“AS THE WORLD “SQUIRMS,” DO YOU?” I did a sermon with that title back in 2015. I find it a bit sad that I can still use that title today. • I am sure you’ve noticed the unstable situation in our world/country today • The corona virus and its physical and economic problems • The protests and riots after the death of George Floyd • Our country’s moral decline is still ripping us apart • The Middle East is still war-torn and troubled • There is unresolved agitation with China and Russia • Our turbulent immigration and border problems have slowed somewhat with the virus problem but are still brewing in the distance • The inability of countries to ferret out terrorists who may be pouring over their borders (including ours) Kind of bleak…but…not really! With all that in mind, I want you to read Psalm 27. THIS IS MY FOUNDATIONAL PREPARATION FOR WHAT LIES AHEAD, AND I HOPE IT IS YOURS. Read Psalm 27 But we have a basic difficulty, a rock in the road, so to speak. It’s called the Adam nature; and we can see it in the raw in the news every night. Galatians 5:19-21 could be a summary of a video in a major city during the riots, or even every day in some crime-riddled areas of large and small cities alike. The deeds of the flesh are evident: • Immorality • Impurity • Sensuality • Idolatry • Sorcery • Enmities • Strife • Jealousy • Outbursts of anger • Disputes • Dissensions • Factions • Envyings • Drunkenness • Carousing And those that practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Geez, pretty straight forward! But what we ALL are longing for, from deep within, are really the FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT which are noted in verses 22-23 of Galations 5: “But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL. There is no law against these things.” If I joined a combo protest/riot out there tonight, holding up that sign, how far do you think I’d get?! The verse goes on to tell us to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires and that when you live by the Spirit of God, you’ll walk out your life by that same Spirit, thus bringing the above listing into each and every situation. That sure sounds better than shooting, looting, breaking windows and starting fires. Hmm…one is total destruction…one is total construction! Sounds like the devil is stirring it all up again…he destroys but God builds. I would like to propose that we continue (or, for some, start) to live lives full of: • Respect • Kindness • Compassion • Humility • Repentance • Forgiveness • And things like these We must strive to live like that, especially with a growing racial divide in our country. The current climate, atmosphere and circumstances creates an exciting opportunity for change though. I think people have forgotten something – being White or Black or Hispanic or Asian or any other race or combination was NOT A CHOICE. But the previously-mentioned way of living IS A CHOICE YOU CAN MAKE! Now, I’d love to be able to say, “JUST DO IT!” But NONE OF US can “JUST DO IT”. Because of the Adam nature we were born with, we cannot “JUST DO IT”. The broken Adam nature is low level, faulty in all areas and can’t reach the levels of the fruit of the Spirit. That is why it is imperative to take a moment in time and just acknowledge for once that YOU are NOT GOD. Ask the real God, not the religious gods of this world, but the One, Almighty, True God to forgive you for all you have done. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and be what runs the engine of your life. Ask Him to be the fuel that keeps you going. Remember, His fire doesn’t burn anything down…HIS FIRE PURIFIES. Once you have done that, you have His Spirit in you. Now you have a fighting chance! Go out there and change the world…starting with yourself and your family first. Be lifted up, be encouraged. This is an exciting time to live…to be used of God. But, to be used of God, you need to be full of God and not the deeds of the flesh. Stand fast in Jesus…so you won’t squirm, as the world will. God bless! NOW GO LIVE IT!
