Fourth of July Weekend, The Gift GOD Has Given Us, And Through The Enlightening of The HOLY SPIRIT the Responsibility We Have Christ The KING Pres
Paul Wallace
Ordained Pastor, Both Conventional & Social Media Ministries, Fire Department Chaplain, Maintenance Worker 1, Certified Safety Professional, Proven Governmental Leader, True Team Builder, You will love all of this resume
Fourth of July Weekend
I do Apologize, We were to start the Matthew Chapter 9, Part 1, as I had a brain cramp and was so eager to get the lessons back on, I forgot to look at the Calendar, of course we will celebrate the Great gift Our FATHER In Heaven has granted us in being Citizens in the United States of America.
I am going to repeat this before the lesson too.
?A, quick side bar, Had Christians sat out the 2016 Presidential Election, we would NOT have seen what many of us who suffered court decisions for just under 50 years, in the horrifying Roe V Wade Decision that condemned over 63,000,000 Babies to never have the right to just take a breath, one we enjoy ever second.
Never see a beautiful sunrise, or Sunset, never enjoy a day at the shore, or a picnic, and what might be your favorite show, sport, song or movie? Yes, never to enjoy these too!!!
So, the election of President Trump allowed a man who for the first time in my life, to do exactly what He said He would do, place Constitutionalist on the Supreme Court, instead of Compromising, or what the Left promotes, Radical Revisionist Zealots who pervert the Constitution.
GOD gave President Trump 3 Appointments, and one was to replace a Radical Revisionist Zealot, giving the Court a long overdue Constitutional Conscience 6-3, after being long perverted.
Just 4 short years, IT IS safe to say, ?If we voted as zealously as the left did in 2020, we would not be suffering the incompetence of this current Administration and the Puppet President!!!
So please, may the HOLY SPIRIT open our eyes to the Gift our FATHER in Heaven through Jesus Christ our LORD, to simply Vote Responsibly in EVERY Election.
Yes, as with so many Countries, we have our issues, and as much as I love visiting the United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, and France, Every time I have returned to US soil I have gotten Goosebumps as it really is the Greatest Country on earth!
Let’s bury our differences this weekend and celebrate this Great Gift we have been given.
May GOD Bless America.
Let’s run to Worship
Call To Worship
2nd Chronicles 20:6 and he said, "O LORD, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You.
Processional
GOD Of Our Fathers
St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church, New York City, New York
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Passing Of The Peace Of Christ
May the Peace of Christ Be With You
ALL: And Also With You!!
Please take a minute to pass the peace of Christ
Hymn
This Is My Song O Of All GOD Of The Nations
St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church, New York City, New York
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First Reading
Psalm 111
1 ? Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart, In the company of the upright and in the assembly.
?2 Great are the works of the LORD; They are studied by all who delight in them.
?3 Splendid and majestic is His work, And His righteousness endures forever.
?4 He has made His wonders to be remembered; The LORD is gracious and compassionate.
?5 He has given food to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever.
?6 ? He has made known to His people the power of His works, In giving them the heritage of the nations.
?7 The works of His hands are truth and justice; All His precepts are sure.
?8 They are upheld forever and ever; They are performed in truth and uprightness.
?9 He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name.
?10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.
(NAS95)
This Is The WORD Of The LORD
Response By All: Thanks Be To GOD
Hymn
Come Let Us Sing Unto The LORD
Faith Presbyterian Church, Tacoma, Washington, Organist Mr. Ron Bechtel
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The LORD’S Prayer & Apostles Creed
Matthew 6:9 ? And Jesus said "In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
?10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
?11 Give us this day our daily bread.
?12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
?13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Christian What Do You Believe?
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead, and buried:
He descended into hell;
The third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
The Holy Catholic Church;
The Communion of Saints;
The Forgiveness of sins;
The Resurrection of the body,
And the Life everlasting.
Amen.
The Doxology
Praise GOD From Whom All Blessings Flow: Tune All Creatures of Our God and King
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Second Reading and Lesson
Can A Christian Really Not Be Involved Politically In The USA
Romans 13
1 ? Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
?2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
?3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
?4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
?5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.
?6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
?7 ? Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
?8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
?9 For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
?10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
?11 ? Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.
?12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
?13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.
?14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
(NAS95)
This Is The WORD Of The LORD
Response By All: Thanks Be To GOD
Can A Christian Sit Out This Or Any Election
A quick side bar, Had Christians sat out the 2016 Presidential Election, we would NOT have seen what many of us who suffered court decisions for just under 50 years, in the horrifying Roe V Wade Decision that condemned over 63,000,000 Babies to never have the right to just take a breath, one we enjoy ever second.
Never see a beautiful sunrise, or Sunset, never enjoy a day at the shore, or a picnic, and what might be your favorite show, sport, song or movie? Yes, never to enjoy these too!!!
