America Now!

AMERICA NOW!

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. . .” Psalm 33:12
(Jeremiah 18:7-11)

This year marks 230 years since our Founding Fathers gave us our National Birth Certificate. We continue to be the longest on-going Constitutional Republic in the history of the world. Blessings such as these are not by chance or accidental. They are blessings of God. Today is a good day to review America’s past, present, and future.

• America’s Past
• America’s Present
• America’s Future

I. America’s Past

A. The Declaration of Independence:

America’s reliance on God is recognized in the 2nd paragraph of the Declaration with 35 words that have changed the world, “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.”

B. The Star Spangled Banner:

The last stanza and chorus:

Oh, thus be it ever when free men shall stand,
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Power that has made and preserved us as a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust";
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave

C. The Founders:

1. Our form of government

• Separation of Powers – Jeremiah 17:9
• 3 Branches of Government – Isaiah 33:22
• Elections, Article 4 of the Constitution – Exodus 18:21,22

2. Quotes (several)

3. Thomas Jefferson, anti-Christian? What he did as president may surprise
you, among other things:
• Established a national seal using a biblical symbol;
• Included the word "God" in our national motto;
• Official days of fasting and prayer—at least on the state level;
• Protecting the property of churches;
• Requiring oaths saying "So Help Me God" to be taken on the Bible;
• Treaties requiring other nations to guarantee religious freedom;
• Including Religious speeches and prayer in official ceremonies

D. U.S. Freedom Defender – WW. I, II, and Currently in Iraq

II. America’s Present

A. Trends that concern us
. . .”When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19b
Remember when Francis Schaeffer told us that some day we would wake up and find out the America we once knew was gone? That day is here .We have crossed an invisible line, and there are no signs that we are capable of turning back. Like a boat caught in the mighty torrent of the Niagara River, we are being swept along in a powerful cultural current that just might pull us over the brink. Excerpted from The Truth About Same-Sex Marriage, by Erwin Lutzer.
Published by Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, 2004

B. Trends that encourage us
“Pleasant word are like a honeycomb, sweet to the mind, and health to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24
• But if we humble ourselves, weeping for this nation, God may yet intervene and restore decency to this crazed world. Most of all, we should pray that millions would be converted and belong to God forever. People change their mind only when God changes their hearts. If we cannot weep before God, we are probably not fit to fight before men. Only He can save us now.
Excerpted from The Truth About Same-Sex Marriage, by Erwin Lutzer.
Published by Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, 2004

III. America’s Future

No one but God Himself knows the future of America. The only thing we have to go on is how God dealt with nations in the past. One thing is clear, there are specific nations that are defined in the end time, i.e. Israel, Iran, Kings from the east (China?), etc. But one nation that is missing is America. Why? The following is conjecture and speculation. Again, only God knows for sure!

A. Suggestions where America is found in the Bible:
There are many but I share only one that respected Bible scholars suggest from Ezekiel 38:13, “. . .the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions. . .”

B. Suggestions why America is not found in the Bible:

• Ruin, Revival, or Rapture?

Conclusion

• Hope

Look up! (Luke 21:28)
Stay busy! (be salt & light as you go about your business) (Luke 19:13)

• How God is using Faith Baptist!