4th of July Post

4^th of July Message
“God’s Word To A Nation”
Psalm 33:8-22 and Proverbs 14:34

⁸ Let all the earth fear the LORD;
       let all the people of the world revere him.

 ⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be;
       he commanded, and it stood firm.
 ¹⁰ The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
       he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
 ¹¹ But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
       the purposes of his heart through all generations.
 ¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
       the people he chose for his inheritance.
 ¹³ From heaven the LORD looks down
       and sees all mankind;
 ¹⁴ from his dwelling place he watches
       all who live on earth-
 ¹⁵ he who forms the hearts of all,
       who considers everything they do.
 ¹⁶ No king is saved by the size of his army;
       no warrior escapes by his great strength.
 ¹⁷ A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
       despite all its great strength it cannot save.
 ¹⁸ But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
       on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
 ¹⁹ to deliver them from death
       and keep them alive in famine.
 ²⁰ We wait in hope for the LORD;
       he is our help and our shield.
 ²¹ In him our hearts rejoice,
       for we trust in his holy name.
 ²² May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
       even as we put our hope in you.
    Righteousness exalts a nation,
            But sin is a disgrace to any people.”

    Today we’re celebrating the birthday of our nation & the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. If you know your history, you know that it was a momentous decision for each one who placed his name upon that document. As John Adams signed, he said, "Whether we live or die, sink or swim, succeed or fail, I stand behind this Declaration of Independence. And if God wills it, I am ready to die in order that this country might experience freedom."
    It was that kind of patriotism which led men armed with little more than hunting rifles, to engage in battle with what was then the most powerful nation in the world. Many of our forefathers paid a terrible price in the Revolutionary War, but finally they won the victory so that you & I might be citizens of this great country - "the land of the free & home of the brave."
    But what we often forget is that in declaring their independence from England, our forefathers made an equally strong declaration of dependence upon Almighty God. The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence says: "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."
    The closing words of their Declaration solemnly states: "With a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes & our sacred Honor."

Sometimes I have to wonder if our government leaders have ever read this document?
    I think it is important that we recall this very basic declaration of our forefathers dependence, for in a declining time of prosperity & power… the United States today is rapidly forgetting the God of our fathers, who gave this nation its birth and its greatness.
    I know that most of you recognize the name of Patrick Henry. But, many today do not. Patrick Henry was a famous statesman & orator of colonial Virginia. In 1764 he was elected to the House of Burgesses where he became a champion of the frontier people, supporting their rights against the arrogant exercise of power by England. In 1774 he was a delegate to the First Continental Congress. In 1775, before the Virginia Provincial Convention, he uttered his most famous words, "Give me liberty or give me death!"
    During the Revolutionary War he became commander-in-chief of Virginia’s military forces, as a member of the 2^nd. Continental Congress, helped draw up the first constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and he was largely responsible for drawing up the amendments to our Constitution known as the Bill of Rights.
    He became Virginia’s first governor, and was re-elected 4 times. Then he retired from public life. He was offered a seat in the U.S. Senate, and posts as ambassador to Spain & to France. President George Washington asked him to join his cabinet and become Secretary of State, and later wanted to appoint him the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. But Patrick Henry refused all such honors & recognitions.
    Now why do I mention these things about Patrick Henry? It is because I want you to realize that he was an important & respected leader & patriot in those days when our nation came into being… Listen to these words from him: "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians! – this great nation was founded not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ!"
    Patrick Henry’s Last Will & Testament was filed in the Brookneal County courthouse in Virginia. If you read his Will you will see that he bequeathed every-thing to his children, just as most people do. But the last paragraph in his Will is especially interesting…He wrote, "I have now given everything I own to my children. There is one more thing I wish I could give them & that is Christ. Because if they have everything I gave them & don’t have Christ, they have nothing."
    We need to be reminded of the solemn warning that God gave to another nation which was experiencing the thrill of independence after centuries of slavery in Egypt. Although it was written over 3,000 years ago, this warning could very well apply to the United States of America today:
    In Deuteronomy 8:7-14 Moses tells the people, "For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land. . .where you shall eat food without scarcity. . . When you have eaten & are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. Beware. . .lest, when you have eaten & are satisfied, & have built good houses & lived in them. . .& your silver & your gold multiply, & all that you have multiplies, then your heart becomes proud, & you forget the Lord your God." …
    The testimony of history has made it abundantly clear that not only nations, but also individuals, need to heed that warning. The greatness of a nation does not rest in its military power, technological advance-ment, or its national wealth… God’s Word says that Righteousness & justice are the determining factors. "Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people." [Proverbs 14:34]
    If He spoke audibly to us this Fourth of July and we could hear His voice, I think God would remind us of this verse. These truths still hold true for any nation even today.
    As Christians we must pray for our land and yes, for our leaders… and we must resolve to do our best to preserve the faith of our fathers… and maintain their spirit of freedom…upon which this nation was founded…asking God to forgive the sin of our great nation, and to heal our land.