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Hireling or Shepherd Part 2

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• John chapter 10. Let's read verses 11 through 15 again. John 10 beginning with verse 11. Our Lord says, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is a hireling and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth. And the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. And as the Father knoweth me, even so I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep." I pointed out last week that our Lord, in this passage, makes a clear distinction between a hireling and a shepherd. The hireling does not care for the sheep at all. In fact, he refuses to defend the sheep even when they are in danger. He flees and leaves the sheep for the wolves. Our Lord made this distinction very clear because the shepherd, on the other hand, is willing not only to fight for the sheep, but willing also to die for the sheep as well.

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• So the hireling then sees the danger and flees. So he is essentially deserting his post and betraying his trust when he refuses to defend the sheep. Alternatively, the shepherd then perceives the danger. He prepares himself. He prepares the flock as well. And he defends them against wolves or any other predators. In other words, he fights, and he's willing to protect and preserve the sheep at all costs.

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• Now, I believe this has not only a physical application, but a spiritual application as well. But may I point out that David was also a shepherd, and you remember how the bear and the lion came, and David killed the bear and the lion in protecting the sheep. So here was a shepherd then who fights and who protects the sheep. So I'm going to point out again, just by way of review, that which I did last week, how that the under-shepherd, that is the pastor, is actually required to not only feed the sheep, but also to keep the sheep.

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• It's much like the passage in Genesis 2 and verse 15. I want you to hold John 10, but go in your Bible to Genesis 2 and look, if you would please, at verse 15. This is what God said to Adam when He placed him in the garden. So, if you look in Genesis 2 and verse 15, note, if you would please, the Bible says, "And the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." So, I want you to note, Adam had a two-fold responsibility. He had to dress the garden and he had to keep the garden.

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• Now, the word for dress is the Hebrew word abad, and it means to dress, to till, to labor, to work, to serve. In other words, Adam then had to till the ground, he had to plant the garden, he had to take care of the garden, he had to reap the harvest of the garden. So that's all involved in what you and I would call dressing the garden.

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• But the Bible also says that he had to keep it. Now the word keep is the Hebrew word shamar, and it literally means to have charge of, to protect, to preserve, and to be a guardian and to be a watchman. So Adam first headed to destruction when he failed to protect the garden and preserve the garden when he allowed the serpent to enter in, basically speaking. So Adam then had a two-fold responsibility. He had to dress the garden and he had to keep or protect the garden as well.

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• So you will remember, I hope, last week when I covered John chapter 21. I told you that was a very classic passage on shepherding, because in verses 15 and 17, when our Lord told Peter to feed My sheep, He uses the word bosko, which literally means to feed and to keep. The under-shepherd then has a responsibility, not just only to feed, but to guard and protect as well. And then I pointed out in verse 16, when he said, keep my sheep, he uses the word poimaino, which literally means to pastor or to shepherd. So the responsibility then of the under-shepherd is to not only feed, but also to defend and protect and promote the sheep. May I also remind you that last week I pointed out that there are a number of words that were used interchangeably in identifying the under-shepherd.

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• First of all, we looked at the word elder, which is presbyteros in the Greek, and it's where we get our English word presbyter from. So a presbyter is an elder. And then we also notice the Greek word episkopos which is translated in our Bibles as bishop and or overseers. So he said in Acts chapter 20 and verse 28 to these elders that they were to take heed of themselves over which the Holy Ghost had made them overseers of the church of God, which he had purchased with his own blood, and they were to feed the flock of God. And then in 1 Timothy 3 and verse 1, Paul said, if any man desired the office of a bishop, he desired a good work.

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• And then of course in Ephesians 4, we read about pastor-teachers, and that is where the word for shepherd is used again. So let me put it to you like this, an elder, a bishop, and a pastor are basically the same individual. Why? Because an elder describes the man, the word bishop or overseer describes his office, and the word pastor describes his work. So either one of those terms would apply then to what you and I would call a pastor.

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• So shepherding then includes not only feeding the flock, but protecting and preserving the flock as well. So let me ask you this question. What good does it do to feed the flock if you allow the flock to be destroyed? How in the world would that benefit any flock to feed them and then just simply walk away and let the wolves come in and destroy the flock? No. I want you to understand that preservation and protection are part of the shepherding ministry as well. So, we could ask these questions, and I want you to think, if you would, please, as I ask these questions.

