Spiritual Patriotism

Well, thank you again, and again, brethren, happy Sabbath day to each and every one of you.

This coming Monday will be the 235th anniversary of the birth of the United States.

In 1776, a small group of British citizens in North America banded together to declare their independence from one of the world's superpowers. It seemed like something that would be impossible to achieve. How could a small group of people overcome one of the greatest nations on Earth, a true superpower that existed in the world at that time?

They wrote about their intentions and the reasons for their rebellion, and a document that we know of, of course, is the Declaration of Independence. And on July 4th of 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. And this document, our founding document of our nation, acknowledged the presence of God three times in its text. The divine providence of God Almighty was used as a reason, as a justification for the rebellion that this small group of people had against the British crown. Here are the three references, and I'd like to read them. Reference number one. It says, and I quote, In the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the Earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and nature's God entitled them. A decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. Second place, it says it in the Declaration of Independence, it says, We therefore, the representatives of the United States of America in general Congress, assembled, appealing to the supreme judge of the world, that's judged with capital J, supreme with a capital S, as Jefferson originally wrote, The supreme judge of the world, for the rectitude of our intentions due, in the name and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare that these united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states. And then near the end of the Declaration it says this, And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, that's capital D for divine, capital P for providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.

That we are here today as Americans because a small group of people banded together against all odds to found a new nation, a new concept, that would change the world forever. And indeed, the United States has changed this world forever. In many good ways, granted some evil ways, some ways in which Americans we should not be proud of, but in many ways we have been a positive influence in the nations of this world. And in a spiritual sense, a small group of spiritual patriots have banded together to form a new nation, a nation known of as the Kingdom of God, and fighting against all odds against the spiritual superpower of this world known as Satan the Devil.

They have committed themselves as God's spiritual patriots to found a new nation. What were we doing, dear patriots, dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ? Looking back in the founding of this nation, which we'll be celebrating in just a few days, from 1776 over the next seven years beyond that time until the Treaty of Paris was signed, the struggling American nation almost died in its infancy a number of times. The Continental Army lost battle after battle. Early on, George Washington appeared to be incompetent, and many in Congress were demanding that he be terminated, that he be fired.

Our founding fathers at times were discouraged. They were disheartened. They wanted, considered giving up. Some of the letters of Washington that he wrote during the time of the Battle of Valley Forge and other situations he was in shows a very discouraged, distressed man. He asked the Congress for supplies that never arrived. He asked for more recruits that never showed up. He asked for talented, trained militia, and he got farmers who barely knew which end to point the rifle.

And this was his army that he was going to defeat the greatest power on earth with. So at times they were very discouraged, yet they persevered, and through a number of divine miracles, the United States of America was born. You know, brethren, we've been through a lot of battles. I've been in the Church of God 40 years, been ordained just a little more than 30. I have a lot of battle scars. I've seen a lot of things. I felt discouragement. I felt inner pain, turmoil. There have been times when I considered giving up, yet I've always known that we will complete our mission because of God's divine providence, in spite of our own weaknesses and our own limitations and our own personal flaws.

Aside from the fact that we may have witnessed in our Church history's incompetence, division, we may have seen people in positions that should have never been in positions. We may have experienced a lot of things in our Church history, but, brethren, we should not become discouraged and disheartened because we lose a battle, because the important thing is to win the war. And you see, we have a promise from Jesus Christ Himself that we will win the war. A lot of divine miracles occurred during that period of time when the United States was born.

Miracles included strange weather that suddenly showed up and aided the American cause. It was a time when a British sharpshooter aimed at George Washington and had him completely in his sights. And if George Washington would have been knocked out, probably the American cause would have ended. And he had him directly in his sights. And he was good. He was a talented sharpshooter. And he pulled the trigger, and his gun misfired. Washington rode away on his horse. He was easy to spot. He was well over six foot tall, which was extremely tall during that time in our history. There were uncharacteristic blunders by the professional British army, one of the most skilled and trained armies on Earth.

Yet they made some terrible strategic blunders that cost them North America. Just at the last minute, we received support from Dutch and French peoples and nations and governments when it was needed the most. But brethren, they persevered. How this nation came about is not due to just luck or coincidence in human history. It was the beginning of a fulfillment of a promise. And if you'll turn to Genesis 17, we'll take a look beginning in verse 5.

And we will see what that promise was. We are here today as Americans because God wanted the United States to be created. He wanted a nation that would offer unique freedoms and liberties, even to the degree that people who kept the seventh-day Sabbath could do so without persecution. He wanted a nation where people could generate enough wealth to support the needs of the work of God because it cost money to print literature.

