Understanding the Identity of America Part 2

Welcome

Good morning!

This morning will be unique and a bit different, and as we did last week, we will continue to review some of America’s founding history, digging a little deeper, and we’ll also address some of ancient Israel’s history and study some of God’s Word as we always do.

We may go a bit longer than we are used to as we will most likely go over our usual time of one hour but I will do my best to get us out of here no more than 10-15 minutes longer, if not sooner.

Opening Prayer

Let us go now to our Heavenly Father in prayer before we go any further this morning.

Heavenly Father, thank you for this day and for your sons and daughters, our bothers and sisters who have come here to gather and worship you.

We need you Father, our Nation needs you now as much as ever.

Please bring revival to America. Give people throughout our nation a hunger for holiness and for Your Word.

Thank you for calling us, and every Christian, to be the salt and light in this world.

Forgive us of our sins and apathy, and help us to walk according to Your Spirit.

Thank you for Your amazing grace and forgiveness.

May we never take it for granted.

To You be all the glory, honor, and praise this morning.

In Jesus’s Name, we pray. Amen.

Call to Worship

For our call to worship this morning, our reading is from Psalm 51:1-4; 14-17

Turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 51

In this Psalm we see, even though he had sinned horribly, David knew that forgiveness was available, based on God’s covenant love.

David also recognized, however, that his ultimate crime was against God and His holy law, and that his sin was in no way God’s fault but acted upon because of his own fallen, sinful disposition which is the same for all of us.

Reading from the NASB, in

Psalm 51:1–4 we read:

“Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.”

Drop down to verses 14–17:

“Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, That my mouth may declare Your praise. For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

Here David expresses his understanding that a ritual without genuine repentance is useless.

Though, in David’s day, with a right heart attitude, sacrifices were acceptable.

And we could all conclude that a revival in name only, without genuine repentance is just as useless across any people or Nation.

Let’s Dig Deeper

To begin our worship this morning, I would like to dig deeper here, because this is critical to understand in our Christian life.

Technically, repentance is a change of mind, not a turning from sin. The Greek word translated “repentance” is metanoia.

And the meaning is simply “a change of mind.”

In common usage, however, we often speak of repentance as “a turning from sin.”

And there is a good reason for this, as repentance is often associated with salvation in Scripture and rightfully so.

Consider what happens when the Holy Spirit begins His work to bring a person to salvation?

The Spirit gives the sinner a regenerated heart, a personal understanding and infallible conviction that the facts concerning one’s spiritual state are true.

Those facts are:

our personal sin,

the eternal punishment due to us for our sin,

the substitutionary nature of Jesus’ suffering for our sin,

and, the need for belief in Jesus to save each of us from our sin.

From that convicting work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8), the sinner repents—he or she changes their mind—about sin, the Savior, and salvation.

We read in John 16:8 “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;”

One of the central non-negotiable elements of the biblical gospel is that one cannot truly preach the gospel without preaching repentance, and that it is vital for both salvation and effective Christian living.

We read in Acts 3:19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”

Think of it from this perspective:

When a repentant person changes their mind about sin, that change of mind naturally leads to a turning from sin.

Sin is no longer desirable or fun, because sin brings condemnation.

The repentant sinner begins to abhor their past misdeeds.

And we begin to seek ways to amend our behavior.

So, ultimately, the result of the change of mind about sin is good deeds.

Not good deeds to earn our salvation, no.

But, we as sinners, following our salvation, we begin to turn away from sin toward faith in the Savior, Jesus, and that faith is shown in action of obedience to God’s Word, as we see in:

James 2:17 “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”

And consider that no matter where we are at in our current relationship to our identity, our salvation in Christ or our spiritual growth as believers, God is loving and merciful, eager to forgive us of our sins!

In 2 Peter 3:9 we read, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

All of our sins are forgiven “positionally” the moment we receive Christ as Savior. This positional forgiveness guarantees our salvation and promise of an eternal home in heaven. 

However, at the same time, we read in 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This verse does indicate that somehow forgiveness is dependent on our confessing our sins to God.

Then what are we talking about here; How does this work if all of our sins are forgiven the moment we receive Christ as Savior and become saved?

It seems here that what the apostle John is describing is “relational” forgiveness. 

