The Rise and Fall of The United States of America

And what of the black uh robe? What of the black robe?

Gonna show you a a slide of those who were on the top of the list for King George III, who had ordered these men to be killed if found, if captured. King George III and the British Empire was warring against our rabble in-arms. They called our citizen soldiers, the revolutionary soldiers or the Continental Army. But a top the list of King George's issue that seven of these men are to be found without trial, they are to be hung when discovered because the Crown of England considered them to be the source of the revolution.

I love that you saw or you heard a moment ago from the two patriot black robe regiment fathers, Jonathan Mayhew and Witherspoon. By the way, Reese Witherspoon, she's a descendant of Jonathan Witherspoon. Remarkable that. But these men were targeted and singled out to be hung. Lemu Hayes, a black man who thundered in the pulpit, preached freedom and liberty from the scriptures. He was to be hung. Ezra Styles, tremendously influential man, was to be hung. Samuel Cooper, Samuel Davies, Samuel Davies, noted for being the greatest orator, public orator in the colonies. He had a man in his congregation, Samuel Davies did, a guy by the name of Samuel Adams. Listen to him preach. Samuel Adams said, "I understood liberty and freedom from my pastor, Samuel Davies." It's remarkable to realize that Thomas Jefferson said, "We never would have understood freedom in liberty, nor would there have ever been a revolution without Samuel Adams." From the pulpit to the congregant to the nation. Amen.

You heard a Yeah. You heard a moment ago that Witherspoon had announced that there's never to be a separation between the civic engagement of our culture and the pulpit. And yet we hear today, all we hear today from the denters of truth is there's A SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE. But when you read the first amendment, it says the exact opposite as what they mean by it. There is to be a separation. The government shall never be involved in what the church has to say. That's what the first amendment announces. But our culture has turned that around. Israel Evans to be hung. Jonathan Witherspoon to be hung. Richard Allen. John Murray. William Smith. Abselum Jones. These men thundered the truth. And the Crown of England said, "HANG them all. And when you're done hanging them, then you can hang John Hancock and Samuel Adams." Isn't that remarkable? The two guys at the bottom of the list who were politicians and businessmen, they were lower on the list.

I'm very honored to announce that the Black Robe Regiment, which is what I'm wearing today, they wore back then. The reason why, by the way, King George announced that America has an army that doesn't carry a weapon. That's thus he named them the Black Robe Regiment. We didn't name ourselves that. The Crown of England did. There's an army that wears black that preaches the word of God. They must be stopped. Make no mistake about it, though our motherland was England, England was far from the gospel of God. It was the British forces that burned down our churches. It was the British forces who converted them into riding stables to teach their officers how to ride horseback in in our churches in Boston, in Virginia.

But church, as we look at this day, as we look at this week, as we take opportunity to look at this year and these last 250 years, the message, the title I have today, I have to say upfront, I don't know how to deliver it because um I, as those of you who know me, I was born 250 years too late. I read more of American founding uh writings than I read about anything else of any era. I'm more comfortable with them than I am with most people. I've read their mail. And when I look at where our nation is today, and I understand we've just come off a a day of celebration. This is to be a year of celebration as uh it will transpire to be in the United States and justifiably so. But I'm talking about America the beautiful. I'm talking about America the miracle. and America. What will happen with America?

I'm gonna ask you to stand if you would. I will read the odd numbered verses. If you read the even numbered verses as usual, let's do this together. This will be our chapter for today.

Rejoice in the Lord, oh you righteous, for praise from the upright is beautiful. Sing to him a new song. PLAY SKILLFULLY WITH A SHOUT of joy.

The word of the Lord is right.

He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Lord,

beautiful.

Verse 7, he gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the deep in storehouses.

For he spoke and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast.

The Lord of the nations to nothing. He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.

The council of the Lord stands forever. the plans of his heart to all generations.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he has chosen as his own inheritance.

The Lord looks from heaven and he sees all the sons of men.

He fashions their hearts individually. He considers all their works.

No king is saved by the multitude of army. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.

A horse is a vain hope for safety. Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his mercy.

To deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the Lord. He is our help and our shield.

or our hearts shall rejoice in him because we have trusted in his holy name.

Let your mercy be upon us.

And all God's people said,

"Amen."

Amen.

You may be seated. We're going to draw out of that chapter, verse 12, Psalm 33:12, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people he has chosen as his own inheritance." And I want to bring this to the remembrance of all of us here right now. Those of other services uh today and by God's grace uh may messages like this go out across this land today.

