INTRO.- ILL.- Diamond Rio s a country band formed in 1989. They consist of Marty Roe (Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), Jimmy Olander (Guitar, Banjo), Dana Williams (Bass, Vocals), Dan Truman (Keyboards) Gene Johnson (Mandolin, Vocals, Banjo, Fiddle, Guitar), and Brian Prout (Drums).
They have brought out a new song entitled, “IN GOD WE STILL TRUST.”
ILL.- The song ‘IN GOD WE STILL TRUST.”
You place your hand on His bible, and when you swear to tell the truth.
His name is on our greatest monuments and all our money too.
And when we pledge allegiance, there’s no doubt where we stand:
There’s no separation, we’re one nation under Him.
In God, we still trust here in America,
He’s the one we turn to every time the going gets tough.
He is the source of all our strength, the one who watches over us.
Here in America, in God, we still trust.
Now there are those among us,
Who wanna push Him out.
And erase his name from everything,
This country’s all about.
From the schoolhouse to the courthouse,
They’re silencing His word,
An’ now it’s time for all believers,
To make our voices heard.
In God, we still trust here in America,
He’s the one we turn to every time the goin’ gets tough.
He is the source of all our strength, the one who watches over us.
Here in America, in God, we still trust.
PROP.- From this song, let’s consider how we still trust in God in America.
1- We still trust God to be our God
2- We still trust God to take care of us
3- We still trust God to save us
I. WE STILL TRUST GOD TO BE OUR GOD
Ps. 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.”
If we still honor Him as God then He will be our God. But we can get into some serious trouble when we don’t allow God to be our God. Can you imagine what this world would be like without God as God? Whew! It would be one hellish place…full of chaos…no law….no love, etc.
In God we trust. Is this true? Is this true for most of the American people? I fear not. For most, God is not their God. Anything and everything has become the god of many Americans.
Rom. 1:18-25 “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.”
Americans are worshippers, for sure. But they don’t worship what should be worshipped.
ILL.- Preacher ADRIAN ROGERS of the large Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN, said one time, “And idol is anything you love more, fear more, value more or serve more than you do Almighty God. Fill in the blank.”
ILL.- Many years ago a preacher named John Greenlee wrote an article entitled, “Better Than Burning At the Stake.” It’s very convicting. It’s a satire of one of Satan’s superiors writing to Lucifer Jr. He wrote, “I am truly amazed at you. Your methods are so antiquated that I can scarcely believe it. You and your ridiculous talk of torturing Christians. Can’t you see that those things don’t work anymore? It just makes them mad and then you can’t do a thing with them.
“Listen, you Noodle Head, you’ve been hanging out in those caverns down in the earth so long that really you do have bats in your belfry. It’s not done that way at all anymore. Catch up, you bungler. There’s a whole new approach to getting Christians to denounce the faith. And it does work!
“It’s called TRIAL BY AFFLUENCE, for lack of a better name. The point is, it gets results. We’ve never seen anything like it down here around the ol’ Fire Lake. The Boss came up with the original idea and we’ve each adjusted it a little to suit our needs. It’s so simple you wouldn’t believe it! Here’s what you do. You take a good, solid Christian family so you can make the best example of them. Now start pouring on the ‘the good life.’
“Give him a boat, a camper, a good car, a decent house, several color TV’s, and an income that provides for more than what is needed in life. Add to this a couple of days a week he doesn’t have to work. Better yet, give him a three-day weekend. Pour on the goodies. Now watch him crack! And if you really want to get your laughs, listen to what he says.
“Sooner or later you’ll hear him mention how God gave him all these good things. But while he is saying this, he’s hooking up the camper to be gone from worship again. Or turning on the TV to sit paralyzed instead of thinking or doing anything. We find that each week we give him a shot of playtime, we’ve got him one step farther away from the tremendous power of our Enemy above.
“I don’t know why we didn’t think of this before. Just goes to show you that our Boss down here can adjust to the times and the situation. He claims that the newest arrival on the scene, America, is almost completely in his grasp. And it’s almost solely through this new method of his. You’ve got to him credit, Luce, old buddy. He’s never lost a country yet. So get going. This weekend should be perfect for us. Signed, Your Sinister Superior.”
I Pet. 5:8-9 “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith…”
Brothers and sisters, we must trust God to be our God and not anyone else or anything else. We must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness if we expect Him to be our God.
