Pathway to Victory

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Hey, podcast listeners, thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress.

And right now, your generous gift will have twice the impact, thanks to the Salt and Light Matching Challenge, active now through July 6th. To give a special matching challenge gift, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes.

Now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

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Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God's word with every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

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No nation that outlaws the mention of God in the public square, that celebrates the murder of its own children, that destroys the most basic unit of society, the family. No nation is going to survive that.

This is not depressing. As long as you understand our purpose as Christians.

There's never been a better time to be alive and living in America than right now.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. You know, for centuries, Americans have enjoyed the blessings of religious freedom. But today, our liberties are threatened by those who ignore God as we stray farther and farther from our Christian heritage.

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress reveals the dark future that lies ahead if America continues down this dangerous road.

Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message: Dr. Jeffress.

Speaker 2

Thanks, David. And welcome to this Tuesday edition of Pathway to Victory. It's the first day of July, and like the Jeffress family, you're probably getting ready for the long holiday weekend ahead. I'm glad you joined us for this important message I'm going to share.

Many Americans are sensing a fresh wind of optimism right now, given the new leadership in our nation's capital. There's hope on the horizon, and we're enjoying a temporary break from some of the darkness that has pervaded our country. But make no mistake, this is no time to retreat. Right now, it's critically important to leverage this season. Remember what Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount: you are the light of the world.

Along those lines, we're inviting you to become part of the revolution that shines the bright light of the gospel in big and small ways. Well, let me give you a tangible way to become salt and light. Today, for just a few more days, we have the opportunity to participate in a record-setting $1,000,000 salt and light matching challenge. Your generous gift will empower Pathway to Victory to shine the light of God's word all across our beloved country and even around the world.

Plus, because of this matching challenge, every dollar you give to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory will be matched and therefore doubled in size. Please be prepared to jot down our contact information. But first, I want you to hear an intensely personal message I delivered to my home congregation at First Baptist Church in Dallas. Because the biblical principles apply to all of us, I titled my message America at the Crossroads.

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You remember a few years ago when God led us to completely recreate this campus here in downtown Dallas that covers six blocks? You all gave because of your love for God. You gave $135 million to be able to build the largest church building program in history. And you did it debt-free because of your generosity. It was a great thing what God did in the midst of this recession that we were in a few years ago.

But once we had the money, then we were faced with the task. Okay, what do you do with all the old buildings? How do you remove hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of thousands of square feet of space in all these old buildings? So we met with the demolition people, and they said, "Well, Pastor, the best way to do this is through an implosion." I said, "An m. What?" I said, "An implosion." And they said, "This is what we're going to do. We're going to take hundreds of pounds of dynamite. We will attach the dynamite to key structural supports within these buildings. We'll explode the dynamite. There'll be a pause, and then the law of physics will take over, and the buildings will collapse under their own weight." I said, "Well, that sounds good to me. Let's go for it."

Who will ever forget on that Saturday morning in October a few years ago when we watched the implosion of the First Baptist Church in Dallas? I mean, it was exciting stuff. We had the news media from all over the world here. CNN was there, but more importantly, Fox News was carrying it live on Fox and Friends. Everybody loves an important implosion. And we stood on a building overlooking our campus, and they had that big red button. I tell you, I've never been more excited. They did the countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. And then Mark Lavorne, Tom Leopard, and I pressed the red button.

After the pressing of the red button, that was followed by the exploding dynamite. And the exploding dynamite was followed by nothing, absolutely nothing happened. I cannot tell you the unholy thoughts that were going through my mind at the moment. I mean, my first thought is, which staff member am I going to fire first for this? I was embarrassed. I mean, millions—17 million people—were watching this worldwide. I could see this scene being replayed endlessly on YouTube: "Pastor's implosion, a dud." But what I forgot was they told me there was going to be a pause between the explosion and the collapse. It seemed like an eternity, but it was only a few seconds until we started feeling the ground start vibrating underneath us. Those buildings started swaying back and forth.

Well, you remember what happened. Look at it for a moment. I learned something that morning about implosions. They are sudden. They are dramatic. They begin with a series of seemingly unrelated explosions, followed by a pause, and then a sudden collapse. Ladies and gentlemen, over the last 50 years, there have been three explosive decisions by our United States Supreme Court that have so weakened the moral and spiritual infrastructure of this nation that our country's collapse is inevitable. We've already had the explosions. The implosion is coming. We're just living in that moment of delay.

