July 2, 2011

“We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”  Psalm 33:20-22

For the Founding Fathers, the doctrine of the providence of God was inextricably linked to the idea that Jesus Christ was the Creator who decrees law and sustains life. It was these men who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, having acknowledged their “firm reliance on divine Providence.” It was these men who repeatedly passed laws calling for days of national thanksgiving, humiliation, and prayer in response to the work of providence which they specifically defined in their official acts in terms of Jesus Christ and the moving of the Holy Spirit. It was these men who officially recognized the Trinitarian view of providence when they signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783 on behalf of the United States, “In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity, It having pleased the divine Providence...”

George Washington describes his capture of Boston, 1776:

"Upon their discovery of the works next morning, great preparations were made for attacking them; but not being ready before afternoon, and the weather getting very tempestuous, much blood was saved, and a very important blow, to one side or the other, was prevented. That this most remarkable interposition of Providence is for some a wise purpose, I have not a doubt."

In his original draft of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson had written:

"And for the support of this declaration, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

But Congress amended it to read:

"And for the support of this declaration, [with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence,] we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."  (And they did!)

The Israelites left Egypt and wandered in the desert in their quest for the Promised Land motivated by their hope and desire to establish a nation blessed of God where they could live in peace and prosperity. Their only hope was in their God and in His divine providence.

Likewise, our Founders were constantly cognizant of God's providence and divine intervention on behalf of the colonists against overwhelming odds in their fight for independence. They trusted in:

God Our Foundation - “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield…..”

A nation built on the Word of God, by the will of God, for the worship of God and the work of His Kingdom is built on a firm foundation!
God Our Father – “In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name……”

The providence of God is based upon His role as a Father of His people. If we as human fathers are committed to provide for and protect our families, how much more would our Heavenly Father care for us?

God Our Future – “May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”

Just as God, our Father has provided and protected and blessed us in days gone by there is every reason to trust that He will continue to do so in the coming days if we choose to obey Him and serve Him as we have in the past.

We see that over 235 years ago when the Founders where fighting for their freedom while framing the documents that would shape the new nation, their hopes were pinned fully upon God's power and His providence.

If our great nation is to survive another 235 years, or even 35 years, our hope must be upon our Heavenly Father!

July 1, 2011

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth— he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine”.  Psalm 33:12-19

Where should we look for national security in a post-911 world of terrorists who are developing nuclear weapons? Ours is a world governed by the aggressive use of force, is it realistic to think that trusting God can keep us safe?

Think about the Exodus! Think about the Red Sea! Think about Jericho! Think David and Goliath! Think Gideon and the Midianites. But more recently, consider this:

Numerous miracles were reported during the famous 1967 war. One such story involved a Catholic journalist who was reporting on the front lines during the war. Ernie Miller had personally met this man in Baton Rouge, LA. The journalist was reporting from the Sinai Desert during the 1967 war. The battle had become very intense and there were numerous casualties. At one point an Israeli soldier was rushed into the medical tent, where the journalist was wiring front line information.

The journalist observed that the soldier was severely wounded. In fact he had been shot in the intestinal area, and his intestines were hanging from his body. He knew it was only a matter of time until the man would die. Yet, the man, who was fully conscience, began praying and saying the various names of God in the Hebrew language. As he prayed he began to talk about God’s ability to heal him and to defeat the enemy armies. To the journalist amazement, the man suddenly screamed, and jumped up from the cot. His intestines were back inside his body and the entire area was healed! The man was jumping and screaming, and ran out of the tent praising God.

The journalist told Ernie, “I am a Catholic and I am suppose to believe in miracles but had never seen one. That day, I saw one with my own eyes that was a true miracle!”

This amazing story clearly demonstrates that the “Battle belongs to the Lord!”

Maybe it is just me but it seems the best way to anticipate what we can trust God for in the future is to see what He has done for His people in the past. Since He never changes and is the same "yesterday, today and tomorrow" it seems like making Him the foundation of our national security makes sense! God did a good job of protecting His nation, Israel when they trusted Him. But Israel maintained an army, too.

The big point here is that security comes from the inside out. Like everything else in our world, it is fundamentally a spiritual issue. God may preserve your life or He may choose not to. Christians die in war as pagans do. But we know He always preserves the soul who has trusted Christ for salvation. Have you received His salvation from your sins and entered into an eternal relationship with God? If you have you can live in this assurance:

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”     Psalm 91

June 30, 2011

"For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice;"  Psalms 33:1

Even a cursory reading of the Founding Fathers reveals a strong desire by them to establish a nation where righteousness could flourish protected by justice. These two concepts are really inseperable and they derive from the essential character of God. In fact, the root word for righteousness and justice occurs 510 times in the Word of God and 102 times it is translated "justice" while 394 times it is rendered "righteousness".

This gives us an important insight into the principles upon which our nation was founded and how the Founders intended for it to be preserved. They understood that freedom is dependent upon justice and righteousness and they also knew that justice and righteousness are dependent on absolute truth.