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• Where are the pastors today that are zealously guarding their flocks? Where are the pastors today that speak the truth and let the chips fall where they may? Where are the pastors today that are teaching their people to fight, not only spiritually, but physically when necessary? Where are the pastors today that are crying out against tyranny, wickedness, and even governmental corruption? You have to understand that everything that is wicked and wrong inevitably affects the flock of God.

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• For instance, I'd just read this past week where several states, especially California now, are making it absolutely mandatory that the lesbian gay agenda be taught to first graders. And many of the schools, especially Michigan now, are mandating that Islam be taught and the students have to either make prayer rugs or they have to recite the Islamic prayer or they have to... In other words, they're trying to teach them toleration. The point I'm trying to make is, obviously, everything that is wicked and wrong and corrupt is inevitably going to affect the flock of God.

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• Now, I want to give you a quote by Michael Snyder. You can find a lot of his work on the Internet, but this might be shocking to you, but here it is. He wrote, "Have you ever wondered why most church services in America seem to be filled with lots of fluff and very little substance? As America's moral foundations literally collapse right in front of our eyes, a large percentage of our pastors are afraid to speak out on controversial topics because they might offend someone. And it doesn't take a genius to figure out why they're so afraid."

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• "Most United States churches are shrinking and more than a hundred die every week. In a day and age where pastors are judged by attendance members and budget levels, scaring people away is bad for business. With all that in mind, the results from a recent Barna survey shouldn't be surprising at all. We wanted to know if pastors felt limited or pressured when it comes to speaking out on controversial topics. Half of the Christian pastors say they frequently or occasionally feel limited in their ability to speak out on moral and social issues because people will take offense. The other half of pastors say that they only rarely or never feel limited in this way. When asked to identify the source of the concerns, pastors are much more likely to say that they feel limited by those inside the church rather than those outside. In other words, the reactions of those in the pews are the most on the minds of today's pastors. And remember, these numbers just show the percentage of pastors that are willing to admit that they are afraid to speak out on controversial issues."

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• In reality, he adds, the percentage of United States pastors that actually hit the hard issues on a consistent basis is exceedingly low. I would suggest another reason for the failure of pastors to preach the whole truth. And that is because most churches are in debt up to their eyeballs. And obviously, you can't afford then to run people away, and if people become upset, if they get offended, if they get angry, if they get their feelings hurt and they leave, then the money quits coming in and you can't make the sinking fund payment, and then you lose your big beautiful building. So instead of avoiding debt, most churches are in debt up to their eyeballs. It was George Orwell who said, "The further society drifts from the truth, the more they will hate those who speak it."

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• Now the same is true from a biblical standpoint. The further the church drifts from the truth, the more compromised it becomes. The more those who stand for truth are hated, ridiculed, mocked, and rejected. And the truth of the matter is this. Those pastors who actually stand for the truth and preach against wickedness are referred to as hate mongers and their churches are referred to as hate churches. So truth is usually the exact opposite of political correctness and humanistic ideology.

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• Now, it's interesting that he talked about offending people. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Matthew chapter 15. Matthew chapter 15. Since we profess to be Christians, and we believe that our Lord Jesus Christ is God incarnate, and since the Bible says, "Let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus," it should be scriptural and biblical to have the mind of Christ. So, let's see how Christ concerned Himself about offending people. Notice, if you would, in Matthew chapter 15, notice verse 12. Our Lord had been preaching.

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• Then came His disciples and said unto Him, "Knowest Thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying?" They say, "Lord, You've upset the religious establishment. You've upset these Pharisees. Do you not know that they were offended?" Look at his answer, verse thirteen. But he answered and said, "Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. Let them alone. They be blind leaders of the blind, and if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."

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• So let me just paraphrase this. What did our Lord say? When they said, "Knowest thou not that what you said offended the Pharisees?" Our Lord just simply said, "Tough stuff." I mean, that's all there is to it. If the blind lead the blind, they're both going to fall into the ditch. It's that simple. So let me put it very bluntly. If you are offended by the truth, you're in bad company, because you are in along with the Pharisees. And if you not only are offended with the truth, but if you refuse and reject the truth, you are lost. And not only will you fall, but those who follow you will fall as well. And here is what our Lord is saying. Listen to me carefully. Our Lord is saying there is no reason to be concerned with these people that are offended at the truth because there's no hope for them. Let that sink in. There is no hope for anyone who refuses and rejects truth. You can't help them. You cannot help them. You can't make someone see, and you can't make someone receive.

