Rev. David Holwick Y COMMUNION SUNDAY
First Baptist Church
West Lafayette, Ohio
July 3, 1988
1 Peter 2:15-17
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I. American Revolution and family history.
A. Four sons in Weisenburg, Pennsylvania, fight in Revolutionary
Army.
B. Fight Indians and wolves.
C. Probably barely spoke English. (German)
D. Their stake in Revolution:
1) Freedom to make money.
2) Freedom to be left alone.
II. Contrast of two revolutions.
A. America
1) Spiritual foundation
a) Influence of Great Awakening
1> Moral influence - even Franklin noticed, liked it.
b) Most leading figures were Christians
1> Were not radicals
2> Were not ultra-liberal Deists
a> (Were not exactly Fundamentalists, either.)
c) Principles of Government found in Bible.
1> Declaration of Independence -
"All men created equal... endowed by their Creater
with inalienable rights..."
2> Franklin opened Constitutional Sessions with prayer.
3> Constitution takes human sin into account.
2) New social order
a) Government belongs to people
b) Government ruled by Law
c) People guaranteed personal freedoms
B. France
1) Annihilation of Huggenauts instead of revival.
a) Primary ideology was radical socialism.
2) New social order marked by chaos.
a) Murder of royalty.
b) Murder of political opponents.
III. Lesson - Freedom is not an end in itself.
A. Possibilities of freedom:
1) Freedom gives opportunity to do good.
2) It also gives opportunity to do evil. (License)
B. Choosing license leads to chaos.
1) Many in America reject Biblical foundation of Good.
a) Drug problem - legalize them.
b) What is legal isn't always right - abortion.
c) Some freedoms are dumb - free to freeze.
2) Christians know what's good, may fail to do it.
a) Irresponsible attitude
1> Let government take care of my problems.
2> Blame personal problems on government
a> Vietnam vets in prison, West Virginia.
b) Lax morals.
1> Drugs.
2> Sex.
3> Worldliness.
c) Sin in church.
3) Franklin thought America would degenerate into dictatorship.
C. Necessary to choose to do good.
1) Silences critics.
2) Makes society better place.
a) Virginia farmers returning hay, with increase.
IV. Bible - people must be changed, or they cannot be governed.
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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