July 5, 2026 SERMON

America At 250

I’ve Gotta be Free!

Deuteronomy 8:6-14 6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. 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. 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: 12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lordthy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of ordinary people made an extraordinary choice. They risked everything—homes, livelihoods, even their lives—for a vision of freedom they had never fully experienced. 

Imagine standing in their shoes: the world’s most powerful empire on one side, and on the other, a dream of liberty. They didn’t know if they would win. But they knew they could not remain the same.

Today, we stand on the other side of that choice. We are the inheritors of their courage. And the question before us is this: Will we keep the freedom they fought for, or will we let it slip away?

God said: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” — 2 Chronicles 7:14 

Freedom is not just a political idea—it is a gift from God. The Declaration of Independence itself acknowledges that our rights are “endowed by our Creator.” That means liberty is not man-made; it is God-given.

True freedom begins in the heart. Jesus said, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Our founders understood that liberty without virtue would not last. John Adams wrote, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.”

Freedom is not the absence of restraint—it is the presence of righteousness.

We must live in a way that honors God, our neighbor, and the truth.

A free nation must be a just nation, protecting the vulnerable and upholding what is right.

Think of freedom like a garden. If you don’t tend it—pull the weeds, water the soil—it will be overrun. Liberty requires constant care.

If we want America to thrive for another 250 years, we must do more than celebrate; we must repent, pray, and act.

Repentance: Acknowledge where we have strayed from God’s ways.

Prayer: Seek God’s wisdom for our leaders and our people.

Action: Live out our faith in our homes, workplaces, and communities.

This week the United States of America celebrates a crucial moment in the history of our nation - the signing of the Declaration of Independence. And as we look back at that event, we need to realize that it was a very dangerous decision for each man who dared to sign that Declaration.

In fact, as John Adams signed it, he said, "Whether we live or die, sink or swim, succeed or fail, I stand behind this Declaration of Independence. And if God wills it, I am ready to die in order that this country might experience freedom."

It was that kind of patriotism which led men, armed with little more than hunting rifles, to engage in battle with what was the most powerful nation in the world.

Many of our forefathers paid a terrible price in the Revolutionary War, but finally they won the victory so that you and I might be citizens of this "land of the free and home of the brave."

But what we often forget is that in declaring their independence from England, our forefathers made an equally strong “Declaration of Dependence” upon Almighty God.

The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence begins with these words: "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."

The closing words of their Declaration solemnly states: "With a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

It is important that we remember this declaration of their dependence upon God, for in a time of world turmoil, the United   States today is rapidly forgetting the God of our fathers, the God who gave this nation its birth and its greatness.

I was considering what to say about the state of America but the main thing that makes Americagreat is its Churches and belief in Almighty God.

We watched a “man on the Street” interviewing passersby asking them what date the Declaration of Independence was signed, what country we declared our independence from, who was Patrick Henry, etc. etc. No one knew any of the answers. It was embarrassing.

 In Psalm 11 we have the words of a man named David. David was troubled. He was troubled by what was taking place in Israel Politically. Law and order, truth, justice, morality, decency, and integrity were all being thrown out the window as the nation slipped further away from God.

 David cries out, “How say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?” “For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may shoot at the upright in heart.”

 The nation, Israel, is headed for destruction, its leadership was corrupt, David cried out, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous 

do?” We understand today that our nation is in trouble. America’s foundations are under attack.

Jesus tells us that everyone builds on some kind of foundation, but not every foundation is a good one. He tells the parable of 2 men who built on different foundations:

A wise man built upon a foundation of rock and his house stood in the storm.
But the foolish man built his house on a foundation of sand and the rain washed it away. America must wake up.

 Our nation had 4 important foundations:
1. Home
2. Church
3. Government
4. Schools

 Each of these foundations has been seriously damaged in the last 50 years. Some of these foundations are close to being completely destroyed. 

Today we want to blame all our troubles on things other than the foundations. One, blaming others, another “the Devil made me do it,” it’s the fault of guns; I mean If only the parents had kept their children away from guns, we wouldn’t have all this disaster. 

 Folks I’m sure it’s not because half of our children are being raised in broken homes. It can’t be because our children get to spend an average of 3 minutes in meaningful conversation with their parents each day. 

 It can’t be because we place our children in day care centers where they learn their socialization skills among their peers under the law of the jungle while employees who have no vested interest in the children look on and make sure that no blood is spilled.

 I’m sure it’s not because we allow our children to watch, on average, seven hours of television a day filled with the glorification of sex and violence that isn’t fit for adult viewing. 

It can’t be because we allow our children to enter into virtual worlds in which, to win the game, one must kill as many opponents as possible in the most sadistic way possible.

 It can’t possibly be because our children are so spoiled with material things that they come to equate the receiving of the material with love.

 It can’t be because our children, who historically have been seen as a blessing from God, are now being viewed as either a mistake created when contraception’s fail or inconveniences that parents try to raise in their spare time

 It can’t be because our nation is the world leader in developing a culture of death in which 60 plus million babies have been killed by abortion.

 It can’t be because our school systems teach the children that they are nothing but glorified apes who have evolutionized out of some primordial 

soup of mud by teaching evolution as fact and by handing out condoms as if they were candy.

It can’t be because we teach our children that there are no laws of morality, that everything is relative and that actions don’t have consequences.

What’s happened to our foundations.

 Can you imagine working for a company that has a little over 500 employees with the following statistics:
· 29 have been accused of spousal abuse.
· 7 have been arrested for fraud.
· 19 have been accused of writing bad checks.
· 117 have bankrupted at least 2 businesses.
· 3 have been arrested for assault.
· 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit.
· 14 have been arrested on drug related charges.
· 8 have been arrested for shoplifting.
· 21 are current defendants in lawsuits.
· In one year alone, 54 were stopped for drunk driving.

