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About the Flag

The Cross

The Flag of Australia displays the cross of Jesus Christ four times:

• Red Cross on white background (the flag of St George)

• Diagonal white Cross on blue background (the flag of St Andrew)

• Diagonal red Cross on white background (the flag of St Patrick)

• Plus the Southern Cross

No other national flag in the world displays the Cross of Christ more times than the Australian flag.

Only the Flag of Queensland displays the Cross of Jesus Christ more times (eight times).

The following diagram shows the crosses on the Flag of Australia:

(The Welsh Cross of David flag is not symbolized in the Union Jack as are the English, Scottish and Irish crosses of St George, Andrew and Patrick. Nevertheless I feel that God made it up to the Welsh in that the new colony of Australia was named New South Wales. Originally all of Australia [including what is now Queensland and the other States] was all named New South Wales.)

The seven-pointed Commonwealth Star or Star of Federation - representing the six original states of the Commonwealth of Australia plus the territories and any future states - are thus symbolically submitted under the Cross.

And then we have the Southern Cross added as well. Four crosses. What a great flag!

(I often say that I will be in favour of adopting a new Australian flag so long as any new flag does a better job of honouring the Cross of Christ than that!)

Australia is a Christian Country

Even though our flag says a lot, Australia's historical heritage is distinctly and emphatically Christian, for reasons other than our flag.

For starters, Jesus Christ is King and Lord over every nation, not only Australia - irrespective of whether or not their flag acknowledges this.

Jesus Christ obtained a name which is above every other name - by inheritance, by bestowal and by conquest:

"All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations..."

(Matthew 28:18)

"And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a Name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS"

(Revelation 19:16)

Whether a nation or an individual accepts this or not the fact remains: JESUS IS LORD!

Even if only one person in an entire nation believes and confesses it to be so, it is no less true.

So believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord in your nation!

The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900

In the case of Australia however, there is no grounds for argument about it at all - for the Lordship of Jesus Christ over Australia is Constitutionally acknowledged, by virtue of The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900. And I will show you how.

Preamble to the Act:

"Whereas the people of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, and Tasmania, humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God, have agreed to unite in one indissoluble Federal Commonwealth under the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and under the Constitution hereby established..."

The Constitution Act submits the Commonwealth of Australia under Almighty God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, on two counts:

Firstly, by acknowledging the blessing of Almighty God and the humble reliance of the States of Australia on Almighty God.

Secondly, by Constitutionally affirming that Australia remains under the Crown of the United Kingdom.

And how does Australia's submission to the Crown make Australia a Christian nation?

The Coronation Ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II

The answer is found by reading portions of the text showing the pledges sworn on oath by Queen Elizabeth II, during her coronation ceremony.

For example:

The Archbishop asks the Queen:

"Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the Peoples of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, AUSTRALIA, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, Pakistan and Ceylon, and of your Possessions and other Territories to any of them belonging or pertaining, according to their respective laws and customs?"

Queen:

"I solemnly promise so to do..."

Archbishop:

"Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel?

Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law?..."

Queen:

"All this I promise to do...

The things which I have here promised, I will perform, and keep. So help me God."

The Orb set under the Cross is given to the Queen, with the words spoken:

"...Remember that the whole world is subject to the Power and Empire of Christ our Redeemer".

So in summary we see that:

• AUSTRALIA is said to be included in the Queen's jurisdiction

(Remember that The Constitution of Australia Act 1901 also maintains Australia's place under the Crown)

• The Queen submits her reign under God through Jesus Christ, under oath

• Therefore the whole nation of Australia is subject Constitutionally to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Australia is a Christian country!

The Queen's Coronation Ceremony even acknowledges such great themes as salvation through the Blood of Christ, the Bible, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. [Full text here]

In summary, the Kingship and the Universal Governorship of Jesus is an unchangeable fact by virtue of Christ's resurrection from the dead and His ascencion to the right hand of God; and this unchangeable fact was also historically and legally acknowledged and ratified, over the Commonwealth of Australia, by:

• The States of Australia

• The Constitution of Australia

• The Crown of the United Kingdom

• And by an Act of British Parliament

(The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 is actually an Act of British Parliament)

Your Country

If you live in a country that has not similarly legislated Christ as Lord of your country, that doesn't change the fact that Jesus is Lord of your nation.