It cost money to be on television. It cost money to do the things that we know are necessary associated with the work of God. And it would take a nation that created great amount of wealth for its citizens for that to be possible. He wanted a nation that would respect in its founding the fact that God's divine providence was in the founding of that nation. We just read about that in the Declaration of Independence. And indeed, sadly, that acknowledgment of God's providence is leaving our country, and it's being rejected as each generation goes on. I understand that.

But let's take a look at this promise in Genesis 17, beginning in verse 5. God said, Also, I give to you and your descendants after you the land of which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession, and I will be their God. So this is a promise that he makes to Abraham and Abraham's descendants. Let's drop down to verse 15.

So God gave specific promises to Abraham and to Sarah, and he told him that many future nations would be the same. God also would give to his descendants the land of Canaan. But what do they say in the infomercials today? What are they saying? But that's not all! Right? If you are one of the first of 100 callers, we will double your order today, and all you'll have to do is pay extra shipping and handling charges. Have you seen that? Well, let's drop down to verse 16, Genesis 22 and verse 16, because God expands the promise that he just gave to Abraham. Genesis 22 and verse 16, He says in verse 17, All the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice. So, brethren, right here, God expands his promises to Abraham. He's now told that his descendants would be as the stars of the heaven or as the seashore sand. The analogy is this. You will have so many descendants, Abraham. They can't be counted.

They can't even be accurately accounted for on a census that occurs every so many years. Abraham was told that his descendants would possess the gates of their enemies, and we see many islands and strategic areas of the world that have been dominated by Western Europe or the United States. But what I want to zero in on is that God actually proclaims a double blessing for all the nations of the earth because of Abraham's obedience. First of all, in a physical and in a material way, the descendants of the Western world of the United States and Britain would provide wealth and civilization that would affect the entire world.

And that's a good thing. Organization, medical care, all the things that we take for granted that make life more pleasurable and worth living are the result of organization and civilization provided by the United States. The United States and the British peoples. But even more importantly than that, from Abraham's descendants would come Jesus Christ. And that's why he said in verse 18, in your seed, not seeds, in your seed, that's singular, from you will come an individual in which all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

People of every color, people of every language, they will all be blessed because of this seed. And that seed was Jesus Christ who would offer spiritual salvation to the entire world and eventually to all whoever lived. So here we are as patriots, spiritual patriots of Jesus Christ.

A patriot is defined in the dictionary as, quote, a proud supporter or defender of his or her country and its way of life. Freedom, brethren, is not free. Somebody has to pay the price. The freedoms that I enjoy as an American are because other people before me were willing to shed their blood so that that freedom could be first established and then that liberty could be maintained throughout over 200 years of human history. Freedom is not free. There is a price to be paid. And, brethren, as spiritual patriots, freedom to take this world out from the slavery of Satan and the slavery of sin and to prepare a new kingdom that offers the world and all of humankind freedom is not free.

It was first paid for by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. And along with that, the sacrifices, the daily living sacrifices that the patriots who have been called are willing to give of themselves constantly to make this kingdom possible. I'd like to mention just a few early American patriots. Take a few minutes and talk about some of them and some of their qualities and then ask ourselves how we are doing as God's spiritual patriots.

The thing about all of the American patriots is they were all people who had flaws. Sound familiar? They were all people who had personal struggles and challenges in their life. None of them were perfect. George Washington. George Washington is great because he gave up power twice. Do you know how unusual that is in our world today? You know, I've known men who would sell their souls for the title of Pastor General or some other religious title, who would sell their souls for a little bit of prominence, for a title, and for a little bit of glory to try to promote themselves.

But George Washington gave up power twice, once as General of a victorious army in 1783. And at that time, many said, well, let's just have King George. He's our military victor. He just won us the Revolutionary War. Let's make him King George and allow him to be our very first king. But Washington said, no, I haven't done this for that. As a matter of fact, Washington refused to collect a salary during the seven years that he was a military general. He did not collect a salary. Meanwhile, his farm went into disrepair because, as a general running around the Continental Colonies, the Thirteen Colonies, he wasn't there to take care of his own needs.

The second time he gave up power is after his second term as President of the United States. What makes George Washington great is that he had nothing to gain from the Revolutionary War and everything to lose. He already was a wealthy plantation owner. He was already in the upper gentry of Virginia society. He had nothing to gain by the Revolution. What he could lose was his life for treason. He could potentially have his plantation seized by the British. He could have faced lots of hardships and problems and trials simply for signing a death warrant, that is, a rebellion against the British government.

Washington referred to the United States as, quote, the second land of promise. I wonder where he would have gotten that analogy from. John Adams was the second President of the United States, early advocates. He was an early advocate of independence. He was a Massachusetts representative in the first and second Continental Congress. He was a powerful and influential thinker and a leader. Unfortunately, he was very arrogant and rude, and none of the other delegates liked him.

