[0:00] We're going to go to three verses. These are two examples. I'll go back to the Psalms.
[0:10] Right before Proverbs. Verse 14, 34. Righteousness exalted a nation.
[0:26] But sin is a reproach to any people. Isn't that the truth? Psalm 33. We're going to get a little patriotic tonight.
[0:42] I think it's a point. Psalm 33, verse 12. Psalm 33, 12. Blessed is the nation whose God is Lord.
[0:56] And the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. Now back up to Psalm 9. You didn't know that.
[1:09] Don't act like me. Psalm 9. 17. 17. 17. 17. The wicked shall be turned into hell.
[1:27] And all the nations that forget God. That's so beautiful. So. I'm going to pray.
[1:37] And the Lord is going to sing. And we'll get in there as they try. I don't think the day passes. I don't think you can let people go in here. Amen. Amen. We could have been born in some jungle somewhere.
[1:49] Oh, yeah. Or in Russia. Yeah. Some atheistic country. It's a blessing to be in America. Amen. Amen. And if you are a red-blooded American.
[2:01] Come on. You don't like people to disparage this country. That's right. That's right. And I might lose my religion if I come to the presence of nobody burning flag.
[2:12] Yeah. Come on. I'm preached. Come on. I think we'll have a one-way ticket to Saudi Arabia. Amen. I'm serious. Come on. I'm serious. You don't love this country and aren't glad to be here to town.
[2:25] Yeah. Just move on out. You will cause us trouble. We don't need you. Amen. Amen. Back when I was in school, kids, we studied real American history.
[2:39] Yeah. Come on. They cut out all the good stuff nowadays. Yeah. The only place you get it is a church. Amen. I've got some of it tonight just to set the stage.
[2:52] What we're going to say this evening. I've got some quotes from various ones that I want to give you. George Washington said, It's the beauty of all nations to acknowledge the prominence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor.
[3:18] Who we are? Who we are? Who we are? Who we are? President Washington. John Adams was the next president, said, We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.
[3:34] Come on. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to govern any other.
[3:48] If that's true, that's when we're having trouble. That's right. James Madison, Before any man can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be a subject of the governor of the universe.
[4:04] These guys had gone ahead and told me, didn't they? They didn't mince words. Here's Thomas Jefferson. Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God, that they are not to be violated, but with His wrath?
[4:31] Indeed, I tremble for my country. When I reflect that God is just, that His justice will not sleep forever.
[4:44] You know, a preacher couldn't say that anybody. And John Quincy, I'll just skip that one. I'll try to slow in here. Let's move on. Patrick Henry.
[4:55] Have you ever had to memorize his speech? Oh, you don't know who Patrick Henry is. You didn't know he had a famous speech. Let me read you part of it.
[5:07] And appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that's left of us. Sir, we're not weak. We make a proper use of those means which the God of nature has placed in our power.
[5:22] It's before the revolution. He stirred up evil to fight. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There's a just God who resides over the depths of the nations and who will raise up friends to fight our battle for us.
[5:37] 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.
[5:51] But as for me, one of the great, great speeches in American history. You may not know Jedediah Morse.
[6:03] He's another founding father. Here's what he said. To the kindly influence of Christianity, we owe that degree of civil freedom and political and social agnes which mankind here now enjoys.
[6:16] Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republic and former government and all blessings that flow from them will fall too.
[6:29] Don't believe that? Christianity is overthrown. America will fall. That's what he said. Ben Franklin said this, I think at the, was his constitutional convention the other.
[6:43] I've said, I've lived there a long time. He's about 80 something. And the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see in this truth. God governs in the affairs of men.
[6:56] If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We've been assured in the sacred writings that unless the Lord builds the house, they remain to build.
[7:13] I firmly believe this, and also believe, that without his concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than they have baffled.
[7:25] Strong. I mean, they were believers in God. They told it, didn't they? John Jay is not as famous as none of the others, but he was just as good as them.
[7:40] He was the first chief judge. Matter of fact, I think it was Washington, one of the residents, called Jay in and said, I'm going to get my cabinet together. My government said, you can take your pick and have anything you want.
