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[0:00] It's made very, very clear that just as certain as there is a physical dimension that nobody disagrees with, there is a spiritual dimension that many disagree with.

[0:14] Because the physical, you can see, feel, hear, and touch. The spiritual, you can't. And that has led many to believe that the spiritual doesn't even exist.

[0:24] But when our Lord uses the term like, I am the light of the world, that's a spiritual use of it. He's not saying that he's some gigantic incandescent light bulb.

[0:36] He's saying that he has spiritual light to give to the world. The same with spiritual bread and the same with spiritual water. Because we are on two different dimensions.

[0:47] And this is why, among other things, that Jesus said, man shall not live by bread alone. You realize how significant that is? What he's saying is, there is more to your being than your body.

[1:04] You are not just flesh. There is another dimension to your being. And that is that unseen portion of your being that is the real you.

[1:17] That is your human spirit. And when people hear things like washed in the blood, it just goes right over their head. They cannot grasp it at all. But it is a great truth.

[1:29] And what Christ is saying, unless you become a spiritual partaker of me, there is no life in you. And some, not knowing what to make of that, said, this is crazy.

[1:41] And it says many of his disciples. I want you to note now. The text says many of his disciples. A disciple is a learner. The word is mathetes in the Greek.

[1:52] And it means a learner or a follower after. These were people who were followers of Jesus. And it says many of them went back and followed him no more.

[2:04] And as Nathan said, Jesus then turned to the twelve and he said, well, what about you guys? What are you going to do? I wonder how quickly they answered that.

[2:17] I wonder if some of them were really thinking, should I stay here or should I go with them? And one spoke up and said, well, where are we going to go?

[2:33] To whom shall we go? You have the words of life. Tantamount to saying, there's a lot you say that we don't understand. But we are sticking with you because of what we do understand.

[2:48] Wow. It's really wonderful. And those songs. And when we sang, I'd rather have Jesus. I heard you all singing. And I was singing too.

[3:01] But I heard somebody else's voice singing. And it was George Beverly Shea. Nobody ever sang that song like George Beverly Shea.

[3:12] Love that. Just wonderful. And as regards announcements, I appreciate Joe making those that he did. But I've got some to add to them. And one reason is because I just got them about five minutes before the service started.

[3:28] So I didn't have time to try to clue him in. But it would have been too detailed to explain anyway. If you're interested at all in football or in a great testimony, get pen and paper.

[3:38] Because I want you to be able to write down something. You can check it on the Internet. And you will want to plug into this. I know I plan to watch it this afternoon. Many of you are familiar with Bobby Bowden.

[3:51] He was a coach of Florida Seminoles forever. And he passed away. He was a devout believer. No apologies for his faith in Jesus Christ. And he lived his testimony throughout his life.

[4:03] Enormously successful football coach. And I did not see this. Wasn't even aware that it was on. But our secretary, Chris, was telling me this morning that you can click on Seminoles.com.

[4:22] Now, it may be difficult for you Ohio State fans to do that. But try to make space for Bobby Bowden, okay? Seminoles.com.

[4:33] And it is the Bobby Bowden Life Celebration. And she said it was about two hours long. And the testimonies and what people had to say and share regarding Bobby Bowden and his faith in Christ, his love for family and the football, all the rest of it, was very inspiring.

[4:50] So you might want to consider a relaxed afternoon for some inspiration. And that, once again, is just Seminoles.com. Bobby Bowden Life Celebration.

[5:03] I'm sure you would really enjoy it. And in addition to the book that Nathan was talking about, Law and Grace, this was a book that was written many years ago by Dr. Alva McLean.

[5:20] He was the first president of Grace Theological Seminary over in Venona Lake, Indiana. And a man highly respected for his gifts and abilities, particularly in proclaiming the Word of God.

[5:33] And with Nathan, I would have to agree, I have not ever come across a booklet so small, so well-packed with easily understood truth regarding the subjects of law and grace.

[5:52] And when the Apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 6, for we are not under law, but under grace. What precisely does that mean?

