00:00:32.025 Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Freedom Church. I'm Pastor Eric.
00:00:36.555 We can give God a great big hand. What an amazing story Lori shared as well, and it
00:00:41.385 never gets old hearing what God does and bragging on Him.
00:00:45.525 He still heals, still sets people free.
00:00:48.525 For those of you who weren't here last Sunday, I wasn't here either because I was
00:00:51.885 home sick, and thankfully Jared was able to step in and preach for me.
00:00:55.875 I'm doing much, much better. Everyone, thank you so much for the texts, and the
00:00:59.116 prayers, and the well wishes, and all those things.
00:01:01.125 But I can tell you, I miss being here. I watched online.
00:01:05.085 Thankfully, we have that online option.
00:01:07.335 I want to say welcome to everyone watching online, but it is so much better in
00:01:10.755 person. You've got to be here in person as much as possible, but I'm so glad we
00:01:14.415 have that option as well. For those of you who are maybe newer to Freedom Church or
00:01:20.205 you're joining us for the first time, we're talking today about religion and
00:01:24.375 politics. So some of you are like, "Yes!" Some of you are like, "What are you going
00:01:28.426 to say?" There's probably some apprehension with some of you.
00:01:31.635 Some of you are like, "I'm just along for the ride, see what you're going to say."
00:01:34.726 But before we get into the message, something very important to me is today is
00:01:38.805 known as the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.
00:01:42.795 So the persecuted church are the Christians who are being persecuted, hunted down,
00:01:47.685 imprisoned, in many cases killed, just for being a Christian.
00:01:52.245 They believe the same things we believe as Christians, but they're killed for their
00:01:55.305 beliefs, where we have the freedom and the luxury of gathering together openly to
00:01:59.955 worship God. The two pictures on the screen behind me are just two organizations
00:02:04.095 that I follow. I get their emails. I read their stories.
00:02:07.486 The VOM is Voice of the Martyrs, and Open Doors.
00:02:10.575 Both those organizations are helping support persecuted Christians, are also
00:02:16.125 resourcing people with Bibles. They have to smuggle Bibles into many different
00:02:20.476 countries because the Bible is banned in many countries.
00:02:24.616 Which always blew my mind of why would you ban something if it's just a
00:02:28.935 mythological book of fairy tales and ancient stories?
00:02:32.505 But if you have to ban something, it's because there's power attached to
00:02:35.744 it. There's power in the word of God. But these Christians are being killed, and these
00:02:40.575 are not just Christians from another nation.
00:02:42.645 These are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and I want us to take it seriously,
00:02:46.905 just to open our perspective a little bit, broaden our perspective.
00:02:49.965 When you read the stories, you see what's happening in Nigeria, and Pakistan, and
00:02:54.105 throughout Africa and Asia, primarily. There's a lot of Christians being killed.
00:02:57.855 Thousands every year are killed just for being Christians.
00:03:01.065 But what's happening, a lot of Muslim people are coming and actually burning down
00:03:05.505 Christian churches, and then the Christians, they gather next week in the
00:03:09.616 burned-out church that doesn't have a roof.
00:03:12.196 I've seen videos and stories of these Christians are coming and worshiping God in a
00:03:16.335 burned-out building at a real threat to their life.
00:03:19.665 But many times we go, "I don't know. You feel like going to church today?
00:03:23.265 Is it a little too cold out? Is it raining a little too much?" And we can become
00:03:27.345 very convenient Christians or passive Christians, rather, and we see what the
00:03:31.905 persecuted church is facing. It should stir us and motivate us to be more serious
00:03:37.065 about our faith, to take our faith more serious, and to realize there's people
00:03:40.245 around the world that are suffering for the very same beliefs and things that we
00:03:44.685 have here in our country. So I just want to take a moment, I ask you to join me in
00:03:48.525 prayer, and if you're watching online, just to join me in prayer.
00:03:51.165 We want to pray for the persecuted church.
00:03:54.285 So Heavenly Father, God, I first and foremost just thank You, God, that we live in
00:03:58.725 the United States of America, God, that we live in this country where we can gather
00:04:02.415 openly, publicly. God, that we don't have to meet in fear or in hiding, but God, we
00:04:07.575 can openly gather to worship You, to read your Word.
00:04:11.986 God, that we have so much access to Your Word and to different versions and
00:04:16.696 translations of the Bible. God, that we can even live stream our services online.
00:04:21.196 God, I thank You that we live in a country that still has freedom of religion, the
00:04:25.245 freedom to express ourselves, to worship You, and to gather.
00:04:29.595 And God, I pray that we would take that privilege that we have very seriously as we
00:04:34.366 see and hear the stories, and for those of us who don't know, God, that we would
00:04:38.176 take the initiative to go and read and see what's happening to our brothers and
00:04:43.155 sisters in Africa and Asia, and different parts of the world, where our family is
00:04:48.196 being hunted down. They're being imprisoned, beaten, tortured, and put to death
00:04:53.745 simply because they profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
00:04:58.995 God, I pray You'd stir our hearts. God, move us to see what You are doing in the
00:05:04.245 world, God, as we see thousands of Christians being killed annually.
00:05:08.025 God, we see millions of people giving their life to you as well.
00:05:11.055 So God, we pray for Your grace to be upon the persecuted church.
00:05:14.415 We pray for Your resources, Your provision for them.
00:05:17.835 God, continue to use them to expand Your church, to advance Your kingdom in some of
00:05:23.625 the darkest, most evil places on the planet.
00:05:27.075 God, I pray for Your kingdom come, Your will be done.
00:05:30.375 And God, we do pray for comfort. We pray for peace.
00:05:33.255 We pray for Your grace to be upon the persecuted church, to continue to advance the
00:05:37.785 gospel. And God, I pray You'd move on our hearts of how we can better help and
00:05:42.525 support them through prayer, through resources, through awareness, and raising
00:05:47.385 awareness for them. And God, I just pray that we would take our freedom very
00:05:51.676 seriously as we see what's happening to those around the world, and we lift up the
00:05:55.815 persecuted church. God, I pray Your will be done in Jesus' name. Amen.
00:06:01.215 Amen. Well, as I mentioned last Sunday, also not only did Jared got to preach, five
00:06:07.095 people were water baptized last Sunday. Can we give God a hand?
00:06:10.755 That means 24 people have been water baptized here at Freedom Church, and we want
00:06:15.255 to encourage people to take that next step.
00:06:17.715 That it's a step of identifying publicly with what God has done on the inside of
00:06:22.755 you. The next date we have, we don't have a slide for, is January 3rd.
00:06:26.055 You can save the date. If you've never been water baptized, we want to celebrate
00:06:30.555 kicking off the new year. I know it's hard to hear New Year's coming soon.
