Man, I love America. Yesterday is the 250-year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. If you're watching on television or radio, sometimes these sermons are weeks or months later, but we're still reveling in yesterday's July 4th celebrations. I heard this this past week. If you want to.
Hate America. Watch the news. If you want to love America, Go on a road trip. Because when you start seeing the real America, you understand this is a great place. You know, it really took all the FIFA soccer people to come to our country and remind us of how great our country is.
Y'all got ranch dressing, Bucky's gas station. What's the other 32-ounce big gulp drinks? I mean, in America, a great place. It is a great place. And Walmart and Costco and all that stuff.
You know, I um My heroes growing up, I've always just... Like, read about heroes. My heroes have been the great Americans of our history. People like George Washington. Man, what a brave, bold man Without George Washington and Mel Gibson, we could have never defeated the British.
Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett and just all those. People. Man, we have a great legacy. God's blessed us financially. Do you know of all the countries in the world?
I need to look at how many countries there are before next service, but let's say 200 countries in the world. Of all the countries in the world, if Texas was just its own economy, it would be the eighth largest economy in the world. It's California. Was its own economy. California would be the fourth largest economy in the entire world.
That's just two of our states. And he's blessed this country. Why has he blessed us?
Well, I really believe two reasons. Number one, we did honor God in our founding. I'm not saying that all the signers of the Declaration of Independence were tongue-talking Pentecostals. I'm not saying that. But in our founding documents, we honor God and we say, look, our rights don't come from the government, it doesn't come from people, our rights come from the Creator.
From the beginning, we honored God. I personally believe It's the Genesis 12 phenomenon as well. I was listening to an incredible podcast this past week with some sociologists, and they said, you know, if you're a Jew, Uh in Europe in the 18th century You had to hide your Jewishness if you were going to fit into other societies. When Jews came to America, I don't know if you'd realize this, we opened our arms to the Jews. We welcomed our Jews.
We allow them to be Jewish. In fact, one of our founding fathers was Haim Solomon. He was a wealthy Jew who gave his money to fund the American Revolution, and he never asked for that money back, and he died penniless because he funded the American Revolution. Actually, Jews were treated better in America than the Catholics were treated and the Mormons were treated. They had so much freedom.
You saw that's just up north. What about down south? Down south in the 1860s, the senator from Louisiana was Judah Benjamin, a Jew. He was also the Secretary of State and the Secretary of War for the Confederacy, which means that even down south, Jews had a lot of freedom and respect. I believe God has honored our nation because of that.
God has blessed America.
Now I'm going to Bring it down for a few minutes. Make you feel bad. Then I'll give you some antidepressants and I'm going to bring you back up, okay? Because I I do believe. Possibly the greatest threat our nation has ever seen is now looming on the horizon.
I honestly, I didn't see this one coming. The rise of Marxism. In America Could be our undoing. It could destroy our nation. You say, Chev, you think that's a bigger threat than even the Civil War?
Yeah, because in the Civil War, both sides still share the same worldview. They still shared kind of the same sense of right or wrong. They had the same worldview. What's happening now? This is.
This worldview that's being introduced into America is totally alien. We've never seen anything like it before. And it's rising up. It's not just New York City. We're seeing a shocking rise of Marxism.
with the election of people like Zoran Mamdani. The popularity of Bernie Sanders, the election of Milak Kiros in Colorado this past week shows this thing is gaining steam. In fact, 67% of college students in America have a positive or neutral view of socialism. Only 40% of college students have a positive view of capitalism. As Victor Davis Hanson says, This new American Marxism is driven by a desire for the confiscation of property, the redistribution of wealth, and a deep hatred for Israel.
And you need to understand this. Marxism is not just another ism. It is demonic in nature. Professor Paul Kinger of Grove City College has written a book called The Devil and Karl Marx, and he makes a very convincing case. that Karl Marx It was kind of an open secret.
He was into Satanism. In fact, his own family thought Marx was probably possessed by a demon. According to this book, Franz Mayring, one of Marx's early biographers, studied his papers and then said to Karl Marx's daughter, You really need to hide some of this stuff. This is really scary stuff. People shouldn't see this.
