In God We Trust
- Steven DiIoia
- Aug 24, 2008
I. In God We Trust Email
This past week I was sent an interesting email which I passed along to some of you. It was an email asking people to go to a website and vote participate in a poll. The poll was basically wanted to see where people stand on having “In God We Trust” on our money. I guess there was a motion by an Atheist to have “In God We Trust” removed from our currency. I am not going to talk about the separation of church and state debate … or the freedom of religion, which I do support … or the difference between tolerance of and acceptance of other religions … that I covered about a month ago in another sermon …
But it did make me think … especially because this email came shortly after I heard on the radio that there is another action to remove the voluntary prayer at the noon meal at the United States Naval Academy. A standing tradition for over 160 years. And I heard this shortly after hearing that there is another movement to ban Christian Chaplains serving in the arm forces from praying in Jesus’ name. Hearing about these three things in such a short time made me think what if all of these motions, actions, whatever they are … pass? What if we do remove the mention of God from everywhere in the United States? The minority already has won and removed prayer and God, for the most part, from public schools. What if the trend continues and God is removed from the United States?
As I thought about it, I thought what would God say about it? Has he said anything about it? Or is this one of those, the Bible was written thousands of years ago and how can it apply to anything today subjects? Well, I haven’t found a subject yet that the Bible can’t be applied to in today’s world and this is just another example … because I was drawn to Deuteronomy.
II. Deuteronomy
Written by Moses, well most people agree that it was written by Moses or at least most of it. This book is over looked a lot because it seems to largely repeat what has already been presented Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. But what is over looked is the setting at the time of Deuteronomy. I will be reading verses from Deuteronomy 1 starting at verse 26, page 126 in the Bibles in the seats. Allow me set the scene …
The nation of Israel has been lead out of Egypt and has been wandering the desert for over 38 years. They are back on the border of the promise land. Moses is addressing the nation of Israel, reminding them of what happened in the past, what caused them to wander in the desert for all those years. So Moses recounts the history of how the last time they were at this spot, right back where they were 38 years ago, but last time they sent 12 spies into the land to see what was waiting for them across the Jordan. The spies came back and all but two Caleb and Joshua said that the land could not be taken from those that inhabited the land. So this where we begin to read with Moses retelling the history
Dt. 1:26-28
After the people had complained saying that the Lord hates them, now what are we to do, the people in the promise land are too big for us, too powerful …
Moses replies in verse 29 - 32
Basically Moses is saying what else do you need to show that God is with us? You have seen it first hand and yet you still do not trust in Him. If you read the actual account in Numbers 14 the nation actual says “If only we had died in Egypt! … We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” Egypt is at that time was still mourning over the ten plagues that God had sent … hello, does anyone in Israel remember … Now it is easy to cast a judgmental eye upon the nation of Israel at that time. When you read this you think, how could they have not seen God is with them and so easily abandon their trust in Him?
But is that were we are headed in America. God has blessed this country time and time again … and are we abandoning our trust in Him … maybe I am making too much of all of it … it is just some saying on coins, just some ways of praying
So let’s forget the national scene and let’s bring it down closer to home, less controversial. Personally, just you, God has blessed you right, blessings that you have seen time and time again but when it looks like you are facing a crisis do you think … “Is this crisis too big for Him, have I lost favor with him, is this the time God will turn His back on me, can I truly rely on Him instead of myself?”
I know some say that God did turn His back on Israel … because after they listen to the 10 spies and did not take the promise land He then sent them out into the desert.
First, let’s face it this isn’t the first time in the desert that they had gone against God. Complained and rebelled the whole time they left Egypt and He continued to provide for them. Now they have really defied Him … “26But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God.” … and like any good father there are consequences when you disobey. And God spells it out, only your children and those that were obedient will be allowed into the promise land.
I would like to point out that Caleb, Joshua, the two spies who had said “let’s do this, let’s take the land God has promised.” Along with the children of those that rebelled against God were sent into the desert suffering the punishment, they would be rewarded by being allowed into the promise land, but they had to go through the same punishment.
I think that is interesting … why would God do this, perhaps so they would not forget … when you sin against the Lord there are consequences, when you abandon God there are consequences … maybe it is a message to us. Perhaps, when you allow the trust in God to be abandoned, in your country, community, family … even though you hang in there the consequences are too large to avoid.
Now we see the nation admitted that they had sinned of course it was only after the punishment had been handed down. But then in another act of rebellion Israel, thinking they were going to set it right with God … they attack the Amorites even though God said “Don’t do it.”
Verse 41“We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, as the Lord commanded us. 42But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’ ”
God is not being fooled here … He knew the nation of Israel was not attacking because they now trusted in the Lord … they were attacking because they got in trouble and were going to be punished. They thought they could win God’s favor and reverse the punishment.