As believers, we confess our sins to God—not to maintain our salvation, but to bring ourselves back into close fellowship with the God who loves us and has already forgiven us.

God desires to forgive us, so He provided for our forgiveness for eternal life and for our continued forgiveness and turning from our sins.

In a restored relationship, we are better able to be more in alignment with His perfect will and walk out our faith and responsibilities more aligned with His righteousness than worldly wickedness.

America’s Repentance

And when it comes to revival in America or any nation, we can’t have a revival without changed hearts, true biblical repentance.

Such repentance is something only God can enable; for example in:

Acts 11:18 “When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.””

Moreover, true biblical repentance will always result in a change of behavior. Maybe not instantly, but inevitably and progressively.

One of modern Christianity’s most shocking proposals is that a person can cling to Christ with one hand and grasp his bag of sins, and keep them close, holding on to hem tightly with the other.

This dilutes true Christianity, especially when many seem to convey and believe that repentance is no longer considered necessary.

Yet repentance is vital for not only our salvation but also for becoming the effective believer and follower God wants us to be.

When it comes to addressing sin, we must see ourselves like Paul saw himself in:

Romans 7:24–25 “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”

Now, prior to salvation, we have only one nature—the sin nature.

But once we come to Christ, we are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), but we still abide in the old flesh which has the remains of the sinful nature within it.

These two natures war constantly with one another, continually pulling a believer in opposite directions.

The desires of our spiritual nature pull us in the direction of good while the flesh in which we live pulls us in the other.

We want to do one thing but we have something within us that does the opposite.

So how do these evil desires differ in comparison from the believer to an unbeliever?

Simply put, the believer hates, or should hate, the evil flesh in which he lives and desires to be freed from it, whereas unbelievers have no such desire.

So strong is Paul’s desire to live godly and so frustrated is he that his flesh wars against his spirit that he finally cries out in desperation, “What a wretched man I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”

Of course, the answer is Jesus Christ our Lord (verse 25).

And one day as believers we will be completely freed from the body of death in which we live when we are glorified with Christ in heaven.

But until that day we rely on the power of God’s Spirit who indwells us and gives us victory in our ongoing battle with sin.

For now we must battle the flesh and the spiritual principalities who war against Christ’s Bride, the Church, the people of God!

But not alone, we have God’s Word and the Lord of Hosts who fights for us.

And as a nation, in our America, that has broadly turned from God, we must pray and plead for our Father in Heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the true Sovereign ruler and ultimate power and authority over us all to turn our nation back to Him.

For true revival that can only come by belief in the Savior of the world and repentance, a changed mind.

And we know that no man or women on earth, but only God Almighty, He Who fights for us, is the only One who can change the hearts of people in our nation and around the world

Worship in Song

Now, before we go any further, let us all stand to our feet and Worship God in Song this morning.

Our song is titled:

“The God Who Fights for Us” by Sovereign Grace Music (4:19).

America’s Identity

You may be seated.

This morning, we are continuing our month long series, a brief but necessary and timely detour from Genesis to our short series titled:

“Understanding the Identity of America, the Church and Christians.”

Allow me to preface our teaching today by starting with words drawn from:

America’s Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

The Declaration of Independence grounds human rights in the Creator, affirming that all people are endowed with certain unalienable rights by God.

In our founding, our rights were not viewed as gifts from civic government but as gifts from God.

Romans 13:1 states that “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”

And let us ask ourselves this question this morning:

Who is the government authority in America?

Our answer to this question is simply found in our founding documents.

In the Providence of God, America's Founders were allowed to set up government where "We the People" are the authority – collectively replacing a KING, we are kings if you will, kings with a lower case “k.”

And keep in mind, though many call America a Democracy, but we are we are a Republic.

In fact, a democratically elected Constitutional Republic.

Last week we began learning about America’s founding, a Republic, and why we are unique and such a blessing to the rest of the world, which is grounded in our forefather’s belief and dependance on God, not perfectly, but reverent and undeniable when you learn about our true history.

William J. Federer explains:

America's founders drew ideas from a variety of examples, such as the Roman Republic.

William J. Federer explains, whereas in a pure democracy, everybody, everyday, for example, a historical example, has to go to the market to talk politics.

However, in a republic, people take care of their families and their farms, and have someone "in their place" go to the market everyday to talk politics.