00:06:34.215 In just two months, we'll have a new year, and we want to celebrate with people
00:06:37.245 taking that next step of water baptisms.
00:06:39.014 Look for those that sign up and registration coming to you very, very soon.
00:06:44.415 But today, talk about church and politics.
00:06:46.935 Two things you're not supposed to talk about, especially at family dinner.
00:06:51.435 Thanksgiving's coming, so it's like if you want to really get somebody's blood
00:06:54.946 boiling, we all know, just bring up politics.
00:06:57.555 Or bring up some aspect of faith, especially if there's a difference of opinions in
00:07:02.385 that. But the Church and our religion, our faith, should ultimately affect every
00:07:07.815 aspect of our life. As Christians, as followers of Jesus, our faith is
00:07:13.545 something that lasts not just for this life, but for eternity.
00:07:17.655 So it's the most important thing to talk about.
00:07:20.895 I believe the politics in a government is very close to second most important,
00:07:25.275 which is why people say don't talk about it, because it affects our communities, it
00:07:30.226 affects our schools, it affects our state and our nation.
00:07:33.825 It affects so much around us, the moral laws or immoral laws that exist.
00:07:38.866 It affects how we function, how we relate, how we care, all these aspects that it's
00:07:43.726 so important. And I know some of you are here today, and you're probably waiting
00:07:47.325 for me to say, "Just tell us what you believe and tell us who to vote for."
00:07:51.616 Personally, I love to have conversations about politics.
00:07:54.585 I love to talk to anybody privately.
00:07:56.715 But as a church and as an organization, we do not publicly endorse or support any
00:08:02.445 party or candidate. It's very important you catch it, because as a church, our
00:08:07.545 primary goal is Jesus first. Jesus first.
00:08:11.445 The Kingdom of God first and foremost.
00:08:14.505 Yes, we're going to talk about some biblical principles.
00:08:16.905 Yes, I want to encourage you to vote.
00:08:18.855 We have a midterm election coming up on Tuesday.
00:08:21.465 Yes, I believe we have a civic responsibility and duty, and I want to help you
00:08:25.155 practically, how do we apply our biblical principles, things we find in the Bible,
00:08:30.735 to how we vote? And it's not just voting along political party lines.
00:08:36.465 It's not just voting for people because they look good or sound good.
00:08:40.155 But our biblical principles should be what drives us in every aspect of our life,
00:08:45.705 especially when it comes to voting.
00:08:47.835 So I'm not here to yell, to put people down, to bash anyone.
00:08:52.935 I'm not trying to offend anybody unnecessarily.
00:08:56.715 If you're offended, I hope it's because of the Word of God that offends you,
00:09:00.195 disagreeing with what the Bible says.
00:09:02.805 But if you realize, of every religion that exists, there's one that's most
00:09:06.735 censored. It's Christianity. Of all the nations, there's 15 nations now that
00:09:12.819 are extremely persecuted, persecute Christians, and it keeps growing.
00:09:17.499 There's dozens of countries that ban the Bible, that forbid the Bible.
00:09:21.489 But even in the United States, in our world, what's the one religion that you're
00:09:25.119 not supposed to bring into the schools? Keep your faith inside the four walls.
00:09:29.499 Keep your faith at the church. Don't bring that into the schools.
00:09:32.589 Don't bring that into the workplace.
00:09:34.359 Definitely don't bring it into politics and government.
00:09:37.059 But every other religion is celebrated and welcomed into the schools, into the
00:09:42.849 workplace, into politics. We're going to talk about Islam.
00:09:47.049 It's celebrated in schools. It's celebrated in politics.
00:09:50.230 It's celebrated when the governor of New York City or the mayor of New York City is
00:09:53.919 a Muslim. It's like we celebrate that as a people, but yet Christians are told to
00:09:58.749 be quiet, be silent. Now, I don't even fault the Muslims.
00:10:02.559 They do what they're supposed to be doing.
00:10:04.150 Christians, we're supposed to be doing likewise.
00:10:07.059 We're supposed to be speaking up and standing up against the evil and the things
00:10:12.819 that exist in this world. And I think for so long, Christians have been told to
00:10:17.019 keep quiet, don't talk about political issues, keep that separate, and the church
00:10:22.269 and state was never meant to be separate.
00:10:23.829 The only separation was the state was not allowed to control the church.
00:10:29.409 In fact, the church should never be afraid or intimidated by politics because the
00:10:35.169 church belongs to Jesus. We, as the church, belong to
00:10:40.809 Jesus, not to government. And if we keep being silent, we're going to continue to
00:10:46.659 see our country, our government, and the state of our world get worse and
00:10:52.480 worse. And unfortunately, many spiritual issues have become political issues, and
00:10:58.179 just because something becomes political doesn't mean it stops being spiritual.
00:11:02.049 So we're going to speak to some spiritual issues that have become political, and I
00:11:06.639 want us to understand something that is so important. We're not endorsing.
00:11:10.299 I just want to reiterate, I'm not endorsing any political party.
00:11:13.599 I'm not endorsing any candidate. But I'm not going to back down from speaking
00:11:17.889 truth. And at Freedom Church, we're always going to speak the truth in love.
00:11:23.169 We don't hate people we disagree with.
00:11:25.089 We don't hate people who vote differently and have different agendas. We love them.
00:11:29.409 We pray for them. But we still have to speak truth according to the word of God.
00:11:34.689 We ultimately do not belong to a political party. We belong to the Kingdom of God.
00:11:40.959 So Freedom Church is not a church for the Democrat.
00:11:44.049 It's not a church for the Republican. It's not a church for the Libertarian.
00:11:48.549 We are Christians first. Yes, all people are welcome, but we are a church that
00:11:53.709 stands for Jesus first. Before we're even Americans, we are Christians.
00:11:58.839 Let our identity be sons and daughters of God, then that determines how we
00:12:04.809 vote, how we live our lives, which party we are more closely aligned to, or which
00:12:09.759 person we can support. But we must not forget that we are Christians first, and we
00:12:13.719 belong to the Kingdom of God. We take our orders not from a politician,
00:12:19.659 but from Jesus. He's the one who directs us. He's the one who guides us.
00:12:24.459 And our convictions should not be based on social media or what's popular, but on
00:12:29.499 what does the Bible say. And if we don't have convictions, we need to get them
00:12:33.969 because the Bible, we preach the whole counsel of God.
00:12:37.089 I'm not afraid to preach any aspect of the Bible.
00:12:39.549 There's not parts that we pick and choose from, and we like this, we don't like
00:12:42.999 this. We preach the whole counsel of God, and any and every issue that's necessary
00:12:48.639 to address, I'm willing to address it.
