A Nation Worth Preserving

And all God's people said, Amen. Thank you so much choir and orchestra for leading us this morning.

If you have your Bibles, I want you to turn to Deuteronomy chapter 6.

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

Deuteronomy chapter 6.

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

Well, the world has come to America recently to see the World Cup.

I don't even know where it is.

But soccer is not the main sport around here, but it is in the rest of the world, or football.

And I have had fun listening to people's impressions of America as they visit it for the first time.

It is something that Americans need to listen to, quite honestly.

A Scottish fan described Bucky's as a, quote, gas station mixed with Disney World wrapped in a gift shop.

Freddie from Germany called Taco Bell the Holy Land.

Elsa from Sweden tasted ranch dressing and said, I won't ever be able to live without it.

And I will tell you that I always ask missionaries what they need and what we can bring.

And many times I'll take an extra suitcase full of stuff that they can't get overseas, but they can get here.

Many times they ask for dry ranch dressing because it is not available anywhere else around.

It really, it's a rarity.

Kenny asked for ibuprofen.

And he said, can you find me 500 caplets of ibuprofen?

And we took him 1,000, praise God.

So anyway, over and over again, European visitors are shocked at the vastness of our country and the friendliness of Americans.

I saw a South African that was amazed at a truck stop did not have an armed guard and had bottled water and an ice machine on the sidewalk in front of the store and nobody was even taking it.

I didn't tell him the rest of the story.

I didn't tell him the rest of the story.

But anyway, that's what he thought.

One Scottish fan woke up his Bostonian neighbors playing the bagpipes at 630 a.m.

And he was greeted with breakfast and gifts.

Another Bostonian said of the Scottish, he said, the Tartan Army is the best thing in Boston since Tom Brady.

Listen, friend, I love to travel the world.

I do, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to go and serve the Lord in Dublin and to be able to see some things along the way.

But I'm telling you, I love to come home.

We live in the best country in the world, period.

And for those that don't believe it, you are welcome to leave.

And for those of us who stay, I want you to know we've been entrusted with much.

We must protect it.

We must preserve the good of our country and root out the bad.

A month ago, Dawn and I gave our oldest daughter away in marriage, and it served as a stark reminder to me that every generation eventually hands the future over to the next generation.

I'm not the only one who understood that.

Moses understood that.

And he shared that.

And we still need to keep it before us.

May this ring in our ears, our hearts, our minds, as strong as it did in those that heard it for the first time in person.

Deuteronomy chapter 6, beginning verse 1 says,

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the rules that the Lord your God commanded you to teach you.

That you may do them in the land to which you're going over, to possess it.

That you may fear the Lord your God, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all of his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.

Hear, therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you in a land flowing with milk and honey.

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.

These words that I command you today shall be upon your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

You shall write them on the doorposts of your house, and on your gates.

Those words that I just read once could not be read because a man's hand was lying on top of it.

Whose hand was that?

George Washington.

Upon his swearing in, George Washington placed his hand on an open Bible and made an oath to the Lord as his fingers touched this very scripture.

Now, does that surprise you?

I'm sure that the forefathers of our nation did not intend for our laws to be interpreted as they are today.

Today, the men that founded this nation were not like many of the men and the women that lead our nation today.

The few good, godly leaders we have are in a fight, folks.

How do we protect what we have and prepare the next generation for what's to come?

I believe we have to look in three directions.

One is I think we have to look back.

My great, great, great, great grandpa was the chief justice of the South Carolina State Supreme Court

and a governor of the state of South Carolina.

He was voted down by the Senate when he was recommended by Washington to take John Jay's place as chief justice of the Supreme Court.

That's what happens when you say dumb stuff days before a vote.

My great, great, great grand uncle was the youngest to sign the Declaration of Independence

and was also a governor of South Carolina.

I got Rutledge in my blood.

Do you know that some of the men who signed our Declaration of Independence

declaring our commitment to break ties with Great Britain

were also men of God that were responsible for founding the American Bible Society,

the American Tract Society,

as well as the Philadelphia Bible Society.

Many times our founding fathers are made out to be deities.

In other words, those that believe that God was the creator,

but that he does not value a relationship with us,

or that we need not value a relationship with him.

They don't think it's possible.

They believe that after creation that God took his hand off the earth.

A deist believes that we can't commune with God,

that we have no relationship with him,

that he is simply a cosmic creator

with no relation or concern for our world.

