So that our hearts are prepared to hear a word from the Lord as we prepare to open our Bibles, let's pause and ask God to come and direct us.

Father in Heaven. How thankful we are to be living in days like these. We ask that as we ponder your Word and put our thoughts into what you inspired writers to write we pray that you would guide us. Lord this is your time to speak to our hearts were eager to hear a word from you and we thank you for answering this prayer in Jesus' name amen, amen.

Thousands, hundreds of thousands of men and children flock around Him, both the faithful and the intrigued follow Him wherever He goes. He appears the cu coffee of the crowd crescendos. People become frantic to get Him to stop hoisting children to be blessed. People often respond to Him with the intimacy that they would so to a beloved relative. Men and women sometimes sweep openly overwhelmed by His presence. The year is about AD 28, His name is Jesus.

Matthew records in chapter four of his gospel.

Matthew ^4:23And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

^4:24And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

^4:25And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

In chapter 5 Matthew writes there that on the mountain top surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people Jesus spoke to the multitude and delivered what has become known as the Sermon on the Mount, the greatest sermon ever preached. It was delivered to give his hearers a proper understanding of His Kingdom. In one instance in the Sermon on the Mount he spoke these words

Matthew ^7:21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Jesus spoke words that describe the character of the people of the kingdom. There from beginning to end he speaks about a people dedicated to the cause of God. People who glorify God with their good works, people who go the second mile and love their enemy's, people who do good to please God, a praying and fasting people, people who lay up treasure in heaven, people who do not worry or judge, people who ask, seek and knock, people who build on the rock, a dedicated people. He taught,

Matthew ^6:24No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Notice He equates love with loyalty, love with loyalty. Here in the heart of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, you cannot serve two masters. Jesus simply says you cannot, he does not say you should not, he does not say you may not. It might be in your best interest not to. No, he says, you cannot, you cannot. The word can denotes ability, something that you're able to do or not able to do. You cannot serve two masters. He continued to speak boldly to the people saying Enter by the narrow gate, that's how he spoke. He didn’t use a wireless microphone he spoke to thousands of people in the outdoors.

Matthew ^7:13Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: ^7:14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

If you were to summarize the Sermon on the Mount in a single sentence it would probably be something like this, how converted Christians who are bound for the kingdom of heaven are to live period. That’s what the Sermon on the Mount is all about. And most certainly, most certainly a new life that can only begin with the new birth. You can't live like this without experiencing the new life. Jesus spoke about it there when he met with Nicodemus during the night, He told him

John ^3:3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

When Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount Matthew wrote the following:

Matthew^7:28And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: ^7:29For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

I take you now to another era, to another multitude, to another man, to another speech, one that was spoken nearly 2,000 years later. Yet with the same theme of dedication to a single cause. A crowd of about 15-20,000 gathered around the speakers’ platform at the small market town of Gettysburg Pennsylvania. At the Gettysburg cemetery dedication he took a seat on the platform and he looked over the field, site of one of the bloodiest battles of the civil war that had been fought just four months prior with 51.000 dead in just three days. During this ceremony a prayer was offered, followed by music by the Marine Band, the ceremonies chief speaker then spoke for two hours. After that long speech there was more music and then he was given the hand signal to stand and speak. He arose, walked to the lectern and addressed the crowd. The date was November 19, 1863, his name was Abraham Lincoln and he stood behind a simple walnut lectern and delivered what has become known as the Gettysburg address. The main orator of that ceremony was Edward Everett. He wrote Lincoln the next day and I quote “I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near the central point of that occasion in two hours as you did in two minutes. Lincoln's 272 words would go down by some as the greatest speech in American history.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation conceived in liberty… and he ended with these words, that this nation under God should have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from the earth. Allusions to a new birth as well as exploring dedication the word dedication is used six times in ten sentences to describe the original dedication of the nation, the dedication of the dead and the rededication of the living, the great task remaining before them. He spoke to the multitude saying now we are engaged in a great civil war testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. The appeal was to the heart of a young nation, he was saying are we going to endure this? Are we going to endure this? As were the hearers of the Sermon on the Mount the crowds were amazed at his words, an historic moment in our country's history.

