Calvary Baptist Church,
Over 100 years ago, when faced with the bloodbath threatening to destroy America, President Abraham Lincoln spoke these humbling, poignant words: “We’ve grown in numbers and wealth and power as no other nation has grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us. We’ve vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our own hearts that all these blessings were produced by some wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made u s. It behooves us then to humble ourselves before the offended power; to confess our nations sins and pray for redemption and forgiveness.” It has often been said that history repeats itself. As you look at this quote, you would think that this is an observation of today, not over a hundred years ago. Our success in prosperity has not lead us to purity. Our abundance of houses has not lead us to Holiness; our pledge of allegiance has not aligned us with the word of God. And our quest for freedom has not brought our nation to fellowship with God. Proverbs 14:33 “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” So what’s the answer? Where does our hope lie? Is it in elected officials? Is it in a more conservative America? Is it in better education and social agendas? I think not. Peter said, “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end for those that do not obey the gospel of God?” The hope of America is not in government’s hands, it’s not in financial hands, it’s not in the educator’s hands, but it is with the hands of the people of God. The time has come, but let us not rise up, let us humbly fall down before our Holy God. Let us confess and forsake our sin. Let us turn to Him with clean hands and a pure heart, and believe Him for the healing of our nation.
God Bless and God Bless America,
Pastor David Jones