Sermon Notes July 1, 2012

July 1, 2012
Pastor Scott Howard

Our American Heritage
A call to preserve the Christian principles which were the basis on which our country and its government was founded.

Psalms 44:1
"We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago."

What was the basis of American Independence?

"The general principles on which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity."----"It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty."
---John Adams

"A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do."
---Woodrow Wilson

Have we forgotten Who has blessed us?  Why we fled an oppressive government and founded one based on the principles found in the Gospel?

The first case in which the US Supreme Court ruled (voluntary) prayer in schools unconstitutional was with Engel vs. Vitale in 1962, even though evidence of polls at the time showed 97% of Americans believed in God and practiced religion.  The US Supreme Court ruled with a very low 3%.  The simple, voluntary prayer that was in question was:

"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our country."

The court did not see the other side of this ruling as denying many children the right to participate in the spiritual heritage of our country. 

We have been made to believe that the phrase "separation of church and state" is part of our constitution, when, in fact, it is not.  It comes from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to a committee of the Danbury Baptist Association after the committee had written to the then president.  In the letter, Jefferson was assuring the people that American legislature would not declare one national Christian denomination, but that  the American people would be free to worship their Creator in a manner that was between them and God.  (precisely why America wanted independence to begin with).

The actual phrasing of the first ammendment to the Bill of Rights is, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;"  It does not speak of separating church and state.  Yet this phrase is used time and time again, out of context. 

The moment America banned prayer in schools, we told God we did not need Him in our schools, in our lives, in our families or in our nation.  As a result, God has said, "OK."  He is not a pushy God, He will not force Himself on his children. 

Since 1962 (Engel v. Vitale) statistics in every moral sin have increased. 
This effects our youth: more teen pregnancies, pre-marital sex, sexual diseases.
This effects our families: US is #1 in divorce, 1/3 of all births are out of wedlock resulting in broken families.
This effects our schools: academics is declining, violence at schools, test scores keep falling
This effects our nation: US is #1 in violent crime, illegal drug use

These are the 4 areas the simple prayer above asked blessings upon.

The generations that have grown up since America has continually renounced its spiritual heritage have not been adequately taught about that heritage. 

Proverbs 18:1
"A man who isolates himself seeks his own desires; he rages against all wise judgement."

So what do we do? We start with ourselves, we start in our homes, we start in our churches, and in our communities.  We follow the command of our sovereign and loving Heavenly Father, and wait for His promise:

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
II Chronicles 7:14