Exodus 32:9-10 – A Great Nation – Bible study

Exodus 32:9-10 A Great Nation I dislike taking a phrase out of context and using it to build a message, but that is what I am going to do. In this passage, Israel had sinned and God was ready to judge them with annihilation. At that point, God made Moses an offer. "I will destroy them and start all over with you." By-the-way, that was a legitimate offer. A nation restarted with Moses would still be a Jewish nation, one from the line of Abraham, and God could fulfill all of His promises through them. But Moses had a lot of character and pleaded with God not cast those people away. Notice what God said to Moses as He offered to him his own nation. "I will make of thee a GREAT nation." Today is our nations birthday. By my count, America is 234 years old today. I know that I am prejudiced but it is my belief that God has both made this nation and has made it a great nation. I do not think I stand alone in that thought. (John Hancock, considering the revolution to which he was about to commit himself, said on April 15, 1775) In circumstances as dark as these, it becomes us, as Men and Christians, to reflect that whilst every prudent measure should be taken to ward off the impending judgments, at the same time all confidence must be withheld from the means we use; and reposed only on that God rules in the armies of Heaven, and without His whole blessing, the best human counsels are but foolishness Thomas Jefferson in 1781, looking back on the establishment of American, said:) "God who gave us life gave us liberty." [Benjamin Franklin at the Constitutional Convention, Thursday June 28, 1787] "In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered do we imagine we no longer need His assistance? (John Jay on October 12, 1816) Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers." That being the case, let us consider the gifts that God has given to our country to make it great. I. God has given us land-and what a blessed land it is! A. Do you realize that God gave us this land? 1. As surely as God gave Israel their land, so God gave us this portion of His earth. Deuteronomy 32:8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. Acts 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 2. And what God said of Israels land is true of America! Deuteronomy 8:7 For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; 8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; 9 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. B. I have been across a great portion of this country and I have visited the land God was offering Moses. As much as I would live to return to Israel, as it stands today, American is a far more beautiful and blessed land than what the Jews have. 1. We have mountains that soar into the clouds and valleys that you will take you a half-day to hike into. 2. We have icy-cold weather up north and warm-balmy weather down south. 3. We are blessed with plains large enough to grow enough food to feed the world and hills and forests that you could spend a lifetime exploring. 4. If we would use them wisely, we have all the resources we could use buried in the ground and we have dirt rich enough to grow whatever we want sprinkled on top. 5. For beauty, our necessities, for our hobbies, and our curiosity, I do not think their is a spot of land that has all the diversity that the United States of America has! II. God has given us life. A. That may sound like a foolish statement, but what good is a great place to live if all you are going to do is be buried in it? 1. Any plot of ground will do for a burial. 2. God hasnt just given us land. He has given us life! Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. B. It is not just that God has given to us an existence, He has given to us a good life. 1. Most every promise that God made to Israel, He has fulfilled in this land. a. He has given us a blessed life. Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: Psalms 91:16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. b. He has given us a long life. Proverbs 3:2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. (1) The average life expectancy for an America is 78.5 years old. (2) www.google.com/publicdata c. He has given to us a life largely free from the diseases that are wiping out the populations of other countries. Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. d. He has given to us a life so that we can worship Him. John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 2. I often say that life is a gift from God. 3. Any life lived in America should be a good life. III. God has given us leaders and laws. A. That God gives us our leaders, and thus our laws, is seen both by statement of fact and example in the Scriptures. Daniel 5:18 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. B. I confess that I am against some of the laws and the overall direction our leaders are moving these days; however, none of us would want to live in a land without them. 1. Without leaders and laws, mans wicked, sinful nature comes out in full force. 2. Do you remember what happened in Louisiana during Katrina? a. I have never been so surprised and appalled at the behavior of my country men as that! b. Robbing, looting, vandalism, hording, murder c. It was the most persuasive argument that Darwin might be right and we are all just animals! C. That is why God commands us to obey government as much as is possible. 1. Even a bad government is better than no government at all. 2. Saddam Hussein, for all his oppression and butchery, kept that wicked little country from destroy itself. IV. God has given to us liberty. A. God has given to America one of the greatest gifts ever bestowed upon any nation. He has given us personal liberty. 1. In this country, you can go where you want, live where you want, do what you want, marry whom you wish, work a lot or work a little, be well educated or not, travel or stay put, worship who or what you choose, or dont worship at all, say what you think, write what you feel, live whatever lifestyle suits you, and whether your choices are good or bad you can do all of this in relative safety because of the freedom granted you in this land. 2. I read on the internet where some do not believe Americas fortune and freedom have anything to do with the Bible. 3. I would say they are very foolish and neither know their history nor their Bible. B. The whole concept of freedom came from the Bible. 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. Leviticus 25:10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. 1. The concept of men owning land came from the Bible. 2. The concept of slaves being set free came from the Bible. 