“July 4th, Christian American Patriotism?”

Bible Text: Topical Study | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Topical Study

On July 4, 1776, the wording for the Declaration of Independence was agreed upon, on August 2, it was signed by 56 men, referred to as our “founding fathers.” The closing words of that document read, “With a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor” — 5 were captured and tortured to death; 12 had their homes robbed and burned; 5 died fighting in the war; 2 lost their sons in the war.
These courageous men came face to face with the personal cost of freedom; they were able to do so because they sought and were guided by God’s Word.
In 1787, Benjamin Franklin, at the age of 81, addressed the representatives who were preparing to write the Constitution of the United States, saying,“The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build a house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I, therefore, beg leave to move that, henceforth, prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessing on our deliberation be held in this assembly every morning.”
In 1789, George Washington addressed the newly formed Congress saying, “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency. We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of heaven cannot be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which heaven itself has ordained.”
In 1816, John Jay, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice wrote, ”Providence has given our people the choice of their rulers; it is the duty, privilege, and interest of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”
In 1828, Noah Webster published “An American Dictionary of the English Language, in which he wrote the following, “In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government, ought to be instructed…No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.”
On April 30, 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a day of fasting and prayer, saying, “It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble

sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”
Woodrow Wilson, U.S. President 1913-1921, pronounced, ”America was born a Christian nation…
born to exemplify elements of righteousness derived from the revelations of the Holy Scriptures. …the destiny of Americans lies in their daily perusal of this great book of revelations.”
Christ died and rose, to make men free: all men, all nations. The Constitution of the United States was designed to perpetuate a Christian order, ideals and beliefs reflecting the authority and governance of God’s Word; it was never intended that God be shut out of America’s government, culture, or society.
God’s Word has been abandoned by our civil government, minimized in the public marketplace, and banished from the public school system.
In 1966, Time Magazine’s cover read, “Is God Dead?” One article written by, Princeton Theologian Paul Ramsey observes, “ours is the first attempt in recorded history to build a culture upon the premise that God is dead.”
Another article by Jesuit Theologian John Murray points to an atheism of distraction, to a people who are just “too damn busy” to worry about God at all.
America began as a nation under God, governed by leaders who recognized and revered God’s authority; but America has turned its back on God, resulting in elevated levels of crime, corruption, divorce, drug abuse, indulgent and absentee parenting, sexual immorality, and an overall ignorance and indifference toward God and God’s Word; this has led to an expedited disintegration of the family unit, which was intended by God to be the building block for community, culture and nations, and was to be made up of a husband/father servant-leader, a wife/mother homemaker, and children who were to be nurtured and raised in the knowledge of God.
Did you know that most of the Ivy League schools established in the 18th-19th centuries (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth), were founded on the principles and precepts of God’s Word, for the purpose of training pastors to preach and teach the Word of God.
At the turn of the 20th century, all of those once great institutions fell to secular humanism, denying both the authority and the existence of God, while at the same time, exhibiting disdain toward those who believe the Bible and seek to honor the God of the Bible..
Jesus Christ is the way, and the truth, and the life. He shed His own blood so that you and I might be set free from sin’s control and condemnation, forever!
The truth is, you cannot know life, liberty, peace, or the pursuit of happiness, apart from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, God’s Son, who is both Lord and Savior, as Jesus said (John 8:31-32), “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”
Peter Marshall, Scottish-American Preacher, twice appointed Chaplain to the U.S. Senate, told Congress in 1947, “The choice before us is plain, Christ or chaos, conviction or compromise, discipline or disintegration. I am rather tired of hearing about our rights and privileges as American citizens. The time is come, it now is, when we ought to hear about the duties and responsibilities of our citizenship. America’s future depends upon her
accepting and demonstrating God’s government.”
America began as a nation under God, governed by leaders who acknowledged God’s authority; unlike today where God’s Word is disrespected by government, banned from the workplace, mocked in the educational system, and treated with disdain by the media.
America’s government has turned away from God, and has become spiritually deaf, dumb, and blind, leading to consequences for all of us, as crime, corruption, and chaos threaten every community and neighborhood in this once great nation, just as God said would happen:
2Timothy 3:1-5, 12-13, “But Mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.” In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
The Scriptures clearly teach that God will punish those who do not honor and obey Him (Isaiah 13:11), “I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.”
Future generations of the 21st century will inevitably be more hostile toward Christianity than this present culture, that shows contempt for the sanctity of human life, the institution of marriage and family, the freedom of Christians to profess, proclaim and worship God.
There has never been a more critical time for believers and followers of Jesus Christ to encourage one another, while standing firm and contending for the faith that has been handed down through the Word of God.
1Peter 2:9-10, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
1Peter 2:13-16, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to his governors sent to punish those who do evil and praise those who do right. For this is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil, live as slaves of God.”
The majority of America’s leaders today neither practice nor promote the Biblical principles that once guided our nation and made it great. And although sad, but very true, the majority of Americans today will celebrate this July 4th by expressing their own independence from and indifference toward the sovereign God of Creation.
Patriotism is love and support of one’s country; yes, we are citizens of and we live in America, temporarily; but we are more importantly citizens of heaven, where we will live forever with God. We should be patriots yes, as Christians first and as Americans second.
July 4 is meant to be a celebration of Christian American Patriotism, which can only be experienced by those who (1Peter 3:15-16), “In [their] hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect.”
Pastor Mike <‘(((><