But I want to read you this anonymous quote. By the way, to visit history is to visit the works of God when in the course of human events he appears. That was obviously spoken by someone near or dear to the revolutionary period. On Saturday, July 28th, I want to read this to you. In 1787, at the age of 81, Benjamin Franklin stood to address Congress. And he said, "In this situation of this assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how is it happen, sir, that we HAVE NOT HITHERTO ONCE THOUGHT OF HUMBLY APPLYING TO THE FATHER OF LIGHTS, one of the names of God, to illuminate our understandings." In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were heard and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending providence in our favor. I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? Ben Franklin, age 81.

By the way, Ben Franklin's quotes from that time forward will be filled with quotes about God's greatness and God's goodness. And I find it awesome, as you in this church well know, that Congress from that moment on began to have prayer in Congress every day since that day you read a moment ago because of a man, Benjamin Franklin, who in his latter age came back to faith. There's no history. There is no evidence. There are no words that back up the fallacy that Jefferson and Franklin were deists. They may have struggled with faith from time to time. They may have different views just like you and I do in our journey as we grow deeper in the knowledge of God's word. But by the time they came to the end, they had it right. But that's not what we get from our culture today in education.

Do we even know this that the Declaration of Independence in Congress on July 4th, 1776, the unanimous declaration of the 13 United States? By the way, I wish we could talk about the whole argument as to how they became unanimous. You know, all this talk about we drew up this document, but we only considered the life of a black man one-third of that of a white man. You know that, right? And so people will say, "HOW HORRIBLE IS THAT?" TRULY HORRIBLE. Did you know that the leaders of the free states and they were leaders of the slave states? Did you know that we couldn't get the slave states to agree on the declaration or on the Constitution or on anything unless they wrote that stuff in there to get the southern states into agreement? And when they conference later, it was recorded. That's okay. It's a step forward. We'll get them in. We'll get this nation underway. And in due time, we will defeat slavery. You say, "How do you know that?" Because John Witherspoon among others, including John Adams, they were of the abolitionist movement in America. But you got to start somewhere.

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with one another. I would submit to you today we are there again. I don't think there's any longer two different parties in America. I think you need to hear what they're saying and you need to read what they believe. One may be a political party still. The other one has become a religion. And you're watching it evangelize the nation. As we sit here this morning, you saw the result of their preaching last Tuesday in America's elections from state to state. Think about what I said a moment ago. If you believe there is no God, if you believe that socialism is the way and communism is the way, that is the manifestation of atheism. And yet atheism is a religion where man becomes God and God is dethroned because a man or a system that believes that they're God, they hate the God of the Bible because they hate competition. Blunt words. You may not like them. Prove me wrong.

And to assume AMONG THE POWERS OF THE earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and nature's God entitled them. A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 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. Do you believe that? If you're an American, you believe this. Not everybody that lives in this country believes this. I don't know what they're here for. Maybe they're here for the money. Maybe they're here for the opportunity. Maybe they're here and they don't believe in any of the things that made this nation, but they love pulling down the lowhanging fruit to benefit themselves which cost them nothing but cost generations before them of their life, their liberty, and their sacred honor and their treasure. We live in an America today that has lost its way. That's why I am saying America the beautiful, America the miracle, America blank dotted line. What's next for America? That's my concern.