These are called delegates or representatives.

A pure democracy only ever worked on a city or state scale, not a country or national scale.

It was prevented from getting larger because people could not travel far distances everyday.

A republic, though, could grow larger, as the people could send delegates or representatives in their place.

And for us today, as we live and work in modern society, we vote for representatives to represent us in the house and senate and a President to lead the Executive Branch of our government.

Ronald Regan

From an early settler perspective in America, let us consider what former President Ronald Reagan spoke of about the Pilgrims in his National Day of Prayer Proclamation on March 19th, 1981:

The earliest settlers of this land came in search of religious [Christian] freedom.

Landing on a desolate shoreline, they established a spiritual foundation that has served us ever since.

It was the hard work of our people, the freedom they enjoyed and their faith in God that built this country and made it the envy of the world.

John Leland

And consider the words of a Baptist preacher, John Leland, who wrote in his Rights of Conscience Inalienable in 1791:

Every man must give account of himself to God, and therefore every man ought to be at liberty to serve God in a way that he can best reconcile to his conscience.

If government can answer for individuals at the day of judgment, let men be controlled by it in religious matters; otherwise, let men be free.

And believe it or not, many of the early settlers in America, some of which were pastors established cities and civil affairs that were rooted in God’s Word.

It was foreign and unheard of to consider anything to do with atheism or any other beliefs that opposed God and His Word, the Bible (Christianity).

Thomas Hooker

Consider, also, one such man, named Thomas Hooker, who found the city of Hartford, Connecticut, and the first Congregationalist Church in America.

Once there, his church members inquired of him how they should set up their government.

In reply, Rev. Hooker preached a sermon on May 31st, 1638, explaining Deuteronomy 1:13 “‘Choose wise and discerning and experienced men from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.’”

In his sermon he said, and I quote:

The choice of public magistrates belongs unto the people by Gods own allowance ...

Choose you wise men and understanding and known among your tribes and I will make them heads over you...

The privilege of election ... belongs to the people ... according to the blessed will and law of God ...

They who have power to appoint officers and magistrates it is in their power also to set the bounds and limits of the power and places unto which they call them ...

The foundation of authority is laid firstly in the free consent of the people.

End quote.

William J. Federer

Federer explains that the ideas proposed in Hooker's sermon were revolutionary, as for most of the world, entirely differtn for America, the foundation of authority was the will of, what many would call him, a “divinely-appointed” king.

Federer explains that:

Rev. Hooker's sermon became the basis for The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut in 1639.

Nowhere in The Fundamental Orders is there an acknowledgment made to [an earthly] king, as in other charters, ie.: "our dread Sovereign"; "our gracious Lord the King."

Instead of the top-down government of a king who claimed divine appointment, Rev. Hooker's government was bottom-up, like the roots of a tree drawing nourishment from every citizen's involvement.

Samuel Langdon

Fast forward to the late 1800’s, Harvard President Rev. Samuel Langdon gave an address which was instrumental in convincing the New Hampshire delegates to ratify the U.S. Constitution:

Samuel Langdon's address, delivered on June 5th, 1788, was titled “The Republic of the Israelites an Example to the American States.”

In his address, Langdon stated:

Instead of the twelve tribes of ISRAEL, we may substitute the thirteen states of the American union, and see this application plainly ...

That as God in the course of his kind providence hath given you an excellent Constitution of government, founded on the most rational, equitable, and liberal principles, by which all that liberty is secured...

and you are impowered to make righteous laws for promoting public order and good morals; and as he has moreover given you by his Son Jesus Christ ... a complete revelation of his will ...

it will be your wisdom ... to ... adhere faithfully to the doctrines and commands of the gospel, and practice every public and private virtue.

Langdon continued:

The ISRAELITES may be considered as a pattern to the world in all ages ...

Government ... on republican principles, required laws; without which it must have degenerated immediately into ... absolute monarchy...

How unexampled was this quick progress of the ISRAELITES, from abject slavery, ignorance, and almost total want of order, to a national establishment perfected in all its parts far beyond all other kingdoms and states!

From a mere mob, to a well regulated nation, under a government and laws [given by God] far superior to what any other nation could boast!

Power of the People

Let us all remember that it is the people, we the people in America who have the power in our nation.

