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Good afternoon everyone. As we
close out this day, evidently the Pope has visited Cuba. Pope has visited Cuba. We're looking at a USA Today
news story posted, let me get the exact time. updated six hours
ago, so the time is 4.08, so 10 o'clock this morning, March
26th, Havana. As downtown Havana prepares for
its first papal visit in 14 years, a man is playing chess outside
his faded home in the immense heat of the central city. He
said the Pope won't change this country's politics Only the people
can change the politics. Benedict XVI is set to land in
Cuba today for what will be a delicate exercise in diplomacy between
the country's dissidents, those who are anxious for their voices
to be amplified by a papal visit, and the historically atheist
government that is in need of an air of legitimacy. The Pope was in Mexico on Sunday
where he addressed hundreds of thousands of worshippers in an
open air mass. On his flight Friday from Vatican
to Mexico, Benedict offered some hope to the dissidents. Today,
it is evident that Marxist ideology in the way it was conceived no
longer corresponds to reality, he said, adding that he was ready
to help Cuba find new ways of moving forward New models must
be found with patience and in a constructive way. Told of the
Pope's comments, Cuban Foreign Minister Rodriguez said, we will
listen with all respect to His Holiness. Last weekend, 70 members
of a dissident group, the Ladies in White, protesting on behalf
of political prisoners were arrested as they marched in Havana. we
only want a minute to communicate with the pope uh... solar the
leader of the group said adding that many of them had been beaten
before the release we are marginalized oppressed and the church must
hear and protect us the ladies in white marched against sunday
at the center rita church on havana's fifth avenue this time
they did so in front of the world's news media and were not arrested
priest rivera inside the church said that it Politicalization
of any visit by the Pope was inevitable. It's important for
us to conserve the meaning of the trip, he said. The Pope is
the pastor of the church presenting Christ to the world. Do you hear the false doctrine?
It's incredible as it's packed into this USA Today news report. What happened to the ladies in
white is not an aberration, said Steinberg, a researcher for Human
Rights Watch. There are thousands of arbitrary
detentions like it every year, which represent one of the government's
most effective tactics to silence its critics. Dissidents have
also complained of threats from authorities. Peja claims that
members of the Christian Liberation Movement have received threats
from the state security. banning them from taking part
in papal ceremonies. He was nominated for a Nobel
Peace Prize in 2005 and is one of the country's foremost dissidents. The government is kidnapping
the visit of the Pope, he said. It's a theater. The government,
with all its mechanisms of repression, is pushing a culture of fear
and there's a lot of pressure on the local church not to denounce
what's happening. The trip comes 14 years after
a visit from Pope John II when he promised religious tolerance
in a country where Roman Catholicism had been severely repressed.
Here's the problem. The pope doesn't bring Christ
because Christ brings the gospel. And the gospel is all about the
good news that forgiveness is made available through faith
in Christ alone. And since the Roman Catholic
Church adds sacramentalism to Christ efficacious work, there's
no hope. There's no hope. These ladies
who are appealing to the Pope need to be taught to appeal to
God, and to appeal to God directly, and to pray directly to God,
and God alone. Why is this so important? Why would we stop and stress
this? Why would we need to emphasize
this? Because in this article, the
article is all about the Pope. It's all about the Pope. It's
all about the Pope's glory. His holiness. We have a human
being being addressed as His holiness. Don't we understand
what happened when Those in the early Christianity, the first
century, desired to worship apostles, they immediately corrected them
when there was any hint of thinking of Paul or Peter or John as divine. These things were corrected immediately. We are men like you. Where does
the Pope say, I am a man in need of a savior? Where does the Pope
preach the gospel? He's talking about Marxist ideology. He brings hope. There is no hope
in anything that man can deliver outside of the gospel of Jesus
Christ. That is the only lasting hope. There's no hope in democracy,
there's no hope in socialism, there's no hope in any form of
government outside of a pure theocracy with Christ ruling,
and that will not happen until He returns. The article only
reinforces that which is not true. The article
only reinforces misperceptions. The article only reinforces nonsense. It's so sad, it's so sad that
millions upon millions of people have been duped into thinking
that the Pope can forgive sins, that the Pope can pardon, that
the Pope has any ability to intervene as a mediator between God and
man. Paul, the apostle, communicates
this truth so clearly, so effectively in 1 Timothy 2.5. For there is
one God and one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus. This is central to the teaching
of the Reformation. This is precisely what every
Anabaptist and every Radical Reformer and what Luther and
what Calvin and what Tyndale understood as being fundamental
to the Reformation, that it is Christ alone, and that the Pope
has no authority to speak on behalf of God, and to speak to
the Pope is to speak to a man, to speak to a man. And these
people have been duped into believing that he has authority that he
does not have. And it's unfortunate that this
is the case. Ultimately, it can only be the
work of an Antichrist. An Antichrist. Because it takes
away from the glory of God in answering His people's prayers
as they seek Him and Him alone. There are no plans for Castro
to meet the Pope, though the Vatican spokesman Lombardi said
the Pope would be available if the elder Castro, who was excommunicated
by Pope XXIII in 1962, desired an audience. Support for Cuban
authorities still remains strong in Parts of Havana pointing toward
a picture of Fidel Castro on the faded green wall behind him,
45-year-old butcher Ismael Camacho proudly proclaims, this is our
Pope. Sure, there we go. What's the
difference? Pick a man. Ultimately, pick
a man. That's the essence of the entire
discussion. Pope? Castro? Obama? Or Christ? or Christ, Christ
alone, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks for listening. Stay informed. Send me an email at pastor at
bereanbaptistchurch.org, bereanbaptistchurch.org. This is Pastor Sean wishing you
a great afternoon.
Papal visit offers hope in Cuba
Series Being Bereans | Acts 17:11
Outside of the gospel and the divine rule of Christ on His throne there is no hope.
| Sermon ID | 326121621288 |
| Duration | 10:16 |
| Date | |
| Category | Current Events |
| Bible Text | 1 Timothy 2:5 |
| Language | English |
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