Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Get Attention:

If you haven't noticed, which I believe most here have, the agenda to silence Christians is very real!

To hear talk about censoring, limiting, and removing Christian values from public expression is nothing new, however, the aggressive tactics being used to accomplish this have really begun to take many by surprise.

Raise Need:

Listen, when sexual identity activists are being placed left and right into positions of governmental authority, we really shouldn't be that surprised when they advance their personal agendas to the detriment of religious freedom.

We vividly saw this occur in the case of our own Colorado Lakewood Baker who is now awaiting the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on whether or not it is discrimination to only participate in celebrating man-woman marriage ceremonies.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy expressed concern to whether the Colorado Civil Rights Commission's initial ruling demonstrated an anti-religious bias.

He pointed to the Commissioner's statement that "...freedom of religion used to justify discrimination is a despicable piece of rhetoric" as evidence of such bias.

Kennedy also said that the State's position is "neither tolerant nor respectful of Mr. Phillips' religious beliefs."

As our nation watches and waits for this decision...

Orient Theme:

"I want to speak to you about the rights and the responsibilities of the Christian concerning his government.

And, where are we going to get the answer?

Well, we’re certainly not going to get the answer from some politician who has an ax to grind.

We’re certainly not going to get the answer from the ungodly and those who hate God, and Christ, and the Church, nor are we going to get the answer from the philosophies of some well-meaning but softheaded religionist.

The answer must come from the Word of God.

And indeed, it has.

[Adrian Rogers, “Church and State,” in Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust, 2017), Mt 22:15–22.]

State Purpose:

I hope to motivate you to your knees once more, and then to put both feet and voice to your faith as a concerned American Christian.

"Jesus said we’re to 'render … unto Caesar the things [that] are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.'

() When you want to understand the Bible, you ask yourself three questions.

...What did it mean then?

How does it apply today?

And, how does it apply to me personally?" [Rogers, Mt 22:15–22.]

Main Thought:

CPS:

What are the rights and responsibilities of the Christian concerning his government, as answered from the Word of God?

Sub-Introduction:

"The Framers of the Constitution of the United States of America were soaked in the Word of God, and those who added the First Amendment added that First Amendment in the light of Holy Scripture.

...'Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof'—a marvelous amendment.

This does not mean the separation of God from government.

...

[This nation] was founded upon godly principles.

When the colonists came to these shores, they came because of their Christian faith.

When the Pilgrims landed in 1620, they came to these shores seeking religious liberty.

The Mayflower Compact begins with these words: 'In the name of God, amen.'

In that Mayflower Compact, they wrote that the express purpose was—and I quote: 'for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.'

The American government is rooted in belief in God.

...It was engendered by a statement called 'The Declaration of Independence.'

That Declaration of Independence has a Preamble; I trust that you’re familiar with it.

In that Preamble, this glorious statement is given: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are … endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.'

Now, notice what they said.

They said, 'We’ll not quibble about this.

We’ll not argue about this.

We will not debate this.

This is self-evident.'

What?

First of all, they had a message about God: 'There is a God.

He is a Creator.' Secondly, they had a message about man: 'Man did not evolve.

He did not come out of the ooze and the slime of some primordial soup, but man was created by a God.'

And thirdly, they said, 'We’re not going to debate about this.

There are certain rights that man has.

The government does not give those rights.

The government may only protect those rights.

They are God-given rights of life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'

And, when they said, 'We hold this to be self-evident,' they meant this: that there was no sliding scale of morality, no relativism, no situational ethics.

They said, 'There is a fixed morality.

There are definite rights and definite wrongs.'

They believed that.

That is the warp, the woof, the matrix out of which our nation was born....

The Bill of Rights was never meant to forbid prayer in public schools; it only meant—and should mean—that there should be no state-mandated prayer and no one should be coerced to pray.

And, we would fight for that with every ounce [of our strength].

But, ...the government is not to prohibit the free exercise of our faith.

The great leaders of our nation, for the most part, have been men of faith.

General George Washington was a devout man who went aside at Valley Forge, and knelt in the snow, and prayed God’s blessing upon that little ragtag continental army, who was fighting for the freedoms that we enjoy.

A visitor going to Washington at the Continental Congress asked, 'Which one is George Washington?' Someone said, 'You can recognize George Washington because General Washington will be the tall man that gets on his knees when Congress starts to pray.' President-elect Abraham Lincoln said this after his election: 'I leave now not knowing when or whether ever I shall return with a task before me greater than that which rested upon the shoulders of Washington.

Without the assistance of the Divine Being who attended him, I cannot succeed.

With that assurance, I cannot fail.' And, even Thomas Jefferson, whom we would not call a 'Bible-believing Christian'—even the great Thomas Jefferson said that 'the God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time.'"

[Rogers, Mt 22:15–22.]

I. Committed in Submission to Our Human Government ().

A. The Works We Must Do:

1. Parading Our Patriotism for Our Nation ().

America is still the greatest country on earth!

Illustration: NFL Fallout over rampant disrespect to our country's flag...

"I am a patriot.

I love this nation.

Patriotism is not wrong.

Patriotism, the love of a country, just means, 'love of your fatherland.'

I expect my children to love me in my family.

I expect family loyalty.

And, we can expect national loyalty.

Patriotism is a virtue taught in the Bible.

The psalmist said in : 'If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand lose her cunning' ()—'If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my hand be palsied.'

Yes, the Bible teaches patriotism.

Sir Walter Scott wrote a note of true Christian patriotism when he wrote this:

Breathes there the man with soul so dead,

Who never to himself hath said,

This is my own, my native land!

—Sir Walter Scott

A good, red-blooded Christian American will stand up for Old Glory, and he will sing with all of his heart 'God Bless America.'

If we don’t love America, who is going to love America?

America is a God-blessed, God-founded nation.

No nation ever had such a Christian beginning as America—none!

And, God has blessed us these two hundred plus years.

And, may God’s grace continue to shine upon America!" [Rogers, Mt 22:15–22.]

2. Participating in Our Civil Government

Participate locally, statewide, and nationally.

"...if you don’t participate in your government, may God have mercy upon you!

You are disobeying the Lord Jesus Christ.