STUDIES FROM BRETHREN IN CHRIST

SERMON MENU SELECTIONS

?/?/2021 ~ Presidential Quotes 33


Darkness listens to trembling silence.
One mans wisdom is another man's stupidity.

40. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)

“Christmas can be celebrated in the school room with pine trees,
tinsel and reindeers, but there must be no mention of the man whose
birthday is being celebrated. One wonders how a teacher would
answer if a student asked why it was called Christmas.”

Even a President can be deceived by common notions repeated
over the centuries, as Christ was not born in December, but a Roman
Holiday was chosen to represent this event. The Bible instructs us
to remember His Death, burial, and resurrection. No instructions
were given to remember and celebrate His birth. Once a popular
commanded Roman fad, why now all of a sudden, it seems, Christ is
a word not to be spoken? Is it because He represents what is moral
and decent which convicts the all of us? I have seen Christmas
brings out the worst in people as greed and resentment flourish, and
now in the United States, Christmas is aggressively marketed prior
to Halloween with shopping displays appearing in September.


“More than any gift or toy, ornament of tree, let us resolve
that this Christmas shall be, like that first Christmas,
a celebration of interior treasures.”

... the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden
all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ... ~ Colossians 2:2-4


God is a celebration of His power to create,
not man’s fantasies to fabricate.


“Well, it [evolution] is a theory, it is a scientific theory only, and it has
in recent years been challenged in the world of science and is not yet
believed in the scientific community to be as infallible as it once was
believed. But if it was going to be taught in the schools, then I think
that also the biblical theory of creation, which is not a theory but
the biblical story of creation, should also be taught.”

“I doubt evolution is real.”

“It would seem that not only is religion lacking in the schools - so
is common sense. I wonder what a teacher is supposed to say if a
kid asks about those four words on a dime - 'In God We Trust.' Or
maybe that's why they aren't being taught how to read these days.”

Where common sense is social wisdom, those truths of the
past such as ‘In God We Trust’ has been replaced by ‘Trust no one,’
to the shame of all. If we loose our religious foundation to embrace
faith, no corner of decency will be found in the corridors of hidden
lusts and self-pursuits absent of respect for God and His creation.
Without caring hearts, humans become disgusted
pilfering and littering all the paths they travel.


My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. ... ~ Hosea 4:6

“It's said that prayer can move mountains. Well, it's certainly moved
the hearts and minds of Americans in their times of trial and helped
them to achieve a society that, for all its imperfections, is still the
envy of the world and the last, best hope of mankind.”

Prayer is where we connect with our hope.

“The Bible and its teachings helped form the basis for the Founding
Fathers' abiding belief in the inalienable rights of the individual.”

“Throughout our history Americans have put their faith in God
and no one can doubt that we have been blessed for it. The earliest
settlers of this land came came in search of religious freedom.
Landing on a desolate shoreline, they established a spiritual
foundation that has served us ever since.”

“It's been written that the most sublime figure in American history
was George Washington on his knees in the snow at Valley Forge.
He personified a people who knew that it was not enough to depend
on their own courage and goodness, that they must also seek help from
God - their Father and preserver. Where did we begin to lose sight of that
noble beginning, of our conviction that standards of right and wrong do
exist and must be lived up to? Do we really think that we can have
it both ways, that God will protect us in a time of crisis even
as we turn away from Him in our day-to-day life?”

When policy is made dependent upon
profits over principle, tyrants rule the land.


“I believe that George Washington knew the City of Man
cannot survive without the City of God; that the Visible City
will perish without the Invisible City.”

... For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things
which are not seen are eternal. ~ 2nd Corinthians 4:18


“It was the hard work of our people, the freedom they enjoyed and their
faith in God that built this country and made it the envy of the world. In all
of our great cities and towns evidence of the faith of our people is found:
houses of worship of every denomination are among the oldest structures.
While never willing to bow to a tyrant, our forefathers were always willing
to get to their knees before God. When catastrophe threatened,
they turned to God for deliverance. When the harvest was
bountiful the first thought was thanksgiving to God.”

“Great nations which fail to meet their responsibilities are consigned to the
dustbin of history. We grew from that small, weak republic which had as
its assets spirit, optimism, faith in God and an unshakeable belief that free
men and women could govern themselves wisely. We became the leader
of the free world, an example for all those who cherish freedom.”

Unbeatable civilizations unite under God
  Great nation responsibilities:

       ● Spirit
       ● Optimism
       ● Faith in God
       ● Unshakeable belief in freedom  

“Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals
of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men
and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.”

... by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men --
as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
... ~ 1st Peter 2:15-17


True respect requires humble hearts
  The will of God:

      ● Honor all people
      ● Love the brotherhood  
      ● Fear God
      ● Honor the king

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”

“Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and
the rule of law under God is acknowledged.”

“Freedom is one of the deepest and
noblest aspirations of the human spirit.”

“The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of these
United States are covenants we have made not only with ourselves,
but with all mankind. Our founding documents proclaim to the world
that freedom is not the sole prerogative of a chosen few.
It is the universal right of all God's children.”

“The American dream is not that every man must be level with
every other man. The American dream is that every man must
be free to become whatever God intends he should become.”

“For a time, we forgot the American dream isn't one
of making government bigger, it's keeping faith with
the mighty spirit of free people under God.”