Stuff like this, this is what Marx wrote. See this sword. This blood dark sword. The sword which stabs within my soul. Where did I get this sword?
I got it from the Prince of Darkness. The Prince of Darkness sold it to me. The hellish vapors rise and fill my brain until my heart goes mad, until I go utterly insane. One of his favorite sayings was this: Mark said, I live for one thing: to drive capitalism from earth and to drive God from heaven. And if you don't know what Marxism is, we don't have time to get into the whole theory, but let me just give you two traits of Marxism that kind of tells you what this is about.
First of all, Marxism is rooted in conflict theory. We've got to create conflict between the groups. Because if we can create conflict between the groups, we can burn the whole system down and rebuild the system.
So let's create conflict between the billionaires. and blue-collar working men. Let's create conflict between black and white. Christian and Sodomite. Let's get all these groups going at each other, and through that conflict, we can create our utopia.
It's rooted in conflict theory. You need to understand this: the critical race theory. That's Marxism. It was shipped here from the Frankfurt School by Marcuse and Davis. Critical race theory is Marxism.
It is the American brand of Marxism. Let's get the races at each other's throat. That's the first trait of Marxism. Secondly, to create a fair society. And to end poverty.
We have to take money. From those who have it. Take the resources from those who have it, take it from them, and give it to those who don't have it.
Now, I believe in generosity. I believe in benevolence. Through your offerings every week, you'd be amazed at how many people we help out that need help. That's one thing. But it's another thing for the government to come and say, I don't care if you want to or not, we will take your money and we'll give it to that person.
That's wrong. And that's Marxism. And um beloved It is antithetical. to America. America is built on Judeo-Christian values, specifically the values that we see enshrined in the Ten Commandments.
But I want you to understand this. Listen to me. Marxism undercuts the Ten Commandments. Let me give you an example. First commandment is this: you shall have no other gods, God said, before me.
Marxism says no. Your allegiance is to the state first, then you can pledge your allegiance to God. State first, then God. Which is why, wherever Marxism takes root, and you need to listen to me, churches are shut down by the government. Because Marxism says, no, no, no.
We're God. It sounds a lot like Peter's Day. Did you know the same philosophy as in Peter's Day? In Peter's Day, the government said to the Christians: you can worship Jesus if you want, that's fine. Government first.
Pledge your loyalty to the government first, then after that, you can serve whoever you want. That's Marxism. You shall have no other gods before me, Marches and says, No. We're first. Violates the First Commandment.
Another commandment is this, you shall not make graven images. In Marxism, wherever Marxism rises up. There's a cult of personality. Have you noticed this? In the Soviet Union, Marxism rises up and you see pictures of Lenin and Stalin all over the place.
In China, Marxism rises up and you have posters of Chairman Mao all over the country. Wherever Marxism comes, you start seeing the images of the leaders everywhere. Which I've looked, I'm an equal opportunity offender. You know, I support Trump, but listen to me. I get really uncomfortable when I start seeing Trump's picture all over the place.
That's not right. And so Marxism violates that commandment. Marxism says: no, we will have graven images. Let's put images of Marxist leaders all over the country. Here's another.
of the Ten Commandments. Honor. Your fathers and mothers. No, no, no. Marxism says the state supersedes the parents.
The state controls the kids. They're not your kids. They're the states, kids. That's Marxism. Marxism says a stable society is built on the nuclear family.
So we have to break down the traditional nuclear family so that we can take ownership of your kids. And you say that's crazy, that doesn't happen. Let me read this to you. California passed Assembly Bill 1955. Which prevents schools from notifying parents if one of the little kids is trying to change their genders or pronouns.
Did you hear what I just said? According to that law. Passed by the California Assembly. Your little kid at school says to the school system. I'm no longer a boy.
I'm a girl. The school system says, shh, that's fine. We'll help encourage that. Let's just not tell mommy and daddy. That violates one of the Ten Commandments.
In fact You remember this a couple years ago in Virginia. Virginia, one state above us. Virginia Democratic delegate Elizabeth Guzman trying to introduce legislation that said, Parents, if you don't refer to your child by their personal pronouns, we can call Child Protective Services and have that kid removed from the house, and you can be sent to jail. Again, do you understand what I just said to you? The state has said.
