Introduction: On this day, 213 years ago, September 17, 1787, the Constitution of the United States was ratified, and America was born. There are certain paragraphs of the Constitution that are important to Christians living in this nation:

I. The Preamble is very important: “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

A. Our forefathers were seeking justice, peace and safety from war and tyrants, and the blessings of liberty.

B. The word “blessings” is a word from the Bible, and it means the favor of God; grace, mercy and kindness from God. The Bible teaches us that every blessing comes from God Himself (James 1:17).

C. America’s founding fathers depended on God for justice, peace and liberty. They prayed for God’s help at the First Constitutional Congress (The Rev. Duche, an Episcopal minister, led in prayer at the request of Congress.)

Be Thou present O God of Wisdom, and direct the council of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle all things on the best and surest foundations; that the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that order, harmony and peace may be effectually restored; and truth and justice, religion and piety prevail and flourish among the people. Preserve the health of their bodies, and the vigor of their minds; shower down on them, and the millions they here represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world, and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Saviour, Amen.

2. Benjamin Franklin said at the ratification:

All rulers and citizens must be aware that the establishment of authority and power among rulers and nations is the result of God's sovereign decree, according to His good pleasure. No civil government can claim that it has risen by its own strength and wisdom; to do so is to bring the wrath and judgment of God upon the whole nation.

3. John Quincy Adams, our 6th President, wrote:

The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were...the general principles of Christianity.

II. The First Amendment is also of vital interest to Christians. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

A. The first amendment recognizes and honors the Christian’s God-given rights and duties to freely live as a Christian, to speak as a Christian, to preach the Gospel, to print the Bible and religious literature, to meet together for worship and fellowship with other Christians, and to advocate his welfare before government bodies.

B. It is better to legislate freedom, than to legislate Christianity. Jesus said in John 18:36, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.” Any legislated religion which is governed by sinful human beings turns into two things: hypocrisy; and religious persecution.

III. Note also that in amendment nine the framers of the Constitution recognized that our rights are not given to us by any earthly government, but that they come from God. “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

A. The government may list your rights, defend your rights, try to take away your rights; but the government cannot give you any rights. Your rights are from God, and they are “unalienable.” (As was written earlier in the Delcaration of Independence: “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. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.”)

B. There is truly only one Law-giver over mankind. Every government should make laws that enforce the Laws of God. Any laws contrary to God’s Law are automatically null and void, no matter how powerful the earthly nation making such laws. A good example is the great commission (Matthew 28:18-29). Jesus said that He had ALL authority, and He ordered us to go to all the world, and make disciples of the nations. Any nation making laws that prohibit missionaries, or that prohibit the free proclamation of the Gospel by citizens, or which prohibit conversion to Christianity, or which seek to stop the teaching of the Word of God, or which make it illegal for Christians to gather together for worship, or which force Christians to accept sinful practices as if they were not sinful, are in rebellion against God; and such laws are null and void, and must not be obeyed by anyone (Acts 5:27-29).

27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

Mankind has been rebelling against God for a long time, but God will have His way in the end (Psalm 2).

Conclusion: Today is the 213th anniversary of the ratification the the Constitution of the United States. God has blessed America, and given us freedom to worship and spread the Gospel. Such freedom was new in the world in 1787, and it may not last much longer. We must appreciate what we have, and we must diligently use our opportunities to advance the Kingdom of Christ while we still have such freedom.

Postlude: Leviticus 25:10 was inscribed on the famous “Liberty Bell,” “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” This bell played a prominent part in announcing the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and the ratification of the Constitution on September 17, 1787. The bell hung in the Pensylvania Statehouse in Philadelphia, also called “Independence Hall.” The bell had been cast first in England, and then twice again in America to fix some imperfections, and each time the bell was cast, Leviticus 25:10 was re-inscribed. “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land!” When British General Howe entered Philadelphia with his army in 1777 he intended to capture the Liberty Bell, but secretly in the night, patriotic Christians took the bell from its place in Independence Hall, and hid it in a church basement in Allentown, PA. When the revolutionary war was won, it was again set to ringing in Philadelphia! The last time it rang was in 1835 at the funeral of our greatest supreme court chief-justice, John Marshall. It is a powerful symbol of America’s liberty.

Wayside has a bell, too. It has a lesser lineage than the Liberty Bell, and is not quite so old, but it is inscribed with scenes from the Bible, and it is dedicated to the service of Christ. Let’s ring it now as a symbol of our dedication to Jesus Christ, and as a time of prayer for our nation, that the Gospel would advance, that many would receive Christ as their Savior, and that God would preserve our freedoms that we have enjoyed so many years in our great nation. Please be in prayer as we ring our bell.