II. WE STILL TRUST GOD TO TAKE CARE OF US
Ps. 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
Do we trust God to take care of us in life or do we try to go it alone, thinking we can handle everything by ourselves?
ILL.- I remember many years ago a young wife and mother came to see me about some trouble she was having in life. I don’t even recall what the trouble was. Her father was the local police chief and did not go to church anywhere. I don’t think he believed in church at all. She said to me, “Please don’t tell my father that I came to see you for help. He believes that a person should take care of themselves and not lean on anyone or anything.”
Brothers and sisters, that kind of attitude and action will last only so long. Some day everybody who believes that way will come to the end of their rope and will begin to realize they are not all-sufficient. God allows such people to come to the end of their rope so they will realize that He is God and He alone can help them in life!
It’s like we’ve always heard it said that there are no atheists in foxholes. But it takes a mighty big foxhole of sorts for some people to wake up and look up and then fall down before God.
James 4:8-10 “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
Can God take care of us in life and in death? What do you think? Where’s your faith? Do you believe Hebrews 11:6?
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
ILL.- A preacher named James Brown said, “There is no situation I can get into that God cannot get me out. Some years ago when I was learning to fly, my instructor told me to put the plane into a steep and extended dive. I was totally unprepared for what was about to happen.
“After a brief time the engine stalled, and the plane began to plunge out-of-control. It soon became evident that the instructor was not going to help me at all. After a few seconds, which seemed like eternity, my mind began to function again. I quickly corrected the situation.
“Immediately I turned to the instructor and began to vent my fearful frustrations on him. He very calmly said to me, ‘There is no position you can get this airplane into that I cannot get you out of. If you want to learn to fly, go up there and do it again.’ At that moment God seemed to be saying to me, ‘Remember this. As you serve Me, there is no situation you can get yourself into that I cannot get you out of. If you trust me, you will be all right.’ That lesson has been proven true in my ministry many times over the years.”
If we still trust God as the only true, living God then He will take care of us.
III. WE STILL TRUST IN GOD TO SAVE US
ILL.- One Chinese preacher wrote, “Almost fifteen years ago, my family and I visited China. We had a relative in Canton, who was responsible for distribution of food. When we visited him, we were treated to the best in every way. In China, whether you think it is fair or not, relationship is everything. People are not always rewarded based on ability, but based on their connection to one another.”
That’s very interesting. Relationship is everything. Ability and money mean little. What matters is who you are and to whom you are related more than what you are or how much you are worth materially. AND SO WITH GOD!
Rom. 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Eph. 2:6-7 “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”
Phil. 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
God gives to us certain blessings, rewards, etc. mainly because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Because we are in Christ! And, of course, the greatest reward of all is eternal life! And we trust God to save us in Christ!
ILL.- Just hours before my mother passed away at the Freeman Hospital in Joplin, MO, on that Sunday morning, June 30, 2002, she talked with a lady from the nursing home who stayed with her while I driving fast to get to Joplin, MO. The lady from the nursing home was Jill Smith, the activity director for the National Healthcare where mother spent the last 10 months of her life on earth. Mom loved Jill and Jill loved her and she always told mother that if she had to go to the hospital for any reason that she would be with her until a family member got there. And Jill was with her.
But not only did she just sit with mother she also talked to mother and led her in the Lord’s Prayer and the 23rd Psalm. Jill said that mother’s voice was the strongest when she came to that part in the Psalm, “And yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…”
Jill indicated that mother was not afraid to die. WHY? Mother was a Christian but at times in her life she had not been the best Christian in the world. But why then was she not afraid to die? I believe at that time in her life she fully trusted in Jesus to save her and take her to heaven. I believe that when it came down to the nitty gritty, at death’s door, she believed and trusted God to save her in Jesus.
Mother’s faith was not perfect, but she believed in a perfect God and a perfect Savior! And that’s what makes all the difference in life and in death!
WHAT ABOUT US? What about you? We still trust God to saves us in Jesus.
CONCLUSION---------------------------
ILL.- Uncle Oscar was apprehensive about his first airplane ride. His friends, eager to hear how it went, asked if he enjoyed the flight. "Well," commented Uncle Oscar, "it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be, but I’ll tell you this. I never did put all my weight down!"
That’s like many people when it comes to faith in Christ. They never do fully put their weight down. They never fully put their trust in Jesus.
It is time for America to trust God and Jesus and we who believe must lead the way.
