We've all been hurt. We all carry scars. We can all overcome these things and be
healed through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Let's build that relationship
together right here. Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. Hey everybody
welcome back to the sanctuary. So good to have you with us and if you're new let
me just be the first to say welcome. So not that long ago my wife and I we finished
watching a movie about Vikings. Now I know it's fake but it got me to thinking.
Something this I'm gonna talk about something here it just didn't happen
when I was in the service okay but today you see and you hear it a lot
especially with active-duty servicemen and women veterans first responders and
the like you know they they use this term till Valhalla all the time. You see
it plastered everywhere. I saw a sticker on a car you know just you know on the
road earlier today even you know especially when someone passes away.
Many professing Christians at that you know and it's something you know as
Christians this isn't something that we should be saying. We should not be saying
it at all. Now I know there's a lot out there who are probably saying right now
you know hey it doesn't mean anything come on you know I'm here to tell you
yes it does. You know it originates from Norse mythology you know or as they
viewed it at the time you know their their religion you know just like the
Romans the Greeks and many other pagan cultures that you know they worshiped
these false idols these false gods and as we discussed not that long ago the
Bible tells us not to worship any other gods or idols nor are we to make it. It's
in the Ten Commandments in several places throughout the Bible and we're
going to talk about that and a few other things here today you know. Now this in
turn brought something else to mind. Something else that we see regularly. I
already mentioned you know bumper stickers you know seeing things on a car
you know I got a I have a co-worker at my day job even that and we're gonna
get into this even you know and I'm gonna be dating myself a bit here you
know this used to be something that you'd see occasionally you know once in a
while you'd see a bumper sticker here and there now you see them all the time
you know there's cars they're absolutely covered in them you know several of them
I mean you might as well not even have to paint on the car because there's so
many stickers sometimes even on the windows you know and there's one out
there specifically you know that stuck out over the years and you've probably
seen it I have a co-worker who has this specific sticker on their car
it uses various religious symbols to spell out the word coexist. Now generally
I don't say anything why because I'm in my car I'm driving down the road to my
own destination so I'm minding my own business I'm not the kind of guy who's
gonna start a road rage incident you know and upset somebody next to me by
rolling down my window be like hey you know what that sticker is you know
however I recently had somebody make the comment to me you know when we were
discussing this that they like the idea which led to a conversation you know and
it's a friendly reminder that anything that you say can be used in a sermon
with some exceptions of course all right I'm not gonna violate anyone's privacy
or anything like that but you know it's certain things can absolutely lead to a
conversation things that you say things that you do that are public knowledge
you know hey guess what it's there you know and it's one of those things you
don't have to agree with me on but please hear me out you know nothing
I'm gonna say here is it is meant to hate hatefulness or anything like that
all right now the idea is this sticker in question you know that the idea is
that it is a statement that everyone should get along everyone should get
along you know world peace that sort of thing and I will concede here some that
the idea of that is nice and when we all like peace I think I think we would you
know it's something that we all pray for the world over you know so the idea
itself it is it is pretty nice however what most people don't know because
they've never thought to look it up they don't know anything about you know what
else is going on here you know is that going back to the very beginning this
very thing that we're talking about this sticker itself has been covered and
filled with sin
what do you mean well you can actually look this up the original piece itself
was designed by a Polish man for an art contest in the attempt to win a hefty
prize the original piece itself only actually consisted of about three
symbols the rest were letters soon after that though there is somebody who took a
liking to what he did and without his permission they stole his piece and
reworked it into their own and it's been reworked by several others since then
for the sole purpose of making money imagine that from its beginning it was
chasing that almighty dollar now all this in turn of course led to several
legal battles bringing us all back full circle here you know now you can
understand part of why I'm not a big fan of this particular sticker to make
matters worse the depiction and the narrative that is trying to push is that
all religions lead to God they don't when you look at it you will find pagan
symbols as well as Islamic Buddhism's represented even Siddhartha Gautama
himself said that he was not God and did not want to be worshipped as such but
what's happened since he's passed on you know you know I think we've all heard
