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Some thoughts about the flag, standing, and kneeling

What we love about this country – what the veterans served and died for – is more than a flag, it’s an ideal, a system of values. Freedom.

So we respect the flag, not because of what it is but because of what it stands for. We support those ideals and we understand how much better life is with that freedom intact.

But don’t Americans also wish for everyone on earth – and especially other Americans – to enjoy those same freedoms? Those who abide by the law and who work to preserve the ideals that our country’s forefathers have given to us should certainly be blessed to bear the fruit of freedom and the American way.

Do we turn a blind eye to the cries of our American neighbors simply because we disagree with the way they make their voices heard? Are their struggles real? Are their complaints valid? Do we even care enough to find out?

Or does the flag only represent what we want for ourselves and our family, with total disregard for the welfare of others? In other words, is our pursuit of the “American way” rooted in selfishness or in the pursuit of the wellbeing for all human beings?

I don’t know how Americans should respond to all of this. Some think everyone must stand to honor the flag and those who served to defend it. Others think that those veterans served and died to give people the right to stand or not to stand.

But I do know how Christians should respond. They should, “Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (1 Pet. 2:17). They should love their neighbors as themselves (Mat. 22:39). They should treat other people with respect (Mat. 7:12) and love (Rom. 13:8). They should consider others before themselves (Phil. 2:3-4), serving them (compare Mat. 20:28), rejoicing in their happiness and weeping with their pain (Rom. 12:15; Mat. 25:31-46). They should love God with their entire being (Mat. 22:37-38), seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mat. 6:33).

Whatever we do, we must do that.

For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s (Rom. 14:8).

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Abortion in America

AbortionInAmerica

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jer. 1:4-5).

I’m coming to you today in defense of those who cannot defend themselves. They have never taken a step or uttered a word. They are unborn babies who have been aborted.

Abortion is the strategic, intentional destruction of an unborn human being in the womb. It is dismemberment. It is poisoning. It is death.

Statistically speaking, 18-20 unborn children are aborted every 30 minutes or so. There have been more than 57 million abortions in the United States since the Roe v. Wade decision was handed down in 1973. The number of children aborted each year nearly equals the number of American deaths in the Revolutionaly War, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf Wars combined.

What is wrong with our society?!

Why is news of a pregnancy met with disappointment instead of joy? Why has our culture turned the conception of a child – something that used to be the product of love between a wedded man and woman – into something that is the unfortunate product of lust or fornication? Why are there unborn children who are unwanted and unloved?

My opinion is that the sexualization of our world has something to do with it. Have you noticed that everything in our culture is sexualized? You don’t have to watch very many commercials to figure that out. The result of all of this is that our sense have been blunted. There is no such thing as moral “oughtness,” as right and wrong, as righteous indignation. These things have been thrown aside.

Here’s what has come about as a result: just over one million abortions are performed annually in the United States. Thirty percent of those – that is, 327,166 abortions – are performed by Planned Parenthood (according to 2013-2014 stats).

I’m sure you have heard about the release of several undercover videos in which the Center for Medical Progress attacks Planned Parenthood. The first video, released July 14, 2015, showed Dr. Deborah Nucatola, the senior medical director of Planned Parenthood, casually discussing the sale of organs from aborted babies. While reaching for her salad with her fork, she says that there is a great demand for fetal livers and that “a lot of people want intact hearts these days.”

The saddest part of the video to me is the blatant disregard for the sanctity of human life. How could someone discuss something like that while eating? Clearly, there is on regard for the moral – yea, biblical – view of abortion and human life.

Let’s wrap it up: The Bible says that the Lord hates “hands that shed innocent blood” (Prov. 6:16-17). America needs to wake up and realize that the blood of over 57 million unborn children is on this nation’s hands. Christians cannot sit silent in the midst of this decades-long moral crisis. That’s why I’m coming to you today – and all this week on The New You – in defense of those unborn children who cannot defend themselves.

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TheNewYou1400 This is a partial transcript from my weekday podcast, The New You, where we focus on maintaining and accentuating the new that Christ created in each of us as Christians. A new episode is available each Monday through Friday on The Light Network. Click here to see all of the episodes.

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Realize the Reason

RealizeTheReason

What’s wrong with our culture? Why is our country spiraling into moral calamity? Why are people lashing out in rage against others? Today, I want us to be honest with ourselves in identifying the problem. My friends, this is not really a gun control issue, nor is it an issue about any kinds of flags or anything else. The problem is sin.

If we will just realize the reason behind these senseless acts, we will be motivated to do something about it. You remember how Jesus contrasted Himself with Satan in John 10:10:

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

Overlay John 10:10 to our culture and you see it, don’t you? Satan wants to destroy our lives, ripping apart relationships and interjecting violence and hatred into our lives.

You know, the evil that we see in our world stems from sin in people’s hearts. Jesus said,

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies (Mat. 15:19).

He also stated that

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things (Mat. 12:35).

A world that is comfortable in sin reacts harshly to Christ and His disciples. Jesus said that “everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (John 3:20).

The sin problem is taken one step further when we – as God’s people – allow sin to be S2E4-Sinamong us. Some people are going to take issue with that statement because we are imperfect people. I get that. But doesn’t the Bible still identify us as the called-out ones, ekklesia, the church? Doesn’t the Bible still say we are to “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16)? To be holy is to be separate, consecrated for God’s service. Christians are called “saints” (1 Cor. 1:2), referring to holy ones, and 1 Peter 2:9 calls us “a holy nation.”

Christians, please listen carefully: You cannot allow sin to be in your life while still calling Jesus your Lord (Luke 6:46). You must intend to be faithful the Lord. You must dedicate your life to doing His will (Col. 3:17). You must be holy.

Let’s wrap it up: Sin is our world’s problem. It always has been the world’s problem. Prior to our relationship with Christ, it was our problem. Jesus’ blood washes away our sins in baptism (Acts 22:16; Rom. 6:3-4), and His blood continues to cleanse us as we walk in His light (1 John 1:7).

As a Christian you have the opportunity to shine the light into the world’s darkness. Further, as a Christian, you have the responsibility to be holy. Separate yourself from the world’s evil practices. Realize that sin is the reason why there is so much violence, unrest, and hatred in the hearts of men today. Let that motivate you to more holiness and faithfulness to Christ.

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TheNewYou1400 This is a partial transcript from my weekday podcast, The New You, where we focus on maintaining and accentuating the new that Christ created in each of us as Christians. A new episode is available each Monday through Friday on The Light Network. Click here to see all of the episodes.

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We Ought to Obey God Rather Than Men

On Friday, June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court handed down the Obergefell v. Hodges decision. The 5-4 decision mandated the legalization of same-sex marriage in all fifty states, and, in so doing, fundamentally redefined marriage.

Sunday, July 5, I preached a sermon at North Charleston in which we looked at the decision itself, the effects of this decision upon American Christians, and what we should do now. I hope that it can be a blessing to you.

As I emphasized in the sermon, I don’t hate anyone. The last thing I want to do is to make anyone feel as though I hate them. The motivation behind this sermon is to communicate love. The Bible is God’s word (2 Tim. 3:16-17). To study and apply the Bible’s teachings is to apply the love of God to your soul, and to secure the hope of heaven. That is why I preached this sermon.

Click the play button above to listen to the sermon. You can view the slides and download the outline from the sermon below.

[button color=”orange” size=”medium” link=”http://roberthatfield.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/ObeyGod.pdf” target=”blank” ]Sermon Outline[/button]