[7:54] He was a really great man. And so he chose chief justice, Supreme Court, as his place. The Bible is the best of all books, for it's the word of God, and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and the next.
[8:09] Continue, therefore, to read it, and to regulate your life by its precepts. Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege, and interest of our Christian nation, that we select and prefer Christians for our rulers.
[8:31] Good stuff, isn't it? Supreme Court got in on all this way back there. They've lost their way a little bit now. They had it back then.
[8:45] They've got so much stuff to keep up where it is. Listen to this. Supreme Court in 1892. By the way, did you know what they were discussing in this particular time?
[9:01] and they finally came up with a unanimous decision whether or not America would be a Christian nation. And we believe in religious freedom.
[9:15] And we will allow freedom of the vigilance. But America is a Christian nation. And any religion that fights against that should be banned from the short.
[9:28] Here's what they said. Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the redeemer of mankind. It's impossible that it should be otherwise.
[9:40] Our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian. This is a religious people. This is historically true. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, we find everywhere a clear recognition of this truth.
[9:55] This is a Christian nation. You can go too far with religion. You can go too far with religion. You can go too far with religion. Some, hey, if some religion decides that we're the big Satan and we need to be defeated everywhere they find you, they don't need to be implanted in this short.
[10:19] They need to be banned somewhere else. Amen. Just to let me, President, I'm straight. You know, the first man who made our American Dictionary was an old Webster great man, a great priest.
[10:37] Here's what he said. The moral principles and precepts contained in Scripture ought to form the basis of all our civil constitution and laws. all the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice and crime and ambition and injustice and oppression and slavery and war all proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.
[11:04] Wow. That's true. It is true. That's what? You're not going to find anybody today to say something like that but it is true. All right. I'm just showing you some of the earlier reasons that she's a Christian.
[11:17] Why we rose to prominence so clearly in history because God blessed her for these principles and these leaders here. It's the Rhode Island charter, 1683 and Rhode Island was the home of the Baptists.
[11:33] Yes. The Baptists were persecuted early in America just like they were criminals. Terrible persecution. Mistreated awful and Roger Williams and others convinced people that Baptists were not the enemy they were the friend.
[11:51] Finally they gave us a stake the smallest but Baptists put their roots down and go down. William Stark the second of my ancestors in America got saved there went back to his native Connecticut and started the first Baptist church in the state of Connecticut donated the land for it was the principal member of it until he died and was buried in the cemetery behind it and he was the first of our people to practice that was in 1650 or so and he sent it all the way down and my whole family continued to be Baptist and that took to me and when I was born in the world I couldn't find an ancestor or a relative that wasn't saved in that one he started the heritage that continued down to my mind
[12:51] Rhode Island is the birthplace of Baptists in America here's their chart we submit our persons lives and estates unto our Lord Jesus Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and all those perfect and most absolute laws that is given to us in his own work isn't that great here's the Senate Judiciary Committee report in 1853 we are a Christian people not because of the law demands it not to gain exclusive benefits or to avoid legal disability but from choice and education and in a land thus universally Christian what is to be expected what desire but that we shall pay due regard to Christianity the house at the same time gave their committed report at the time of the adoption of the Constitution and the amendments the universal sentiment was that Christianity should be encouraged in this age there can be no substitute for Christianity that was the religion of the founders of the Republic and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants thank God
[14:14] I want to show you something I'm just about finished here I'll show you something do you know the first university American Harvard you know why she was instituted preaching preaching yeah trained preaching it was a Christian college here is the handbook of Harvard 1636 earlier let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life John 17 3 and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning and seeing the Lord only give his wisdom let everyone seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of him Proverbs 2 3 everyone shall so exercise himself in reading the scriptures twice a day that he shall be ready to give such an account of his proficiency therein when asked
