Good morning. Well today is Veterans’ Day. At this time, I want us all to pause in a moment of silence to think about what this day signifies. Think about the men and women who offered themselves in service to their country. Think about those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we might have the freedoms we enjoy today. Take just a few second of silence to meditate upon that.
(TAKE TIME OF SILENCE)
Let’s Pray!
Oftentimes, when I think of Veteran’s Day, I remember funerals with flag-draped coffins and armed soldiers who gave the 21-gun salutes. I’m reminded of the generations that have preceded us, and the price they paid for our freedom and our heritage.
The song says, “God bless America, land that I love…” And I’m convinced that God has blessed America. But the Bible teaches that to whom much is given, much is expected. If so, then God must expect a lot from America.
To Start, I Want To Look At America’s Past:
Look with me for a moment at America’s past. History tells us that in 1620 a group of Christians, who called themselves Pilgrims, made their way from England across the Atlantic Ocean to the shores of this land. They had received permission to settle in the northern part of the region known as Virginia to establish a colony and build a church that they hoped would be free and independent of the Church of England.
But late fall winds battered their little boat, pushing them northward. And when they finally sighted land it was at a place we now call Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The date was November 21. They didn’t want to land there because it was a cold and forbidding wilderness.
So they debated for a while. “Should we try to get to Virginia, or just go ahead and settle here?” Finally, they decided that their little boat would probably not make it to Virginia. So they came ashore at a place that we know as Plymouth Rock.
But before they did, they wrote what is known today as “The Mayflower Compact.” It began with these words, “In the name of God…, we whose names are underwritten… Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith…, a voyage to plant a first colony in the northern part of Virginia, do… solemnly and mutually in the presence of God…”
Did you hear what they were saying? “We have come here in the name of God.” “We have come here to glorify God.” “We have come here to advance the Christian faith.” They were saying, “We are unashamedly Christians, and we search for a place where we can worship God the way we feel the Bible teaches us to worship Him.” That was the basis of them coming here in the first place.
Someone has said, “The difference between North and South America is that the Spaniards went to South America in search of gold, but the Pilgrims and Puritans came to North America in search of God.” There is a lot of truth in that statement.
The earliest foundations of this new land were spiritual foundations. We are a nation built upon faith in, and commitment to God.
Now, Let’s Take A Look At America’s Present:
Just think about America’s present. Are you proud to be an American? One man answered that question this way. He said, “I am. I still get chills when I sing the “Star Spangled Banner.” I still get tears in my eyes when I say the Pledge of Allegiance. I love this country, and I’m proud to be an American.”
There are so many things you can do in this land that you can’t do anywhere else in all of the world. Did you hear about the Lieutenant, the Private, and the beautiful young lady who were all sitting in the same compartment of a train? They didn’t know each other, and since Lieutenants don’t talk to Privates, and Privates don’t talk to Lieutenants, they traveled in an awkward silence.
They came to a tunnel and suddenly their compartment was engulfed in darkness, a darkness punctuated by 2 unmistakable sounds. The first was the sound of a passionate kiss, followed by a loud slap.
When they came back into daylight, the Lieutenant had a very red mark on the side of his face, and he was thinking, “That lucky Private. He kissed the beautiful girl, and she tried to slap him. But instead of slapping him, she slapped me.”
The young lady was thinking, “The Lieutenant must have tried to kiss me, but by mistake he kissed the Private and the Private hit him.” And the Private sat there thinking, “Only in America can you kiss the back of your hand, slug a Lieutenant and get away with it.”
But I am serious, there are certain things that we have the privileges of doing freely here in America, that in other countries people just dream of. There are many wonderful things about our country that we could mention this morning. But I am still a little concerned about America.
There is a warning that we need to look at today. Go ahead and turn with me to II Chronicles 7:19-22. In this passage, God is speaking to Solomon and to the people of Israel. Listen to God’s warning found in II Chronicles 7:19-22. He says, “1”
You see, the Bible is very clear that if we love God and obey Him, then He will bless us. But this passage teaches us that if we forsake God, if we serve other gods and worship them, then God will remove His blessings. That’s what happened to Israel. And if we are not careful, that is what could happen to us today!
Did you hear about the New York elementary school teacher who was fired from her job? It was not because she was immoral, not because she abused the children, not because she used vulgar language, but because when one of her students died tragically, grieving classmates asked the teacher, “What happens when you die?”
She answered, “I think she’s gone to Heaven. But if you want to talk about this, I’ll be glad to meet with you after school is over.”
29 of the kids met with her after school, and she told them about her faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ. She told them she believed in Heaven and that their classmate was with God now and happy for all eternity. Then she prayed with the students.
But one of the kids in her class who had not stayed after school was upset with what she had done and went to the administrators. The teacher was fired immediately, and told to clean out her desk.
Someone has said, “You know, it’s ironic. They tell us about guns and the danger of guns. They pass out condoms and say, “Go home and have safe sex.” But when we want to talk about the One who created us, we can’t talk about Him.”
We have slid a long ways down that slippery slope from where we started, haven’t we? And if we don’t stop that slide, we’ll lose everything that God has given to us.
