History Sermon

History can be a great teacher of what the future can hold by looking at the past. It teaches us that Rulers and Kings desired the support of the people they govern and to gain that support made promises of an easier life with less responsibility. Recent history tells us that in 1913 an amendment to the Constitution, relieved our elected officials of the responsibility to account to us on how we are taxed and for what we are taxed. With this power they promise the people they govern an easier life with less responsibility.
I was given a copy of a sermon that I think illustrates how history from four thousand years ago can look so familiar today.
The Pastor of this sermon is unknown.

Good morning, brothers and> sisters; it's always a delight to see the pews crowded on> Sunday morning, and so eager to get into God's Word. Turn> with me in your Bibles, if you will to the 47th chapter of> Genesis, we'll begin our reading at verse 13, and go through> verse 27.> > Brother Ray, would you stand> and read that great passage for us?> > ...(reading).....> > Thank you for that fine> reading, Brother Ray.... So we see that economic hard times> fell upon Egypt , and the people turned to the government of> Pharaoh to deal with this for them. And Pharaoh> nationalized the grain harvest, and placed the grain in> great storehouses that he had built. So the people brought> their money to Pharaoh, like a great tax increase, and gave > it all to him willingly in return for grain. And this went> on until their money ran out, and they were hungry again.> > So when they went to Pharaoh> after that, they brought their livestock, their cattle,> their horses, their sheep, and their donkey - to barter for> grain, and verse 17 says that only took them through the end> of that year.> > But the famine wasn't over,> was it? > So the next year, the people> came before Pharaoh and admitted they had nothing left,> except their land and their own lives. "There is nothing> left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. > Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? > Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be> servants to Pharaoh." So they surrendered their homes,> their land, and their real estate to Pharaoh's government,> and then sold themselves into slavery to him, in return for> grain. What can we learn from this, brothers and sisters? > > That turning to the> government instead of to God to be our provider in hard> times only leads to slavery? Yes. That the only reason> government wants to be our provider is to also become our> master? Yes. > > But look how that passage> ends, brothers and sisters! Thus Israel settled in the > land of Egypt , in the land of Goshen . And they gained> possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied> greatly." God provided for His people, just as always has! > They didn't end up giving all their possessions to> government, no, it says they gained possessions! > But I also tell you a great> truth today, and an ominous one. We see the same thing> happening today - the government today wants to "share the> wealth "once again, to take it from us and redistribute it> back to us. It wants to take control of healthcare, just as> it has taken control of education, and ration it back to us,> and when government rations it, then government decides who> gets it, and how much, and what kind. And if we go along> with it, and do it willingly, then we will wind up no> differently than the people of Egypt did four thousand years> ago - as slaves to the government, and as slaves to our> leaders.> > What Mr. Obama's government> is doing now is no different from what Pharaoh's government> did then, and it will end the same. And a lot of people> like to call Mr. Obama a "Messiah," don't they? Is he a> Messiah? A savior? Didn't the Egyptians say, after Pharaoh> made them his slaves, "You have saved our lives; may it> please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh?" > > Well, I tell you this - I > know the Messiah; the Messiah is a friend of mine; and Mr.> Obama is no Messiah! No, brothers and sisters, if Mr..> Obama is a character from the Bible, then he is Pharaoh!> > Bow with me in prayer, if> you will.> > Lord, You alone are worthy > to be served, and we rely on You, and You alone. We confess> that the government is not our deliverer, and never rightly> will be. We read in the eighth chapter of 1 Samuel, when> Samuel warned the people of what a ruler would do, where it> says "And in that day you will cry out because of your king,> whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not> answer you in that day." And Lord, we acknowledge that day> has come. We cry out to you because of the ruler that we> have chosen for ourselves as a nation. Lord, we pray for> this nation. We pray for revival, and we pray for> deliverance from those who would be our masters. Give us> hearts to seek You and hands to serve You, and protect Your> people from the atrocities of Pharaoh's government.> > In God We Trust...