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• And if they refuse it and reject it, then our Lord said, let them alone. Let them go their way. Let them reap exactly that which they sow.

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• Now, I showed you last week how a shepherd warns, how a shepherd feeds, and today I want to point out how a shepherd leads. So our Lord then spoke the truth, and He was very bold, He was very courageous, and very straightforward. So we should be doing exactly like our Lord. I told you last week that there was a vast difference between pastors today and the pastors who preached in the 1700s and the pastors who preached in the 1800s. If you compare preachers of those years with preachers of the day, there are very few real comparisons, but there are very many great contrasts. You're going to find out that those preachers of old were fearless, they were bold, they were brave, and they just did not slacken one bit. I want to give you some illustrations.

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• Pastor Gad Hitchcock was preaching an election sermon before General Gage. General Gage had been sent by George the Third to bring the colonists in line. Now according to my understanding, Gad Hitchcock really did not know the General Gage was the appointed governor until he got there. So you could not assume any office in early America without having a sermon preached to you, and usually it dealt with government and government's responsibility and or the responsibility of the people's civil government. Gad Hitchcock took his text from Proverbs 29 and verse 2.

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• "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked bear rule, the people mourn." And so, years ago, I was asked to preach this sermon, that is the sermon that Gad Hitchcock preached, and I did. And it was recorded. But I want to just take one paragraph from his sermon and I want you to listen to what he said to General Gage. Now remember, Gad Hitchcock is the pastor. General Gage is seated in front of him with his staff and his army behind him. So Gad Hitchcock says this, "Let the governor, that would be General Gage, let the governor and his chair of state hear it. We not only mourn, but with groanings that cannot be uttered, and all because the wicked bear rule. The castle cannot shelter him from the scorching thunderbolt, that is the government. Families are divided, brothers are raided against brother, friend against friend, society is cut loose from its moorings, and hate and consternation reign on every side, and all because the wicked bear rule. King George may say that the evils that produce this state of things are imaginary, but I tell you, and I will tell the tyrant to his face, it's because the wicked bear rule."

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• Can you imagine that? Here, Pastor Gad Hitchcock is talking to the most powerful military man in that day who had been sent by the king to silence the colonists and to bring them in line. And he said, "I'll tell you, and I will tell the tyrant to his face." And he called George III a tyrant. Where in the world are you going to invite a pastor today that will take on any president or congressman or even sometimes county officials? I'm just simply saying, Pastor Hitchcock fearlessly, courageously called the issue not only as he saw it, but what the scripture said right before General Gage. I'm sure that you've heard the name of Jonas Clark. Jonas Clark was pastor in Lexington, Massachusetts. Mr. Clark was not only noted for his patriotism, but also for his hospitality.

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• Because on the night of 18th of April, 1775, when Paul Revere was riding, warning everyone that the British was coming, he was entertaining John Hancock and Sam Adams. And one of the purposes for the British coming was not only to get the weapons, but to arrest John Hancock and Sam Adams. And so they are there at Pastor Jonas Clark's home, and they ask Jonas Clark about his men. And the question they ask is this, "Will they fight?" I want you to listen to the answer Pastor Clark gave. When Pastor Clark was asked by his guests whether the people would fight, he replied, "Yes, I have trained them for this very hour. They will fight."

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• "If need be, die too under the shadow of the house of God." The church was not more and the house was not more than ten yards where the first blood of the revolution was shed on April 19, 1775. It was there that his parishioners fell. And we tend to forget that Lexington Green was basically in the shadow of the church. In fact, we could say it was the church yard.

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• And the men that day were not rebels, because they had organized and created lawfully the militia, and these men were under both spiritual authority and civil authority. And to show you how resolved they were, the people in the entire city made this resolve. They said, "We shall be ready to sacrifice our estates and everything dear to life, yea, and life itself, in support of this common cause."

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• And his church proved that they were willing to fight. And eight men of his church died on April the 19th, 1775, in the shadow of the church. So Pastor Clark then had to bury eight of his men who were killed that day. And I want you to please note the fact that when he was asked, would his men fight, he responded, "Yes, for this very hour I have trained them." He had not only trained them theologically and mentally and emotionally, he'd help train them physically as well. He knew that they would fight.

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• You see, we fail to realize the importance of the biblical doctrine of self-defense. We also fail to realize the importance of the biblical doctrine of freedom and the sacredness of real, genuine liberty. Most of our founding fathers understood all of these things. The preachers in those years understood these things. May I point out the fact that the early pastors and Christians always went around armed. They didn't only went around armed, they went to church armed.