How many of us have forgotten this?

Especially men and women of righteousness.

Unfortunately it is what people, including Christians and Pastors, are choosing to do or not do with this earthly God- given power and our freedoms, which has become, of more recent, our greatest challenge.

Our Nation is not like any other, we are so blessed but yet, in so many ways, we have become way too self-sufficient; dependent on ourselves, our own opinions, and one another over God.

And so complacent that many of us no longer consider what life could or would be like if we really lose what we have in terms of our life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness in America.

Consider a recurring theme in our world’s history, which is fallen man’s desire to concentrate power without God, a wicked plan in opposition to God’s plan of separated power...a righteous plan.

And consider that the most common form of government in world history is kings, ruling their kingdoms by claiming a false “divine right” to control people, and wicked in so many ways.

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin once wrote in April 1787:

Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.

And we know from Biblical history, that the Israelites were human and imperfect as well, who would soon request an earthly king to rule over them after a period of 400 years.

Ben Franklin also stated at the Constitutional Convention, in 1787:

There is a natural inclination in mankind to kingly government ... They would rather have one tyrant than five hundred. It gives more of the appearance of equality among citizens; and that they like.

Moreover, William J. Federer in his book titled, Who is King in America? And Who are The Counselors to the King? An overview of 6,000 years of history and why America is unique, wrote:

The dilemma is this. Each one of us has “the dictator” gene in our DNA.

He also shares the following quote:

If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them.

But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.

And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

Convicting isn't it, but so true, at varying levels of course.

In Matthew 15:19, we read: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.”

Our heart is deceitful and without a regenerated and changed heart, wickedness flows out from it.

John Adams

Some of you may recall, or some of it at least, what John Adams said when he addressed the Massachusetts Militia in October 1798:

Adams said:

We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.

Avarice [averes] or extreme greed, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net ...

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

Edmund Burke

And listen to what the British Statesman Edmund Burke told the National Assembly, in 1791:

And I begin quote:

What is liberty without virtue?

It is the greatest of all possible evils ... madness without restraint.

Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites ...

Society cannot exist, unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere; and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without.

End Quote.

Those without the Holy Spirit living inside of them run the risk of becoming increasingly more immoral and in need of restraint.

Think of the evil tyrants and terrorists that run free around the globe, or worse, rule over people in a tyrannical way.

Benjamin Rush

But in America, the world saw something different in their government, examples from ancient Israel and lessons learned from empires that had grown and spread but would also become more power hungry and controlling.

And like the Ancient Israelites when they had no kings, their literacy in Biblical truth and knowing God would make all the difference for America too.

Dr. Benjamin Rush, who signed the Declaration, wrote in Thoughts Upon the Mode of Education Proper in a Republic in 1786:

The only foundation for a useful education in a REPUBLIC is to be laid on the foundation of religion

[and before I continue his quote, when we hear religion, think of the Bible; Christianity, because when we allow for all religions to apply in the context of our founders and their documents, we lose sight of the truth and their intentions].

Rush continues:

Without this there can be no VIRTUE, and without VIRTUE there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments ...

End Quote.

Remember also that our Nation, as a Republic is and must be deeply rooted in its people, a bottom-up government rather than a top-down government.

Our government is of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Though this phrase is not anywhere in our US Constitution it surely is represented throughout.

Abraham Lincoln

This phrase was first spoken by Abraham Lincoln during his Gettysburg Address in 1863.

And I quote:

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion...

that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain...

that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom...

and that government OF the PEOPLE, BY the PEOPLE, FOR the PEOPLE, shall not perish from the earth."

End Quote

There ae No kings in America, no king appointed or enabled to rule based on their family lineage or conquest or brutal, unrestrained lordship over the people.

For now, the American people have the power to decide who our representatives are at the local, state, and federal levels, and even the President of the United States.

And the more Christians stay out of the “business” of politics and refuse to influence in the context of our historically established American virtues, values, morals and way of life, rooted in biblical truth, the more we risk in terms of losing our freedoms and restraining evil across our Nation.

Politics

Let us also consider this question, which might sound simple for a moment, but then maybe cause us to scratch our heads as we dig deeper.

In many ways, we have lost our understanding of what this word means, especially over the past 50-75 years in America.