00:12:50.949 And I want us to share that, not arrogantly to say we should have nothing to fear
00:12:55.629 if we stand upon the word of God. Because ultimately, catch this, our citizenship
00:13:01.779 is not in American first. Our citizenship is in heaven.
00:13:06.400 Philippians 3:20 says our citizenship, where we ultimately belong, our identity,
00:13:12.279 our citizenship is in heaven. As Jared mentioned last week, there's two places
00:13:16.659 you're going to end up, heaven or hell. The Bible's very clear.
00:13:19.539 He's going to separate those to the right, separate those to the left.
00:13:22.809 That's not a political statement, that's just what the Bible says.
00:13:25.329 He's going to separate us because those who follow God, who await their Savior,
00:13:31.299 Lord Jesus, our citizenship is in heaven.
00:13:34.719 So if our citizenship is in heaven, yes, we have responsibility here and now.
00:13:40.449 Yes, we have a civic duty, but ultimately, we're not living for America.
00:13:44.980 We're not living for our Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
00:13:47.529 We're not living for our school district.
00:13:49.539 We're living for something that lasts beyond our lifetime, something that's going
00:13:54.009 to last for eternity. We're called to live for the Kingdom of God while being
00:13:59.529 responsible citizens in the country where God has placed us.
00:14:04.389 God has called us to seek the good of the place where we live.
00:14:07.989 In Jeremiah 29:7, this is the Israelite people are actually exiled.
00:14:13.389 They're in enemy territory. They're in Babylon.
00:14:16.689 And God tells them, the Israelites, "Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to
00:14:21.699 which I have carried you into exile." A place they did not want to be.
00:14:26.619 A place that they shouldn't have been unless they, because they rebelled and turned
00:14:30.249 away from God, they ended up in exile.
00:14:32.529 He says, "Pray to the Lord for it." Pray for that nation. Pray for that city.
00:14:37.299 Because if it prospers, you too will prosper.
00:14:41.980 God calls us to care for the land and the area in which we live.
00:14:48.339 We are called to pray for our community, to serve our community, to care about the
00:14:54.369 next generation, the future of our children, to participate in making our
00:15:00.159 community better. So when people say, "Well, Christians shouldn't care about
00:15:03.819 politics," no, God commands us to care about our nation.
00:15:08.349 So caring about United States, caring about our state, caring about our communities
00:15:12.639 is not only important, it's commanded to pray for our nation, to pray for our
00:15:18.429 communities, to pray for our schools.
00:15:20.829 We have the opportunity and responsibility to participate.
00:15:25.959 One of the ways we participate, it's not the only way, one of the ways we
00:15:29.829 participate is through voting. And I want to encourage every single one of you to
00:15:34.689 vote. You should vote. You should vote on Tuesday.
00:15:38.589 You should vote on the primaries. You should vote and exercise the freedom that you
00:15:43.150 have to vote because so many countries do not give the opportunity to vote.
00:15:48.609 If we have a voice and an opportunity to influence the direction of our nation, why
00:15:53.109 would we refuse to use it?
00:15:56.980 But I know there's probably people in the room that you really want me to say some
00:16:00.639 things like, "Vote this way," or, "Vote that way." And there's really two main
00:16:04.689 options in the United States. There's Republican, there's Democrat, there's red,
00:16:08.919 there's blue. And many times, if you read through the Gospels, one of the things I
00:16:12.189 love reading is how many times Jesus was faced with two options.
00:16:16.119 Have you ever done that? You go to God, you're like, "God, which one is it?
00:16:19.119 Is it this one or this one?" In my experience, he typically says neither.
00:16:23.289 It's like, "God, is it option A or is it option B?" And he says, "It's option E."
00:16:27.849 You're not even close. Or it's a yes or is it no? God says it's a not yet.
00:16:33.489 You're not ready yet. Or maybe there's a timing thing.
00:16:36.069 So many times, people try to trap Jesus into picking a side.
00:16:41.109 And we see this in Matthew 22. It says the Pharisees, the religious leaders at the
00:16:45.009 time, they send some of their disciples, some of their students.
00:16:48.069 They say, "Hey, go." They're trying to trick Jesus. They're going to trap him.
00:16:51.879 So they send him to talk to Jesus and ask him this question.
00:16:54.730 They're trying to get him arrested.
00:16:56.439 So they come to Jesus, and they say, "Teacher, we know how honest you are.
00:17:00.849 You teach the way of God truthfully.
00:17:03.039 You are impartial and don't play favorites." Now, they have an agenda.
00:17:07.659 They have evil motives, so they're trying to trap him, so they're kissing up to
00:17:12.279 him. They're sucking up to him, trying to get him to like them.
00:17:15.489 That's how they start this. "We know you are honest. We know you teach.
00:17:19.269 You're such a wonderful teacher, Jesus." That's how I read.
00:17:22.599 They come to Jesus trying to pacify him, trying to please him.
00:17:26.139 And they say, "Now tell us what you think about this.
00:17:28.689 Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" Now, this is a trap because if he
00:17:34.749 says, "Yes, pay taxes to Caesar," all the Jewish people are going to be upset, just
00:17:40.329 like all of us. Now, I remember the first time I read this.
00:17:42.909 I was reading it, and it was like a movie in my head.
00:17:44.769 I'm like, "What's he going to say? Give tax, pay the taxes or not?" I'm like,
00:17:48.789 "Please say no. I don't want to pay taxes." But then he doesn't answer.
00:17:52.150 He doesn't answer the way I want him to.
00:17:53.319 But he says, "Do you pay taxes to Caesar?" All the Jews are going to be upset.
00:17:56.739 If he says, "Don't pay your taxes," guess what? The Romans are going to be upset.
00:18:01.029 They're going to arrest Jesus, charge him with sedition, which is rebellion,
00:18:05.349 because they're telling people not to pay their taxes, and he's a threat. What?
00:18:08.919 It's a lose-lose situation. If he says yes or no, what's he going to do?
00:18:13.324 Well, in the very next verse, verse 18, Jesus knew their evil motives.
00:18:17.973 Okay, catch this. He didn't fall for their trap.
00:18:20.103 They weren't genuinely asking God, "Jesus, just teach us.
00:18:23.493 We know you're such a good teacher. Teach us.
00:18:25.353 We really want to know." And he calls them hypocrites.
00:18:28.683 And the word hypocrites there, it's like an actor who's pretending to do something.
00:18:34.023 They're like an actor in a Hollywood movie. They're pretending.
00:18:37.383 He calls them out and says, "You're lying.
00:18:39.453 You're falsely representing yourself as this a curious person who just wants to
00:18:44.133 learn." He said, "Why are you trying to trap me?