That simple walnut lectern used on that historic day has not been lost or forgotten. It's respectfully kept behind a glass display case by the Union League in Philadelphia, PA, 141 miles from the ground where President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. So it's gone on a journey of a 141 miles in 152 years. What does Abraham Lincoln's lectern have anything to do with this?

I now draw your attention to another era, to another man, to another speech, to another place, Independence Hall in Philadelphia PA, the first capital of the United States, the very place where the Declaration of Independence was ratified on the fourth of July 1776 an epic moment in American history. In a recent press conference at the Union League of Philadelphia it was announced by the World Meeting of Families, President / Chairman Robert Ciaruffoli, that the lectern used by President Lincoln when he gave his Gettysburg address and spoke of a new freedom, will soon be used once again only for the second time in 152 years the first being for 150 year anniversary of the Civil War. It will be reverently removed from its glass display case and used this week, September 26, at Independence Hall for a speech delivered by a man who has captured hearts across religious and nonreligious lines. His name is Pope Francis the Bishop of Rome, known as the people’s pope.

In an article by a C.N.N. reporter entitled, The Pope, Not Just For Catholics Anymore. A Philadelphia magazine reads: Amid the hustle of big picture logistics an intense plan for France's visit to Philadelphia is the chest high lectern that will link the Gettysburg address to the pope's widely anticipated speech on religious freedom and immigration. I'm asking myself, how can a lectern that President Lincoln used on November 19, 1863 for the greatest speech in American history, link to the words of the anticipated speech that Pope Francis will give in a week from now? Robert Ciaruffoli adds and he says, “It's simple beauty and humble role”, referring to the lectern, in one of American history's most important of moments, he says, “reflects in many ways, Pope Francis own world view.”

One source that expresses a Pope's world view are his Encyclical letters. Encyclical letters are a kind of letter that is addressed to all the bishops of the Catholic Church expressing Catholic philosophy and doctrine. Recently Pope Francis wrote an Encyclical letter called Laudato Si of the Holy Father Francis on Care for our Common Home.

In chapter 1 he wrote about environmental concerns, he wrote about the decline in the quality of human life, he wrote about the breakdown of society, global inequality. These are all subjects that he is expected to address during his papal visit.

In chapter 2 he introduces what he terms the gospel of creation, the gospel of creation. In Section 71 he writes: Although the wickedness of man was great in the earth,

Genesis ^6:5And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

the Lord was very sorry that he had made man on earth,

Genesis ^6:6And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Nonetheless through Noah who remained innocent and just God decided to open a path of salvation. In this way He gave humanity the chance of a new beginning. All it takes is one good person to restore hope. The Biblical tradition clearly shows that this renewal entails recovering and respecting the rhythms inscribed in nature by the hand of the Creator. We see this for example, in the law of the Sabbath. On the seventh day God rested from all his work, he commanded Israel to set aside each Sabbath day as a day of rest, a Sabbath. Then he makes references to

Genesis ^2:2And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. ^2:3And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Exodus ^16:23And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.

Exodus ^20:10But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

On a side note, I find it interesting that after stating that it was Israel who was commanded to set aside each seventh day he cites Genesis 2 which states that it was our Creator, our Creator who set aside the seventh day nearly two millennia before the birth of Israel; also citing Exodus 16 which records that God communicated about the Sabbath long before Sinai. In actuality long before it could be termed a “Jewish Sabbath” it was the creation Sabbath for Adam and Eve thus rightly making it, shall we call it, the human race Sabbath.

He continues his theme on creation. Then he transitions to a segment entitled Sacramental Signs and the Celebration of Rest. Section 237 he writes, on Sunday our participation in the Eucharist has special importance. Sunday like the Jewish Sabbath is meant to be a day which heals our relationships with God, with ourselves, with others and with the world. Now you can begin to see how he intertwined Sunday with the Bible Sabbath.

I must ask, should the Sabbath be a day that heals our relationships with God and with others? Absolutely, absolutely yes, but is Sunday the Bible Sabbath? No, no. An answer that doesn't come from me but rather from The Converts Catechism of Catholic Doctrine page 50, a book that I purchased myself at a Catholic book store. The catechism page 50 in a question and answer format expresses the following:

Question: What is the third commandment?

Answer: The third commandment is remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.