[6:03] The answer is stunning because it talks about grace in a way that most people simply do not understand. And let me tell you this. It talks about grace in a way that a lot of people who have already been saved by that grace don't understand.

[6:25] And that's a shame. Because nothing is so illuminating, so encouraging, so revealing, so comforting, as having a real, solid, firm grasp of grace.

[6:43] What it means. It isn't license. It is, well, get the book. And if those are exhausted, we can always get more.

[6:55] And speaking of books, this is remarkable. I never thought I would finish this book.

[7:06] Never thought I would actually read it. I thought maybe I'll just scan it. But I got into it, and pray tell me, Erin Odom.

[7:18] Never heard of her. Authored a book called You Can Stay Home With Your Kids. A hundred tips, tricks, and ways to make it work on a budget.

[7:37] Now, pray tell me, why in the world would any preacher with a grandchild so far removed from this kind of content have any interest at all in this?

[7:54] But I did, and I'll tell you why. I think one of the greatest tragedies that has befallen the American family over the last 20, 30 years is the disintegration of the American family.

[8:17] Families and family connections just aren't what they used to be in very many instances.

[8:29] It is taking a toll on our nation, already has taken a toll. And there are a lot of ramifications to this, and many of them I'm not going to get into, and many of them I don't even know or understand.

[8:42] But I do know that family solidarity, beginning with the scrapping of the traditional marriage in so many cases for the live-in relationships and everything that goes along with it, is all part and parcel of the problem that we're dealing with.

[8:56] And this book, if I had any real preferences for this book, it would be I wish it were available 30 or 40 years ago.

[9:09] Because it is just remarkable. I don't know, like I said, I don't know anything about the author. I do know that this book is written with an unusually beautiful spirit.

[9:20] It's just something that really grabbed me. And I thought, boy, grace people will want to read this. And grandparents whose kids are gone, long gone, you'll want to consider it too.

[9:32] It is so chock full of good, solid information, suggestions, tips, all kinds of things. It's just remarkable, certainly remarkable. So I hope you avail yourself of it and give it serious consideration.

[9:48] Aaron Odom is the author of More Than Just Making It, Hope for the Heart of the Financially Frustrated, and founder of The Humbled Homemaker, a blog dedicated to grace-filled living and designed to equip and encourage mothers in the trenches.

[10:05] Her inspirational practical content has drawn an audience of millions over the years. Aaron and her husband Will live in the South, where they raise their four children.

[10:16] Follow Aaron at the humbledhomemaker.com. This is Onderman Publication. There's a stack of them on the table back there. And it will be wonderful, encouraging reading for everyone, even if you're not into homeschooling like they are.

[10:34] And that's, by the way, something that's becoming more and more justifiable, because the adversary has successfully commandeered our educational system.

[10:47] And there are places where that is not the case, where patriotic and American history truths are still held forth.

[10:58] But I'll tell you, the situation is continuing to worsen, and we are going to be, in our feeble way, attempting to address it today once again.

[11:10] And as indicated in the bulletin, while you are turning to 2 Timothy chapter 3, which I should like to read for you before we begin, and while you're looking for that, I'm going to just read this brief introduction.

[11:26] Last week's message, part 3, was intended to be the final of the brief series. However, following the service, Pastor Marv was approached regarding a follow-up.

[11:40] So what do we do now? We pray. We write our representatives. We encourage Christians to run for a seat on the local school board. So what else can we do as regards to a practical action plan?

[11:57] Think about it as you read this, because in a few minutes you can speak up. You'll have opportunity to express your views or suggestions or ideas or whatever as the morning goes on.

[12:12] Once again, I want to thank the elders and their wives, because some of the elders' wives have been as involved in mowing and taking care of our property here as some of the men, the elders.

[12:24] And I appreciate the, and I'm not exaggerating, the several thousands of dollars that you saved the church by not having to farm out all of this, because you can't get all of this acreage mowed for 50 bucks.

[12:39] That's for sure. Nobody's going to do that. So thanks again to all the men and their wives who have risen to the occasion and kept the grounds as beautiful as they are.

