This sermon focuses on the importance of cultivating a spirit of thanksgiving in all circumstances. Drawing from a wealth of Scriptural references, it emphasizes that thanksgiving is a central part of the Christian life, expressed in our prayers, actions, and attitudes. The message explores three key themes: thanksgiving as a necessary expression of faith, the expansion of thanksgiving to all aspects of life, and the expectation of thanksgiving as God’s will for His people. It also ties in historical and cultural reflections, such as a proclamation by the President of the United States, highlighting the enduring significance of gratitude in both personal and collective life.
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1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus for you.
Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ,
Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
” By the President of the United States of America a Proclamation.
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty
God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his
protection and favor– and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint
Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a
day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with
grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording
them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety
and happiness.”
2 Timothy 3:1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 Timothy 3:2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful …
I) THANKSGIVING IS ALWAYS TO BE EXPRESSED.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 ” … give thanks …”
Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks
Colossians 3:17 “… giving thanks to God …”
John 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed
them to the disciples, …
Luke 22:19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying,
“This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
II) THANKSGIVING IS ALWAYS TO BE EXPANDED.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks;
Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things to God …”
Philippians 4:6 “… In everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving …”
2 Corinthians 11:24 (NLT) Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine
lashes.
2 Corinthians 11:25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three
times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.
2 Corinthians 11:26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from
rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well
as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas.
And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.
2 Corinthians 11:27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights.
I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered
in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.
2 Corinthians 11:28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for
all the churches.
Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who
loved us.
2 Corinthians 2:14 “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ”.
1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ”.
Matthew 5:46 (NLT) If you love only those who love you, what reward is there
for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.
Matthew 5:47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone
else? Even pagans do that.
Matthew 5:48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Romans 1:21 “… They did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful,
If Christians don’t give thanks, who will?
The question is not “Is your glass half empty or half full? ”
The more important question is “Are you thankful for your glass? ”
And what’s in it?
III) THANKSGIVING IS ALWAYS TO BE EXPECTED.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus for you.
Job 1:21 “… The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of
the Lord.
Job 2:13 So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and
no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.
Romans 8:28 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.
If all things work together for good to those who love God that means everything
that happens TO you also happens FOR you.
Psalm 50:14 Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High
Psalm 50:14 (TLB) What I want from you is your true thanks; I want your promises
fulfilled.
Psalm 50:14 (CEV) I am God Most High! The only sacrifice I want is for you to be
thankful and to keep your word.
In this thought-provoking sermon, Pastor Ed Hamilton explores the profound truths of salvation through the lens of sin, ransom, and redemption. Drawing from passages like Romans 6:23, Matthew 20:28, and 1 Peter 1:18-19, this message delves into the weight of humanity’s sin debt, the ransom demand fulfilled by Christ, and the ultimate purchase price paid by His precious blood. Through vivid illustrations and rich scriptural insights, Pastor Ed reveals the depth of God’s love and the cost of redemption.
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Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Matthew 20:28 Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give His life a ransom for many.”
1 Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your
body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Peter 1:18 Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver
or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
1 Peter 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot.
Proverbs 22:7 The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.
Luke 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and
count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it–
None of us can stay out of debt spiritually speaking.
I. THE SIN DEBT.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death …
Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins shall die …”
Matthew 6:12 Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors
Romans 6:23 (Phillips) Sin pays its servants: the wage is death.
“At Smith Barney we make money the old fashioned way … we earn it.”
” On planet Earth we receive death the old fashioned way … we earn it.”
Hell is a place where people pay an unpayable debt, that’s why it’s forever.
John 8:34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits
sin is a slave of sin.
Proverbs 23:35 “… when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
Hebrews 11:25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to
enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Hebrews 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to
enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
II. THE RANSOM DEMAND.
Matthew 20:28 Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give His life a ransom for many.”
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men,
the Man Christ Jesus,
1 Timothy 2:6 Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, …
Proverbs 13:8 The rich can pay a ransom for their lives, but the poor won’t
even get threatened.
Ransom 1956 movie title card
https://dvdlady.com/image/2019/08/ransom-1956-starring-glenn-ford-on-dvd-1.jpg
Psalm 49:6 Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their
riches,
Psalm 49:7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God
a ransom for him—
Psalm 49:8 For the redemption of their souls is costly, and it shall cease forever—
Psalm 49:9 That he should continue to live eternally, and not see the Pit.
Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us …
Luke 1:77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their
sins,
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men,
the Man Christ Jesus,
1 Timothy 2:6 Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, …
John 19:30 “…. He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
Origen (c.185- c. 254) wrote: “Now it was the devil that held us, to whose side we
had been drawn away by our sins. He asked, therefore, as our price the blood of
Christ.”
Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood,
he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy
him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Hebrews 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage.
Isaiah 53:4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed
Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us,
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Hebrews 9:14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead
works to serve the living God?
III. THE PURCHASE PRICE.
1 Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought at a price;
1 Corinthians 6:20 (Berkley) For you were bought and paid for;
1 Corinthians 6:12 (NLT) For God bought you with a high price.
1 Peter 1:18 Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like
silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
1 Peter 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot.
Implied – The soul needs redeeming.
Denied – Wealth, power, learning, none can redeem.
Supplied — a ransom by Jesus.
Applied — by the Spirit to our actual deliverance.
Charles Spurgeon said, “Redemption is our chief blessing–nothing better can be
said of you than this, “Ye are bought with a price.”… To every man of whom this may
be said, it is the best news he ever heard. An angel sent from heaven could not bring
to any man or woman here a more delightful message than this.”
The Puritan named Thomas Watson said this.
“Great was the work of creation, but greater the work of redemption.
It cost more to redeem us than to make us. In the one, there was but the speaking
of a word. In the other, there was shedding blood. ”
We’re in debt because of our sin
Therefore a payment or a ransom must be made on our behalf
We cannot pay our own debt of sin because we are sinners
God cannot forgive sins without the debt being paid
Only Jesus the God-Man could pay the debt of sin.
He paid a debt He did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay
Jesus paid it all
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe,
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow
Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us
into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
Colossians 1:14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sins.
Colossians 2:14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against
us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to
the cross.
In this impactful message, Pastor Ed Hamilton addresses the congregation on the importance of prayer following the recent election. With 1 Timothy 2:1-4 as the anchor text, Pastor Ed encourages believers to prioritize prayer, interceding for those in authority and seeking God’s will for leaders and nations alike. Reflecting on biblical figures—from Adam and Noah to Paul and Jeremiah—he reminds us of God’s sovereignty over human governance and the believer’s call to peace, godliness, and prayer. Through scripture and practical exhortation, this sermon highlights the Christian responsibility to engage in intercession, no matter the political climate.
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1 Timothy 2:1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and giving of thanks be made for all men,
1 Timothy 2:2 For kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet
and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
1 Timothy 2:4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth.
Adam: Good man but problems with his wife. Also one reference told of how
his wife enjoy walking nude in the woods.
Noah: Former pastorate of 120 years with no converts. Prone to unrealistic building
projects. Has been guilty of public drunkness.
Abraham: Though the references reported wife-swapping, the facts seem to
show he never slept with another man’s wife, but he did offer to share his own wife
with another man.
Joseph: A big thinker, but a braggart, believes in dream-interpreting, dreams too big
and too much, plus has a prison record because of an attempted rape charge
Moses: A modest and meek man, but poor communicator, even stuttering at times.
Sometimes blows his stack and acts rashly. Some say he left an earlier congregation
over a murder charge.
David: A talented musician and composer of music and a great lyricist. The most
promising leader of all until we discovered the affair he had with his neighbor’s wife
and he may have had a part in her husband’s death and now they are even married.
Jonah: Refused God’s call into ministry until he was forced to obey by getting.
swallowed up by a great fish. He told us the fish later spit him out on the shore
near here. We hung up!
Solomon: Smartest man in any room and a great preacher with excellent wisdom to
share but he has a wandering eye and not just for several women but for a thousand
Ezekiel: Widower who is known for strange behavior such as lying on his left side for
390 days and then lying on his right side for 40 days. He cut off his hair and burned
one-third of it, chopped one-third of it, and scattered the other third to the wind. He
claims the Lord told him not to mourn his own wife’s death. Paranoid schizophrenic?
Jeremiah: Emotionally unstable, alarmist, negative, always crying over something,
and reported to have taken a long trip to bury his underwear on the bank of a
foreign river. He also claims God told him to wear a yoke around his neck.
Isaiah: On the fringe? Claims to have seen angels in church. Has trouble with his
language. He claims God told him to walk around naked and barefoot for three years.
Enough said.
Hosea: A tender and loving pastor and a family man with a wife and three children,
but it is unclear if Hosea is even the biological father of the children. Our people
could never handle his wife’s occupation — rumor is she is a working prostitute.
