One Nation Under God; Psalm 33:12
Did you know that on every form of currency that we have in the USA we have the words “In God We Trust” imprinted on it. Within our nations Pledge of Allegiance we sing the words, “One Nation UNDER GOD.” Many years ago I believe that was true, but, today we need to ask the question, “As a Nation do we trust in God, are we a nation under God?” To answer that we need to look at our past, present, and future...
I. Our Past
If you take a look back into our nations history you will find that we were founded on Godly principles by men that believed in divine authority. Unfortunately history is being rewritten today & we’re being told that the founding fathers of our country were deists or secular humanists. A deist is someone who believes in God, but he believes that God has removed Himself from us.
Bette Middler sings a song that illustrates this philosophy well called, “From a Distance.” It says, “From a distance, you look like my friend - Even though we are at war - From a distance, I can’t comprehend - What all this war is for - From a distance, there is harmony - And it echoes through the land – It’s the hope of hopes, it’s the love of loves, - It’s the heart of every man - God is watching us, from a distance.” (Not from a distance, He lives within the heart of every believer).
Many of our founding fathers were Christians, but some would have us believe that most were deists. We’re being told that our country was founded as a spiritually neutral land, where all religions would be accepted, & one religion would not be regarded as any better than another.
We’re being told that the founding fathers advocated strict adherence to separation of church & state, that the church should have nothing to do with government, & government should have nothing to do with the church.
But none of those things are true; our country has a rich spiritual heritage. Separation of church & state not in constitution… Our founding fathers believed very strongly in God’s presence. When our earliest universities began, most of them were founded to train Christian preachers.
* When Harvard was established in 1636, their statement of purpose said, “Every student’s main aim is to know Jesus Christ, & to recognize that Christ is the foundation of all learning.”
* When Yale came into existence in 1701, they said that “God is the source of all wisdom,” & they required all their students to attend daily public prayer services both morning & evening.
* When Princeton came into existence in 1746, Princeton proclaimed, “Cursed is all learning contrary to the cause of Christ.” (If only they had those same principles today…)
Our founding fathers were convinced that the Psalmist was right when he wrote in Psalm 33:12: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”
* Patrick Henry said, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians. Not on religion but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
* William Penn, said, “If we aren’t governed by God we will be ruled by tyrants.”
* John Jay, first justice of the Supreme Court, said, “It is the duty as well as the privilege & the interest of a Christian nation to select & prefer Christians for their rulers.”
* James Madison the chief architect of the constitution said, “Religion is the basis and foundation of our government”
Benjamin Franklin (I was taught at ATU that he was a deist) Watch Magazine…. What about separation of Church and State??? What about our schools??? Schools in our country used one primary textbook, & that was the Bible.
In fact, history tells us that the Delaware Indians came to George Washington & requested that their children be permitted to study in his schools because they wanted their children to learn morality & integrity. Even though they didn’t understand the Bible’s message about Jesus, they wanted their children to learn the principles taught in the Bible.
Thomas Jefferson, when he was president of our land, also served as head of the school board in Washington, D.C. Jefferson, not a Christian himself, insisted that two books be used - the Bible & the Watts Hymnal. The New England Primer, used until 1900…
Don’t let anybody ever tell you that our country was started by a bunch of deists or secular humanist. Or that they were spiritually neutral & one religion is just as valuable as another. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that our Constitution says, “Separation of church & state.” Or even expresses that idea - It doesn’t! This nation was founded by Christians and it was intended to be a Christian nation.
Anybody that says our founding fathers wanted a secular government does not know our history… George Washington said, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”
We were a nation “Under God”. But we have turned away from our rich spiritual heritage in the last 50 years.
II. Our Present
In 1962 in the case of Engal Vs. Vital - Prayer was taken out of schools (Unconstitutional). In 1963 in the case Abington Vs. Schemp - the Bible was removed. In 1980 in the case of Stone Vs. Graham - the 10 commandments were removed.
The court said, “If the 10 commandments were allowed to hang on the walls, then the children would read them and meditate on them. That would cause them to respect and obey them, and that would be unconstitutional.” (Don’t steal, don’t kill, and don’t commit adultery…) Now the 10 Commandments are being forced out of our federal buildings were some have stood for over 200 years.
James Madison said, “The future of America is not in the constitution it’s in obeying the laws of God.” But we have forgotten & forsaken that truth. We have come to the point were some consider it unconstitutional to say the “Pledge of Allegiance” in schools because, “One Nation Under God.”
Our money may say, “In God We Trust” But we do not. We keep on electing officials that clearly stand in opposition to the word of God. As long as our economy is strong, and the stock market is secure, we are fine. And now that both are insecure in whom do we trust.
We still live in the greatest country in the world… I am grateful to be a citizen of the United States and the freedoms we have. Any one of us could have been born in China, Pakistan, Iraq or some communist nation. We could have found ourselves on the streets of India this morning, wondering where our next meal is coming from.
God has blessed America, but we must remember, with that blessing also comes responsibility. Too many want the blessings, but not the responsibility. That’s why abortion is legal, people want to enjoy sin for a season, but when it’s time to take on the responsibility for those sins, they just cast them aside, with no thought of human life.
George Washington said, “If you remove religious principle, you will lose national morality.” The Supreme Court has just ruled against the morality of our nation when it passed these Sodomy laws 2 weeks ago. Our national morality is gone, now where does that leave us for the future?
III. Our Future
Luke 13:1-5, “There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
Now that our national morality is gone we are on a crash coarse to destruction. If God destroyed the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah for their sins, then He must destroy this nation for its sins unless we repent.
We could say that we need better laws, more law enforcement, or harsher punishments. We could say we need more moral codes, more teachers in the classroom, better curriculum. We all may have opinions about what this nation needs to make our future brighter, AND EVERYONE HAS THERE OPINION ABOUT WHAT WE NEED, but we don’t need opinions, we need to turn back to God and His word…
2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” This verse isn’t speaking about our government; it’s about Christians. “If my people…” Not the unsaved, the saved…
We cannot depend on our government to make our future brighter; we cannot depend on our law enforcement, teachers or schools. It’s not about the laws we pass, the moral codes we enforce, the curriculum we teach, it’s about the God we serve.
Who are you serving? Self, Satan, sin, or the savior? What you do and who you serve doesn’t only affect you, it affects everybody around you, it affects our nation as a whole.
Conclusion: I love this nation, the USA is the greatest country in the world, but I also know that God is just and unless we as a nation repent of our sin and turn back to Him we will perish.