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• There's an old book and I have a copy of it. The title of it is, "In Puritan New England." It was written by Alice Morse Earle. The book, thankfully, has been reprinted and it's available today. And chapter two is very important in that book because in that book the author tells how and why Christians went around armed and preachers went around armed. In fact, they were told that since you had the blunderbusses and the muzzleloaders in those days, that to sanctify the loading of those weapons on the Lord's day, they were not to discharge them unless it happened to be at an Indian or a redcoat or a wolf, which was their greatest enemies at that particular time. But most of our modern day habits and customs stem from those old days.

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• I never will forget when I was a boy and my father was a deacon in the church and a Sunday school teacher, which meant we were in church Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, and every night that there were special meetings, we were there. And I do not understand why it impressed me, but it did as a boy. Why men always sat on the end of the pews? And when I got grown, I began to sit on the end of pews. And even today, when I visit another church, I'll sit on the end of the pew. And the reason men always sat on the end of the pews is because the men stacked their muskets in the middle of the aisles.

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• And if danger arose, they could reach over and get those muskets without tripping over their wives and their children. The wives and the children were on the inside of the pews. And therefore, they could grab those muskets and defend their families and defend their churches easily and quickly.

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• Now, let me give you another little tidbit of history that is particularly interesting to me. You will notice when you go to the average church service, after the sermon is over, someone is closing in prayer, and the pastor will usually walk to the front of the church where people come in. And he stands there and folks shake his hand as they go out and that kind of thing. And I ask, why does the pastor do that? And I get the response, well, he wants to be there so everybody can shake his hand. Well, I've got news for you. If you want to shake my hand, you can come up here as easily as I can go back there. Or you can shake my hand in another room. Why would I have to be at the front of the church?

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• Let me explain this to you. The truth is the pastor was the under-shepherd. He also was armed. He was the first one to the door because he was responsible for the flock. He would look outside to make sure there were no Indians, there were no Redcoats, there were no wolves. Once he got out safe and discerned that there was no danger, then the men came out with their weapons. And after the men came out, then came out the women and children. So the pastor was not going back there to get his hands shaken. He was going back there as the under-shepherd in order to protect his flock.

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• Now, in Concord, New Hampshire, the church had a practice that all the men stacked their muskets in the middle of the church around a post. The honored pastor, who was a good shot and usually had the best rifle in the community, always preached with his rifle by the pulpit. Can you imagine a pastor who was a good shot and had the best rifle? Why? Because he was responsible to protect the sheep and also to preserve the sheep.

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• And he was ready to fight if the need arose, if there needed to be a battle. Now, note if you would, he kept that rifle in the pulpit. I'm going to explain something to you a little bit later, and I think you can see how it makes sense. I hope you've heard of James Caldwell. James Caldwell is known as the rebel priest or the high priest of the rebellion by the British. I've got a message that I've preached in years past just on James Caldwell. He was hated and hunted and despised by the British.

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• A price was placed upon his head, and he was a Presbyterian minister who stood not only for the Lord Jesus Christ, but also for liberty and freedom. During the Revolutionary War, when it really heated up, he had to move his family to New Providence. He was in New Jersey. And so he moved his family to New Providence for safety's sake. And then he returned himself to Lisbeton, New Jersey.

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• And when he came back, he found out that his church had basically been destroyed by the British. The town had been ransacked. The church doors smashed in. The pews were upset. The windows broken. The handrails torn apart. He kind of got everything together and started back holding services again. But James Caldwell always preached with two loaded pistols on the pulpit because the British were seeking his life.

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• Now I want you to listen to this. Caldwell not only preached the Word of God, but he preached liberty and freedom as well, and he led his people in standing and in fighting for the truth. Inspired by his earnest patriotism and his devotion to Jesus Christ, from his church there were 40 commissioned officers who led others in the battle. That does not count the non-commissioned men from his church as well.

