Thank God for Liberty

Romans 13:7

The powers that be are ordained of God.

Every person in this room who names Christ experientially is part of two Kingdoms.  We are all part of the Kingdom of God and we will enjoy together the blessings of that future Kingdom when Jesus Christ reigns.  But we also have been placed by God in this country and at this time by His wisdom and Providential choice.  He has done so for His glory, for His purpose, and for our good.  And today, in spite of the political climate, social woes, and sinfulness that surrounds us, we should take the time to be thankful.

Last weekend, we celebrated the 250^th anniversary of the United States of America.  As far as nations go in the history of the world, we are still an infant nation.  And yet, so much has transpired in such a short time.

We have survived and thrived.

Our nation has seen the advancement and experimentation of governmental practices in a way not seen since dawn of the history of mankind. We endured numerous wars, and a Civil War with more American casualties than all other American wars combined.  We endured the 20^th Century, its World Wars, genocides, and communist upheaval.  With 231 million people dying in war in that century, it was, by far, the bloodiest in recorded history, and yet we, as a nation not only remain, but remain strong.

We have seen technological advances like no other.  My grandfather courted my grandmother in a horse drawn cart, today couples fly in just a few hours to distant places of the world for their weddings.  They travel to and from airports in self-driving vehicles with computerized brains that were impossible to imagine even just a few years ago.  Rockets fly into space nearly every day, tens of thousands of satellites circle our planet.  Our healthcare system is the best in human history, and the best in world today in spite of whatever flaws it might have.

Our nation, these United States of America, is far from perfect—even from the beginning.  We were founded on the principles of liberty and justice, but we have had to struggle continuously to secure those ideals with conflict, blood and tears.  Those battles continue to this day. Every generation must fight its own battles to preserve freedom.

We enjoy God’s abundance. 

This is not a perfect nation because we are far from a perfect people, but it is a blessed nation. We are blessed with some of the most beautiful and plentiful natural resources of any nation on earth.  Our farms are rich and vibrant, orchards are heavy with fruit, fields nourish millions of domesticated animals necessary for our survival.  We are a nation rich in mineral resources and could live independently from the rest of the world should we so choose.  Our 68 national parks and 138 national monuments preserve the beauty of our Creator’s handiwork for everyone to enjoy, even those who do not acknowledge Him. Our borders are free from the threat of invading militaries because of our unique geography.  These are the undeserved gifts of God.

Our nation was built on an economic system that seeks to reward hard work and innovation. It protects the rights of individuals to choose their own economic path in life and compete in a free market system.

While we do have poor among us, the economic wealth and average standard of living is higher than any nation of size at any point in human history.  Our problems today are not the problems of scarcity, but the problems of prosperity.  We complain that we have too much trash, too much food, our houses are often too big and filled with too many things. Our cars go too fast, the traffic is too busy, the planes are a too full of travelers and their many pounds of luggage. Our closets are full of clothes we don’t wear. Our children have too many toys. We concern ourselves with preparing for retirement more than where we might get our next meal.  This is the gift and mercy of God.

As individuals, our rights are still protected. 

The Constitution of the United States of America protects the rights of individuals and our Declaration of Independence recognizes the Creator as the grantor of those rights.  This governmental system is by no means perfect, but one of the reasons it has worked so well is that it recognizes its own imperfections and affords us all the opportunity to correct them should we have the will to do so.

More import than any other blessing is that the gospel of Jesus Christ has prospered in this nation over the last 250 years.  God, in his mercy spiritually prepared us to be a nation through the Great Awakening and preachers like Edwards, Whitefield and others.  While our founding fathers were not all believers, they were all profoundly impacted by the move of the Spirit of our God during those years.

The spiritual climate of our country during the turbulent times of our founding fathers protected us from the bloodbath of the French Revolution.

We have a Constitution that protects religious liberty.  When the Plymouth Separatists arrived in 1620, they were seeking religious freedom, a place where they could live out their faith and worship without persecution from the state or other religious groups.  They desired to share the good news of the gospel with the native American tribes and see a place where the word of God could thrive unfettered by human shackles. Wonderfully, but the grace and mercy of God, we enjoy today, 426 years later, those same freedoms that they sought.

Thanks to the wisdom of our many of Baptist forefathers, our founding document protects churches, denominations, and individuals from overreach, persecution, and control by the state.  It also protects religious groups from oppressing one another.  We gather here to worship every Sunday without fear of persecution, reprisal, or reprimand.

God has used this nation more than any other in the advance of the gospel globally. 

This freedom, which is the Providential gift of God, along with the movement of the Spirit of God has spawned the most prolific missionary ministry since the Apostles of the First Century.  More than any other country in history, Americans have ventured throughout the world carrying the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In 1806, five Williams College students gathered in a field near the Hoosic River, to discuss the spiritual needs of people in Asia and the theology of missionary service. During the meeting, a sudden thunderstorm forced them to take shelter under a haystack, where they continued praying fervently for the spread of the gospel. From this meeting God sparked a desire in their souls for missions.  They established The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions in 1810 under Adoniram Judson and others.  Since that time hundreds of thousands of men, women and their families have pioneered gospel works in the farthest reaches of the globe. Millions have come to know Christ as a result.

At that same time, millions from around the globe have made their way to our shores. Through our history, we have received with open arms “the tired, the poor, the huddled masses.”  We have had much controversy recently about how we process and receive immigrants, but we are still an immigrant nation.  Millions of those who have come here have found Christ here. The mission field next door is a door opened to us by God Himself.

This is our undeserved mercy and blessing from God.

I would rather live here and now, than at any other time or place in all of history. Though I am overwhelmingly thankful, it is impossible for my gratitude to be enough, because my blessings are far more than I can comprehend or imagine.  This all is the Providential choice and blessing of God.