[12:50] We do appreciate it. And with what we've had to deal with over the lack of attendance and closure for several weeks and the ongoing complications from the COVID, it has, of course, necessarily taken a toll on our income as well as our attendance.

[13:08] And this is true across the board for all churches all across the country. It's nothing new for us, not limited to us, but I do want to express our appreciation for those of you who recognize the difficulty of the time and have chipped in financially and by way of work and effort, et cetera, in so many ways.

[13:29] So your efforts are much appreciated, and we thank you for really being a part of the assembly that you are here. Now, if you'll look at 2 Timothy 3, I'm going to read the first seven verses, and let's stand as we follow along and read the Word of God together, shall we?

[13:50] I'll not ask you to read with me because there are several different translations that you have out there, and it would probably sound like a charismatic congregation if I turned you all loose.

[14:02] So just follow along if you would, please. 2 Timothy 3, and I'm reading from the New American Standard. But realize this. Be aware of this.

[14:14] That in the last days, difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power, and avoid such men as these.

[15:02] Now there is a reference to men. Avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women.

[15:18] Men to be avoided, and women who are weak, weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses.

[15:29] Impulses. Boy, it's hard to read anything in the Word of God that sounds more like what we're living in today than this, you know. I recognize that this has been true for a long time.

[15:42] And then, always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Isn't that something? Well, thank you.

[15:54] You may be seated, and when you are seated, would you please open your Bible to Acts chapter 19, because I've got something to say about the women. Acts chapter 19, and it needs to be given some serious consideration.

[16:12] I'm sorry.

[16:27] I'm sorry. Acts chapter 13. This is Paul's first journey, not his third. Acts chapter 13. And bear in mind, chronologically, the Apostle Paul had come to faith in Christ as a result of the Damascus Road experience about 15 years before he ever took his first missionary journey.

[16:56] That's very interesting, and it needs to be kept in mind, because it helps define the chronology of the book of Acts. And on this first missionary journey, one of the stops they make is in the city of Antioch.

[17:16] It's Antioch of Pisidia. And we read that beginning in verse 48. Well, let's start with verse 46.

[17:29] Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. There's that word, boldly. Now, why would they speak boldly? That means they spoke with confidence. They spoke in a compelling way.

[17:41] And the reason that they could speak so boldly was simply because they knew that they knew what they were talking about. And there wasn't any him-hauling around.

[17:52] They went right to the task. They spoke out boldly and said, It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first, since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, which is in the net effect of what he's saying.

[18:10] Behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. Now, to whom was he saying this? He was saying it to Jews in the synagogue. And, of course, there were interspersed among them also some non-Jews who were God-fearers and some of the proselytes who had been circumcised and had gone the whole route into Judaism.

[18:29] But, by and large, the vast majority of them were Jews. And the text goes on to say, For thus the Lord has commanded us, I have placed you as a light for the Gentiles that you should bring salvation to the end of the earth.

[18:45] And when the Gentiles heard that, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord. Because up until this time, the Gentiles had been pretty much considered as left out.

[19:01] They were consigned to their paganism, to the worship of many idols, many gods, and so on. And they were far removed from the truth. And now, Paul and Barnabas are here delivering a brand new message.

[19:17] And it is the message of the grace of God extended to everyone. It is not Jewish. It is everyone, including Jews.

[19:31] And it is so electrifying and so unlike anything that they had ever heard before, everybody's ears were perked. And we are told that they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord.

[19:44] And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. That's a favorite verse that our Calvinist friends use to justify the idea of election.

[19:54] But I think all the word and all that the text is saying is this, is that there are people, there are people who are seeking truth and are open to truth and available to truth.

[20:09] And when they heard this, the light came on and they are thinking, that's something I've always wondered about. That's something I've always wanted to find out about but didn't have any idea where to go or who to ask.

[20:24] And here, these two men are coming with this electrifying message that is telling us that there is but one God and that we can be rightly related to Him.

[20:36] That is welcome news for anyone who is searching. And let me just insert something here. This is a Wiseman opinion and you can take it or leave it but I'm convinced that it is valid.

[20:49] And that is, God will not allow any sincere seeker of truth to go without the necessary information.