Question: which is the Sabbath Day?

Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath Day.

Question: why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday.

Answer: We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.

Question: By what authority did the church substitute Sunday for Saturday?

Answer: The church substituted Sunday for Saturday by the plenitude of divine power which Jesus Christ bestowed upon her.

Question: What does the third commandment command?

Answer: The third commandment commands us to sanctify Sunday as the Lords day.

With all due respect, that is not a commandment that I find in the Holy Scriptures; much less it is not the third commandment which according to the Scriptures, at least in my Bible in Exodus 20 it tells us not to take God's name in vain.

He continues in his Encyclical: Sunday is the day of the resurrection. The first day of the new creation, whose first fruits of the Lord's risen humanity the pledge of the final transfiguration of all created reality. It also proclaims man's eternal rest in God.

Now did Christ resurrect on the first day of the week? Yes he did, yes he did, but was the first day of the week set apart from the other six days and made holy by our creator? No, no yet he claims for that day the prerogatives of the seventh day. Masterful piece of work, though I would have to say that I disagree with its conclusions, and with his world view.

Again we’re brought back to the question, what does this all have to do with Lincoln’s lectern? You see from his lectern Lincoln expressed his conviction that the conflict was the ultimate test of whether the union created in 1776 would survive or not. Can we endure as a nation? At that time we are faced with a crisis, a civil war, a civil war. The dead at Gettysburg had laid down their lives for a noble cause, Lincoln said. Yet the lectern also beckons us for if the rocks will not cry out, maybe the lectern will. The lectern beckons us to bring to mind the religious freedom that the great Protestant Reformers stood up for who also laid down their lives for the noblest cause as they were condemned as heretics by the bishop of Rome for:

Standing up for sola scriptura, upholding the Bible alone as the supreme authority in all matters of doctrine and practice,

Who stood up for sola fide, expressing faith in Christ alone for eternal salvation,

Who stood up for solo Christo, recognizing Christ alone as the only mediator between God and men,

Who stood up for sola gratia, believing that salvation is a gift of God by grace alone,

Who stood up for soli Deo gloria, giving glory not to saints, pope's but to God alone, to God alone.

That lectern crisis out beckoning us to hear the voices of the martyrs who stood up for these causes. Unlike the civil war of 19^th century which no longer threatens our nation, the lectern serves as a reminder that the war against every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God must continue on. It was Martin Luther who said “If unity could be secured only by the compromise of truth and of righteousness then let there be difference and even war”.

The lectern also beckons us to remember the Pilgrim Fathers aboard the Mayflower who came before us and who also laid down their lives for the noblest cause. Let's not forget that they fled their country because they longed to live their lives in accordance with their beliefs and Biblical convictions. As the pope speaks behind that lectern, may the lectern and what it stands for speak even louder.

As Protestants, have we forgotten what Huss and Wycliffe and Calvin and Knox and Luther and Tyndale and Zwingli, have we forgotten what they protested against? It was none other than a protest against the Roman Papacy. Why did the Pilgrim Fathers seek a new world? It was because they were persecuted for refusing to observe customs not commanded in Scripture and then I quote, “tended to bridge over the chasm between Rome and the Reformation”.

Rome has not changed and at this very time in earth's history we are watching with our very own eyes. Unprecedented events that strongly indicate that we're living in the time of the end as written by Daniel, the prophet of old, and further expounded by a woman named Ellen G White, a woman who manifested the gift of prophecy. She wrote in the late 1800’s and I have the quote for you, she writes:

EGW Quote ”The protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the Gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism. They will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power and under the influence of this threefold Union this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.”

The United States clasping hands with the Roman power. The Speaker of the House, who by the way is the second in the United States presidential line of succession after the Vice President, said these words: “It is my great privilege to announce that his holiness Pope Francis will visit the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, September 24th and on that day he will become the first leader of the Holy See to address a joint meeting of Congress. It will be a historic visit and we are truly grateful that Pope Francis has accepted our invitation.

Unmistakably a clasping of hands.