So when Psalm 33:12 says, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he has chosen as his own inheritance." You may find this quite remarkable. That's written by the Psalmist of Israel. It's 3,000 years old as we sit here today. But what is absolutely stunning is that though a Jew spoke it, God who inspires scripture makes no mistakes. And the statement and the blessing is generic. Was it given to a specific people? Yes. But it was GIVEN TO A SPECIFIC people and they had that. And that truth is the eternal truth of God. Folks, listen. IN PSALM 33:12, THAT'S NOT A VERSE THAT WAS MADE UP IN THE MOMENT. All the Bible reveals God's eternal truth that never changes. And when the scripture says, "Happy is the nation, BLESSED IS THE NATION WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD." By the way, he's not leaving it open for chance. Happy is the nation, BLESSED IS THE NATION whose God is Yahweh. Yes. The name of God, the name of the one true God, the name of the God alone who lives. All other gods are fraudulent and man-made. And he has a name and his name is Yah. You just sang a song, the battle hymn of the republic taken out of the uh prophet Joel. Glory, glory, hallelu. Hallelu is to praise Yahweh. Technically hallelu it's e l at the end then yah praise the god yah is his name yhovah yahweh and he says this SOMETHING SHOCKING blessed some of your Bibles say happy there's nothing wrong with happy by the way we think as Christians well you know we don't talk about happiness we talk about joy the joy of the Lord is our strength absolutely but listen the word happy is in the Bible Bible throughout. Happy changes with circumstances. BUT IF YOU'VE GOT THE JOY OF THE LORD, you can be happy in any situation because you know that God is on his throne. QUALIFIER. WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD? WHO ARE THEY? HAPPY. WHY? Because God is on his throne. He's the Lord that isn't in seated in heaven. He's not in Sacramento or Washington DC. That's good news. What when the announcement is made here, blessed. Who are the blessed? This is a tremendous declaration of the psalmist. It first goes to Israel AS A PROMISE, BUT THE word structured in verse 12 is to any nation. Did you get that everybody? It's not limited. And throughout all, don't miss this. Throughout all of human history, since the giving of God's word for the last 3,000 years, you are sitting in the borders of a nation whose founders said, and I'm I'll I will be uh I'll put it in a modern-day vernacular, and I'll put it with a little bit of uh sarcasm. Um, hey, we're in a real pickle here. We are very prosperous as colonies. Uh each of us are completely independent from one another. We are our own little countries. Virginia its little country and New Jerseyy's its little country. But you know what? We all have this in common. We have one taskmaster that is taking all of our proceeds from our hard work. And on top of it, he's doing everything he can to SILENCE OUR PULPITS BECAUSE NOW HE'S ASKING FOR ALL THE SERMONS THAT ARE BEING PREACHED in the colonies TO BE SENT BACK TO ENGLAND FOR HIS REVIEW BEFORE THEY CAN BE PREACHED IN OUR PULPITS. They need to be reviewed. They need to be edited if it's too strong. Our founding fathers were about establishing a government. Good. You need one. Government is created by God. But the black robe regiment was all about obeying God rather than man. And today, America's pulpits NEED TO BE ALL ABOUT OBEYING God rather than man. If America is going to wake up, it's going to have to wake up at the hands and at the voice of the pulpit in America. WE ARE NOT DINOSAURS. We're not archaic. We are not of the past. Sadly, pulpit have RELEGATED THEMSELVES TO BE ONLY SOMETHING OF HISTORY. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PRESENT? YOU ARE STILL ALIVE. THIS NATION IS HANGING ON BY A THREAD. WE'RE FLIRTING WITH GODLESSNESS. WHERE'S THE ANSWER COMING FROM? BE I'M NOT BEING RUDE. IS IT GOING TO come from Fox or CNN or Newsmax? It cannot. THEY CAN ONLY REPORT ON THE NEWS. MY PASSION is be the news. We are to be the news. We're the ones that are are TO BE PROCLAIMING GOD'S TRUTH because they're eternal truths, the church, until we get taken out of heaven. Look, I don't want to get involved IN POLITICS. WELL, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO, AND YOU ALREADY are involved in politics. I FILLED UP MY GAS TANK ON THE WAY HERE THIS MORNING, and it was very political. The price, what was it? 5.88 a gallon. I guess we should be happy it's not six. That's political, folks. But the bottom line is this. We ought to be busy about everything that God has called us to do until he calls us up and out of here. But to sit on our laurels is unacceptable to God. And because we don't speak up, because we don't make righteous noise, evil is advancing. This last week, the US Supreme Court in its evil decided you CAN JUST KEEP COUNTING BALLOTS AS LONG AS THEY'RE COMING ON IN, FOLKS. A shock. A bunch of moral legal moral or morally illegal bankrupt false black robers who are undermining the very foundation of this nation. They did a great injustice. What does that mean? Well, pastor, it means we pack up and go home. We just bury our head in the sand. No, we don't. Listen, if we were under attack, if China or Iran was invading, would you have any respect for any man who went and hid in some tool shed and pulled the blanket over his head? You would not. Equally, I view this. I have no respect for a Christian who doesn't vote. I can't. It's impossible. You can't do that. I CANNOT RESPECT SOMEBODY WHO TAKES WHAT FREEDOM GOD HAS GIVEN THEM and doesn't exercise that. No. Listen. He wants us blessed as a nation. That means he's on his throne. And it also means that those who are on their man-made thrones today will never dethrone him. And then it goes on to say is the nation. Oh yes. Sorry to blow some minds of the woke or I don't know what you would call it, but guess who created nations? God did. Did you know that God says, "I'm the one that established the borders of countries." And yet there's a grand movement in the earth and in America to have no borders. God in THE BIBLE SAYS, "DEFEND YOUR BORDERS. AND LISTEN, THE NOISE FROM THE LUNATICS HAVE BECOME so loud THAT IT ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE A VIRTUE. We've allowed ourselves to be intimidated. And you will not be blessed. Neither will you have a nation. Not too long ago, I did travel and I went into England and then I went into Canada and uh I was quite surprised. They didn't really even care about my passport anymore. They wanted it to They wanted me to stick my face. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? That machine moves up to level with your head and then that thing looks right into the geometry of your face and into your eyes and a little green thumb pops up on the screen and now you can come into that country. You had to be identified. You had to be known. Nations. God says they matter. The Bible says God when Christ returns, he's going to judge the nations. But the Bible says, "Blessed is the nation whose God." Now, this is fascinating to me. In my notes, I wrote down, "What god or gods will bless us?" I want to ask you that question. I want to be sarcastic about it. So, you want other gods, do you? America, right? Now, America wants other gods. And uh they might not say uh Islam or Buddhism or Hinduism or Shinuism or whatever might be the flavor of somebody. They don't they won't say that out loud, but they'll SAY THINGS LIKE SEPARARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE. REALLY? Would you be saying that if we if I were to say back to you, separation between mosque and state? Can you say that in New York? Can you say that in Texas? Can you say that in Michigan? You want to know why it's happening at all? Because America has changed her God or is at least flirting with divorcing herself from the real true living God to embrace other gods and those who represent other I would never embrace another god. But are you voting for or are you supporting those who are diametrically opposed to the governing DOCUMENTS THAT MADE YOU A free individual? They cannot swear allegiance to those things. In the United States, these politicians who have been elected into office that are Muslim, WHAT WHAT BOOK ARE THEY SWEARING ALLEGIANCE TO WHEN THEY RAISE THEIR RIGHT HAND? The Quran. They have to. Did you know that Sharia is diametrically opposed to our Constitution? Can't have both. And yet the Constitution has STOOD THE TEST OF TIME. The problem is America today. Where are we? We're quiet. We're silent. And so there are Sharia law courts set up in America as I speak. If you're a Muslim, you go to that juristprudence in America. Dualism instead of assimilating into the United States. Look, I would assume all of us came from somewhere. This last week, Lisa and I, our our backgrounds headed out on that grand battlefield of FIFA or FIFA. Croatia played Portugal. And uh we haven't had peace in our house since Thursday because Portugal defeated Croatia. And that goes look I'm only half Portuguese. My wife Lisa, she's pure Croatian. And I know. But we had the better team, so it it it didn't matter. BUT WHO'S GOD? WHO'S GOING TO CALL THE SHOTS AND MAKE THE DECISIONS OF YOUR CHILDREN and of your children's future? because those battle uh grounds are being lived out in the school board, city council, county seat, assemblyman, assemblywoman, governor, and this country of ours. How's it happening? Listen to what President President Gerald Ford, now you never get to quote President Gerald Ford hardly ever. He wasn't in office long enough to say anything. But he he got this right. A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have. Hey, that that is going to become very popular, I predict, as America heads into socialism. How many of you have jobs? Raise your hands. You better keep those jobs because there's a lot of bums counting on you to make them money while they stay at home. It's called socialism. I don't want to work, but I want what you have. And that's normally called lunacy until the government becomes lunatic. And then they turn and they enslave you who raised your hand to provide for those who refused to work. Don't think it it won't happen in America. Jamestown, if you know your history, Jamestown, that's exactly what happened. Did you know Jamestown? Jamestown was planted in about 16056007. Did you know that James Town failed? BY THE WAY, WATCH. THERE WERE TWO attempts to establish this nation. One was Jamestown. It was first. It's the one. Have you ever heard of the the 19 the 1619 project people? Oh, they love TO QUOTE JAMESTOWN. JAMESTOWN WAS SECULAR. JAMES TOWN was all about making money and getting slaves. THE PILGRIMS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH JAMESTOWN. God in his infinite goodness. The pilgrims had a license. They had a charter from England. They were going to where they were supposed to go, and that was Virginia. And guess what happened? God just kept going. HE KEPT SENDING STORMS AND BLEW THEM SO FAR OFF TRACK THEY WOUND UP IN MASSACHUSETTS. No charter, no contract, no man's land. And they panicked. Not God. He knew exactly what he was doing. And the pilgrims came with a vision, not business. The pil go read their go read their writings. Go read the Mayflower Compact. They came to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ verbatim. So they said, and so they did. And which one which one worked? Jamestown. They said, "Wait a minute. We are of blue bloodoods." A lot of us in this group have blue blood. We can't work. YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO WORK. YOU You low lives, you work, so we don't have to WORK BECAUSE WE ARE NOBILITY FROM ENGLAND. And they went like this. And Richard Hunt preached his first sermon and he used the sail from the ship for his roof as a church. And he said, "The Bible says, if you are not willing to work, you shall not eat." And he rebuked them. It still failed. But the pilgrims put God first. They all rolled up their sleeves. So don't think it it can't happen in America. It started early on and it had to be resisted. Look at this quote by Charles Finny. Brethren, our preaching will bear its legitimate fruits. If immorality prevails in the land, the fault is ours in a great degree. If there is decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the public press lacks moral discrimination, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the church is denigrated and worldly, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the world loses its interest in religion, the pulpit is responsible for it. If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it. Let us not ignore this fact, my dear brethren. He's speaking to a bunch of pastors, but let us lay it to the heart and be thoroughly awake to our responsibility and respect to the morals of this nation. New York City, December 4th, 1873.