Your little 10-year-old boy comes home and says, I'm no longer a boy, I'm a girl. And you don't go along with that? They can take your child and put you into jail.
Now, thank God that legislation didn't move forward. But the fact that it was even introduced in America tells me Marxism is on the rise. And it's amazing to me. How many Christians will take issue with me on some of this stuff? Listen to me.
If you say little children ought to mutilate themselves and try to become the opposite sex, and we shouldn't even have to tell the parents about that. I don't care what label you have, you are not a Christian. Christians don't have that kind of mindset and that kind of insane mentality. Here's another one of the Ten Commandments. You shall not murder.
Now remember. Marxism thrives. on conflict. We've got to get groups conflicting with each other. Which is why the 20th century was the most bloody century we have ever seen.
Because of Marxism, 150,000 people were killed in Latin America in the 20th century. In Eastern Europe, one million deaths attributed to Marxism in Eastern Europe. Africa, 1.7 million deaths in the 20th century because of Marxism. Cambodia, 2 million deaths. North Korea, 2 million deaths.
USSR, 20 million deaths. In China, it is estimated 65 million deaths because of Marxism. A demonic ism. takes root in a country And murder and death follows. Here's another one of the Ten Commandments: you shall not commit adultery.
Again, Marxism is for the breakdown of the family. In fact, Karl Marx himself taught something called, quote, the community of women, basically, widespread promiscuity in Marxist centers. Here's another commandment. You shall not steal. Look.
Marxism wants equality of outcome. You can't have equality of outcome. You can have equality of opportunity. You can provide equality of opportunity. There's no way you can provide equality of outcome unless you take from that guy who has it and give it to that person who doesn't have it.
Do you know what it's called when you take it from that person who has it and gives it that person? That's called stealing. You shall not steal. But Marxism is predicated upon: let's forcefully take money and resources for people who work for it, and let's give it to others. That's stealing.
In fact, This blew me away. We are currently taking 64% of the money from the most successful in our nation. 64%, when you look at local, federal, state taxes, we are taking 64% of their income. How much more we're supposed to we're supposed to be? 75%?
80%. At what point do we have a cutoff? We are now taking 64% of people's money and redistributing it. That's Marxism. That violates that commandment.
Here's another one. One of the commandments is, thou shalt not bear false witnesses against your neighbor. But we do that in American Marxism. American Marxist social justice violates that commandment. Because the American Marxist social justice theory says: if you are in a racial category, then you are like this.
If you're in the white category, You are a racist colonial slave owner. If you are in the black community, you are helpless unless the government steps in for you. If you're in the Jewish community, you're a money-hungry, power-hungry person controlling the society behind the curtains. Yeah, but what if I'm not a colonial slave owner? No, no, no.
By virtue of being white, you are. Yeah, but I'm not. That's false witness. Yeah, but what if I'm not an African-American who fits in the category that you've assigned me? No, no, no.
If you're an African-American, you are in that. That is bearing false witness. Does this make sense? See, that's prohibited by Scripture. In the book of James.
James says this: Christians. Do not show favoritism. And that word favoritism in Greek, I think it's something like prosombano, it's a compound word, it means to hold a face. Here's what James is speaking against. Look at somebody's appearance.
Oh, you're white? You're in that correct category. Oh, you're black? You're in that category. Oh, you're Latino, you're in that category, or you're a Jew, you're in that category.
James says, let the world do that. That's not how we operate. Because you end up bearing false witness. And here's another commandment. You shall not covet.
You know what covered it means? Coverting means. You've got what I want. I want your success. I want to live where you live.
I want to drive the kind of car you drive.
So government take the money from them and give it to me so I can have what they want. That is the essence of Marxism, and that is prohibited by Scripture.
So I'm telling you, church. There's some dangerous stuff on the horizon here. And if history has taught us anything, It's that when Marxism finally takes hold in a society, Bible-believing, gospel-preaching churches like ours will come under attack and possibly be shut down.
So here's my question. What do we do? as followers of Jesus Christ. Dewey. Throw up our hands in despair?
