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

Episode Date: July 3, 2020

The special Independence Day presentation from Pastor Robert Jeffress' First Baptist Church of Dallas continues, featuring Vice President Pence sharing 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. Welcome to the Eric Mataxis show. Today we have a special presentation for you. It is coming to you from the First Baptist Church of Dallas. The pastor there, you may know, is Robert Jeffress.

He will be presiding over this service. There will be music, and there's going to be a special presentation. by Vice President Mike Pence, who will be sharing his story of coming to faith, his own salvation story. If you're interested in getting a complimentary copy of what you hear today on this program, you can get it by going to PTV. That's pathway to victory. PTV.org. PtV.org. You can also call 866-999-2965-869-99. 2965, and here is the special presentations. Right. Just a few days ago, the president said these words. He said we will never stop fighting for the

sacred values that bind us together as America. We believe that faith and family, not government, bureaucracy, is a true way of life. And the president concluded by saying, we live by the words of our national motto. In God, we trust. And so it can be said of First Baptist Dallas, since 1890 when a small group of believers laid the cornerstone of this church, this congregation is understood, that the foundation of America is freedom. And the foundation of freedom is faith, which makes it altogether fitting that we gather in this place. And that we will gather in the days ahead in houses of worship all across America. to celebrate freedom. So how do we celebrate freedom?

On the occasion of the approval of the Declaration of Independence, our first vice president said that he was, quote, apt to believe that the day would be celebrated by succeeding generations as a great anniversary, commemorated as a day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God, solemnized with pomp and parade, with games and sports and guns and bells and bonfires and illuminations from one end of the continent to the other. And so it has, especially here in Texas. And even in these challenging times, Americans will find ways in the days ahead as we approach our Independence Day to celebrate

just as John Adams described. But those of us who cherish freedom know that we do well, to celebrate freedom every day. And to remember, as President Reagan said, that freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It's to be fought for, protected, and handed down to them to do the same.

And I'm proud to report to you as your vice president that from the first days of this administration, that's exactly what President Donald Trump has been doing, protecting, defending, and celebrating freedom of every American, of every race in creed and color. And to celebrate freedom means many things. To celebrate freedom means building an economy where every American of every walk of life can live the American dream. And under this president, we've allowed Americans to keep more of what they earn. We've rolled back the heavy hand of federal red tape at a historic pace. We've unleashed the vast natural

resources of this land. And with that renewed freedom before the pandemic struck, American businesses large and small had created more than seven million jobs in our first three years. As we work now to safely reopen this state and this nation to put Americans back to work and to worship, let me take this opportunity to commend Governor Greg Abbott for his courageous and compassionate leadership for the people of Texas during this challenging time. Thank you, Governor Abbott. Working with your governor, we will put the health of the people of the Lone Star State first. And every single day we'll continue to reclaim our freedom and our way of life.

As each day we are one day closer to the day we put this pandemic in the past. And when we do, with this governor and this president, we'll bring Texas and America back bigger and better than ever before. And as we did this morning to celebrate freedom also means standing up for and standing with those who defend our freedom at home and abroad. The armed forces of the United States are the greatest force for good the world has ever known. And under President Trump's leadership, I'm proud to report to you after years of budget cutbacks that literally saw us a significant portion of our Air Force aircraft on the ground being used as spare parts to keep other aircraft in the air?

We've rebuilt our military. We've restored the arsenal of democracy. And as the proud father of a United States Marine and the father-in-law of a Navy pilot, I couldn't be more happy to report to you that we're finally given our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guard, the resources and the support they need to accomplish their mission and come home safe. That's how we celebrate freedom, because we stand with those who defend our freedom. And to celebrate freedom also means standing with our allies, with freedom-loving people around the world. And under President Donald Trump, if the world knows nothing else, the world knows this. America stands with. with Israel. And to celebrate freedom also means standing up for persecuted people of faith all over the world. And under this president, we've worked tirelessly to stand with persecuted communities,

whether it be in the Nineve plain of northern Iraq, where we've invested millions to help rebuild Christian and Yazidi communities, or whether it'd be working as our president has to release Americans facing persecution in captivity in places like Egypt, Venezuela, and Pastor Ames, Andrew Brunson is home. I'll never forget the day we were on the tarmac when three men who'd been held in captivity in North Korea arrived at Andrew's Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. They came down the stairs, and with the Secretary of State at my side,

