Our men of grace are on their
way to Holly, Michigan, to the National Cemetery there, where
they'll be singing some patriotic songs as well as our national
anthem for several thousand people that will be gathered there today. So we wish you Godspeed, guys. Today I want to talk with you
from this subject and abuse God, a nation left to be the plaything
of malignant forces. Some of you today will not be
happy with me because if you even get close to talking about
this country and patriotism, it becomes a political matter.
But I assure you today, I am not talking about politics. I'm
talking to you about the God of America that this nation has
abused. We've told him to get out of
our schools, get out of our lives, get out of our public life, and
now he's not speaking. God is, as Jeremiah said, A God
who has turned to stone. He's letting us do what we want
to do. The worst thing that could happen
to America is for God not to speak to us. And that's what's
happening. And I understand why it's happening.
Many of you know that week after next, I'll be going to Washington
and lead the House of Representatives in prayer. They've now whittled
me down to 60 seconds, 150 words. The prayer that I intended to
send them, I cannot because of the limitations they have placed
on me. Here was the prayer I meant to
send them. Our Father, our God, creator
of heaven and earth and all things therein, God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, we pray with the weeping prophet Jeremiah that you be
not as a man astonished, a stranger in our land. We know our iniquities
as a nation testify against us. Many of us this morning clearly
understand why you're not speaking to us anymore. And we know that
there could be no worse judgment that could befall us, a nation
left to be the plaything of malignant forces. Our president has declared
us not to be one nation under God and turned his back on Israel. Some of us here this morning
do not wear that as a badge of honor, but shame. Well, Lord,
since you've been gone, the institution of marriage, the family, the
building block of a solid society, the glue that holds society together
has disintegrated. Since you've been gone, men and
women have lost their sense of parenthood, and we have 80,000
children in America without a mother or father. Since you've been
gone, the state has been attempting to be a parent, and it's not
working. Lord, since you've been gone,
we have taught our children that there is no creator, that they're
nothing more than the accidental formation of gas and dust, and
that they have no real purpose in life. While you've been gone,
we have tried to substitute the multiplicity of material things
for you. And it seems our children no
longer have a point of reference and cannot cope with the pains
of life and are killing themselves and one another. Lord, since
you've been gone, our prisons have filled and our churches
and synagogues are emptied. Dear God, many here this evening
or this morning would like to invite you back Please keep us
from ruin. We know that a sparrow does not
fall to the ground without your notice, and we know that a nation
cannot rise without your aid. We know this morning that the
spiritual weapons of this great nation are our most powerful
resource in peace and war. Our confidence today is not in
big government, but in a big God. If you will accept our invitation
to revisit America, we promise we will never disengage ourselves
from the culture in which we live. We have learned our lesson. We will not leave the soul of
America to the federal government. We know that America's vitality
is her people, and that a country where the people rule must be
a godly nation. Visit us with your spirit so
we can learn to be servants of others and volunteers and contributors
who make a difference by our actions. We have learned that
our lesson that entitlement programs do not work and big government
passing out checks has failed to solve the social ills that
plague us. Oh God, bless America in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. The name of Jesus Christ has
not been mentioned in the House of Representatives in the last
10 months. And so this is the prayer that
I will take, and this is the prayer that I will do in the
House on the 9th. Today, our God, our Father, we
call upon your name. A name at which every knee shall
bow. Your name is wonderful, Counselor,
the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. You are the Prince of
Peace, the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the Valley, and the Bright
and Morning Star. You are the fairest of 10,000,
the Great Creator God, Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and
the End, the First and the Last. Your name is Redeemer and Lord,
the way, the truth, and the life, the bread of life, the light
of the world. You are the water of life, the author and finisher
of our faith. We know that no greater judgment
could befall a nation than for it to be deserted by an absentee
God and left to be the plaything of malignant forces. Speak to
us, O great Jehovah. We know that the spiritual weapons
of this great nation are our most powerful resource in peace
and war. We know that a sparrow does not
fall to the ground without your notice, and we know that a nation
cannot rise without your aid. Dear God, bless America. Stand
beside her and guide her with a light from above. In the name
of Joshua, God our Savior, Emmanuel, God
with us. Leave us not. Amen. Okay, I hope you'll be praying
that God will honor and bless that 60 seconds. Did anybody
time me? I've been timing myself. I've
been practicing. Well, on this Memorial Day, we
call to memory those who have lived and died so that we might
enjoy the liberties, so that we enjoy the liberties in this
great nation. 405,399 men and women Americans
died in World War II, 36,574 in the Korean War, 58,220 in
the Vietnam War, 383 in the Gulf War, and 6,607 in the Iraq-Afghanistan
War. And to those living who have
come home from war, we salute you today and say thank you. With all the wars fought, Have
you ever wondered why or given thanks to God it was not in our
streets? That's a miracle. A world war
and not one bomb dropped in New York or Detroit or in our country. Bombings of cities, house to
house combat, Not in the streets of America, at least not until
recently. For you history buffs, you know
that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, though killing
146,000 people immediately, the bomb
that was dropped on Hiroshima, it was called the Little Boy
Bomb. and 80,000 in Nagasaki called
the Fat Man Bomb. These two bombings brought an
end to World War II and saved over 250,000 American lives from