[15:21] Harvard's student handbook Yale came along a few years later and here's their student handbook all the scholars are required to live a religious and glamorous life according to the rules of God's word diligently reading the holy scriptures that fountain of divine light and truth and constantly attending all the duties of religion I would like to see their handbook today wouldn't you you all heard of the Frenchman came over in 1831 and said he was looking for what was good of our American and found him in a poor business in the church remember that we use that a lot here's the rest of what it said there is no country in which the people are so religious as in the United States the great number of religious societies existing there is truly amazing there are some of them for everything for instance there are societies to distribute the Bible to distribute tracts to encourage religious journals and publications to convert civilize and educate people to take care of the widows and orphans to preach expand purify preserve and reform their faith to build chapels and churches endow congregations and support seminaries to establish
[16:55] Sunday schools and to present drunkenness and others with the man that's a Frenchman describing what he saw here that is wonderful and I you know wouldn't you like to heaven of America like that where it was the official position to be God feared now what happened they told Bill was here in 1831 let me read you some statistics for today America leaves the world in abortion to perform the killing of the unborn America is the number one nation in the world in the HIV virus the killer virus that leads to the AIDS disease as a matter of fact we have ten times as many people with AIDS and the HIV virus in America as the second leading nation in the world you've gone ten times about one out of every 250
[18:06] Americans have HIV you didn't know that America has the highest cancer rate in the world four out of every ten and three out of every ten women will get cancer America leaves the world in divorce America leaves the world in single parent families America leaves the world in spending on education and is way down the list in educated scholars American professional athletes are the highest paid athletes in all the world America leaves the world watching television the average American watches five hours of TV every day and if you say well I don't watch the crazy thing think how many more people have to be watching bring the average to five five hours a day for every miracle
[19:07] America leaves the world in use credit card credit spending America leaves the world in foreign debt what is it 28 21 trillion card America leaves the world in drunk driving fatalities America leaves the world in suicide America leaves the world murder America leaves the world dealing drug use but strangely America also leaves the world with the highest percentage of people that say they believe in God and the devil and heaven and heck what have we done wrong I just keep that around and read that most of the mind me how big our job is we have a big job to try to get this thing back
[20:12] I don't know if we can but it's incumbent on us to try lot of things I don't understand here's something I meant to read earlier the national anthem most of us know it starts by us it ends with these words blessed with victory and peace may this heaven rest!
[20:40] you man praise the power that hath made and preserved us the nation then conquer we must when our cause is just and this be our motto in God is our trust and the star spangled banner and triumph shall wait for the land of free and come away you don't even know that verse you don't do it you don't understand I don't understand anybody to sing God bless America without nothing to throw I don't understand football players that will not cross their hearts when the anthem is played before their game and I wish I were the owner of every professional team because there would be a lot of those birds fired and if I were the owner of every team they wouldn't be hired anywhere else that is unconscious one
[21:48] American I don't want to burn that flag it has led thousands of fellow Americans into battle and many of them didn't come back except in that flag anybody that desecrates that flag we ought to do something about that we ought to have a law flag we ought to put them under the jail and throw the key away that ought to be as big a crime as many of the others I don't understand that I don't understand how men who is elected president of the United States can on one hand condemn an American pastor who afforded the burning of a brand and Obama did this and then on the other hand order American troops in Afghanistan to burn every Bible they could find in the garbage dump and hundreds of
[22:48] Bible were burned I don't understand that but I know what ought to have to that kind of bread not be in peace and thrown in the open not really I don't understand how some Americans can refuse to fly that American flag near a mosque for fear it would offend Muslims these are Muslims who have vowed to destroy us if they can and who are foaming that kind of violence and hate right inside those pockets around this country people are afraid to fly this flag here!