After the welcoming ceremony the President of the United States and the Pope will have a private meeting in the Oval Office. A few months ago a White House team went to the Vatican in Rome to prepare their agenda for this meeting. A White House official on the radio said yesterday and I quote: “We see his message” speaking of Pope Francis, “as providing a moral and spiritual backdrop to the decisions we make in government and in our own life.” A U.S. Congressman said this week that the Pope has an important role and I quote “speaking truth to power”. Speaking Truth to Power, clearly clasping of hands, but trampling on the rights of conscience, you might ask. No, come on our country was founded on religious liberty. How could this be, how could this be?

Now while most would agree with his concern on the environmental crisis, that the Pope has expressed quite frequently recently, which will be addressed during his papal visit for sure. It's Section 173 that ought to raise a red flag in our minds, and I quote, he writes “Enforceable international agreements are urgently needed”, do you understand what enforceable means to use force? “Since local authorities are not always capable of effective intervention. Relations between states must be respectful of each other’s sovereignty, but must also lay down mutually agreed means of averting regional disasters which would eventually affect everyone. Global regulatory norms are needed to impose obligations and prevent unacceptable actions.” For example, when powerful countries dump contaminated waste or offshore polluting industries in other countries, it is clothed in the context of environmental concern. But wait a minute, don't overlook the method that is being proposed. Enforceable international agreements imposing obligations to prevent unacceptable actions. Can you see where this is leading? I believe we're entering into a very dangerous time for religious liberty in this country, this very lectern that was used during the greatest moral and constitutional crisis that this country has there ever experience will be the very lectern that puts into motion an even greater crisis.

Jesus said “For then there will be a great tribulation such has not been seen since the beginning of the world until now nor ever shall be and unless those days were shortened no flesh would be saved.

But for the elects sake those days will be shortened. A time of trouble is coming for a short time before Jesus returns, and I want to be faithful to Jesus, I want to stand for truth.

John Wesley, a great reformer once said, “Give me 120 men who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God and I will shake the world.” You cannot serve two masters. God is looking for men and women to be single minded, to be single minded for him. God's appeal is to the heart of His people. Are we going to endure this? Are we going to endure this? Will we stand up for Jesus in these last days, as we are witnesses of the very things that God's people of old heard but could only imagine and only anticipate. We are the chosen ones who are literally witnessing this with our very own eyes.

I don't know about you but I highly dislike alarm clocks. Just the other day the alarm clock startled me. I reached over and I pressed that precious button, I'm so glad, whoever invented that button is a genius. It says snooze. Praise the Lord for that button, because when I press that button there is silence, silence, sweet silence until it starts again, that button is still there, silence, silence. I hate to admit this, there have been a few times, emphasis on few okay, that I have missed an appointment because I slept in. I pressed that snooze button too many times, I slept in.

God have mercy on us. God have mercy that these very events that are fulfillment of Bible prophecy, that are loudly sounding an alarm, but our people are sleeping, snooze, snooze and snooze until the day comes when we will find ourselves having missed the greatest appointment ever made between God and the human race. That is one appointment by God's grace that I do not want to miss. How is it with you? How is it with you? You pray for the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will speak truth to you. Don't ask yourself, am I being caught sleeping? No, no don't ask yourself because the heart is deceitful above all things. Your heart will tell you, you're good, you’re good, relax a little bit that preacher’s alarming everyone, come on that’s ridiculous. Wait a minute, your own heart can speak like that. We must ask the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit am I sleeping? Holy Spirit wake me up. Holy Spirit, wake me up.

So we close here today, the appeal from God straight to the heart of God's people is: Are we going to endure this? Are we going to endure this?

A question spoken by one of the greatest presidents of the United States. Behind that lectern which will be used by the bishop of Rome but will continue to cry out, are we going to endure this? Your response and mine can be yes, by His grace I will stand up for Jesus. So when the music begins to play. And all bow down to that great image, I will be among those who stand, who stand.

Let's pray. Oh God of Heaven, wow, we are living in a very, very critical time in this planet's history. Oh God of Heaven, I pray on behalf of this congregation and beyond, the Holy Spirit will awaken within us a seal to be loyal to Jesus Christ and to stand up, stand up for Jesus even though the popular culture around us is bowing down. I pray Lord Jesus that you would be our strength for we cannot do this alone. Thank you for answering this prayer and for opening our eyes to watch and pray in Jesus name, amen.

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A President, the Pope and a Lectern

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