I want to ask you this morning to begin with,

do you think these men sound like deities?

Patrick Henry said,

it cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often

this great nation was founded not by religionists,

but by Christians.

Not on religions,

but on the gospel of Jesus Christ.

John Adams,

when speaking of the general principles

of which the fathers achieved independence said,

I will avow that I then believed and now believe

that those general principles of Christianity

are as eternal and immutable

as the existence and attributes of God

and that those principles of liberty

are as unalterable as human nature.

End quote.

They believed our leaders

ought to be men of Christ.

Benjamin Franklin said,

he shall introduce into public affairs

the principles of Christianity

that will change the face of the world.

John Quincy Adams,

our sixth president,

said the highest glory

of the American Revolution was this,

it connected with one indissoluble bond

the principles of civil government

and the principles of Christianity.

Sadly,

at least in my perspective,

that bond seems to have dissolved somewhat

in our society.

Noah Webster,

as in Webster's Dictionary,

said this,

the religion which has introduced civil liberty

is the religion of Christ and his apostles,

which enjoins humility,

piety,

and benevolence,

which acknowledges in every person

a brother,

a sister,

a citizen with equal rights.

This is the genuine Christianity.

And it is to this Christianity

that we owe our free constitution of government.

Eat that up,

ACLU.

These wise men understood

that liberty is all about Christ.

You can't separate it.

In 1796,

the Supreme Court of Maryland ruled,

by our form of government,

the Christian religion

is the established religion,

and all sects and denominations of Christians

are placed under the same equal footing

and are equally entitled to protection

in their liberty.

All denominations of Christians,

is what Maryland said.

In reality,

the First Amendment was added

to make sure that one Christian denomination

didn't rise above other Christian denominations.

And the assumption was

that Christianity was a given.

In the beginning of the nation,

there was no conflict with the First Amendment

and having Washington lay his hand on the Bible

open to Deuteronomy 6.

There was no conflict with the First Amendment

and having chaplains of Congress

lead the worship service

that concluded Washington's inauguration.

There was no conflict with the First Amendment

to be supporting ministers and missionaries

with federal money,

listen to this,

for the first 100 years of our nation.

My!

Times have changed.

In 1781,

a publisher petitioned Congress

for permission to print Bibles.

And Congress approved of it

and stated this,

the Congress of the United States

approves and recommends to the people

the Holy Bible

for use in schools.

End of quote.

When it was challenged,

the Supreme Court responded,

why not the Bible,

and especially the New Testament,

be read and taught

as divine revelation in the schools?

Where can the purest principles of morality

be learned so clearly

or so perfectly

as from the New Testament?

The state of Delaware's Constitution,

1776 stated,

everyone appointed to public office

must say,

listen to this,

I'm going to repeat this,

the state of Delaware,

the Constitution of 1776,

stated,

everyone appointed to public office

must say,

I do profess faith

in God the Father

and in the Lord Jesus Christ,

His only Son,

and in the Holy Ghost,

one God,

blessed forevermore.

And I do acknowledge

the Holy Scriptures

of the Old and New Testament

to be given

by divine inspiration.

End of quote.

John Jay,

the first Chief Justice

of the U.S. Supreme Court

and one of the many contributors

to the Constitution

stated this,

Providence,

when he spoke of God,

has given to our people

the choice of their rulers

and it is the duty

as well as the privilege

and interest

of our Christian nation

to select

and prefer Christians

for their rulers.

He went on to write,

the right to hold office

was to be extended

to persons

of any Christian denomination.

That's a lot, folks.

That's the foundation

of our nation.

And I say that today

because that's not information

that you're going to find

in your typical history book.

You're not going to hear that.

These truths

have to be preserved

and carried on

to the next generation.

But I don't think

we only look back.

I believe we also

look up.

Scripture says,

Hear, O Israel,

the Lord our God,

the Lord is one.

The issue is not

simply

what our founders

believed,

although it needs

to be known

and I believe

it needs to be celebrated.

the issue today

is what we believe.

The issue today

is what we're going

to do about it.

George Washington

may have placed his hand

upon Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6,

but the greater question

today is if Deuteronomy 6

is in our hearts.

Placing your hand

on something

is one thing.

Placing God's word

in your heart

is another thing.

Verse 6 of Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6 says,

And these words

that I command you today

shall be upon

your heart.

God's word

in our hearts

is what really

changes

a nation.