But he was a remarkably smart man.

Abigail Adams, she was the wife of John. Ten years after they were married, the American Revolution broke out. And John was sent to Europe, and Abigail took care of the family and the farm, keeping her family away from bankruptcy. And when he was away for many years serving in public service for the United States, she was a single mother trying to raise five children.

When John was serving in the Continental Congress, she wrote him a letter telling him to, quote, Another patriot was Thomas Jefferson, one of my favorites, a hero in my life. I've had the opportunity to visit Monticello and his Palladian retreat at Popper Forest.

He was the third president of the United States. He was a Renaissance man. He was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.

Among other things, he was a horticulturalist, statesman, architect, archaeologist, paleontologist, author, inventor, and founder of the University of Virginia.

In a congressional committee, Jefferson proposed that the great seal of the USA would be Israel being led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

Where would he have gotten that concept from? Many years later, when President John F. Kennedy welcomed 49 Nobel Prize winners to the White House for dinner one evening, he said in 1962, he said to those Nobel Prize winners, 49 of them, he said, quote, I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent and of human knowledge that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.

How's that for a compliment?

James Madison, fourth president of the United States. Madison was the last founding father to die. He's considered the father of the Constitution. He was the principal author of the document in 1788. He wrote a third of what's known as the Federalist Papers, which is the most influential commentary on how the Constitution was written, what was being thought of at the time, what the context was when the Constitution was being written. As a leader of the first Congresses, he drafted many laws, and he was responsible for the first ten amendments to the Constitution, so he's also known as the father of the Bill of Rights.

Another one of my favorites is Dolly Madison. During her husband's political life, Dolly Madison was noted as a gracious hostess whose sassy, bouncy personality and passion for snuff seemed at odds with her Quaker upbringing.

I could just try and imagine Dolly Madison with snuff. However, probably her most lasting achievement was a rescue of valuable treasures, including state papers and the Stuart Gilbert painting of George Washington just before the White House was burned down during the War of 1812. The White House was burned down in 1814. She couldn't pull it off the wall because the picture was screwed into the wall through this frame, so she simply helped someone to cut the painting out of the frame, and we have it today because of her courage. She even slept with a saber near her bedside, showed a British soldier show up in the middle of the night.

Dolly Madison remained a popular figure in Washington, D.C., long after her husband's presidency ended, and she is the only private citizen ever, male or female, the only private citizen ever who has been allowed to sit in on Congress on the congressional floor while it is in session.

That's how respected she was by the Congress of the day.

Alexander Hamilton was the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, a founding father, an economist and a political philosopher. He called for the Philadelphia Convention, which eventually led to independence, was one of America's first constitutional lawyers, and co-wrote the Federalist Papers.

What he's really noted for is he founded the United States Mint, the first national bank, and a system of cutters, who would later be known as the United States Coast Guard.

But he created an elaborate system of duties and tariffs and exercises which helped finance our young, struggling government.

Within five years, he replaced a chaotic financial system of a group of colonies that all printed their own money, and everything financially was in chaos.

Within five years, he created a modern system in which the new government had stability, and investors had significant confidence to buy government bonds, which began the growth of the wealth of the United States and made it the nation that it is today.

Unfortunately, he died prematurely in July of 1802 after being shot in a duel with Aaron Burr.

Betsy Ross is another remarkable person. John and Betsy Ross were upholsterers by trade.

The Rosses were financially near bankruptcy at the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.

The fabrics they depended on for their trade grew very scarce, and business slowed considerably. John joined the Pennsylvania militia, and he was seriously injured by an explosion in a munitions depot in January of 1776, and he soon died.

Here's what I like about her, her pluck.

Oral history that is supported by a 19th century affidavit recounts how the widowed Ross, meeting with George Washington and Robert Morris, in her upholstery business in Philadelphia in 1776, she had a meeting that resulted in the sewing of the first U.S. Stars and Stripes flag.

According to the story, it was at this meeting that she decided to silence the men's protest that these new five-pointed stars that they wanted on the flag would be unfamiliar and difficult for a female seamstress to make.

Well, she folded a piece of paper, made a single scissor snip, and opened it up and revealed a perfect five-pointed star.

End of story. Thank you, Miss Ross.

The list of our founding parents could go on and on.

The fact that so many gifted and dedicated individuals were brought together at the same place and time in human history is nothing short of divine intervention.

These patriots were very human, and they had personal flaws and weaknesses.

But they are living proof that a small handful of people committed to a great cause can change world history.