Just because your Legislative Assembly hasn't Constitutionally acknowledged it doesn't change the reality that your nation belongs to Jesus Christ.

Even though believers may be a minority in your country, you as an individual have the right to maintain the profession of your faith that Christ is Lord of your nation.

Your flag and your nation doesn't belong to the unbelievers - it belongs to Jesus, and it belongs to you in Him, and to believers like you!

It makes no difference if you are a minority.

It is those who don't acknowledge Jesus as Lord who are really the aliens in God's Kingdom, in your country.

Even if you were the only Christian in your country, by your confession alone you would make it just as true to say that your country is a Christian nation, as I do here in Australia.

So no matter what country you live in, you can reclaim the right to fly your country's flag as an expression of your acknowledgement of the goodness of God that was shown to your nation through Calvary.

By maintaining a confession by faith that concurs with the truth of God concerning your nation, your words will have the power to bring about what you are saying.

Besides, positive attitudes and words are catching - you could slowly promote a different atmosphere and culture in your nation.

Remember that the more overtly Christian and free nations of today weren't birthed in a day. They were built upon the foundation of centuries of the blood of the martyrs. And through faith, you will change your nation also.

"All things are possible to him which believeth"

(Mark 9:23)

God promised that out of Abraham would come kings and nations.

God promised that He would never fail to take of David's seed and make them sit on thrones.

Abraham's seed is Christ.

Christ is the seed of David.

You have been born of God and you are in Christ. Therefore you are Abraham's seed.

You have been made a king and a priest unto God.

It is still true that nations shall come out from you!

"The meek shall inherit the earth" and you "shall reign upon the earth".

Therefore you can fly your nation's flag as a confession that Christ reigns, and you in Him.

What it Means to Fly the Flag of Australia

We have established six reasons why Australia is a Christian country:

(1) Because Jesus is Lord, irrespective

(2) Because even if only one believer confesses it to be so - his confession makes all power and authority available to him

(3) In addition to the above - because the States of Australia agreed that it should be so

(4) And because the Constitution states that it should be so

(5) Because the Crown swore on oath, making it so

(6) And because an Act of British Parliament made it so

Furthermore, for all of the same reasons above, this arrangement is indissoluble! [see Preamble]

What meaning then does flying the Australian flag have?

Flying the Flag of Australia therefore is an expression of:

• Our acknowledgement of and humble reliance on Almighty God

• Our acknowledgement of the Cross (four times, on the flag)

  • An affirmation of our nation's submission - by the will of the States, through the Constitution, through the Crown of the United Kingdom and by an Act of British Parliament - to the Lordship of Jesus Christ our Saviour

Flying the Australian flag is:

• An expression of praise to God for the work of His hands, especially His work on Calvary

• It acknowldges that our nation was built upon the good foundation that God began in Great Britain

• Flying our flag is a triumphant, jubilant and exceedingly joyful expression of our faith in God

• It is a celebration. It is an affirmation. It is trust. It is thanksgiving. It is a joy.

Flying the Australian flag triumphs in God's work:

• Which He accoplished on the cross through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

• And which He has accomplished in our country's heritage and history to date

Flying the Flag of Australia enables us to remember:

• The foundation that the Cross represents spiritually

• The foundation of the Cross in free society

• It is also an opportunity to reflect upon the role - and if necessary, the sacrifice - of our forebears such as fathers, missionaries, reformers, martyrs, soldiers, etc.

Flying the flag is also an expression of:

• Thanksgiving to God

• Recommitment to God

• Prayer for revival in our nation

• It is the patriotic expectation of God's ongoing Covenantal blessing and protection from our enemies

Some Scriptures Applicable to Australia

Meditating on the following Scriptures will contribute a sense of patriotism to the flying of the Flag of Australia.

"What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD"

(Palm 116:12,13)

"Let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice"

(Psalm 68:2,3)

"For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands"

(Psalm 92:4)

"Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah"

(Psalm 60:4)

"He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh"

(Psalm 2:4)

"God hath spoken in His holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver..."

