from D. James Kennedy Ministries. This is Kennedy Classics. Welcome to Kennedy Classics. Hello and welcome to this Memorial Day edition of Kennedy Classics. I'm Frank Wright, President of D. James Kennedy Ministries, where we are standing for truth and defending your freedom. I invite you to visit our ministry website at djkm.org, where you can find a large selection of digital audio video and print resources, all from a biblical perspective. Does the Bible Teach Socialism? What would you say to those who claim it does? You'll find the answers in the booklet, Does the Bible Teach Socialism?, from the new Truth in Action question and answer series. This eight-page booklet lays out the arguments on both sides in a clear and concise way. It gives you the biblical talking points to be able to answer those who claim the Bible mandates socialism. To get your copy, please call, write or go online. And be sure to include a generous donation towards the ongoing work of this ministry. And we'll send you the new Truth in Action Q&A booklet, Does the Bible Teach Socialism? Revival and renewal begin with what? What is the wellspring of revival and renewal according to the scriptures? Well, according to the very words of Jesus Christ, revival and renewal begin with remembering. We see this spiritual principle in Jesus' letter to the church at Ephesus, found in Revelation chapter 2. After commending the Ephesian Christians for patiently enduring their affliction without growing weary, Jesus said, But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen. Repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent. On this Memorial Day weekend, we have much to remember in the life of our nation, but it is also an excellent time to reflect upon the purposes of God. For Memorial Day, Dr. Kennedy preached one of the most powerful messages on the biblical role of the church as he calls us to spiritual arms in the battle in which we find ourselves in his classic message, Will the Church Forget? Our scripture lesson this morning is taken from the 22nd chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew. We will begin our reading with the 15th verse. Then went the Pharisees and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true and teachest the way of God in truth. Neither carest thou for any man, for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesars. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. When they had heard these words, they marveled and left him and went their way. And may God speak to us today through his holy word, and may his name ever be praised. Amen. This, of course, is Memorial Day Sunday. Tomorrow we remember all of those who have fallen in the great fight for freedom, those who have given their lives or limbs in order that we might even gather here today. And I think it would be apropos that on this Memorial Day Sunday that we recognize those who have survived the battle and who have served in our armed forces, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, whatever, active or reserve. And if you have served in any of those, we would like to recognize you at this time and ask you to stand. Praise God. Well, I trust that the Church will not forget you. My question today is, will the Church forget? I don't think it will forget you unless it should be taken over by the radical liberals of the 60s who said in a time when the world was being confronted by an increasingly aggressive and hostile communism, that they stood foursquare against all anti-communism. Believe it or not, those were Americans. Those were the radical liberals of the 60s. Now some people think that that went away. It didn't go away, it simply went underground and today they're still in our universities but they're tenured and they are teaching in our schools. The question I would ask today is, will the church forget what you and they and a great many thousands of others fought for? and what some gave the last full measure of devotion to defend. For the principles upon which this nation was founded, of liberty and not license, of godliness and piety and morality, this is what this nation was built upon. Will those things be forgotten? Alas, dear friends, I am afraid that not only will they, will the Church forget them, to a large degree the Church has already forgotten them. Don Wildman has done truly astonishing things through the American Family Association. And some years ago, he said something which I think is more true today than when he said it. And on this Memorial Day weekend, I think it would do us well to remember. Indeed, will the churches forget that for which they fought and died? Today, he says, 4,000 innocent precious lives of unborn children were snuffed out and 300,000 pulpits were silenced. The network to make a mockery of Christians, the Christian faith, and Christian values with nearly every show they air. Greed, materialism, violence, sexual immorality are standard fare. Program after program, movie after movie contains anti-Christian episodes and propaganda. News articles condescendingly refer to Christians as fundamentalist right-wing. Those who speak out for the sacredness of life are branded as extremists, and 300,000 pulpits are silent. Teenage suicide is the highest it has ever been. Christian morality cannot be taught in schools, but atheistic morality certainly is. And 300,000 pulpits are silent. Rape has increased 700% in the last 50 years, and that takes into consideration the population growth. And 300,000 pulpits are silent. Rock music fills the airwaves and our children's minds with music which legitimizes rape, murder, forced sex, sadomasochism, adultery, satanic worship, and so on. And 300,000 pulpits are silent. A majority of states now have legalized gambling. We have eliminated that as a crime by making it legal and putting it under control of the state, and 300,000 pulpits are