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We don’t need to play that game with God. God loves us regardless of how well we are doing. Our performance and God’s love are two different things. Yet, many of us grew up thinking if we just did things right, it would please God and He’d love us. How different that ideation is from what GOD said…(even while we were yet sinners, God loved us). He loves us with an EVERLASTING love (Jeremiah 31:3: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.” He’s clothed us with His robes of righteousness. He has an unfailing love! Someone once said that God risked all by granting us freedom to think for ourselves. This is a godlike privilege, forever setting us apart from animals and robots. God made us in His image, precariously close to deity! And some people surely are their own gods! As a human they are limited but God is totally unlimited…the only REAL GOD! God loves you…you can now meet Him as FATHER and not as JUDGE! Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities (demons), nor things present nor things to come, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.” Not death: sin—He forgives…after your physical death = you’re with Him! Not life: all of its complexities…He NEVER leaves you Not angels: the messengers of God will lead to Him and not away Not demons: they have no power over you to separate you from God’s love Not the present: all that happens to you will not separate you from God’s care and interest in you Not the future: anything coming down the pike can’t either Not any powers: not the world, not the flesh, not the devil Not any height: not your best days or the highest challenges you have to climb Not any depth: not your worst days or the easiest flatland journey Not ANY created thing: and that covers all else! Nothing, nada…none of this or ANYTHING can separate you from the love of God…you are His child FOREVER. He will NEVER LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU! You never have to guess if ”He loves me, He loves me not.” Rather, you can always say… “He loves me, He loves me, He loves me…” Now go live it in that love. NOW GO LIVE IT!If you have never put your complete faith in Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation, why not believe what God's word says and call on Jesus Christ to save you right now? Click here and let us show you how you can KNOW JESUS. No, I’m not kidding you. And yes, God means to rejoice, not just when everything is going really well. He means for us to rejoice even in the midst of coronavirus, financial loss, war, death, injury…whatever. YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME…NOPE! But this is not just pie in the sky, zombie-like roaming through the reality of this world. There IS stuff going on. God knows things are broken here…because of Adam’s disobedience, not because of His making it that way. God knows that we hurt, suffer loss and death…but so did He! All across the globe, people are celebrating what is called Easter…Resurrection Sunday and whatever name is common to your area. But what are we celebrating? Jesus’s resurrection from the dead… the word picture of God and man. • Suffering, loss… • THEN…death BUT then life Do you meditate on that? I have…many times. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things passed away, behold new things have come. Ephesians 4:24 And put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. All so nice…but this is not just some Sunday School memorization! No---God is talking about DEATH to sin, to yourself, so you can rise a new creature…like Jesus did. But before Jesus rose from the dead, what had to happen? He had to suffer…and unjustly at that. He was insulted for righteousness and belittled for obedience. He endured unfair accusations. He forgave those who wronged Him. He sacrificed for others. He suffered a death of the flesh. (The movie “The Passion of the Christ” is pretty graphic. But it shows what real suffering is!) But it is not all doom and gloom!! All of this was to FREE US from the bondage of death and eternal separation from God!! What a gift!! That is what we rejoice in today and, hopefully, everyday! Jesus rose from the dead. HAVE YOU? Spiritual Death: Read Galatians 5:19-21 (Deeds of the Flesh) Spiritual Resurrection: Read Galatians 5:22-24 (Fruits of the Spirit) The “Easter Story” is one of love, right unto death. So must we…die to the broken, Adam nature and, in that, rise to life in Christ. What a “story”!! Rejoice through all the “dying to self” • Rejoice through all the hurts • Rejoice through all the unknowns • Rejoice through all the fears • Rejoice through all the pain and loss REJOICE…because on the other side of all that is LIFE. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, they have predicted this will be a rough week for America. Well, it was a rough week for Jesus back then too. But just look at the outcome. Oh, yeah. Rejoice World. Jesus died but He rose again. So can we! Rejoice…and no, I’m not kidding you! NOW GO LIVE IT!If you have never put your complete faith in Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation, why not believe what God's word says and call on Jesus Christ to save you right now? Click here and let us show you how you can KNOW JESUS. Whose heredity do you come under? Who’s your daddy, so to speak! We were born with a heredity in which we had no say or decision. I didn’t choose a broken sin nature and I’m sure you didn’t either. We were born with it because of what Adam did. But we DO have a choice if we want to have a different “daddy”. Jesus doesn’t just tell us to “be holy”. That can’t happen. We have a sin nature that doesn’t comply with the holy nature of God. But God CAN put His heredity of holiness into me. The same thing that was in Jesus can be in me and you. But it’s voluntary, not forced on us. We have to understand that we are born broken and the entrance of redemption in Christ entering into our inner being is the key. We can become energized in Jesus (Galatians 4:19, “until Christ is formed in you”). If you ask for it, God can put a new nature in you and you CAN live a totally new and living way. As Oswald Chambers stated, “And redemption means that I can be delivered from the heredity of sin, and that through Jesus Christ I can receive a pure and spotless heredity, namely, the Holy Spirit.” Sin…a word often skipped over or frowned upon today…is not just a wrong “doing”; it’s really a wrong “being”. It is pulling away from God’s ways and becoming your own God, determining what you think is right and wrong. Not addressing sin as sin has made the gospel message watered down. There’s no sting or explosive power to it. Jesus didn’t just feel bad for us…He took on the sin nature of the world. God made Him to BE sin…for us. Jesus never sinned but He put all of that on Himself and then offered Himself up for us. He took the death sentence FOR us. We don’t go to the prison of hell for eternity because what He did paid our debt. But it is not automatic…you have to ask for the new heredity. You have to be redeemed from the old nature and put back into the heredity that God originally intended for His people. What a good and just God He is. He didn’t just snuff us all out, even though He could have. ANYONE can experience that reconciliation now because of what Jesus did on that cross. 2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. In Christ, we CAN live a life higher, better than with the broken, lower, decrepit sin nature. The Scriptures tell us how. We’ll finish with this… Romans 12:9-21
None of us can do any of that to any high measure if all we have is the broken Adam nature. If all you have is the heredity of Adam…you are doomed to separation from God for eternity. But if you have a new heredity that you come under, you are a child of God. You have His inheritance and will be with Him forever in His heavenly kingdom. People can laugh at that and call it religion or myth or even lies. But there shall come a time when you will know who you have served…your own nature or the nature of God. Better review your life and seriously ask yourself, “Who’s Your Daddy?” NOW GO LIVE IT!If you have never put your complete faith in Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation, why not believe what God's word says and call on Jesus Christ to save you right now? Click here and let us show you how you can KNOW JESUS.
Trinity Church of Wesley Chapel, Florida, was honored to have Great Hope's Associate Pastor Linda Pugsley speak at their Memorial Day service on May 26, 2019. What a powerful message she presented. Here is the video of the service they posted. Linda's message begins around the 47-minute mark, but please do enjoy the entire service.
John 8:36: "For him who the Son sets free is free indeed." We all love that scripture but are YOU free? Are you bound up with anger, bitterness, unforgiveness and the like…that’s not freedom, Sugar Pie, that’s for sure! Here’s a little exercise for you before we start our sharing today:
Forgiveness is a strength, not a weakness. It’s the ability to remove the hurt and keep the person. In the original Greek, forgiveness means a suspension of a just penalty; to release, unconditional favor. Hard to do but it can be done. There are four stages of forgiveness, as we have taught on before. In review:
Hurting:
Hating:
Healing:
Coming Together:
Need to be clear on something though…forgiveness is NOT excuse, pardon or condoning the action. Rather, it considers everything…the act, the offense, the penalty and the future relationship. Then you give up your right to punish them. Just like God did for YOU. Leave that punishment to God and eternity to figure it out. Forgiveness is strength…you don’t hold a grudge; you can still work with people who’ve been unkind to you and you’re willing to clear the record. Remember, forgiveness is removing the hurt and keeping the person. Toby Mac, the singer, once said, “If you never heal from what hurt you, you’ll bleed on people who didn’t cut you!” Now…take your papers out that you completed in the beginning. Time to choose…
