1 00:00:04,910 --> 00:00:09,630 Greetings. This is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church 2 00:00:09,630 --> 00:00:13,730 with a moment of truth, where we challenge you to think through an important issue 3 00:00:13,730 --> 00:00:21,890 of life and faith. Today, an open letter to Donald Trump. But before I go ahead with my 4 00:00:21,890 --> 00:00:27,670 letter to Donald Trump, I just want to apprise you of a number of scheduled items for New Geneva 5 00:00:27,670 --> 00:00:37,890 this fall. First of all, beginning Sunday, October 2nd, I'm going to begin teaching a 6 00:00:37,890 --> 00:00:43,530 Sunday school series entitled 10 Bible Study Tools Every Christian Should Have on His Shelf 7 00:00:43,530 --> 00:00:49,450 and How to Use Them. We're going to explore 10 essential resources that every student of the 8 00:00:49,450 --> 00:00:56,929 Bible, that is every Christian, should have and be able to use. It's going to begin at 1230 p.m. 9 00:00:56,929 --> 00:01:02,530 in our Fellowship Hall at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. And secondly, 10 00:01:02,710 --> 00:01:08,689 beginning on Wednesday, October 5th, we will host a Wednesday night Bible study called The 11 00:01:08,689 --> 00:01:13,569 Bible and Archaeology. So important to the understanding of the Bible and its verification 12 00:01:13,569 --> 00:01:20,530 of truth claims, The Bible and Archaeology. We'll hold it in our Fellowship Hall and it'll be taught 13 00:01:20,530 --> 00:01:26,730 by Mr. Bill Lockman, who is a gifted layman, and he has studied and taught on this topic for decades. 14 00:01:26,930 --> 00:01:33,030 So those two things, Sunday, October 2nd, 10 Bible Study Tools Every Christian Should Have 15 00:01:33,030 --> 00:01:39,049 on a Shelf and How to Use Them, and then beginning October 5th, Wednesday, the Bible and Archaeology. 16 00:01:39,530 --> 00:01:47,489 Okay, back now to my open letter to Donald Trump. Boy, I hope he's listening. I doubt it. I don't for a 17 00:01:47,489 --> 00:01:52,670 moment flatter myself that this letter will find its way to his desk to be read with seriousness 18 00:01:52,670 --> 00:01:58,290 or that Donald Trump will suddenly heed its exhortations. Rather, I compose an open letter 19 00:01:58,290 --> 00:02:04,609 to Donald Trump to help me organize my thoughts concerning this election and its significance for 20 00:02:04,609 --> 00:02:10,169 our nation and the church. Hopefully, this open letter to Donald Trump will also have an impact 21 00:02:10,169 --> 00:02:15,509 on you, the listener, to help you keep in perspective the true underlying issues at stake. 22 00:02:15,509 --> 00:02:23,289 There are issues and perspectives that transcend mere temporal, mortal concerns of men. These are 23 00:02:23,289 --> 00:02:27,930 issues and perspectives of the God of the Bible, of which we have almost two millennia of record of 24 00:02:27,930 --> 00:02:34,150 concern, whether that of the Old Testament prophet who challenged Israel, thus says the Lord God of 25 00:02:34,150 --> 00:02:39,949 hosts, right? Or the New Testament apostle who warned, beware, therefore, lest what is said in the 26 00:02:39,949 --> 00:02:45,550 prophets, should come about, look, you scoffers, be astounded, and perish, for I am doing a work in your 27 00:02:45,550 --> 00:02:51,849 days, a work that you will not believe even if one tells it to you, unquote. A prophetic stance towards 28 00:02:51,849 --> 00:02:59,349 magistrates is borne out also by church history. For example, St. John Chrysostom in the early church 29 00:02:59,349 --> 00:03:07,710 preached against Queen Eudoxia, the wife of Emperor Ariadius, who stole the property of the people. She erected 30 00:03:07,710 --> 00:03:13,569 images of herself to be worshiped, and she abused her power countless times, and Chrysostom was persecuted 31 00:03:13,569 --> 00:03:21,909 mercilessly by her for his prophetic stance against her behavior. Well, also, we see Alcuin of York, who 32 00:03:21,909 --> 00:03:27,969 confronted the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne over Charlemagne's forced conversion of the pagan Saxons in the 