And you know what? I'm looking at a handful of committed people, people who are living proof to me, that they are committed to a cause that will change world history. That's you.

So how are we doing as spiritual patriots, brethren? Are we patriots for the kingdom of God?

Do we have what it takes to change the world like our founding fathers did, our founding mothers?

They were patriots of freedom. They wanted to be free of a political system that gave a single king control of millions of its citizens.

We're spiritual patriots who want our world to be free from Satan and mankind's slavery to sin.

So let's review some of the qualities of a patriot and see how we're doing. Here's quality number one. There are five qualities of a patriot that I would like to address today.

Here's quality number one. A patriot becomes disillusioned with their native country and wants a separation.

Let's go to Galatians chapter 5 in verse 19.

Galatians chapter 5 in verse 19. Again, a patriot becomes disillusioned with their native country and they want a separation.

Let's look at these qualities beginning in verse 19. Are they pleasant or are we sick of them? Are we disillusioned with them?

Do we want something better for ourselves and for generations to come?

Galatians chapter 5 in verse 19. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like.

This sounds like the front page of the Akron Beacon Journal. The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

What kind of a world do we live in? It's not a very happy world, is it?

A patriot becomes disillusioned with their native country and they want a separation. They want something that's better. Better for their own lives and better for their children and grandchildren and generations to come.

Let's continue here.

Of which I tell you beforehand, just as I have so told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Verse 22, but here are the qualities of the country that we desire.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering. Or as I like to say, long suffering.

Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's, those who Christ's, yep, that's one of mine.

That's one of my disciples. That's one of my followers. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us walk the talk.

Brethren, do we want to separate from this world, from the God of this world, from the qualities that exist in this world?

Do we see the pain and suffering that exist all over our world today? Do we understand that the world we were born into is extremely violent?

That every day millions of people die of curable diseases every day in this world. Today, millions of people will die in this world who have curable diseases.

But because of the governments that they live in, because the governments are corrupt, or because of a lack of organization, those people won't receive those medications that could literally save their lives.

Do we know that thousands and thousands and thousands of children were starved today? They'll just quit breathing because they haven't eaten in weeks.

They got so hungry that they began eating dirt, or anything that would, in some small way, try to satisfy the hunger they had.

Why? Because they live in governments that are so corrupt, or so chaotic and disorganized, that even though the world grows enough food, food doesn't get to them.

And they die. Do you know that hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, die every day in some war? There are wars raging all over the world at this time.

And we haven't heard about most of them because they haven't been reported in the news. People die of tribal violence virtually every day somewhere in Iraq or Afghanistan. A bomb goes off.

I mean, if you pay attention to the news, hundreds of people, thousands of people, if you added it all up with the little mini wars and tribal violence, people die every day.

Day after day. Day after day. Do we understand that money and material possessions can't buy happiness or contentment?

You look at people in the Western world who have good jobs and they have everything that you would think would make a human being happy, and most of them are discontent. They're miserable. They're unhappy.

Look at the state of our marriages. Look at child-rearing principles today. Look at the violence in our society. How many millions of Americans are in prisons or local jails?

Have we separated ourselves from the works of the flesh? Have we as a patriot become disillusioned with the native country that we came from? That is Satan's world.

And do we want? Do we long for? Do we desire? Are we willing to fight for a separation from that world? Or are we kind of claiming dual citizenship?

When it's convenient, are we in the world? Are we with the guys? But then we come to Sabbath and we play church? Or are we disillusioned with it all? And we just want God's kingdom.

We want God's family to be established on this earth.

Let's go to Hebrews 11 and verse 13. Hebrews 11 and verse 13.

Hebrews is the faith chapter and it says here, after listing a number of remarkable people, it says, These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but seeing them afar off were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. It's just like you and I, brethren. We see those promises that are in God's word. We long for it. We know that those promises are far off.

And we know and should realize that we are strangers and pilgrims. We are patriots on this earth because our allegiance is to another kingdom.

Verse 14, For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland, and truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.

But, brethren, we don't want to return, do we? I don't want to go back to that way of life.

I have no desire to go back to the world and live by the qualities that it speaks of in Galatians chapter 5 and verse 19 that we just read a few minutes ago.

Verse 16, But now they desire a better that is a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Brethren, the country that we should be willing to fight for as spiritual patriots is a heavenly country.

The country that we call the kingdom of God that will be established on this earth when Jesus Christ comes from heaven and brings that government with him and plants his feet in the Mount of Olives that will divide and begins like a small grain of mustard seed to establish a government that will begin in Zion and of God's glory.

And eventually will encompass the entire earth.

Do you consider yourself a stranger and a pilgrim on earth?