Are you guys awake? Yes. Are you learning anything? The verse goes on to say, "Whose God is the Lord?" The Lord. There's only one Lord, everybody. There's only one. There's a lot of cults. There's a lot of false religions, but none of them have the Lord. John Adams said this. Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited. What a utopia. What a paradise would this region be. Ladies and gentlemen, listen public school teachers. John Adams said that one of the key note founding fathers, second president of the United States, signer, patriot. Did he not know about the separation of church and state when he said that? I'm being sarcastic. I'm landed on pretty thick right now. Are you getting it? If you think there's a separation and the government tells us what to do, poor John Adams, he didn't know that. And he he was one of the great creators of this country. He says, "Use the Bible." I'm going to give you one chance, one answer. This is your only hope. What was according to our founding fathers the chief and number one source of a textbook for students in the United States colonies? The Bible. As a matter of fact, the Bible. Remarkable. The Lord. We know the name of our God. Yah. And Adam said, "If you know the Lord and you take up his book and apply it to any region," and this is the precious thing I'm getting to what you and I are sitting in right now. Psalm 33:12, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." Our founding fathers said, "Wait a minute. If God gave that promise to Israel and all of us here in this committee, we all had to know Greek and Hebrew to enter into Harvard or Yale or Cornell or Princeton, I should say, came after. If we all had Tom Jefferson, you you went to William and Mary, you had to know Greek and Hebrew. When we know and read that scripture in the original language, IT'S ANY NATION WHO DECIDES TO take God the Lord to their bosom shall be a blessed nation. That's what it means. God used Israel and in this psalm to announce TO THE WORLD, "HEY WORLD, YOU WANT FREEDOM, YOU WANT LIBERTY, YOU WANT JUSTICE, GRAB MY BOOK AND run with it." Watch the United States, the founding, the colonial experience was the only nation, and we weren't even yet a nation. That said, we're going to take God up on that offer. Denmark didn't do it. China didn't do it. South America didn't do it. 56 men. Technically 57. Did you know that Abigail Adams is considered a founding father? If you ever read her input, you'd know why. John Adams, you got to read about John Adams. By the way, if you have if you want some homework for today, you should watch you should just put on a pot of coffee and binge watch Tom Hanks remarkable work in conjunction with David McCulla, John Adams. Remarkable, powerful, spot-on. I know, I know, Tom Hanks, but it was spot on. It's literally spot on. It's incredible. The good thing is Tom Hanks was smart enough to realize, I'm going to keep myself out of this. This is too great. And I'm going to let these guys talk for themselves. You got to watch it. It's amazing. THOSE PAUL GIAMONTE, HE SPOKE AS John Adams verbatim of John Adams writings. And Abigail Adams, you John Adams said of himself, "I am very proud. I'm terribly insecure. I'm very bright. I can argue with anybody. I talk too much. I wish I talked less. And all my friends wish I talked less also. But I'm fiercely loyal. I'm passionately a patriot and I'm a worshipper of the Lord Jesus Christ." I love that. I love that. Remember, God's working on all of us, but Jesus did not die for our personalities. He died for our sins. Aren't you glad? And then the scripture says, "The people, I love this, the people." What people belong to God the Lord. Who is who who is any nation? Any people? And John Adams and John Hancock on April 18th, 1775 said this. WE RECOGNIZE NO SOVEREIGN BUT GOD and no king but who this is the nation you're sitting in. We need that. We need that on t-shirts. We should all be walking billboards for that one right there. It's awesome. What people? Jesus people. The people he has chosen, Yahweh, our God says, "You'll be blessed if you make that reality such. Pursue me. Come after me." And there's the people that he's chosen. Yes, the Bible says God has chosen Israel, but they're not the only ones he chose. He has chosen all those who trust in Christ. Now listen, as individuals, every single one of us will be judged by the Lord Jesus Christ if you're a Christian. If you're not a Christian, you will not be judged by Jesus Christ. You will be judged by God the Father and you don't want to go there. But if you're a nation, all nations of the earth shall be judged by Jesus Christ. all the judgment of the nations. God will judge nations differently than he judges the individuals within those nations. Think about that for a moment. For example, Israel because of its rebellion was taken captive by the Babylonian Empire, by the Meo Persian Empire because of its rebellion. As a nation, Daniel was carted away as a young teenager never to see Israel again. What did Daniel do? What wrong did Daniel do? WHAT WRONG DID Joseph do? What wrong did Ezekiel do? Tell me what wrong. Can you point out that Jeremiah