VIEWPOINT with Chuck Crismier
PROTECTING GODLY PATHS
[music] This is Viewpoint with Attorney and Author Chuck Chris Meyer. Viewpoint is a one-hour talk show confronting the issues of America's heart and home. And now with today's edition of Viewpoint, here is Chuck Chris Meyer. Is the Gospel of Jesus Christ deceptive? You say, "Well, that's kind of a strange question to ask." Well, maybe not so strange when you hear some of the headlines that we're going to be talking about here today on Viewpoint. So is the Gospel of Jesus Christ deceptive? I would say absolutely not. Can the Gospel be made deceptive or be presented deceptively? Absolutely. So the problem is not with the Gospel. The problem is with how it's being presented. How the Gospel is presented or marketed does indeed impact and even change the message. No matter what they say to the contrary, the modern and post-modern mantra of the Church today, marketing gurus say, "We're not changing the message, we're just changing the methods." The phrase has a perceived ring of truth, but in principle, the message and its emphasis has been profoundly changed. And that's why we have a problem between Christ and the culture. There used to be a famous argument, Christ over culture, culture over Christ, or Christ and culture. Those were the three things. Well, today it's almost as if it's not Christ over culture or culture over Christ. It's Christ and culture where culture actually is equal or superseding Christ himself. And that's true in so many different realms. And today on Viewpoint we're going to see just how that works. So just as commercial marketers seek to bring fickle buying public to a pseudo experience, masquerading as the real thing, so do marketers of the faith. Even the very use of the word faith, by the way, has been marketed to a non-committal people, pretending to offer the authentic while failing to present the requirements of the authentic, leading people to believe they are people of faith without ever truly meeting the Christ of Scripture, who became obedient even under death. Oh, whoa, whoa, now wait a minute. Now we've gone beyond the pale, haven't we? We're talking about obedient under death. Well, Jesus said if they persecuted me, they're going to persecute you. Well, why would they persecute you if you're living just like the rest of the world? Why would they do that? And are there those then within the so-called church that will end up being the persecutors rather than the persecuted? Something to think about. In fact, it's so much to think about that Jesus himself said that's exactly what was going to happen. The gospel presents not a product to be sold, but a Savior to be served. It's not a feeling, but a walk of obedient faith. It's not the freedom to do what I want, but the privilege to do what God wants. It's an exchange of the cultural mandate for Christ's mandate, isn't it? It's being conformed to the image of God's dear son not being conformed to the culture of this world, whereas one Christian magazine, by the way, proclaimed on its cover, images everything. Isn't that interesting? It seems that a principled life has been replaced by the pretense of false authenticity. So you've got millions now filling Christian churches as people of faith, display little difference between the millions of others claiming to be people of faith in other religions or even from those who claim no faith at all. Every significant poll for the last generation now reveals no functional difference in behavior between professing Christians and their pagan or unbelieving counterparts. So why is that? We need to ask that question. Why is that? Well, they've been marketed a false gospel claiming to believe in God, but refusing to actually believe Him. They're deceived. They've embraced a fake faith. They don't want to cook, says the business consultants, so they do what the package says to do. USDA organic. In other words, they pretend they want about organic food, but they don't cook. People want the fruit without the root. They want to be clothed with righteousness without repentance. They want healing without holiness. They want passion without purity. They want blessing without obedience. They want grace, but live in disgrace. They want a custom made God what made in their image. So the reality is that untold millions in our country and throughout the Western world are faking their faith. They, and ministry leaders, have been seduced by synthetic authenticity. Again, I welcome you to Viewpoint. I'm Chuck Chris Meyer. It's conversation with ever increasing conviction, talk that transformed synthetic authenticity. You've got to be kidding me. No, I'm not kidding you. In fact, there was an article, I believe it was Time magazine a number of years ago, that said seven things that are changing the world. Seven ideas that are changing the world. It's a cover story. And among those was synthetic authenticity. Yes, you got that right. Synthetic authenticity pretending to be real. And they were consulting some Harvard business gurus. These guys had actually written a book, marketing, synthetic authenticity. They said, look, people just want to believe that they're getting a good deal. They don't necessarily want the real deal. They just want the pretense of the real deal. So give them the pretense and they'll be happy. They'll be satisfied. Because if you try to give them the real thing, then you're going to put a target on your back that you're purporting to provide the real thing. And that's exactly what's happened in our churches. Offering a synthetic authenticity. A gospel that's not quite the whole gospel. It makes all the promises of the blessings and good things and happiness in Jesus' own. But it does nothing to prepare people to endure any difficulties in their lives. And last but least to provide any discipleship to endure persecution if and when it comes. So you can see how millions and millions of people have been set up for falling away. They've been set up for destruction in the name of Christ. Now that's what's so deceptive about it. In the name of Christ, they've been set up to fall away from Christ when they go against hough. Jesus talked about that in Mark 4. He was talking about the different kinds of soil in which the seed of the Word of God is He talks about stony soil and rocky soil and hard soil and fertilized soil and weedy soil and then very good soil. And He said there is a group of people in which they will gladly receive the Word of God