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• Now, one author stated this about James Caldwell. He said, "He was a man of unwearied activity, and of wonderful power of both bodily and mental endurance. Feelings of the most glowing piety and the most fervent patriotism occupied his bosom at the same time, without interfering with each other. He was one day preaching to the battalion, the next providing the ways and means for their support, and the next marching with them to battle. If defeated, assisting to conduct their retreat, if victorious, offering their united thanksgiving unto God, and the next day carrying the consolations of the gospel to some afflicted or dying parishioner." So here was a man, James Caldwell. By the way, his wife was murdered by the British. One British soldier passing by the house saw her through the window holding her baby and he just raised his rifle and shot and killed her. A little bit later, James Caldwell was actually murdered as well. But it was James Caldwell who was during, in the heat of one battle, saw the colonial soldiers' fire slackened for lack of wadding.

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• You know, you had to have wadding to hold that ball down in the barrel. And so he ran through all the fire to the Presbyterian meeting house, and he got the hymnals written by Isaac Watts. And he ran back to the men, tearing the pages out of the hymnal, throwing the paper to the men, says, "There you go, men, put Watts into them, boys, give them Watts." Well, that might be one way to get a little religion in them, I don't know.

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• But that's what he did. "Put Watts into them, boys, give them Watts."

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• Now, if you've never heard of Thomas Allen, I would encourage you to read about Thomas Allen. He also had a brother by the name of Moses Allen, and Moses Allen was in Midway, Georgia, not far from where we live. And one author said of Moses Allen that he was full of fight. One British sympathizer said concerning Pastor Moses Allen, "This rebel parson did more injury to the cause of the king than a dozen colonels." I've got a message I preached on Moses Allen years ago. The title is, "Moses Allen, the Damnedest Rebel in Georgia." And that's exactly what the British called him. They called him the damnedest rebel in Georgia. But Moses Allen, like Jonas Clark, taught his people well. He not only taught and preached and prayed, he joined his regiment as chaplain.

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• And it is said that his bold, free tongue cut deeper than any sword. He railed against the tyranny of George III. And the Tories cursed his very name. He became obnoxious to the military leaders of that day, and the Patriot forces honored him, but the British hated and despised him. It was Allen Heimert who said this, "When the time came for action, moreover, the Calvinistic ministry were the first and longest in the field. The first and the longest in the field."

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• In 1773, the Reverend Charles Turner, in expounding Romans 13, I want you to listen to what he said. This is in 1773. He's expounding Romans 13 and he says this, that it was the duty of the clergy, that is the duty of the pastors, to interfere where the liberties of the land are assailed, not only for the sake of their own posterity as well as that of others, but because when the civil rights of

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• a country receive a shock, it may justly render the ministers of God deeply thoughtful for the safety of sacred privileges. Listen now, for religious liberty is so blended with civil liberty that if one falls, it is not expected that the other will continue." Did you hear that? Civil liberty is so blended with spiritual liberty that if one falls, the other is not expected to continue. I can give you an illustration.

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• Did you know that the Democrats in Virginia are trying to get a law passed that it would be unlawful to criticize a member of their Congress? Really? So, if someone is a corrupt, thieving, lying, immoral, reprobate, if I can't call him that, I not only do not have spiritual liberty, I have no civil liberty. They are blended together, and when one falls, the other cannot continue. So, the American Revolution would be almost inconceivable apart from the pastors during that day. The leaders of the American Revolution in every colony were imbued with the Reformed faith, and they were firmly and deeply seated and grounded in the Word of God. Therefore, the cry in the American Revolution was this, "No king, but King Jesus."

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• And everyone understood the concept of "live free or die." It was W.P. Breed in his book "Presbyterians and the Revolution" that said that during that war more than 50 houses of worship were totally destroyed by the British. They would use the church buildings for stockyards and corrals. They'd put their horses in the church building. They would take the pews and chop them up for firewood. They would tear up the hymnals and the Bibles and use them to start fire. They would tear down the buildings. More than 50 were destroyed.

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• Scotch-Irish minister, William Martin, was imprisoned for a while before he was brought to General Cornwallis. And when he was brought before General Cornwallis, he defended not only himself, but the Christians who were fighting against George III. Listen to this. Cornwallis said to Pastor Martin, "You are charged with preaching rebellion from the pulpit. You, an old man and a minister of the gospel of peace, while advocating rebellion against your lawful sovereign, King George III." Pastor Martin replied, "I am happy to appear before you. For many months now I have been held in chains for preaching that which I believe to be the truth." Asked the King George, "I owe him nothing but goodwill.

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• I am not unacquainted with his private character." Listen, "As king He was bound to protect his subjects in the enjoyment of their rights. Protection and allegiance go together, and when one fails, the other cannot be expected. The Declaration of Independence is but a reiteration of what our Scotch Covenanting Fathers have always maintained." But listen to what he said. Protection and allegiance go together, and when one fails, the other cannot be expected.

