Greetings. This is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Idaho Falls, Idaho, with a moment of truth, where we challenge you to think through an important issue of life and faith. And today, I'd like to challenge you to think through and amble through the preamble to the Constitution with Christ. And this is part three. We're going to amble through the preamble of the Constitution and look at the purpose of government to ensure domestic tranquility, to ensure domestic tranquility.

Now, we have observed from week to week that our founding fathers have succinctly summarized the six purposes for human government, and they've done that in the preamble. And of course, they said that we, the people, in order to form a more perfect union, number one, to establish justice, number two, to ensure domestic tranquility, number three, which we're going to look at today. But to finish them off, we have then also to provide for the common defense, number four, and to promote the general welfare, number five, and then finally, number six, to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.

Now, I have been inculcating with you over the weeks that what America needs to return to, indeed, is Christ, Constitution, and Capitalism. This is what our founders established to do, set out to do. And I have succinctly given you these in three C's, Christ, Constitution, and Capitalism, Christ for our spiritual lives together, the Constitution for our political lives together as a nation, and of course, Capitalism for our economic lives together. These are the three major headings in any nation. And what we have presently, for ease of remembrance, three S's.

That is, we have secularism for our spiritual lives together, statism for our political lives together, and Socialism for our economic lives together. And these three S's stand in stark contrast to the three C's, which we need to return to, Christ for our spiritual lives together, Capitalism for our economic lives together, and Constitution for our political lives together. These three broad general headings are crucial if we indeed are going to have a free constitutional republic, which our founding fathers established for us.

When a citizen asks Franklin, when he came out of the constitutional convention, well, Mr. Franklin, what kind of government have we? And Franklin came back quickly with a constitutional republic, if you can keep it. Well, can we keep it, brothers and sisters? And if we are about to, then we do need to have Christ infused in all of our lives together, our political lives together in the Constitution, and our economic lives together as well under capitalism. And what we're trying to unfold for you today is Christ in the six purposes of government.

Those six purposes I just listed for you, and today we're going to hone in on the purpose of government, which one of which is to ensure domestic tranquility. Because our founding fathers understood that these principles, they were all rooted in the Bible. I'm going to root domestic tranquility in the Bible here for you today. And they were developed throughout the history of European government.

For example, Congress observed in declaring 1983 to be the year of the Bible, that in view of the fact that biblical teachings, and I'm quoting from the Declaration, biblical teachings inspired concepts of civil government that are contained in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Unquote. That being one of the whereases, Congress decided to declare 1983 to be the year of the Bible, because it was so instrumental in inspiring and developing concepts of civil government. Our founders understood this.

And then we also see Thomas Jefferson saying, the Christian religion is a religion of all others most friendly to liberty, science, and the freest expansion of the human mind. Unquote. You wouldn't hear that today from most people, but our founding father, Thomas Jefferson, ardently asserted this. And Jefferson also helped to craft and signed the Northwest Ordinance soon after the establishment of the Constitution, that ordinance which mandated the establishment of schools in the new territory since, as the ordinance puts it, religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind. Unquote.

So, we could cite many, many other examples, but we have enough here to see that indeed Christ is not only compatible with, but necessary to, good government. When he is among the people of the land, they will find domestic tranquility. And if we are to achieve what the Founding Fathers intended, then we must first ask, what is domestic tranquility, dear listener? Why did the Founders seek to establish domestic tranquility through the Constitution? And then what part does Christ and the Bible play in domestic tranquility?

Oh, dear listener, the Bible has the very definition of political tranquility. We find it in the narratives, and then we find it in the New Testament as well. First of all, the Old Testament narrative from 1 Kings chapter 4 describes the essence of domestic tranquility this way. For Solomon had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates, from Tifsa to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates. And he had peace on all sides around him.

And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon, unquote. From 1 Kings chapter 4. In many other places in the Old Testament, this is what domestic tranquility is pictured, how it is pictured for us, dear listener. And domestic tranquility thereby demands five different conditions. First of all, domestic tranquility demands dominion and rule of a Christian prince or government.

Number two, domestic tranquility, according to our text, also demands shalom, that is peace on all sides around. This must be true for every constitutional republic as well, that is ruled by Christian magistrates and government. Thirdly, domestic tranquility also requires safety from the predations of every enemy. Enemies only disturb tranquility. A genuine Christian magistrate will ensure domestic tranquility, safety from the predations of every enemy.

And then fourthly, domestic tranquility also requires flourishing, economic and cultural prosperity. Yes, this is the beautiful figure of every man dwelling under his vine and under his own fig tree. That is, he enjoys the fruits of his labor, and he does so in peace. And then fifthly, domestic tranquility also demands that which endures, tranquility endures in perpetuity from one generation to another. This is the idea of all the days of Solomon, an entire generation.

Domestic tranquility prevailed. The five different requirements of domestic tranquility, all of which our founding fathers attempted to perpetuate to the next generation, not only to themselves, but also to the next generation. To this model of domestic tranquility, our founding fathers aspired. Now, prior their circumstances, prior to the Constitutional Convention, they had experienced a quite different ideal, I'm afraid. For example, they endured the Whiskey Rebellion.