Do we even know what the word politics means or stands for?

So many Christians and Pastors respond to this word as if it is sinful, worldly, and has no business being in the church or that Christians have no “business” being involved in this arena.

Let us consider William J. Federer’s teaching on the definition of politics through its Greek roots and historical context.

He explains that the word politics comes from the Greek word polis [Po-Lis], meaning “the business of the city” — the same word that became civics in Latin.

In this sense, politics is the activity of citizens as co‑rulers or co‑sovereigns, lower case here of course as we know as Christians and our founders, who is ultimately sovereign and rule over us all.

Federer contrasts this with the relationship between a king and his “subjects,” where the king rules directly over people who are not equal participants in governance.

In a polis, citizens are co‑kings, sharing in the authority to make decisions.

And in a republic, citizens do not govern directly but instead elect representatives to act on their behalf.

Federer emphasizes that in the American system, these representatives are limited by a constitution—a set of rules approved by the people—making it a constitutional republic.

So many ignore this right, responsibility, and especially righteousness in participating in this democratic process and if they do, many ignore righteousness in their voting.

Voddie Baucham

Now, we get more biblical and close to home in the church, which is so controversial across our nation, across our local churches in America.

We’ll consider the involvement of modern day Pastors and Elders, local church leadership when it comes to politics.

Dr. Voddie Baucham, a godly man, a biblical teaching pastor who died in his 50s recently, about 13 years ago, responded in an interview to the broadly accepted lie and misrepresentation of Christianity when it comes to the church not having any business in the political arena or in the public square.

He said, and I quote:

Pastors are held in less esteem today than they have been in the past and I think there are a couple of reasons for that…

[first] a desire for pastors to just sort of be one of the guys…

[secondly] the role that pastors use to play in being sort of the conscience for the culture and the fact that we have stepped away from this...

and [thirdly], that…we [meaning Pastors] used to be the ones who were leading the way and helping the culture think about things from a worldview perspective from a theological and biblical perspective...

Voddie continues:

You talk to people and pastors [about] addressing political issues and their immediate response is that the church doesn’t have any business in the political arena.

Voddie goes on to say, now this is a very new idea, and if you know anything about the history of America and the history of the church that's not been the case.

We have always understood that as our culture faces issues…it is the church that is uniquely equipped to help address these issues...

But [Pastors] are also succumbing to this fallacy, that I must be [one of either of these two choices]:

one, a political activist who’s not involved or engaged with the gospel ministry, or

two, a real pastor who would never touch on those issues.

Voddie was a Pastor that understood we can’t separate our life as Christians and leaders in the church, our roles as pastors and elders, and our local churches from our citizenry and civic responsibilities here in America.

A nation God has blessed us with so that we can be a blessing to others around the world.

And so many understood this during our early founding, and even all the way back to the pilgrims who landed in the 1600s.

Whether people want to believe it or not, the truth is that biblical truth affects every area of our lives and every area of a Christians life must be grounded in biblical truth.

And yes, as with many who were settlers and founders of our Nation, many understood this and many participated actively in both church and civics, in varying ways and levels of course.

These were men rooted in biblical truth and the local church...it was an entire new way of life in the West and deeply rooted in the history of ancient Israel.

Noah Webster

Think for a moment, that in the preface of Webster's 1828 Dictionary, Noah Webster wrote:

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.

Wow! We won’t find this in a modern dictionary today!

Our Nation once stood for, and in many ways still does, based on our founding documents, that our existence does not depend on a single man or king’s rule, power and coercion.

Our founders would not have anything to do with it, which is why we fought a Revolutionary war to come out from under an earthly king who would dictate every aspect of a man or women’s life and hold people accountable to their rule and authority, and if didn't obey, risk punishment or death.

Earthly kings generally step in between man’s Creator and His Word, eliminating the freedom of conscience to choose and serve God, and speak to and teach Biblical truth.

We see this happening in America because our people and many leaders have turned away from God in an apostate manner or have outright rejected Him and His Word all together.

And I am not talking about the Quran which must be rejected. I am speaking of the inerrant, infallible, and inspired Word of God.

Not man’s word, but Biblical truth.

And without our U.S. Constitution, things could be far worse. But our founders and many before and after them understood this and is why they said, wrote, and did what they did.

