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The Foundations of Our Nation

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Preacher

Dr. Daniel Heeringa

Date
July 2, 2023
Time
10:30
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Passage

Deuteronomy 6:1-9
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Transcription

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If you have your Bibles this morning, I want to turn to Deuteronomy chapter 6. Deuteronomy chapter 6, good to have Brian back from Hawaii.

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He showed up this morning in his swimsuit. I said, Hoss, you got to go home and change your clothes. I'm glad he's here. Toronto bunch, missed a flight on the way back and spent nine hours in Detroit and made it out alive and got back in the middle of the night.

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If you see somebody nod off, they might have been in Toronto yesterday because they got home about 3 o'clock, I believe, this morning. After a long day, we got a group of eight of us going to South Dakota on Friday.

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I encourage you to be in prayer for us as we go and try to help Dakota Sunshine as they minister to Native Americans there in South Dakota.

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Need opportunity and look forward to it. We live in the land of opportunity. I mean, the home of the brave, the place of the American dream, and we are living it.

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We're so in love with ourselves and our wants that we get it, whether we need it or not, whether we can afford it or not.

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We want it now. It's a microwave society. Everybody's right. Nobody's at fault. It's always somebody else's.

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And there are no absolutes. I'm not talking about us. I'm talking about everybody else, you know. We're not like that. So much of what America's become.

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We're ruining the greatest society, the most prosperous nation, the greatest of opportunities, and instead the world laughs. Laughs as we seem to be turning to a godless, lawless, impoverished wasteland, so filled with a hedonistic desire for more that we're losing what we have.

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If sin's a slippery slope, and it is, America's kind of like the Merle Haggard song, the great theologian Merle Haggard, who sang, rolling downhill like a snowball headed to hell.

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I mean, really. I really believe that so much of what's happening in America is ruining so much of what God's given us. And I say we seem to be turning that way because, listen, everybody's not parading in the streets.

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Everybody's not embracing the culture. Everybody's not doing those things. Seems like it if you turn the news on.

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I told you, don't spend more time in the news than you do in God's Word. Okay? It needs to be a discipline in our life. Not only to read more of God's Word, but watch less of the news, honestly, you know.

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Because we'll get festered up by all this stuff if you watch too much of it. I mean, you do. I could have got festered up yesterday, but instead I got blistered up, I think.

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It was so hot. But some are seeing that the pendulum has swung way too far to the left. And they're rising up, and they're speaking to it, and they ought to.

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However, even with that resistance, history tells us that we're a land we'll end up a land more left than we were before. History tells us that.

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Not to say we have to live up to history. I used to be concerned about the world that my grandkids would be raised in. Now I'm trying to figure out how to guide my ever-growing children through the swamp of debauchery that we're wading through as a nation.

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But I got it figured out. At least I think I got it figured out. I didn't come up with it. I just decided once again to trust God's Word in the matter.

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Just trust Him. I want to read a passage in just a few moments that you've heard me read many times over the last year. Every time I dedicate, we dedicate.

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Actually, the parents dedicate their child to the Lord, and I'm able to be a part of that. I at least refer to this passage if I don't read this passage. I believe it's the foundation of a Christian home as it was the foundations of a Hebrew home when it was first penned.

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And I believe it reminds us of our foundation, and I'll show you why. May this ring in our hearts and our minds as strong as it did in those that first heard it.

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Deuteronomy chapter 6, beginning in verse 1. And it says this. Now, this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the Lord your God commanded you to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you're going over to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your sons and your sons' sons, by keeping all His statutes and His commands, which I command you all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.

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Hear, therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you in a land flowing with milk and honey.

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Hear, O Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words that I command you today shall be upon your heart.

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You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

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You shall write them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates. Again, I speak of this often.

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I think we all need to be reminded of it. But I want you to notice in this passage when it says how to teach them diligently to your children. Talk about them when you sit at the house.

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Talk about them when you walk by the way. That means when you're in the car, driving. Talk about it. At night when you lie down.

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In the morning when you rise up. But when it says bind them as signs on your hand, Jews take that literally and tie pieces of the law, put it in a leather box, phylacteries, and tie them around their arms so they can hold on to that.

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That's not what it's talking about. It's talking about let the law of the Lord, let the statutes of God be so prevailing in your life that the things in which you do with your hands, let it reflect what you believe and what you live by.

