Psalm 127:1-2
Our nation was intended to be a Christ-based constitutional republic.
(Psalm 127:1-2) “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – for He grants sleep to those He loves.”
1. Our Nation Was Built On Christ
(Psalm 127:1a) “Unless the Lord builds the house, its
builders labor in vain.” (Or: If the Lord does build the house, its builders
labor successfully!)
A. The founding fathers all held political offices in
one of the original 13 states. We can
tell a lot about their Christian convictions by looking at their state
constitutions.
i.
Article 22 of the
Delaware Constitution of 1776: Every person who shall be chosen a member
of either house, or appointed to any office or place of trust… shall… also make
and subscribe the following declaration to wit: “I, ____ , do profess faith in
God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one
God, blessed for evermore and I do acknowledge the Holy Scriptures of the Old
and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration.”
ii. The Pennsylvania Constitution: Frame of
Government, Section 10. And each member
[of the legislature], before he takes his seat, shall make and subscribe the
following declaration, viz: “I do believe in one God, the Creator and Governor
of the universe, the rewarder of the good and the punisher of the wicked, and I
do acknowledge the Scripture of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine
Inspiration.”
iii.
Massachusetts
Constitution, Chapter VI, Article I. [All persons elected to state
office or to the Legislature must] make and subscribe the following
declaration, viz. “I, ,
do declare, that I believe the Christian religion, and have firm persuasion of
its truth.”
iv.
Etc.
B. Before the founding fathers could even participate in
the forging of our nation, they had to be committed to the Christian faith,
it’s Savior and His Scripture.
“It
cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was
founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions but on the
gospel of Jesus Christ!”(Patrick Henry)
2.
Our Nation Was Blessed By Christ
(Psalm 127:1b) “Unless the Lord watches over the city, the
watchmen stand guard in vain.”
A. Our nation has not been kept safe because of its
military power, but because for years, we honored God.
B. Our nation has not been blessed because of our
brilliance, but because for years, we honored God.
C. When born-again believers participate in government,
the indwelling Holy Spirit participates with them.
i.
“Let me live according to those Holy rules which Thou
hast prescribed in Thy Holy Book. Make
me to know what is acceptable in Thy sight, and therein to delight. Let the world be filled with the knowledge
of Thee and Thy son Jesus Christ. Look
habitually to Jesus Christ. Let your
whole soul be imbued with His Spirit and manifest it in all your actions.” (George Washington).
ii.
“By our form of government, the Christian religion
is the established religion; and all sects and denominations of Christians are
placed on the same equal footing, and are equally entitled to protection in
their religious liberty.” (Samuel Chase,
Supreme Court Justice and signer of the Declaration of Independence)
iii. “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 to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” (John Jay, first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court).
iv. “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion… Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” (John Adams, second U. S. president)
v. “The more profoundly we study this wonderful Book, and the more closely we observe its divine precepts, the better citizens we will become and the higher will be our destiny as a nation.” (President McKinley)
D. Our nation has been blessed by Christ only because we
honored Him.
3.
Our Future Depends On Christ
(Psalm 127:2) “In vain you rise early and stay up late
toiling for food to eat, for He grants sleep to those He loves.”
A. The Lord decides whom He will bless and whom He will
not bless.
B. He blessed our nation as long as we remained a
Christ-based constitutional republic.
C. In 1947 liberal judicial scholars began referring to
our Christ-based constitution as a “living document” instead of a “fixed
document,” meaning the Supreme Court could change its “meaning” at will.
i.
They changed the
“meaning” of the 1st Amendment to establish a wall of separation to
between church and state (Everson v. Board of Education, 1947).
ii. They ruled it
unconstitutional to pray out loud in schools (Engel v. Bitale, 1962).
iii.
They ruled it
unconstitutional to talk about religion in schools (Stein v. Oshinsky,
1965).
iv.
They ruled it
unconstitutional to pray out loud over one’s meal in schools (Reed v.
Van Hoven, 1965).
v. They ruled it unconstitutional to erect a war
memorial in the shape of a cross (Lowe v. City of Eugene, 1969).
vi.
They ruled it
unconstitutional to for a board of education to use the word “God” in any of
its official writings (Florey v. Sioux Falls School District, 1976).
vii.
They ruled it
unconstitutional for kindergartners to ask during an assembly whose birthday is
celebrated on Christmas (Stone v. Graham, 1979).
viii.
They ruled it
unconstitutional to hang a copy of the Ten Commandments on a classroom wall (Stone
v. Graham, 1980)
ix.
They ruled it
unconstitutional for a school graduation ceremony to contain an opening or
closing prayer (Graham v. Central Community School District, 1985)
D. All objective measurements in our nation now indicate
that God has removed His blessing from us.
“If a man would take all of the Bible upon reason that he
can and the rest by faith, that man would live and die a better man” (Abraham Lincoln)