00:18:48.453 Here, show me the coin used for the tax." They handed him a Roman coin, and he
00:18:53.613 asked, "Whose picture and title are stamped on it?" Well, they responded,
00:18:58.983 "Caesar's." "Well then," he said, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give
00:19:04.713 to God what belongs to God." Now, in the moment of reading this and seeing the
00:19:09.513 story, it's like, what's he going to say?
00:19:11.493 He comes up with this idea none of us would be that smart to come up with.
00:19:14.763 Give me the coin. Let me show you. And it's interesting, he says, "Give to Caesar
00:19:19.353 what is Caesar's, but then give to God what is God." What is ultimately God's?
00:19:23.733 Everything. Through God, we have all things.
00:19:27.603 Through all things were created through Him.
00:19:30.363 Everything, heaven and earth, was created and given by God and for God.
00:19:34.503 Therefore, everything is to be given to God. But he's like, that's Caesar's money.
00:19:38.583 He put his face on it, give it to him.
00:19:40.803 Jesus wasn't swayed by economics or by money or gas prices.
00:19:46.893 He simply said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, but give to God what is God."
00:19:50.703 Ultimately, everything belongs to God.
00:19:52.654 And then the next verse, they said his response amazed them, and they walked away.
00:19:57.574 I picture them like, "What are we going to do now?
00:20:00.003 We've got to go back and tell our teachers." Remember, these are disciples.
00:20:02.733 They had to go back and tell their teachers that they couldn't trick Jesus.
00:20:06.123 They couldn't get him. The guy's too smart. He didn't fall for it. Now what?
00:20:11.133 And today, in this message, it's not about picking a side, it's about knowing who
00:20:17.433 guides your decision-making, knowing that the word of God is what guides our
00:20:20.973 decision-making. So if you're expecting me to say, "Vote this way or vote that way
00:20:25.023 or vote for a person," you're not going to hear it.
00:20:27.303 You're going to hear vote according to the Bible, or vote to what God says.
00:20:31.683 And I'm going to talk about some of the issues, and one of the main issues that I
00:20:34.923 think is the most important issue, and hopefully, that'll help you practically.
00:20:39.333 But God's people have always been people who spoke up, or when they have, it's been
00:20:44.793 a common occurrence throughout, especially the Old Testament, but the New Testament
00:20:48.273 as well, and we're going to see several examples here.
00:20:50.463 Nathan confronted King David about his sin.
00:20:53.913 So King David, he has an affair, sleeps with Bathsheba, gets her pregnant, sends
00:20:59.013 her husband to the front lines to be killed in combat, and King David had sin in
00:21:03.753 his life, and Nathan came to him and confronted him about his sin, said, "You need
00:21:07.893 to repent. You need to get right with God because of the sin in your life." And
00:21:12.123 Elijah, he confronted King Ahab. King Ahab with wickedness and injustice and
00:21:17.103 passivity. He confronts him so much so that King Ahab's wife, Jezebel, decided to
00:21:22.503 kill Elijah, to go after him and send armies after him.
00:21:25.803 John the Baptist confronted Herod about his immoral relationship.
00:21:30.213 He married his
00:21:32.133 brother's wife, and it was an immoral relationship, and John the Baptist called him
00:21:35.613 out so much so that he got his head cut off because of it.
00:21:39.243 Daniel stood against the king's decree when it conflicted with his obedience to
00:21:44.013 God. When the king made a law that you could not pray
00:21:50.074 to any other god, just to the king, Daniel refused.
00:21:52.923 He said, "I'm going to pray to my God." He refused to be silent.
00:21:57.063 He spoke up even so much he put his life where they threw him in the lions' den to
00:22:01.173 be killed. He stood against the king's decrees to obey God.
00:22:06.423 Peter and John, another example in the New Testament, refused to stop preaching.
00:22:10.803 They were preaching. The Sanhedrin, the most powerful political entity at the time,
00:22:15.993 brings these two guys in, they beat them and flog them, and they tell them, "Stop
00:22:20.133 preaching Jesus." So what do they do?
00:22:22.383 They leave the Sanhedrin, they start preaching Jesus. Right?
00:22:25.503 And they counted it a privilege, an honor that they could be beaten for the name of
00:22:30.423 Jesus. They kept preaching even though they were told to stop.
00:22:35.373 Church, we must speak up. We must be able to obey God,
00:22:41.553 speak the truth, but you've got to make sure you know the truth if you're going to
00:22:44.913 speak it. Because if you're going off of opinion or what somebody else says or
00:22:49.773 something you heard, you're going to fall flat on your face every single time.
00:22:53.973 But we stand upon the word of God, and unfortunately, so many people calling
00:22:58.833 themselves Christians, even in running for political office, that are so far from
00:23:03.363 the truth, so far from being a biblical Christian.
00:23:07.503 People are even twisting scripture to promote their agenda.
00:23:12.303 Ultimately, Peter and John and Daniel, what all these men have in common, they were
00:23:15.904 seeking the approval of God over the approval of man.
00:23:19.833 Paul said in Galatians 1:10, "If I seek the approval of man, then I'm really not a
00:23:23.973 servant of Christ." So we must not be afraid to speak truth and to do it
00:23:29.673 in love. So our vote, as we come to a time of voting, and our decision-making,
00:23:34.803 ultimately, should be informed by our biblical convictions.
00:23:38.913 Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed
00:23:44.943 by the renewing of your mind." One of the biggest dangers for Christians, I find,
00:23:50.373 is how much influence you're allowing from social media, from news networks, or
00:23:55.743 from listening to one side of a political party too much.
00:23:59.493 Because you're listening so much. I like to go and read the political platforms.
00:24:04.143 I know it sounds such a nerdy thing, but I'm like, I want to be educated, not just
00:24:07.443 listen to what a news anchor tells me, but I want to read what they put in writing.
00:24:11.253 And when you read through the Republican political platform and the Democratic
00:24:15.093 political platform, you can come to your own decisions of which one is more closely
00:24:20.463 aligned to the Bible. Which one promotes God as creator, promotes Christian values,
00:24:26.643 protects the sanctity of human life?
00:24:28.893 Which one is promoting biblical principles more than the other?
00:24:32.883 They both actually do. Both of the main political parties promote some Christian
00:24:37.322 values, but one, I believe, does a lot bigger and more clear way of doing that.
00:24:42.662 But our convictions should ultimately come from the Bible.
00:24:45.723 So don't vote just because your parents voted a certain way, or your grandparents
00:24:50.883 voted a certain way. Don't vote just because that's what you've always done.
00:24:54.963 If you're not educated to understand what you're voting, get educated.
00:24:59.554 It really doesn't take long. You don't have to read through 92 pages of the
00:25:03.543 political party platforms to come to an understanding of what they believe and why.
