The Eric Metaxas Show - V.P. Mike Pence & Robert Jeffress

Episode Date: July 3, 2020

In honor of the 4th of July, Eric hosts a special presentation recorded at the First Baptist Church of Dallas, with special music and very special guest V.P. Mike Pence, who brings an inspirational message that includes his personal story of coming to faith.

Hi, welcome to the Eric Mataxis show. I just found out I'm supposed to be someplace else right now. So my sincere apologies, but I simply won't be able to introduce today's host, Mr. Eric Mataxis. Hey there, folks, Eric Mataxis here. Today, we are giving over the Eric Mataxis show to present a special presentation from the First Baptist Church of Dallas. It will feature Vice President Mike Pence, who will share his own salvation story. That is coming up on this program. both hours today. And by the way, you can get a complimentary copy of the unedited message of what you're going to hear simply by contacting pathway to victory. You can do that two ways. You can go to ptv.org. That's ptv.org. Or you can also get a free complimentary copy of this message by dialing 866-999-2965, 866-999-29-2965.

And here is that special presentation. Hope you enjoy it. This morning, we've come to celebrate freedom that we have here in America, but through Christ Jesus. It is great to see you at first Baptist Dallas this morning. You may be seated. We've come to a very special part of our worship service this morning where we pay tribute to those who have served in our United States Armed Forces. We are so grateful for them and their service. if you are serving or have served we want you to stand and wave your flags proudly as you hear your

branches theme song and we pay tribute and recognize you this morning here is salute to our patriots come on let's hear we are forever grateful for their sacrifice the service of our U.S. armed forces to our country well you may be seated and again we welcome everyone to First Baptist Dallas this morning for our very special Celebrate Freedom Sunday. We are so glad that you are here. We welcome our guests, I campus viewers and the many dignitaries joining us this morning. What a wonderful celebration we have in store. If you are our guests this morning, you received a worship guide when you came in.

And within that worship guide, you'll find and close a guest card. Guests, we ask that you take the time to fill that out and keep the card with you. because we would like to present to you a gift from us to you today. It's one of our pastor's brand new books, very timely books. It's entitled, Praying for America. Take that card with you outside at the end of the worship service this morning to one of the many guest gift tables, and we will exchange the card for the book. If you can't make it to one of the gift tables, you can also place the guest card

and one of the blue receptacles on your way out, and we will mail you a copy. But most importantly, we want to say thank you all for joining us on this very special day. And now a word from our pastor, Dr. Jeffers. Thank you so much. And welcome to First Baptist Dallas for our annual Celebrate Freedom Sunday. We're so glad you're here. As Tyler said, and don't you appreciate this great choir and orchestra and what they're doing to lead us in worship. We have a number of special guests who are here today.

but I want to mention especially our Attorney General of Texas, Ken Paxton, and his wife, Angela, who's one of our Texas state senators, we're so glad to have the Paxton's with us. And then Senator John Cornyn is here someplace. Senator, God bless you. Thank you. Doing a fantastic job. And somebody who has spoken here several times at First Baptist Dallas, the great governor of the state of Texas, Greg Abbott. Thank you, Governor Abbott. We love you and appreciate you. Thank you, Governor. You have such a fantastic

testimony, and we are grateful for you. Also with us today is the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He, before he took that position, was the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is a best-selling author. and every one of us in this great country have been inspired by his testimony. And we've asked him to come for a couple of minutes and share what is in his heart. Would you join me, Dr. Ben Carson. Let's welcome Dr. Carson. Thank you.

So glad to have candy here, too. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Well, thank you, Pastor Jeffers, for that wonderful introduction. and for all you do here at the First Dallas Baptist community and throughout the nation for your service as a faith advisor for the president and the wonderful commentaries that make sense that you give on the news. And I also want to thank Vice President Pence for your sacrifice and leadership.

You know, as a member of the Coronal Valor's task force, I really appreciate this man who very quickly can grasp the scientific concepts and make sense out of them. We're very lucky. We have a smart vice president. Hey, folks, thanks for listening. We will be right back to continue our special presentation from the First Baptist Church of Dallas featuring Vice President Mike Pence. Stay tuned. Coming forward to carry me home. Well, I'm sometimes loved and I'm sometimes found. Coming for to carry me home with sin. Hey, folks, Eric Metaxis here.

