<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Weimar University

Don Mackintosh

Lessons From 2020

Father in heaven, on this last midweek service of 2020, bless us as we spend a few moments contemplating lessons we've learned from 2020 and looking forward, setting goals now for the next year.

So I thought tonight we just talked maybe a little informally about maybe some lessons that you have learned maybe from this year.

And I don't know if you have your message abilities on YouTube, but if you do, you might wanna message in some of your lessons that you learned and you can be in the mix as well tonight.

Or if you know my personal cell phone, which you probably don't, you can text me the lessons that you've learned, and maybe I will see them as well, and we'll attempt to bring them in.

So here's some lessons that I learned from 2020, and these are in no particular order, and so I haven't really put a lot of thought to chronologically putting them order, but some of the lessons.

Difficult times reveal the hearts of men.

Difficult times, reveal the hearts of men.

And it shows you really what maybe their agenda is.

And in some ways this has been a most beautiful thing, the hearts of people being revealed.

I had a lot of people that were very loving and kind to me this last year in 2020, during very difficult times.

And I saw the hearts of men in a way that made me realize, wow, God is working through His people, through believers.

Also, I've seen, I hate to say it, I've seen the hearts of men revealed in most despicable ways as well.

I had a friend just called me earlier this afternoon and said, I'm being taken to a church discipline meeting tonight." I said, well what did you do?

This must be interesting, a COVID-19 discipline meeting.

And why are you being taken to be disciplined?

Because I had people meeting for worship services and they didn't think that was right at my church, and so they're gonna discipline me and they may take away my membership because they thought what I was doing was wrong because I'm meeting with people to worship and they don't think that's right.

Now to me I think that's kind of despicable to be honest, okay?

If you're a church member are you really gonna go after someone else for trying to meet and share God's Word?

I mean they were attempting, they told me, to socially distance, to do all the things to take care of the public health needs, but we've seen that a lot.

I've heard it a lot about people turning others in for practicing their faith.

So, difficult times reveal the hearts of men.

Number 2, attention to your own personal health and wellness is something that is good to maintain.

Man, if we learned anything this last year, I mean, at least I learned it was, that is so true.

You can't go from being obese to being not obese in 1 day unless you have the idea of amputation and that doesn't really help.

You need to be watching your physical health all the time and deal with your health issues now.

You can't get your vitamin D level up by overdosing on 64 D3 pills.

It's best to be out there in the sunshine.

Be out there and be taking some supplemental D3 if you need it, but you can't do that all at once maintain your health Yes, or no, so this is a lesson Anybody if anyone text in I'm happy to hear some other lessons besides my own Number 3 Again no particular order Well, that's a very nice beverage my wife made me, by the way.

Number 3, freedoms can, and by the way, just speaking about people that reveal the hearts of men, my wife took care of me when I was very sick this year and showed love to me and revealed that heart of commitment.

Number 3, freedoms can rapidly be challenged and lost How many think that's a lesson we learned in 2020 I Don't know that we well, I don't know we lost freedoms, but they were challenged, I would say that.

And they can easily be lost under a time of crisis.

And when you put people in charge of your freedoms that were not elected to be in charge of your freedoms, this becomes quite risky.

People that are not accountable to the voters, you might say.

So they can be rapidly challenged and lost.

And I remember the last time I was in front of the National Archives or or the Supreme Court I can't remember where this is might be the Supreme Court in Washington DC there's a statement in Blazin that some suggest is from Thomas Jefferson but other suggests they don't know where it came from, but it's eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

Is that a lesson that we learned in 2020?

How many think that's a lesson we may have learned in 2020?

You know, with public health concerns, Many times those public health concerns this year have been put in apposition or in tension in our minds with freedom of religion, freedom of expression of religion, freedom of assembly.

Those things have come to be seen in conflict by many this year, and they've had to choose which 1 is more important.

And there have been varying opinions on that.

I just got a phone call from someone in a state this morning that had been listening to some of the religious liberty sermons that we had at the church this past year.

And actually I got about 5 calls this week from different people in different parts of the country, and some in Canada, that were talking to me.

Well, this is what you said, and this is what's happening here, and what do you think about what I'm doing or what should I do?

Got a call from a state where they're tying taking vaccinations or not taking vaccinations to religious exemption.

Should you or should you not be able to have a religious exemption from taking a vaccine if it's mandated?

Now, we're not going to take a vote here tonight because we basically have nobody here, but, So it wouldn't be a very telling sample with far less than 10 people here.

But this is the debate, and I want to read you the text.

Would you like me to read you the text that was sent to me.

This person went to the legislature in his state.

The testimony was concerning the opposition to taking away religious exemption, given an opposition to House Bill 5044 in Connecticut as delivered to the Public Health Committee of the Connecticut State Legislature.

My name is, I won't mention his name tonight, I'm a member of, a resident of Coventry, I'm a pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 2 congregations.

I have a Master's of Divinity degree, and I have a from Andrews University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has a very strong record of public engagement to promote total health.

It is through that practice and the blessings of the Almighty that our work has been able to span the globe.

In addition, the official statement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church values the role of vaccinations, the role that vaccinations can have.

However, that same statement also leaves room for individual freedom of conscience.

That being said, I must oppose House Bill 5044 for the following reasons.

Seventh-day Adventists not only value personal and public health, but also the health of our religious liberty.

I speak on behalf of religious minorities.

Seventh-day Adventists have had an experience of religious persecution, specifically for worshiping on a day different than others.

HB 5044 is a law that has a specific goal of making vaccinations mandatory for students in Connecticut in both public and private schools without the benefit of religious exemption.

This is unacceptable for the specific reason that it violates the free exercise clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution Not to mention the Connecticut state constitution of our 3 branches of government is the legislature that has given us a specific role to create laws Yes, the First Amendment of the Constitution states, Congress, that is a legislative branch, shall make no law establishing a religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

You are a part of the legislative branch of the state of Connecticut.

Are you prepared for the years of litigation you will initiate with your actions this session?

Proverbs 24, 6 states, in a multitude of councils there is safety.

I commend you for following that council by allowing us to share our concerns.

But in hearing the testimonies given throughout today, I can only conclude that there's a great controversy brewing in this very room.

The heart of that controversy is freedom of choice.

I will leave you to rest with this question.

Why remove the minority's rights while making a law mandating for all in light of such a great controversy.

So his debate was not about vaccines, are they good or bad.

You're gonna get there's gonna be people going around and around forever.

But the idea is, can my religious belief inform my desires concerning what's going to be put into my body or not put into my body?

And that's a different issue than whether or not a vaccine is good or bad.

And specifically targeting groups that use religious rationale is kind of letting the camel's nose under the tent, wouldn't you say?

So, you know, personally, I'm pro vaccine for myself and I've taken many vaccines.

I'm not going to try and convince anybody else of that.

I'm going to let them have their freedom of choice.

They will be confronted with the coronavirus 1 way or another Either without vaccine or being vaccinated by the virus itself and they have to make that choice and If their religion wants to help inform them of that How many think they should be allowed to let their religion inform them of that as they make the choice?

Back to Menu

Lessons From 2020

Transcript

Sponsor

Recorded

Sound Doctrine