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The frontlets on your eyes, let you be so focused. Like frontlets on a horse's eyes, trying to make sure they stay toward their destination. Keep your eyes focused on what they need to be focused on.

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And the door front post of your house is not talking about good Christian art in a home, although there's nothing wrong with that, but you can have all the Christian arts you want to. You can say, ask for me in my house and fight like dogs underneath the picture.

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You know, I mean, that's not what that means. It means mark your home with the statutes of the Lord, with the love of God.

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But those words that I just read once could not be read because they were blocked because a man had his hand on top of it.

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And it was a man named George Washington. And upon his swearing in, George Washington placed his hand on an open Bible on Deuteronomy chapter six and made an oath to the Lord as his fingers touched this very passage.

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Does that surprise you? I'm sure the forefathers of our nation did not intend for our laws to be interpreted as they are today. The men that founded our nation then were not like many of the men and women that lead us today.

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The few good, godly leaders that we have are fighting for all that they can. So how do we respond to, because I'm not a doomsday guy.

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That's not me at all, okay? I believe the Lord lives and praise God. We ought to show some joy because of it, okay? So I don't want you to misunderstand me. But how do we respond when we see what's happening in the circumstances of our nation?

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As Christians, how are we to respond? Well, I'm going to give you three ways. I'm not saying that it's exhaustive. I'm saying these are three ways that we can respond.

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One is to understand the foundation of this nation. To understand the foundation of our nation. I've been doing some genealogy recently.

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We needed a date, and we were looking for a particular date in our family's history. And in order to find that, I went on Ancestry.com, and man, another leaf came up.

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You know, if you don't know what I'm talking about, don't do it. I'm just telling you, you know? So, and I knew I had some kind of relation, but didn't know what it was, so I found out, so I got to announce it, you know? I found out that my great, great, great, how many did I say?

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Great grandpa was the chief justice of the South Carolina State Court, a governor of South Carolina, and was going to take John Jay's place as the second chief justice of the Supreme Court, but got up and said something in the speech that I haven't investigated yet.

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I got a feeling he said something stupid. I know my family, but I'm not sure. Maybe he was right, but he got voted down. He did not get chief justice of the Supreme Court, and oh well.

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I also found out, and I've been hanging my hat on this. It's been opening doors for me for all my life. I've got a great, great, great grand uncle.

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Didn't even know uncles were grand, but a great, great, great grand uncle that was the youngest one to sign the Declaration of Independence, and was also a governor in South Carolina.

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I got Rutledge in my blood, and so, you know, here it is. That's all I can say. Somewhere there was a disconnect.

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I don't know where it was, but somewhere along the line, somebody between my great, great, greats dropped the ball. That's all I got to say, but anyway. Did you know that some of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence declaring our commitment to break ties with Great Britain were also men of God that were responsible for founding the American Bible Society?

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Do you know that those men were some of the men that established the American Tract Society? That they were a part of the Philadelphia Bible Society?

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There's a fallacy out there that I want to try to clarify today. Many times our founding fathers are made out to be deist, and some of them I'm sure were, but all of them wasn't.

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Let me explain what a deist is. It's those who believe that God created the earth, set it in order, and then left it. That he does not value a relationship with us.

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They believe in a creator God, but they don't believe that he interacts with us. They don't think that's possible. They believe that after creation, God took his hand off the earth. A deist believes that we can't commune with God, that we need to have no relationship with God, and that he's simply a cosmic creator with no relation or concern for our world.

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And so I want to ask you this morning, do these men sound like deists? Patrick Henry said this, it cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, which would be deists, but by Christians.

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Not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. John Adams, our second president, when speaking of the general principles on which the fathers achieved independence, said, I will avow that I then believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God, and that those principles of liberty are as unalterable as human nature.

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They believed our leaders ought to be men that love the Lord Jesus. Benjamin Franklin said, he who shall introduce into public affairs the principles of Christianity will change the face of the world.

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John Quincy Adams, the sixth president, said the highest glory of the American Revolution was this, it connected in one indissolvable bond the principles of civil government and the principles of Christianity.

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Now sadly, if you listen today, that bond is dissolving. People don't want us to have that kind of bond, but that was not what our nation was founded on.

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Noah Webster, who was responsible for, have you ever heard of the Webster's Dictionary? Old boy had a vocabulary probably. He said this, the religion which has introduced civil liberty, civil liberty, you ever heard that word?