[23:33] We don't want to! this country lost its mind it used to be easily understood that you won't cop your criminals or those that hate you I don't understand it I don't ever understand it America this year is 241 years old the longest money pure democracy gives to I don't understand why anybody would appreciate it you want to be glad to be here and appreciate the hundreds of thousands of white bosses of men who are men and women who are in their prime who laid down their lives that we might be here tonight and free there's something wrong with the mind that some Americans that don't understand that appreciate and I do understand however while
[24:40] America may not get much older she may be reaching her head you ever taken time to read Fox's book of martyrs how many have you don't you need to get a copy it's sort of hard reading you need to sit down and read some every night when you close the last book you'll be a more sober and appreciative person you'll also feel like that high Christian let me give you some of those stories you'll see in there in that in 258 AD in the church of Rome there was a deacon named Laurentius Laurentius they burned his pastor and then they came to get him he watched his pastor swang him because he was a Christian they said
[25:55] Laurentius announce religion you're free he said never never he was beaten with iron rods set upon a wooden horse and had all of the joints in both all four names dislocated he endured these tortures with such fortitude and perseverance that they then ordered him fastened to a large grid iron with a slow fire under it so that his death might be more tortuous but his astonishing constancy during these trials and his serenity of countenance under such excruciating formance gave the spectators so exalted an idea of the truth of the Christian religion that many felt they can converse watching him die!
[26:55] Wow! Wow! Wow! through these centuries deeming thousands were tortured and killed for their faith most of them by the Roman Catholic Church in 1527 in Anabaptist named Michael Sattler preached too loud He also preached openly that salvation was by grace and not worse and condemned such practices as confirmation and indulgences and penance the religious bigwigs captured him ordered him to recant and he wouldn't do it because he believed that salvation was by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and not in good works he held his stance they took him to be executed here's his story torture a prelude to the execution began at the marketplace where a piece was cut from the sack of his tongue pieces of his flesh were torn from his body with red hot tongs he was then forged to a cart on the way to the scene of the execution they once again used the tongs five times he hung so flesh out of his body in the marketplace and at the side of the execution still able to speak with heart of a tongue then unshakable sacker prayed for his persecutors after being bound to a ladder with ropes and pushed into the fire in this condition he admonished the people the judges and the mayor please repent and be converted then he prayed almighty eternal god thou art in the truth because
[29:11] I have not been shown to be an herod I will with thy help to this day testify the truth and seal it with my blood as soon as the ropes on his wrist were burned sacker raised the two forefingers of his hands giving the promised signal to the brethren watching that a martyr's death is barren after all it's okay wow then the assembled crowd heard the last words coming from his secret little father I commend my spirit to thy influence eight days later because his wife would not recant she was taken out and drowned!
[30:07] How are you feeling that? First Baptist missionary was an English child named William Carey around the year 1800 Captain Cook and others when they found what Mr.
[30:22] Carey wanted to do to go across the waters as a missionary told him to sit down God wants to win the he he does without you he wouldn't sit down he volunteered his own way his wife said no I'll not go he went without her she had all kinds of problems as the devil tried to stop him but he overcame all of them he been there a little while!
[30:51] his wife got on boat to join him in there soon both his son and his wife died there yet Carey never stopped kept on serving God in that place to which he was called by himself until his death many others followed when he carried the mission fields all over the world because of his faith more recently in China in the 1900s a man named E.J.
[31:26] Cooper was a missionary there and I read his story he had been beaten but he revived however his wife was bludgeoned to death three days later his son died he found a port of safety for himself for his daughter sat down and wrote this letter to his mother dear mother the Lord has honored us by giving us fellowship in his sufferings three times stoned robbed of everything even clothes we know what hunger thirst nakedness weariness are as never before but we also know the sustaining grace and strength of God is peace in a new and deeper sense than ever before billow after billow it's gone over me home is gone not one lemento my dear magnum remains penniless wife and child in the glory either my other child
[32:34] I am very sick probably die and mom your son weak and exhausted to the degree though otherwise well and now you know the worst mother I want to tell you that the cross of Christ that exceeding glory of the father's love has brought continual comfort to my heart so that no one murmur has ever broken through these lips and destroyed the peace of God within me well I you know there's a hook that thick all those things going wrong I want to read this scripture that sort of reminds you the boxes looking hard to just listen to what I read others were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection others had trials of cruel mockings and scourges yea moreover bonds and imprisonments they were stoned they were sawed in two song of sundry that's what it means they were tempted they were slain with a sword they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskin you know what that means kid they skinned a goat while they go the skin still wet green they bound a person in a big tide put him out in the sunshine the sunshine and all that moisture after the skin it began to shrink guess what happened to the person inside slowly smothered to death because he couldn't breathe being destitute afflicted torment whom the world was not worthy they wandered about in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of earth these all having obtained a good report from faith received not the promise