33 00:03:27,969 --> 00:03:36,150 9th century. Alcuin told Charlemagne to his face, he said, faith is a free act of the will, not a forced act. We must 34 00:03:36,150 --> 00:03:42,430 appeal to the conscience, not compel it by violence. You can force people to be baptized, which is what 35 00:03:42,430 --> 00:03:49,629 Charlemagne did, but you cannot force them to believe, Alcuin told him. Preachers, not brigands, should be sent 36 00:03:49,629 --> 00:03:54,849 to the Saxons, Alcuin told Charlemagne right to his face. And then in our own day, of course, we must 37 00:03:54,849 --> 00:04:00,270 remember those German preachers who stood against the Nazi regime before the Nazis ever achieved total 38 00:04:00,270 --> 00:04:06,009 power in Germany. Remember that most of the churches of Germany went along with Hitler, interpreting Romans 39 00:04:06,009 --> 00:04:10,710 13, the way American pastors and churches are interpreting it today, that is, let every person 40 00:04:10,710 --> 00:04:16,930 be subject to the governing authorities. Well, not so Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Niemöller. They 41 00:04:16,930 --> 00:04:22,189 stood against Hitler, most notably in the Barman Declaration, which was a statement of principle 42 00:04:22,189 --> 00:04:29,009 against Nazism. For this, they were both arrested and executed. Now, all of these examples I give and 43 00:04:29,009 --> 00:04:34,589 many, many more took prophetic stances against their governments, against the go-along-to-get-along 44 00:04:34,589 --> 00:04:41,449 trend of their generation. So, in this spirit of the prophets, I appeal to Donald Trump, not out of 45 00:04:41,449 --> 00:04:47,490 a spirit of animosity and ill will, but rather one of exhortation and goodwill. So, dear Mr. Trump, 46 00:04:48,250 --> 00:04:54,889 greetings in the Lord. I come to you today as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. While there 47 00:04:54,889 --> 00:05:00,389 are many things I could say to you today as a minister, in the context of the high office for which 48 00:05:00,389 --> 00:05:07,290 you seek, I am obligated to remind you of these following things, five of them, as should every 49 00:05:07,290 --> 00:05:13,430 minister of the gospel. Number one, God is sovereign. Remember this, Mr. Trump, as you pursue the office 50 00:05:13,430 --> 00:05:19,910 of the presidency, God is sovereign, not presidents. There are many things about wielding power that are 51 00:05:19,910 --> 00:05:25,769 intoxicating to those who exercise power. Henry Kissinger called power the ultimate aphrodisiac. 52 00:05:25,769 --> 00:05:30,769 Abraham Lincoln observed, nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's 53 00:05:30,769 --> 00:05:36,569 character, give him power. And then from the Bible, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, one of the greatest 54 00:05:36,569 --> 00:05:42,550 and most powerful of all the world's potentates in history. He bragged at one point, is not this great 55 00:05:42,550 --> 00:05:48,970 Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty? 56 00:05:49,449 --> 00:05:55,589 Ha! For this overweening hubris, the sovereign God humbled the king by making him behave like a 57 00:05:55,589 --> 00:06:00,949 beast of the forest for seven years. After his restoration, King Nebuchadnezzar confessed this 58 00:06:00,949 --> 00:06:07,089 about God. At the end of the day's eye, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned 59 00:06:07,089 --> 00:06:12,009 to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion 60 00:06:12,009 --> 00:06:17,709 is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants 61 00:06:17,709 --> 00:06:22,189 of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven 62 00:06:22,189 --> 00:06:26,709 and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say to him, 63 00:06:26,709 --> 00:06:33,709 what have you done? Mr. Trump, as you seek and perhaps wield power in the most powerful office 64 00:06:33,709 --> 00:06:39,769 on earth at this time, remember always that God is sovereign over all events, and he will accomplish 65 00:06:39,769 --> 00:06:47,750 his purposes through all of this, including you, Mr. Trump. The Bible tells us, and I quote Proverbs 21, 66 00:06:48,189 --> 00:06:54,790 verse 1, the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever he will. 67 00:06:54,790 --> 00:07:00,310 God is sovereign, Mr. Trump, and may the humility that this truth requires a man to acknowledge, 68 00:07:00,790 --> 00:07:06,930 may this humility always be yours. Secondly, not only is God sovereign, but God is just, Mr. Trump. 