Or, brethren, have we begun to compromise on our values to please ourselves or to please the expectations of other people?

Is the homeland we seek the kingdom of God, or again, are we claiming dual citizenship?

That was point number one of a patriot. A patriot becomes disillusioned with their native country and wants a separation.

Number two, a patriot seizes upon a mission and a value system that excites them.

Brethren, how excited, how passionate are we for the kingdom of God?

Matthew 6, verse 19.

Jesus said, Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Now, every day when we get on our knees and we take time to pray, we show God where our treasure is.

When we keep the Sabbath day, when we stop and we get off the merry-go-round of this world and its rat race, and every Sabbath we come in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we show God where our treasure is.

Every time we give an offering to support the work of God, we show God where our treasure is, and by extension where our heart is also.

Verse 22, The lamp of the body is the eye, if therefore your lamp is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.

If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness?

It's a matter of priority. It's a matter of putting the kingdom of God first.

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

We can't have our heart and our desires on materialistic things and then serve God at the same time.

Something has to give. Something has to become more important to us, and that should be God.

Verse 31, Therefore do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? For all these things the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

In contrast to the world in which people are always trying to hoard, they're trying to build, they're trying to grow great material treasure.

And as I've said so many times before, brethren, the day that Bill Gates dies, you know, and the day that a homeless person in Cleveland dies, that's the great equalizer.

They both end up in the same place. The only difference is that Bill Gates will have a prettier box.

But all the money, all the businesses, all the accolades that Bill Gates received from that point on means absolutely nothing, because death is the great equalizer.

So what is there to gain, to be concerned about hoarding material possessions as if the person who dies with the most toys wins?

Because that's not the way that it really works.

The person who dies with the most toys is the person who just left all his toys to someone else, because you can't take one toy with you where you're going.

Not a single toy. So, brethren, do we take seriously with fervent passion a value system that excites us to be part of God's kingdom and to seek first the kingdom of God?

It's not as if having a nice home or having a good car is a problem. It's not as if having a 401k or some type of security in a retirement fund is a problem. It's all about priorities. It's all about what is first in our hearts and first in our minds.

Verse 33, I'd like to read that from the New Century Version. It says, The thing you should want most is God's kingdom and doing what God wants.

Then these other things you need will be given to you. You will receive them as a blessing.

So, brethren, where is our treasure? Is it in spiritual things and a spiritual investment?

Are we making those investments every day through prayer and study and meditation, through worshipping with God's people in the Sabbath and Holy Days?

Or is our treasure, is our excitement about physical things, frankly, most of which are outside of our control?

Let's take a look at 2 Peter 1 and verse 1. 2 Peter 1 and verse 1, and see the kind of value system that we should have.

In contrast to that in the world in which their mission, most people I know of, their mission and their value system is to acquire as much wealth as humanly possible before they die.

Well, at least they'll make their kids happy.

But in the end, what did you really gain?

2 Peter 1 and verse 1. Simon Peter, a bondservant, an apostle of Jesus Christ, are those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of God our Savior Jesus Christ. That's where our righteousness comes from. That makes us acceptable to God. Verse 2. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature.

So what is it, brethren? What is a mission that we should seize? What is our value system?

Well, in contrast to human nature, which is all about me and yet we should be desiring the divine nature, which is all about love and caring for others and personal growth so that we can be of greater service to people throughout all of eternity.

So we can have the mind that Jesus Christ had who was the ultimate servant and cared about people and cared about others. That's the divine nature.

Continuing, having escaped to the corruption that is in the world through lust, but also for this very reason, here are some more qualities of a value system we should embrace, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue.

Are we a virtuous people? What do our co-workers say about us on the job when we're not within ereshada? Do we have a reputation of integrity, of being a square shooter, of being a person who's maybe got those weird religious beliefs?

But one thing I have to say about him or her is they don't compromise on their integrity. Is that what they say about us in the workplace?

To virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, that's the ability to stop yourself and say, I shouldn't be thinking that, that's not right. I shouldn't have said that, that was wrong, I need to apologize for it.

That's what self-control is. To self-control perseverance. Are we persevering at the mission that God has given us, or are we ready to quit?

Are we ready to give up? To perseverance godliness. To godliness, brotherly kindness. And to brotherly kindness, love.

If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So brethren, that's what our value system should be based on. Are they based on the qualities that Peter describes here?

Does overcoming and becoming more like our elder brother Jesus Christ still excite us? Or have we grown weary at the length of the war?

Are some of us, because of what's happened in our church lives, do some of us suffer from spiritual shell shock?

Have we maybe lost that zeal, that passion, that enthusiasm that we first had because of what we've seen, because of what we've witnessed, because of what we've experienced?