“The United States remains the last best hope for a mankind plagued
by tyranny and deprivation. America is no stronger than its people --
and that means you and me. Well, I believe in you, and I believe that
if we work together, then one day we will say, ‘We fought the good fight.
We finished the race. We kept the faith.’ And to our children and
our children's children, we can say, ‘We did all what could be
done in the brief time that was given us here on earth.’”

“The Founding Fathers believed that faith in God was the key to
our being a good people and America's becoming a great nation.”

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,
to those who are the called according to His purpose. ~ Romans 8:28


“The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust
in Him for the healing of America - our country is in need
of and ready for a spiritual renewal.”

“History comes and history goes, but principles endure,
and ensure future generations will defend liberty not as a gift
from government but as a blessing from our Creator.”

Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures
to all generations; You established the earth, ... ~ Psalms 119:89-90


“There is no institution more vital to our Nation's survival than the
American family. Here the seeds of personal character are planted,
the roots of public virtue first nourished. Through love and instruction,
discipline, guidance and example, we learn from our mothers and fathers
the values that will shape our private lives and our public citizenship.”

“[Our goal] is to help revive America's traditional values: faith, family,
neighborhood, work and freedom. Government has no business enforcing
these values but neither must it seek, as it did in the recent past, to
suppress or replace them. That only robbed us of our tiller and set
us adrift. Helping to restore these values will bring new strength,
direction and dignity to our lives and to the life of our nation.
It's on these values that we'll best build our future.”

Truth does not change the value it maintains
  Help restore traditional values:  

       ● Faith ≠ Atheism
       ● Family ≠ Abortion or LBGTQx  
       ● Neighborhood ≠ Ghettos
       ● Work ≠ Welfare
       ● Freedom ≠ Servertude

    Best brings dignity to our lives  

There are those that do not deserve basic human rights, when
they do not hold basic instincts of decency. To tolerate evil only
emboldens it. Breaking the law should take some of one’s rights
away. By not following God’s Word and hope for eternal life forfeits
the right to enter His Kingdom. Why should it be different among
men; when a murderer is captured on video with countless witness,
that ensuing court hearings and appeals, with pleas of not guilty,
drain millions in public funds, and all to go to protect a degenerate’s
intolerable violation of public order? By unreasonably extending
rights to those who do not deserve it, not only is society violated,
but we reward liars. The Bible instructs us not to lie against the truth.
Truth is not always popular as it rails against our failings.

Sexual promiscuity has always led to
social disorder as purpose becomes lost.
Religious or sexual orientation does not discount that each
soul seeks genuine love without tortures of criticism. Reckless
or restrained invokes frenzy or calm respectively. Finding
the self is not necessarily the same as finding God.


“The family has always been the cornerstone of American society.”

“If the family goes, so goes our civilization.”

... And he who begets a wise child will delight in him. Let your father and
your mother be glad, And let her who bore you rejoice. ~ Proverbs 23:22-25


“And there is the matter of abortion. We must with calmness and resolve
help the vast majority of our fellow Americans understand that the more
than 112 million abortions performed in America in 1980 amount to a
great moral evil, an assault on the sacredness of human life.”

“More than a decade ago, a Supreme Court decision literally wiped off
the books of fifty states statutes protecting the rights of unborn children.
Abortion on demand now takes the lives of up to 1.5 million unborn
children a year. Human life legislation ending this tragedy will some day
pass the Congress, and you and I must never rest until it does. Unless
and until it can be proven that the unborn child is not a living entity, then
its right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness must be protected.”

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward. ~ Psalms 127:3


“Abraham Lincoln recognized that we could not survive as a free
land when some men could decide that others were not fit to be free
and should therefore be slaves. Likewise, we cannot survive as a free
nation when some men decide that others are not fit to live and
should be abandoned to abortion or infanticide.”

While there are some not fit to live, innocence is
not a reason for the termination of life given by God.


“Make no mistake, abortion-on-demand is not a right granted
by the Constitution. No serious scholar, including one disposed
to agree with the Court's result, has argued that the framers
of the Constitution intended to create such a right.”

"Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent
and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked." ~ Exodus 23:7


“Sometimes it seems we’ve strayed … from our convictions
that standards of right and wrong do exist and must be lived up to.
God, the source of our knowledge, has been expelled from the classroom.
He gives us His greatest blessing, life, and yet many would condone
the taking innocent life. We expect Him to protect us in crisis,
but turn away from Him too often in our day-to-day living.
I wonder if He isn’t waiting for us to wake up.


Freedom dreams are best flavored faithfully in Him
   Evolution theory is not gospel truth
   Without God’s word common sense is lacking
   The Bible built the foundations of America
   Man alone cannot contend with what drowns him
   Freedom establishes when faith abides in decency    
   Freedom is lost when self-seeking tyrants rule
   Freedom’s best where respect for what God gives
   Godly belief is the greatest a people can become
   Liberty is a blessing from God
   Biblical values replaced by man destroys freedom
   True family is where love rules over hate
   Abortion divides God’s given right to life
   Right and wrong is the battleground of today

Freedom is lived fully where conscience
of thought is cherished and respected.


There is no music where
God is not the conductor

Darkness pledges to an echoless chasm.




 

SERMON MENU SELECTIONS


Love
Edify
Order

top

Home
Page
Chimney
Scriptures
Prayer Conduct Salvation Sin ~ Spirit Miracles,
Parables,
& Prophecies
Holy Spirit Death TimeLines Bible Notes Ongoing
Journey
Sermons About
me
Links


Copyright © 2020 by Ronald Arthur Bert. ‏ ‏ All rights reserved.