Well, let me just tell you this: if you're a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, I do believe this. You need to vote biblically.
Some of y'all are called by God to go a step further. I'm not called to do this, but some of y'all are, to go a step further and be involved in the political process. At a minimum, we need to vote biblically. And you'll ask me, where is voting in the Bible? It's not in the Bible.
But here's what the problem is: when we try to take a 21st-century Democratic Republic, Form of government and superimpose it on the Bible, it doesn't work. Because y'all do understand in Peter's day, it was not a democratic republic. It really was a dictatorship. But I believe if Peter was alive today in this system, he would say. No, you gotta vote biblically.
And Jesus did say, You are the light of the world, and you are the what? Salt of the earth. You know what salt does? In Jesus' day, he did a lot of things that made things taste better, whatever. In Jesus' day, salt was primarily a preservative.
So, we don't have refrigeration back in Jesus' day.
So, if I want to preserve meat, I take meat and I cover it in salt, and that prevents the decay. And I think what Jesus is saying is: you're living in a decaying, rotten system, but y'all are salt. You step into the system, you be salt, you be light, you stop the moral decay in the culture. That's what I've called you to do. And one of the ways you do that is through voting.
But um In 1 Peter chapter 3, we've been going into 1 Peter. Up to this point, Peter's just been hinting around. about how to uh live. Under persecution.
Now he doesn't hint around. He rolls up his sleeves. And for the first time in 1 Peter 3, verse 13, he starts to give us concrete ways that we, as followers of Jesus Christ, can live in a chaotic culture. In our days, it is the impending chaos of Marxism. In Peter's day, it was the chaos of Caesar worship.
Different systems, but same principles. And Peter says this. 1 Peter 3.13. And who is he? Who will harm you?
If you become followers of what is good. But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But do this. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you.
But you do this with meekness and fear. Having a good conscience that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. Do you see what he's saying? He's like, You live such good lives that when people say these Christians are crazy, they're nut jobs, they're wackos, they're weirdos, live such good lives that those people will be ashamed because people are like, I know Christians, I don't agree with them, but they're actually good people. Verse 17.
For it is better if it is the will of God to suffer for doing good. than for doing evil. We're going to hit this for the next couple weeks. How do we live in chaotic times?
Okay, I get it, vote, and do all that stuff.
Okay, I got it. But Peter says, I want y'all to do several things in the midst of all this cultural chaos. Number one, he says, I want you to keep living good lives. Do you see that in verse 13?
Now, there are several Greek words for good. One is dikaios, that's moral righteousness. I think he talks about that in verse 14. Another one is kalos. This word is agathos.
Agathos means Kind, nice, good, winsome. Here's what Peter's saying: I want you to be so kind to people, so good to people in this harsh, condemning world. I want you to not lash out. I don't want you to be jaded. I want you to be kind people.
I need you to listen to me. We've got to guard our heart against what's going on out there. I know I'm preaching to myself. If I'm not careful, I allow all the junk and the bad attitudes and all the stuff that I'm seeing online. It starts to get to me.
That's why I don't have social media. That's why my wife says to me. Stay off my social media because I know it's going to happen. You're going to get mad and you're going to post something and chew somebody out, and it's going to be in my name. Stay off my Facebook.
And I think Peter would say, yeah. Stay off of Facebook. You be kind, you be nice. You be lucky. Because I'm just telling you What's happening?
If I don't guard my heart, it happens to me. The bitterness and the anger. And the vindictiveness of that world starts to sink in right here.
Now, look, we've got social media influencers in our church, and I thank God for you. We need Christians who stand for Jesus Christ in the social media realm. We don't want the wicked people just to have the whole thing.
So, I thank God for you. But I'm going to say for the rest of you, if you're not a social media influencer and the social media is getting you riled up and mad and angry, you would do well to get off social media. Because here's what I found out when we went to California a couple weeks ago. When I went to California, I was loaded for bear. I was like, Darla, I just know what's going to happen.
Homosexuals and lesbians and sodomites and all these people, they're going to drive me crazy out there, and they're like this and they're like that. We got out to California, you know how to found out? They're people just like us. With hopes and dreams and struggles and ambitions. When you get off social media and you get off the news, when you get off all that kind of stuff, And you just start meeting people.