YOUR CHOICE…MAKE A GOOD ONE!! NOW GO LIVE IT!Can you believe it? Today is February 17, 2019! I can remember being in my early 30s when I first came to this church. We had the old posts and the old benches that we always joked were held together by the termites holding hands. Mark and Shirley were just starting a family and their first-born little Shemie used to sit with her toys, on a blanket, in front of them in the front row. Now they have three grown children and four grandchildren. We had a private school here for 14 years and now they have all grown up. Many are married now and have their own children! How did all that happen so fast! It’s almost a mirror image of our spiritual growth…lots of “renovations”…tearing down the old, ugly stuff and putting in brand new. Having many changes and seasons, some good, some tough, some time consuming, never-ending challenges, no matter what your age. So, you ask what in the world could the New Year bring for me? That is a question that many people are asking now... • Will my marriage survive? • Will my child be healed? • Will I get a job? • Will I be able to repair my car? • Will I be able to rebuild my savings? • Will our country be at war? • Will there be a nuclear holocaust? • Some even ask, “Is the Lord coming soon?” I certainly don’t have the answers to those questions, and neither do you. And that could certainly dampen your spirit to say the least…but should it? For those in Christ, the New Year should be an exciting time-- • A time to see our God in action. • What profound changes shall occur in our lives in Him? • Where shall He take us in personal and corporate ministry? But, for so many, it’s all about them and not about HIM! We dream, we plan…not bad things to do, but we so often do it without prayerful consideration with Him at the center, without Jesus as the director and planner of all actions. We do our best or what we see fit, or just have a knee-jerk reaction to what comes our way, or even worse, some just “let life happen” to them. Some prosper; some fail…life goes on. And that’s reality--without God in Christ, you can live a good life here. • You can be prosperous, you can be healthy, and you can have a semblance of happiness. • You can think all “religions” are equal and all belief systems are valid. In all likelihood, you won’t die because of those beliefs. But where will you be when you do die? • Some think that God is so good that He’ll just love everybody and they all go to be with Him. • Or if their good works outweigh their bad ones, they’ll be with Him. • Still others think there is or isn’t a God, and this is all there is. They just die and that’s the end of it. Yuk…that’s a redeeming thought, if I ever heard one! So, what is really TRUE? That’s what our pursuit needs to be, for what is TRUE…not comparing religious ideology, from which you pick what suits you and your lifestyle. So, this morning, let’s look at this brand new and pristine 2019, untouched by our crummy, stained hands and broken philosophies and see what GOD may have to say. When God talks about “new”, we need to go a bit deeper… The Greek word for “new” in the Bible is “Kainos” which means: • New, as in that which is unaccustomed • New, as to form or quality • New, as in fresh Now that’s the “new” we are all looking for! We long for the bright, the fresh new breeze in our lives. And, sometimes, it’s right here before our very eyes. But we just get so bogged down with all the details of living life and just keeping our heads above water that we forget all the “NEW” God has for us! • We argue over heaven and hell, the religious tenets of one group or the other, forgetting all the time that our “thinker, wanter and feeler” that we are born with is BROKEN. • And that thanks to Adam, whose disobedience to a real good and loving God, separated us and passed down a broken nature. • And the adversary applauds when we use that brokenness to make our decisions, define our desires and swirl within our emotions. The rescue, the “new” we are unconsciously looking for, is Jesus. His nature IN us brings the mind, will and emotions of God…and they are perfect, not broken. He comes in only by invitation though. He will never kick down your door…that would be spiritual assault! You have to invite Him in. Many have invited Him in, but they put Him on a shelf while they browse other entities of life. Be careful. God doesn’t take kindly to that. Oh, you won’t get annihilated by Him, but you won’t live in His anointing either. So, as we wade into this new year, new season, new time, new epoch…let’s see what God says about “new”. Isaiah 43:16, 18-19: Thus says the LORD, Who makes a way through the sea and a path through the mighty waters, “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” There are two areas I want to talk about that will hopefully again give us the refreshing, the excitement and sense of mission on this earth: • The NEW things that the gospel says are ours • NEW things that are yet to come Matthew 26:26-28: And while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And He took a cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant (the new covenant), which is to be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.” EVERY TIME WE EAT OR DRINK—WE CAN REMEMBER THIS NEW COVENANT…THIS GIFT FROM GOD TO HIS PEOPLE…THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS! John 13:34: “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” • Forgiveness, long suffering, mercy—give a little elbowroom to each other to grow! • Remember some of that Greek meaning for “new”—“unaccustomed”—“new quality”—“never partaken of before”—we have to dive in folks. With the help of His Spirit we can do this! But HOW, you say…listen to this… 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things have