is responsible for the judgment of the nation? The answer is nothing. Did you know that good people will suffer because of a nation acting badly? God judges nations, but as believers, the Bible tells us that our sins were judged at the cross. Jesus died for us there. But is our responsibility as a people to bring our nation to the cross. IT DOESN'T MEAN EVERYBODY'S GOING TO BE SAVED. NOR DO WE DESIRE TO ESTABLISH A GOVERNMENT religion or a religion of government. Christianity, don't miss this. Our founding fathers were so secure in what they believed and what they gave us that if you were a hardcore atheist, they wrote a document that gave you the exact same freedoms as Jonathan Witherspoon enjoyed, as Patrick Henry enjoyed, as Washington himself desired. No n listen, no nation on earth has ever done that, nor has it done it still. If you get in an airplane with me and we fly to Mecca, I will have to school you on mostly what not to do. If you step out of line, I have no help over you and our tour. You will be taken away by the religious police because you woman showed your shoulder or your your dress were was too FAR UP YOUR CALF AND YOU'RE TAKEN AWAY. But I'm an American. I'M AN AMERICAN. THAT makes it worse. Are you hearing me? go to Tran today and CARRY A BIBLE. JUST TAKE A BIBLE INTO PUBLIC. It's probably a death sentence. But pastor CNN said, "You get your theology from CNN and your news from CNN, do you?" I wouldn't think so. You wouldn't be here. a chosen people. Look what Noah Webster. Noah Webster. If the citizens of the United States neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, oh my goodness, what? How do you know? The government will soon be corrupt. Laws will be made not for the public good. so much as for the selfish or for local purposes. In other words, hold hold that on the screen. This is going to this is going to hurt. Well, the election didn't go the way that I wanted it to go, so I'm not going to vote at all. You should get the next vote out. Really? You're going to let your little local petty issue derail the national common good? I thought we were Americans. I thought we were supposed to sacrifice ourselves for the greater cause. Oh, I'm sorry. We don't know the greater cause because it's not being taught or talked about. Have we taken the opportunity to vote and converted it into a game, maybe a sporting game? It has certainly become petulant. And many people apparently in the United States and certainly in California HAVE SHOWN THEMSELVES TO BE UNWORTHY OF BEING ABLE TO VOTE. They don't know how to vote. If my team didn't win, I'm throwing down my toys or I'm picking up my toys and I'm leaving. that exposes everything about your nature. It's not American. It's certainly not Christian. If we see that what we've been given is not necessarily from the founders, but from God himself, then it is incumbent upon me and you and I to steward that responsibility for the glory of God. Not our glory, not for self. We do the best we can in a fallen world. We do everything we can to move the needle or to advance good. We need to get back to being first a Christian and second an American. In that order, that was a very weak. That was a cute clap. It was like a golfer's clap. No, it's okay if I have to. No, no, no. That's very nice. But if you have to ask for it, it doesn't feel good. In the middle, the public revenues taxes will be squandered. What? on unworthy trains. I mean men and the rights of citizens will be violated and disregarded. If a republican government, we are a republic, fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the divine commands and elect bad men to make and administer the laws. We We vote in bad people and they create bad laws. How do we get our bad laws? How did California just recently and just very recently pass a law to minimize the punishment for people who have sex with children. Ladies and gentlemen, that happened IN CALIFORNIA SEVERAL WEEKS AGO WHILE YOU were sleeping. WHAT WOULD WHAT WOULD KING DAVID DO? WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? SUCH A THING. JESUS WOULD GO STRAIGHT TO THE GUY'S OFFICE AND KNOCK ON THE DOOR OR walk through the door. HE JESUS WOULD WALK THROUGH the door and say, "I tell you this, it is it is better for you to have never been born THAN FOR YOU TO offend the littlest of these. You will have a stone wrapped around your neck and cast into the depths of the sea." We've elected officials IN SACRAMENTO THAT PASS SUCH RULES AND LAWS AND LEGISLATION. And what are we going to do about it? THEY WON'T TAKE OUR CALLS. They don't have to take our calls. We can vote. Listen, we can vote and and make noise. We have to make noise. We have to say to them, "Listen, we're watching how you vote. We're going to MAKE THIS PUBLIC." THEY'RE COUNTING ON YOU NOT PAYING ATTENTION. Apathy kills. It kills a church. It kills a city. Kills a family. Kills a country. Remarkable. Boy. Noah Webster spot on. And the Bible says that such a nation will be his own inheritance. I find this fascinating. His own inheritance. Like like God needs something. What can you give God? NOTHING. WHAT DOES HE NEED? NOTHING. He uses gold in heaven for