[21:04] The problem is, there is a dearth of sincere seekers because many people already have their mind made up about something.

[21:16] And when you hear the message that the gospel requires, it's going to demand that you change your mind about whatever it was you believed before and believe this new thing, which of course is the gospel.

[21:32] So that's what these people are getting for the first time. And you've got to realize how electrifying this was because you know, churches all throughout the country and for that matter, other countries as well, the gospel and salvation by grace through faith is ho-hum stuff to so many people.

[21:52] We've heard it so many times. We know it backwards and forwards. Yeah, so what else is new? But when you're hearing life-giving information that results in not only a changed life and forgiveness for here and now, but a destiny that is radically altered from being unacceptable to God to being fully in His favor and in His presence and forgiven.

[22:21] You cannot even imagine a concept greater than that. It is a changed life for the immediate and a changed destiny for eternity.

[22:37] How great is that? What can top that? nothing I can think of. And these people are thoroughly enamored with this.

[22:50] They began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord. And verse 49 says, And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region.

[23:02] But... Okay. Trouble is afoot. The Jews aroused the devout women of prominence.

[23:20] Now, what are you ladies doing in this act? You are major influencers.

[23:33] Every woman needs to understand that. Do you realize that there is no one other than God Himself that has greater influence on a man than a woman?

[23:54] For good or for ill? people. In that movie, what was it? The one about the Greek wedding.

[24:09] Some of you saw that, I know. And they were talking about the power of women and that... And these two women were arguing over the orders that their husbands were giving and so on.

[24:22] And one says, well, my husband insists that he is the head of the home. And the other says, that is true. The husband is the head.

[24:35] But the wife is the neck that turns the head. Right on! Right on! Fellas, don't tell me you aren't radically influenced by your wife.

[24:50] I've been radically influenced by two of them. Double whammy! But, bless God, they were both the kind of influence that I desperately needed.

[25:03] But all I'm saying is, in this text here, the women of prominence and the leading men of the city instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district.

[25:14] These women, women really have a lot of influence. Probably a lot more than they give themselves credit for. And there are many times when a husband will condescend seemingly and knuckle down and give in to the demands of his wife and sometimes he won't even let her know it.

[25:36] Because he's still dealing with the male ego. So he just goes on pretending like it's all his plan and all his idea. You know. But, ladies, I'm confident you have no idea how much influence and power you have over a man.

[25:56] And the Bible is replete with instances of that and we all know of cases today where it makes the newspapers how influential. It's just, it's a given and it's supposed to be that way because the man has the power but the woman has the influence.

[26:13] And I'm a firm believer in that. it just, well, that's not our message for this morning and I must get into it. And that has to do with the previous sessions that we have briefly revealed multitude of issues confronting America as we have labeled them as crises.

[26:33] And I'm going to hasten through this because I want to hear from you. And among these latest crises that have arisen have to do with secure or insecure voting and the protection of the ballot box, the immigration that is redefining our nation, particularly at the southern border, it is absolutely unconscionable and unthinkable what is happening by way of illegal immigration.

[27:01] If you had looked at this a year ago, I would have said it was absolutely impossible that it never happened. There's just no way. But it's happening. And every time we think that we've seen it all, there is a new one that pops up and I call these the insanity of the month.

[27:18] And we seem to have a new one that surfaces every month and they seem to be intent on topping the last one. Defund the police is one of the insanities and it is continually being trumpeted.

[27:33] the immigration thing, the secure voting, all of these items that are sapping the United States of its moral and spiritual energy and is reducing us, bringing us closer and closer to a third world mentality.

[27:52] And you need to understand that is precisely the intent of the radicals who are controlling these things.

[28:07] That is the game plan. They do not believe that America as we know it is capable of being remedied.

[28:22] It needs to be destroyed and rebuilt from ground up. And of course it will be rebuilt according to their model. And their model is the socialist agenda.

[28:37] They make no bones about it. We talked about Darwinian evolution, the hypothesis that leads the list to all of the related fallout that issues from that.