the invasion of Japan that was planned to take place on November
1st, 1945. It's going to sound strange to
you, but thank God for the bomb. Why did we get the blessing of
the bomb? What if Hitler would have had his way? There would
have been no Israel today. Only blue-eyed blondes would
have existed. The superior race that Hitler
was out to give to the world. America has been a blessing to
this world. How many people enjoy liberties
and blessings in other nations because of America? How is it that America is still
here? When now there is a singular
bomb, you know, a bomb powerful enough to wipe out the state
of Texas entirely. I'll tell you, we are still here
because it has been the protection of Almighty God. You do understand that when Iraq
and Iran speak of developing the bomb and talking of obliterating
the nation of Israel, they're not kidding. And that entire
nation could be obliterated with one bomb. And every Jewish man and woman
and child in Israel would melt. We have been under the protection
of God for 240 years. Since our beginning, God was
our founder and God was our sustainer. In 1771, God visited the colonies
with what was called the Great Awakening. George Whitfield and
Jonathan Edwards and the Wesleys preached the gospel of Jesus
Christ, and thousands received Christ, made professions of faith. And young men entered the ministry,
and Yale and Harvard were started as schools for the training of
ministers. My, we've come a long ways, the
wrong way. at an economic conference several
years ago. I read about a person from South
America, and this economic person was asked, why do you think North
America has prospered so much more than South America? The man answered, the early settlers
came to North America seeking God. The early settlers came
to South America seeking gold. There is a difference. We were
born 240 years ago as one nation under God. The great need is
today we need to be born again under God. There needs to be
an awakening here in this country. President Reagan was right. We
will be one nation under God or we will be one nation gone
under. Think about how far we've drifted
from God. In 1950, we put on our money
in God we trust. In 2010, the president said we're
not a Christian nation. In 2008, two candidates running
for president said they believed that marriage was between one
woman and one man. In 2016, the Supreme Court approved
same-sex marriage, and this president ordered all schools to lift transgender
people's use of the restrooms as their choice. And I say to
you today, not here, not in this building. We used to open each school day
with the Pledge of Allegiance. We were one nation under God.
How many of you can remember saying the Pledge of Allegiance?
My, most of you in this building. Here's what God has said in Jeremiah
verse seven, I will pluck it up. He's talking about a nation.
I will pull it down and the purpose will be destroyed. If it do evil in my sight, that
it obey not my voice, I will destroy it. That's what God said.
Judgment comes when we fail to hear his voice and obey it. This is serious business, what
goes on in this house of worship every Wednesday and Sunday. We
have come into this house and gathered in his name to worship
him. We have come to this place to
hear from God. And I trust, I know some of you
are going to get a bit irritated, but I pray to God that some of
you are aroused to say, I will hear from God and I will stand
for those principles set forth in the word of God. This is a nationally known fact. 20% of Christian people in America
attend church. 20%. 10% are hearing the gospel. The other 10% are hearing false
gospels. There are only a few spotty places
where God is still speaking. And you know what? I jumped out
of my chair last night as I was typing these words. We are one
of those spotty places. Think about the filth that we
are exposed to. The moral decay. Laws that are
passed because there are no Christian influence among the legislators. Whatever happened to leave it
to Beaver? Whatever happened to Andy Griffin? Now, it's polls rather than principles. What do the polls say? I don't
care what the polls say. I want to know what God says.
And if God says it, then it's right and true. Hear me well now. There has not
been an established great nation that has ever lasted over 250
years. How old are we? Does anyone know
how old we are? How old? That's exactly right. We're close to being 240 years
old. We're 10 years away. I wonder
if we'll make it. I doubt it. That would make me
81 years old. I think I can make it that long. Why has this country deteriorated? Because materialism has taken
the place of God. Your new car and your house and
your good job is not nearly as important as God in your life.
God at the center of your life. Materialism took over all the
nations of the past, and it's taken over America. Frivolity,
the most crazy thing. Everybody's looking to be entertained.
Entertainment. I'll tell you something else,
and you can check out the history on this. The influx of foreigners. You know, this has been a great
nation. Maybe some of you have parents that came to America
years ago. But I'll tell you, if your parents
came to America years ago, they were seeking life and liberty
and the pursuit of happiness. And they took a pledge of allegiance
to this nation. And they did not come to change
our culture. They changed theirs when they
came to America. Entitlement. Every nation that
has gone as crazy as America with regard to spending other
people's hard-earned money and giving it to people who will
not work, has gone down the drain. We're
10 years away. In 2026, you can get this off
your computer, by the way, in 2026, it is predicted that the
federal debt will exceed the gross national product. Medicare
and Social Security will have gone bankrupt. Homelessness will
exceed home ownership. and the dollar will be worthless. I know you're sitting in here
and probably you're letting your mind, this is maybe a bit boring
to you because you can't grasp it. Some of you young people
have lived in this great nation and enjoyed the great blessings
of this great nation. And when you hear some of us
talking about the Great Depression, When people were on the streets,
there wasn't enough food, you couldn't buy gas. People were
homeless. It's just hard for you to imagine
that. And by the way, since we live in a godless America, which
we do, You should ask yourself this question. You know, during
the Depression, there was not great protest and great thievery
and murdering, but let me tell you, this generation does not
have the principles of 1930, 1940. They do not. They're going
to take what they want. They'll be riding in the streets.
