Happy 250th USA!

Psalm 33, “Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto Him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto Him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. For the word of the LORD is right; and all Him works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: He layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: He maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance. The LORD looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of His habitation He looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike; He considereth all their works. There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall He deliver any by His great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the LORD: He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee.”

This evening fireworks will illuminate the night sky as Americans celebrate the Fourth of July. The fireworks are enjoyed in honor of our Declaration of Independence from King George III and the House of Hanover, to commemorate the original thirteen British colonies stepping out together…

“appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and  by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United  Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all  Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great  Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved…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.”

I love that I am a natural born citizen of a nation that is founded on this kind of principled belief. I am thankful for the freedoms that were hard earned in the Revolution, and that have been defended ever since. Freedoms which must be continually defended.

Today marks our nation’s 250^th birthday. We are a unique nation, not just because of our founding, but because we are the sum of many parts. To be an American is not to be identified with any one ethnicity, but to be recognized as a truly blessed citizen of a country that is the land of the free and the home of the brave. Our unique freedoms which were hard earned, should be dearly treasured, zealously guarded, and they must also be, especially by the Christian American, responsibly used. Let’s consider three responsibilities right now.

1. The responsibility of gratitude. God has poured enormous blessings over this nation, and the only appropriate response should be one of deep, profound, and humble gratitude. Gratitude does not mean that we neglect to confess and forsake our sins, but we to be thankful for the great freedoms and prosperity with such God has blessed us all.
2. The responsibility to know our own history, because we cannot be grateful and forgetful. “I forgot” is a regular excuse for many things, but it is never a good one. We should know our American history. Do not be ashamed of it. Do not romanticize or demonize it. There are rotten segments of American history, but there is much more to be celebrated, protected, and continued.
3. The joyful responsibility of solid citizenship. We have been blessed with enormous freedoms, but not just for our own personal enjoyment. Our freedoms, our prosperity, our privilege (and every American is privileged, regardless of tax bracket or ethnicity) should be used to strengthen THIS nation. As American believers, we should use our freedoms to proclaim Christ, both at home and abroad.

I cannot help but notice that our nation is in a serious state of decline. To my mind, this is because many of our Christian homes and local churches are in spiritual decline. There are those who mimic this ungodly world system, and then there are those who, troubled by what they see around them, seek to “fight fire with fire.” Therefore, far too often and for far too long many Christian families and local churches have been more willing to imitate, from one extreme to another, the world’s styles and opinions rather than confront this world with biblical truth that is communicated and demonstrated in a biblical manner.

The remedy to our families and our nation’s moral and spiritual woes must begin in our own houses and at the house of God. The process starts with personal repentance. If Christians truly want to see God’s blessing on our society, we ought to be models of genuine contrition and humility rather than merely pointing fingers of blame at the evils of secular society. Society as a whole cannot be delivered from moral bankruptcy unless individual lives are transformed by the power of Christ. If that conviction does not frame the priorities of God’s people and drive the activities of His local churches, then we will miss the opportunities God has provided us, and we will have failed to use our freedoms responsibly.

Let us commit to four vital disciplines. First, pray for those in authority that the gospel might spread freely and souls might be saved. Second, engage responsibly as citizens, rendering to civil government what is due while leveraging our rights for the sake of Christ. Third, evangelize, making the proclamation of truth the primary application of every civic privilege. Finally, trust. Jesus has won and will ultimately win. His sovereign victory remains our only true hope for tomorrow.