Proverbs 3:5-6 7-9-06 IN GOD WE TRUST
Since I have teenagers, I have been reading this Zits comic strip of late. It seems to catch where I am in relationship to my teens pretty well. I showed you some a couple weeks ago. Here’s another one:
(Slide: Zits comic strip 7/7/06. Jeremy’s dad is bending over to pick up a penny. Jeremy starts ranting “I don’t get this connection you have with pennies dad. The penny is an anachronism. It’s obsolete! It’s like…” he trails off as the next frame shows his old-fashioned dad proudly holding up his penny. Then says, “On second thought, maybe I do see the connection.”) Ouch!
Of course, there’s been a discussion for some time now to eliminate the penny and just round everything to the nearest nickel. And it probably would make good economic sense, since the penny actually costs more than a penny to make. The U.S. mint estimates that rising metal prices and other costs will increase their cost for making each penny to about 1.23 cents. But I kind of hope they won’t do it. Because like poor Jeremy’s dad, I have to admit, I’m obsolete. I almost never miss the opportunity to pick up a lost penny. Not just because I’m greedy even for a little bit, but because I always like to read and embrace the national motto of our country: “In God we Trust.” That got me to thinking again about our country’s solid Christian foundations and now about some of the judges in our country trying to run away from those foundations. There is a definite desire on the part of a few to remove every vestige of God from government. And that’s a mistake. We talked about it last week as we celebrated our nation’s freedom. I quoted President, John Adams, who once said, “Our constitution is designed for a religious and moral people. It is wholly inadequate to govern any other.’’ It’s true. Folks, trusting in God presents no threat whatsoever to the freedom of our country and it’s people. But removing God from government presents a very grave threat indeed.
Folks, I want each of you to pull out a dollar bill if you have one, or get where you can see one. This is going to be our object lesson today. Today I want to change this dollar bill for you, from an object of greed, to a tool for witnessing to your faith. If you turn to the back side, you will see two circles.
(Slide: Scanned picture of the back of dollar)
Those circles together comprise what is known as the “Great Seal of the United States. The first Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get it approved.
The right hand circle is interesting.
(Slide: Scanned picture of the right part of seal)
Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States and you might not notice it, but it is generally visible in the background whenever he speaks. The Bald Eagle was selected for the seal and also as our national bird because he is not afraid of a storm – he is strong enough and smart enough to soar above it.
The shield on the eagle is unsupported, signifying that our country can stand on it’s own (in the context of the time, without England).
In the eagle’s beak we have the famous Latin words: “E Pluribus Unum”, meaning, “Out of many, one.” This of course symbolizes the many states that formed to make the union of the United States. Of course, I’d ask you to consider how well those words apply to us also as God’s family. Out of so many who sometimes have so little in common other than our sinfulness, God has made us into one body. Paul put it very simply to the Corinthians: “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.”
Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons: An olive branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace. The eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze will reluctantly turn toward the arrows.
You know they say the number 13 is an unlucky number. If you believe that, you’d better not carry around a dollar bill, ‘cause 13 is all over it. Because we had13 original colonies there are 13 stripes on the flag, 13 steps on the Pyramid, 13 letters in “E Pluribus Unum” and in “Annuit Coeptis”, 13 stars above the Eagle (by the way, those little rays surrounding the stars are meant to show the glory of God – shining on our country). There are13 bars on the shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch and 13 olives, and 13 arrows. And I might have missed some other 13s.
(Slide: scanned left side of seal)
But now lets shift over to the other side of the seal, the left side. Folks, when you see this seal there is no question but that it was created by men who understood the Grace of God and how He has blessed this country. On the top of that seal are the Latin words: “ANNUIT COEPTUS”, by which they declared: “God has favored our undertaking/beginning.” Beneath is the pyramid or triangle, which is also the symbol of the Trinity – that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The pyramid was also chosen for the seal because of it’s enduring power to last throughout the ages. But it is displayed unfinished to signify that we are just getting started as a nation. Optimistically, I would hope that is just as true now as it was in 1776. Notice the face is lighted, but the western side is dark. This country was just beginning. We had not begun to explore the West or find out what would be our role for Western Civilization. Again, I would add that no matter how young or old you are, your life itself is just getting started. Even though we can’t see it yet, God has great things planned for us – and the greatest of these will not be shown to us until we get to our true home in heaven.
