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The miracles that so frequently occurred at the beginning of our nation’s founding help us understand:
1.God intervened to create America! 2.God’s hand is ‘still’ upon America! The Miracle of Four Bullets In the mid-eighteenth century, war broke out between King George II of Britain, and King Louis XV of France, called the Seven Years War. It spilled over into America as the French and Indian War. On July 9, 1755, while marching through the forests near the Monongahela River, in present-day Pennsylvania, to attack the French Fort Duquesne, the 22-year old George Washington, a colonel in the British army at the time, and 1400 troops, under the leadership of the pompous and arrogant General Edward Braddock, were ambushed by a combined force of French and Canadians, along with Potawatomi and Ottawa Indians. Only accustomed to fighting in open fields, the British were annihilated! Within a short time 900 of the 1400 soldiers perished at what’s now known as the Battle of Monongahela; or more appropriately called, the Massacre at Monongahela! Before General Braddock was killed, he commissioned Colonel Washington to ride back and forth giving orders to other parts of the British line. Let me repeat that—multiple times---Colonel Washington rode through a hail of bullets!!!! Adding even more complexity to this MIRACLE are three important variables: 1.Prior to the battle, the enemy agreed to target the British officers 2.George Washington was riding a White horse, and he was 6’3” tall at a time when the average American was 5’7”! 3.Every horse-mounted officer was killed except one. Guess who? After the Battle, and rumors quickly spread that all perished, so to bring peace of mind, George Washington wrote to his brother John Augustine Washington on July 18, 1755: As I have heard, since my arrival at this place, a circumstantial account of my death and dying speech, I take this early opportunity of contradicting the first, and of assuring you, that I have not as yet composed the latter. But by the All-Powerful Dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me!* The miracle continues: fifteen years after the conflict, Washington providentially met one of the Indian Chiefs who explained his role in the battle. Through an interpreter, the Chief declared: “I called my young men and said, mark yon tall and daring warrior (referring to Washington). Himself is alone exposed. Quick, let your aim be certain, and he dies. Our rifles leveled, rifles which, but for you, knew not how to miss---t’was all in vain, a power mightier far than we shielded you. Seeing you were under the special guardianship of the Great Spirit, we immediately ceased to fire at you…I am come to pay homage to the man who is the particular favorite of Heaven, and who can never die in battle.”** For all the doubters who may be thinking, “Well, Pastor Jackson, his coat was flopping open and the bullets simply pierced his coat while he was riding!” On the contrary, remember, Washington was a soldier, and especially a British soldier! It is part of a soldier’s discipline to wear his uniform properly--in other words, it was not possible for his coat to have been unbuttoned!!! Nope…No excuses!! God is real…and His power to deliver in the time of trouble is real! In order to make this miracle irrefutable, the Sovereign God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, caused four bullets to penetrate George Washington’s coat--while it was buttoned--yet those bullets could not penetrate his body—they simply disintegrated or bounced off! In conclusion, why would God work this kind of miracle? Very simply, for two reasons: 1.He ordained George Washington to be America’s first president! 2.He sovereignly ordained America to be a nation! If you are an American citizen…be excited—and be proud!!! You are part of something special; something great; something God supernaturally ordained! Always remember, when listening to the contemporary liberal America-hating culture--what God has blessed...no man can curse!!! George Washington’s miraculous deliverance reveals that God has indeed blessed America! *The Bulletproof George Washington, David Barton ** The Bulletproof George Washington, David Barton QuoteBit "You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them." -Michael Jordan
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Principle: when first things are first… “in His time”(Act1:7), God moves to bless—which means to confirm, establish and multiply(increase)! For example, if the first priority of a nation* is not God** it becomes exceedingly difficult for God to bless the people. Why? When the first priority is not placed first, things will have been thrown out of their proper perspective. Normally, one would naturally think the second priority would move-up to first place, when the first priority is rejected, yet this is rarely the case as man’s sin nature causes the lesser priorities to take predominance over the more important things.
However, when the number one priority is to place God first, He intervenes to make the 2nd, 3rd,4th, and 5th things all align in their proper order. Remember, God is the Creator of order (Jer31:35-37) and works greatest within that order!! Allow me to offer one small example of this nation making God first priority, indicating why God has so blessed*** America. In 1775 the government leaders of the Virginia colony met in their Second Virginia Convention to determine their future involvement in the threatening war with Britain. The first group of delegates asserted that Britain was too powerful and America too weak. However, Patrick Henry, also a delegate, rose and responded with his famous ‘Give me Liberty or give me death’ speech: “Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. Three millions of people armed in the holy cause of liberty and in such a country as that which we possess are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God Who presides over the destinies of nations, and Who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave…Gentlemen may cry, “Peace, peace” but there is no peace, The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” First, notice this speech was not in a church, but directed to government officials! Why is this important? Because Henry’s words overwhelmingly indicate how the Word of God was part of the normal ‘culture’ of America!!! This doesn’t mean that everything in the culture at this time was perfect! It simply means that Americans were looking to God, i.e. His word, for His help even in the midst of their imperfections!!! Second, let’s examine the incredible amount of God’s word included in this speech: 1.“God of nature”. First, Henry’s use of “God of nature” is a reference to the Creator God (Gen1; Ps121:2); Whom not only created all things, but also made His creation to behave according to certain laws (Rom1:20; 2:14,15). Second, Henry’s statement probably alludes to the term “laws of nature and of nature’s God” which was later used by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence; yet does NOT refer to deism4*! William Blackstone used seven pages5* in his ‘Commentaries on the Laws of England’ to explain the ‘laws of nature and of nature’s God’, revealing that its foundation is rooted in the Bible. Before the war with Britain, Blackstone’s ‘Commentaries’ were mandatory reading for all law students in the colonies and would have been familiar to Patrick Henry as well as the other delegates in the Virginia Convention. 2.“holy cause of liberty”. Liberty was a “holy cause” because God created man to be free to serve Him (2Cor3:17; Gal5:1,13;). The freedom from sin, organically leads to political freedom, and freedom to create. 3.“we shall not fight our battles alone”. This statement originates in 2Chronicles 32:8. 4. “just God”. This clause originates in Is45:21; Deut32:4; Ps75:7; 2Thes1:6. 5.“Who presides over the destinies of nations”. This statement originates in Dan4:17. 6.“Who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us”. This is from 2Chron32:8. 7.“The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone”. This comes from Eccl9:11 8.“Peace, peace” but there is no peace”. This is from Jer6:11 and Jer8:11. 9.“Why stand we here idle?”. This is from Matt20:6 As you can see, Henry’s government speech was filled with the Word of God in spite of the fact that he was not a pastor/preacher/reverend, but a government official!!! First, this reveals just how important living according to the Word of God was to their culture. Second, this teaches that they had faith in God. Like David with his battle with Goliath, these Americans believed God would indeed deliver them from an impossible foe!! Third, because the Word of God was so natural to the culture at this time, Bible references were unnecessary. In conclusion, this is just one example of overwhelming evidence that America was conceived in the Word of God!!!! -If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. -Jn15:7 -If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. -Is1:19 Because America has historically made the Word of God top priority, God has blessed*** this nation more than any nation…in the history of the world!!!! *individual or family too **Bible, Word of God *** confirm, establish, multiply 4* See ‘Defending the Declaration’, by Gary Amos. 5* ‘Defending the Declaration’, by Gary Amos. Pg 42 Quotebit "The illiterate of the future are not those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." -Alvin Toffler |
Derrick JacksonPastor, Author Archives
November 2023
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