they handed each one of us a three-by-five card that's now framed in my office. On one side was a word of thanks to us and to the president. and on the other side was a Bible verse as they were praising the Lord for being freed from captivity. They were men of faith and they are free to death. And to celebrate freedom also means honoring and respecting the incredible men and women who serve in law enforcement at every level. 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. And you see that you're not for you. Couldn't find the door. Couldn't even see the floor. I'd be sad and blow you. 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. The American people know most of those. who put on the uniform of law enforcement every day are the best people in this country. They walk out the door every morning. They risk their lives to protect us and our families. But we all know the tragic events of recent days. And let me say there's no excuse for what happened to George Floyd, and justice will be served. But there's also no excuse for the rioting, looting, and violence that ensued.

Burning churches is not protest, tearing down statues is not free speech. There will be no tolerance for vandalism or violence in the United States, and we will prosecute those who do it to the fullest extent of the law. That's how we defend for it. And finally, celebrating freedom means standing up for the values and liberties that we hold dear. As Dr. Jeffers said, that includes appointing now 200 judges to our federal courts who will all uphold the God-given liberties enshrined in our Constitution, like the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, and the Second Amendment right to keep in bare arms. And none of it would have been possible without the strong support of the two senators from Texas who have stood

with his president every step of the way. We want to thank Senator Ted Cruz and join me now in thanking Senator John Cornyn for his principled, conservative, leadership for our judiciary and our nation. And with the steady council of Pastor Robert Jeffers, our president has also defended religious liberty from the first day of this administration. We restored enforcement of the nation's conscience laws. We ended enforcement of the Johnson Amendment so the freedom of speech does not end at the front door of houses of worship in America. And like no other president in American history, President Donald Trump has stood without apology

for the sanctity of human life. This president and our administration celebrate freedom every day by upholding the ideals on which this nation was founded and defending them in each and every action. And now we find ourselves in a, challenging time in our nation's history. We've gone through one of the worst pandemics in the history of this country. An economic downturn, none of us expected. And for a time, we saw chaos engulf the streets of many of our major cities. We've seen statues of

some of our nation's greatest heroes being torn down. And one can't help but wonder in that ancient question. That if the foundations crumble, how can the righteous stand? And yet in the midst of such trials, American Christians have hope. We remember the countless triumphs we've won, even in our darkest hours. Victories against empires, against injustice, against diabolical tyrannies across the world. During these times, we do well to remember that the foundation, of America is freedom, but the foundation of freedom is faith.

Our first president, George Washington said religion and morality are the essential pillars of civil society. And in his farewell address, he warned, in vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. He added reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in the exclusion of religious principle. During the tumultuous days of the revolution, John Adams wrote to a friend that, quote, it is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom

can securely stand. And when he became president, he said, Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other. It is the faith of the American people that has sustained us through every dark hour of this nation's history. And it is the faith of the American people that will sustain us through these days. It's that faith that's seen us through even greater challenges. guiding us in our relentless drive for a more perfect union for liberty and justice for all.

As Abraham Lincoln said, while visiting Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1861, speaking of our founding, he said, quote, there was something in that declaration giving liberty not only to the people of this country, but hope to the world for all future time. He added it was that which gave promise that in due time the weights should be lifted from the shoulders of all men and that all should have an equal chance. And it happened. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said of the same founding documents that they were a promissory note of America. A promise that was made that all are created equal and are endowed by the same founding documents that they were a promissory note of America. their creator with certain inalienable rights.

And in the fires of a civil war, in the midst of a civil rights movement, it was the faith of the American people that drove us toward a more perfect union. And the faith of the American people will continue to perfect our nation for generations to come. The foundation of America is freedom. The foundation of freedom is faith. And as President Lincoln reminded us, in words that perhaps, providentially have already been on the wall of this church this morning. In a Thanksgiving message, our 16th president said, it is the duty of nations as well as of men to recognize the sublime

truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history that those nations only are blessed as God is the Lord. So in these challenging times, let's hold fast to freedom. Let's also hold fast to that faith. 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. Just know they won't last. Trying times can be hard on our digestive track. So why not try life-changed tea at GetTheT.com? Life-Change tea is an herbal blend of tea that helps the digestive tract and the colon cleanse from intruders. For years, people have experienced the benefits from LifeChange Tea, and so can you. Log on to getthet.com.