You say, "Well, what are those explosive decisions, Pastor?" The first one occurred in 1962. It was the Supreme Court case of Engel vs. Vitale. This is the case that removed prayer from the public schools. Of course, this was just the first in a series of court decisions against Christianity and faith in the public square. In 1963, Bible reading was removed from the school. And on and on and on it went until 1980. In the case of Stone vs. Graham, the United States Supreme Court said you can no longer even post copies of the Ten Commandments in a Kentucky school.

And why did the court say you can't do that? If I were to summarize the court's ruling, you would think I was making it up. So I want you to hear verbatim why the Supreme Court of the United States now says you can no longer post the Ten Commandments in a school. Quote, "If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments are to have any effect at all, it will induce the school children to read, meditate upon, perhaps venerate and obey the Commandments. This is not a permissible state objective under the establishment clause of the First Amendment." Can you believe that the Supreme Court says we can't post those Ten Commandments in a school because if we post them, the children might actually read them? And if they read the Ten Commandments, they may begin to respect them, to venerate them. And if they begin to respect the Ten Commandments, God forbid they might actually obey the Ten Commandments. And that's unconstitutional. How in the world do you explain that?

Especially in light of the fact that 118 years before that court decision, the Supreme Court of the United States weighed in on another case. The case was, can you teach the New Testament in the public schools? It was the case of Vidal vs. Girard's executors. And the question was, can you teach the New Testament in the school? The Supreme Court almost laughed this decision out. Well, of course you can. Why wouldn't you be able to teach the New Testament in the school? Literally, the court wrote, "Why may not the Bible, and especially the New Testament, be read and taught as a divine revelation in the school? The general precepts expounded, the evidences explained, and its glorious principles of morality inculcated? Where can the purest principles of morality be learned so clearly or so perfectly as from the New Testament?" That was the Supreme Court of the United States.

And then, 111 years later, in 1980, the Supreme Court suddenly says you can't even post, much less talk about the Ten Commandments in the public school. You know, every time I'm debating one of these pinhead lawyers from the ACLU or the Freedom from Religion Foundation on Fox News, I always ask them about this. I said, "Can you explain to me why in the 1860s it was constitutional to teach the Bible or to pray or to put nativity scenes in the public school, but in 1980, 120 years later, you can't even post the copies of the Ten Commandments? Can you explain to me what changed? Did the Constitution change and nobody told us about it? And do the judges today have greater insight into what our founders meant than those who lived closest to the Founders?" No, they never have an answer for that.

But I've got an answer for what changed. What changed is that we have allowed the atheists, the infidels, the humanists to seize control of this country and to pervert our Constitution into something the founders never intended. That is what's happened. And we've got to say enough to that. We've got to say enough to it.

Now, look, our founders were clear in the First Amendment. They said, "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of a religion." Our forefathers came from a country where there was a state church and people were coerced to worship in churches they didn't want to be in. That was wrong. Our forefathers said, "We want no part of that," and you and I don't want any part of that. But the First Amendment absolutely has nothing to say about nativity scenes or prayers at graduations or Ten Commandment displays. It has absolutely nothing to say about that. Our country was founded as a Christian nation. And although we allow and welcome people of all faiths or no faiths, this country was founded as a Christian nation.

But let me tell you what happened. About 50 years ago, starting in 1962, the secularists, the infidels in our country said, "Let's try an experiment. We're going to see if America can be good without God." That is, instead of abiding by the moral absolutes found in God's word, we'll just let everybody form their own morality. And furthermore, we won't judge anybody else's morality. Everybody is free to decide what's right or wrong himself. You know, the left lately has been...

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All.

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In a dither about Harvey Weinstein. It took him a while to get there where they started slamming Harvey Weinstein and the terrible case of sexual assault that he and others in Hollywood are guilty of. But now just think about this. Who's to say, according to their thinking, that Harvey Weinstein is wrong? Who's to say that it's wrong to sexually assault somebody? Maybe Harvey Weinstein was just following his own morality that he developed for himself. What I'm saying to you is Harvey Weinstein is no anomaly. He's no accident. He is the natural result of a country that has untethered itself from the absolute truths of God's word. That is what the truth is.