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Those words? Listen to this. The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and his apostles, which enjoins humility, piety, and benevolence, which acknowledges in every person a brother, a sister, a citizen with equal rights.

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This is the genuine Christianity and to this Christianity we owe our free constitution of government. Eat that up, ACLU.

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That's not at all what we ought to be founded on. These wise men understood that liberty is about Christ. In 1796 the Supreme Court of Maryland said this, the Supreme Court of Maryland, by our form of government the Christian religion is the established religion and all sects and denominations of Christians are placed upon the same equal footing and are equally entitled to protection in their liberty.

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I'm going to read that again because I want you to see the connection here, okay? By our form of government the Christian religion is the established religion and all sects and denominations of Christians are placed upon the same equal footing and are equally entitled to protection in their liberty.

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It is upon that thought that the first amendment was added but did you get why it was added? The first amendment was added to make sure one Christian denomination did not rise above another Christian denomination.

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the assumption was that Christianity was a given and in the beginning of this nation there was no conflict with the first amendment and having Washington lay his hand on the Bible open to Deuteronomy chapter 6.

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There were no conflicts with having chaplains of Congress lead the worship service that concluded Washington's inauguration. Listen to this there was no conflict with supporting ministers and missionaries with federal money for the first 100 years of our nation.

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I think times have changed. In 1781 a publisher petitioned Congress for permission to print Bibles. Congress approved that petition and stated the Congress of the United States approves and recommends to the people the Holy Bible for use in schools.

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When it was challenged in the Supreme Court the Supreme Court responded don't you thank God for the Supreme Court? Don't you thank God for the Supreme Court? If you ain't watching the news my soul you ought to be thankful because it makes a difference.

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Why not the Bible and especially the New this is the Supreme Court why not the Bible and especially the New Testament be read and taught as a divine revelation in the schools?

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Where can the purest principles of morality be learned so clearly and so perfectly as from the New Testament? That's the Supreme Court of the United States.

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State of Delaware's Constitution of 1776 said this everyone appointed to public office must say I do profess faith in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ his Holy Son and in the Holy Ghost one God blessed forevermore and I do acknowledge the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration.

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John Jay that first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court one of the main contributors to the Constitution stated this way he said Providence speaking of God Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.

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He went on to write the right to hold office was to be extended to persons of any Christian denomination. my friend what's wrong with America today is simple we've lost our first love that's what it amounts to and I don't mean to bad mouth America I don't want to live anywhere else okay but I want you to know this morning what it could be what if presidents still placed their hand over a well read Bible in Deuteronomy chapter 6 and made it the practice of their life what if all of Washington did that what a difference that would make so where do we go from here well I believe you need to understand the foundation of our nation and look in all this eradication of history when we find out that men made bad decisions and did wrong things didn't take away from the good they did didn't take away from the difference that they made to establish this country in the way that it should be we need learn from history not erase it and not change it but learn from it we need to understand the foundation of our nation second thing and more importantly is we need to pray for the future of our nation we need to go to our knees we have no choice

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I don't care if you agree with them or not your prayer life is not to consist of those that you only dearly love if you'll pray for those that you don't like God will change your heart I mean he could see those curveballs now you know I mean every time I say Lord man I wish you'd straighten that old boy out because I'm sure wanting to you know I ain't ever said that about anybody in Pickens but people from other places God always starts working on me to change my attitude about that I want you to listen to what 1 Timothy chapter 2 verse 1 through 4 says first of all then I urge you that supplications prayers intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people for kings and all those who are in high positions

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American translation that means president that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life godly and dignified in every way this is good and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth pray for those who lead us pray for our lives that our lives won't get in the way of God doing a work in them pray that we are peaceful people what a difference it will make when we pray for God's leadership in our land I mean look we live in a day when it's time to throw up our hands but it's not throw up our hands in disgust but throw up our hands to God and turn to him and ask him to intervene ask him to move our word to pray for the future of our nation and then we also ought to share the hope of our nation

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Jesus said in Matthew 28 18-20 that we need to make disciples in Jerusalem Judea Samaria and the uttermost because we have a story to tell trust the power of the gospel and share it I had a unique privilege yesterday I'm appreciative for it I got to leave the opening prayer at the Trump rally yesterday little did I know that the news programs that were covering it was also going to keep a camera on me and my family y'all know this they keep a camera on us for the rest of the program when we were burning up and dying and going please just stop what some of y'all are looking at me like that's what you're thinking now you know I got some time but I ain't taking it all so you know