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The yuck in your gut will pass also with get-thot-com. That's get-thot-tie.com. 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. Let's take to heart the title of Pastor Jeffers' latest book, and let's start praying for America again. We're told that the prayer of the upright pleases him and the prayer reaches heaven, his holy dwelling place. And in the prayer, these times of great anxiety for many. The Bible tells us, don't be anxious about anything.

But in every form of prayer and petition with Thanksgiving, present your request to God, with the promise that the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. As our nation faces these difficult days, I believe more than ever that we stand in the need of prayer. And coming here today, I thought I wanted to encourage you. As you celebrate freedom in this coming, we practice prayer in a renewed way. As we think about the challenges, the loss of more than 125,000 of our country. And we think of the grief of those families. We think of those that are still struggling with this disease today.

Those have endured economic hardship in the midst of the challenges we favor. let's claim that ancient promise that if his people who are called by his name will humble themselves and pray he'll do like he's always done through the long and storied history of this nation he'll hear from heaven and he'll heal this land so thank you for letting me join you for this celebrate freedom sunday here at first baptist alice i would have just come just to sit in a pew because it has been good for my heart to worship with you all this morning. And let me also say, it's the greatest honor in my life to be your vice president. And I thank you for myself.

I had a pastor tell me once that everybody's under-encouraged. You have encouraged your vice president. And I know all of those in our delegation who are with us today. And we thank you. And I leave here today that God is at work. and I had occasion to be reminded that even when it doesn't seem that way, God is still working a little bit earlier this week. You see, I received a letter from a pastor who leads a church not far from Jacksonville, Florida. He told me of a time that he and his new bride were attending Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky in 1977.

It was a place where they held in the spring every year, a Christian music festival. They'd present the gospel with preachers. They'd present what was then the early versions of contemporary Christian music. Have young people attend from all over the Midwest. But he wrote to me that in 1977 they had decided at the seminary to discontinue the event. But he and his new bride felt called to do the work. He wrote to me and said that several friends told us that it would be very hard on our new marriage and that we shouldn't do it.

But he said we answered the call. We gathered a few other seminarians to help us, and they worked a whole year to arrange the event in the spring of 1978. And then he said, then the night came the culminating evening on Saturday night, where he and his new bride were walking through the camp area. It was raining. They were disappointed. They thought it all had been for naught. And then he said, and that's because I didn't know that that night, a future vice president of the United States of America would be giving his life to Jesus Christ.

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. 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. He wrote to me, I cannot write this without tears, and I could not read it without tears. Because I remember that night sitting on a hillside. It was raining. And it was like I I heard the words for the first time. But God so loved the world

that he sent his only begotten son that whoever might believe in him might not perish but have eternal life. And I stood up and I walked down that night, not out of a sense of intellectual assent, but because my heart was broken with gratitude for what had been done for me on the cross. I'm working on a letter to that pastor.

which I will not be able to write without tears. And I'm simply going to say to him and his wife, now I know who else to thank for that night so many years ago. The lesson in his letter was even when things don't seem like they're going the way we expected, they're going the way he expected. And we can claim those other ancient words that have been over the fireplace in our home in Indiana, in the governor's residence,

in the vice president's residence today. They read, for I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. And I believe with all my heart, on this celebrate freedom Sunday and every day, that if we will but hold fast to him,

We'll see our way through these challenging times. We will restore our nation's health. We will renew our freedom. And we will inspire people across this land with our witness of the love and compassion and strength that comes in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Thank you for letting me join me today. God bless you. And God bless you all. You may be seated.

the vice president is not leaving yet because we're not through yet and none of us leaves before the vice president leaves but he could not have had a more perfect word for us today than what he shared with his story thank you mr vice president but i close with this we didn't coordinate our messages at all but god did you know dr carson was talking about election the Tokeville, the French diplomat who visited America. And he made this observation. He said, America is great because America is good. If America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.