(Psalm 60:6,7)

Save us, O Lord our God and gather us...to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord"

(Psalm 106:47,48)

"Now thanks be unto God which always causeth us to triump in Christ"

(II Corinthians 2:14)

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Se-lah"

(Psalm 68:19)

The Power of Confession

There is power in confession.

Confession means, "to say the same as".

By flying the Australian flag, we are "saying the same thing" that the flag says and saying the same thing that God says.

God says, Jesus is Lord.

Our flag also symbolizes, Jesus is Lord (because of the Cross it bears, and because of the Constitution which it represents).

Therefore by flying the flag, we are confessing that Jesus is Lord over Australia.

But what about all the unbelief and debauchery in our country? Is that really something to get excited about?

That doesn't change the facts.

Jesus is still Lord.

Sure we are thankful for what we've already experienced in our nation, but the level of patriotism in a nation needn't hinge on appearances - patriotism is about getting excited about what God's Word says was accomplished on Calvary, and thanking Him for it - and applying it to our nation by the confession of our faith.

Patriotism is a faith confession.

Even if only one person believed and confessed Jesus as Lord - in fact, even if no-one believed - He is still Lord.

We can still be excited about the blessing and power of the Cross no matter how many people are receiving it - by faith.

Therefore flying the flag is a confession of faith, not of sight.

His Lordship and dominion are not guaged by numbers.

Jesus is Lord of Australia because of the Cross and because the Word says so.

When we add our confession to that - by saying the same as - it has the power to bring about a manifestation of what we say.

"You shall have whatsoever you say".

I'm going to start saying some good things about Australia!

I'm going to start saying some good things about my unsaved loved-ones.

I'm not going to say with my mouth that it's dry spiritually in Australia, compared to other places.

I'm going to say good things (God's Word) and I'll have what I say!

"His Word shall not return to Him void, but it shall prosper in the purpose for which He sent it".

God's Word in my mouth is just as powerful as God's Word in God's mouth.

So no matter what country you come from, you can give the same meaning to flying your nation's flag even if your national flag does not display the cross - because truth is not based on appearances but on God's Word, and God's Word says Jesus is Lord of your nation.

God's Word says Jesus is Lord of your nation. That's a good reason to rejoice.

Even if appearances aren't all good yet, like Habakkuk you can say,

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom...yet will I rejoice in the Lord".

Perhaps you can privately assign a new meaning in your mind to the emblems on your flag.

Even if your national Constitution says nothing about Jesus being Lord, it doesn't change the fact that Jesus is Lord of your country.

To the eye of faith, there is proof all around that Jesus is Lord of your nation.

Begin to maintain a positive confession about your nation.

I don't go around confessing that my country has a low self-esteem, that it suffers from a tall-poppy syndrome, or that it lacks patriotism or any other such thing.

Instead I confess that God was in Christ, reconciling Australia to Himself, not imputing Australia's transgressions unto her.

Besides, who is Australia? who is Japan? who is Saudi Arabia? who is America? Is it defined by who the majority is? No.

It is defined by Christ because the whole world was crucified and died with Christ and God made a new man.

Now it is Christ who possesses the nations. And we who believe are in Him.

Therefore the people in our respective nations who have not yet acknowledged the fact of Jesus' Lordship nor the fact of the propitiation of their sins through Jesus are not the people who determine or define the description of the nation - even if they are a majority.

God's Word determines the description of a nation; God's Word defines it - and so do you, by your confession.

The facts in God's Word about every nation in the world are:

• Jesus is Lord

• God has removed our transgressions

• God is not imputing our sins unto us

• God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ

• God has made a new man in Christ that bears His divine nature

• God has good plans, plans to bless!

If you are the only person in your country who believes this and confesses it, then your confession and your description about your nation, is the RIGHT one.

For example, if you as a believer in any country, for example Saudi Arabia, Japan or Canada - if you SAY what God says about Saudi Arabians, Japanese or Canadians - you are saying what is literally the truth about Saudi Arabians, Japanese or Canadians.

Even if you were the only person out of 25 million, 128 million or 33 million who has RECEIVED the truth, what you are saying is still the TRUTH despite everyone else's current lack of receiving.