asphalt, but he says he's going to inherit something. Who's that? Any nation who will make God the Lord their king. We'd like to talk about inheritance uh in our culture. It's a big deal. It's a big business in law. You know, inheritance, there's probate attorneys and there's specialists and this or that and you have your will or your living trust and all that stuff because of inheritance. And your kids tell you they love you, but there's a little bit of an eye looking at you like, "Oh, watch out. There's a banana peel on the stairs. I'm kidding. But inheritance, by the way, in even in church settings, I know it happens of course in the world, but it even happens in church settings. You think your family's tight, sweet, and cute, just wait till somebody in your family dies with money. Huh? Don't tell me different. We're pastors. We have to deal with it all the time. Families turn into monsters when money's involved. Thank God God doesn't deal in currency. Margaret Thatcher said regarding inheritance, look, regarding inheritance, again, either we're going to follow God and and pursue God and be a nation that's under God or we're going to ditch God and uh make man as God. And that's going back to that socialism, communism, atheism, isms. But Margaret Thatcher Look what she said. The problem with socialism, please, young people, get this down. You should take a picture of this. This too should be a t-shirt. We're going to start selling a lot of t-shirts here. The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money. That's why throughout human history, socialism, whoever starts it doesn't live long until some bonehead starts it again in some other part of the world. Why? because it eats up its people. Margaret Thatcher. We need more men in the world right now like Margaret Thatcher. Amazing, amazing quote. Tremendous statement. But I'm just wondering if this new sparkly United States of America would choose the Lord our God. And I say sparkly because last night there are sparklers everywhere. But sparkly where we want to choose what um what might line our pockets. Hey, I'm I've been promised this by this guy. I've been promised that by that woman. I've been pro. Are you hear me? America. I think the only hope for the United States is a return to our foundations. We don't have to go far. The state of Texas is in great trouble. I know a lot of people as you do who move there for to get out of horrible California. Hey, you know what? You can have your Look, Texas is big and so are the bugs. Texas is big and so is the heat. Texas has got all of its Texas stuff. Might be too little too late. Maybe not. But the governor of Texas now is on in hot water for helping to or overseeing the advancement of permits to be issued for 50 brand new mosques to be built in the Houston and Dallas area. He's a Christian, so don't worry about it. Um, but the the Texans, the people, they just passed uh they just they just had a bill passed. I'm not sure where it's at in the process, but it's that the Bible would be required reading in the public schools. Yes. So, I have to hurry. I have to hurry. But what? Oh my goodness. We can't do that. Wait, what country are you from? I'm from America. Do you know your history? Nope. Well, that's how we started. That's how we started. Maybe Texas is going to turn around. Maybe too Maybe. I don't know. Maybe it's too late. I don't know. But I know this. Thank God. God does a lot with few and number. You've never seen God do a lot with a lot. He does a lot with a little and he DOES EVEN MORE WITH A FEW. And look, he's promised I'm God says, I'm just looking for one. Would you be that one? I want to be that one. Look, I will be that one unless I mess it up. That I'm I'm not worried about you. I'm worried about me messing me up. I don't even need Satan. I'm totally capable of ruining my life without him. Thomas Jefferson in 1781 said, "And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis?" What's that, Tom? A conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God. That they ARE NOT TO BE violated but with his wrath. Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just and that his justice CANNOT SLEEP FOREVER. THOMAS JEFFERSON, FOLKS, I'VE NEVER EVEN HEARD THAT IN A PULPIT. REMARKABLE. And so, it's my belief that America is at is in the very act of choosing. I think America is always in the very act of choosing. It is certainly always in the act of choosing every two years. This happens to be one of those years. You will either be irrelevant and worthless and you will not vote and get involved to advance what's good or you'll get educated to find out how do I preserve the republic? HOW DO I ROLL UP MY SLEEVES AND FIGHT FOR THE generations to come? But pastor, don't you believe in the rapture? You bet I do. And I hope it comes before second service. But I don't know if it is. So here's the great discipline. I have to plan on the next 100 years expecting to go up today to meet Jesus. Occupy till I come, says the Lord. President Abraham Lincoln on January 27th, 1837 said, "And what point then is the approach of danger to be expected?" I answer, "If it ever reaches us, it must spring