For America to be good means that Americans must be good. And therein is the problem. none of us is good on our own the bible says all of us have sin we've all fallen short of the glory of god see the problem is we have all inherited a virus dr carson a virus that is even more deadly than the coronavirus it's the virus of sin we're all born with that virus that inclination to rebel against God. And that root virus that we all have, it manifests itself in all kind of different ways. The racism, the lawlessness, the immorality that we see in our country right now is not the root problem in America. It's the symptom of the root problem. The root problem is our need

for a relationship with God. The great news of the gospel, is Jesus Christ can cure that virus. He can forgive us of our sins. He can give us a brand new heart if we turn to him in faith. The apostle Paul said if any person be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. All things have become new. To try to just deal with symptoms that are throughout our nation without dealing with the root problem is like trying to care cancer with a band-aid. You just can't do it. The real answer for what ails America is the need for that new heart that comes from faith in Jesus Christ. How do you receive that new heart? How do you know that your sins have been forgiven? God made it so simple that even a child can understand it.

As a young man, Mike Pence understood it. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes, trust in, cleans them, shall not perish, but have everlasting life. 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 866-999-29-2965 or go to p-tv.org. That's victory p-tv.org. Or you can call, as I said,

866-999-29-29-65. Hey, folks, you've been listening to a special presentation of the Eric Metaxis show coming to you from First Baptist Church of Dallas, Pastor Robert Jeffress, along with his special guest vice president, Mike Pence. Would you bow in prayer with me right now before we go? You know, you may be here today. You may have tuned into this broadcast in order to hear a great, great speech by our vice president. But I I think God had many of you tune in to this broadcast or had you to come to First Baptist Dallas today so that you can receive that gift of eternal life that God offers you. Do you know with absolute certainty that when you die, not if, but when you die,

God is going to welcome you into his presence? Do you want a new heart with a new set of desires, a relationship with God? God that will last for all eternity. If so, right now, wherever you are, I want to invite you to receive that gift of forgiveness and that new heart. It's nothing you can work for. It's nothing you can earn. You receive it as a gift. And today, if you would like to receive that gift of God's forgiveness for everything you've ever done and that promise of a new heart, would you pray this prayer with me to God, knowing that God, your creator who loves you, is listening to you right now. Just pray this with me. Dear God, thank you for loving me. I know that I have failed you in so many ways,

and I'm truly sorry for the sins in my life. But I believe what I've heard today, that you loved me so much, you sent your son Jesus. to die on the cross for my sins. I believe that Jesus took the punishment from you, God, that I deserve to take for my sins. And right now, I'm trusting in what Jesus did for me, not in my good works, but in what Jesus did for me, to save me for my sins.

Thank you for forgiving me, and help me to spend the rest of my sins. of my life following you. And I pray this in Jesus' name. Now with every head bowed, every eye closed, if you prayed that prayer with me, would you just raise your hand wherever you are? Yes, yes. God bless you. God bless you. Father, thank you for the gift of forgiveness, for the gift of a new beginning. You offer all who turn to faith in Christ. And it's in his name that we pray. Amen. We are going to sing one final song, and then the vice president and his party are going to depart, and we're going to ask you to stay in place until they have departed.

But before we sing that wonderful chorus, God bless America, let us show our thanks and appreciation to our great vice president, Mike Pence. Thank you for being here, Mr. Vice President. Thank you, Governor Abbott for being here. We'll sing the song and then we'll be gone. A worship we've had together celebrating the God who has so blessed this great nation we call Home, America. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Every voice. Let's sing it together. Hey folks, that concludes a special presentation of the Eric Metaxis show today coming to you from First Baptist Church of Dallas. We hope you've enjoyed it with Pastor Robert DeFras and Vice President Mike Pence. If you would like a copy of the entire service, unedited, you can get a complimentary copy. No charge.

All you have to do is dial 866999-2965. I'll repeat that. 866999-2965. You can request a complimentary copy of what you've just heard, or you can go to ptv.org. That's Pathway to Victory. ptv.org. Thanks for listening. God bless you and God bless America.