00:25:09.183 And when it comes to individual people, here's the reality.
00:25:12.543 We're always going to have this problem of voting for the lesser of two evils,
00:25:18.063 because every single candidate is a sinner in need of grace, in need of the saving
00:25:23.853 grace of Jesus Christ, just like all of us.
00:25:26.763 There is no such thing as a perfect political candidate.
00:25:30.123 There is no such thing as a perfect candidate running for office.
00:25:33.603 They're all sinners. But you can see a person's policies, the way they vote, what
00:25:39.243 actions they take, and choose to vote according to the greater good that they're
00:25:43.324 going to cause. All of them are sinners. All of them fall short.
00:25:46.864 All of them have something wrong with them.
00:25:49.713 We can't just dismiss them just because they're mean, or they think this way, or
00:25:53.853 they act this way, or they dress this way.
00:25:55.834 We should vote according to what they actually stand upon for the word of God.
00:26:01.533 Your faith should influence your vote.
00:26:05.763 Not just going along with party lines. Every single candidate is in need of Jesus.
00:26:12.304 The difference to me, one of the big differences when you're looking at
00:26:14.672 an individual candidate is, are they promoting policies and things that are going to
00:26:20.223 promote and help the Christian faith or limit the Christian faith?
00:26:24.783 There are many aspects of evil agendas within political parties and individuals
00:26:30.334 that I say, that to me is a disqualifier.
00:26:32.614 If somebody's promoting evil and evil policies, that disqualifies them from
00:26:37.954 receiving my vote. Now, the same thing goes for all the parties and all the
00:26:42.063 candidates, is there's evil and there's good and bad on both.
00:26:45.304 We have to decide for each one of us individually, how are we going to decide based
00:26:49.533 on what the Bible tells us, based on some of the principles we're talking about
00:26:52.923 today, how are we going to vote? So here's a couple biblical principles, just to go
00:26:57.153 through six of these. To help you connect them to, these are biblical principles
00:27:02.361 that have become political. So sanctity of human life.
00:27:06.771 Psalm 139, verse 13 and 16 talks about that we're wonderfully and complexly made.
00:27:12.351 How God knew us. He knit us together in our mother's womb.
00:27:15.951 That He knows us so intimately and personally.
00:27:18.591 That God is the author and creator of life.
00:27:21.951 We think it's us doing some physical act.
00:27:24.621 It's actually God who creates that spark of life at the moment of conception, that
00:27:29.601 God is the one who creates all life.
00:27:32.302 That every single life, no matter what stage of development they're in, is
00:27:37.432 deserving of value. A fetus is no different than a senior citizen or a toddler
00:27:43.401 or an infant or a child or a preteen or a teen or an adult.
00:27:46.521 It's just a stage of development. That every single life is worthy and valuable of
00:27:52.011 protecting, which brings us to protecting the vulnerable.
00:27:55.161 This is speaking up for those who are poor or in need, helping those who can't help
00:28:00.021 themselves. Marriage and family, Genesis 2:24.
00:28:03.981 Marriage is a holy, sacred, biblical term between one man and
00:28:09.861 one woman, period. Now, when people decide to go get connected to someone of the
00:28:15.261 same gender as them, it's a civic union.
00:28:17.721 The state can recognize it, but God does not recognize that as a marriage.
00:28:22.341 Marriage is holy and sacred and is meant to be for the procreation and the
00:28:27.831 representation of Jesus Christ and his Church.
00:28:31.581 So we stand upon, what does the Bible say?
00:28:34.101 The state can acknowledge whatever they want. The Bible is very clear.
00:28:37.581 Marriage is between one man and one woman. How about justice and righteousness?
00:28:42.591 Micah 6:8 says, "Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with the Lord your God."
00:28:48.831 That there's a justice and righteousness that we should desire.
00:28:52.491 We want justice for wrongdoing, but ultimately, we are not to be the judges.
00:28:57.141 God will judge all in the end. Freedom to worship and obey God.
00:29:01.341 In Acts 5:29, are we going to obey God or are we going to obey people?
00:29:05.691 Are we going to obey man or obey God? And ultimately, we have a freedom to worship.
00:29:09.591 These are biblical principles that have become political.
00:29:13.552 There's a reality of more of Islam being promoted and pushed in the United States
00:29:17.511 of America, and we think that we can just work together.
00:29:20.302 The reality is, here, hear me on this, I love, we love, and we should pray for
00:29:24.172 every person of Islam. Every Muslim, we should care for them, we should pray for
00:29:28.161 them. We want them to know God, the one true God in Jesus Christ.
00:29:32.811 But their theology and ideology does not mesh with Christianity.
00:29:36.831 They are anti-Christian in their nature, in their beliefs.
00:29:40.821 Now, they're good Muslim people, but the ideology and the belief is very
00:29:45.621 anti-Christian. And there's policies in government that are trying to remove
00:29:50.841 Christianity and promote Islam more and more, especially the more Muslims get into
00:29:55.191 higher political offices. Christianity is not that far removed from being limited,
00:30:00.591 if not banned, in many states, and not only our country.
00:30:04.701 We've seen it in other countries in history.
00:30:06.741 They were a Christian nation to 5 to 10 years later, it's illegal to be a Christian
00:30:10.700 in that nation. It's not too far to consider that for United States.
00:30:14.391 So the biblical principle helps us how we vote, how we decide things.
00:30:18.291 Religious freedom and conscience. Conscience is our morality, it's our morals.
00:30:22.791 How do we have moral laws without Christians influencing the lawmakers,
00:30:28.432 influencing government? So we must have more Christians and more of the word of God
00:30:33.621 influencing politics. But these are not just political talking points.
00:30:38.302 These are convictions where public policy intersects with them.
00:30:42.831 We should never give our loyalty that's deserving of Christ to any politician.
00:30:49.161 I'll be honest, I see people promoting a politician, posting about that politician,
00:30:54.831 wearing their merch, and traveling around to see this politician more than I see
00:30:58.731 them doing that for Jesus. Why can't we promote Jesus? Why can't we post scripture?
00:31:03.951 Why can't we do something helpful for the kingdom of God before we promote and
00:31:09.052 honor a person, a political candidate, when we should be honestly putting our
00:31:14.001 loyalty to Jesus Christ first and foremost?
00:31:16.941 We don't have to agree with the candidate on everything to recognize that some
00:31:21.411 issues carry greater moral weight than others.
00:31:25.432 There's one issue that I believe is the most important issue, and you can have your
00:31:29.061 hierarchy of values. This is mine.
00:31:31.281 I believe it's the most important, and hopefully in the next 10 minutes, you may
00:31:34.041 come to understand why I at least think this is the most important issue.
00:31:38.001 It's the issue of life. That we are unashamedly pro-life.