We will return now to our special presentation from the First Baptist Church of Dallas, featuring Pastor Robert Jeffress and Vice President Mike Pence. But, you know, in times of crisis like we're having now, a nation's character is revealed. people's characters are revealed. But I am so happy to see that America's churches are rising to the challenge. You know, this is not the first time that has happened. Alexis de Tukville came to America because the Europeans were so fascinated

with how this fledgling nation was doing so incredibly well. And he did a very in-depth study and finished a two-volume set that's very famous. And at the end of that, he said it was America's churches, the people behind the pulpits who gave the Americans the courage and the inspiration to defeat the most powerful empire on earth and to rise up and become a great nation. And the churches are still doing that today. You know, since the very beginning, churches have been the ballwork of American resistance. And during times of plenty, they remind us of the incredible blessing. passings bestowed on us by our creator. And in times of hardship, they remind us that this two will pass.

And they remind us of the values and principles that made this into a great nation. They remind us of our Judeo-Christian foundation. And, you know, this administration and particularly at HUD, we take seriously the critical challenges facing us with this COVID crisis that's going on. And we want to make sure that Americans are secure and safe in every way, and particularly in their homes, and that the relief has gotten to the people who need it the most. And, you know, we want people to have housing security. I remember as a child six years of housing insecurity, and it was not fun.

And that's why this administration has quickly moved to provide a temporary moratorium on foreclosures and evictions. and provided recertification for renters and other protections because we have to bridge the gap. You know, this crisis came on the back of a tear, of actually a wonderful economy, very strong foundation. We're very fortunate for that because if it had not been it, we'll wipe us up. But all we have to do is bridge the gap, get over that gap, not let that gap get bigger and deeper. and we must learn to dominate the virus and not let the virus dominate us that would make a big difference you have probably also noticed that there is a big emphasis on self-sufficiency and that will continue after we get over this gulf that we have to cross you know in the past government has sort of

defined successes the number of people we can get into government programs well we feel that success is a number of people we can get out of government program. Isn't that what real compassion is all about? And America is at a crossroads right now. We have to decide, do we want to bury our history? Do we want to bury our heritage? Or do we want to learn from it? Recognize that we're not perfect people, but we are smart people. And smart people can learn from mistakes and they can move forward much higher and much faster. And we can't succumb to the purveyors of the vision and hatred. We, the American people, are not each other's enemies. And we cannot let anybody convince us that we are. And we particularly in the faith community

must be willing to stand up for what we believe in. And don't be afraid to be called a name. You know, we each have a sphere of influence. And let's not look to somebody else to solve our problems. We all have a sphere of influence. Within that sphere of influence, we can determine how we're going to act, how we're going to treat our fellow man. We're the ones who can push godly principles of loving your fellow man, caring about your neighbor,

developing your God-given talents to the utmost so that you become valuable to the people around you, having values and principles that govern your life. do that, not only will we be a great nation, but we will have one nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. Thank you very much. Thank you, Dr. Carson. And as we celebrate freedom, let's celebrate the power of God's word. We're going to read God's word together. Reading from the Psalms today, Psalm 33 will be our passage, verses 6 through 12. And we'll read from the New American Standard Bible. You'll see the words on the screen, both here and for our I-campus folks. as well so that we might all read God's Word together. Psalm 33, beginning with verse 6 and ending with

verse 12. And thank you for standing. We do that to honor the reading of God's Word. Join with me now. By the word of the Lord, the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spoke and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast. The Lord nullifies the council of the nations. He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The council of the Lord stands forever. The plans of his heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance. And may God richly bless the reading of his word. Keep standing now as Dr. Brinson

comes to lead us again as we celebrate freedom and celebrate our freedom in Jesus Christ. Hey there, folks. You've been listening to a special presentation of this program from the First Baptist Church of Dallas featuring Vice President Mike. Pence, stay tuned. And at the end of this time, we will tell you how to get a free DVD copy sent to you. So stick around. The Trump campaign has a special offer just for you. President Trump wants to meet you. This will be the first opportunity he's had to meet with American patriots like you since our country started reopening. His team will cover the flight and hotel and give you VIP access for yourself and a guest. He'll even take a picture with you. All you have to do is text VIP to 88022 today for your chance to meet President Trump. Again, that's VIP to 88022 for your chance to win and join President Trump in the fight to keep America great for four more years. Hi, folks, trying times.