Our Founding Fathers were versed in the Scriptures well enough to understand the fallen nature of man and were aware that human nature does not tend toward what is right or just or free. So they prayerfully gave much thought and discussion to how to protect the nation from the greedy self-destructive nature of men. The only way that was possible was to establish our system of justice on the absolute truth revealed in the Commandments and the teachings of Christ.

While not all of the Founders were devoted Christians as we evangelicals define discipleship, but they were pragmatic and they were sincere seekers of truth which led them to the conclusion that they must establish this new government on principles of righteousness and justice expressed in the God of the Bible, ""For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice;"

Any attempt to deny or pervert or revise this undeniable truth of our founding is in fact, a violation of this principle. Perhaps the biggest assault on justice is the perversion of justice is the politically correct notion of "fairness" or "social justice" as they refer to it. Social justice comes out of the mistaken belief that rights come from government and that government has a responsibility to make everything fair for everyone. The primary means of achieving social justice is redistributing wealth by taking it from those who have the most wealth and giving it to those who don't have much.

The Founding Fathers believed in that all men were created by God and were created equal therefore deserving equal opportunity and equal justice under the law. But having an equal opportunity is much different that trying to create equal outcomes. It is a misguided pipe dream that has been attempted in many nations throughout the 20th century and has never worked. What it creates is a lot of people who are equally poor and miserable.

Jesus never believed in fairness. He told a parable about the talents in which the three servants were each given different amounts of money to invest and the two who were the wisest ended up with more and the one who did not invest lost all he had.

But rather than rant against those who have set themselves up as enemies of our founding principles, I challenge you to live by them yourself. Guide your own decisions and conduct by these absolute truths expressed in God's Word. Treat others justly. If you want to turn our nation back to these timeless principles that foster true liberty, start with you! Movements consists of individuals committed to a cause. It will take more than just Superman being committed to "Truth, Justice and the American Way" it will also take you!

June 29, 2011

"For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars, he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations."  Psalms 33:4-11

These words were written centuries before the United States of America was ever thought of, so to apply the Psalm directly to our nation is foolish. However, truths and beliefs that are declared are timeless and bear resemblance to the principles upon which our Founders built our great nation.

I will highlight some of those for you in this post and I think you will see what I mean.

 The Principles of Our Nation

Two of the foundational principles upon which our great nation was established are mentioned here: righteousness and justice. Righteousness essentially means that we look to God to determine what is right and wrong and justice is the implementation of right and wrong. A sincere wholesale return to righteousness and justice would sure help restore our nation today!

In addition, there are a couple of big concepts mentioned here that were embraced by the Founders and contributed to the greatness of the USA.

"For the word of the LORD is right and true"

The "word of the Lord" refers to the Ten Commandments. Those commandments were highly regarded by many of the Founders and would form the foundation for our system of justice, morality, and in defining our God-given rights. For example:

The first four commandments form the basis for the following rights: The Freedom of Speech, The Freedom of Assembly and Freedom of Religion.

Commandments five and seven form the foundation for the Sanctity of marriage and the primacy of the family.

The sixth commandment forms the right to life while the ninth suggests the right to justice under the law.

And the eighth and tenth commandments are the basis for the right to pursue, possess, and protect private property.

A representation of Moses with the Ten Commandments is etched on the wall of the Supreme Court Building in Washington, DC.

A statue of Moses holding the Ten Commandments is featured in the rotunda of the Library of Congress.

The Ten Commandments are symbolized in the floor of the National Archives Building in Washington , D.C.

Any objective scholarship will show the powerful impact that the Ten Commandments had on the Founders as they forged the foundational documents upon with their new nation would be established. The "Word of the Lord" has proven "right and true" for generations of free Americans over its 235 years of existence.

Little did Moses know the incredible influence of those words God etched on the tablets he carried down from his encounter with God on Mt. Sinai. Several great nations have been built upon their timeless truths.

But Commandments are not kept or carried out by nations, they are observed by people - individuals like you and me. Each time you obey God's commandment and put it into practice you not only benefit yourself but you strengthen your nation! What better way to prove the "Word of the Lord right and true" than to do right and live in His truth? Are you doing that? Will you?

June 28, 2011

"Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy."   Psalms 33:1-3

The Purpose of Our Nation, Vv. 1-3

God raised up the nation of Israel to be a people who would worship Him! He raised up a nation of people through whom He could demonstrate His great power and grace. He formed a nation out of whom a Savior could be born.

Many Bible scholars believe this Psalms refers only and directly to the nation of Israel. That may be true, but no serious student of history can deny that one of the driving forces behind the founding of America and then the establishment of the United States was a desire to have a place where the citizens could worship freely.

With the Founders freely acknowledging that rights and freedom devolve from God, how could they then deny their citizens the right to worship freely - or not to worship at all?