We must recognize that many local American churches have fallen further away from influencing the culture, as a whole, over the past 100 years, in terms of our nations governance and education of the people; our laws, policies and our cultural way of life in this land!

We have been reviving and seeing renewed efforts in more recent years, and praise God for that, but we must continue to pray for His people’s greater influence across our American culture and way of life.

Does any of us think God doesn’t hold us responsible and accountable for the authority he has given to us, the laws we vote for and support, especially the ones that go against His Word? Or our inaction.

I thought the other day about how much worse it is for us as Christians to have, most importantly freedom in Christ, but though lesser, the freedom, rights, and responsibility to influence our Nation as a citizen of America.

And yet, many do little to nothing to speak out on truth and virtues, or rarely if ever even vote or some even vote against God’s righteousness.

Not entirely, but as the days go by, we are able to see more and more clearly who stands more with God and who does not.

Not perfectly of course, but our job is to choose the better option, support that which represents the light and righteousness more than the darkness and wickedness in the world.

Turn with me in your Bibles to 2 Peter 2:

Peter described false teachers in detail in this chapter so that Christians would always recognize their characteristics and methods.

The greatest sin of Christ-rejecters and the most damning work of Satan is misrepresentation of the truth and its consequent deception.

Nothing is more wicked than for someone to claim to speak for God to the salvation of souls when, in reality, he speaks for Satan (potentially indirectly, though still, to the damnation of souls)

As the late John Macarthur said:

This is why it is so tragic when a church makes a virtue out of the toleration of unscriptural teachings and ideas in the name of love and unity.

We read in 2 Peter 2, verses 20–22

“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

Boy do I know this all to well in my own early adult life. Some of you might be able to relate.

For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.

It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”

Consider that defilements here, or consider pollutions, which has the idea of putrid or poisonous vapors.

And morally, this exemplifies the world giving off a deadly influence. Which can be a slow and long process in terms of its affect on a person, a people group, or even an entire nation.

Peter notes that at some point in time, these false teachers and their followers wanted to escape the moral contamination of the world system and sought religion, even Jesus Christ, but on their terms, not His.

But these false teachers had never genuinely been converted to Christ either. They heard the true gospel and moved toward it, but then rejected the Christ of that gospel.

Their last end is far worse than the first.

Which is why we must spread the gospel truth and we never know if the one who fell away is being pursued by Christ and will eventually come to salvation.

Truth matters. Morals matter. Virtues matter.

The churches influence in the world matters, as the influence of God’s people is different, or it should be...it speaks life and feeds sows and protects and proclaims biblical truth.

As Christian citizens in America, our influence must be in all spheres of life and leadership in this world!

Challenge

Church, here this, we must, if America is going to continue to turn back to God, we must repent ourselves, and revive our Faith in Christ and millions across our nation must repent of their sins and experience a changed heart;

A heart that is no longer hard as stone but soft as flesh; pliable and able to respond to God’s call and to be conformed to the image of Christ.

We know not God’s will for America and our freedom, but we do know His Word and we must vote for, act on, and support righteousness and not wickedness across our land.

Our future generations lives, liberties, and pursuit of happiness and freely walking out their Faith in God, the Father and Jesus Christ depends on it.

God has given us our equality, our rights, this land, our form of government, our life, our liberty, and our freedom to pursue happiness.

Praise God for allowing us to live in the freest and most prosperous Nation in the world.

William J. Federer

As we understand more about our founders, and our founding documents and world governments...

About Kings, their Kingdoms, and the global and historical spread of power and control as we see with the Roman Empire as well as the British Empire, we must see more clearly that in America, things are different, what America became was and still is unlike any other government the world had seen before.

Men and women fought bravely, many young people who we would refer to as children, to establish a different way of life and a unique and new form of government, aligned more closely to God’s Word.

Even to rid our nation of the Broadley spread sin of slavery and segregation.

Federer in his research and teaching tells us that historically kingdoms grow and expand and kings rule through fear, and killing millions of people under their rule.

He also writes to what Montesquieu wrote, who was a French political philosopher and writer, whose principal work, titled The Spirit of Laws was a major contributor to political theory and government.

He wrote that there are Republics and Monarchs and Despots.