the term you know rolling over in their grave pretty sure this would this would
fit that case you know then you have Islam in here which claims to be a
religion of peace yet when you look at the Quran you know it says in the book
of Surah that you know to kill non-believers and there's so much more
there that we get into where we're not going to but there's a lot there plus
all the other idols and symbols that are represented
so very much you know we need to be aware of what we're looking at what we're
hearing what we're saying and what we're representing itself ourselves there are a
ton of false religions out there more than just what's depicted in this
particular instance all conflicting throughout the Bible God has told us and
warned us not to worship any other God we see it in Joshua Deuteronomy Exodus
first and second Kings Jeremiah even in the Psalms we're warned you know I
mentioned this really in Exodus you know this is handed down as a commandment and
in a later chapter it goes into even more detail as to why this is important
Matthew chapter 6 verse 24 the Bible makes it clear when it says no one can
have I'm sorry no one can serve two masters either you will hate the one and
love the other or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other now while
yes this particular verse is talking about money it is also calling out idols
and idolatry also known as false gods another way of saying the devil's many
faces and representatives that are set on pulling you away from God and those
who do not know they love to say things like but we're all God's children sure
sure we are if by that you mean that at one point we all belong to the devil
because we didn't know Christ because we didn't have a relationship with Jesus
because we hadn't been saved yet become Christians yet however once you do know
Christ and you are a follower you have that relationship with them you have
been saved by him everything changes you are no longer a slave but freed by the
blood of Jesus Christ and as such adopted into God's family that's right
adopted into God's family contrary contrary to popular belief not everyone
is a child of God God is the father only to Christians
I say contrary to popular belief not everyone is a child of God many out
there are servants to the God of this world the Bible tells us that is the
devil you have to be adopted into God's family and that comes by way of
becoming a Christian by way of coming to know Jesus and following him John
chapter 1 verse 12 the Bible says but all who did receive him who believed in
his name he gave the right to become children of God they weren't children of
God yet he gave the right to become children of God and in 1st John chapter
3 verses 1 through 10 the Bible says see what kind of love the father has given
to us that we should be called children of God and so we are
the reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him beloved
we are God's children now and what we will be has not yet appeared but we know
that when he appears we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is
and everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure everyone
who makes a practice of sinning also practice law practices lawlessness sin
is lawlessness you know that he appeared in order to take away sins and in him
there is no sin no one who abides in him keeps on sinning no one who keeps on
sinning has either seen him or known him little children let no one deceive you
whoever practices righteousness is righteous as he is righteous whoever
makes a practice of sinning is of the devil for the devil has been sinning
from the beginning the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of
the devil no one born of God makes a practice of sinning for God's seed abides
in him and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God by this
it is evident who are the children of God and who are the children of the
devil whoever does not practice righteousness righteousness is not of
God nor is the one who does not love his brother the Bible is telling us very
clearly here in depth that we are not all God's children many belong to the God of
this world the devil and they don't even know it and that God's children are
separate in first John chapter 4 verses 4 through 6 the Bible carries on to say
little children you are from God and have overcome them for he who is in you
is greater than he who is in the world they are from the world therefore they
speak from the world and the world listens to them we are from God whoever
knows God listens to us whoever is not from God does not listen to us by this
we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error it's explaining that
those who belong to the devil and the Antichrist will not listen to Christians
they don't want to hear anything about Jesus their focus is on the world
worldly matters and all of its temporary joys and riches all those things that
will eventually fade away leaving them empty and dead inside
dead and the dead aren't even aware that they're dead yet good look at him as the
living dead now you could try to talk to them about Jesus however you're not
going to get very far why because it comes from that mentality that the
devil has given them and train them up in that needs to be broken that says I'm
a good person I have a pretty good life I don't have a need for him so I'm gonna
be just fine without him this is a grave error pray for these people pray for the
world to come to know Jesus while they still can you know the world's caught up
in all this pageantry with false idols as Christians we have hope we have