passed away, behold, new things have come. • Some people need to take Him off the shelf they’ve put Him on and embrace Him anew. Ephesians 4:24: and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. • Not what YOU think, not what YOU believe, but what the truth is. That REALLY helps explain the next verse… Ephesians 2:15: by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace. In other words-- • We have an Adam nature that tries to obey the Laws of God but is born NOT TO! • This conflict is usually met on our part by excuses as to why our sin is not sin! • So, what do we do? We make more laws, and then break more laws, then make more laws…all to obey God’s 10! • It is a futile effort because when you are in the flesh only sin can abound, and you will find some sorry way around the sin and error. • But if you walk by the Spirit you CANNOT walk by the flesh…therefore—the death of Christ was the word picture of what would happen if you are of Him—the death of the rule of YOUR flesh to sin. The Laws He wants us to obey are now the Laws we WANT to obey because we are NEW in Him. To top all that off—God even says there is more to come! New name – Revelation 2:17 New song – Revelation 5:9 New Jerusalem – Revelation 3:12 and 21:2 New heaven and new earth – Revelation 21:1 Let’s make this a great New Year but let’s do it God’s way…and remember what God says in Revelation 21:5, “I will make all things NEW.” And that includes YOU. NOW GO LIVE IT![Live recording of sermon.]As a nurse, a Major in the military, a Lt Col Chaplain in the USAF Auxiliary, a teacher in college, elementary and high school grades and a minister with a Master’s and Doctorate Degrees, I have a wonderful life in the most wonderful country. In the military, I had the opportunity to visit many other countries, and many of them have nowhere near such a wonderful life. By comparison, this IS the best country on the planet. In order to convey what is so good about America, I need to review a little U.S. history with us at this time. (This is where my students would groan a bit!) Back in 1831, a young French aristocrat, Alexis de Tocqueville, was curious about our new, developing government here in the colonies. After a lengthy visit, he wrote a mammoth volume of his observations in a book called, “Democracy in America”. He concluded that, “America is great because she is good; when America ceases to be good, then she will cease to be great.” However, the freedom and prosperity we enjoy here are fragile things. President Calvin Coolidge said that, “Freedom is not only bought with a great price; it is maintained by unremitting effort.” Our system of government and economics is good, but just the system by itself is insufficient to bring about the continued order, prosperity and progress we so richly enjoy. Our Founding Fathers understood a key principle—that government is incapable of coercing good behavior. They realized that good behavior was a result of training in religious and moral principles. John Adams explained it this way. He said, “Our Constitution was made ONLY for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Noah Webster, in a textbook that he wrote for public schools, told students, “All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.” George Washington, in his farewell address said, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity—religion and morality are indispensable supports.” Washington was so strongly convinced of this truth that he believed and stated that no man could be called an American patriot if that man tried to weaken religion or morality in the public arena. Are we hearing many community and national leaders saying this today? I firmly believe that the domestic problems and the foreign dangers, which disturb our nation today, are due to the crumbling of the moral and spiritual foundations upon which this great nation was founded. Without moral and spiritual absolutes, our country is doomed to further decay and destruction. We need to be instrumental in building the future with strong morally excellent families, churches, businesses and schools. I LOVE this country and am a passionate patriot. I have come to conclude that what is so good about America is its people. And when its people cease to be great so will our nation. America’s moral decline has occurred, not because those who hate God have done so much, but rather that those who love God have done so little! Unbelief, corrupted church doctrine, secularization of our educational system and the decline of active citizen participation in the political process have all sorely contributed to our nation’s moral decline. Young people, I share these thoughts and comments with you, not to stir up fear or debate, but rather to stir up action. Our government – of, for, and by the people – will be strengthened only as our people are morally strengthened; and that starts in the home, not in the community. If we continue to hold on to political correctness, instead of moral correctness, our nation shall perish. I mentioned previously that what is so good about America is its people. However, its people are often naïve and uninformed, relying too heavily on our secularly saturated media reports which tend to be skewed to a liberal, socialist, humanist worldview. In the past few years, I have