Now, even though the pyramid is unfinished, there is a capstone hovering over it. And inside the capstone you have the all-seeing eye of providence, another ancient symbol for God. Around the eye you again see the GLORY of God, radiating out and onto our country. Again, our forefathers understood that we would never be complete as a nation without the presence of God. And it’s so true. The more we as a country try to erase the all-seeing eye from this picture, the more the structure will crumble and be weakened.
At the base of the pyramid is the date of our country’s beginning that God has favored, the Roman Numeral for 1776. And certainly as we look at the past 230 years it is obvious that God has favored our beginning and our country. I’m sure that we can all find things to complain about, but as the war against terrorism continues and as we learn more about some of the countries that foster terrorists, our country looks better and better, doesn’t it? Can you imagine living in a land constantly torn by wars and demonstrations and ruled by a government with the kind of mentality for instance, that would publicly declare a Day of Hatred against another country? Or think about any of the communist countries that not only would never have a motto of “In God We Trust”, but also would forbid you to do so. Have you seen some of the news about North Korea lately? North Korea is the most repressive regime in the world when it comes to stamping out Christianity – or any faith, for that matter. The watchdog group Open Doors estimates that there are tens of thousands of Christians currently suffering in North Korean Prison camps…
Folks, we literally have no idea of how blessed we are in all the world. God has certainly favored this country. But for us, those words also have a special meaning: that God has also favored our beginning, our spiritual beginning when we were baptized into a relationship with the Triune God and we were first called “God’s children.” It’s a beginning that God set in motion long ago. Paul looks back on the work of God in guiding history and says “When the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive adoption as Sons.” Folks, God favors your beginning relationship to Him so much that He sent His Son to die for you on the cross to forgive your sins – it’s the greatest favor ever done for anyone and it was done for you.
Again, looking beneath the pyramid on the Great Seal, are the words, “NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM” - that God has also established a “New Order of the Ages.” Folks, our forefathers understood freedom and democracy as very new concepts in the history of the world. We who have grown up in freedom don’t realize how unique it still is even in our world today. But the men who crafted this seal had a sense that this new democracy that had formed would be a standard that would change the world. And they were right.
Of course there is another “New order of the ages” that only God could bring. The order by which the guilty are set free and those who were dead in sin become alive in Jesus Christ. The order by which God sent His Son into the world, “not to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”
There’s an old story about a little boy who couldn’t get to sleep. He had eaten something that didn’t agree with him and was having stomach problems, but finally he dozed off. Then all of a sudden, he woke up from a nightmare. His father came to comfort him. The room was dark and the boy was of course frightened out of his wits. The father said to him: “Don’t worry son, God will watch over you. Don’t be afraid, I’m going downstairs, but God will be with you.”
In reply the boy said, “But Daddy, I want a God that’s got skin on!”
Folks, that’s the God we’ve got. The God who took on skin in the person of Jesus Christ and died for us. The God who comes to us now in His Word and says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
(Slide: Scanned “In God We Trust” words from dollar)
Now we come to those great words right on the top of the dollar bill above where it says: “ONE” No, not “The United States of America”. The other words, “In God We trust.” That phrase is the national motto of the United States. Folks, isn’t that incredible?! In the face of hundreds of organizations in this country that are pledged to do away with Christianity, and hundreds of groups that deny the existence of God altogether, we still have an official document of our country that pledges allegiance to God! And I just can’t think of anything more ironic, or more appropriate than for that motto to be on, of all places, our money. Because for so many people a far more accurate motto for their lives would be, “IN GOODS WE TRUST.” And this is the way we get them.” We even call it the “Almighty dollar”, right? So what an amazing daily reminder to all of us not to put our trust in the almighty dollar, but in the almighty God.”
