Hi, I'm Darrell Bailey. Thank you for tuning us in here. Servants for Christ. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves your servants for Jesus sake. Here as we speak on America's greatness now, godliness restored. Psalms chapter 33 verses 12 through 22. Here again, when we look at the nation of America and knowing that some of the choices that we're going to have to make, how that we're going to make the right choice. Because here we've got one that says they can make America great. We've got one that says America is already great. But really, when we look at this, it's really about America's godliness being restored. Sure, all of us want to be great. We want to be a great nation. We know, though, in the coming days that when the rapture takes place, once it does, our nation is going to falter. And so imagine a nation where justice flows like rivers, where righteousness stands as a beacon on a hill, where freedom echoes in every corner. The vision that is in the fabric of America, a vision rooted in the timeless truth that righteousness exalts a nation. We look at how America can rediscover its greatness slash godliness being restored, not through political might alone, by embracing the principles that have guided it since its inception from the word of God all the way back from the very start of our nation. Psalms chapter 33, verse 12 down to verse 22. I'm going to read this scripture as I preach it and as we go forward for the sake of time. But before we go any further, let's open up with a word of prayer. Amen. And when we get into that word of prayer, that we'll be able to ask the Lord to give us that that we need during this time of seeking the godliness that only the Lord can provide. Heavenly Father, Thank you so much as we get into your word, Lord, whether great or whether godliness. I pray that, Lord, that we need the goodness of the Lord in our lives. We need your scripture. We need it applied to our lives. We need it applied to our candidates. And, Lord, whether they get up and backbite each other and say this or that about the other, whether true, whether false, Lord, as we move forward to do the right thing as a nation, to have the leadership that we need biblically to be able to move forward, to families to be blessed and protected, and for our nation to be great. Lord, I love the red, white, and blue. I love our soldiers. I love America and everything about America. And I love you more than all, Father, because you are the very thing that has made us a great nation. You have given us the greatest democracy of what democracy stands for. And it's not of standing in line with a handout. It's not by us being able to resolve a lot of things or everything, but Lord, you have given us a great nation. And Lord, there's so many people that don't like it being great. They don't like it the way that it was. They want to change everything. They want to change the principles of the word of God. They want to change the marriage. They want to change abortion. They want to change everything that's made for years and years of America of being great. They want to change it. But Lord, we want America's godliness back restored. And that is what we're talking about. here tonight in the Word of God. Help us to do so. Change lives, save souls before it's too late. Before you come back for the church, we pray in the mighty name of Jesus Christ that your Word will be brought out according to your purpose. In Jesus' name, amen. Here, I thank God before we go any further, Let's have a little bit of worship time that we can worship the Lord. Standing on the Promises. How many of us know Standing on the Promises? Let's sing together. Get you. Standing on the promises of Christ my King, through eternal ages let his praises ring. Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, standing on the promises of God. Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God, my Savior. Standing, standing, I'm standing on the promises of God Standing on the promises that cannot fail When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail By the living word of God I shall prevail Standing on the promises of God Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God, my Savior. Standing, standing, I'm standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord. Bound to him eternally by love's strong cord Overcoming daily with the Spirit's sword Standing on the promises of God Standing, standing Standing on the promises of God, my Savior Standing, standing I'm standing on the promises of God Standing on the promises I cannot fall Listening every moment to the Spirit's call Resting in my Savior as my all in all Standing on the promises of God Standing Standing, standing on the promises of God, my Savior. Standing, standing. I'm standing on the promises of God. Amen. Amen. Thank you for singing with us. Praise God. And so, as we look and realize here America's greatness, no, godliness restored. Here we look and we realize that here and the quietness of a nation at the crossroads amidst the voices echoing through time. There is a tale woven into the fabric of America, a tale of faith and of destiny. written with the ink of sacrifice, illuminated by the flickering flame of hope from the hallowed halls of Philadelphia, where brave men penned their names upon a parchment that birthed a nation to a snow-covered fields of valley forge, where soldiers shivered in a icy grip of winter. America's journey was one triumph over adversity of courage in the face of uncertainty, but as we stand In a new era, let us not forget the echoes of history that resonate within these walls. These moments of reflection as the essence of America's greatness, a greatness not measured by wealth or power alone, but by the enduring spirit of its people and the guiding hand of Providence. We're all on a journey to reclaim, to revive, and to restore. And I hope and pray that we embrace the timeless principles that have shaped our nation's destiny, that I'm glad that no matter in the fear of doubt or in faith or determination, that through God's grace, America's greatness and godliness shall be restored. And