That’s the 535 members of your United States Congress.

You may be thinking, with our nation’s foundations crumbling around us, what should we do? Your question may be that of David, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

David said, “In the Lord I put my trust.” Amen? 

During times of national and personal crisis, we need to trust God.
· It’s not time for flight; it’s time for faith.
· It’s not time to tremble; it’s time to trust.
· It’s not time to run; it’s time to stand.

Paul writes in Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

1. We’ve allowed the devil and his crew to intimidate us and cause us to be silent.
2. We’ve become more concerned with Political Correctness than Pleasing Christ..
3. We again need to speak up and let our voices be heard.

 We, the Church, have been given Permission to take the gospel to the whole world. Not only have we been given Permission, we have been given a Commission. Are we busy carrying out that commission?

 Again David 11:4 –“The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’S throne is in heaven…” folks “He’s Still On the Throne!” AMEN!

 

One of our problems is that we have so emphasized the love of God that we have lost sight of the holiness of God.

When Isaiah saw the Lord, he did not cry out “Love, Love, Love is the Lord God Almighty.” He cried out “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.”

 We have lost our fear of God. He has become our buddy, our friend, our heavenly Grandfather, the man upstairs who will wink at our sin.

 The Bible describes Him in a much different way. In Hebrews 10:31 –“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 12:29 –“For our God is a consuming fire.”
 

The Bible tells us that we all have a foundation laid for us by our fathers. And God apparently expects us to build properly on that foundation.

I trust that all of you recognize the name of Patrick Henry. But I’m afraid many of our school children know almost nothing of him at all. Patrick Henry was a famous statesman of colonial Virginia.

There is not enough time to go into all his accomplishments but know that he was an important and respected leader in those days when our nation came into being.

Listen to his words. He said, "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians - not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

I love reading about Patrick Henry, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay and many of the other patriots who gave of themselves so valiantly that we might enjoy the freedoms that are ours.

But we also need to be reminded again of the solemn warning that God gave to another nation which was experiencing the thrill of independence after centuries of slavery in Egypt.

Although it was written over 3,000 years ago, this warning could very well apply to the United States today.

In the scripture Moses tells the people, "For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land where you shall eat food without scarcity. When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.”

Now listen to His warning: “Beware, lest when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, when your silver and your gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart becomes proud, and you forget the Lord your God." 

Do we today have a reason to be concerned about this warning? America needs to WATCH OUT THAT WE DON’T FORGET GOD

The testimony of history has made it abundantly clear that not only nations, but also individuals, need to heed that warning. The greatness of a nation is not measured by its military power, technological advancements, or national wealth. Righteousness and justice are the determining factors.

Solomon, the wisest of men, said: "Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people." (Proverbs 14:34) 

 In Titus 3:3, Paul says, "At one time we were foolish, disobedient, deceived and entangled by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another."

This is the enslaving and deceiving nature of sin. People who are caught up in sin think they are free, but in reality they are enslaved to sin.

The prodigal son came to his father and said, "I want to be free. Give me what is mine." Then he wandered into the far country, saying, "I’m free! I’m free!" But his freedom was brief. His friends left him when his money ran out, he found himself enslaved to a Gentile taskmaster and to a group of hogs in the hog wallow.

It was not until he came home and submitted to the father that he really found freedom.

So, when we stand back and look at this land of the free we begin to wonder, "Is there any real freedom?"

But thank God, as Christians, we have a greater freedom than any constitution can grant us. We have the freedom that is offered in Christ Jesus. 

 There is a word for freedom in the NewTestament It is the word, "redemption." "Redemption" means "to be set free." It means that we have been bought with a price, that we have been freed of our bondage, now we are really free.

In Paul’s letter to Titus he tells us that we have been set free from the bondage of sin. "For the grace of God. . .teaches us to say ’No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, to live self-controlled, upright, Godly lives in this present age. 

Jesus Christ, gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness, to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good." [Titus 2:11-14]

If you really are concerned about America; if you earnestly want God to bless her, then live a life in harmony with the will of God. Only then does one truthfully have the right to sing:

God bless America, land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her,
Through the night, with the light from above.
… God bless America, my home, sweet home.

So, as we celebrate again the birth of our nation, pray that our country might have a new birth of freedom; not a freedom from God, which always leads to license and ultimate slavery, but rather a freedom built upon God and His commandments.

Also, may each one of us, as individuals, reaffirm our dependence upon God so that, "looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith," we might experience the freedom He gives not only from worry, doubt and fear, but also from all those sins which do "so easily beset us."

Then, as did the founding Fathers of our country, we will find in Him our life, liberty, and true happiness.

Church, America needs God, but God needs His Church to rise up in unity; standing on its true foundation proclaiming Jesus Christ. 

I don’t believe anything short of that will turn this nation toward Jesus. A Holy Ghost revival within the family of God can save our nation. And I believe the time is now. 

Imagine 250 years from now. What will they say about us? Will they say we squandered the gift of liberty, or will they say we were faithful stewards who passed it on stronger than we found it?

Let us be the generation that chooses faith over fear, truth over convenience, and righteousness over comfort.

Today, let us commit to being more than spectators of history. Let us be participants in God’s plan for our nation.

• Pray daily for America.
• Live with integrity and courage.
• Teach the next generation the truth about where our freedom comes from.

Closing Prayer: Lord, we thank You for the gift of freedom—both as a nation and in Christ. Forgive us where we have fallen short. Heal our land. Give us courage to stand for what is right, wisdom to lead with humility, and love to serve one another. May America always be a place where Your truth is honored and Your name is praised. In Jesus’ name, Amen.