00:31:42.621 I don't know how anybody cannot be pro-life, but I understand people have
00:31:46.011 backgrounds and histories and understandings.
00:31:49.641 But Jared mentioned last Sunday about death. We talked about statistics.
00:31:54.321 Every single person's going to die.
00:31:56.571 Approximately 174,000 people die every day in the world.
00:32:00.891 And there's some breakdown. This is according to the World Health Organization,
00:32:04.101 49,000 from cardiovascular heart issues, 46,000 from infectious diseases, 20,000
00:32:09.712 from cancer. And as horrible as all those things are, there's one cause of death
00:32:14.631 that is more than all of the causes of death combined. It's abortion.
00:32:20.902 That according to the WHO, over 73 million babies are aborted
00:32:26.871 every single year. Million. That's 200,000 abortions
00:32:32.991 every single day.
00:32:35.902 In the time you're here, in about an hour, hour and a half, it'll be 10 to 15,000
00:32:39.501 more babies will be aborted in the time that you've sat in church.
00:32:45.111 This is a sobering reality. These are the stats from the WHO, from Guttmacher
00:32:49.821 Institute.
00:32:51.712 This isn't political. This is spiritual.
00:32:55.341 That there are more babies' lives lost to abortion than all
00:33:01.371 other causes combined. To me, that's mind-blowing that we allow that, and then it
00:33:07.371 gets celebrated in so many areas and arenas in our own country.
00:33:12.441 Now, I want to say this, too, because I know in a room like this, and those
00:33:15.471 watching online, I know there's women in the room, you've had an abortion.
00:33:20.241 What I'm not doing is shaming you or guilting you or trying to add weight to you.
00:33:25.490 No, there is mercy. There is forgiveness.
00:33:28.161 The blood of Jesus is enough to wash you clean of having abortion.
00:33:32.121 Or as a man who's helped somebody or paid for an abortion, my goal in this is not
00:33:36.802 to bring shame. I want to bring freedom. I want to bring health and healing to you.
00:33:41.121 But I'm not going to back down from speaking truth of the evil that exists, and it
00:33:45.441 does affect our policies and our politics because it's so divided right now on
00:33:51.351 I cannot personally support anybody who is pro-murdering babies.
00:33:56.751 Let's call it what it is. Abortion is the intentional murdering of babies.
00:34:03.141 It's packaged nicely in reproductive healthcare. It's not reproductive.
00:34:08.031 It's the opposite. It's ending the life of a child.
00:34:10.881 Every single time it ends a heartbeat, it ends a life, something that God has
00:34:16.101 created, abortions end. And if you have had an abortion, or you struggle with that,
00:34:22.432 we want to share resources. We're not just a church that says that we're pro-life.
00:34:26.721 We actually do something about it.
00:34:29.061 Actually, our very first missions offering was to the Network of Life, to help
00:34:33.081 support hundreds of moms choose life. And not just choose life.
00:34:37.071 We have dad support programs. They help the mom with birth mapping and getting
00:34:41.422 ready and ongoing support and diapers and care.
00:34:44.781 The Women's Choice Network, which is owned and operated by the Network of Life.
00:34:48.471 I'm on the board of directors of the Network of Life, and I get to see, I get to
00:34:52.011 hear the stories. I get to see people.
00:34:54.291 Every single time somebody comes into the clinic and they leave and they choose
00:34:58.881 life, there's not a single story I've heard of a parent regretting that decision.
00:35:03.741 Every time a parent chooses life, they don't regret it.
00:35:07.131 But most of the time, if they're really honest, probably 100% of the time, when a
00:35:11.841 woman chooses to have an abortion, she regrets it every time, because she can't go
00:35:16.611 back and change it. You can't go back.
00:35:18.531 This issue to me is the most important because it's permanent.
00:35:22.581 We can disagree on economic policies, immigration policies.
00:35:26.271 Those are all things that can change.
00:35:28.071 Ending a life is permanent. So there's resources to help after abortion.
00:35:32.607 It's for anyone who's had an abortion.
00:35:34.317 There's a support group that's just getting started, meets right here in
00:35:37.527 Monroeville. There's three clinics around Pittsburgh. I want you to get help.
00:35:42.538 We want to provide you with resources.
00:35:44.878 And maybe it's not for you, but somebody you know.
00:35:47.547 You can point them, and it's all free. It's completely free.
00:35:50.937 Embrace Grace is another ministry that we have here at the church.
00:35:54.027 It's a national, international organization where we help single pregnant moms who
00:35:58.707 are unexpectedly pregnant. We come alongside them as a church to love on them, to
00:36:03.447 help them understand their identity and their value in Christ.
00:36:06.297 And then we throw a baby shower for them when they complete their program to
00:36:10.617 celebrate them choosing life. So we're not just saying, "Don't kill the baby,"
00:36:14.217 we're saying, "We're going to come alongside you and help you along the way as
00:36:17.758 well." I want our church, Freedom Church, to be a place where single pregnant women
00:36:21.508 can run to for help, not be cast aside or shamed.
00:36:25.467 And if you've had an abortion, you're not shamed or guilted.
00:36:28.467 I'm saying come get healing. Come get help. There's resources available.
00:36:33.387 We want to help you get free and stay free.
00:36:37.587 But there is a reality of the abortion industry that exists now. It's now online.
00:36:42.687 Many of you might not be aware of how easy it is to get the abortion pill.
00:36:46.527 If you think about this, I have a 16-year-old son.
00:36:49.137 He has an end of school year trip coming up.
00:36:51.657 They're asking parents to give permission for him to go on a field trip.
00:36:55.288 Teenagers need to get a permission slip to go on a field trip.
00:36:59.307 But they can order abortion pills online without parental consent.
00:37:04.467 Mind-blowing to me that kids, you can go online, if you have a credit card or a way
00:37:08.337 to pay for it, you can get the abortion pills, take the pills, and kill your own
00:37:12.327 child, and then you have to deal with the after effects of aborting that child.
00:37:17.878 You can't blame the doctor anymore.
00:37:19.407 You can't blame your healthcare provider because you never saw one.
00:37:22.407 You only have yourself to blame. And there's so many women, I'm telling you, this
00:37:26.487 is such a sobering thing. 200,000 abortions a day.
00:37:30.777 That's not just babies losing their life. That's 200,000 moms living with regret.
00:37:36.087 That's 200,000 dads who are losing their child.
00:37:39.538 There's so much grief and sadness in the world, and it's right here in our
00:37:43.617 doorsteps. Twenty-two a day in Allegheny County alone are having abortions.
00:37:48.117 There's women and young girls right in our doorsteps, people we know, who are
00:37:52.197 having abortions, and they don't know how to deal with the pain.
