In this thoughtful episode, we delve into the foundational Christian influences that shaped the United States, exploring key historical documents and statements by the Founding Fathers. The discussion highlights the role of God and Biblical principles in forming the nation’s identity and governance structure. As we celebrate July 4th, we are reminded of the deep spiritual roots and the vision its founders had for a nation under divine guidance.
Mayflower Compact to the Declaration of Independence, our nation’s birth certificate, to the Constitution, the framework of our freedoms, to the capital city itself, where the proof of our Christian foundation is written in its very cornerstones and walls, this incontrovertible truth, America is one nation under God. Since it’s our July 4th celebration and we’re celebrating our nation’s birthday, I’m going to minister along those lines, especially since our nation is truly, truly at a crossroads. I think we’re at the darkest time in our nation since the Civil War. Amen? So if you have your Bibles, turn with me to Psalm 33. And we’re going to read one verse, but it’s a good one. Psalm 33, verse 12. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. And you probably notice in your Bible that Lord is all caps. L-O-R-D, all caps. That means that they substituted God’s holy name, which is Yahweh, which we say in English Jehovah. Whenever you see all caps of Lord in the Old Testament, it’s referring to Jehovah. But because the Jewish people did not want to in any way do harm to the name of God by using it commonly, they chose not to say it. And so therefore, they put in here L-O-R-D. And you know, even today, if you see Orthodox Jewish writings, when they say in English now, they’re English speaking, when they go to refer to God, they put G, capital G hyphen D. It’s not a typo. The purpose is, again, they’re not wanting to actually say the name of God because they want to keep it holy and not common. So my point being this, blessed is the nation whose God is the God of the Bible. See, that’s what we all I said all that to say this, whose God is the God of the Bible. Jehovah is the God of the Bible. Amen. That is so clear. And so that’s what he’s saying. The nation whose God is the God of the Bible is the blessed nation. Now, while you’re in Psalms, flip over to verse chapter nine, Psalm nine. We’ll read just one verse there. These verses are very small, but boy, they pack a lot. We just found out that blessed is the nation whose God is the God of the Bible, Jehovah. And chapter 9, verse 17. The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God. In order to forget someone, you have to have known them and been acquainted with them. Amen? You have had to have some kind of relationship with them that you abandoned. You know, when you get angry with someone or someone gets angry with you, they’ll say, well, you know, forget you. They mean, I’m done with you. Leave me alone. You don’t actually forget that they exist. But you’re saying we’re breaking off our relationship. And that’s what it means here. Amen? And so they forgot God. He said that every nation, all nations, there are no exceptions. Do you know I’m hearing people saying, I saw this the day before yesterday, and I was like, really? A prophet was saying that God is tired of hearing all these things about judgment coming to America. Because God’s got a covenant with America. And he’s never going to judge America. He needs to read Psalm 917. All nations. Listen, before America was even thought, they didn’t even know this part of the hemisphere existed. Israel forgot God. First, God split them up into two nations. And then after a while, half of them, the one half went into exile to Babylon. And 150 years later, the other half went into exile. And they have never had another king sit on the throne since. Amen. And so what makes America think that we’ll be the exception to the scripture? Amen. So every nation that forgets God is going to be turned into hell. And so we need to understand the seriousness of what is happening today. Amen. In our country, people are, you know, turning away from God like never before, but now it’s becoming, it’s becoming part of the law of the land. And so it’s a serious time. Our nation was founded on great men who revered, they respected, they esteemed, they loved, and they built on the foundation of this Bible the laws of our land. Amen? One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 33, 22. The Lord our God, and again, it’s L-O-R-D caps. The Lord our God is our judge. The Lord our God is our lawgiver. And the Lord our God is our king. That takes in the three branches of the government of the United States. The judge is the judicial, the lawgiver is the legislative, and the king is the executive, which would be equal to the president. Amen? So these men founded our nation upon the word of God. But people today are saying America was not founded. Amen. Amen. And I made mention of the fact that I expected the headline to say, you know, something like, yay, we’re celebrating same-sex marriage is legal across the United States, or we won, or something of that effect. But it wasn’t. It was, what headline did the Baltimore Sun choose to run? The fight is not over. The fight for rights is not over. And I’m thinking, wow, they’re already jumping ahead to what’s left to fight for. You got the pearl. What else do you want to fight for? They want to silence everyone who speaks out against them. Amen? Well, today I’m going to preach from the newspaper too. But I’m happy to show you this one from the Baltimore Sun. A full-page ad in God We Trust blesses the nation whose God is the Lord. Now, I should tell you that the Baltimore Sun is not the author of this. Someone paid… for this ad to be posted, and that someone is the Hobby Lobby family. The Hobby Lobby family. And they’re the ones, if you remember, that were in the news a little while back, because when the Obamacare plan went in effect, they said, we cannot pay for our employees to have birth control and abortions. We cannot do that. It’s against our… christian beliefs and our conscience and they were trying to force them to have to do it so they were in the news because of that amen so they took out this this beautiful ad and they have selected many wonderful quotations from our founding fathers from our presidents our supreme court justices our congress and so on and i’m not going to read them all but i will read some of them amen So before I read these, I think it