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Home Sermons 2011 "For the Love of Country" (Part 4 of 'Living the Christian Life')
 
"For the Love of Country" (Part 4 of 'Living the Christian Life') PDF Print E-mail
Written by David Charlton   

Scripture

Acts 17:16-23
Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the market place every day with those who chanced to be there. 18 Some also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers met him. And some said, "What would this babbler say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities" -- because he preached Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is which you present? 20 For you bring some strange things to our ears; we wish to know therefore what these things mean." 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. 22 So Paul, standing in the middle of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, `To an unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

  Core Idea, Purpose & Summary

Core Idea: Introducing our neighbors to Christ is the most effective way to love our nation.

 Challenge: To challenge Christians to proactively seek opportunities to introduce people to Jesus

Summary: Are we a Christian nation? If you define ‘Christian nation’ as a nation that was heavily influenced by Judeo-Christian principles, then yes we are. The historical evidence is overwhelming. However, if you define ‘Christian Nation’ as a nation where the vast majority of people are committed followers of Jesus, then no we are not.

The best movement that can happen to any nation is Christian revival. Think about it. Jesus teaches and enables people to forgive everyone and love enemies. Think of what this nation would be like if more and more people actively sought out to be more like Christ. 

 Tomorrow is the 4th of July. As we celebrate our nation’s birthday, let’s make a commitment to make this nation a truly Christian nation. Let’s introduce as many people as we can to Jesus.

                                                  

The Sermon

I. Introduction: Tomorrow is 4th of July

     A. Many people will go to the beach, Bar-b-que, watch fireworks etc…

     B. We do this to celebrate our nation’s birthday

  • We celebrate our freedoms: speech, assembly, bear arms and religion
  • We honor our men & women in the military
  • Many of us celebrate that we are a Christian Nation…bit are we a ‘Christian Nation’?

II. Are we a Christian Nation? Depends on how you define ‘Christian Nation’.

     A. Yes, If we define ‘Christian Nation’ as being founded on Judeo-Christian principles

  • The Pilgrims were Christians fleeing persecution, Pennsylvania was a safe haven for Quakers and  Maryland was a safe haven for Catholics.
  • Majority of our Founding fathers were Christians – of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, 54 of the 56 were Christians (Anglican, Congregationalist, Presbyterian, Quaker or Catholic) – of the delegates to the constitution convention of 1787, 52 out of 55 were Christian [1]
  • The Declaration of Independence states, “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.” – We have these unalienable rights because God created us in His image
  • The U.S. constitution developed the system of checks and balances – The framers knew that, because of our sinful nature, absolute power in the hands of a few will be abuse.
  • There is a multitude of historical evidence to support the claim that we are in large measure founded upon Judeo-Christian principles
     B. No, if we define ‘Christian Nation’ as having a population where the vast
         majority of people are committed followers of Christ.
  • 78.5% of Americans claim to be Christians. However….
  • Only 9% of Americans in a 2008 poll said religion was the most important thing in their life
  • 59% of Americans do not attend church regularly
  • 16.1% of American are unaffiliated with any organized religion[2]

III. The Best way to love the U.S.

     A. Loving means wanting what is best for whoever you love

     B. Loving the U.S. means wanting what’s best for the U.S.

     C. What’s best for the U.S. is for more people to know Christ

  • Christ transforms His followers and enables them to forgive and love
  • As more people follow Christ, the more loving our society become…racism, sexism and the other ‘-isms’ decrease...violent crimes decrease...divorce rates decrease... families become stronger...the poor is taken care of...etc.
  • As a society, we become better and stronger

      D. The best way to love the U.S. is to introduce people to Christ

IV. We are like the Apostle Paul in Acts 17:16-23

     A. Paul found himself in a society with a large variety of philosophies and religions
          competing against each other
  • Epicurians, Stoics, Plato, Romans and Greek Gods.
  • People could pick and choose what they liked best and call that truth.
     B. Likewise, modern day American society offers a large variety of philosophies and
          religions for people to choose from.
  • Secularism, Islam, Buhdism, New Age, Wicca etc…
  • People can pick and choose whatever they want and call it truth

     C. Like Paul, we must engage the people in our society with The Truth, Jesus Christ

V. Engaging people in our society with The Truth

     A. Paul engaged the Greek philosophers

  • I know the unknown god that your statue refers to. His name is Jesus (Acts 17:22-34)
  • To the Epicureans he might have said: You are right to pursue happiness. Let me tell you about the one who can give you life and give oit to you abundantly
  • To the stoics he might have said: You are right to pursue self-discipline in order to live a morally correct life. Now let me tell you about the one who can forgive you and enable you to live the righteous life.

     B. Likewise, we can engage the various people in our society

  • To the Muslim we can say: It’s good you try so hard to be good but let me introduce you to the one who can forgive you and enable you to do better.
  • To the secularist we can say: We don’t have to depend on ourselves. None of us are perfect. We’re all screwed up in some way. Let me introduce you to the one we can depend on.
  • To the wiccan we can say: You seek power through majic. Let me tell you about real power. Let me tell you about the power of grace through faith in Jesus.

     C. Steps to engage people in our society

  • Study Scripture. Know Scripture. Understand Scripture.
  • Be able to explain basic Christian doctrine concerning Jesus…who He is and what He has done for us
  • Be familiar with the belief system of the person you’re engaging.
  • When talking with the person, focus on Jesus. Tell them about Jesus.

VI. Conclusion

     A. Do you love America?

     B. If so, introduce as any American to Christ as you can.

     C. Introducing people to Christ is the best way to express love for your country.

 

 


[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States and http://www.adherents.com/gov/Founding_Fathers_Religion.html  and http://www.usconstitution.net/declarsigndata.html  and http://www.usconstitution.net/constframedata.html

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States
 
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