For today, we are only going to focus on a Republic, which has citizens and they have to have virtue and a Monarch in which you have a king who rules through honor and shame.

In the context of a Republic, what then is virtue?

Virtue basically means possessing the character traits—such as integrity, courage, self-discipline, and a commitment to the common good—that allow individuals to make sound political decisions, uphold justice, and resist corruption.

Without virtue, Federer implies, a republic cannot sustain itself.

In nations where Catholics are prevalent, you are more likely to have a Monarch...because of the likeness in terms of the visible head and top down structure.

The majority religion in America was protestant Christians early on in our history.

From an Israel perspective, in the Bible, Federer explains that there were only three Kings that ruled over Israel after 400 years of being freed from slavery in Egypt and before it split into two kingdoms, the Northern and Southern Kingdoms.

These kings were King Saul, David, and Solomon.

And it is interesting for us to think about what Federer says here, so insightful:

Saul was most known for his stature, he was physically stronger. So think of the body being His feature.

Solomon was known for, what? For being wise, so His mind is the prominent feature.

And David was known for what? The heart.

The Heart, Mind, and Body.

And we know all three sinned big time, just like many of us, but David was the only one who appear to have repented and turned to God soon after his sinful acts.

So consider our three types of government again, so the body, the flesh aligns more to the one we did not discuss, which is the Despots, the Muslim like governments.

Monarchs on the other hand, rule more based on honor and shame, so that is more like the mind, a mental thing.

And then the republic, is the heart; the virtue, held accountable to God in the next life so we want to be good and fair, as we learned of the knowledge and way of life for the Ancient Israelites during the 400 years with no king after coming out the land of Egypt.

A biblical history where our forefathers, our founders of America gravitated towards and learned from.

And I like how Federer describes kings, as basically glorified gang leaders, much like Nimrod before the dispersion of the nations and languages.

And as the centuries go on, the kingdoms get bigger and they rule through fear. Killing millions and millions, upon millions of people over the years.

How blessed are we to live in the nation that we do church?

But here is where it gets even better, pointing our hearts and minds back to Christ, hearing words directly spoken by our King Jesus.

Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke 22

In the Book of Luke, Jesus is talking to His disciples and says in:

Luke 22:25 “And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’”

We also see this in the other two Gospels of Matthew and Mark, with similar wording, for example in:

Mark 10:42 “Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them.”

Let us get back to Luke, in Luke 22:26–27 “But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant.

This is where we get our modern day term: Servant-leadership from.

And Jesus continues and asks a rhetorical question and answers it for them:

“For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves?

Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.”

Jesus is telling them here, the kingdoms of the world are top down; led through fear; by leaders for example, like Pharoah, Caesar, or from an American and English early history perspective, King George III, the Monarch of Great Britain.

Basically, you have to do what the guy at the top says or he will kill you.

But Jesus says, my kingdom is bottom-up, through serving and love.

Who better in America is there to understand our Government and way of life than Christians and Pastors.

Do many even understand this truth!

The saints, ministers, and priests, all of us, all anointed, by, through and for Jesus Christ.

May we no longer stay silent and absent from the politics in our nation, the business of our living and way of life here in America.

For when those who have a desire for God’s word look to us in turning from their own sins and the sins of our Nation, what happens when they look to a church who supports these sins and wickedness or a church who stays silent and hidden with no heart, service, or sacrifice for those outside its walls and amongst the people we live and are responsible.

The people we serve along side of as co-kings in Americas Republic.

What example are we setting in biblical values and virtues, as an American co-king who knows whom we ultimately serve, our King Jesus.

Do we even consider the difference we make in our Nation by which we live, serve, vote, and participate in self-governing and protecting the equality, rights, lives, liberty, and pursuit of happiness for all Americans, grounded in righteousness.

If not, then we must ask ourselves, Whom do we ultimately serve?

If not Christ, we must repent of our sins, including pastors, so that we may be restored, reverent, and responsible in the choices we make and the example we set for Christ’s kingdom here on earth.

We were created for such a time as this brothers and sisters.

Not to stay silent and hide away from the public, politics, education, military, community services that serve and protect our communities.

Jesus’ Kingdom

Let us read further down in Luke 22:28–38 as we draw to a close this morning.