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• Think about that in light of the abuse and the destruction of the United States Constitution. How can you have any allegiance toward any politician who destroys everything that our Founding Fathers set up? I'm just simply pointing out the fact we need to understand the attitude, the biblical attitude of our founding fathers. Did you know that the personal motto of Thomas Jefferson, it was not only his personal motto, he had it put on his seal, "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God."

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• Now if you wish to know more about some of these pastors in the American Revolution, I recommend again that you get J.T. Headley's book, "The Chaplains and Clergy of the Revolution." The book will inspire you, it will thrill you as you read about the men that risked their lives for liberty and freedom. You'll be absolutely amazed at how they instructed their congregations and how many of them led their men into battle. J.T. Headley, "The Chaplains and Clergy of the Revolution."

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• Now, the same is true of the chaplains and the clergy for the Second War for Independence, or sometimes known as the War of Northern Aggression, or sometimes referred to just simply as the Civil War. Like many of the pastors in the American Revolution, the chaplains and the pastors of the South were absolutely hated and despised by the Yankees. When Chaplain T.D. Witherspoon of the 42nd Mississippi Regiment was captured at Gettysburg, and let me tell you why he was captured. He was captured because he refused to leave the wounded and the dying.

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• He could have saved himself. He could have avoided capture if he had just left the wounded and the dying, but he refused to do it. So he was captured at Gettysburg and Yankee Colonel Fish ordered that the chaplain be thrown into a dark, damp, underground dungeon with drunkards and deserters. When he gave the order to the lieutenant to throw him in that dungeon, the lieutenant protested and he said, "But this man is a minister of the gospel, you won't send him there." Colonel Fish shot back, "Why not?

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• The preachers are more to blame for this war than any others. The best thing we could do would be to hang a few of them whenever we captured them." That's what they thought about the pastors and the chaplains. Regardless of the dangers, many chaplains believed it was their place to be in the front lines with the men whom they were ministering unto. It was Chaplain I.T.

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• of the 17th Alabama that gave the report of this regiment on the Battle of Shiloh. Listen to what he wrote. "During this engagement, we were under a crossfire on the left wing from three directions. Under it, the boys wavered. I had been wearied and was sitting down, but seeing them waver, I sprang to my feet, took off my hat, waved it over my head, walked up and down the line, and they say I preached the sermon to them. I reminded them that it was Sunday, that at that hour all of our home folks were praying for them, that Tom Watts, Governor and former Regimental Commander, had told us he would listen with an eager ear to hear from the Seventeenth, and shouting your name loud over the roar of the battle, I

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• called upon them to stand there and die if need be for their country. The effect was evident. Every man stood to his post, every eye flashed, and every heart beat high with desperate resolve to conquer or die." Significantly, Pastor and Chaplain Titchener added, "The regiment had 13 killed and 117 wounded or missing. The dead of the enemy in front counted 352." Now listen to this. The chaplain did not add that which appeared in the newspaper account that he himself fought with coolness of a veteran with his rifle killing a colonel, a major, and four privates. So here's a man that was not only encouraging his people, but fighting with them as well. The chaplains were fighters.

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• They were fighters for truth, they were fighters for freedom and liberty, and they viewed civil tyranny just as wicked as spiritual tyranny. They understood that sin was sin in that sense of the word, and they labored to free men from the control of sin and Satan, but they also labored to free men from civil tyranny and wickedness as well. I need to mention to you and remind you that the head of General Lee's artillery was General William Nelson Pendleton, or I could say that another way, Pastor William Nelson Pendleton.

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• He named his four favorite cannon Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And he'd always say, "Aim low, boys, and may God have mercy on their misguided souls." May I remind you also that General Leonidas Polk was also an Episcopalian pastor. He was the founder of the School of the South in Suwannee, Tennessee. If you've never seen that school, I wish you would. It is one of the most beautiful campuses I've ever seen in my life. The buildings are exquisite.

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• But unhappily, it does not hold the theology and the philosophy today that it held back when it was founded. But it's still a beautiful place. Some of you, probably none of you have ever heard of Andrew Jackson Potter. He's also known as Fighting Jack Potter. But Andrew Jackson Potter was named naturally after Andrew Jackson because his father fought with Andrew Jackson in 1812. So he named his son Andrew Jackson Potter. And listen to what this, by the way, Potter was a, I'm going to call him a tough, irascible, Methodist, circuit riding preacher.