would behoove us to start at the beginning. Those who said America, the people that came to found America, all they had in their mind was they wanted to get away from the oppression of taxes. They didn’t like taxes without representation. Their King James, he was, you know, well, actually this goes earlier than King James, but he was putting a lot of pressure on them. Amen. And that’s why America is a republic. People think we’re a democracy. We’re not a democracy. We believe in democracy, but we’re a republic. That means representatives. We elect congressmen, they go represent us in Washington. We elect senators, they go to Washington and represent us. Because, of course, we can’t all go to Washington and vote, but they vote for us. So we are a republic. And so a lot of people are saying the only reason why they wanted to come to America is where they wanted to get out from under the oppression of the taxes without representation. But how many have heard of the Mayflower Compact? How many know that when the Puritans got on the ship to come over here to America, they had to cross the Atlantic? It was a terrible journey they took. But while they were on that ship, before they ever got off and landed their foot on American soil, this is what they did. They drew up a covenant. They said, in the name of God, amen. That’s how it starts. In the name of God, amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign Lord King James, by the grace of God of Great Britain, France, Ireland, defender of the faith, having undertaken for the glory of God an advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and country a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia. Due by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and of one another, we covenant and combine ourselves together in a civil body politic. for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends of what we just said. And what did we just say? I won’t read the rest. For what? The glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith. So the ones who came over here to start this nation, they weren’t just thinking about taxes. And representation. They came over for the advancement of God. They came over for the advancement of the Christian faith. So let’s look at what some of our founding fathers. These were the ones who… declared America’s independence from Great Britain. These are the founding fathers, the ones who wrote the Declaration of Independence and signed it. Amen? And later on, some of them were still around and also were part of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Here’s one we all love. We know the last line. We’ve heard this last line and we love it. But I’m going to read a little more of his speech. And that’s Patrick Henry. And appeal to the arms and to the God of host and all that has left us. Sir, we are not weak if we make proper use of those means which the God of nature have placed in our power. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. And God did. He raised up France. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death. How many heard that one before? So he was saying that… We’re tired of being slaves to King James. Amen. We’re tired of being, well, at that point it was King George. Amen. And so he said, I don’t know what other people are going to do, but I’m joining with those who say, give me liberty or give me death. This is what the price they were willing to pay. Amen. Now, it would be another decade before they actually got around to putting the Constitution into place. But our Constitution, as you know, and our Bill of Rights, as you know, is something we talk about all the time. Amen? Well, let’s see what a couple of the writers of the Constitution had to say. Now, this one is powerful. You all know about Benjamin Franklin, right? And please don’t tell me he’s the one that discovered lightning and electricity. Amen? That’s true. He was brilliant. He had a lot of things that he was part of. But listen to this. They were together in this hot, sweltering room, in this hot, sweltering building in Philadelphia in the middle of summer. No air conditioning. Plus they wore those white wigs on their heads and ruffled collars and long pants and stockings underneath of them and long coats. And these guys are sitting in this place sweltering. They’re getting nowhere. They’re trying to write up this constitution and they’re just butting heads and they’re hot and they’re aggravated and everything’s, you know, just not going smoothly. Finally, he’s an elderly man now at this point. Benjamin Franklin stood up and said, I’ve 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? He said, you know what? We’re at an impasse and we’re getting nowhere fast. We need to stop right now. We need to ask God for his aid because we are not trying to build a babble here. We need the blessing of God. We need the direction of God and we need the wisdom of God. And after he gave this speech, they got down on their knees and they began to pray. And when they had finished, they got back to work. They were able to write. the Constitution. Amen? And John Adams, who was our second president, he said, let me find his quote here. We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only, only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. What did he mean? He was saying this Constitution will not work In a nation, unless the nation, the people, are godly and moral and Christian, it’s not going to work. It’s written for godly people. That’s why today ungodly people… want to interpret it another way or change it. Amen? Because it’s written, it’s built in, the fabric of the Constitution is based on the assumption that it is a nation of godly people. with biblical principles. Amen? The Supreme Court. Well, we hear a lot about them these days. Let’s see what was said by John Jay. He was the first chief justice. Do you know that he was also simultaneously the president of the American Bible Society? I don’t think that could happen today. I think if the president said, well, I want to appoint him, I don’t think he’d get through. Do you? No, I don’t think so. Because first of all, I don’t think we’d have a president that would do that. And if he did, I don’t think we would have a Congress and Senate that would approve it. So let’s see what John Jay said. The Bible is the best of all books. For it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue, therefore, to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts. Providence, and providence was just an old English way of saying God. Because it’s like Jehovah-Jireh. It’d be like saying Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides. Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers. We get to choose who rules over us. And it is the duty as well as the privilege and the interest of our Christian nation… To select and prefer Christians for their rulers. This man would be tarred and feathered today, folks. If he got up and said that today, oh boy. Oh, we should elect Christian rulers? Today, they wanted to be the last person you elect. Amen? Pretty interesting, isn’t it? To me, it just blows my mind. Okay, here’s another one. He was original justice on the Supreme Court, so he would have served on the first one, which John Jay was the chief. Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is divine, meaning the Bible. Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters. That’s pretty powerful. Religion, or let’s say the Bible and the law are twin sisters. Friends and mutual assistance. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other. And here science just means with knowledge. So these were the first, very first Supreme Court judges. Hmm. I don’t think they’d make it on the Supreme Court today. Do you? And so let’s just look at the very first inaugural speech of our very first president, George Washington. So what did he do? So George Washington laid his hand on the Bible to swear his oath to be the first president of the United States. And he said it is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible. In one of his prayers he said, Now let’s see what his first inaugural speech was. It would be peculiarly improper of me to omit in this my first official act, my fervent supplication to that almighty being who rules over the universe and who presides in the council of nations. So what he was saying here, he was saying that God not only rules over the universe in that he governs everything, the moon, the stars, the planets, the day, the night, the summer, the winter, the spring, the fall, and all of those scientific things that God governs, but he also presides in the councils of nations. Amen? There’s a couple on here that really piqued my interest. And I’m calling them the warners. the warners. So even back then, there were men who maybe it was the Holy Spirit because he saw the tyranny in Europe that they were escaping, but for whatever reason, in their speeches, there is a strong warning to those who would forget God and abandon the Christian foundation that we have. And let’s see, the first one is Thomas Jefferson. who also was one of our presidents, amen, and he was also part of the writing of the Declaration of Independence. People think that he had a big part of writing the Constitution. Big, big error. Big misunderstanding. While the Constitution was being written in that so-called hot, stuffy room in Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson was in France. And everybody uses him to say separation of church and state. He wasn’t even in the room. He wasn’t in the city and he wasn’t in the country. He was in France when the Constitution was being written. So the separation of church and state, they picked up, I don’t have the information with me, but they picked that up from a private letter. A private letter that he wrote to some ministers up in New England because the ministers in New England were afraid that, like it used to be in England, that they could be forced to come under a certain particular religion. That’s why they wanted to leave England. They didn’t all want to be of the Church of England. Right. And so he, in a private letter, answered them back and said no. No, because the Constitution says that there is a separation of church and state. Saying that the government can’t force a religion on you. Not saying that the government can take away your right to religion. So that’s what he says, read this little warning he has. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis? What is that? A conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God. That they may not be violated but without his wrath. That’s a pretty strong warning. He’s saying if you remove from the minds of the people, the American public, the conviction. How many know that’s a strong word? The conviction that all our liberties and blessings are a gift from God. If you remove that from their mind, from their conscience, how can we do that without incurring the wrath of God? Amen. And that’s exactly what we’re seeing today. Amen. The dechristianization of America is causing her godly foundation to crumble under the weight of atheism and evolution, abortion, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, and racial hatred. The founding fathers warned God’s judgment would come upon this nation if we were ever to abandon our faith in God and the Bible. Friends, that day has come. Scripture says every nation that forgets God shall be turned into hell. And it would be foolish to think that America is the exception. Jesus said a city set on a hill cannot be hid. Washington, D.C. is a city set on a hill. Our capital building is called the hill, the highest seat of government on the planet, the emblem of liberty and freedom, the ideal of human government. Decisions made on the hill have far-reaching powers and influence, and when we examine the physical buildings and monuments in Washington, we quickly see they are inscribed with scriptures and petitions to God. The voices of her founders still speak today in the city that cannot be hid. One Nation Under God will take you through the Christian facts of America’s founding. It can be ordered on CD for a love gift of $10 or more for the radio ministry. Request SK181. Mail to Sound of Faith, P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Or go online to soundoffaith.org where you can order on MP3. But to order by mail, send your minimum love gift of $10 to P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203 and request SK181. Until next time, this is Sharon Knott saying, Maranatha.
In this thoughtful episode, we delve into the foundational Christian influences that shaped the United States, exploring key historical documents and statements by the Founding Fathers. The discussion highlights the role of God and Biblical principles in forming the nation’s identity and governance structure. As we celebrate July 4th, we are reminded of the deep spiritual roots and the vision its founders had for a nation under divine guidance.