up among us." New York City. It cannot come from abroad. IF DESTRUCTION BE OUR LOT, WE MUST OURSELVES BE ITS AUTHOR AND FINISHER. As a nation of free men, we must live through all time or die by suicide. Abraham Lincoln. Last night, President Trump said, "WE'RE THE WEALTHIEST NATION ON EARTH." THAT'S NOT TRUE. You can't say you're wealthy until you own something. Our national debt is $34 trillion. Wouldn't it be something if a president came out and said, "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA. WE ARE THE MOST BANKRUPT NATION ON THE EARTH. Do you own your home?" No. Unless you have the deed, you are renting your house from the bank. They own it. They bought it. When you filled OUT THAT LOAN, THEY BOUGHT THE HOUSE FROM THE GUY THAT WAS SELLING IT. You don't own your home unless you have the deed. Right now, financially, America has no deed. We are in debt. Do we have a lot of stuff and a lot of bling and a lot of sparkle? Oh yeah, we do. We got more than anybody. Don't let that be your diet. It's deceiving. You can have crispy cream for breakfast and it looks cute, but a stomach ache is coming. We're the most powerful nation on earth militarily. That is true. China's breathing down our neck on that one, but it is true for now. But how we use such an awesome responsibility matters. We need to make sure that we present such things before God. Are we the freest people on the earth? Supposed to be. Could it be that we're living off of a perception that we're free? When social media silences messages, by the way, they're getting back into that again. Have you noticed? I don't know if you caught on to that. YouTube and Facebook, they're starting to silence people again. What's up? Are we free? Are we really free? Really? Only the Christians free? I could right now live in communist China as a believer, be under great persecution, but I'm free. You can be free in America and be completely inconstant bondage. I have 1 minute and 41 seconds. Here we go. Joshua 24:14. Therefore, now therefore, fear the Lord, watch this. Fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth and put away the gods which your father served on the other side. That's the second word. Serve the river in Egypt. Serve the Lord. That's the third time he mentions it. And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which are your fathers served that are on the other side of the river or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me in my house, Joshua says, we will serve the Lord. That's how America gets back on. That's how America comes back around very quickly. John Adams again the general principles on which the fathers the founding fathers now in his situation the founding fathers in his day were the pilgrim fathers achieved independence WERE THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF CHRISTIANITY. I will avow that and then believe and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God. John Adams. Wow. I could go on as you know all day. I won't do that. I'll end with this. John Adams said our constitution this and this is the key. This is what we're literally living through right now. We're living this proverb of John Adams. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. IT IS WHOLLY INADEQUATE. IT'S BANKRUPT. IT'S unable to the government of any other. If we're godless, constitution will not work. If we're pornographic, if we're selfish, if we're mean, if we're violent, constitution doesn't work. It only works for a moral and religious people. You want to know what's wrong with America today? America is godless and immoral. But we're not calling the unbeliever to get it right. They can't. God is calling you and I to get it right because we can if we choose to be a happy people whose God is the Lord that we put him first. It only takes a few people to seriously do that. And there's more than a few here right now. Father, we come before you. In fact, church family, will you stand? Will you lift your hands with me? Even though you don't want to, can you anyway? Makes me feel good. Father, we come before you today and we pray, Lord God, on the day after the 4th of July, is America waking up with a new breath of freedom, or are we waking up with a hangover? Are we waking up with hope that if this is the nation you started and if we might be so bold, Lord, to remind you that you said once you begin a good work, you will complete it until the day of Christ. Lord, will you do that with this nation? God, we repent of our petty individuality. We ask you to wash us clean that we might be a people that would spend more time before your throne in prayer than we do on social media. If that were to happen, dear God, this year, keep our nation safe. We're very vulnerable. There's enemies within the camp. We know this. Bless Lord the FBI and the DHS and ICE and NSI. My goodness, all of them working and laboring. Father, please may this day commence a perpetual cry from our hearts that cannot be extinguished because Jesus Christ is our crucified Savior, our resurrected Lord. And until we get to heaven, may we be busy about our father's business in Jesus name. And all God's people said, amen. Amen.