Folks, who would like to guess when those words first appeared on our paper currency?…
It was Benjamin Franklin’s belief that our country would not survive without the help of God. The leaders of our country in our father’s generation understood this as well. So the phrase, “In God we trust” was chosen as our national motto by an Act of Congress in 1956. It first appeared on paper currency in 1957.
Now folks, if the phrase, “In God we Trust” is the national motto of our country, declared so by nothing less than an Act of Congress, I want to respectfully suggest that it’s a phrase we should use and display more often. In recent years, people have been wearing a variety of ribbons to show their support for various causes. Well folks, I can’t think of anything more patriotic than to wear the national motto as a ribbon. It’s very simple to make. If you’re getting bored with the sermon you can do it right now.
Just fold the top back right at that sort of white line underneath the words “The United States of America”, then fold the rest of it in half, twice. Then simply bend the arms over at the ends of the words, “In God We Trust,” and you have it. It should look like it does on the front of the bulletin. Folks, I would very much encourage you to wear these and use them as an opportunity to witness. Wear them to show support for your country, but more importantly, to show that you are putting your trust in God.
Folks, have you ever been all ready to sit down and had someone pull the chair out from under you? You need to know, if you put your trust in anything except God, that’s exactly what’s going to happen to you in life. Only God has the answers to the great questions in your life. Only God can tell you with certainty that your sins are forgiven and you can have eternal life. Because only God could accomplish that victory for you. And He did it, when Jesus Christ, God and man, sacrificed Himself on the cross to be punished for your sins so that you could be set free from them. Trust in the Lord with all your heart – He was lifted up on the cross so that He’ll never let you down.
Then, “Lean not on your own understanding.” When you were two years old, did you understand anything about dating the opposite sex, or taxes, or the enjoyment of a fine book or a fine wine? Isn’t it true it you didn’t understand all those things and it took time for them to be revealed to you? Well, I submit to you that you and I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go. And it only makes sense that we should assume we don’t know it all, and trust that God will keep opening our eyes to the things He has in store for us.
Finally, “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” Understand that the Lord is working in every area of your life to make things better and to draw you closer to Him and to make your life count and be effective for making disciples for Jesus Christ. He’s promised that in His word: “All things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”
(Slide: “This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private” scanned from dollar)
Finally, I’d like to look at one more phrase on this bill – on the front side. In small print there on the left side. It proclaims, “THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.” In other words, if you just had enough of these you could pay off everyone you owe. It’d be nice, wouldn’t it? It would also be nice if that were true. But there are some debts that this just won’t take care of. Some debts that we can never repay. The debt of our sins – our debt that crucified the Son of God. And yet, because of the death of Christ God has canceled that debt. He has made His Son legal tender for all our debts to Him. Because it wasn’t just a man who died and in whom we place our trust. It was God Himself who “took skin on”, and who took our sins upon Himself on the cross and paid the price for them there. And left them there. And rose again, establishing a new order of life eternally for us who believe in Him.
Folks, I hope you remember some of the things I’ve shared with you today. And I want this dollar to become for you from now on a reminder of your faith. And maybe sometime the opportunity will come for you when someone will begin to talk about how important this is to them, and how much this means to them. I hope at that point you’ll be able to talk about why it is in “God you trust” and not this; (money) About why it is so important for you that God has favored your beginning when you were washed free from your sins at your baptism and made a child of God. And you can talk about how important it is for you that God has established a new order for the ages, one that is based on forgiveness and Grace and love and new life for you. And you can talk about the Church and what it means for you that God takes so many different people and makes them into one family and one body and how we nurture our faith together and grow into the head which is Jesus Christ. And I hope you can talk about how God has canceled the debt of your sin by the blood of His Son. And I hope you can truly “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, (when you do that) he will make your paths straight.”