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E-R-I-C, hit apply, and receive free shipping. Again, Eric, In the coupon code, hit apply free shipping. These historic times will pass. The yuck in your gut will pass also with getthot.com. That's get the tea.com. Everybody wants to die. Once upon a time I lived a man and his name was... Hey folks, you've been listening to a special presentation of the Eric Mataxis show.

Coming to you from First Baptist Church of Dallas, Pastor Robert Jeffress, along with his special guest Vice President, Mike Pence. We stand on Christ, our solid rock. You may be seated as Ben LaVorn, our executive pastor comes now to lead us in our offeratory prayer. As we continue our time of worship this morning, let us commit our lives to the Lord as we go to him now together in prayer. Heavenly Father, we come humbly before your throne this morning, Lord, and we praise your holy name. You are the creator of the heavens and earth and everything in them. You are the Lord who reigns sovereignly over all creation.

You are our rock and our redeemer, our strength, and our salvation. And Lord, we thank you this morning for the great freedoms that you have given to us. we thank you for the opportunity to come together as your people and to worship you. We thank you for the men and women who have fought for those freedoms, some even making the ultimate sacrifice. Lord, we thank you for Christian leaders like Vice President Pence, and we pray that you would give him wisdom and courage in the power of your Holy Spirit as he helped lead our nation.

And Lord, we pray that we as a church, would rise up and stand unified with him serving as salt to preserve those freedoms and those principles that have been founded upon and rooted in your holy word. Lord, we know that one day those freedoms may come under attack. They may be challenged. But even so, Lord, we thank you for the confidence that we have in that eternal and that supernatural freedom through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. The freedom, the freedom from slavery unto death and darkness, the freedom from the power of sin in our lives. The freedom to worship and serve you in your kingdom forever. That freedom that was purchased at the high cost of the blood of the lamb and secured and confirmed through

his victorious resurrection. And Lord, because we've been set free, because we've been redeemed, And do we pray that we would serve as your light, that we would share your love with the world. And we commit our lives now as spiritual sacrifices to you. And we pray this all in the saving name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Hey, folks, thanks for listening. We will be right back to continue our special presentation from the First Baptist Church of Dallas, featuring Vice President Mike Pence.

Stay tuned. to go. Everybody wants to go to have. Goodbye to all my sorrow. I guess the Lord must be in New York City. Hey folks, Eric Mitaxis here. We will return now to our special presentation from the First Baptist Church of Dallas, featuring Pastor Robert Jeffress and Vice President Mike Pence.

Thank you so much, magnificent First Dallas Choir and Orchestra, and their leader Tyler Brinson. Your music has been fantastic today. And I want to welcome the literally hundreds of thousands of you who are watching this service across the world online at firstdallas.org and literally the millions of you who are watching on television or will be listening on radio the July 4th weekend. You are tuned into and watching the Celebrate Freedom Service

from the first Baptist church in Dallas. And by the way, speaking of those who may be watching online, I want to say a word of greeting to somebody who happens to be a friend of the vice presidents and a friend of mine. He also happens to be the most resilient, the most courageous, the most faith-friendly president in the history of America, President Donald Trump. And President Trump, we love you.

I hope you're seeing this great response. Mr. President, we love you. We pray for you every day. And we were so honored to have you several years ago speak at this very event, our Celebrate Freedom Event, when we held it at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. And today, we're happy, honored to have your Vice President Mike Pence here to deliver a wonderful talk to us in just a few moments. Now hold on, I'm just getting warmed up. You can read all of the impressive biographical information about Vice President Pence

and our second lady Karen Pence in your bulletin. But by way of introduction, I want to say some personal things about my friend, the vice president. I will never forget the first time I met Mike Pence. It was six weeks after. the 2016 election and before the inauguration. And I was in New York and I stopped by Trump Tower to see our president elect. And as we were talking, he said, Robert, have you ever met Mike Pence before? And I said, no, sir. And he said, well, he's just right down the hall. I told him you were coming. I'm going to buzz him. But Robert, I want to tell you, Mike Pence is absolutely fantastic. He is opposite me.