Now, America is a great country. I believe that at her worst she is still better than any other country at its best. I love America, but America needs to repent. We’re the most materially blessed people in all the world. In fact, if you’re at the poverty level in this country, you’re in the top 5% of the wealthy people of the world. God has truly blessed America! But things aren’t over yet.
What About America’s Future:
Finally, what about America’s future? What does God expect of America? We have already said that God expects a lot. There was a college student who was taking a course on the study of birds? This class had the reputation of being the most difficult class in the whole curriculum. And the professor was an extremely difficult professor. Everybody feared him. But it was a required course, and every student had to take it.
As the course began, the professor announced there would be a test in 40 days and it would compose a large portion of the grade. So you had to do well on that test. Everybody studied. They took amazing notes in class, and did everything they needed to do in order to be successful. They made sure they understood everything the professor said.
On the 40th day the students filed into the lecture hall with sweaty palms, extremely nervous. On the stage was a table with 5 cages on it. Each cage had a cover and beneath the cover they could see the feet and spindly legs of a bird. At the sound of the bell, the professor addressed the students:
“Here’s the test. You can see there are 5 birds and they’re all covered except for their feet and legs. You must tell me the identity of each of those 5 birds by looking only at their feet and legs.”
Everyone had studied long and hard, but no one had anticipated such a test. And they were all sweating, trying to remember something, anything that could help them pass the test. Finally, one student stood up and said, “This is ridiculous. This is the craziest test I have every seen, and you’re the worst professor in this whole school.” He said, “I quit. I‘m out of here. I’m not going to take this test.” And he turned and walked toward the door.
“Just a minute young man.” said the professor. “Who are you? I demand your name right now.” The young man stopped, took a long look at the professor, and then pulling up both of his pant legs said, “You tell me.” Well, that professor expected a lot of his students.
What will America be in the future? What does God really expect of us? You tell me. Listen to what Micah 6:8 says. Micah 6:8 says, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Those are 3 pretty good things, don’t you think? So let’s take note of them.
First of all he says “to act justly,” which means to do what is right. God expects our country to do what is right, to do the right thing even though the wrong thing is the easiest and maybe the most pleasant thing to do. It means to take care of the poor and the elderly, to minister to the sick and the unborn, to protect them, to tell the truth at all cost.
Thomas Jefferson said, “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and that His justice cannot sleep forever.” So we learn today that we need to act justly.
Secondly, he says “to love mercy.” That means to extend mercy and forgiveness to others. We have received it ourselves. We all know that we’re the recipients of God’s mercy. We have been forgiven by Him. We have done nothing to earn our salvation. God has saved us by His grace and by His mercy.
Therefore we are to share what we have received. So we give back to the community, to the world, the mercy and grace and forgiveness that God has given to us. In other words, we develop a deep compassion for the lost.
And thirdly, we are “to walk humbly with your God” Now that may be the most difficult of all because, you see, the natural tendency is to be proud and arrogant and overconfident. I read about a world-wide survey recently of 13-year-old kids to discover what nation was best at mathematics. #1 was South Korea. 13-year-old Korean kids were better in math than anybody else. Guess where we placed? Dead last.
But here is the interesting thing about the survey. After it was taken the kids were asked, “Do you think you’re good at math?” 23% of the Koreans who placed first said, “Yes, I think I’m good at math.”
68% of the U.S. kids who placed dead last said, “Yes, I think I’m good at math.” What does that tell you? God says that we need to walk humbly with Him.
One of these days God’s wrath will overflow, and God’s going to say, “I have had enough. I can’t take anymore.” The Bible says that God mocks the proud but He gives grace to the humble. So America needs to change. And she is going to change, not according to what happens in the White House, but according to what happens in your house and in mine. That is what will bring about the real change.
When we get our act together, when we begin to love our families and our husbands and our wives, when we get back on track again and put God at the center of our churches and our homes and our schools, then America will change and she will become the country that God has always wanted her to be.
You know, there have been other countries that have been in close contact with God, and yet they have failed to see what was right in front of them. Let’s hope that’s not the case with us. At this time, I am going to play a song on CD. It is called “While You Were Sleeping,” and it is by Casting Crowns.
Pay close attention to the words of this song. It has a powerful meaning behind it. We are also going to use this as our invitation time in a few moments. So pay close attention.
(PLAY CD “WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING” BY CASTING CROWNS)
What will we miss while we are sleeping? I hope that we will wake up and take notice today of the changes that we need to make in America. And I hope that as you sit here today, that you will realize that it all begins with you.
I love this country. I love the freedoms that we enjoy. I am so appreciative of the price that has been paid for my freedom. And I love to see the statue of that grand lady in New York harbor stretching her torch to the sky. But there is a greater monument to freedom than the Statue of Liberty, and it’s a cross, the cross on which the Son of God hung as He died for your sins and for mine. There we find real liberty because in Him we are set free from our sin.
Let’s Pray!
He is the foundation of our country and He is also our Savior. But if you do not know Jesus as your Savior today, we invite you to come. We extend His invitation as we stand and as we sing that song we just listened to.
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