[28:54] Among others, the evolutionary position sets the stage for a denial of any God-given base for morality or ethics. There is no moral north star.

[29:08] So morality is what each individual makes it to be and perceives it to be. Without God creating, there is no intent or objective.

[29:24] There is only randomness. we are all here, not as a result of some great being in the beginning who created two people from whom all the others came, but we are here simply as a result of an accident.

[29:43] It was a biological accident when the right ingredients in the muck and the ooze came together and produced the first life form which evolved into this, which evolved into that, which evolved into something else, and it all started millions and millions of years ago with the result that we of this particular generation of human beings are the most further advanced biological life forms that have resulted from that ooze that was originally multiplied.

[30:26] And not all of us are equally evolved because it is only the white race, only the Caucasians, who are the most advanced up the evolutionary ladder than all the others, and the brown and the black folks just haven't arrived to the level that we have, they are below us, they are inferior to us, we are the superior race.

[30:57] This was Adolf Hitler's theory, and he operated on the basis of the superiority of the Aryan race. Now, as detestable as this is, as unscientific as it is, as obnoxious as it is, it was in vogue for a long, long time.

[31:22] After all, during the 1860s, when the Civil War broke out, how many white slaves were there?

[31:35] do you know of any white slaves? They were all black, weren't they? Do you know why they were black?

[31:47] Why they were slaves? Because they were inferior. They deserved to be dominated by the superior race, and that's us white folks.

[31:58] can you believe today that millions and millions of Americans and Europeans once believed that, and lived that, and fought for that?

[32:17] what about that ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth?

[32:28] Well, we've learned a few things about racism. We've learned about how ugly it is, how unscientific it is, how obnoxious it is, how unjust it is, how unrighteous it is, and everything else.

[32:39] But now, we're dealing with, counter to that, called critical race theory?

[32:51] You know what that involves? It's just another form of racism, only it's in another direction. I got a letter just recently from a well-known broadcaster.

[33:04] It says, have you noticed what America's schools are doing to our children? The far left has infiltrated our schools from K through 12, poisoning young minds with a full range of bizarre, twisted, and destructive ideologies.

[33:22] This is another insanity of the month. Among the very worst is CRT, critical race theory.

[33:33] What is that? Critical race theory? What is that? CRT goes by many names. Anti-racism, or the 1619 Project, or Black Lives Matter, or diversity slash equity slash inclusion, but they all boil down to three false concepts.

[34:03] And here's the false concept number one. America was not founded on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but on racism. That was the motivating factor.

[34:18] That critical race theory says was behind the founding of the United States. Second, people are not individuals created in the image of God, but instead are permanently stuck in a socially constructed group, defined by traits like skin color, so that all people are either victims or oppressors, including children.

[34:45] Three, America is not a land of opportunity and freedom for all, but is oppressive and systemically racist in every aspect of society.

[34:58] Now, let me explain something, why this continues to succeed and proliferate. It is because there is so little pushback, and anyone who pushes back is automatically declared racist, and nothing in the world scares the pants off of politicians more than somebody calling them racist.

[35:26] doesn't matter that they don't have a racist bone in their body. Just to be called a racist makes them shiver and shake. They'll do anything to avoid that.

[35:38] And do you know what doing the anything involves more than anything else? Shut up! No pushback, no argument, no debate.

[35:51] Just apologize for being what you are. It's pathetic or what? And if there is pushback, aha, that proves that you are a racist.

[36:06] How many have bought into this? How many corporate boards have bought into this and gotten in line with the demands of these groups to the tune of funneling millions of dollars into their coffers?

[36:20] It's amazing. Absolutely amazing. how many top flight executives and executive boards of major corporations throughout this country have been scared witless and have knuckled under to the demands of these people because they don't even want the possibility of being called racist.

[36:43] racist. This is what we're dealing with. And it is becoming indefensible because to defend it proves your guilt.

[37:01] You see how this thing works? You see the psychology of it? And I'll tell you what is behind it is absolutely brilliant. it is evil brilliance but it is brilliance nonetheless.

[37:16] Evil through and through. And the average American listen we are not invited to debate. We're not invited to argue.