00:37:56.128 They're turning to drugs, anxiety meds, counseling, all kinds of other stuff, when
00:38:00.207 we have the hope, we have the freedom that's available to them.
00:38:03.567 One, we got to teach holiness, teach purity, teach sex in the confines of marriage
00:38:09.508 only, so we stop having all these unplanned pregnancies, and we start helping women
00:38:14.097 know don't go to a man to be validated or find your value. Go to God.
00:38:19.587 And as parents, we got to step up. And I'm speaking to myself. I got four kids.
00:38:23.367 I know how important my role is in my children's life, so that they don't turn to
00:38:29.097 sex, they don't turn to drugs, they don't turn to other things.
00:38:31.887 We can all do more to help this next generation.
00:38:35.607 And of all the verses in the Bible, there's so many of them.
00:38:38.367 I listed a bunch of them. I was like, Isaiah 49, he's like, "You called me by name
00:38:42.717 before I was even in my mother's womb." Or Jeremiah 1:5 is like, "You knew me when
00:38:46.947 I was in my mother's womb." There's all these verses that talk about why we should
00:38:50.517 be pro-life, that we are called, we are alive at the moment of conception.
00:38:55.527 But then I thought, there's one that's so simple, so clear.
00:38:58.707 Exodus 20:13, "You shall not murder." It's one of the Ten Commandments.
00:39:05.038 There's actually a very becoming famous politician running in Texas who says
00:39:09.297 there's not a single Bible verse that says you shouldn't have an abortion.
00:39:12.897 I'm like, "You shall not murder." It's very clear.
00:39:16.167 Not to mention dozens of other ones that promote life, and health, and growth, and
00:39:21.357 family, and godly marriage. But every single abortion is murdering
00:39:27.327 a baby. It's taking of life.
00:39:32.097 And I even tell people, I've had some disagreements with people over the years, if
00:39:35.758 you can imagine, and I said, "Even if we give a concession legislatively to rape,
00:39:41.397 incest, and the life of the mother, it's less than 1% of all abortions.
00:39:46.707 99% of them are healthy mom, healthy baby." So even if legislatively we agree
00:39:52.617 to allow only abortion for rape, incest, and life of the mother, we
00:39:58.467 eliminate 99% of the other abortions.
00:40:02.187 Let's start there legislatively.
00:40:04.407 If you don't believe that life begins at conception, which science and biology have
00:40:07.707 proven. But Isaiah 5:20, "What sorrow for those who say
00:40:13.707 that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is
00:40:19.467 dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter." Just show of hand, any of you in
00:40:25.407 healthcare?
00:40:27.117 Couple of you in healthcare. What's rule number one of healthcare, the foundational
00:40:30.837 principle?
00:40:32.517 Do no harm, right? Do no harm. Abortion is literally harming one of the patients.
00:40:38.667 It's getting rid of that life for the sake of the mom, and it's usually a
00:40:42.897 convenience. I would say 99% statistically, it's out of convenience.
00:40:47.788 There's bad circumstances, there's a possible risk, and we choose to end the life.
00:40:52.258 And this calling evil good, what God is saying through Isaiah here, he says, "Woe
00:40:57.538 to you who call evil good and good evil." Woe to you who call the
00:41:03.147 intentional murdering of babies reproductive healthcare.
00:41:06.987 That's something that sounds good, but let's be honest about what it is.
00:41:10.857 Woe to you who call surgically mutilating children to change their gender, calling
00:41:16.708 it gender-affirming healthcare.
00:41:19.317 Woe to you who calls evil good and good evil, that dark is light or light is dark.
00:41:25.378 We must be people who stand upon truth and stop calling evil good and good evil.
00:41:30.987 Let's call it what it is. Proverbs 24:11.
00:41:35.607 This is a conviction of mine. He says, "Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to
00:41:41.067 die." Unjustly sentenced. If there's ever an innocent person, it would be a baby in
00:41:46.137 a womb. They haven't even had a chance to lie to their parents.
00:41:49.557 They haven't had a chance to steal something from their brother or sister.
00:41:52.708 They're innocent in the womb, and they're unjustly sentenced to die.
00:41:56.847 Save them as they stagger to their death.
00:41:59.246 Don't excuse yourself by saying, "Look, we didn't know." Every single one of us has
00:42:04.347 access to the information. We're hearing it now.
00:42:07.167 We have no ability to excuse ourselves by saying, "Look, we didn't know."
00:42:13.468 We start by teaching holiness, we teach purity, we teach the biblical values and
00:42:18.117 principles, and then we vote according to the people who are going to stand and be
00:42:23.878 pro-life, not pro-death. I cannot vote for somebody who is pro-death, who is
00:42:29.937 pro a policy that is pro-death, that is evil, and trying to call it something good.
00:42:35.728 And I encourage you not to vote. I'd rather you not vote for somebody than to vote
00:42:39.387 for somebody who has a policy or aligns themselves with a platform or
00:42:45.176 a party that is for the murdering of babies.
00:42:49.557 But ultimately, our mission is bigger than winning an election.
00:42:53.157 I'm not here promoting politics. I'm promoting the Kingdom of God, that our
00:42:58.797 citizenship is in heaven. And as citizens, we are here as ambassadors.
00:43:04.107 You know what an ambassador is? An ambassador is a citizen of one country who goes
00:43:07.737 to another country to represent that country. So our citizenship is in heaven.
00:43:13.377 We're here on Earth as ambassadors. We represent heaven and Christ here on Earth.
00:43:18.657 In 2 Corinthians 5:20, it says, "We are Christ's ambassadors.
00:43:23.547 God is making his appeal through us.
00:43:26.157 We speak for Christ when we plead, 'Come back to God.'" So number one goal
00:43:32.097 is not come vote like me. Number one goal is I want people to know God,
00:43:38.037 to find freedom, to discover their God-given purpose, and then make an impact in
00:43:43.167 other people's worlds as well. That's our number one goal is to advance the Kingdom
00:43:47.907 of God, to share the gospel of Jesus over any political or
00:43:53.577 kingdom of America or party that exists in our country.
00:43:58.077 Our mission is not simply to change who occupies the White House, the governor's
00:44:02.968 office, or the mayor's office. Our mission is to share the gospel of Jesus
00:44:08.218 everywhere we get. Politicians can pass laws, but Jesus is the only one who can
00:44:13.258 transform people's lives.
00:44:17.067 Verse 21, "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,
00:44:24.027 so that we could be made right with God through Christ."
00:44:28.677 If you're a follower of Jesus, you know what you've received?