I can declare that Saudi Arabia is a Christian Country. So are Japan, Canada, America, Australia, Samoa, Madagascar. So is every country of the world (II Corinthians 5:15).

Why? Because as far as we are concerned, people are either "in Christ" or they are "dead".

Either way, they cannot have the effect of giving a nation the status of being non-Christian. A dead person can't have any effect!

Let me ask you something. If the entire population of a country was Christian except for one person - does that one person mean that Jesus is not Lord of that country? No, of course not. One person can't have that effect on defining the nation.

How about if a third of the population of a country, or half, or even if everyone except one or two are unbelievers - is Jesus no longer Lord of that country? Of course, Jesus is STILL Lord of that country - numbers can't make any difference to the fact of Christ's Lordship.

So even if the number of believers in a certain country may currently be low, I can still say that Jesus is Lord over that country, and that the few believers in that country, by their confession, are the ones who, in God's eyes, define the country.

So it's not about numbers, or majorities, or even about flags or constitutions.

It's about the Great God Jehovah, creator of heaven and earth and about the finished work of His Son on the cross.

And we partner with that through our confession.

What does God now say about nations?

God has already done everything He's ever going to do about procuring anyone's salvation, forgiveness, healing, or prosperity.

He accomplished it all on the cross. He has taken away all His wrath. He is not imputing the transgression of the nations unto them. God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.

Now it is simply a matter of an individual hearing that truth, and believing it with the heart, and confessing it with the mouth that makes it real, in their experience. That's how you get saved.

So I intend confessing great things about Australia, because in God's heart, they are facts.

Even if there are only few of us who have attained to these great truths; even if none of us have fully experienced them yet - it is still truth.

I'm going to confess great things for all the nations of the earth also, not just Australia. Why? Because it's the truth about all nations, including your's.

Calvary accomplished great things. God sees things in a different light.

"Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound".

Patriotism isn't just for Americans. It's for Christ, and for us in Him, and for our nation. Patriotism is because of the cross. Patriotism belongs to the believers!

Patriotism is simply praise, it is to triumph, to glory, to exult, to laude, to publish with the voice of thanksgiving, to sing Psalms, to talk aloud of His goodness, to meditate in.

That vocabulary comes from the Psalms. David tells us to do all these things for the Lord - both individually and as a nation.

"Blessed is the nation who knows the joyful sound".

Unbelievers in any country don't really have any business with patriotism.

True patriotism belongs to believers because anything worth celebrating in society today - like human rights, civil liberties, rule of law, military victories, technological advancements, prosperity, education, hospitals, not to mention spiritual blessings like the gift of Righteousness, healing, the baptism with the Holy Ghost and the promise of the return of Christ - has its origins directly or indirectly in the cross. That is historically true.

Through the Cross, "we have been made the righteousness of God in Him".

If unbelievers are patriotic, they've just picked-up the atmosphere that was created by the work of believers.

Patriotism is of the believer!

So it doesn't matter which country you're in or how much of a minority the Christian population may be.

We can each patriotically celebrate who we are in Christ, celebrate who the body of Christ in our nation is in Christ - and confess great things.

There is power in confession, in praise, in proclamation, and in thanksgiving.

Displaying our flag is an expression of all of those things.

Displaying the flag is a faith confession.

That's the meaning that displaying the flag has to me.

When and Where to Display the Flag

The Government of Australia is encouraging the flag to be flown more and more.

For example, under the Schools Assistance (Learning Together through Choice and Opportunity) Act 2004, a condition of the Australian Government’s general funding to State and Territory education authorities and non-government schools is that all schools have a functioning flagpole flying the Australian flag.

To give all schools an opportunity to comply with this requirement, the Australian Government will provide up to $1,500 per school, under the Flagpole Funding Initiative, to schools that do not currently have a functioning flagpole to enable them to purchase or repair one.

The following pictures will give some idea of different places, occassions and ways in which any one of us can triumph in God's power towards us through Jesus Christ by displaying the flag of Australia on any given day of the year - not just on National Flag Day, Australia Day or ANZAC Day.

II CORINTHIANS 5:14-21

14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

"Thank you for the cross"

Thank you that we have been made the righteousness of God in Him