Go back to your American history and you'll find that in 1791, there was an uprising by citizens on the frontier against the tax on liquor that had been leveled by the new federal government under the Articles of Confederation. And those citizens on the frontier rebelled against that tax, and that rebellion became known as the Whiskey Rebellion. And then there was Shays' Rebellion, too. This was a time of unrest between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitutional Convention, because we also see, probably most egregiously, Shays' Rebellion.

Because in 1786, a Revolutionary War veteran, Daniel Shays, led some 4,000 men in Massachusetts in rebellion over economic and civil rights being usurped by bankers and politicians. Oh, it's funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same, don't they? We experience that in our own day. Well, Daniel Shays and his 4,000 rebels in Massachusetts attempted to secure an arms depot with which they could then lead an armed rebellion against the new government. And Shays' Rebellion is regarded as the precipitating event in calling for the Constitutional Convention.

And it was enough, even, to bring George Washington out of his retirement. Well, during this time of turbulence, there were a host of other issues, too. The bills of credit, interstate friction, all threatened the domestic tranquility of the new nation. So, with these events fresh in the minds of our founding fathers, they crafted a constitution designed to bring the United States out of a state of domestic turbulence into one of domestic tranquility. Oh, dear listener.

Oh, that our leaders had the same goal with the same sense of urgency that our founding fathers had. Well, let me take a break here momentarily just to let you know that you're listening to a broadcast of New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church. My name is Pastor David Bass. I am the minister there. We are located in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

And we meet for worship on Sundays. If you are in our region, in our neighborhood, we meet for holy worship on Sunday at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. And you can call us for feedback to this message, or for further information, you can call us at area code 208-523-0196. That's area code 208-523-0196. Or you can check out our websites.

We have two of them. Newgenevaopc.org. That's one word, newgenevaopc.org. And that is our church website. And there you can check different information that we have there.

We've got sermons, we've got articles, and a host of information on our church. Or you can check out our other website, which is omnispotestas.org. Let me spell that Latin phrase for you, which means all authority. It's omnispotestas.org, O-M-N-I-S-P-O-T-E-S-T-A-S.org. And Omnis Potestas is the locale where we have an entire catalog of our radio messages.

And you can check those a few years back if you'd like and get caught up on what we're treating of here as well. That's our website, omnispotestas, O-M-N-I-S-P-O-T-E-S-T-A-S.org. Omnispotestas.org. Well, let's get back then to our issue that we're treating of here today. That is an amble through the preamble.

And we're looking at the six purposes of government to which the Bible exhorts us, the Founding Fathers researched, and what they call the divine science of government established the six purposes for government in the preamble to the Constitution. And number three purpose for government is to ensure domestic tranquility. We saw the circumstances under which our Founders labored to produce a Constitution. And we hearken back to it and wish and cry out for our leaders to have the same goal with the same sense of urgency that our Founding Fathers did.

But instead, our leaders today seem intent upon fomenting domestic turbulence rather than ensuring domestic tranquility. They seem to be bent upon fomenting domestic turbulence instead. It certainly fits their own interests better. We live in a cynical age when our leaders are out for themselves more than they are out for our best interests. For example, we see just a few brief examples.

We see the racial turbulence of Ferguson, Missouri, and St. Louis, too, for that matter. It better serves the politics of division, which has been promulgated by then-President Obama and the Attorney General Eric Holder, too, for that matter, to consolidate power and police into the hands of the federal government. We also see the violent, provocative turbulence of Antifa, for example. Antifa, which is short for anti-fascism, which, ironically, Antifa uses fascist methods to ostensibly protest fascism when they are indeed fascist themselves.

But we see their violent and provocative turbulence better serve the interests of deep state actors like George Soros, who is largely the one funding Antifa, and also progressive governments like those in Austin, Texas, who tolerate and encourage groups like Antifa. Well, we also see the violent, predatory turbulence of animals like MS-13 gang members on our borders. And it better serves the agenda of politics and power for Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, for example, who shamelessly apologize for the predatory turbulence of animals like MS-13 gang members.

We also see the tragic turbulence of gun deaths in our cities and schools. For example, the city of Chicago, which is a progressive stronghold ruled by Democrats for generations, one of the highest gun death rates in America, per capita. But it better serves the interests of anti-Second Amendment politicians, doesn't it, who seek only to disarm the American people in order to more effectively control them. The tragic turbulence of gun deaths serves those who seek to disarm the American people. Well, we also see the corrosive, divisive turbulence of the politics of polarization.

I call it the politics of polarization in the United States of America currently being practiced. Today, it better serves the interests of leaders who only wish to offer bigger, stronger government as the solution to imposing the will of our group on the other. Yes, corrosive, divisive turbulence of the politics of polarization. Now, example after example could be given to demonstrate this point, dear listener. You know it's true in your heart and in your gut.

You know it's true, don't you? It's enough to know that the problem of domestic turbulence is a much better state of affairs for our nation's leaders than the solution of domestic tranquility. More power, more wealth can be extorted from the people in turbulence than it can be in tranquility. Now, our leaders do not have our best interests at heart, dear listener. Citizens are far more likely to exchange their liberty for security during times of insecure turbulence than in times of secure tranquility.