69 00:07:07,370 --> 00:07:13,509 God is just. One of the six purposes of government articulated by our founding fathers in the preamble 70 00:07:13,509 --> 00:07:20,790 to the Constitution is to establish justice. This is because God himself is just. Deuteronomy 1620 71 00:07:20,790 --> 00:07:27,350 tells us, the rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice, a God of faithfulness and 72 00:07:27,350 --> 00:07:34,329 without iniquity, just and upright is he. And you are an extension of his purposes, Mr. Trump, 73 00:07:34,410 --> 00:07:40,610 to bring just government to his creatures. For Deuteronomy 1620 says, justice and only justice 74 00:07:40,610 --> 00:07:46,389 you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land the Lord your God is giving you. 75 00:07:46,389 --> 00:07:53,870 So, Mr. Trump, justice has manifestly been left undone in our country for, lo, these last eight 76 00:07:53,870 --> 00:08:00,550 years and longer. There is a two-tier justice system in the United States of America, one of 77 00:08:00,550 --> 00:08:07,470 injustice and oppression for us, and one of cynical criminality and raw power for those who rule over us, 78 00:08:07,730 --> 00:08:13,250 Hillary Clinton being exhibit A of this. And the Bible describes the effect of this upon the people. 79 00:08:13,250 --> 00:08:19,370 Proverbs 29.2 says, when the righteous thrive, the people rejoice. When the wicked rule, the people 80 00:08:19,370 --> 00:08:26,589 groan. Isn't that so true? When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice. When the wicked rule, 81 00:08:26,910 --> 00:08:33,529 the people groan. Mr. Trump, America is groaning. One of the first things you should do upon taking 82 00:08:33,529 --> 00:08:39,570 office is to establish a tribunal on the order of the Nuremberg Tribunal after World War II to bring 83 00:08:39,570 --> 00:08:45,570 justice to our nation. You should begin at the top with the president and work your way relentlessly 84 00:08:45,570 --> 00:08:51,129 down the chain of command to a local dog catcher, if you must, in order to bring true justice to 85 00:08:51,129 --> 00:08:59,289 America. For this, you will be rewarded by a just God. For example, Proverbs 24 says, to show partiality 86 00:08:59,289 --> 00:09:05,490 in judging is not good. Whoever says to the guilty, you are innocent, peoples will curse him. But it will 87 00:09:05,490 --> 00:09:12,190 go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessings will come upon them. Unquote. 88 00:09:13,009 --> 00:09:19,190 Mr. Trump, one of the ways to make America great again is to establish justice, as our Constitution says, 89 00:09:19,610 --> 00:09:25,789 bringing true biblical justice to her shores again. Read the Bible, consult with proven godly men, 90 00:09:25,909 --> 00:09:31,070 and look to history, and you will be able to do precisely this. Proverbs 28.5 says, 91 00:09:31,070 --> 00:09:36,909 evil men do not understand justice. You will be countered, and you will be questioned. Oh, 92 00:09:37,090 --> 00:09:41,909 Trump, what is justice anyway? Well, evil men do not understand justice, the Bible says, 93 00:09:42,029 --> 00:09:49,009 but those who seek the Lord understand it fully. Unquote. May you, Mr. Trump, seek the Lord and come 94 00:09:49,009 --> 00:09:56,250 to understand justice fully, and establish justice once again in America, making her great again. 