every way. And you know, that is part of the genius of Donald Trump. Instead of surrounding himself with people just like himself, he followed the model of Abraham Lincoln and surrounded himself with different people, people with different skill sets who could help him enact his agenda. And over these last four years, we've seen Vice President Pence working alongside our great president. And together they have been able to enact the most pro-life, pro-religious liberty, pro-Israel, pro-conservative judiciary in the history of America. And, you know, we saw another milestone. You all keep racking up these milestones, but we saw another one just this week when

the United States Senate confirmed the 200th conservative federal judge onto the bench. 200 judges. Talk about a promise made and a promised kept. Here are these judges who are going to serve for several generations to come and shape the moral and spiritual future of our country. But the most important thing I can say about Vice President Mike Pence is this. He is a man of deep faith. In fact, when he's asked to describe himself, he says, I am a Christian, a conservative. A conservative. and a Republican in that order. Aren't you grateful for somebody like that? And you know, over these last four years, we have seen his faith and the faith of his wonderful wife, Karen, ridiculed like no other person in our recent history. They have been ridiculed for embracing the simple precepts of

Christianity, and yet never once do they respond in anger. Instead, they, they, always respond in a Christ-like way. Mike Pence is a man of faith. He's also a man of prayer. He believes in the power of prayer. I can tell you there has not been one time that I've either been on a phone call with him or been with him in his office when he didn't close by saying, Pastor, would you mind praying for me and for our country? And it ought to give every American great confidence to know of all the people President Trump could have chosen to stand by his side and work with him, he chose a man like Mike Pence, a man of great faith and a man who believes in the power of prayer. Hey there, folks. You know you're listening to a special presentation of the Eric Mataxis show.

And by the way, you are invited to request a free DVD copy of today's special. presentation from the First Baptist Church of Dallas featuring Vice President Mike Pence sharing his salvation story. A complimentary copy of this unedited message is yours simply by contacting Pathway to Victory. You can call 866-999-2965 or go to ptv.org. That's victory ptv.org. Or you can call, as I said, 866-99-29-29-65. Hey, folks, you've been listening to a special presentation of the Eric Metaxe show, coming to you from First Baptist Church of Dallas, Pastor Robert Jeffress, along with his special guest, Vice President, Mike Pence.

Mr. Vice President, I know I probably shouldn't say this, but my congregation knows that has never stopped me before. But Mr. Vice President, there are millions of Christians in this country, just like me, who are hoping and we are praying. When you have finished your term in 2024, we don't want you moving out of the West Wing. We just want you to move down the hall a few doors and continue to build on the legacy of the most faith-friendly president in history. Would you join me in welcoming me?

a great Christian, a great American, a great friend of First Baptist Church, Dallas, the vice president of the United States, Mike Pence. Mr. Vice President, welcome to First Baptist Dallas. Appreciate you so much. It is good to be back in church. Pastor Jeffers, thank you for that overly generous introduction. Thank you for your ministry. To Governor Abbott, Secretary Carson,

Senator Corny General Paxton, my fellow Americans, it is a special joy to be with you today to celebrate freedom on this Sunday in this special place. You know, the Bible tells us it was for freedom that Christ set us free. And I cannot think of a better place to celebrate freedom than here at first bad. Dallas, with all of you and with a man who just spoke and who has become so precious to your president, to your vice president, and to all who serve our nation in the White House. Would you join me in just showing your appreciation for Pastor Robert Jeffress, for his voice, for his ministry, for his courage, and for his faith?

And speaking of friends of mine, allow me to bring greetings from another friend of mine. I heard he tweeted I was going to be here this morning. He has been a great champion of everything we will celebrate this morning. And he's been a great champion of people of faith and all the freedoms that we cherish. I bring greetings from the 45th president of the United States of America, President Donald Trump. You've been listening to a special presentation of this program from the First Baptist Church of Dallas, featuring Vice President Mike Pence. So stick around.