3. The concept of personal freedom and liberty came from the Bible. C. Prior to America, with few exceptions, the nations of the world operated under a feudal system, that is there were kings and the citizens were servants to crown. 1. I understand that both Rome and Greece had a sort of democracy. 2. However, what they had was only vaguely similar to what we have and what similarities there were, were mostly in concept not in practice. a. By that I mean their emperor was more like a king than a president. b. What their courts conducted were more like tribunals than trials. 3. The Apostle Paul was a Roman citizen living during the height of the Roman empire. \#Acts 22:26-27\ a. Being a citizen in that governmental did not keep him out of jail after jail simply because he expressed his views on religion. b. Neither did it keep him from being locked in a Caesarean prison for two years with no recourse of action. Acts 24:24 And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. 25 And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. 26 He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him. 27 But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound. c. Neither did it keep him from being beheaded for no other crime that believing what you and I believe and practice on this day. D. Not only did the concept for Americas liberty come from the Bible, but an ingredient from the Bible was added to it make it work. 1. Liberty doesnt work in America because we have a president, a congress, a judicial system, or a constitution. 2. Other countries have tried it with these items but they cant duplicate what we have (or at least had) in this country. 3. There is an ingredient that was incorporated into the very fiber of this country which made our republic different from all others before and after it. 4. That is the reason America cannot duplicate our government in Iran, Afghanistan, and Iraq. 5. The ingredient that makes our republic work is Christ! E. Our founding fathers understood and declared this! "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or to often that this great nation was founded not but religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the gospel of Jesus Christ." Patrick Henry "Do not let anyone claim American patriotism if they even attempt to remove religion from politics." George Washington Farewell Address to Nation "The 1st amendment has created a wall of separation between church and state, but that wall is a one directional wall, it keeps the government from running the church, but it makes sure that Christian principles will always stay in government." President Thomas Jefferson in an address to Danbury Baptists. "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people it is wholly inadequate to the government of any other" John Adams F. Even as late as World War II, world leaders still understood the key to building a truly free society. 1. At the end of World War II, Brigadier General Douglas MacArthur, one of the chief architects of Japans defeat, became Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces and was promoted to General of the Army, as a five-star general. 2. MacArthur occupied Japan to help rebuild its governmental system. "Japan is a spiritual vacuum. If you do not fill it with Christianity, it will be filled with Communism. Send me 1,000 missionaries." – MacArthur to a group of visiting evangelicals. send "Bibles, Bibles and more Bibles. – MacArthur to the U.S. missionary societies. http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b4macarthurd.htm 3. As a result not only of McArthurs blueprint for conquering Japan but of his blueprint for rebuilding it, we have an ally who has been trustworthy to freedom and personal liberty for 60 years. G. I say again, God has made America great by giving us liberty. V. God has given to us luxury. A. God has certainly given us a luxurious lifestyle. 1. I know most of us do not consider ourselves wealthy. 2. However, I still content that the poorest American lives better than 95% of the rest of the world. B. The Bible gives us a challenge. Psalms 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 1. I believe that Israels downfall may have been that they forgot where their prosperity came from. Deuteronomy 8:10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. 11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: 2. It might also be Americas. C. Regardless of what happens to this country in the years ahead, you and I should thank God that we have lived in the wealthiest country the world has ever produced and lived during its wealthiest and most technologically advanced time period. D. I do not think there will ever be another time like the 20th century of the United States of America! VI. God has given to us the Lord Jesus Christ. A. No other country in the world has ever been so distinguished as to be called "a Christian nation." 1. None. Not ever. Not one. 2. It is sad that the leadership of our country no longer values that sacred honor. B. This country was once called by that moniker, not because every citizen was a Christian, but because the nation as a whole was guided by New Testament Biblical principals and had a general reverence for and allegiance to Jesus Christ. 1. Our current president has said we are not a Christian nation and he is probably more correct than we would like him to be. 2. But no sane thinking, knowledgeable person can deny that we once were! C. Even to this day, all around the country, Jesus Christ is being preached as the only hope for forgiveness and for this nations success. 1. That message fills us the radio and air waves, is available in print, and via the internet. 2. There are still churches enough who preach the Word of God that a citizen could almost any city could enter one and be saved. 3. Even the most secular bookstores stock copies of the Bible. 4. And almost every business and city block in this great land has at least one truly born-again, God-witnessing Christian who will tell you who Jesus is. D. God has placed Jesus Christ in such a place of preeminence in this land that if you want to go to hell, you are going to have to work at it to do so. Now let me close this message but saying the emphasis behind this message has not been to convert the sinner (although if you are here and lost, I pray you will be converted!). The emphasis has been to remind you what a great nation God has blessed you with. On this day, when so many will celebrate, we need to remember what we are celebrating. We are celebrating a land that God has made great. Sinner and saved alike, you ought to thank Jehovah today for the gift we have probably taken for granted. Regardless of what kind of eternity you will have. You have had the privilege of having a great life!