95 00:09:56,250 --> 00:10:04,029 Well, thirdly, God loves his church and cares for her, Mr. Trump. Not only is God sovereign and is 96 00:10:04,029 --> 00:10:10,669 God just, but you must be reminded that God loves his church and cares for her. Mr. Trump, one of you, 97 00:10:11,029 --> 00:10:16,190 the things which the Bible is clear about, but which very few of your advisors will tell you, 98 00:10:16,330 --> 00:10:22,370 is that God loves his church and judges nations on how they treat that church. America will be judged 99 00:10:22,370 --> 00:10:28,830 in part for how she has treated God's church. This is true throughout redemptive history when various 100 00:10:28,830 --> 00:10:34,090 nations hated and persecuted his then Old Testament church, Israel. For example, from Amos chapter one, 101 00:10:34,669 --> 00:10:40,389 thus says the Lord, for three transgressions of the Ammonites, and for four, I will not revoke the 102 00:10:40,389 --> 00:10:45,970 punishment because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead, that is Israel, that they might 103 00:10:45,970 --> 00:10:51,769 enlarge their border. Unquote. But God also blesses those who love and bless his church too. 104 00:10:51,769 --> 00:10:57,970 Even as he blessed the nation of Lebanon and its King Hiram for assisting King Solomon in building 105 00:10:57,970 --> 00:11:03,870 the temple. Remember the cedars of Lebanon? Oh, from first Kings chapter five, and the Lord gave 106 00:11:03,870 --> 00:11:09,529 Solomon wisdom as he promised him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of 107 00:11:09,529 --> 00:11:16,730 them made a treaty. Rich blessings came to Hiram and Lebanon for his kind treatment of God's church. 108 00:11:17,230 --> 00:11:21,750 As in the Old Testament, so in the New Testament, Mr. Trump, even Jesus tells the parables 109 00:11:21,750 --> 00:11:27,450 of the sheep and the goats, in which, from Matthew 25, the Son of Man comes in his glory, 110 00:11:27,850 --> 00:11:32,250 then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, 111 00:11:32,389 --> 00:11:36,990 the Bible says. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and that will include the United States 112 00:11:36,990 --> 00:11:41,830 of America. Then he will say to those on his right, come, you who are blessed by my Father, 113 00:11:42,269 --> 00:11:46,850 inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, 114 00:11:46,850 --> 00:11:51,950 and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. 115 00:11:52,309 --> 00:11:57,830 I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me. 116 00:11:58,230 --> 00:12:03,129 Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me. 117 00:12:03,370 --> 00:12:10,230 Unquote. God loves his church and cares for her, Mr. Trump. Christ now identifies with his body, 118 00:12:10,230 --> 00:12:15,690 the church. The nations of the earth, including the United States of America, will be judged on how 119 00:12:15,690 --> 00:12:21,889 they behave towards the church. Do they bless it? Then they will be blessed. Do they curse it? Then 120 00:12:21,889 --> 00:12:26,809 they will be cursed. How is the United States of America treating the church, the body of Christ 121 00:12:26,809 --> 00:12:32,690 today, Mr. Trump? Let me remind you again, as you set about to make America great again, that the reason 122 00:12:32,690 --> 00:12:37,610 she was great in the first place is because of her Christian roots, beginning with the fact that from 123 00:12:37,610 --> 00:12:43,669 her earliest colonial days, she was founded as a Christian nation. Not only was she sanguine towards 124 00:12:43,669 --> 00:12:48,730 the fate of the church on her shores, but all of the colonial charters sought to establish their 125 00:12:48,730 --> 00:12:55,350 colonies in some way, shape, or form for the glory of Christ and his gospel. For example, the Mayflower 126 00:12:55,350 --> 00:13:01,769 Compact states explicitly, in the name of God, amen, we whose names are underwritten by the grace of God, 127 00:13:02,070 --> 00:13:07,490 having undertaken for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith, a voyage to plant the 128 00:13:07,490 --> 00:13:14,549 first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, which of course was then to become the first 129 00:13:14,549 --> 00:13:19,950 pilgrim colony. Therefore, Mr. Trump, may you always have in the forefront of your thinking that, 130 00:13:20,049 --> 00:13:25,789 indeed, God loves and cares for his church. Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 131 00:13:25,850 --> 00:13:31,889 the apostle Paul says, nourishing and cherishing that body, his church. You will be judged, Mr. Trump, 132 00:13:31,889 --> 00:13:38,610 as will the United States of America, in part on how you treat God's church. Well, number four, 133 00:13:38,830 --> 00:13:45,169 not only is God just and not only is he sovereign and does he love his church, but third, fourthly, 134 00:13:45,230 --> 00:13:50,370 Mr. Trump, I would like to thank you for who you are and what you have accomplished thus far in your 135 00:13:50,370 --> 00:13:55,690 life. Number four, even if you had never entered the fray of elective politics, Mr. Trump, you would 136 00:13:55,690 --> 00:14:00,850 have a place in American history as one of her great entrepreneurs. You began with an already 137 00:14:00,850 --> 00:14:06,529 successful real estate and construction firm of your fathers, your father, Fred Trump, and you 138 00:14:06,529 --> 00:14:12,230 began building a real estate empire of your own. You renamed that firm the Trump Organization and you 139 00:14:12,230 --> 00:14:18,210 went on to build skyscrapers, hotels, casinos, golf courses, other various enterprises. In addition to 140 00:14:18,210 --> 00:14:24,690 dotting the North American continent with them, we find your ventures in South America and in Europe 141 00:14:24,690 --> 00:14:31,789 and in Asia, do we not? For better or for worse also, Mr. Trump, you're part showman hosting and 142 00:14:31,789 --> 00:14:36,169 producing the television series, The Apprentice, for which you have a star on the Hollywood Walk of 143 00:14:36,169 --> 00:14:43,549 Fame. And you also own the Miss USA pageant from 1996 to 2015. So perhaps this penchant for the 144 00:14:43,549 --> 00:14:49,809 spotlight is why you are so comfortable before the cameras and microphones of the media and even all of 145 00:14:49,809 --> 00:14:54,590 your enemies in business and politics in the media, they're filled with consternation and amazement at 146 00:14:54,590 --> 00:15:00,370 your ability to land on your media feet like a cat, no matter what kinds of lies and propaganda and 147 00:15:00,370 --> 00:15:07,230 distortions they throw at you. So your candidacy, Mr. Trump, has also changed party politics in America 148 00:15:07,230 --> 00:15:14,129 forever, too. Many candidates for office have claimed to be outsiders to Washington, D.C., and they were going 149 00:15:14,129 --> 00:15:18,690 to change the business as usual operation of government if and when they got elected. Of course, 150 00:15:19,149 --> 00:15:24,309 they've all proven to be co-opted insiders once elected, whether it's Republicans like George W. Bush 151 00:15:24,309 --> 00:15:32,330 or Democrats like Barack Obama or even Jimmy Carter from way back. So thus far, Mr. Trump, you have proven 152 00:15:32,330 --> 00:15:38,490 yourself to be a genuine outsider. Evidence, by the way, the political establishment of both parties has 153 00:15:38,490 --> 00:15:44,610 responded to you. A patient with a bad tooth poked by his dentist could not jump and shout louder than 154 00:15:44,610 --> 00:15:50,490 the corrupt Democrat and Republican establishment when your name comes up. The more they protest dragging 155 00:15:50,490 --> 00:15:55,769 out worn out party hacks like Mitt Romney and Lindsey Graham to attack you, well, the more the 156 00:15:55,769 --> 00:16:01,470 American people seem to love you. Whatever else you are, Mr. Trump, and I'm not sure I entirely trust you 157 00:16:01,470 --> 00:16:08,549 myself yet, you are at least, Mr. Trump, a barometer of the rage and disgust the American people feel 158 00:16:08,549 --> 00:16:14,669 towards their leaders. They're entrenched, they're established, they're Republican Democrat establishment 159 00:16:14,669 --> 00:16:21,090 leaders. If Barack Obama is the Julius Caesar of our age, then the Republican Congress is the supine 160 00:16:21,090 --> 00:16:27,370 Roman Senate that refused to exercise its balance of power's role in order to preserve its