Sunday, July 2, 2023
INDEPENDENCE DAY: Why I Love America
Mike Teel, Pastor
Focal Passage:
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance. 13 From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; 14 from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—15 he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. 16 No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. 18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you. —Psalm 33:8-22
I LOVE AMERICA BECAUSE …
SHE HAS
THE LORD IN THE PAST
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. —Psalm 33:8-11
1.
IN FEAR
–Recall what the Word of God says about the “Fear of the Lord.”
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. —Proverbs 1:7
–When we imply this, we are not saying to be afraid of God but to revere and respect Him as vs. 8 of Psalm 33 says… Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him.
–When we begin to lose our fear or respect for the Lord, then we are entering very dangerous territory.
–As we progress forward, we are seeing less and less “FEAR” of God.
–Many are saying, “Where is God in all the chaos we are experiencing in our world? And where is the justice of God for those violating His Word?”
–We are seeing it in the attack upon Christians, the family and our children; the constant taking of innocent lives and the economic failure we are seeing.
I love America because the America I have known and loved has feared God in the past.
2. GOD HAS
US IN THE PAST
–And as result the plans that were formed against our great country came to naught.
–WWI, WWII and Desert Storm and many other military events saw the Hand of God upon America.
10 The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. —Psalm 33:10-11
–He makes the devices of the people come to naught (nothing) is what the KJV says.
–He foils the plans of those who would do us harm and His plan will stand forever!
I Love America because … She has feared the Lord in the past.
I LOVE AMERICA BECAUSE …
GOD HAS
HER
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance. 13 From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; 14 from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—15 he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.
—Psalm 33:12-14
1. GOD HAS
FOR US
–No other country in the entire world has achieved the success and enjoyed the blessing of God like America.
–But remember what I said last week: “Prosperity can lead to unthankfulness.”
–There is something about earning these privileges in life and not having them handed to us.
–America has been blessed by God. This does not mean necessarily happiness, but a deep contentment that comes from the satisfaction of understanding God’s provision.
2. THE
TO BLESSING
–The Psalmist states why the nation who God blesses receives His blessings.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. —Psalm 33:12
–A nation who has taken the opportunity to surrender to the Lordship of Christ.
–The word God is the word Elohim – a word often used as a substitute for the word God so as to not accidently blaspheme the name of God. It is the God of Israel in the Old Testament. It means gods plural and represents ruler of all.
–The word LORD is the word Yahweh which was representative of the God of the Covenant relationship with God’s people.
–Notice what the Psalmist says, Blessed, (happy and content) is the nation (or people) whose God (ruler, boss, master) is the LORD (covenant God of Israel),
–A people (or nation) He (God) chose for His inheritance (Salvation and forgiveness of sin; blessing).
–A Nation who has submitted to the Authority and Rule of a Sovereign God!
–The sad truth is America, as Israel did so long ago, is now moving toward worshipping Idols and false gods while Israel is now reestablishing itself.
–We are now seeing God’s blessing move from America back to the Nation God has always loved but had to discipline.
–We are blessed because God chose us to be a part of His plan to represent the LORD Jesus to a world, He knew would reject Him – and now it appears we are joining that world.
I love America because I have discovered Christ who makes life worth living!
I love America because I am the recipient of blessings I do not deserve!
I love America because I can live for and share Christ openly!
I love America because she has feared the Lord in the past!
I love America because God has blessed her!
I love America because it is my home sweet home away from heaven!
LIVE IT OUT
–What corrections do you need to make today to express your love for America and more importantly for the Lord Jesus Christ?
–How successful have you been at protecting these godly benefits we experience here in America?
–Will you pray for America and that God would be able to continue to bless us and that we would be faithful to the Lord?