Consider some of these quotes:

"Every man "ought to be protected in worshipping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience." - George Washington (Letter to the United Baptist Churches in Virginia in May, 1789)

"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. We shall not fight alone. God presides over the destinies of nations." - Patrick Henry

"He said, “We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self‐government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.” - James Madison

The desire to worship as a man chooses found expression in the First Amendment of the national constitution, part of the United States' Bill of Rights: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

William Bradford wrote that they [the Pilgrims] were seeking:

“a better, and easier place of living”; and that “the children of the group were being drawn away by evil examples into extravagance and dangerous courses [in Holland]“

“The great hope, and for the propagating and advancing the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world”

"I. . . [rely] upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.

The name of the Lord (says the Scripture) is a strong tower; thither the righteous flee and are safe [Proverbs 18:10]. Let us secure His favor and He will lead us through the journey of this life and at length receive us to a better.

I conceive we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world . . . that the confusions that are and have been among the nations may be overruled by the promoting and speedily bringing in the holy and happy period when the kingdoms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and the people willingly bow to the scepter of Him who is the Prince of Peace.

He also called on the State of Massachusetts to pray that . . .

the peaceful and glorious reign of our Divine Redeemer may be known and enjoyed throughout the whole family of mankind.

we may with one heart and voice humbly implore His gracious and free pardon through Jesus Christ, supplicating His Divine aid . . . [and] above all to cause the religion of Jesus Christ, in its true spirit, to spread far and wide till the whole earth shall be filled with His glory.

with true contrition of heart to confess their sins to God and implore forgiveness through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior. - Samuel Adams

Have you taken time to worship God today? Have you thanked Him for the Founding Fathers who were used by Him to establish this great nation that has blessed so many people across the world?
The ability and freedom to worship God as you see fit is one of the great blessings you have as a believer in Jesus Christ!

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord...."

June 27, 2011

"Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth— he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,  to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you."      Psalm 33

Summer in the Psalms is into week five already! As I prepare for a message appropriate for the Fourth of July week-end I will be dissecting Psalms 33 beginning this morning. So, far this is how I have outlined it and I believe I see a pattern consistent with what motivated the Founding Fathers to develop the greatest nation to grace the face of the earth.

I understand that the immediate context of these verses applies to the nation of Israel but I can see the "big idea" that looks like what America became. See what you think.

The Purpose of Our Nation, Vv. 1-3

God raised up the nation of Israel to be a people who would worship Him! He raised up a nation of people through whom He could demonstrate His great power and grace. He formed a nation out of whom a Savior could be born.

While I will be developing this thought throughout the week, I believe the freedom to worship God without pressure or interference from the government was a driving force toward the founding of this nation.

The Principles of Our Nation, Vv. 4-11

Two of the foundational prinicples upon which our great nation was established are mentioned here: rightousness and justice. Righteousness essentially means that we look to God to determine what is right and wrong and justice is the implemetation of right and wrong. A sincere wholesale return to righteousness and justice would sure help restore our nation today!

The Protection of Our Nation, Vv. 12-19

Where should we look for national security in a post-911 world of terrorists who are developing nuclear weapons? Ours is a world governed by the aggressive use of force, is it realistic to think that trusting God can keep us safe?

God did a good job of protecting His nation, Israel when they trusted Him. But Israel maintained an army, too. But I think the big point here is that security comes from the inside out. Like everything else in our world, it is fundamentally a spiritual issue.

The Promise of Our Nation, Vv. 20-22

Is fundamental change really the hope of our future? Doesn't it make more sense to understand what has worked for us in the past and project that forward? Should we not rediscover the roots of our greatness and replant the seeds of our success?

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD" ..........

June 26, 2011

"I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted. I remembered you, God, and I groaned; I meditated, and my spirit grew faint. You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night. My heart meditated and my spirit asked: “Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time. Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”  Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.  The waters saw you, God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. The clouds poured down water, the heavens resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth. Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron."   Psalm 77

It seems that a young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked. "What’s the point, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity--boiling water--but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water. "Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

One reason I have chosen to spend this Summer in the Psalms is because the Psalms deal with the gamut of emotions that you and I face in everyday life! This Psalm, for instance tackles discouragement in a very true and transparent manner.

In the dangerous and difficult world where we live, you can easily become discouraged. You may be discouraged by someone else, you may be discouraged by yourself or you could be discouraged by God - or even all three!

So, how can you deal with discouragement in a way that changes the water?

I have given you five ways of dealing with discouragement when it shows up uninvited at your door. Let me remind you of those:

1) Devotion Not Emotion, vv, 1-7

2) Perspective Not Panic, vv. 7-13

3) Certainty Not Speculation, vv. 13-14

4) Recommit Don't Quit, vv. 11-12

5) Declare Don't Despair, 14-20

Discouragement is a big tool in the enemy's arsenal and he will attack you with it early and often. He intends to use it to cause you to feel like giving up. If you don't handle it it can lead to depression. But, if you learned to handle discouragement and learn to use it to draw closer to God, the enemy will be less likely use it against you! So, if he tries to use that one weapon against you I have given you five to defend yourself with!