own 161 00:16:27,370 --> 00:16:33,549 prerogatives. The modern Congress does this. Well, if Obama, if we can say, is the Hitler of the United 162 00:16:33,549 --> 00:16:40,570 States, then the Republican Congress is the tired old Bundestag of Nazi Germany. That is that legislative 163 00:16:40,570 --> 00:16:47,230 branch that rubber stamped all of Hitler's actions in fear of losing their lives and maybe their offices 164 00:16:47,230 --> 00:16:54,809 too. So what you see very clearly, Mr. Trump, is the nice little system that our nation's politicians 165 00:16:54,809 --> 00:17:00,710 have set up over the decades to enrich themselves at the expense of the American people. You see this 166 00:17:00,710 --> 00:17:10,089 very clearly. Trade deals like NAFTA and TPP transfer jobs and trade from the United States abroad. 167 00:17:10,970 --> 00:17:18,410 You also see, we also see that illegal aliens bring voters to the Democrats and cheap labor for the 168 00:17:18,410 --> 00:17:24,509 Republicans, but they bring crime and unemployment and added welfare burdens to the American people. 169 00:17:24,809 --> 00:17:32,349 Radical Muslims like ISIS serve as surrogates abroad to overthrow moderate secular regimes like Assad 170 00:17:32,349 --> 00:17:40,049 in Syria, while the importation wholesale of Muslim populations into the United States serves to undermine and 171 00:17:40,049 --> 00:17:47,650 destroy American culture and society precisely because Muslims do not assimilate. America, you must 172 00:17:47,650 --> 00:17:53,750 understand that Muslims do not assimilate. They assemble into ghettos and foist their culture upon us. 173 00:17:53,750 --> 00:18:00,849 But you, Mr. Trump, get this. Also, Mr. Trump, being an astute businessman, you get the crony 174 00:18:00,849 --> 00:18:06,650 capitalism that has developed over the decades in Washington, D.C., and even in our own state 175 00:18:06,650 --> 00:18:13,609 capitals for that matter. Corrupt politicians like Harry Reid and Eric Holder get cronies and relatives 176 00:18:13,609 --> 00:18:20,849 into favored banks and corporations, which then in turn get favorable legislation passed and deals in 177 00:18:20,849 --> 00:18:27,670 Congress. Those Democrat and Republican cronies run for office and they serve corporate interests at the 178 00:18:27,670 --> 00:18:32,769 expense of the people for a time, and then they devolve out of government and return to those 179 00:18:32,769 --> 00:18:40,730 corporations to lucrative salaries. All of this cozy, revolving door economy is at the expense of the 180 00:18:40,730 --> 00:18:47,549 American taxpayer who pays for all of the waste and taxation and debt accumulated on behalf of these 181 00:18:47,549 --> 00:18:56,170 favored banks and corporations. But you get this. And two, Mr. Trump, as the American people wake up to 182 00:18:56,170 --> 00:19:03,509 this evil, and that is what it is, it is evil, this evil corrupt system, your popularity will grow, 183 00:19:03,650 --> 00:19:10,970 Mr. Trump, especially if you can act to change it. But this then brings me to my last point. But before I 184 00:19:10,970 --> 00:19:17,750 cover that last point, let me also remind you that we at New Geneva are planning on establishing 185 00:19:17,750 --> 00:19:26,349 our new ministries for the fall. And we want to make sure that you are apprised of them too 186 00:19:26,349 --> 00:19:36,009 before they begin. And number one, on September 2nd, New Geneva will begin a Sunday school series 187 00:19:36,009 --> 00:19:41,750 entitled, 10 Bible Study Tools Every Christian Should Have on His Shelf and How to Use Them. 188 00:19:42,190 --> 00:19:46,690 We're going to explore 10 essential resources that every student of the Bible should have and 189 00:19:46,690 --> 00:19:53,430 understand. It'll be at 1230 p.m. on Sundays. And then beginning October 5th, we will also host a 190 00:19:53,430 --> 00:19:59,289 Wednesday night Bible study called The Bible and Archaeology. And that will be in our fellowship hall 191 00:19:59,289 --> 00:20:05,009 at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. And it will be taught by Mr. Bill Lockman, 192 