[34:33] God having provided some better thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect now ask yourself when you get in that company what are you going to tell you saw what are you going to tell me well I'll tell you what I had to get up early my son and I'm going to get to church lost some last week to it like what you going to tell me I do and I will you do now know why the marriage is wrong we don't have a quality of Christianity we just don't the fault doesn't lie to the feet of the liberal politicians or the anti-god educators or musicians or entertainers and there are plenty of those the fault lies at the feet of weak compromising and uncommitted Christians to church brothers Stephen and I talked the other day about how we get fewer and fewer those of us that are ready to stand for something the Foxy book of martyrs being written today you think any American is what there are around the world as we speak people suffering just like that we haven't had it come here you have to wonder if the
[35:55] Lord's not going to have that in our future the way we're bailing out on him I don't understand how a so-called saved person can sit at home on Sunday night which night or the other time the church meets find a way to excuse mom let me tell you something you can't excuse and I'm going to tell you your Lord takes it first because he said we're two or three gathered there I am when the church gathers he says I'm there you say that I'm coming I don't care I don't know you oh you didn't know you said that did you he did I don't understand that I don't understand that I've been going to church every time the door opens since nine before I don't understand anybody I never understand but I do understand why
[36:59] Mary is Paul I don't understand how God can be more excited about some horse team than he is about some servant never squeak a peep Sunday morning well I'm not turned that way I just can't be that way I can't say amen who am I talking to I haven't heard a whole lot of people I don't understand that what is it that excites you that's a pretty good indication of what you are I don't understand how many teaches children it's okay to stay home from church and expect that child to be free to become a great Christian he will not be greater than you are unless somebody outside of you influences more than you do but I do understand why
[38:02] America is wrong I don't understand how wire members can miss practice bus workers can miss bus meetings now better any other member can be unfaithful with any task but I do understand why America is what she was in 1776 I don't understand why 11 12 year olds can be called the mission field at youth conference or camp or in revival service and after parents work on them until they're 18 you can't get them to revival college for four years much less to a mission and I can't count on all of my digits in these 20 years how many years are our little kids their parents have managed to kill that end somebody is going to answer for that somebody is going to answer for that no I don't understand that
[39:09] I do understand why marriage is all you know I wrote this in here in my notes I just thinking about it even with all our modern conveniences I enjoy good food and a car and where I need to go all of the things that we have if I were alone I'd say a nice washing machine and a dishwasher whatever it is but I still wonder and wish maybe that I have been in America in 1776 I would love to know what they do and see what they saw and be amongst that people like they were I'd love to know what that's like now when I grew up it was pretty close to that boy it's changed in my lifetime it's changed well make no mistake all these all these institutions of America changed because the church changed not because
[40:22] Congress changed because the church changed brother Steve the church changed because the preacher changed we don't have a great big church but the preacher here hasn't changed we've got some folks here that aren't changed I believe you later but the preacher we had more preachers that just stand up when I got into this independent Baptist business in 1970 oh two half the half the state is the largest church of any county was an old-fashioned independent Baptist church 25 out of six not one of those not one some of the churches that were great churches in those days were out of business they sold their problem how many of you ever heard of the
[41:24] Hebrew article one of the greatest men that ever wore shoe letter they sold his church America these are things that detail the reason that America is falling because the church is falling well let me imagine you had the folks in one verse that still is mine how many times have we preachers told you people say Chronicles 714 still works if my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray go ahead and say the next one it's not a deed and turn from their wicked way then will I hear from heaven forgive their sins and heal their land as long as the
[42:26] Bible is does is on the earth and that's going to lead to the earth is renovated that verse will be in there and that promise will still hold my people not if my government not if the military if my people will do those things I will hear together I'll forgive their sins heal their man when's the last time you prayed for America will you spend some time here to this voice that you like season asking God for mercy when you nation we need revival we need a sweeping revival drive men to convert Americans by the tens of thousands turn this thing around here let's stand together
[43:28] I'm going to be a part of the solution not part of