You know, the Russian writer Dostoevsky said, without God, everything is permissible. And that's what we're seeing in our country. The first explosion was the removal of any acknowledgment of God from the public square and public discussion. The second explosion occurred in 1973. It was a case that actually started right here in Dallas, a few blocks from this church. 1973, the case of Roe vs Wade, the court case that legalized abortion in our country. And since the Roe decision, more than 60 million children have been murdered in the womb, and an additional 1.3 million children are murdered every year through abortion.

What is God's attitude toward a nation that not only allows, but celebrates the freedom? And I never let people end it there. I never let them say the freedom to choose. I always make them complete the sentence that celebrates the freedom to choose to murder your own child. What does God say about a nation like that? All you have to do is look at how God dealt with his own nation of Israel. I mean, really, when you think about it, Israel was the only nation that could be truly called God's chosen people. God created Israel. He has a special blessing for Israel. But remember, what happened when they went into the promised land? They started following after the pagan God Molech and started adopting the worship of Moloch.

And part of the worship of that Canaanite God involved the sacrifice of children. The Israelites would take their own young children, even their babies, and burned them alive on the altar of Moloch. And when God looked down and he saw what his own people were doing in Jeremiah 32, 35, he said, it would not have even entered my mind that you would have done such a detestable thing. But because you have, this is what I'm going to do. I will raise up the Babylonians, the terrorists of your day, if you will, and they will invade your land and they will take captive. And that's exactly what God did. If God is going to deal with his own nation of Israel that way, is there any real doubt of what God is going to do to America?

The third explosion occurred January 26, 2015. It was the case of Obergefell versus Hodges. This was the Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage. Now, I know. Look, I know. Or some of you are thinking, oh, Pastor, why do we have to talk about that? Why do we have to talk about, I mean, if gays want to get married, they love one another. Why do you get so worked up about that? It's no skin off of your nose. You must be homophobic to talk about this. No, we don't hate gay people. We don't hate anybody. But the reason we stand against gay marriage is because we know how that story ends.

We know what the end result is. Sociologists have done a long-term study. The Hoover Institute has done a long-term study of Scandinavian countries that legalized same-sex marriage years ago. And you know what they discovered? It was very interesting. They discovered after 10 years, not that many gays actually ended up getting married. What they found was instead, the rate of heterosexual marriage declined precipitously. You say, well, wait a minute, that doesn't make any sense. Why would gays being allowed to marry have anything to do with the heterosexual marriage rate declining? That's an easy one. Whenever you counterfeit something, you cheapen the value of the real thing.

I mean, if marriage is whatever you want it to be, a man and a woman, two men, two women, three men and a woman. If it's whatever you want it to be, why even bother about going through the hassle of getting married? And that's what's happening in our country already. In the last two years, the marriage rate has declined among heterosexuals to the lowest in 92 years. And we know the implications on society for that. We know what happens when children are reared in an atmosphere without a father or a mother. I mean, sociology studies have shown that SAT scores plummet, depression and suicide rates, drug use increase.

You see, children are designed in such a way that they need both a father and a mother. You know, Sarah McClanahan is a sociologist at Princeton University. Now, this isn't Dallas Theological Seminary. This is Princeton University. And she said one time, if we were trying to design the ideal arrangement environment in which to rear a child, it would be one in which the child was connected to both of its biological parents. You know, I remember so well a few years ago when one of these decisions attacking traditional marriage came down from the Supreme Court. I was on Fox News the night of that decision debating a gay activist.

And I'd done some research on him and discovered that he and his partner had just adopted a child. And so I was talking about the sociological studies of why children need both a father and a mother. And as I was talking about that, he interrupted me and he said, pastor, I just want you to know I'm offended by what you're saying because you're suggesting that a heterosexual relationship is superior to a homosexual relationship. I said, well, sir, I'm sorry you're offended, but the fact is, you wouldn't be alive here and arguing with me tonight if it were not a heterosexual relationship that had brought you into this world. I mean, that is God's way of saying this is a special relationship.

Now, I know that's not always possible to have a father and mother. Death, divorce, other things. But government ought to be encouraging that ideal relationship instead of counterfeiting. Now, here's my point in all of this. What I'm simply saying is this. No nation that outlaws the mention of God in the public square, that celebrates the murder of its own children, that destroys the most basic unit of society, the family. No nation is going to survive that. The explosions have already happened. The implosion is coming. We are just living in that in-between time.