I hear we look at the path of that greatness that we can see, that we can restore America's greatness or godliness Godliness, what am I trying to say by godliness? Well, through the acronym, I'm talking about graciousness in all our dealings, obedience to God's commands, devotion to prayer and worship, love for God and neighbor, integrity in thoughts, words, and actions, nobility in character, endurance in trials and challenges, service to others with humility and kindness, and submission to God's will. when we can return to the godliness of a nation that we were and how that we've been founded upon that, that we can do something great. Here the scripture, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. Here we see the path to restoring America's greatness, no godliness, And I'm glad that how that we can do that is, first of all, is when we look at that, it is through her excellence. Because when we saw the scripture, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. And I'm glad that when we do this, how can we do such a thing? It is through the powerful word of God, because America's greatness and godliness surpasses all of the outward beauty and all of the freedoms. It lies in our foundational principles to elevate freedom and justice, and the Lord plans to stand firm forever. God created the world. He rules over it. He's got a plan for the nations of the world, that his purposes will ultimately prevail. From the beginning of his work, the Lord has known how the earth story will end, according to Isaiah 46, verses 10, 11, and 12. Daniel boldly declared the truth to a proud Nebuchadnezzar, saying, the most high ruler within the kingdom of men, in Daniel chapter four, verse 17. God's sovereignty over all the earth. The psalmist calls us to praise the Lord. the principle of justice according to Amos 524. but let justice, a judgment, run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream. We see the principle of freedom that Paul talked about in Galatians 5.13. For brethren, we have been called unto liberty only. Use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. We see her excellence in the principle of righteousness in Proverbs 14, verse 34. Righteousness exalted a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. God blesses the nation who acknowledge him as Lord, the people that he's chosen to be his inheritance and true believers. And so, the original recipients of this blessing were the believers within the nation of Israel. God had exclusively made a covenant. Under that covenant, the Lord chose the Israelites to be his inheritance or heritage. In Exodus chapter 19 verse 5, in Deuteronomy chapter 7 verse 6, Israel was the only nation of the world whose God was the Lord Jehovah. The other nations, they chose to worship idols. The nation whose God is the Lord refers to Israel. And so this blessing is first a natural blessing that is obeying the Lord's commands that have favorable consequences. God's law were written for our well-being. And when we obey God's commands, we do what will result in the best outcome for us. But this blessing is also a supernatural one. Nations or individuals that acknowledge the Lord will keep his commands and receive God's supernatural blessing, his gracious favor upon them. Under the old covenant, the Jews, those who truly believe, were God's chosen people and under God's new covenant, the covenant of grace through faith in Jesus Christ. All that generally believe in Christ unto salvation are his people. We should praise the Lord because his plans are firm and they cannot be changed. Throughout history, ungodly rules have risen up in opposition to God's purpose, but they have not been able to stand. God's purposes continue on and they will continue on until he has accomplished his plan for this world. And the Lord even uses ungodly rulers to accomplish his purpose without them being aware of it. Proverbs 21, 1, Exodus chapter 10, Isaiah chapter 10, Revelation chapter 17. And he even uses even evil men to ultimately accomplish his will as he did with Joseph's brothers that sold him into slavery. And just as God has a plan for the world, he's got a plan for all of our individual lives. We're facing troubling circumstances that are coming up, sickness that's coming, financial setbacks, and all of a host of a variety of problems, but God has promised that he'll work them together to accomplish his purpose for our lives. when we conform to the image of his son. And so America's excellence lies in acknowledging God as the foundation of its blessing and prosperity. And when we honor God in our national life, through laws, through policies, through our communal practices, we invite his blessings upon us. Amen. And so I'm glad when we look secondly, that we see in verses 12B down to verse 17, We say, and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance, the Lord looketh from heaven. He beholdeth all the sons of men from the place of his habitation. He looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioned their hearts alike. He considered all their works. There is no king saved by the multitude of hosts, man that's not delivered by much strength. And horse is a vain thing for safety, neither shall that by his great strength. And so he's saying that it's not by the army. It's not by the things of the army that will make a nation great. He goes on and he tells us, he says, the path to restore in America's greatness slash godliness of being restored, first of all, is her excellent. But secondly, from 12B down to verse 17 is her foundation. Why? Well, When we look at her foundation, we look and realize that the pilgrim's commitment of Psalms 104, enter into his gates with thanksgiving, into his courts with praise, be thankful unto him and bless his name. We see the pilgrim's commitment, the founding father's vision of Proverbs 29 too, that when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. We see the godly heritage of the foundation, Isaiah 58, 12, and they that shall be of and they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places, thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in." Here the Lord sees everyone in every moment of every day. The psalmist offers a reason to praise the Lord and witnesses everything. that happens on earth, the fact that both comforting and sobering, that we see great comfort from knowing and that God cares about us, that He's aware of every detail of our lives. But at the same time, we've got to answer to Him for every word, deed, and thought. We can hide nothing from His all-seeing eyes. And all of our works, and even those done in secret, are seen by Him. They're going to be judged by Him. He watches, observes all who live on the earth that we read in verse 14. Even though God is in heaven, He's vitally interested in everything that takes place on this earth. And the Lord's careful observation of every human being testifies to His character. He loves righteousness and justice. If you go back up further and look at verse 5, He loveth righteousness and judgment. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. He closely watches all the residents, keeping a careful record of their deeds. Nothing escapes his attention. Nothing will escape his righteous judgment. And so we see that like a loving parent that keeps a close watch on a child, the Lord always watches over us and he stands by to help us in our time of need. Amen. He creates hearts and he considers everything that we do in verse 15. Not only does the Lord observe our action, but he examines our hearts. And in the same way that the potter mows his clay, God fashioned or shaped our hearts, and he alone understands them. Scripture teaches that we're incapable of fully understanding our own hearts. According to Jeremiah 17 9, the Bible says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? And so we must give an account to God. Because not only for our words and deeds, but also for the passions and the intentions of our heart. God is the only one qualified to generally judge us. And because he shaped our hearts, only he can accurately consider our works. And notice, I'm glad that when we look and realize that he can discern us better than anyone, we've got to praise the Lord for his omniscience, that he knows everything that occurs on earth. He keeps his eye on us because he cares deeply for us. At times, we tend to think that God's in heaven far away, that he's unconcerned with what is happening in our lives. But nothing could be further from the truth. He knows our needs. He invites us to carry our worries to him in prayer. He wants us to cast all our cares upon Him. And I'm glad that it seems like evil doers go unpunished in our world, but God sees their every deed and He's keeping an account of their wicked acts. And likewise, God will also reward every good deed performed in His name. And we don't need to be discouraged when our service for the Lord goes unnoticed. God's watching and He'll not forget everything that we've done. He loves righteousness. And if He overlooked our faithful service, He would be unrighteous according to Hebrews 6, but he'll bless us either in this life or at the judgment seat of Christ. And we need to continue to do good. Remember that God's promises to reward our faithful service and his all-seeing eye of God should motivate us for holy living. We may hide our sins from our parents, from our spouses, from our employers, from our teachers, our spiritual leaders, but we cannot hide it from an almighty God. We need to live every moment of our lives in the full awareness that God is looking on us. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3, every man's work shall be made manifest for the day, shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work for what sort it is. The Lord delivers all who fear him, verses 16 and 17, because the psalmist calls the righteous to praise the Lord because he delivers those who trust in him. And when we fear, he can shield us through all the trouble and attacks from the enemy. And the psalmist builds to a triumphant conclusion that the Lord loves righteous and justice, He observes everything that concerns us. He blesses the nations who acknowledge Him. He employs all of us His justice, power, overcoming will, and all-seeing care to deliver us who are faithful to Him. He does not deliver them because of their armies, power, or their resources that we read in verses 16 and 17. He acknowledges an encouraging fact. Victory does not belong to the biggest and the strongest. The size of an army does not guarantee victory in battle. and a warrior's physical strength is no guarantee that they'll prevail. David was young and unimpressive in stature, yet he was a mighty warrior in 1 Samuel 17. He slew the giant Goliath, underscored all the others through the power of God, and the strength of a mighty horse does not always carry a warrior to safety. I'm going to tell you there are three things. The size of a king's army, the strength of his warriors, the number of horses in his stables that were talked about, and the criteria of military might in the ancient world, these were the three most important things. But like the modern weapons and highly trained soldiers of today's world, they do not in or of themselves make a king or a conqueror, a dictator, a prime minister or a president, nor do they ensure the safety of the warrior in the conflict. But I'm glad America's foundation is rooted in the truth that God has chosen this nation to be a beacon of freedom and justice, And our founding principles, including liberty and equality, are grounded in God's sovereignty. and his desire for all people to live in dignity and in peace. It is that wonderful word of God that will bring back America's godliness that'll be restored. Hallelujah. Lastly, we look at our last scripture, amen, that will come up, and that is Psalms 33, verses 18 through 22, that he goes on. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy. to deliver their soul from death, to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the Lord. He is our help and our shield. For our hearts shall rejoice in him because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us according, as he says, according as we hope in thee, he tells us. And so I'm glad when we look at the path to restoring America's greatness and godliness being restored, her excellence, and her foundation, but also her responsibility. Amen. When we look at that, we see the guilt of complacency that weighs heavily upon us as God's people, because we are called not only to pray for our nation, listen to me, but also to actively participate in its governance, to praise its virtues, to persuade its leaders with God's wisdom. And our responsibility is clear. to humble ourselves, to seek God's face and actively pursue His righteousness. There is a call to humility. 2 Chronicles 7 14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and shall turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Praise God. We also see a call to prayer. 1 Timothy chapter two, verses one and two. I exhort, therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayer, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty. Now, not only do we see a call to humility in 2 Chronicles 7, 14, a call to prayer in 1 Timothy 2, verses 1 and 2, but a call to action in James 1, verse 22. But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. See, The psalmist says he watches over all that fear and place their hope in his love. The all-seeing eye, not weapons, not human strength, the security of those that fear, his mercy and unfailing love, rather than our own resources, causes us to hope or to take confidence. He delivers us when death threatens. He carries us safely through the troubles of life. such as famine, and our faithful God is our help and shield, our aid and our protector in the conflicts of life. In God's faithfulness, we build the Psalms to a climax because when we meditate on God's watchful care over us, our hearts cannot help but rejoice in him because when we trust and take refuge in his holy name, he protects us through all troubles. And he'll never let us down because the true God that creates all things is above all things, sees all things, will come and will do his work on our behalf when we place our confidence in him. And so I'm glad that as we look and realize what the Lord is wanting to do with us, with not only her excellence, her foundation and her responsibility, amen, of call to humility, call to prayer, and a call to action that we see. Every one of us. We look and realize that we must humble ourselves before God and acknowledge our need for his guidance and mercy in verse 18. And trust in God's protection as a nation. We've got to trust and knowing that he's our help and our shield in verse 20. And we've got to be able to rejoice in God's faithfulness and trustworthy, celebrating the goodness of our national life in verse 21. And dependence on God's mercy in verse 22. Of prosperity that depends upon his mercy and grace. to align our policies and our actions with his will. And so when we look, we realize how do we do this? It is through the wonderful ability of the Holy Word of God that America's godliness will be restored. And in that godliness, greatness can be restored. What steps can we take to ensure America's greatness, godliness that aligns with God's purpose? by upholding the principles of justice, freedom, righteousness in our daily lives. You know what? And advocating for policies that reflect God's values. Those are some of the things that we can do, amen, to be able to bring ourselves. How can we actively preserve and promote America's godly heritage in our communities right now? By educating ourselves and others about our nation's history, engaging in prayer, supporting legislation that reflects biblical values, participating in community initiatives that promote justice and compassion. And thirdly, not only what steps can we take to ensure America's greatness, godliness that aligns with God's purpose, how can we actively preserve and promote America's godly heritage in our communities? But lastly, in closing, what role does each of us play in shaping the spiritual and moral fabric of this nation. Well, every born again American plays a vital role by living lives of integrity, demonstrating compassion, standing up for the truth and the righteousness, and by being salt and light in our communities, our workplaces, our families, that we can influence others, contribute to a society that honors God. I hope and pray that you, along with I, realize that America's greatness slash godliness being restored can happen if we'll just trust the Lord. Will you pray with me? Father, we look and we ask with heart's burden for our nation, America. We acknowledge that we have strayed from your ways. We've fallen short of your glory, yet we know that your mercy is great. Your love endures forever. May we pray for the revival of godliness across our land. May our spirits sweep through every city, town, stirring hearts to seek you. Bring repentance, renewal among our leaders. May we govern with wisdom and integrity, guided by your principles, Heavenly Father. We pray for the unity among our people, bridging divides, that have and healing wounds helping us to love one another as you've loved us putting aside our differences for the greater good of our nation and father we lift up those that are in positions of authority from the highest offices of the local governments that we grant wisdom to make decisions that honor you benefit our people of the united states of america to protect them from temptation corruption surround them with godly counsel father and protect over america to shield us from Lord, the internal strife and external threats, natural disasters, that Lord, our peace reign in our borders. May we be a beacon of hope and freedom to the world. And we pray for a spiritual awakening that transcends our communities. May our churches rise up with boldness. Proclaim your truth. Demonstrate in your love. and tangible ways that, Lord, that we be instruments of your grace, agents of reconciliation, that we commit our nations into your hands and trust into the sovereign power to bring about the revival that restores America to the greatness and godliness in the name, Lord of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. God bless you.