John: Says he is a Baptist, but definitely doesn’t dress like one. Has slept in
the outdoors for months on end, has a weird diet, and provokes denominational
leaders..Another jail bird.
Paul: Powerful CEO type leader and fascinating preacher. However, short on tact,
unforgiving with younger ministers, harsh, too deep and has been known to preach
all night. Long prison record also.
Peter: Too blue collar. Has a bad temper–even has been known to curse a lot.
Had a big run-in with Paul in Antioch. Aggressive, but a loose cannon. Known for
saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Judas: His references are solid. A steady plodder. Conservative. Good connections.
Treasury experience so knows how to handle money. We’re inviting him to preach
this Sunday. Possibilities here.
Romans 3:4 “Let God be true but every man a liar.
Some say you can’t legislate morality
Morality will always be legislated, the question is whose morality.
I. THE GENERAL CALL TO PRAYER.
1 Timothy 2:1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and giving of thanks be made …”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus for you.
II. THE LIMITLESS RANGE OF PRAYER.
1 Timothy 2:1 “… be made for all men,
We will never run out of people and needs to pray for.
III. THE SPECIFIC PRAYER FOR LEADERS.
1 Timothy 2:2 For kings and all who are in authority …”
Psalm 109:8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when
a wicked man rules, the people groan.
Charles Stanley – Praying for Leaders
“Whether or not the man who leads your country is one you have personally
chosen is not the issue. Once a leader is elected or placed in a position of authority,
each of us has a responsibility to pray for that individual. You need to be committed
to pray for his personal relationship with Christ and his willingness to seek God’s
wisdom for every decision. Pray that your leader would learn to hate evil and love
righteousness. Only then can true justice be administered in the maze of government
and politics.
Be committed to pray that your leader’s convictions will be based on God’s Word
and not preferences founded on the unstable ground of political consensus.
Ask God to protect his family, and pray that each family member would be given
the opportunity to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Rulers often think they
are in control of their country’s circumstances, but God is quick to point out that
He is Lord over all. Men and nations are under the control of God and not the
House of Representatives, the Senate, Parliament, or any superior court.
You may feel as though your prayers are insignificant, but they are vital links to
God’s throne room where eternal decisions are made on a daily basis.”
IV. THE PEACE FOR THE “PRAY-ERS”.
1 Timothy 2:2 “… that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
reverence.
The greatest threat to truth and virtue in this country is the government
Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity!
Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water;
He turns it wherever He wishes.
V. THE PRAYERFUL DESIRE OF SALVATION FOR ALL.
1 Timothy 2:4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth.
Acts 26:27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.”
Acts 26:28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”
Acts 26:29 And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me
today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”
Theophilus of Antioch AD 181 was the bishop of Antioch in the second century.
Theophilus of Antioch wrote, “The honor that I will give the emperor is all the greater
because I will not worship him, but I will pray for him. I will worship no one but the
true and real God for I know that the emperor was appointed by Him. Those give real
honor to the emperor who are well disposed to him, who obey him, and who pray
for him.”
VI. THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS PRAY.
1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
Ezekiel 18:23 Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord
God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?
Ezekiel 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God.
Therefore turn and live!
Acts 17:30 “God … commands all men everywhere to repent.”
1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
1 Timothy 2:1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and giving of thanks be made for all men,
1 Timothy 2:2 For kings and all who are in authority,
1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
1 Timothy 2:4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth.
John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him;”
1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,…”
Ephesians 1:4 Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world …”
John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you …”
In this powerful sermon, explore the biblical perspective on the right and responsibility to vote. Drawing from scripture, we delve into how God has always given His people the power of choice, from naming animals in Genesis to choosing leaders in Acts. Discover why voting is not just a civic duty but a divine gift, and how making the right choice aligns with God’s will. We also address the consequences of not voting or voting wrongly, and why every vote matters in shaping our future. Be inspired to engage in the democratic process, understanding that your vote can be an act of faith and obedience to God.
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Psalm 25:12 Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He
chooses.
Isaiah 7:15 “… Know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isaiah 56:4 “… Choose what pleases Me,”
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that
I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life,
that both you and your descendants may live;
Luke 11:23 (NLT) “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t
working with me is actually working against me.
We’re free to choose but we’re not free not to choose.
Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner
of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day
approaching.