What are we supposed to do about that? Some of you are saying this is the most depressing message I've ever listened to. I know what I want to do. Let's just pass around the revolvers and end it all right here in the service. No, this is not depressing. As long as you understand our purpose as Christians, if you understand our purpose as Christians, there's never been a better time to be alive and living in America than right now. As long as we understand the mission, what are we supposed to be doing right now? Jesus told us in Matthew chapter 5. Turn there to Matthew 5. 13. You probably never thought we'd get into the Bible. Here we are right now, Matthew 5.

Jesus said, first of all, you are the salt of the earth. Verse 13. But if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Jesus said, we are to be salt in this decaying world. Now remember, in Jesus' day, salt was a preservative. Before the days of refrigeration, salt was used as a preservative. Now get this. Salt could not prevent the decay of meat, but it could delay the decay of meat. Salt gave the meat a longer shelf life. Eventually the meat would rot, it would have to be thrown out, but the salt helped preserve it for a little bit longer.

Now, Jesus said in the same way, the reason he has left us in this world instead of taking us to heaven immediately is to be a preservative in this world. To not prevent the decay, but to delay the decay of the world. Now, before salt can impact meat, guess what? It has to penetrate the meat. As long as it stays in the salt shaker, it is absolutely worthless. And I'm going to tell you, one thing that really concerns me is the number of Christians, the number of pastors who are still in the salt shaker. They have siloed themselves. They have said things like, oh, well, if it's all going to end anyway, why should I even bother to get involved? You know, we're going to hell in a hand basket. Why should I do anything? Shouldn't we be welcoming Jesus' return anyway?

Why should we care about what's happening in the culture? You know how I respond to that? I know I'm going to die one day. Nothing's going to change that. But the reason I get up and run every morning, the reason I gag down that Raisin Bran for breakfast instead of an Egg McMuffin every day, the reason I do those things is to delay the inevitable. Not to prevent it, but to delay it. And it's not because I'm afraid of dying. It's I want to live here as long as I can and do what God has called me to do before I go home to meet the Lord.

And it's the same way with our culture. We're not afraid of the end. We know the best chapter is yet to be revealed when Christ returns. But the Bible says we're to push back against evil. We're to try to delay the premature collapse of our country and our world so that we have longer to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. How do we do that? How do we push back against evil in the world? One way we do it in our country, a major way we do it is through the government officials that we elect.

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I'm sure your heart has grieved as mine is when you see the news. Unbridled violence in our major cities, egregious crimes against innocent citizens. The Bible teaches that we're to make every effort to push back against the forces of evil in order to delay the decay of our nation. You can help us delay the decay when you give generously. You're empowering Pathway to Victory to purchase airtime on radio and television so that millions around the world have access to the truth.

For example, I was encouraged to read this insightful note from Susan, who said, "Pastor Jeffress, I've been concerned for quite some time about America and the situation in which Christians find ourselves. Most of us have been either too fearful or lackadaisical to do anything about it. But I felt compelled to do something. So now I host a prayer group in my home, and we pray for our nation. And we're watching your messages on video as well."

Well, thank you, Susan. You're truly salt and light among your friends. You can become salt and light as well. And right now, when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, it will be applied to the $1 million Salt and Light Matching Challenge. The deadline for receiving your gift is this coming Sunday, July 6th, and every dollar you give is automatically matched and doubled in both size and impact.

Plus, David will describe the book we're prepared to send to you with our thanks for your generous gift toward the matching challenge. The book is titled "Shine the Light." In my new book, I'll show you how your acts of kindness and compassion will be used by God to renew Christian values in your family, your community, and even your nation.

David, thanks, Dr. Jeffress.

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When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request a copy of the brand new book by Dr. Jeffress, Shine the Light. To request these resources, call 866-999-2965 or visit ptv.org. When you give $100 or more, we'll also send you the complete collection of audio and video discs for the Shine the Light teaching series.

And remember, because of our Salt and Light Matching Challenge, your gift to Pathway to Victory will be matched and therefore doubled in impact. But the deadline is July 6, so if you had good intentions to participate in the Matching Challenge, please don't delay any longer. One more time, call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org. You could also send your donation by mail. Write to PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222.

Again, that's PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. I'm David J. Mullins inviting you back for part two of the Message America at the Crossroads. That's coming up Wednesday on Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible.

Right now, your ministry gift will be matched and therefore doubled in impact thanks to the Salt and Light Matching Challenge. Take advantage of this opportunity to double your impact before the deadline on July 6th. To give toward the matching challenge, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.