had many occasions to visit our local high schools to speak to them about our people and our America. I also have had the opportunity to share some of my experiences I had while serving as a nurse in Vietnam and have been pleasantly surprised to find that many of these classes are full of great kids, just like you guys. They are full of energy and a vibrant, wholesome outlook, much different from that which is often portrayed in the news. I share with them that in Vietnam I had the privilege of working with and trying to help some of the men whom I call the finest threads of America’s cloth. This is the example of the kind of young people America has at its heart. I believe that there are many more of our youth with this kind of bravery, moral code, sense of duty and love of country who are willing to work hard for a good future. I think the voice of truth is going to get louder and louder because it is YOU who must speak. Our country is full of Americans who look upon work as a blessing, who deeply appreciate a free enterprise system, which helps us maintain our privately owned, for-profit production and distribution systems. Our great country is a unique blend (that I believe has been orchestrated by God). We have many people of high moral character with a will to work; we have the greatest degree of individual responsibility and freedom the world has ever seen. We have an abundance of capital, natural resources, a labor supply and good transportation. The blessings of capitalism are most abundant in America. That is why I urge us all to make sure the “curses” of capitalism are held at bay ... the curses of greed, bribery, sensuality, thievery, lies and immorality of all kinds. I do not want that part of the free enterprise system to reign. We cannot just do as we please. We cannot have freedom just for the sake of freedom, to say and do ANYTHING! That’s not freedom … that’s a “free for all!” General Eisenhower, from WWII, so aptly said, “A country that values its privileges more than its principles shall soon lose both.” We as a nation have been a good nation. We have not always done it right but we strive to. Our Democratic Republic form of government is “messy” sometimes, but it works. This country has produced the greatest industrial, agricultural, financial, scientific and medical progress and educational advances in the world. I urge YOU to keep it that way. But my eye sees some decline creeping into its fiber and that frightens me because a country not worth living in, is a country not worth dying for. We need to have a love for our lives, our families, our church, our community and our wonderful country. We are a nation who has gone to the defense of many other nations, seeking their freedom, not just our own personal defense. We were instrumental in liberating nations such as Japan, France, Germany, South Korea, a valiant attempt in South Vietnam, and the liberation of Kuwait. (Have we received the thank you card for that yet? Hm-m.) Unfortunately, many of these same nations have quickly forgotten our generosity and sacrifice. We often stand alone to face a complicated and almost impossible task to resolve the battle with worldwide terrorism and the fight for Iraq and Afghanistan’s rescue from its long history of pain, torture, despotism and the loss of its people’s fundamental rights and comforts. We are a nation that does not revel in the spoils of war. We do not rule over the conquered. We have destroyed cities in war, but we are the only nation to work so diligently to rebuild them! We give billions of dollars to poor nations (which is often stolen by the their rulers for their own riches). We bring free medical care, food, agricultural assistance, transportation, tools and a mountain of other helps to those who are suffering in other nations, often the same nations who despise and hate us. That is what is so good about America, not just what we do, but why we do it – because it is RIGHT TO HELP OTHERS and because we value the importance of the individual and let our deepest convictions be carried out in the kindnesses of our people. In closing, I would like to share some remarks made by a young, Vietnamese woman named Huong Le. Her comments stress how very different our country and people are from most of the world’s people and governments of the past or present. Huong Le was one of the 123,000 Vietnamese refugees airlifted to the U.S. just before Saigon fell. She was just a kid then and spoke little English. Yet in this great country, she finished her studies and delivered the valedictory address at her graduation from Forest High School in Ocala, Florida. The following is an excerpt from her speech in which she said, in clear English, “I owe my very presence on this stage tonight to you and this wonderful nation. When we could no longer prevail against our enemies, you accepted over 100,000 of us to your shores, gave us freedom, gave us a new start, and gave us a new nation.” She said she had yearned for peace because she had only known war. She said, “I know there are some things worth dying for. The freedom you have here is one of those things.” She continued and said, “I have come to appreciate the United States as the greatest nation on earth. This nation is worthy of your fullest loyalty and greatest sacrifice. Treasure