Choices lyrics
I’ve had choices since the day that I was born
There were voices that told me right from wrong
If I had listened, no I wouldn’t be here today
Living and dying with the choices I’ve made
I. THE RIGHT TO VOTE.
VOTING IS A GREAT GIFT GIVEN TO US BY OUR GOD.
Voting and Choosing Names
Genesis 2:19 So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and
all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call
them, and the man chose a name for each one.
Genesis 2:20 He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the
wild animals.
Voting and Choosing Sides
Joshua 24:15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves
this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that
were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land
you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Voting and Choosing Deacons
Acts 6:2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said,
It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
Acts 6:3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation,
full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
Acts 6:4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the
word.”
Acts 6:5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man
full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and
Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,
Voting and Choosing Evangelism
Acts 15:1 And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren,
Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.
Acts 15:2 Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute
them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go
went up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.
Acts 15:4 And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church
and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with
them.
Acts 15:5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is
necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”
Acts 15:6 Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.
Acts 15:7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them:
Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by
my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.
Acts 15:8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the
Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,
Acts 15:9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Acts 15:10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the
disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
Acts 15:11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be
saved in the same manner as they.”
VOTING IS A GREAT GIFT GIVEN TO US BY OUR FOREFATHERS.
Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no
authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
The Church must always remain the conscience of the state.
Benjamin Franklin said, “I have lived a long time, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live,
the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men.”
Luke 19:13 “… Occupy till I come.”
II. THE RIGHT TO VOTE RIGHT.
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that
I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life,
that both you and your descendants may live;
Deuteronomy 30:20 that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His
voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days;
and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
Missouri Right To Life website
1. Legalizes abortion in Missouri for the entire 40-week term of pregnancy, up to
the moment of birth.
2. Adds the phrase “pregnant person” (Instead of “woman”) to the Missouri
Constitution.
3. Removes parental notification and consent requirements, allowing minors to
undergo an abortion without informing their parents or guardians.
4. Allows taxpayer funded abortions in Missouri.
5. Prevents women from suing if they or their baby are harmed during pregnancy
or during an abortion.
6. Eliminates ultrasounds. Abortionists habitually deny that the unborn child is nothing
but “tissue” or “a blob of cells.” Ultrasounds prove them wrong.
Luke 1:41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe
leaped in her womb; …
Luke 1:44 “… the babe leaped in my womb for joy
John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
III. THE RIGHT TO VOTE WRONG.
Numbers 13:1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
Numbers 13:2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the
children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one
a leader among them.”
Numbers 30:26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the
congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they
brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit
of the land.
Numbers 13:32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which
they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land
that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great
stature.
Numbers 14:6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were
among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes;
Numbers 14:7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying:
The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.
Numbers 14:8 If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it
to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.
The Israelites VOTED 10 to 2 NOT to go into the PROMISED LAND.
What are the consequences of a wrong choice? Death!
Numbers 14:23 They certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers,
nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.
First you make your choice; and then, your choice chooses for you.
IV. DO THE RIGHT THING — VOTE!
Psalm 25:12 Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He
chooses.
Isaiah 7:15 “… Know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isaiah 56:4 “… Choose what pleases Me,”
James 4:17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Edmund Burke said,”The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men
to do nothing.”.
Gun owners and NRA members vote at 16%
They can have my gun when they pry it from my cold dead fingers
Noted pollster Dr. George Barna recently conducted a study measuring likely voting
trends among people of faith in the 2024 election.
* Less than 51% of people of faith are likely to vote in the 2024 election. That means
almost half of all people of faith are unlikely to vote in the 2024 election.
* Barna found that 32 million Christians who regularly attend church are unlikely to
vote this November.
* During the 2020 presidential election, the margin of victory in the nine swing
states was roughly 600,000 votes.
* However, The Barna Poll projected that 5 million additional Christians would
likely vote if their pastor encouraged them to do so.
George Barna said, “These 32 million Christians sitting in the pews each week who
refuse to vote are a gamechanger. It’s low hanging fruit for pastors should they try
to motivate their congregants to carry out their civic duty by honoring God through
their influence for things that matter in our culture. If pastors simply encouraged
their members to vote, it could make a major difference in the upcoming elections.
Pastors have a First Amendment right and responsibility to speak about biblical issues
and encourage members to vote.”