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I want to be clear about something I don't know whether you're going to like what I say or not you know if our president's office called and asked me to lead a prayer for a function that he was going to be at I would have done it because I respect the office of the president of the United States and I believe it's our job as Christians to be hospitable to others and to do whatever we can we were willing to open our doors of this church and would have been for any political purposes as far as that is concerned for hospitality not for political purposes but for hospitality that when people got too hot I don't know how much it was used but when they got too hot and there was a bunch of them including me that people got too hot and needed relief they could come to our fellowship hall and find relief chairs were set up medics were there to provide that opportunity and I was asked is it okay for us to use it we didn't know if

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Donald Trump was going to need the room or if people who were too hot was going to need the room it didn't matter I said it really don't matter it's a matter of hospitality that's what the Christian church is about it's about being hospitable and I enjoyed the rally until I nearly passed out but but my hope is not in Donald Trump I'll vote when presidential elections come along and I'll vote for the person that I agree with the most that I think will do the best for what this country ought to stand for but I'm not placing my hope in a ballot box folks don't hear me say that you're not supposed to vote you need to vote you better vote don't let me find out you don't vote but don't you dare place your hope in a ballot box because I think we found out that all the leadership of our country is somewhat frail in some areas of some way or another it seems right we're just fallible people and it's easy to point fingers at them but hey let's look in the mirror first you know but for the grace of God there go I my hope is in

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Jesus Christ period that's the only place we are to place our hope and let us never get mixed up and misunderstand that there's choices we can make that are better than others and I'm not going to talk about that here but if you ask me I'll tell you okay but that's not where I place my hope this is not my home this ain't all there is friend I'm going to glory and I'm going to be skinny and buff you know but after that meal I probably won't be trust the power of the gospel and share it well preacher I can't do it you're exactly right you can't do it nor can I the gospel doesn't

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God works through the gospel he changes lives and if you have no burden to reach your neighbor or the world pray about it pray about it rock of ages a wonderful song I want you to listen to the words of the rock of ages rock of ages cleft for me let me hide myself in thee let the water and the blood from thy wounded side which flow be of sin the double cure save from wrath and make me pure not the labor of my hands can fulfill thy laws commands could my zeal no respite no could my tears forever flow all for sin could not atone thou must save and thou alone nothing in my hand I bring simply to the cross I cling naked come to thee my for dress helpless look to thee for grace foul eye to the fountain fly wash me savior or I die while I draw this fleeting breath when my eyes shall close in death when I soar to worlds unknown see thee on thy judgment throne rock of ages clear for me let me hide myself in thee may the foundation of our nation rest upon the rock of the

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Lord Jesus Christ because my friend I'm firmly convinced that's where we started and we need not leave it not for our nation and not for our individual lives with every head bowed and every eye closed I believe the answer is the gospel of Jesus Christ and if you're here this morning and you've never surrendered your life to the Lord Jesus Christ never ask him to cleanse you never ask him to forgive you of your sins to come into your life and to change you today's the day of salvation he'll change you today we'll stand in just a moment and we'll sing but more importantly than that you need to obey God step out you come to me and say pastor I need to be saved I'd love to lead man you'd make my day that leads you in knowing what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ maybe you're here and you do have a personal relationship with Christ but man there's things mixed up in your life it ain't right you need to get it right come to this altar and make it right stay where you are and make it right come to me and ask me to pray for you and let's make it right you know whatever it takes whatever you need you just obey God you just do what

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God tells you to do you may have made a private decision and ask the Lord Jesus into your heart and change to change your life but you've never told anybody about that you never made that public today make it public you come for baptism we're lining up a special opportunity for baptism coming up and so I I encourage you if God has done that in your life you come for that or maybe God's drawing you to this congregation you know this is where you are to place your life and to serve you come alongside us we'll stick to the word of God we'll try our best to serve the Lord in our community and in the world as God gives us opportunity just obey God today this day won't be what it ought to be if you don't obey the Lord right now so let him have his will and his way heavenly father I love you and thank you for the opportunity to be here today the opportunity to share your gospel without restraint dear father I don't have to couch my words don't have to wonder whether what I say is true I can rest in the gospel of

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Jesus Christ saving all who will come to him God I pray today that you'll lead us right now to just simply be obedient and follow your will and your way in Jesus name amen so here's an help to be is you