her. Love her. Defend her.” She went on to say, “I treasure the things you have done to give us freedom. You helped us find a home, provided food, found us jobs, helped us learn the language and provided us an education…” “Thank you, America, for standing as a nation of freedom in a world of oppression. Thank You God, for giving me the opportunity to live in a free country which You have so richly blessed…may God richly bless you for being the warm, kind and generous peoples you are.” WHAT A TESTAMENT TO OUR PEOPLE! So, I too, with a soaring heart and a happy expectation of good know that we can look forward to these challenging days that face us and our nation. We can look forward to teaching strong family values and the precepts of life that come from God. I am not talking pie in the sky here! There are many problems that assail our nation. As rich and great as we are, we face pockets of poverty, despair, poor educational performance, teen pregnancies, racial discrimination, drug abuse, sexual perversions, and corruption in all levels of our society. However, by returning to the Godly, moral principles that developed this great nation, YOU can stem the downward spiral. Organizations such as U.S. Air Force Auxiliary/Civil Air Patrol are instruments of this change. There are dedicated cadets and seniors to teach, lead, inform and lobby for keeping our country on track on its appointed journey. Get down to business with moral excellence; get involved in your families, businesses, churches and schools. And may we not only proudly wave our nation’s flag, but also valiantly wave the banner of excellence so that we will also be “what is good about America”. God bless us all. NOW GO LIVE IT![Live recording of sermon.]My usual routine is to make some coffee and sit down and listen to the news so I can wake up a bit and then spend some time in Scripture and prayer. Lately, I’ve had to reverse that. The news is so bad and negative sometimes that I need to have my coffee, try to wake up, and get right into the Word of God so I can live in the “world” of God and not the one blaring in my face. There is great comfort in the Scriptures, even though your life or the world around you may sometimes not be so comfortable, which is why you need to read the Good News so you can face the bad! Be warned though…this is not a cakewalk! Job 16:12 I was as ease, but He shattered me, and He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces. Oh yeah, real comfort in that! But listen to the rest of the story… Hebrews 12:5 My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him. 1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you. The intended result in all this mess of trials and bad news will be our SANCTIFICATION and the BUILDING UP OF OUR FAITH AND TRUST IN HIM! Hebrews 12:11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. ADDENDUM to this… HOPE is a key element in reading the Good News so you can face the bad. The Greek word for hope means “confident expectation,” a happy anticipation of good.” Job 13:15 – I will hope in Him Psalm 39:7 – my hope is in You Lord Romans 5-5 – hope does not disappoint Romans 12:12 – rejoicing in hope Colossians 1:27 – Christ in you, the hope of glory Titus 3:7 – the hope of eternal life 1 Peter 1:3 – born again to a living hope If you’re not grounded in GOD’s truth, you’ll fall for anything. In today’s world of negative news, fake news, exaggerated news, opinionated news, you better have the hope of glory! Make sure you read the Good News, so you can face the bad! NOW GO LIVE IT![Live recording of sermon.]Folks…have fearless trust in God. Be encouraged, not discouraged, especially as we look at the world around us: • Pretty unstable in many ways • We have a steady moral decline underway • The war-torn Middle East remains a threat • Immigration control is out of control • Terrorists still exist and are trying to breach our borders • And on and on Hmm, do you feel squeezed in all this? Remember though, God is not causing all of this confusion. But because He’s not stopping it, He’s doing something with it…squeezing those grapes! And if you’re squeezed by Him and not by your own stupid mistakes, you can count on some good wine coming forth. Now that I think of it, even in your own mistakes, “All things work for good to those that love God and are called according to His purpose”. (Romans 8:28) Some things are physical “squeezings” and you’re in control of a bit of it…your money, emergency preparations with clothing, water, food at the ready, loss of electric. And even in some of your control, you’ll still be squeezed! Expect the pressing but look forward to the wine, so to speak. Don’t fear the squeezing or the times we are in: • You may be the poured-out wine for someone else • Your suffering may be the can opener God uses to get into someone else’s heart • Perspective is everything…take a look at Psalm 27 Do not fear…nothing but success is ahead…onward Christian Soldiers! NOW GO LIVE IT![Live recording of sermon.]If you have never put your complete faith in Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation, why not believe what God's word says and call on Jesus Christ to save you right now? Click here and let us show you how you can KNOW JESUS |
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