Now, after the election is over, we can predict (and guarantee) the following results:
1. God will still be on His throne
2. Jesus will still be King of kings and Lord of lords.
3. The Bible will still have all the answers to every problem.
4. The tomb will still be empty.
5. Jesus will still be the only way to heaven.
6. Prayer will still work – it will still make a difference and God will still answer prayer.
7. The cross, not the government, will still be our salvation.
8. There will still be room at the cross.
9. Jesus will still save anyone who places their faith and trust in Him.
10. God will still be with us always – He will never leave us or forsake us.
You’re not free not to choose.
Matthew 12:30 He who is not with Me is against Me …”
Luke 11:23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with
Me scatters.
Luke 11:23 (NLT) “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t
working with me is actually working against me.
For people in not choosing, they have already chose.
By not choosing, we are choosing against.
“Ghost Stories” delves into Biblical accounts of supernatural or ghostly encounters to reveal greater truths about faith and fear. With passages like Matthew 14, where Jesus walks on water, and Luke 16, recounting the rich man’s appeal from Hades, this sermon contrasts common fears of ghosts with the Biblical command to fear and revere God alone. It encourages listeners to replace fear of the unknown with confidence in God’s power and presence.
Sermon Audio
Sermon Video
Sermon Notes:
Matthew 14:25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking
on the sea.
Matthew 14:26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were
troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
Matthew 14:27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer!
It is I; do not be afraid.”
Most people believe that ghosts are the spirits of the living dead, and over 40%
of American adults claim to have been in contact with someone who’s died.
Of these, 78% claim that they saw a ghost, 50% heard one, and 18% claim to have
actually talked with them.
Students in a writing class were challenged to pen two sentence horror stories:
“Every night at midnight, I’d hear a faint cry for help until one night I let my curiosity
get the best of me and followed the voice. I ended up staring at a headstone with
my name engraved on it.” -Savannah Fernandez, ninth grade
“After working without rest, I finally opened my mother’s door and I lay there leaning
my head upon her cold shoulders. It was time to leave before the groundskeeper
found me, so I got up and reburied her.” -Jaser Flores, 12th grade
I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. As I stood in front of
the mirror, there was no one staring back at me.” -Lucas Smelser, ninth grade
GHOST STORY #1: Jesus Appears as a Ghost to His Disciples.
Matthew 14:25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking
on the sea.
Matthew 14:26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were
troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
Matthew 14:27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer!
It is I; do not be afraid.”
Luke 23:46 (KJV) “… and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
Ghost or Phantom definition
1. Something apparently seen, heard, or sensed, but having no physical reality;
2. The soul of a dead person thought of as living in an unseen world or as
appearing to living people
3. Something that is not real and exists only in a person’s mind.
Matthew 14:27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer!
It is I; do not be afraid.”
GHOST STORY #2: The Rich Man, Lazarus and a Ghostly Request.
Luke 16:19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine
linen and fared sumptuously every day.
Luke 16:20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was
laid at his gate,
Luke 16:21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table.
Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
Luke 16:22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to
Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
Luke 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar
off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luke 16:23 (MSG) In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the
distance and Lazarus in his lap.
Luke 16:23 (TLB) And his soul went into hell. There, in torment, he saw Lazarus in
the far distance with Abraham.
Luke 13:28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham
and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves
thrust out.
Luke 16:24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send
Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am
tormented in this flame.’
Luke 16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received
your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and
you are tormented.
James 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.
Luke 16:26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed,
so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from
there pass to us.’
No one (spirit or ghost) can pass from heaven to hell or from hell to heaven.
Luke 16:27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him
to my father’s house,
Luke 16:28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also
come to this place of torment.’
Samuel Clemens “Mark Twain” said in a speech (quote)
A dying man couldn’t make up his mind which place to go to — both have their
advantages, “heaven for climate, hell for company!”
Luke 16:29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them
hear them.’
Luke 16:30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from
the dead, they will repent.’
The torment of the dead is that they cannot warn the living,
Luke 16:31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.
A Woody Allen movie character said:
“If only God would speak to me–just once. If he would only cough. If I could just
see a miracle. If I could see a burning bush or the seas part. Or my uncle Sasha
pick up the check.”
1 Corinthians 1:22 (NIV) Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
1 Corinthians 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and
foolishness to Gentiles
GHOST STORY #3: Dead Saints are Raised and go to Jerusalem.
Matthew 27:50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
Matthew 27:51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to
bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
Matthew 27:52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had
fallen asleep were raised;
Matthew 27:53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into
the holy city and appeared to many.
Our problem is we are afraid of things we should not be afraid of and we are
not afraid of things we should be afraid of.
Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