[37:29] We're not invited to push back. We are invited to shut up silence and it's working. it's working.

[37:42] Unbelievable but it's working. CRT is a race-based Marxist doctrine being taught right now in thousands of public and private schools across our country.

[37:59] And you're paying for it. These dangerous concepts divide us and tear apart the very ideas that make America such a success by design, by being colorblind, and treating everyone as individuals.

[38:18] CRT erases the work, sacrifices, and great advances of civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. Jr. If our children swallow these lies, it makes it easier for the left to accomplish its ultimate goals, to completely tear down the America we know and love and remake it to comply with the left's authoritarian agenda.

[38:48] CRT is divisive and regressive. It sets race relations back more than 50 years. It does not belong in our schools.

[39:00] It doesn't belong there any more than the old-fashioned kind of racism where whites were looked upon as superiors to blacks. That didn't belong either and neither does this.

[39:10] This is nothing more than that in reverse. And it is reversed without any significant challenge. change. The name of the game, as far as they are concerned, is to silence any opposition.

[39:30] Don't let them speak. This is the dynamic and the methodology behind a lot of our universities and what's happening. There are a number of capable speakers of a conservative ilk who've been invited into some of the college campuses to give a lecture.

[39:50] And nobody was required to attend. It was free attendance. You didn't have to attend. You can attend it if you want. And immediately protests go up. And if they do get the opportunity to speak, the rabble rousers show up and shut them down so that they can't speak and can't be heard.

[40:09] The name of the game is silence the opposition. It isn't answer the opposition. No, no, no, no. Don't answer the opposition. Silence the opposition so there won't be any opposition.

[40:20] And when the opposition that would be there is silence, guess what the masses tend to think? Well, they must be okay with it.

[40:32] Nobody's saying anything. Nobody's making any waves. And that makes it all the easier for people to accept it. This is where we are.

[40:45] I'm not saying this is where we're going. This is where we are presently. And it all had a beginning with the evolutionary hypothesis that I've been beating like a drum.

[41:02] And the reason I am is because it is so much the grandparent of all of these things that we are talking about. denial of any God given base for morality or ethics means there is no moral north star.

[41:17] It means that there is no intent or objective and no great mind of creatorhood that is behind it all. There is nothing.

[41:29] Which means we are all the result of a biological accident of randomness. that means there is no intent or objective.

[41:40] There is no purpose behind our being here because what purpose do you assign to an accident? And there is no inherent value.

[41:51] There is no image of God that gives us value. The only value you have is what you give yourself. And of course there is no destiny.

[42:04] destiny because this life is all there is and when it's over everything is over. This of course opens the door for abortion on demand.

[42:16] If you buy under the evolutionary hypothesis you are really hard pressed to be anti-abortion because the abortionist says why not?

[42:27] What's the big deal? After all we know it's just a blob of tissue. And this was the argument for a long time and now they have to upgrade it because nobody's buying that anymore especially since they proved that life and everything that is needed for the processing and completion of a human being is present when the sperm fertilizes the egg.

[42:54] Everything is ready for a go. That's personhood. That's life. life and it starts right there. And it opens the door for extreme hedonism which simply means satisfy yourself no matter at the expense of others that makes no difference.

[43:17] And it opens the door for sexual abnormality because there is no such thing as normal sex. Sex is what you want it to be as you want it.

[43:33] Nothing is out of bounds because there is no standard. You set the standard and if you can find somebody who's willing to agree with your standard you can get it on.

[43:45] That's all that matters. And marriage that's antiquated. That's outdated. Who needs that anymore? This is the thinking.

[43:58] And you need to understand it had its beginning with the evolutionary hypothesis. All these things are predictable outcomes of that. Because where you've got no intentionality, no purpose, no meaning, no objective in things being, everything falls apart.

[44:19] Everybody makes their own rules. Reminds me of that verse I think it's either at the end of Joshua or judges, I don't recall which it is now. It said, and in those days there was no king in Israel so every man did what was right in his own eyes.

[44:43] Isn't that something? Why is it mentioned the king? Because the king was the top. Everything filtered down from the top.