Suddenly you start to like people. I go back to this again. If you want to hate America, watch the news. If you want to love America, take a road trip. And um We got to do better, but I've got to do better.
In fact, let me, this is a silly little illustration again. If you're watching online or on television or listening on the radio, this might be months from now. But here's something that's going on in our society right now: July 5th. Yeah. Y'all been keeping up the supergirl movie.
Alright, the supergirl movie that just came out. If flopped. And I'm glad it flopped. Because when they asked the actress who plays Superwoman on the red carpet, you know, what do you think her gender identity is? She said, I think she's queer.
I think she swings both ways. Ha ha ha. And then the the the actress Says something disparaging leading up to the Supergirl movie, the actress that played Supergirl said some disparaging things about Christian fathers and Okay, so I'm glad the thing flopped.
However, I've listened to some Christian Media personalities. Also say And you look at her body, she got the body of a 10-year-old boy. Look at those donkey teeth that she had. They're going after her appearance. And I don't know if I'm just getting old.
I don't know if I'm now the grandfather of two little grandgirls. I don't like that. If we want to attack ideas, let's attack ideas. I don't know that being good means we go personally ad hominem after the looks of a 20-something-year-old girl whose career might be ruined by this flop of a movie. And what if the Spirit of God starts to draw her to the gospel one day and she sees all these wicked, horrendous things that Christians said about her?
I get it, let's attack ideas. But man, let's be good to people. Are y'all with me on that thing? In fact, one of my favorite authors is a lady named Rosaria Butterfield. You've heard me talk about her before.
She was a radical. Lesbian feminist professor. At a university, I can't remember which university it was in New York. And she was, I mean, she played the part. I'm a feminist, I'm a lesbian, I'm a man-hater, I'm all that kind of stuff.
And then one day She met an elderly Christian couple. I said, honey, why don't you just come over to our house and have dinner with us one night? And so this radical lesbian feminist professor goes to the home. of some old Bible-believing Christians. And she said they were kind to me.
They were nice to me. They heard my concerns about Christianity. They listened to me. And to make a very long story short, she became a radical follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in fact, y'all think I'm conservative?
She's actually more conservative. She's spoken here before. She's more conservative than I am. She spoke to our women's event a couple years ago. And if you were to ask her, What led you to Jesus, she would say, the first domino to fall, was a couple.
Being good to me. Peter says, I know it's a messed up culture. Yeah, vote, okay, do all that kind of stuff, but but just be good to people. And then he says number two. In this messed up, turbulent culture, Do you see this?
Don't be afraid. And don't be troubled. Don't be afraid and don't be troubled. Look at verse 14. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.
Actually, Peter tells us two things. Number one, don't be afraid. That's number one. And then he says, number two, don't even be troubled. Can I tell you you've seen that word before?
John 14:27, where Jesus says, Let not your hearts be. Troubled. That word means to be agitated. He says this: don't be afraid, and don't even be agitated. Yeah, but look at all that's going on in America, and look at the rise of the Democratic Socialists, and look at all.
And I'm not supposed to be troubled. Hey, let me tell you what your problem is. You and I get a little bit too invested in this place. I'm going to remind you again: this isn't your home. You're a citizen of heaven first and America second.
Maybe you're getting a little bit too invested in this place. In fact, the old timers used to sing songs like this, and I used to roll my eyes, and I don't roll my eyes anymore. Y'all remember this old hillbilly song? This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door, and I can't feel at home in this world anymore. How many of y'all don't feel at home in this place anymore? And you're ready to go home to be with Jesus.
So in the midst of cultural chaos Guard your heart. You You don't have to be mean back. You don't have to attack people personally. Attack ideas. That'd be good.
And second something so afraid. And worried. You can kind of tell you the one thing you're not supposed to say to a An emotional woman. Calm down. But I'm gonna tell it to all of y'all.
Men and women. Just calm down. It's gonna be alright. Heard a story years ago. I don't know if it's a true story, but heard it.
