THE PASTOR'S PULPIT

Fellowship Bible Church

SPECIAL ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY MEMORIAL OF 9-11

(1) Helpless....

* Citizens
* Corporate leaders
* Companions
* Co-workers

(2) Heroes....

* Firefighters
* Finest of New York (Police)
* Flight-Fighters (Flight 93)
* Fighting Men (Military)

(3) Heartbroken....

* Husbands left behind
* Wives left behind
* Children left behind
* Parents left behind

At this time, the song "Be Still, My Soul" was sung

Verse 1:

"Be still, my soul! the Lord is on thy side: Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain; Leave to thy God to order and provide; In every change He faithful will remain. Be still, my soul! thy best, thy heavenly Friend. Thro thorny ways leads to a joyful end."

Verse 2:

"Be still, my soul! the hour is hastening on. When we shall be forever with the Lord, When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored. Be still, my soul! when change and tears are pst, All safe and blessed we shall meet at last."

II. REFLECTION on a..:

(1) Country that WAS SMUG before 9-11 to a Country that WAS SCARED after 9-11.

(2) Congress that WAS DIVIDED before 9-11 to a Congress that WAS UNITED after 9-11.

(3) President that HAD A SHAKY START before 9-11 to a President that SHOWED GREAT STRENGTH after 9-11.

(4) Country who thought it POLITICALLY INCORRECT to mention God before 9-11 to a Country that SHOUTED OUT "GOD BLESS AMERICA" at every sports and political venue that came along after 9-11.

(5) Country that was FUSSING AND FEUDING before 9-11 to a Country that was DETERMINED TO FIGHT FOR FREEDOM after 9-11.

And now as time has passed we've become:

(1) A country where OLD patterns are returning.

(2) A country where OLD politics are returning.

At this time.. "America, The Beautiful" was sung.

"O, beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain!

America! America! God shed His grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!"

III. RELATIONSHIPS

Ephesians 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it;"

Titus 2:4 "That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children."

(1) Stay in touch!

(2) Stay in tune!

IV. REDEMPTION

(1)BE READY! Must get salvation!!

Mark 8:36 "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?"

Ephesians 1:7 "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."

John 8: 24 " I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins."

(2)Be REACHING OUT!

Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

Ezekiel 33:7, 8 "So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand."

(3)Be RIGHT!

I John 2:28 "And now, little children, abide in Him that when He shall appear, we have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming."

The song "I will sing of my Redeemer" was sung at this time.

I will sing of my Redeemer, and His wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross He suffered, from the curse to set me free.

Sing, O sing of my Redeemer,
With His blood He purchased me:
On the cross He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt and made me free.

(verse 2)

I will tell the wondrous story, How, my lost estate to save,
In His boundless love and mercy, He the ransom freely gave.

Sing, O sing of my Redeemer,
With His blood He purchased me:
On the cross He sealed my pardeon,
Paid the debt and made me free.

V. REMINDER

Remember that:

(1) Our SECURITY is NOT in our wealth.

Proverbs 11:4 "Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righeousness delivereth from death."

Proverbs 11:28 "He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch."

Matthew 6:24 "No 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."

I Timothy 6:9 "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition."

I Timothy 6:17 "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy."

(2) Our SECURITY is NOT in our weapons.

Psalm 147:10, 11 "He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy."

Amos 2:14-16 "Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself: Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliverty himself. And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the Lord.

(3) Our SECURITY is NOT in OUR ways of government..Just because we're a democracy does not guarantee this...

BUT....

(4) Our SECURITY IS IN THE ONE WE WORSHIP!!!!!

Psalm 33:12 "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord Jehovah."

Proverbs 14:34 "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people."

"My Country 'Tis of Thee" was sung at this time.

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty
Of thee I sing, Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrim's pride, From every mountain side
Let freedom ring!

(verse 4)

Our fathers' God to Thee, Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing; Long may our lnad be bright
With freedom's holy light; Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King!

VI. RESOLVE Determination - Fortitude

Our resolve to:

(1) Stand Tall!

Proud of our:
* Country
* Commander-In-Chief
* Christianity

(2) Stand Together!

Psalm 133:1 "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

3) Stand Tough! against terrorism..

* People say.. Deuteronomy 32:35 "Vengeance is mine..saith the Lord.."

BUT ... God often uses people to carry it out.

I Samuel 14:1-5 "Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over this people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all thehat they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. And Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came unto the city of Amalek and laid wait in the valley."

Deuteronomy 25:17-19 "Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Eghpt; How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary, and he feared not God. Therefore it shall be, when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it."

* Others say.. It's against Christianity, because Jesus is the Prince of Peace..

There needs to be war at times in order to establish peace. And someday the ultimate battle will be fought for freedom and peace..

Revelation 19:11-21 "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful (Jesus) and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And was clothed in a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word Of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in themidst of heaven. Come and gather yourselves together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword preoceeded out of his mouth; and all the fowls were filled with their flesh." Then and only then.. will there be true peace.. the 1,000 year reign of Christ.. the Prince of Peace.

(4) Stand True!

To Christ and your Country.

(5) Stand Triumphant!

Stay at it until it's done! So as we commemorate the Realities of 9-11.. May we ask God to continue to bless America!!

We closed with "God Bless America"

God bless America.. Land that I love .. Stand beside her and guide her.. through the night with the Light from above.. From the mountains to the prairies.. to the oceans.. white with foam.. God bless America.. My home sweet home.. God bless America.. MY HOME SWEET HOME!!!!