[44:56] The king, the example, set the example. He made the rules. He set the standard. And those below complied and got in line with it. But when there is no king, make your own rules, which is precisely where we are.

[45:13] And it not only opens the door for homosexuality, lesbianism, same-sex marriage, or no marriage, opens the door also for the racism that is provided, opens the door also and makes suicide much more appealing, much more attractive, and much more increased in numbers.

[45:48] And you know the scariest thing about it all. It isn't suicide or it isn't doctors helping the terminally ill on into the next life by some medication or suicide by physician as they call it.

[46:08] But suicide is being realized more and more among teenagers. That's the tragedy. And teenagers, so young and so unsuspecting and so unknowing, have a really rough way to go, especially in this world today.

[46:30] I tell you what, I look back on my teenage years and all I can think of was simplicity. Just simplicity. it seemed like nothing was complicated.

[46:42] If you're a teenager growing up in today's world, boy, you've got stuff on your plate that we never even imagined. And who is more vulnerable and subject to self-loathing and everything that goes with it, 99% of which is unjustified, but kids are kids.

[47:05] and it doesn't take much to influence them. And we know the influence that bullies have and that people use the internet to denounce and to defame and to make fun of and to ridicule.

[47:19] And how these vulnerable children, teenagers, take this stuff to heart and are impacted by it in such a way that they're actually willing to end their own lives.

[47:32] And the Darwinian hypothesis makes that no big deal.

[47:44] No big deal. There's no value, comparatively speaking. And, as I said, I could go on and on.

[47:57] This is, I'm going to quit with this, but it's, and it too has such enormous impact that most of us have no idea, no idea. And I'm talking about global warming.

[48:12] Most Americans have no idea, not a clue, as to what is behind this and the multi billions of dollars that it has affected by way of influence here and in Europe and elsewhere.

[48:29] It is just wild. So, do I believe in global warming? Of course I do. Of course I believe in global warming. And I believe in global cooling.

[48:42] And in global warming. And in global cooling. And it's been that way as long as records have been kept. The whole planet has been inundated with frigid air that cools the whole planet by a few degrees.

[48:59] And that can last for many, many years. Decades. Maybe even longer. But the time comes, guess what? When that stuff starts to melt, then what have you got?

[49:11] You've got global warming. Now, we have people in positions of influence and power who are making hay while the sun shines.

[49:22] and they're doing it under the guise of, oh, the planet is threatened. Ten years from now, New York City will be underwater, the whole of it.

[49:36] All kinds of crazy stuff like this. And people buy into it. And look at what's happening now with the fuel prices and, oh, well.

[49:49] If you want to get better mileage for your automobile, just hook a solar panel on the trunk. Go on down the road. Sure, that's going to work. Well, my time is gone.

[50:00] Now I'm on your time and I've got to at least provide you with an opportunity. I've talked about what are we going to do. We can write letters and you should.

[50:13] Write your congressman. In fact, if you happen to catch him here on the right Sunday, you can just save yourself 50 cents and give him your letter.

[50:24] And you can write your representative, you can write your senators, you can write anybody that you want. And it doesn't mean that they're going to do what you say, but you know what?

[50:36] They are all subject to influence. They're subject to hearing from the electorate. And they need to. And you can run for office. You can run for a school board seat.

[50:48] You can do all kinds of things like that. But what I want to know from you is, and I would really value it if you've got any ideas. I've been scratching my head and trying to come up with something.

[51:01] And oh, by the way, I know the most important thing is that we pray. And we do. And there isn't a Wednesday night that goes by, but what about a dozen of us sit right back there in one of those tables in the rear.

[51:14] and we tackle the world's problems. And we tackle them with prayer. And we've been doing that for years.

[51:27] When did this start? When did we start that, John? You remember? It was before the first election. It was before when? Oh, it was before that.

[51:41] It was before Trump was even a candidate. I don't remember when we started, but we've been doing it, and we've been praying, and there are groups like ours all over the country. But you know what?

[51:53] And I don't want to discount prayer at all. I'm convinced that it is the most important thing that we can do, but there is still something within me. that wants to do more, and I just don't know what to do.