Well, we need to get that zeal and that enthusiasm back. And the way you do that is not to look at men, but to look at Christ.

That's the way that you get that back. Men will always disappoint you. Jesus Christ will never fail you, will never let you down, will never disappoint you, no matter what your needs or your particular desires or wants are.

He will always be there for you. He is your high priest, your intermediary, the one who gave up his life for you.

And if you were the only one who would have been alive in 31 A.D., he would have died for you alone. That's how important you are to Jesus Christ.

So don't look to men, look to God for your passion, for your zeal, for your enthusiasm.

Let's look at quality number four. I'm sorry, quality number three.

A patriot is committed toward their cause and they're willing to die for it. A patriot is committed towards their cause and they're willing to die for it.

Washington was willing to die. Jefferson was willing to die. John Adams and his beautiful, lovely wife.

All of the original American patriots were willing to die if that was necessary so that generations that followed them could be free.

Now, when we were baptized, hopefully we crucified the old man. He should have died.

But unfortunately for most of us, kind of like a shadowy figure, he also followed us out of that baptismal tank, didn't he?

And we've been wrestling and struggling with that old man ever since.

But a patriot is committed towards their cause and they're willing to die for it. John chapter...let's go to John chapter 15 and verse 20. John chapter 15 and verse 20.

Jesus said, Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you.

If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for my name's sake because they do not know him who sent me.

Because they don't know the Father, they're going to do some pretty ignorant things and that is they will persecute the followers of Jesus Christ.

Brethren, are we willing to take crude comments from former friends?

Snide remarks from family members or former members because of what we believe or the decisions that we have made.

Are we willing to stand up for what we believe, what we know to be true and right?

In another way, are we willing to stand up to school boards and employers and government officials or others who attempt to interfere with our constitutional right to worship freely?

Other people died so that we could have that freedom. They gave their all so that we could have certain rights as Americans.

And we should be willing to stand up for those things. Let's go to John 16 and verse 1.

These things I have spoken to you that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.

Now, we're very fortunate to live at a day and age where very few people have to give up their lives for their belief.

But prophecy tells us that those days are going to return specifically for leaders of the church in the end time. Some of them are going to be beheaded. Some of them are going to have to give up their lives for what they believe.

How about you? How about me? Are we willing to die for what we believe?

I remember a story of Dr. Martin Luther King during the Civil Rights Movement.

And he went to a particular community, and he wanted them to strike so that the community leaders would get the idea that they were human beings and deserved their rights as a people.

And Dr. King was addressing members of an all-black congregation, and he was telling them that they needed to band together and they needed to all get involved in this strike, and they needed to support one another because, constitutionally, they were human beings and they had rights.

And one person raised their hand and said, Dr. King, if we do that, they might set dogs on us, and the dogs bite. It's terrible. Another person raised their hand and said, Dr. King, I might be noticed. I might lose my job. I might be in TV, and my boss says, you're fired. I noticed that you were part of that strike.

Another person says, I might get beat up. People, crowds, may come and just beat us to a pulp. And Dr. King, he listened, and he listened, and listened, and you could kind of see him getting a little angry. And eventually, he said, quote, if you were not willing to die for something, you're not fit to live.

Pretty powerful words.

Can you tell me a cause that is any greater than the one that we now share together as God's people? To be the first fruits of Jesus Christ, to be those who will help Him as His saints, to usher in the kingdom of God, and we are being trained for that. Now, can you tell me a greater calling, a greater mission that possibly exists?

Brethren, there is none.

Let's go to quality number four. A patriot doesn't compromise their mission or give it up for glory or money.

Let's go to Matthew 4, verse 1, a scripture that we're all very familiar with. Satan trying to tempt Christ as Christ begins his ministry, trying to get him to stumble.

Matthew 4, verse 1, which you see just a little bit. Satan trying to tempt Christ as Christ begins his ministry, trying to get him to stumble.

Matthew 4, verse 1, which you see Jesus Christ knew what his mission was. He was not going to give it up for instant glory or to prove a point or the selfish gain.

Matthew 4, beginning in verse 1, he says, "...Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights afterward, he was hungry. Now when the tempter came to him, he said, If you are the Son of God..." Kind of challenging his manhood, his ego. "...If you're as good as they say you are, if you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. And he answered and said, and he quotes Scripture, "...Is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Jesus Christ says there's more important things in life than eating.

Your values are more important in life than eating.

What lasts for eternity is more important than eating.