Um It's a little boy. Who was so proud of his daddy? His daddy was a commercial airline pilot. He always wanted to fly with his daddy. He never had the opportunity until he's about six, seven.
years old. And the dad told him, he said, son, I've got an open seat on this flight. I want you to come and fly with me. That boy is so he's been waiting all his life for this. Hey, he couldn't even sleep the night before.
And so the day of the flight, he gets up. Extra early. Packs a suitcase. He's going to fly with daddy. That is the captain.
Puts him in a seat. Goes to the cockpit. People start to board. I'm Captain So-and-so. We're going to be going to this city.
We'll be there in two hours. Plane took off. And somewhere mid-flight, Turbulent. Turbulence hit. Not just regular turbulence.
Anybody ever been in major turbulence before? It's bad. I mean, honestly, you think you're going to die. The plane is bouncing around. The oxygen thing is coming down.
Everybody's panicking. They're screaming in terror. And that little boy's just sitting there like this. You just sitting here. And uh The pilot finally was able to maneuver that plane through the turbulence and land the plane safely.
And as soon as it landed, Everybody's cheering, shouting, high five, we made it. And they're leaving the plane and the captain's at the The uh exit, greeting everybody as they leave. And somebody looks at that little boy. And he says, hey. We were watching you during the turbulence when we were all losing our mind.
You just sat there. In fact, it looked like you were smiling. Said, son, did you not know the kind of danger we were in? How'd you stay so composed in the midst of all this turbulence?
Now that boy kind of looked at them with a strange look on his face. He said, well Uh That's my dad's. He pointed to the captain. That's my dad. In other words, Why would I be afraid?
My dad's looking out for me. My dad's controlling this plane. My dad's going to land this plane safely. What do you mean, why am I so peaceful? That's my dad.
And when the world looks at you and says, Do you not know our country's going to hell in a handbasket? Everything is falling apart. Things don't make sense. How can y'all be so calm and so composed? How can you have so much peace?
You point and you say, Well, that's my king. Jesus is my king. He's on the throne. He's in control. He's guiding this thing.
He's controlling this thing. What do you mean? How can I have so much peace? That's my king. Can the people of God stand right now and lift your hands and lift your voices to the king of kings and the Lord of lords?
He is in charge. He is in control. He is ruling this place. I know we're going through some turbulence right now, but the king is going to land the plane one day and take over this place and rule this world. That's my king.
Sing to the Lord right now. Cause he is he is wonderful and beautiful. Beautiful and glorious, and that He is merciful and Powerful, who we're talking about, that's my key. We didn't have the core and clown. Give them all your honor all together money.
Who we're talking about, that's my key. That's all we call you. Yes, we will adore you. All of this is for you. Who we're talking about that's our key.
That's my key, that's my God. That's my shepherd. Come on, let's proclaim that. Window! His name.
I can't. That's my ride. That's why Maybe good. Monty fat. That's my king.
That's my God. That's my deliverance. My protector. That's my king. That's my right.
That's my angel. My defender. Who you talking about. We have glory. Give them all yellow.
All together worthy. Hey, who we talking about? That's my king. We have glory. Give them all the honor.
All together worthy. Who we're talking about? That's my king. Let's go up and for you. Yes, we're all before you.
All of this is for you. Who we're talking about? That's my king. Hey.
Alright, let me uh Let me see if y'all been listening to me. over the last 20-something years. What is the most repeated commandment in the Bible? Anybody know? Fear not.
Somebody said, I've counted it. 365 times in the Bible, God says, Don't be afraid. That's one for every day of the year. And then he always See a lot of times they'll add this. Don't be afraid.
Because I'm with you. You're not alone. Whatever you walk through, I'm right beside you. Don't be afraid. Cause I'm with you.
Or as God said to Joshua. Hazak Behematz. Arthur wrote the article. He in a half. Adonai.
Elehecha, behold, a shah, terlach, which means cross-assembly. Be bold. Be strong. Man, y'all don't be afraid and you don't be terrified of anything. Why?
Because the Lord of hosts is going to be with you everywhere you go this week. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen and amen. God bless you, beloved. Go change the world for Jesus Christ.
Mm.