[52:13] But I almost feel derelict for not doing something more. Have you got any ideas?

[52:30] Dolly? This might seem really trivial, but Aaron and I from time to time take gift cards for pizza to the police and thank them because those in the front line don't receive enough encouragement.

[52:50] Thank you, and there is certainly no doubt about that. That is a very good practical thing that you can do. And I tell you what, if I were a man in blue with a badge, I sure would be asking myself some hard questions.

[53:12] Is it worth it? Is the position and the responsibility valuable enough in the eyes of enough people that justifies my putting on this badge and walking out in the public every day?

[53:38] I wonder how many wives, how many spouses of police officers have encouraged their mate, hang it up, it's not worth it.

[53:53] They don't care, they don't appreciate you, and you never know. You never know when the next seemingly innocent traffic stop is going to end your life, just like that.

[54:13] And you know what? If you're coming from an evolutionary hypothesis, what's the big deal about putting a bullet in this so-and-so's head?

[54:27] Why not? You see, when you have no intelligent reason for being here, no intentionality, nothing matters.

[54:40] Everything is up for grabs. Just serve yourself in your own imagination and your own desires and the fact that somebody else will pay for your actions, so what?

[54:55] What's the big deal? That's where we are. Anything that you can do to encourage law enforcement, I'm sure they would appreciate.

[55:10] And I'm talking about if you just meet one coming out of Dunkin' Donuts heading for his squad car, tell him that you really appreciate him or her being on the job.

[55:27] Thank you for doing what you're doing. Because they need to hear that. They need to hear that. What else can we do? I'm looking for something to do.

[55:40] and I'm frustrated that I can't come up with something because it just seems like we should be able to. And the desire is there.

[55:53] The will is there. The plan is not. Okay, I'll tell you what we're going to do.

[56:10] I don't want you to think that you're a disappointment to me because you're not. Because why should I think that you are going to be ready to come up with suggestions when I've been turning this thing over in my mind and heart for the last three years and I haven't come up with any suggestions.

[56:26] I certainly can't fault you for not having answers to this and I don't. But if you happen to come up with anything that you want to share with us, next week we'll give you an opportunity.

[56:38] I won't be preaching on this content because last week I said that was the final. Today I'm saying this is the final and it really is because I've got other things on my heart and mind that I want to be bringing you.

[56:50] But I will allow time at the end of the message next week for anybody that comes up with anything and I want you to feel free to do so. And if you do not want to voice it publicly and you just like to scribble it out on a piece of paper and drop it in the offering box that'll do.

[57:08] I'd appreciate that. Feel free to do that and you may sign it or leave it unsigned. Doesn't matter. I would welcome any kind of suggestions that you have because I just feel a need in my bones to do something.

[57:25] How can we just stand by and see this country go where people are trying to take it.

[57:41] If you will stand I will pray. Amen. Once again Father we have touched on subjects that are so critical and vital to our being not only as Americans not only as patriots but simply as human beings.

[58:02] We see the adversary gaining the upper hand we see his fingerprints on virtually all of these negatives and he seems to be winning and Christians are intimidated into silence.

[58:29] We need the fortitude and the courage to push back and to run the risk of being called names that we wouldn't be willing to own.

[58:42] People can make accusations about us. People can make us uncomfortable. Are we willing to pay that price? Well God help us if we're not because if we're not willing to pay that price we do not deserve the preservation of this great land.

[59:06] we think of those who have left blood and limbs on far reaches of this world fighting for someone else's freedom.

[59:22] the least we can do is contend for our own and we look to you for genuine involvement solutions action whatever it may be and the courage to do it and to follow through regardless of the cost.

[59:49] no price we might pay is too great considering what's at stake. Thank you for this incredibly wonderful land that has been a beacon of light and hope to millions throughout the world.

[60:09] We see it imperiled. Are we willing to spend and be spent to reverse it? Thank you for the presence of each one here today and for the patriotism that we know is lodged in their hearts.

[60:29]  Dismiss us now we pray with your blessing in Christ's name. Amen. Amen.