silent. Who is going to speak about the great issues of our time? The Church has historically dealt with every kind of issue. This dichotomy of the sacred and the secular is utterly foreign to the Bible and to Christianity, but the secular world has foisted it upon us and hundreds of thousands of pastors have accepted it as truth. There is no secular and sacred for a Christian. Everything is sacred. This is my Father's world. And it doesn't matter whether you're talking about church, or worship, or prayer, or money, or finance, or politics, or art, or science, or entertainment, or whatever. It is all part of God's world, and it all should be done to His glory. Down through the centuries. Churches have been the ones who have moved to get rid of most of the great evils of our world. It was through the work of Christians and churches that slavery was eliminated from Great Britain, and three-fourths of the people in the first anti-slavery meeting in New England were Christian clergymen. No, the Church was not always silent. The Church spoke out on issues such as child labor laws, issues such as wives being beaten and abused, and many other such things as this. The Church has been responsible for getting rid of cannibalism and headhunting, the binding of feet of women in China, and numerous other terrible social issues, prison reform, reform of asylums for the insane, and many other things the Church has spoken out about. But today, that seems no longer to be the case. Recently, in a convention in a large room, with people from all over the United States, the speaker asked this question. He said, do your pastors speak out on the great issues of our day? And hundreds of people from churches all over the country of various denominations, not one, that I saw raised his hand. Are you satisfied about the way that your pastors are addressing the great issues of our time? Not one hand went up. And I would like to from this congregation to do something I've never done before, and I would like to speak directly to the thousands of ministers who are watching me right now and say to you, brethren, gentlemen, God needs men who will speak out on the great issues of the day. Martin Luther said, though we be active in the battle, if we're not fighting where the battle is the hottest, we are traitors to the cause. God grant you courage. I've asked people, why do their pastors not speak out? The answer is always the same. They are afraid. Be not afraid. Christ is with you. And I believe your people will support you. Oh, that doesn't mean all of them. I will no doubt get a card or two from some of you complaining about this message. And I want you to know right now, I don't care a flip. The only thing your cards tell me is that you do not understand what the Word of God says. You don't understand what the Word of God is supposed to be accomplishing. You do not understand that you're not only to render unto God what is God's, but you're to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's. And you do not understand that our whole culture is going to hell in a handbasket, and most people in the churches are doing nothing about it, and most preachers very guardedly saying nothing about it. God have mercy upon us. We are literally seeing the end of Western civilization. In most of the major colleges today there's not a single course on Western civilization. If any mention is made, it would be sloughed off with, oh, you're talking about those dead white men, European white men. Unimportant. A lot of classes on feminism, a lot of classes on homosexual rights, but nothing about Western civilization. You'll get nothing in college about the Christian foundations of this country. If the church doesn't speak out, who will? Growing a nation of pagans. One of the pivotal books of this decade is the book by Judge Robert Bork. You remember Judge Bork, professor at Yale University Law School? a professor that was placed to be on the Supreme Court, but the radical left attacked him in every conceivable way, and he was not approved. And when you look at the morals of some of the men that were on that judicial committee, which were absolutely a joke, and that's the nicest thing you could say about them, that they would have the gall to disapprove this man is unconscionable. I'm speaking, of course, of Judge Robert Bork, and I'm talking about his monumental blockbuster book, Slouching Toward Gomorrah. At the very beginning, he quotes the poem of William Butler Yeats entitled The Second Coming. It's a fairly long poem. I won't quote it to you, but I will quote just two lines because they're so important. It's talking about the second coming. It's talking about slouching towards Gomorrah. It's talking about these times when Western civilization is moving and being pushed more and more and more to the edge of the abyss. And in this time of great conflict, of tremendous issues, the greatest battle in history, What does he say? Quote, says William Yeats, the best lacked all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity. Now, dear friends, I have been out there all across this country, and I have debated and confronted face-to-face and eyeball-to-eyeball the leaders of the abortionist movement, the leaders of the homosexual movement, the leaders of the feminist movement, the atheists, the evolutionists, and all of the left-wing cadre. And I want to tell you something that I've noticed about them. They are all full of passionate intensity. while the best, said Yeats, lack conviction. And I would like to know, which side are you on? And as one historian said, the people who have that intensity are the people that always win. And ultimately, it is going to be a decision as to which side is the side that lacks conviction, and which side is the side that is filled with passionate intensity, intensity for the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. I've