We live in a great nation. A nation I believe blessed by God. We are a nation who has pursued freedom from tyranny, which is defined as “the unrestrained exercise of power.” Many have died protecting this freedom not just for our nation, but for people everywhere. In fact seven soldiers of our nation died this week. In history of the world the United States of America is unique. There has never been an establishment of a nation based on this statement:
“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”
In this statement we as a nation recognize God as the Creator and sustainer of our nation. We know that God sustains and establishes all nations for His good will and purpose. But I believe our nation’s founding fathers were intent on establishing this country on biblical principles. In fact it is the basic biblical principles of grace, forgiveness, justice and righteousness this nation has allowed for such an incredible amount of diversity. It is these principles that we have deployed the world over to confront evil and to rebuild nations. What I fear is we have begun to lose these basic principles and the question then becomes, how do we recover them?
Tomorrow is Memorial Day and as a veteran myself I have had the honor and privilege of serving my nation. I want to see America continue to a force of good in the world. With that said this is not my home. I am a member of another kingdom; I belong to the kingdom of God first and foremost. My heart is with the Lord’s in whatever nation He places me.
Why do I make such a statement? Because I think it is far more important for us to understand the big picture. I do not put my faith in nations or the law of government. They cannot change people’s hearts and if I thought they could I would have been a politician. I know the truth about man’s heart and the only thing that can change the human heart is the living God, through Jesus Christ. As a Christian my sole purpose is to live for the glory of Christ. My time here is short but my time in heaven is for eternity.
So how do we recover the basic biblical principles in our nation and why does it matter. I hope to answer that question this morning and I think it starts with our children and I’ll explain why.
In the Bible God established the people of Israel as a nation. And right before he did Moses gave them finial instructions.
Set the Stage
In the book of Deuteronomy we see Moses reminding the people of Israel of what to expect and what NOT to do once they are established. Moses knows he will not enter the promise land with them. He has led them for over 40 years from Egypt and through the deserts. He has constantly interceded for them to God directly and now everything has been leading up to this. So he tells them.
"Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 HCSB)
Shema (hear)
Deuteronomy 6:4 is the most quoted verse in the bible. Orthodox Jews have recited this verse twice a day for thousands of years. It is still recited today. Jesus quoted this verse “He said to him, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”
(Matthew 22:37-39 HCSB) In doing so he summed up the heart of the Law.
-Your Everything
Shema means to hear or listen. Moses is saying this is something you have to pay attention to. Like right now sit up and listen, take notice at what I am about to say. He is saying if you miss this, you will suffer greatly, this is very important for you to understand. It’s like when your son runs out in the street and the conversation you with him on the sidewalk. His life depends on him understanding.
What he tells them is what is going to separate the Israelites from the rest of the nations around them. Firstly there is only one God, He is Yahweh.
There are no other gods. He is not many God’s, He is the one God and He is Sovereign. The nations around them would worship multiple gods. Israel was monotheistic which was different from everyone else.
Secondly, this was a relationship based on love. It wasn’t a relationship built on legalism out of a sense of duty or necessity, but love. This wasn’t just any love either; this love was to be much deeper. In the Bible this love goes along the lines of husband and wife, father and son. This love was to be the core of their being; they were to love the Lord with everything—from your heart.
-Your Heart
This idea gives some insight into the thinking of the ancient Hebrew life. The heart was regarded was the seat of the mind. From the heart, people lived their lives. It was the source of one’s being. The heart was what made a person, their essence. That idea didn’t change in the New Testament. In fact we see how in the New Covenant God would write these principles upon our heart. And out of love and devotion to Christ for what He has done for us we would follow his commands ‘wholeheartedly’, all of our heart, soul and strength.
There wasn’t to be a shared love with anything else, this love and devotion is complete and undivided, Yahweh is Lord, period. They were to love no one else. This love for the Lord was to be passed onto the next generation. His commandments were to be obeyed from generation to generation. So Moses attaches special importance on teaching of their children.
Engrave them
To ensure the passing on of this Love for Yahweh, the parents, every member of society was to aid in the teaching of the children.
-Children
The words and works of the Lord were to be chiseled into the lives of the hearts of the children. The picture in verse 6-7 is that of an engraver. He would use a chisel and a hammer to etch each word very carefully into granite. It would take patience, endurance and once finished would be permeate. This was to be accomplished by incorporating the covenant and its instruction into every aspect of their lives.
-Talk About
They were to talk about it. The word of the Lord was to be on their lips. They were to share the stories of what God had done for their nation. For what God had done in their lives. Every conversation was to be seasoned with the words and thoughts of the Lord.
-Walk About
When they walked, lied down, or got up, God and His ways were to be the topic. Every opportunity that was given to share His word, His principles, most of all His love was to be taken advantage of. Moses goes even further and says to bind them to your arms and foreheads, write the words on your door frames of your house and on your gates to be seen as you leave and return!
-Live About
They were to live it out in front of their children, every person always. They were set apart by the Lord and they were to be different from everyone else in the promise land. They were to be Yahweh’s people and He would be their God. This was to be the heart of the entire nation and they where to impress this on every child.
Everything Depends On It!
Because everything depended on it! Let’s pick up in verse 10, and see what I mean.
"When the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He would give you--a land with large and beautiful cities that you did not build, houses full of every good thing that you did not fill them with, wells dug that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant--and when you eat and are satisfied, be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. Fear Yahweh your God, worship Him, and take your oaths in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise, the LORD your God will become angry with you and wipe you off the face of the earth.”
(Deuteronomy 6:10-15 HCSB)
How do we get back to the basic biblical principles our nation was founded on and why does it matter? It starts with our children. It starts at home. Each parent needs to take the responsibility to teach and to live Christ and His word in front of their children. Mom and Dad are to model and to teach their children the word of God. The church is to equip and train the parents and to assist them in teaching the children. They are not primarily responsible for teaching the children they are to equip and assist.
We have to get back to this basic principle to ensure and to pass on Christ to the future generations. Because if we don’t we will cease to be a nation of good, a nation God can use for his good will and purpose and we will cease to exist. I believe this with all my heart.
We the people do not sustain this nation. It is not our will and determination that holds everything together. It is not the collective goodness of our people that makes America great. It is God and His grace and mercy. The founding fathers acknowledged this idea and were fearful of losing it. George Washington said this:
‘I am sure that never was a people, who had reason to acknowledge a Divine interposition in their affairs, than those of the United States; and I should be pained to believe that they have forgotten that agency, which was so often manifested during our Revolution, or that they failed to consider the omnipotence of the God who is alone able to protect them.”
Tomorrow is Memorial Day. I would encourage you to attend one of the local ceremonies honoring those who gave their lives in the defense of this nation. I would also ask you to consider what has been said here this morning and praise God for His blessings He has poured out on us as a people. I would also encourage you to think about the urgency in which we need to get back to teaching our children about the Lord. Realize we all have a hand in this, it is all of our responsibly to talk, walk and live the gospel. I close with this verse.
“I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, love the LORD your God, obey Him, and remain faithful to Him.” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20 HCSB)
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