Verse 5, "...Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, He shall give his angels charge over you, and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against the stone. And Jesus said to him..." Again, quoting Scripture, "...Is written again that you shall not tempt the Lord your God." So he said, "...I'm not falling for that one. I'm not going to hurt myself in order for me to prove a point to you. I don't have that kind of an ego. I'm not going to be double-dared into doing something stupid just to make you feel satisfied, Satan. It's just not going to happen. Verse 8, "...Again the devil took him on an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, which I might add Satan owns. They're his to give away. He is the God of this world. He took him and he showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and he sent him all these things. I will give to you if you fall down and worship me." And Satan had a right to say this because he is the God of this world. He said, "...You can have instant gratification now, Jesus. You don't have to live your...

You don't have to go through a three and a half year ministry. You don't have to have those nails hammered through your hands. You don't have to go through that torture. All you have to do is worship me and I'll give it to you right now. And it's mine to give." And Jesus said to him, "...Away with you, Satan, for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God in him only. Shall you serve? And then the devil left him and behold, angels came and ministered to him." You see, brethren, Jesus was not about to compromise his mission, no matter what was offered to him instantly. Glory, titles, whatever it is that man searches for that he or she thinks is so satisfying, Jesus was not going to fall for it. He emptied himself of his divinity to become a mere man. Have you ever thought of the fact that before Jesus emptied himself of his divinity and came to earth that he already had it all? He had nothing to gain by becoming a man. He was already part of the Godhead. He already had glory and honor. He had nothing to gain. Well, he did have one thing to gain. That is, that he loved a group of people so much that he was willing to risk his own divinity for eternity so that they could have an opportunity to have a relationship with his Father like he did and become part of the family of God. That's the only thing that he had to gain. So, brethren, a patriot doesn't compromise in their mission. They don't give up on it for glory or for a sense of ego or money. Let's go to 2 Corinthians 11 and verse 12. 2 Corinthians 11 and verse 12. Now, I'm going to read this scripture from the translation of God's Word for today because the New King James Bible, I believe, kind of mangles this poorly. So please follow me with whatever translation you have. But Paul was contrasting himself with some ministers, some apostles who were manipulating and using people. 2 Corinthians 11 and verse 12. And again, I'll read this from the translation of God's Word for today. Paul says, but I'll go on doing what I'm doing. This will take away the opportunity of those people who want to brag because they think they're like us. People who brag like this are false apostles. They're dishonest workers since they disguise themselves as Christ apostles. And no wonder even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. And it's not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants who have God's approval. In the end, they will get what they deserve. Again, that was 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verses 12 through 15. And I read it from the translation of God's Word for today. But you know, brethren, Paul warns us not to fall prey to charlatans. And I have to tell you that a lot of people seek public offices. A lot of people seek titles in the military for selfish and deceitful purposes. I have to tell you in all frankness and honesty that a lot of people seek religious titles and offices for selfish and deceitful purposes. They do it because they look at God's people as merchandise. Something to be used for their personal gain. Something to be used for their glory. Some are willing to sell their souls for a little bit of adulation or a phony title or praise or whatever they think is important to them. But brethren, a true patriot doesn't betray the great cause for personal gain. A true patriot doesn't betray the great cause for personal gain. It is not about them. Sadly, in my lifetime, I've known far too many spiritual Benedict Arnold's.

Benedict Arnold originally fought American independence from the British Empire. He originally was a general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. And eventually he obtained a command at the American fort at West Point, New York. But because he was offended that he had not received what he thought were enough honors or aculations, he plotted successfully to surrender West Point to the British. And to this day, the phrase Benedict Arnold is known of is someone who was a betrayer. It's someone who abandoned the patriot mission that he had and betrayed the cause. Well, brethren, the truth is that you and I have been given a great spiritual endowment, a precious endowment, and it's not about us. It should be about us handing the truth that we have down to another generation. Other people before us made tremendous sacrifices so that we could have the truth and we could understand the things that we do today and that we could be serving God the way that we do. That's a trust that we've been given. And it's our responsibility to turn that trust to another generation to continue that mission. It should never be about our titles or how important we think we are or being on television or receiving the accolades of men. It should never be about any of those things. Never, ever, ever should it be about any of those things. We have a great mission and we should fulfill it, and we should never compromise our mission for glory, for material gain, or for anything else that interferes with our calling. Number five, the fifth quality is a patriot is willing to suffer depravity and personal loss because of their mission. Let's go to Romans 12 and verse 1. Romans 12 and verse 1. Have you ever heard the term Rice Christian? The term the missionaries who went to China coined many years ago. They learned something at that time. They learned that if they gave free rice out, that their church attendance is swelled. But when the missionaries ran out of rice, that people stopped coming to church. So they coined the phrase Rice Christians, meaning while it was convenient, while there were no stresses or problems or issues, they were willing to be Christians. But as soon as the rice ran out, so did they. Romans 12 and verse 1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice. Every day that you take time out and you say, you know, I need to stop and I need to get some prayer in, that's a living sacrifice. Every day that you stop and you say, you know, I need to stop and I need to meditate a little bit and think about what I'm all about and what I'm doing, that's a living sacrifice. Every time you take some time off the fast, every time you catch yourself and you apologize to someone for something that you said, that's a living sacrifice. Every time you write a check and give of your financial blessings to help the church, that is a living sacrifice.