Ergo, we have then insecure turbulence reigning in America. And unfortunately, we live in a cynical age when those drawn to power do so and seek it for their own self-interest above those of the people they serve. Therefore, when domestic turbulence better serves their interest than does domestic tranquility, guess which state of affairs prevails, dear listener, huh? But it has not always been so. No, domestic tranquility has always been the ideal biblical state for the people and for which government aspires to provide for that people as well.

The Old Testament is full of example after example, one of which I just read for you. That is during the reign of Solomon, one of the peak points in Israel's history. And then we have Micah as well, exhorting this upon his generation. He says, out of Zion shall go forth the law. Micah was a law and order prophet, dear listener.

Out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge. And talking then about Prince Jesus, King Jesus, he shall judge between many peoples and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation.

Neither shall they learn war, any war, any more, excuse me, but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree. There's that metaphor again for domestic tranquility. That is every citizen shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, enjoying the fruits of his labor. And then Micah goes on to say, and no one shall make them afraid for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. Unquote.

From the prophet Micah, many other places of scripture describe this ideal state of domestic tranquility, which the Bible promises not only in the future, but exhorts upon both nation member and magistrate. It was not meant to be just the ideal state in an age to come, as many Christians interpreted. And thereby, these same Christians absolved themselves from any responsibility to do anything to ensure domestic tranquility. No, they would rather not soil the garments of the gospel with politics and culture. It's not meant to be.

No, I am begged to differ with you. Rather, it is that condition that is domestic tranquility that every nation's member and magistrate should strive to achieve, dear listener. Indeed, that is the case for which we must all struggle. And it's not only in the Old Testament, but in the New as well, this idea that nations should strive to live under domestic tranquility.

Because the Apostle Paul, in urging Christians to pray for the leaders of their nations, he says, first of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings, and all who are in high positions, that is the magistrates of any given land, the rulers of any given land. We are blessed enough to live in a constitutional republic, and we are to pray for those who are in high office.

Paul says that we are to urge that, as he says, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings, and all who are in high positions, in order that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. Here, then again, is that very notion that we have been unpacking for you, the idea that government should ensure domestic tranquility, that is, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. Here is the heart and soul of what we mean by domestic tranquility.

This was the notion of domestic tranquility that our founding fathers had, and they observed, is one of the purposes, the very purposes for government, yes, to ensure domestic tranquility, that is, leading a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. And moreover, this was also understood by the early church. It was the condition after which they strove, and by which they conquered the west.

Just look into the life, then, for example, of Charlemagne, who was emperor of the west, if you will, but he understood this principle and inculcated it not only among his own court, but among those who governed underneath him, for those in powerful positions, high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is one of the purposes of government, dear listener.

It is one that we need to return to, one that you as a Christian in leading a sanctified life must also inculcate, not only in your children, but also in those who represent you in government, and you must strive to make aware to every citizen of America that we may lead peaceful and quiet lives as Christians. This is one of the purposes that government is to bring to us and to their nation. Well, we have been seeing how we need, then, this underscores for us again, just again and again, why we need Christ, constitution, and capitalism for America. We can't have a secular state. There's no such thing because it will be opposed.

Christ will be opposed by all that is secular and all that is religious as well. We have not only a false secular religion that now obtains and rules and browbeats and bullies we Christians into silence, but we also have a flourishing sprouting of other pagan religions that do indeed militate against Christianity itself. So, we must return to Christ, constitution, and capitalism if we indeed are going to have the America that our founding fathers knew, that they bequeathed to us, and that we will bequeathed to our children. Otherwise, we will give to our children what we have now.

That is secularism for our spiritual lives together, statism for our political lives together, and socialism for our economic lives together, and we will continue down this bankrupt path. But if we labor, as we are intended to do for the six purposes of government, Christ in the preamble to the constitution, then we will labor to ensure domestic tranquility. And we'll do this not only in our day for our lives and for our people, for our children.

I exhort you to this, brothers and sisters, that is part of your Christian responsibility in living sanctified lives, lives that sanctify your own heart and mind, and then work outward to sanctify your marriage with your spouse, your life with your children, in your household, sanctify your household, sanctify your church as well, make it holy, make it godly, but also insofar as you are able, then sanctify your community, your schools, and yea, your governments as well. You will not soil the garments of the gospel. You will glorify the garments of the gospel by doing this, ensuring domestic tranquility in the name of Christ.

This has been Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and we meet for holy worship on Sunday at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. We're pretty easy to find. Come and join us, would you, for worship? We're fairly easy to find, and we'd love to have you cross our threshold, meet us, and worship with us. We meet at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard.

Come to us on Sunday and see us. Or you can call us for feedback and more information. You can call us at area code 208-523-0196, or check out our websites. Our church website, newgenevaopc.org, newgenevaopc.org, or our radio website, where we have cataloged for you many of our messages going back years, and that is omnispotestas.org, O-M-N-I-S-P-O-T-E-S-T-A-S.org, omnispotestas.org. And once again, call us for feedback and information, area code 208-523-0196.