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• Here's what he said about being a martyr and self-defense. He said, "I am not so anxious to wear a martyr's crown as to sacrifice my life when God requires me to use the means to preserve it. It is no evidence of a preacher's want of trusting God when he carries a gun to shield his life in the time of peril. It would be the most sinful presumption not to do so. Indeed, I do not carry a gun because I'm afraid to die, but because it is a duty to use as a means to preserve life."

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• That's Fighting Jack Potter, former Confederate soldier, chaplain for the 26th Texas Cavalry, and Methodist Preacher's Circuit Rider. Now, let me give you an illustration of Fighting Jack. You don't, until you do some historical reading, you cannot really grasp the strength and dedication of these men. But Fighting Jack Potter was going to hold a church service in San Angelo, Texas. The only structure that was large enough to hold the service was a saloon. So they got some two by twelve planks and used beer kegs to hold up the planks. And his pulpit turned out to be just a large box.

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• Kerosene lanterns were placed around, which of course very dimly lit the room. At the appointed time for the church service, the locals began to filter in. And it was going to be a packed out service. And the reason it was going to be packed out was because the rumor had gotten around that some of the local rowdies were going to come in and hurrah the pastor. In other words, they were going to break up the service. They were going to run him out of town on a rail. So, when it came time for the service, Fr.

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• Jack Potter walked in the door carrying his Winchester rifle. He propped the rifle up against the pulpit, laid his Bible down, reached in his pocket, pulled out a Colt .45, laid it on top of the Bible, and he scanned the congregation silently, looked at all the men that were seated on the pews, and he said this, "According to rumor, some unregenerate sinners have bragged around town that they are going

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• to break up this meeting. Maybe they will. But I'll guarantee one thing, there'll be a bunch of mighty sick roosters before they get it done." Needless to say, no one broke up the meeting. He preached and no one hounded him or harassed him. I could multiply men that were known as fighting pastors. And yet, I could show this from history over and over and over, and that would not be sufficient to convince a modern day pastor. I could show it from the Bible. It still would not convince a modern day pastor.

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• We are filled today with pacifism, cowardice, compromise, and political correctness to the point that it has stifled our minds and our consciences as well. There are two very wonderful little books that I would encourage everybody to read. The first one is this. It's called, "Bible in Pocket, Gun in Hand, the Story of Frontier Religion." "Bible in Pocket, Gun in Hand, the Story of Frontier Religion." The second one is titled, "Pistol Packing Preachers," by Barbara Barton. "Pistol Packing Preachers." Isn't that amazing?

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• When you stop and think of all the pastors down through the ages that carried pistols and taught and trained their people. Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to two passages because one of the main objections that is given is, you know, "I'm a minister of peace. I bring good tidings." Wonderful. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Nahum, chapter 1, and then we're going to go to Isaiah. When you look in the book of Nahum, right after the book of Micah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, look in Nahum, chapter 1 and verse 15. Nahum 1 and verse 15. And I want you to think about this with me for a moment. In Nahum 1, verse 15, the Word of God says this, "Behold, upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace. O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows, for the wicked shall no more pass through thee.

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• He is utterly cut off." Now, yes, behold upon the mountains the feet of them that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace. But what you need to realize is what happened before you get to verse fifteen. So let's go back to verse one. "The burden of Nineveh." Remember, Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. The Assyrians were enemies of God's people. "The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth. The Lord revengeth and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserveth wrath for His enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

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• He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers. Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence. Yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation, and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

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• The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble. He knoweth them that trust in him. But with an overrunning flood, he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies." What do you imagine against the Lord? He will make an utter end. Affliction shall not rise up the second time. In other words, he won't have to take two blows.

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• For while they be folded together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dried. There is one come out of thee that imagineth evil against the Lord, a wicked counsellor. Thus saith the Lord, watch carefully, "Though they be quiet and likewise many, yet they shall be cut down when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.

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• For now I will break his yoke from off thee," talking to Israel now, "and will burst thy bonds in sunder. And the Lord hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown out of the house of thy gods." Now he's talking about Assyria. And notice, "Will I cut off the graven image and the molten image?" Look what he says, "I will make thy grave for thou art vile." And then he says, "Behold, upon the mountains the feet of him that publisheth good tidings, that publisheth peace." How can there be good tidings? And how can there be peace?