repeated Spurgeon's words. I'll do it again. Charles Spurgeon, the great pastor, said, Christ never one time told us to seek the kingdom of God. Never. Are you seeking the kingdom of God? Stop. Christ never told you to do that. This is what he told you. He said, seek ye first the kingdom of God. Above all else, Is that the most important thing in your life? Or is it your job, your business, your home, your family, your finances, your vacation? What is first in your life, dear one? Jesus said, and then I will spew them out of my mouth. for they were neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm. A time when the best lack conviction. And the worst of men are filled with passionate intensity. They are determined to bring their view of the world into existence. And I want to tell you, it is an ugly, ugly, ugly thing that they have. And already, like that frog in the kettle, we have sat passively as the temperature has gone up. Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. And friends, that's not talking about our taxes and our tithes merely. But we are to render unto God our hearts and our souls and our lives. We are involved in a great conflict for the soul of this nation, for the soul of the world, and many are spectators on the side. Ah, dear one. Christ wants you to be a soldier for him. Pray that God will fill you with intensity to do whatever you can to become involved, to get out of the bleachers and onto the field and become a participant in the greatest struggle in the history of the world. A struggle for goodness, a struggle for godliness, a struggle of Christ against Satan. That is the battle that we are in. I want to tell you something. You write me any letters you want about how this sermon displeased you, and I want to tell you this, that the lack of passionate intensity on the part of so many in this congregation displeases me vastly more. May we pray. Father, we pray that you will have mercy upon us. Oh God, I pray that you'll take this congregation and fill them with your Spirit. Fill them with a passionate intensity for the kingdom of Jesus Christ. For the winning of souls and the up-building of this nation and this world according to your teachings, O God, deliver us from our craven silence. Make us soldiers of Christ. Deliver us from being lukewarm, lest thou spewest us out of thy mouth. I pray it in thy name, O Christ. Amen. How we need to pray as believers that our churches are once again aflame with the gospel that brings true liberty. And on this Memorial Day weekend, may we recommit to preserving liberty for future generations as we honor those who have given their last full measure. You know, some of you, in spite of the freedoms that we enjoy in this nation, are living in spiritual bondage. In the Scriptures we read that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Have you been freed of your sins? Do you know for certain that you'll be with God in heaven someday? And has He given you life to the full? You know, you can know that. You see, Jesus Christ paid for our sins with His death on the cross. It's been said that He paid a debt that He didn't owe because we owed a debt that we could not pay. And what's truly amazing is that He offers us forgiveness and heaven as an absolutely free gift if we'll place our trust in Him. Would you like to receive this gift today? If so, we can go to God together in prayer right now saying, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior of men, have mercy on me. I know that I'm a sinner and that I've sinned in my thoughts, my words, and my actions. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, cleanse me, and give me new and right desires so that I may live for you. I place my trust in you right now and pray all of this in your name. Amen. If you just prayed that prayer, this is the promise of Jesus Christ. Whoever trusts in me already has everlasting life. Now to help you begin to grow in your faith, we want to send you Beginning Again, the book written by Dr. Kennedy for new believers. In these pages, you'll learn what it means to be a Christian and how to live the Christian life. To receive your copy, just write to our address or call our toll-free number. Be sure to ask for Beginning Again, and God bless you as you do. On this Memorial Day weekend, we stop and remember those who have sacrificed their lives to preserve our freedom. May we always remember that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, and that our freedom is not free. If you'd enjoy a copy of this message for your own library or to share with others, we'll send you a DVD or CD copy of Dr. Kennedy's message, Will the Church Forget?, as our thanks for your generous donation of any amount toward the ongoing work of this ministry. Simply write to us at D. James Kennedy Ministries, Box 11164, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33339. Or call toll free, 888-332-3069. Or go online to djkm.org. And we also want to offer a word of thanks and gratitude to each of you who have served or are currently serving in the armed forces to protect us. I'm Frank Wright. Thanks for joining us for this edition of Kennedy Classics. We'll see you next time. Does the Bible Teach Socialism? What would you say to those who claim it does? You'll find the answers in the booklet, Does the Bible Teach Socialism?, from the new Truth in Action question and answer series. This eight-page booklet lays out the arguments on both sides in a clear and concise way. It gives you the biblical talking points to be able to answer those who claim the Bible mandates socialism. To get your copy, please call, write, or go online. And be sure to include a generous donation towards the ongoing work of this ministry. And we'll send you the new Truth in Action Q&A booklet, Does the Bible Teach Socialism? This has been a production of D. James Kennedy Ministries.