Are we willing to be living sacrifices? Continuing, present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Oh, yes, brethren, to be a patriot requires great sacrifice. Are we willing to make those sacrifices? Are we doing those living sacrifices every day with prayer and study? With attending Sabbath services faithfully? You know, many of our founding fathers faced bankruptcy because of their commitment to the cause. Many of them lost their possessions because they were seized in the war by British loyalists or the British army. During after the war, many were so poorly paid for their public service to the nation that they faced severe financial distress, including John and Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Some of them literally went bankrupt because of the cause.

Now, I'm not suggesting or asking anyone to go bankrupt. But what I am asking is if we are willing to suffer depravity and personal loss because we are spiritual patriots. Baptism is a lifelong commitment, and when we were baptized, we gave God a blank check. And we said to God, in essence, you fill in the amount, God, whatever you require of me. I put my hand in the plow.

I'm going forward. I'm not looking back. Here is my life in your hands. You fill in the amount. And that amount may be loss of job. It may be chronic disease. But you see, Jesus Christ gets the right in, the amount, of that blank check. Whatever He requires of us to be spiritual patriots, are we willing to suffer depravity or personal loss because of the mission that we've been given? Again, I want to emphasize that to be a child of God requires a large investment of our time.

Prayer is an investment of time. Fasting is an investment of time. Taking one day out a week and driving how many miles and sitting in a two-hour service and going home requires an investment of time, doesn't it?

And there are financial investments that we give and other types of investments. Are we willing to do that? I've known brethren who've lost jobs because of the faith. I've known brethren who lost families, who lost large inheritances. I've known members who have lost executive positions and great amount of wealth because of their beliefs. Are we willing to personally suffer and sacrifice for the kingdom of God? Well, we're near the conclusion of the sermon. If you'll turn to Revelation 11 and verse 15. It's been a little over 200 years since the American Revolution. Generation after generation remembers the courage and personal stories of those who gave so much so that future generations could experience liberty and freedom in this world.

If I say the name George Washington, over 230 years later people know who that is. If I say Thomas Jefferson, Abigail Adams, Alexander Hamilton, their names is a great. People know who they are. Well, brethren, we've been given even a greater calling. And the stakes that you and I have that we're involved in are much higher than simply the founding of a nation known as the United States of America. The outcome that we're involved in, the endeavor, the mission that we are on, will affect the entire human race.

And world history is being rewritten right now because of the things that we are doing. Revelation chapter 11 and verse 15. Revelation chapter 11 and verse 15. The seventh angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.

And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshipped God, saying, We give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who was and who is to come, because you have taken your great power and reigned. And then verse 18. The nations were angry, and your wrath has come, and the time of the dead that they should be judged, that you should reward your servants, the prophets and the saints and those who fear your name small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth.

You see, brethren, we are the saints spoken of in Scripture. We are the spiritual patriots that God is called to battle in this world's real fight for liberty. It's a fight against Satan the devil and control of the human race. It took the shedding of blood for American revolutionary patriots to win their freedom. Thankfully, we have the shed blood of Jesus Christ that's given us freedom.

But most of the human race is not yet free. And that's where you and I come in, proclaiming a message of hope, a message of the good news of the coming kingdom of God. Ten thousand years from now, people will be telling stories about how we overcame obstacles, how against overwhelming odds that we as the saints of God prevailed against this world's superpower known as Satan the devil. People will talk about how our faith and our prayers finally encouraged God to intervene. And he said, the time is now. People will admire our strength in spite of our personal troubles and our own weaknesses and problems.

People will look at our names and say, there goes a true spiritual patriot. Patrick Henry was one of the most influential advocates of the American Revolution, especially in his commitment to fight against corruption in government officials. He's best known for a speech he made at the House of Burgesses in March 23, 1775, urging the legislature to take military action against a British military force that was now encroaching upon the city.

And the House of Burgesses was undecided as to whether they would send troops or not, but they were leaning towards doing nothing. Just doing nothing, and the British were on their way. As Henry stood in St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia, he ended his speech with his most famous words.

And I pray that we, as the Church of God, are as willing and as committed about the Kingdom of God as he was about a secular kingdom, a secular nation known as the United States. He said, I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.