00:20:05,009 --> 00:20:10,210 a gifted layman who has studied and taught on this topic of archaeology, biblical archaeology, 193 00:20:10,589 --> 00:20:18,869 now for decades. Well, back then to our final point in my open letter to Mr. Donald Trump, 194 00:20:19,569 --> 00:20:24,289 helping to organize my thoughts and maybe help organize some of the issues and thoughts for 195 00:20:24,289 --> 00:20:30,549 yourself too as you think about this very important election ahead of us. And I want to make my fifth 196 00:20:30,549 --> 00:20:37,470 point for Mr. Trump. And that is, in addition to what you are doing, Mr. Trump, do these things too. 197 00:20:37,930 --> 00:20:44,309 I have a few things that I commend to you. I exhort to you once more humbly. I do not presume to muscle 198 00:20:44,309 --> 00:20:50,650 into your circle of advisors, but rather I say these things to clarify my own thinking and perhaps that 199 00:20:50,650 --> 00:20:57,670 of others too. But I must say, if I could persuade you to do these things also, I would. And that is, 200 00:20:57,670 --> 00:21:04,470 number one, humble yourself before the mighty hand of the Lord, Mr. Trump. Humble yourself before the 201 00:21:04,470 --> 00:21:10,950 mighty hand of the Lord, and he will exalt you. The Apostle Peter says this in one of his letters. 202 00:21:11,829 --> 00:21:18,470 Mr. Trump, you have demonstrated yourself to be a proud, forceful, alpha male in the human pack, 203 00:21:18,630 --> 00:21:24,809 haven't you? A proud, forceful, alpha male in the human pack. And this is all well and good when it 204 00:21:24,809 --> 00:21:29,470 comes to achieving great things in business and entertainment as you have. And these qualities 205 00:21:29,470 --> 00:21:36,369 will also be necessary to achieve great things in statecraft as you aspire to do. But I must say, 206 00:21:36,730 --> 00:21:41,670 and I say this in all humility because I am in the same boat as you, when compared to the sovereign 207 00:21:41,670 --> 00:21:49,269 God of the universe, Mr. Trump, you are as nothing. Do you remember what King Nebuchadnezzar said? And he was 208 00:21:49,269 --> 00:21:54,609 the greatest king who ever lived. He said even about himself, all the inhabitants of the earth are 209 00:21:54,609 --> 00:22:00,329 accounted as nothing. And God does according to his will amongst the host of heaven and among the 210 00:22:00,329 --> 00:22:06,430 inhabitants of the earth. And none can stay his hand or say to him, what have you done? Unquote. 211 00:22:07,230 --> 00:22:13,349 So, Mr. Trump, until you humble yourself before God, all the ways of God will be mysterious to you 212 00:22:13,349 --> 00:22:20,690 and uncomfortable and foreign to you. This, the proud, find again and again in their lives that when 213 00:22:20,690 --> 00:22:26,450 they try to understand God, his ways seem mysterious and uncomfortable, foreign, and even foolish 214 00:22:26,450 --> 00:22:36,349 sometimes. Only when a man humbles himself before God will he understand then what God means, what he is, 215 00:22:36,349 --> 00:22:43,390 and how he works. Proverbs 11, 2 says, when pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble 216 00:22:43,390 --> 00:22:51,509 is wisdom. Yes, the wisest of all men, Solomon, understood that with the humble comes wisdom. 217 00:22:52,009 --> 00:22:58,309 So, I exhort you, Mr. Trump, to humble yourself before the mighty hand of God and you will acquire 218 00:22:58,309 --> 00:23:06,230 wisdom. Also, Mr. Trump, repent of your sins. Number two, repent of your sins. Only a humble man, 219 00:23:06,230 --> 00:23:11,309 Mr. Trump, can acknowledge his sins and forsake them. When you understand that your sin keeps you 220 00:23:11,309 --> 00:23:17,529 from knowing God and your sin keeps you from salvation, the salvation of your soul for eternity, 221 00:23:17,529 --> 00:23:22,930 when you understand these things, you will confess them before God, your sins, and you will ask God to 222 00:23:22,930 --> 00:23:27,910 save you. We know of your pride, Mr. Trump. You've acknowledged it before that you are indeed a proud 223 00:23:27,910 --> 00:23:33,970 man. We also know from your discreet biography that extramarital relationships have filled your personal 224 00:23:33,970 --> 00:23:40,829 life. These sins, in addition to those sins only you and God really know, these sins must be confessed 225 00:23:40,829 --> 00:23:48,470 and forsaken. David, King David, says in the Psalms, I acknowledged my sin to you and I did not cover my 226 00:23:48,470 --> 00:23:55,630 iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. 