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• And the answer is, God has judged and destroyed the enemies of His people. That's why He says in the latter part of verse 15, "For the wicked shall no more pass through thee. He is utterly cut off." You cannot publish peace when there is war. You cannot publish peace when there is wickedness. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to Isaiah chapter 52. So I want you to note it was an act of war on God's part that allowed peace to be published. When you look in Isaiah chapter 52, notice if you would please verse 7, because here again we have this same truth. Isaiah 52 verse 7, look at this. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" Now watch verse seven. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!"

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• If you want to understand that, let's begin reading at verse 8. "Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. Now watch carefully. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem." How did He comfort? How did He redeem? Watch. "The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Depart ye, depart ye.

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• Go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord. For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward." So God's going to go before and behind.

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• Now watch, he's talking about Jesus Christ, verse 13, "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: so shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider." Now, I want you to watch this. Listen very carefully.

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• He said, God had made bare his arm. How did God make bare His arm in Egypt? By destroying the Egyptians and delivering His people. How did God make bare His arm with the Assyrians? By destroying the Assyrians and delivering His people. How did God make bare His arm in salvation? Are you listening? By destroying sin and judging that sin in His only begotten Son, when the wrath of God fell upon Him.

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• For the Scripture says that He is our propitiation. That is, He is the one that appeased and satisfied the wrath and the anger and the holiness of God. You cannot publish peace unless war has ceased, unless fighting has ceased, unless the enemy has been destroyed. And this is exactly what the Bible is telling us. That's why when you get to Revelation 19 and verse 11, the Apostle John said this, "And I saw heaven opened, and, behold, a white horse.

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• And he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ. And in righteousness doth he judge and make war." What does God do? God fights against sin in every shape, form, or fashion. And so we too must fight against sin. Do you realize that civil wickedness is just as bad as spiritual wickedness? What about societal wickedness? What about personal wickedness? What about ecclesiastical wickedness? It's all sin. And it doesn't matter if it's in the church, or in the civil government, or in the home, or in the individual, it is sin. Our founding fathers, our revolutionary pastors, and our confederate pastors understood, they understood the concept of limited civil government. Our Constitution is supposed to be a limited document. The government of the United States is supposed to be bound and limited to only those duties and only those powers that are expressly spelled out in the Constitution. Do you realize that most pastors have never studied civil government in the Bible? They never really studied Romans 13. Most pastors have never, ever read the Declaration of Independence.

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• They've never read the Constitution of the United States. They've never even read their state constitution. So here's my question. How can we stand for truth and against wickedness when we're ignorant and we really don't even know what truth is or what wickedness is? It's impossible. It's impossible. In our ignorance, in our disobedience, in our rebellion, we bring death upon ourselves, our families, our societies, our states, and our nation.

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• I want you to see something. I want you to turn to one last passage, 2 Corinthians 3, verse 17. I want you to see this, please. 2 Corinthians 3, verse 17.

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• 2nd Corinthians 3 verse 17. Look, if you would. The Word of God says, "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." The only place you can find liberty and freedom is where the Spirit of the Lord is. So let me spell it out. You cannot have civil liberty without having spiritual liberty. You cannot have civil freedom without having spiritual freedom. If you do not have the freedom spiritually to preach against sin and proclaim the righteousness of God through the Lord Jesus Christ, you're not going to have the civil liberty to do so either. Because someone's going to be offended. Someone's going to be upset.

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• And political correctness and intolerance of the truth will hold sway. When we deny spiritual liberty, we're at the same time denying civil liberty. So where we cannot freely preach the whole counsel of God, we really and truly do not have any civil liberty. A hireling is a hireling because he really doesn't care for the sheep. He's just there for the money. The shepherd will not only warn and feed, but lead and train.

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• That is why Jonas Clark said, "For this very hour, I've trained them." It's astounding today that most Christians do not even know how to fight spiritually. They do not know how to resist Satan or sin or temptation. We cannot function spiritually if we're ignorant of the truth. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your grace and your mercy and your help. We do pray, Father, that You would give us wisdom. Give us boldness and give us courage. And help us understand, Lord, where we failed. Not only as Christians, but as churches and as pastors. Lord, even as societies and states and as a nation. When we fail to honor Thee and do that which is right, we're destroying ourselves.

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• As thou hast said in the book of Hosea, "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help." We look to thee and ask, Father, give us help from thee, for vain is the help of man. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask. Amen.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T00:01:16Z