Having a burden

for God's word

to be paramount

in all that we do

will lead

God's people

to pray.

And when we pray

as we're instructed

to pray,

God moves.

1 Timothy

1 Timothy 2:1–4

chapter 2

verse 1 through 4

says this,

First of all,

then I urge you

that supplications,

prayers,

intercessions,

and thanksgivings

be made

for all people,

for kings

and all who are

in high positions,

that we may lead

a peaceful

and quiet life,

godly and dignified

in every way.

This is good

and it is pleasing

in the sight of God

our Savior

who desires

all people

to be saved

and to come

to the knowledge

of the truth.

Christians,

we need to pray

for those that lead us

and pray

for our lives

will not get

in the way

when God

wants to do

a work

in us

and through us.

We need to pray

that we are

peaceful.

What a difference

it makes

when we pray

for God's

leadership

in our land.

Friend,

it is time

we throw up

our hands,

but not in disgust,

but we throw up

our hands to God

in prayer.

That we

look up

to Him.

That we turn

to Him.

That we don't

get sour

on the changes

that have happened

in our world

and in our nation.

It's not really

about that.

It's got more

to do with

how that's

affected us.

Are we salt

and light

in the world

in which we live?

What are we doing

for the cause

of Christ

in the way

in which we live?

in the way

in which we talk?

In the places

in which we go?

What are we

to do?

I think we look

up.

But not only

that,

but I also

think that we

look ahead.

For Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 6:7

chapter 6

verse 7

says,

teach them

diligently

to your

children.

And I talk

a lot about

this.

It was

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6,

the Shema

is a key

part of

Jewish life.

It was

central to

what they

stood for

in the days

of the Old

Testament.

It is

central in

Judaism

today.

They look

back to

this passage

of Scripture.

Scripture.

It is key.

It teaches

us what our

home ought to

be like.

Jesus said

in Matthew

28,

18 through

20,

that we need

to make

disciples in

Jerusalem,

in Judea,

in Samaria,

and the

uttermost.

We have a

story to

tell.

And that

story starts

at home.

To trust

the power

of the

gospel and

share that

gospel.

Share it

faithfully

at home.

Share it

as you go.

pray that

God will

convince you

that what

America needs

and what

this world

needs is a

godly

generation that

is protecting

our freedoms

and sharing

our love

for what we

can be in

Christ to

our children.

I want you

to hear me

today.

Every

generation is

only,

excuse me,

every nation

is only one

generation away

from forgetting

what made

it great.

Every nation

is only one

generation away

from forgetting

what made

it great.

And that's

why Moses

in Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6

wasn't talking

to politicians.

He was talking

to parents.

He was talking

to grandparents.

He understood

that what happens

in the living

room today

determines what

happens in the

nation tomorrow.

The future

of America

will not

ultimately

be determined

in Washington,

D.C.

It'll be

determined in

our homes.

It'll be

determined around

our kitchen

tables.

Listen to me,

church.

It'll be

determined in

our churches

and in our

hearts

that love

the Lord

their God

with all

of their

heart,

all of

their soul,

all of

their mind.

It'll be

determined by

people that

look back

to see how

God led us

to this

point.

and who,

let me add,

trains their

children in

that knowledge.

If the

history books

don't tell

it that we

use in

schools,

then let's

buy some

different books

and do it at

the house

so they'll

know it

anyway.

it'll be

determined

by people

that make

sure the

truth is

known.

It'll be

determined by

people who

look up to

the Lord

and bless

this country

with their

prayers for

not only its

greatness,

but also pray

for its

godliness.

Amos

Amos 5:24

chapter 5

verse 24

says,

The future

of America

is determined

by those

that look

ahead and

invest in

the gospel,

invest their

lives in

godly

character,

invest in

godly

principles in

the coming

generation.

My prayer

is, oh

dear God,

may we be

found faithful

in doing

all we

can do

to reach

as many

as we

can and

to make

this nation

as great

as we

can.

My friend,

that's where

we came

from.

Let's do

everything we

can to

get back

to that

and live

it out

in every

aspect of

our lives.

Before we

point fingers

at everything

else that's

wrong in

the world,

let's seek

God's face

at what's

wrong with

us.

Let's

get that

right.

When that's

right,

may God

by the

power of

his Holy

Spirit

influence

those around

us more

than we

could ever

imagine.

Amen?

Amen.

Let's pray.