227 00:23:55,890 --> 00:24:01,269 Unquote. Do this, Mr. Trump. Humble yourself and repent of your sins. And then thirdly, 228 00:24:01,269 --> 00:24:08,109 embrace Jesus Christ as the only Savior of your soul, Mr. Trump. Once you understand how desperately 229 00:24:08,109 --> 00:24:13,710 you need a Savior and how incapable you are of saving yourself, that's part of humility, 230 00:24:13,950 --> 00:24:19,490 understanding that no man can save himself, no matter how gifted we may be, humanly speaking, 231 00:24:20,009 --> 00:24:26,369 once you understand these things, you will know that God saves us by his grace only in Jesus Christ. 232 00:24:26,369 --> 00:24:32,730 The Apostle Paul says again, for by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your 233 00:24:32,730 --> 00:24:40,750 doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast. Unquote. Boasting is 234 00:24:40,750 --> 00:24:48,109 excluded. Pride is excluded in salvation, Mr. Trump. And this salvation also comes only through a Savior. 235 00:24:48,529 --> 00:24:55,029 And that Savior is one. It is Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter says there is salvation in no one else. 236 00:24:55,029 --> 00:25:00,150 He was talking about Christ. For there was no other name under heaven given among men by which we must 237 00:25:00,150 --> 00:25:06,109 be saved. That name, the precious name of Jesus Christ. So I exhort you, Mr. Trump, embrace Jesus 238 00:25:06,109 --> 00:25:12,789 Christ as the only Savior of your soul. So then, let me conclude by saying that I pray for you, Mr. Trump, 239 00:25:13,529 --> 00:25:18,490 and sincerely hope that if you are elected, that you can achieve good things for us and make America 240 00:25:18,490 --> 00:25:24,950 great again, as you aspire to do. But let me also remind you that as Alexis de Tocqueville so aptly put it, 241 00:25:25,029 --> 00:25:31,250 America is great because she is good. America is great because she is good. That must happen first. 242 00:25:31,730 --> 00:25:36,529 And he acknowledged that America is good because she was a Christian nation who submitted herself 243 00:25:36,529 --> 00:25:42,509 under the mighty hand of God. May we become good so that we may become great again, Mr. Trump. And 244 00:25:42,509 --> 00:25:48,650 may this be how America becomes great again under your leadership if you are elected president, 245 00:25:48,650 --> 00:25:54,430 Mr. Donald Trump. This has been Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church. 246 00:25:55,069 --> 00:26:00,730 New Geneva meets for holy worship on Sunday at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and 247 00:26:00,730 --> 00:26:07,809 Boulevard. And you can call us at 523-0196 for more information. Remind it again that beginning 248 00:26:07,809 --> 00:26:13,569 Sunday, October 2nd, New Geneva will begin its Sunday school series, 10 Bible study tools every Christian 249 00:26:13,569 --> 00:26:19,130 should have on a shelf and how to use them. We'll teach you how to use them, exploring 10 essential 250 00:26:19,130 --> 00:26:24,950 resources every student of the Bible should have. And then on beginning October 5th, we'll host a 251 00:26:24,950 --> 00:26:31,849 Wednesday night Bible study called the Bible and archaeology every Wednesday thereafter. And it will 252 00:26:31,849 --> 00:26:37,589 be taught by Mr. Bill Lockman, a gifted layman who has studied and taught on the topic of the Bible and 253 00:26:37,589 --> 00:26:44,589 archaeology for years. Once again, New Geneva meets for holy worship on Sunday at 10 a.m. at 101 4th 254 00:26:44,589 --> 00:26:49,750 Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. Call us at 523-0196.