In Luke 22:28-38 we read, and please follow along with me:

“You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”

And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”

And He said to them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.”

And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one.

“For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, [quoting from Isaiah] ‘And He was numbered with transgressors’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.”

They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.”

And He said to them, “It is enough.””

Interestingly, and maybe not surprisingly, many see this passage and think of physical fighting and aggression, or maybe rebellion.

But at this point in the Gospel narrative, Jesus is preparing His disciples for a dramatic shift.

Earlier in their ministry, He had sent them out without money, bags, or extra clothing, and they lacked nothing (Luke 22:35). But now, He warns them that the circumstances are changing.

The time of public favor is ending, and they will soon face opposition, rejection, and persecution.

His instruction to buy a sword was not a call to violence or rebellion, but a sober reminder that they were entering a dangerous and uncertain time.

And When the disciples respond, “Look, Lord, here are two swords,” Jesus replies, “It is enough” (Luke 22:38).

This response is often debated. It’s unlikely that Jesus meant two swords would be sufficient for defense.

More plausibly, He was either ending the conversation or expressing disappointment that they misunderstood His point.

Some interpret His words as a rebuke, suggesting the disciples were taking His statement too literally.

Regardless, it’s clear that Jesus was not encouraging them to take up arms in a physical sense. He was preparing them mentally and spiritually for the trials ahead.

And so many pastors and Christians stay silent or away from even touching the topic of politics; away from the trials and sufferings in our nation.

And finally,

Consider what was shared in a recent article in the Christian Post:

One of the most influential myths of modern secularism is the claim that faith and politics should never mix.

We are told that religion belongs in personal devotion, houses of worship, and private morality, but should have no influence on law, culture, or public policy.

According to this view, [SADLY AND EMBRASED BY MANY, EVEN PASTORS AND CHRISTIANS] a healthy society requires a neutral public square where religious convictions are excluded.

The problem is that neutrality does not exist.

Every law reflects a moral vision.

Every moral vision is rooted in deeper assumptions about truth, human dignity, justice, and ultimate authority.

The real question, listen to this, is not whether faith will shape society, but which faith will shape it.

Biblical Truth; God’s Word or Man’s Word?

Abraham Kuyper

In the same Christian Post article the author writes:

The Dutch theologian and statesman Abraham Kuyper [koey-per] ... declared that “there is not one square inch of creation over which Christ does not cry, 'Mine!'”

Kuyper rejected both theocracy and secularism. He taught that family, church, education, business, and government each possess distinct responsibilities, yet all remain accountable to God.

Thus, when Christians withdraw from public life, they do not create neutrality. They simply leave cultural institutions to be shaped by alternative worldviews.

The question is not whether faith will influence law and culture. The question is whose faith.

Christians engage public life not because politics can save the world, but because Jesus Christ is Lord of the world.

There is no neutral ground — only competing lordships.

And the future of every nation will ultimately reflect which one it chooses to serve.

Praise God, as believers, our hope and trust is in Jesus Christ, our King!

May more and more hearts repent of their sins, including ourselves, and turn to Him in our nation and around the world!

Announcement

Thank you for allowing me to hold you a little longer here this morning.

Before we pray, I have a few announcements.

We are razing funding for the purchase of a mobile baptistry so that we can Baptize believers here or anywhere the church goes. We have listed the Mobile Baptistry on our giving website, o that when you go to give, you can simply click on it there to allocate your giving.

And a reminder for our Weekly Bible Study: we are finishing up in Acts, the last 8 chapters, 21-28. Then we will move into the Book of Romans. It is held each week on Wednesdays evening at 7pm.

Pray

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, may we know our history and learn from it.

Our forefathers often humbly cried out to You in times of trouble, and You heard them.

Other times, they acted foolishly, and our nation suffered.

Help us learn from the great men and women of our past.

May we honor them without idolizing them or anyone alive today.

Show us how to emulate their strengths and run from their weaknesses.

May we always remember Your acts of grace and mercy done on our behalf.

Most of all, help us to always remember what You accomplished for us, Lord Jesus, when You died on a cross for us, earning us everlasting life in your eternal Kingdom.

And may we never forget how You rose from the dead on the third day and then ascended to heaven.

In Your Name we pray. Amen.

Have a good and godly week in Christ everybody.