empowerment and we have joy in knowing that Jesus is the way we like to rejoice
in this for ourselves as well we should and we like to rejoice in this for those
who are brothers and sisters in Christ the family of God however instead of
staying wrapped up in this blessing and these gifts we need to remember those
who are not we need to keep about and keep a keep a mind for them as well
think about those people that you know those relatives those friends those
co-workers those acquaintances who don't know Jesus those people who are all
wrapped up and all the this these false idols I said till Valhalla coexist and
all this other nonsense even sports you know or in TV shows and you know going
out and you know clubbing and drinking and all this other stuff that the stuff
that takes front and center stage in their lives what have you done to
introduce these people that you know to Jesus what have you what have you done
to let them see his light in you
you know all these things in the world till Valhalla coexist whatever you know
nonsense that the woke movement is pandering to you know without even
knowing anything about it oh I stand with this I stand with that you know you
know it reminds me of that movie gosh can't think but now they came out in the
early I'm sorry it's like the late 80s or the early 90s is called PCU and you
know there's a scene where these students they show up and you know they're
they're trying to well basically they're getting these guys to protest and these
these students they show up and they have their own markers and they had their own
blank sign some of them pop up like an umbrella because this group they're
ready to just protest whatever is put in front of them at the time they don't
need a reason to protest just to protest it you know whatever's you know whatever
that you know they can do to buck the system you know or stick it to the man
if you would you know these mindless sheep that are wandering around without
without a shepherd you know we like to think of all the freedoms that we have
and then we take them for granted those arguments that we're living in a
democracy or a constitutional republic etc etc you know people forget that this
isn't how heaven works that once we're adopted into God's family we have a
different way to live and that is his way not our way it is God's way or the
highway Matthew 7 verse 14 the Bible says but small is the gate and narrow
the road that leads to life and only a few find it it's really you know it's
it's a lonely path in the view of the world the one less traveled however for
those of us who come to know Jesus who have the Holy Spirit residing within us
we know that we're never truly alone and that's comforting but for those who
don't know Jesus those who continue in the way of the world those blindly
following the main pack without hearing the shepherd you know they don't know
they think it's lonely because they buy into the lies of the devil of Satan you
know though you know these are the people they don't find Jesus until death
has reached a minute it's too late Matthew 7 verse 23 Jesus says this then
I will tell them plainly I never knew from knew you away from me you evildoers
it's too late at that point there's no praying for them at this point it's too
late there's no one that will intercede or can intercede at this point the Bible
makes that clear too many people have this mindset of you know what I'm gonna
cross that bridge when I get to it however the Father has warned us that if
we don't know the cross now if we don't know Jesus now and we're not covered by
his blood now while we're here in this life then it's going to be too late when
we go over to that other room it won't exist this is why we have been given the
Great Commission as many of you recall I spoke at great length as to what that is
earlier this year you know if you didn't catch that you know look back in the
podcast it's recorded there or set shoot me a message even I'll show you where to
find it in the Bible or explain it to you you know whatever we need to do but
this is something that we need to respond to we need to respond to the
Great Commission and by respond I mean we need to act on it Jesus didn't say hey
by the way if you feel up to it go do this no excuse me in Matthew 28 verses
16 through 20 he said go and do it not only that but that he'd be with us in
doing so family we're short on time it's one thing that we're not guaranteed time
which is what makes this so much more important it is so much more important
that we act on what we've been told to do now on what God has told us to do now I
will remind you God does not call the equipped he equips the called and as
followers of Jesus Christ we are all called I mean remind you you are loved
you are blessed you know what's coming and I mentioned this once before a
pendulum you know he's a professed atheist himself and he once said how
much must you hate someone to not tell them he's actually encouraging
evangelism this is a tremendous point from a professed non-believer and we
are called to love so go and love on your neighbor remember love is an action
not just some mushy abused word that's taken out of context it is an action so
go and love on them by sharing the gospel with them share Jesus's love
Jesus's hope what he has done in your life go and be an ambassador for Jesus
go and be the ambassador that he's called you to be go and be the light
thank you all for joining us here today at healing scars with pastor Burton
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