So, the election of President Trump allowed a man who for the first time in my life, to do exactly what He said He would do, place Constitutionalist on the Supreme Court, instead of Compromising, or what the Left promotes, Radical Revisionist Zealots who pervert the Constitution.
GOD gave President Trump 3 Appointments, and one was to replace a Radical Revisionist Zealot, giving the Court a long overdue Constitutional Conscience 6-3, after being long perverted.
Just 4 short years, IT IS safe to say, ?If we voted as zealously as the left did in 2020, we would not be suffering the incompetence of this current Administration and the Puppet President!!!
So please, may the HOLY SPIRIT open our eyes to the Gift our FATHER in Heaven through Jesus Christ our LORD, to simply Vote Responsibly in EVERY Election.
Now to the Lesson, GOD Bless
We will look at today
1st What does it mean to be subject to the Civil Authority in the USA?
2nd?What does our US Understanding of Civil Authority mean to this passage?
?3rd What does this mean to our participation in every Election ?
1st What does it mean to be subject to the Civil Authority in the USA?
First the weekly Message by a Pastor Is not the place to hear Campaign messages, so I want to assure you this will not be telling you who to vote for.
With that said, our first question is based on the many sermons I have heard that have misrepresented the application of what and who the Civil Authority actually is here in the United States.
If like I we were told that we are to respect all who are in Authority over us, and in a Romanist or 15th Century British Monarch perspective.
You have heard example after example of what being a good citizen is, but this was only half of the application as it applies to the US Form of Government.
Romans 13:1 ? Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
?2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
?3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
Unlike the forms of Government present in Roman and the British Strong Monarch period, the United States Government was set up with a radicle understanding of just who the true Civil Authority is.
We were set up as One Nation of 13 States truly under God as the Firm Authority, and entrusted the Civil Authority and the preamble gives it away
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
We have a Government that we the People are the Responsible Authority, and this understanding must be how we walk through Romans 13.
2nd?What does our US Understanding of Civil Authority mean to this passage?
This part will be very brief as we have walked through the most of the meaning in the first part, but we must look at the neutrality stance and can the Pulpit be used to support and back particular candidates?
Let’s take that second question first, can the Pulpit be used to support a particular Candidate, and can the Church endorse a slate of candidates?
Absolutely NOT!
Through the true preaching of the Gospel and the need to preach the Love of Jesus Christ week in and week out it does not allow us to use the pulpit as anything more.
It is important to note that does not mean that through the teaching from the Bible certain candidates will be more aligned with our views and hopefully be clearly the ones we vote for, but to use the Church as so many left leaning Churches do as a Campaign headquarters is not a proper use of GOD’S gathering place.
Now let’s look at the first part of our question of the personal neutrality as practiced by many Pastors and Church members throughout this Country.
It is important to understand this is the personal neutrality, and not the Church Building Neutrality.
It is also important to note this does NOT mean that during the middle of a week we could not have Candidate forums at the Church Building where all candidates are invited to state their platforms as those would be a proper application for Romans 13 and our exercising proper application of this passage as applies to the US form of Government. But Churches as a whole cannot have billboards, or take ads out supporting a slate of candidates as we will see that is for the individual Church member to exercise.
For a Church member to personally be neutral, sit out, of not care about any election is indeed walking in a way that is fully contrary to Romans 13, as we have an obligation to be completely involved in elections, and vote in each as we are responsible in the choosing of our candidates.
3rd What does this mean to our participation in every Election ?
In our third question again has its roots in a growing thought that we can sit out elections, and yet for Christians it is fully contrary to the context of Romans 13, as we Christians are responsible for choosing our Government.
It also means it is not just OK to put lawn signs on our personal lawns, Pastors living off Church campus included but something that should be encouraged.
Romans 13 gives us no wiggle room in our understanding of Politics and we need to make sure we are fully involved and up on the political issues of the day.
I hope this quick discussion helps as the Presidential Campaign is in the rearview mirror, but the Mid Terms are upon us and also explains how we Christians can be and in some cases should be engaged.
Hymn
I Vow To Thee My Country?(From the Letter To The Hebrews)
Festival Of Remembrance, Royal Albert Hall, London England
The LORD’S Weekly Feast
1st Corinthians?11:23 ? For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
?24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
?25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
?26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
?27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
?28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
?29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.
In Christ Alone
Keith & Kristen Getty, & All Souls Orchestra, Royal Albert Hall, London England
The Star Spangled Banner United States?National Anthem
Full Anthem
Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, United States Army Field ?
The LORD’S Benediction
Ro 16:24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
?25 ? Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began
?26 but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith--
?27 to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.
(NKJV)
Let Us Go Forth As Those Who Love And Proclaim Our Risen LORD And Savior Jesus Christ
Response By All: Thanks Be To GOD, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, AMEN
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Recessional
Oh Beautiful For Spacious Skies (America The Beautiful)
St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church, New York City, New York