Without God, there is no hope of a civilized society. There
just is no hope. And we have basically two people
running for president who are nothing but socialists. They're
nothing but socialists. They admit it. They openly admit it. Capitalism
has been a blessing from God. I knew he was going to really
get political. This is not political. I'm talking about God. I'm talking
about, how about we start here? In 1963, the Supreme, not so
Supreme Court, outlawed the reading of scripture in public schools. How about that? In 1980, we outlawed the Ten
Commandments, lest our little children began to keep them. It might encourage them not to
steal and murder and lie. That's where we are in America. In 1979, we have murdered 50
million babies in the abortion mill. There is something bad
wrong in this country and something that only God can fix. We must
have God back in America again. Pam said to me last night, when
I said what I was going to talk about with you, she said, but
give them hope. Here it is. I'm going to give
you hope. It's God or hell. You have a
choice. I choose God. And I'm going to preach as long
as God gives me breath, I'm not backing up. I'm not backing up
on this. I know, I love America, greatest
nation on the face of the earth. You've heard me tell the story
about years ago on the Canada side of the Niagara River, there
was a small little printed sign that said, pass the redemption
point. What that meant was, when you
get past that sign, you're going over the falls. My friends, in
America, we have passed that point. We are past that point. And it's going to take divine
intervention. There's going to have to be a
new birth in America, a turning back to God. But that is my hope. That is my hope, that we'll turn
back to God. You know the difference between
an explosion and implosion? Explosion happens many, many
times. It would be like this, where
there's several buildings, the dynamite has been set in those
buildings, the person who's to set it off pushes the red button
or pushes down the thing that's going to start the explosion,
and the dynamite goes off. And then there's seconds. before the buildings begin to
start to quiver, and there's a rumbling, and then they fall. The explosion has already happened.
The foundations are quivering here in America, past the redemption
point. That's how serious this matter
is. I hope some of you former addicts,
decide, who've been saved by the grace of God, decide to run
for office. I'm going to vote for you. Here's
what I want to do, and I've thought about it. I want to get right
with God myself. I don't want anything between me and the Savior.
I'm going to get right about that. I'm going to do something
else I've been thinking about my grandkids. Isolate yourself
and your kids. from wicked things. I've asked
her, what do you think about Christian schools? I'd like to
have one. I'd like to have one. I mean, you need to pray for
me. I'm getting serious thoughts. Judge Warren is going to come
and give several lessons here at the church on the Constitution. You'd be surprised how many people
here How many have never read the Constitution? That's why
it's no big deal. You know, I say things like this.
They're not gonna get my guns. You weren't real excited about
that, were you? Second Amendment rights, I'm for. Over my cold dead body. The old America is gone. Honestly,
some of you are much younger, some of you are a little older
than me. I would say to every person here
my age or older, it kind of makes your mouth drop, doesn't it?
When you look at what's happening in this country, I think of my
grandparents, so American, so loyal to this country. My dad,
my mom. Literally, you've heard the expression,
they would turn over in their grave. That's how bad it is. I would like for you to pray
with me for another awakening, that we have a real awakening.
You know, sometimes like last Sunday, didn't we have a great
time here last Sunday? You know what happened last Sunday?
What happened last Sunday is God came down. The presence of
God. Joy unspeakable and full of glory
and what a great time it was. We didn't want to leave. The absence of God. Serious matter. And then I would say this to
you. Every day, have a God encounter yourself. Have a God encounter. You know,
we used to talk and sing about You ask me how I know he lives?
He lives within my heart. Or he walks with me and talks
with me along life's narrow way. Don't go a day without having
a God encounter. It's one thing to hear all the
religious stuff. It's another thing to experience
God. Where you laugh, things happen
in your life that could never happen were it not for God. That's
where we've got to be. Now I'm going to do something
I've never done. We're going to have the National Anthem played,
and we're just going to stand. Flags over there. Everybody here? This is what I was taught to
do. You know, I remember the first
time I went to Tiger Stadium. It was Briggs Stadium. Anybody
remember Briggs Stadium? Briggs Stadium isn't even anymore.
It's passed away. But I remember standing by my
dad. I think it was Al Kaline's first
game. Came out of Baltimore, you know, he was my favorite,
Al Kala, number six, right? Who said yes? You're an old guy. Anyway, they said, that stands
for the playing of the National Anthem. I remember my dad had
on a hat. He took that hat off and he put it right here. I remember
looking up at him, what's going on? I stood up too. He said to me, put your hand
on your heart, son. And look at the flag. I did. I've never forgot that. God bless
America. Let's stand together. Flag's
over there. And then I'll dismiss us.