How do I know …
1. Because if they had truly repented and trusted in God when He said don’t attack, they would have listen to Him
2. Also, I was a kid once … parents know this, hand down a punishment and then your kids will admit they were wrong, and then you see good behavior but hold strong to the punishment and you may get the “I have been better, see I am fixing it … you’re so strict, you’re being so unfair”
3. How else do I know? Because we do the same thing with God. When we trust ourselves instead of trusting in God to accomplish things or get out of a crisis … and when the consequences hit … Don’t we usually first try to fix ourselves while we ask God to forgive us? It doesn’t work to well that way does it?
III. God the good father
When I was growing up my older brother had graduated from college and couldn’t find a job in his field. So he worked some odd jobs and started to save some money. Now, it got to a point where he and some of his friends decided that they would head south to look for jobs. Easier to find jobs down south or something like that was the reasoning for head south. Now my father wasn’t too excited about the idea … I believe he made other suggestions … maybe not … maybe just offered advice … but I know he thought the idea was not one of my brother’s best. And so my brother and a couple of his friends left for Florida. Well, long story short … a few weeks later there was the phone call home saying that they had little money left and no jobs. I believe they had gone down during spring break season so that should be a hint of how the job hunting went. It all worked out well they stopped in Virginia on the way back to visit some other friends and my brother never left.
So what is the point … my father, who had cared for my brother, had never given him reasons not to trust my father’s wisdom or experience, my father had to let my brother go and learn for himself. That was the only way my brother would learn … for himself.
God did the same thing to Israel … like a loving father, he turned his back on them … and do you think it did not hurt God to do this. But He knew … if Israel kept thinking that they are doing all of this on their own … if they kept thinking that God’s hand was not on their lives, that the blessings upon them were because of what they had done and not God, it would not be good for them … So He let them go by themselves, do it on their own, … and fail … then perhaps they would learn to listen, to trust, and to obey me, their Lord, their God.
As Moses writes in Dt 5:1 “Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them.”
IV. Our Nation – United States
So do we as a nation, a democratic nation, where the majority purportedly say that they are Christians … do we want to abandon God in our nation … Deuteronomy is all about a re-statement to Israel about not making the same mistakes again, to learn from their history, and not turn to their backs on God.
Just a note … read the rest of the Old Testament, it is not the only time Israel abandons their trust in God and He has to teach them a few times more as a nation.
Can we as Christians learn from the lessons God teaches us in His word … I hope so because I don’t know about you but I do not want to have to wander around in the desert for 40 years with 301,139,946 other Americans …
But before we can fix America, I think we need to start on a smaller scale in our own lives … because we all run situations when we hear those 10 spies, deep in our minds saying, it is too big for us to handle, run away, don’t go there, curl up in a ball in the corner … in fact I know some of you are dealing with situations now … So let’s learn from Deuteronomy
First, Ask yourself … is the phrase “In God I Trust” stamped on my heart and is it truly the way I live? Or do I test the waters unsure of God’s hand upon my life
If we picture life as a wooden bridge over a canon, do you test each board to see if God will keep you from falling because it looks like He won’t be there for you or He might drop you or do you walk across no matter how it looks ahead knowing God will hold you in the palm of His hand?
Put your trust in God, see God’s blessings as the boards in the bridge and not the gaps which may be the trials, God supports you in Good times and bad, he will get you to the other side … trust in Him and walk across. Let’s face it, He sacrificed His Son for you, would you say anything else for you is a walk in the park.
Isaiah 12:2
John 14:1
Second, Do not trust in yourself, between you and God who do you think is the wiser and knows what is best? Just ask yourself, am I trusting myself or God? Or do a check, and say to yourself, last time I trusted myself and what happened compared to the last time I trusted God?
Proverbs 3:5
Proverbs 28:26
Third, repent first and listen to God. Show God you are truly sorry by not fixing it on your own to make it up to God but instead heeding His instructions and handing everything over to Him.
Proverbs 16:20
Isaiah 30:15
Jeremiah 15:19
1 Peter 5:6-7
Finally, if we are truly to live this way and trust in God shouldn’t we as Christians expect it in every aspect of our lives, that not only we will trust in God, but our family, our church (which The Ark does and will), our community, and our country.
Jeremiah 18
If God commands us to trust in Him and as a nation we do not, isn’t that sin, isn’t sin evil in the eyes of God and as Christians if we do not stand up for our rights to pray at meals in schools, pray in the name of Christ, to stand up when our right to have a nation that trusts in God is in jeopardy … aren’t we like the nation of Israel when they were confront with going into the promised land?
I believe God wants us to trust in Him, I pray that we at The Ark as part of the body of Christ will feel your Holy Spirit and strength in us, that we may always trust in you God in all situations and speak up when people do not trust in the Lord I pray Lord that we may be strong like your servant Caleb …
“Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."
May your trust in the Lord lead you to always see that with God by your side, no matter what the wooden bridge may look like before you that you most certainly can do it.