stop that slide, we’ll lose everything that God has given to us.
ILL. If you're looking for someone to blame for the moral decline of this country, you need to realize that we started down that slippery slope not 10 or 15 years ago, but more than 50 years ago.
When our government said, “You can’t pray in school,” some Christians protested, but many people just stood by silently accepting it. When we were told that we could no longer read the Bible or honor God in school, once again the vast majority didn’t say a word.
Then, when abortion was legalized & millions of babies were being aborted, instead of crying out about the murder of babies, the loudest voices were rejoicing over "women's choice."
Yes, we have been on this slippery slope for a long time, haven't we?
America is a great country. We’re the most materially blessed people in all the world. In fact, if you’re at the poverty level in this country, you’re in the top 5% of the wealthiest people of the world.
God has blessed America, & I love America, but the so-called "great silent majority" of Christians must remain silent no longer.
III. AMERICA’S FUTURE
And finally, what about America’s future? What does God really expect of us? Micah 6:8 says, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly & to love mercy & to walk humbly with your God.”
A. Those are 3 pretty good things, don’t you think? So take note of them.
1. First of all he says we are “to act justly,” which means to do what is right. God expects our country to do what is right, to do the right thing even though the wrong thing is the easiest to do. It means to take care of the poor & the elderly, to minister to the sick & the unborn, to protect them, to tell the truth.
Decision time - election time - is approaching far faster than we realize. I challenge you to listen, to learn, & to cast your vote for people who will tell us the truth.
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of spin doctoring. I’m tired of political correctness. I’m tired of situation ethics. I’m tired of being lied to. Let’s elect people to the high offices of this land who will tell us the truth, who will “act justly.”
ILL. Thomas Jefferson said, “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, & that His justice cannot sleep forever.”
2. Secondly, Micah says we are “to love mercy.” That means to extend mercy & forgiveness to others. We have received it ourselves. We all know that we’re the recipients of God’s mercy. We have been forgiven by Him. We didn't earn our salvation. God has saved us by His grace & by His mercy.
Therefore we are to share what we have received. So we give back to the community, to the world, the mercy & grace & forgiveness that God has given to us. In other words, we develop a deep compassion for the lost.
3. Thirdly, we are “to walk humbly” with the Lord. Now that may be the most
difficult of all because, you see, our natural tendency is to be proud & arrogant & overconfident.
ILL. A few years ago I read about a world-wide survey of 13-year-old kids to discover what nation was best at mathematics. The result? #1 was South Korea. Thirteen-year-old Korean kids were better in math than anybody else. Guess where the United States placed? Dead last.
But here is the interesting thing about the survey. After it was taken the kids were asked, “Do you think you’re good at math?” 23% of the Koreans who placed first said, “Yes, I think I’m good at math.”
68% of the U.S. kids who placed dead last said, “Yes, I think I’m good at math.” What does that tell you? God says that we need "to walk humbly."
B. The Bible says that God mocks the proud but gives grace to the humble. So America needs to change. And if she does, it will not just be because of what happens in the White House, but because of what has happened in your house & mine. That is what will bring about the change that is needed.
When we get back on track again, & put God at the center of our churches, our homes, & our schools, then America will change & she will become the country that God has always wanted her to be.
A few years ago Neil Enloe wrote the words & music to a very meaningful song:
In New York Harbor stands a lady,
With a torch raised to the sky;
And all who see her know she stands
For Liberty for you and me.
I'm so proud to be called an American,
To be named with the brave and the free;
I will honor our flag and our trust in God,
And the Statue of Liberty.
On lonely Golgotha stood a cross,
With my Lord raised to the sky;
And all who kneel there live forever
As all the saved can testify.
I'm so glad to be called a Christian,
To be named with the ransomed and whole;
As the statue liberates the citizen,
So the cross liberates the soul.
Oh, the cross is my Statue of Liberty,
It was there that my soul was set free;
Unashamed I'll proclaim that a rugged cross
Is my Statue of Liberty!
© 1974 Words & Music by Neil Enloe (BMI)
INVITATION: I love this country. I love the freedoms that we enjoy. But as Neil Enloe points out, there is a greater monument to freedom than the Statue of Liberty. It is the cross on which Jesus died for your sins & mine. There we find real liberty because in Him we are set free from our sin.
There is also a tomb. And the one who occupied it for a brief time is not unknown to us. But if you don’t know Him, please let me introduce Him to you. He is the Prince of Peace, the Son of God, the foundation of our country & our Savior.
If you don't know Jesus as your Savior, we invite you to come. We extend His invitation as we stand & as we sing.