00:44:31.797 You've received forgiveness
00:44:34.174 You've received mercy. You've received righteousness, to be able to be in right
00:44:39.573 standing with God, to be made right with God, and the only way you do that is
00:44:43.743 through Jesus Christ. His death, burial, and resurrection is the only way
00:44:49.983 we can be made right with God. He became the offering for our sin.
00:44:57.753 He took the weight of our punishment upon himself.
00:45:02.403 Just a moment, we're going to receive communion together.
00:45:04.382 I want to make sure you have your cracker and juice, and I invite you to stand to
00:45:07.953 your feet if you're able to.
00:45:12.123 I don't know most of your pasts.
00:45:14.853 I don't know the things you've done, the things you've said.
00:45:19.023 But I do know this, the blood of Jesus is more than enough to forgive you.
00:45:26.133 If you're here today, and you got something from your past, maybe you had an
00:45:29.553 abortion, maybe you helped somebody, maybe it's just stuff you've done in your
00:45:33.123 past, and you say, "I can't forgive myself."
00:45:38.223 God's forgiveness is greater than our forgiveness.
00:45:41.523 And whenever you say, "I can't forgive myself," you're putting yourself above
00:45:45.663 Jesus. You're saying, "No, Jesus, the work you did on the cross wasn't enough for
00:45:49.653 me. I need something more." But the forgiveness that's extended to you, that's
00:45:55.053 offered to you by God himself is the same forgiveness that Jesus died on the cross
00:46:01.023 for. He became the offering for our sin. You don't have to earn it.
00:46:05.823 You don't have to pay the price anymore. You can't anyways.
00:46:08.973 But Christ, who died on the sin, became the offering for our sin, so now we live
00:46:13.593 for him.
00:46:15.424 I want to offer you today, if you've never entrusted your life to Jesus, if you've
00:46:20.313 never said, "God, I confess my sin to you." I just believe right now, in this
00:46:24.663 moment, there's some of you that you have some stuff from your past.
00:46:29.223 I just invite you to close your eyes, bow your head, just eliminate some of the
00:46:32.013 distraction.
00:46:34.473 If you have some stuff from your past, maybe some things you did, things you said,
00:46:39.693 acts you participated in,
00:46:43.443 I want you to know something. You can be forgiven.
00:46:47.493 You can be set free from that shame, from that guilt, from that condemnation.
00:46:52.983 Jesus says he came not to condemn the world, but to set the world free through what
00:46:57.663 he did on the cross.
00:47:00.933 It starts with acknowledging that you need a savior. You need forgiving.
00:47:06.363 And simply asking God, saying, "God, I confess to you my sin. I repent of it.
00:47:12.363 I turn from it. I don't want to live with that in my past anymore.
00:47:15.512 I don't want to live with things I'm currently doing that you know are displeasing
00:47:18.453 to God." And you can simply ask God, "God, forgive me.
00:47:23.253 God, I know you died on the cross. You were buried and you rose again for my sin,
00:47:27.693 so that I could be set free."
00:47:30.633 Heavenly Father, I pray for every single person in this room, God, that we would
00:47:33.963 know the truth of the gospel. We would know that our sins can be forgiven, that our
00:47:39.063 sin, our shame, our past can be made white as wool.
00:47:43.383 God, that you'd forgive us because of your bloodshed for us.
00:47:46.743 And God, I pray if there's anybody here who needs to make that decision, needs to
00:47:49.862 trust their life to you, God, I pray they make that decision today. In Jesus' name.
00:47:55.953 As we take the cracker and the juice, you know communion is something holy.
00:48:01.593 It's a sacrament unto God.
00:48:05.703 And the devil, he twists things. He likes to use things that God makes holy and
00:48:10.113 good, and he twists it to make it something else.
00:48:14.613 Abortion is actually the sacrament of Satan.
00:48:19.143 If you think about this,
00:48:22.143 Satan wants to kill God, but he can't.
00:48:25.233 So he goes after the most vulnerable of God's children, the babies, because he
00:48:30.393 knows it cuts at the heart of the Father.
00:48:33.723 And Jesus entered the world through a uterus, of all places.
00:48:37.743 He could have appeared as a man. He could have appeared as a boy.
00:48:40.773 He appeared as a baby, an infant in the uterus.
00:48:46.263 And those very same words that the abortion industry uses, "This is my body.
00:48:53.193 You must die so that I may live."
00:48:56.883 Jesus gave at the Last Supper,
00:49:00.123 but in a holy way. He said, "This is my body, which is given for you."
00:49:06.693 Jesus says, "I must die so that you can live."
00:49:11.763 When we receive communion, abortion is a mockery of what God established as a holy
00:49:16.863 and sacred thing for his church. When we receive communion, we're reminding
00:49:21.843 ourselves not to fall into the ways of the world or the ways of Satan, but
00:49:26.193 reminding ourselves that Jesus Christ came to this Earth as a baby.
00:49:30.993 He lived a perfect, sinless life. He died on the cross.
00:49:34.713 He willingly went to the cross and said, "This is my body, which is given for you.
00:49:40.053 Do this in remembrance of me." We remember the body which the cracker represents,
00:49:46.143 Jesus's body broken for us, nailed to a cross, sacrificed willingly
00:49:52.143 so that we could live.
00:49:55.533 Likewise, he took the juice, the cup of wine at the Last Supper.
00:49:58.713 He said, "This is the new covenant between God and his people."
00:50:03.963 The only way that we can have our sins forgiven, the only way that he becomes an
00:50:08.163 offering for our sins is by the shedding of his blood, that perfect, spotless
00:50:14.043 lamb, as he willingly gave himself.
00:50:18.813 So church, if you're a follower of Jesus, if you receive that Jesus said, "This is
00:50:23.283 my body, which is given for you," let's partake together.
00:50:26.913 I'm going to lead us in a prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your Son,
00:50:31.113 Jesus, for sending him the most vulnerable way.
00:50:35.763 But God, that he didn't stay a baby.
00:50:37.263 He grew up to be a man who walked with you, who knew you, who taught us how to
00:50:41.973 live,
00:50:44.103 how to apply the biblical principles to our lives.
00:50:47.913 Not just to how to vote, but God, for every aspect of our life. God, we thank you.
00:50:53.133 We remember your body that was broken for us, that was given for us.
00:50:59.822 May we not just go through the motions, but God, that we remember that you
00:51:05.674 gave your life so that we could have ours.
00:51:10.323 It's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Let's partake together.
00:51:21.873 Well, amen. Thank you so much for being here today.
00:51:26.283 Do not forget, persecuted church, keep praying for them. Look up those resources.
00:51:31.473 Next steps is happening in just a few moments. But love you guys. Appreciate you.
00:51:35.943 Let's go be the best Christians we can be, Monday through Saturday as well. Amen.
00:51:40.143 You're released in the blessing of the Lord.