initially. It sounds good to them. It's marketed well to them and they receive it gladly. Then when the going gets tough and persecution and offenses arise because of what the Bible actually says then all of a sudden they're upset, offenses come and they either are persecuted out of the faith or become the persecutors of those who are in the faith and it all breaks up. And people don't figure out what happened. Once upon a time children could pray and read their Bibles in school. Divorces were practically unknown as was child abuse. In our once great America virginity and chastity were popular virtues and homosexuality was an abomination. So what happened in just one generation? Hi I'm Chuck Chris Meyer and I urge you to join me daily on Viewpoint where we discuss the most challenging issues touching our hearts and homes. Could America's moral slide relate to the fourth commandment? Listen to Viewpoint on this radio station or anytime at saveus.org. [Music] Well we don't want to talk about this matter of being a fake real Christian but we want to take a look at it in the context of some recent articles that have come out. For instance and these are pretty dramatic in my estimation they're dramatic. For instance just a week or so ago one of the world's most famous atheists Richard Dawkins delivered a studying announcement to the world. He says he identifies as a cultural Christian. That's right an atheist identifies as a cultural Christian. You say what that makes no sense. Well actually it does make sense if you understand the greater picture of it. It's not as a matter of faith he said but as a matter of seeing the influences of religion on society. So he likes the fruit of the Christian faith he just doesn't like the root. He doesn't want to obey. He doesn't want to agree with everything that the Bible says but he looks at the fruit of Christianity for instance in not so jolly old England and he says I wouldn't want it any other way. So here he is a British evolutionary biologist. He's written a lot of books. He's a well established reputation for criticism of both creation and intelligent design. One of his projects was actually called the God delusion in which he claims a supernatural creator doesn't even exist. Of course he doesn't know how to explain what does exist but he explains that a supernatural creator doesn't exist. He said I must say I'm slightly horrified to hear that Ramadan is being promoted in London. You see the London mayor is a Muslim and he ordered 30,000 illuminated lights for Ramadan. So Richard Dawkins says I'm slightly horrified to hear that Ramadan is being promoted instead of Christianity. I feel that we are a Christian country he said. He explained it's true that statistically the number of people who actually believe in Christianity is going down and I'm happy with that he said but I would not be happy if for example we lost all our cathedrals and our beautiful Paris churches so I count myself a cultural Christian. I think it would matter if we substituted any alternative religion that would be truly dreadful he said. If Christianity and Islam were the only choices he said I would go for Christianity every single time. So why doesn't he? Because he can't believe in a creator because he knows if he believes in a creator then he has to submit himself to what the creator has to say because the creator would have authority over him and he can't allow that to happen. So he said I find that I like to live in a culturally Christian country although I do not believe a single word of the Christian faith. Interesting isn't it? Absolutely fascinating. He likes the fruit but he doesn't like the root or the tree from which the fruit comes. Now there's another one very similar to that and perhaps we ought to take a look at this one. This one is coming from Cardinal Wilton Gregory the Catholic Archbishop of Washington DC. He said in an interview over the weekend that President Joe Biden is a cafeteria Catholic who picks and chooses which parts of Catholicism he will adhere to. Gregory appeared on CBS Face the Nation where he discussed the Catholic President's open support for issues such as abortion that are in direct contradiction with the Catholic Church teaching. Biden who describes himself and has been described by establishment media as a devout Catholic is open about frequently attending weekly mass. But the president heads the most pro abortion administration in US history promotes transgender surgeries hormones and puberty blockers even for children and celebrates transgender ideology. All of these by the way contrary to the creation ordinance of God in Genesis chapter one and two. The Catholic Church teaches that abortion is a crime against human life said the Bishop or Cardinal rather that marriage should be between a man and a woman that homosexual acts are contrary to the natural law and choose close the sexual act to the gift of life. Although Gregory said that Biden is very sincere about his faith the Cardinal added that Biden picks and chooses dimensions of the faith to highlight while ignoring or even contradicting other parts. A cafeteria Catholic you choose that which is attractive and dismiss that which is challenging or that you don't like interesting. Then another Catholic a Cardinal Mueller was interviewed by Tucker Carlson. He's the former leader of the doctoral office of the global Catholic Church and he told Tucker Carlson that the world is on a collision course with that with disaster. He said without Christianity the West is nothing without Christianity there's no real hope for humanity said Cardinal Mueller. Well I agree with him. He said only God can change the heart of the people and with the word of God with a Christian education and with the Christian life. He's right. So what's the problem? Well maybe another article reveals the tension again. This comes from the Church of England Arch Deacon. The Arch Deacon of the Church of England has called for an anti whiteness initiative after attending a conference on waking up to and addressing whiteness in the Anglican Church. Many felt the Arch Deacon's comments were divisive and racist leaving some to question if he was even safe to attend church anymore. Archbishop of Canterbury and a member of the General Synod and the Archbishop's Council warned that importing such language from the culture wars in the U.S. risk alien or ordinary members of the Church of England. Jeff King who's president of International Christian Concern which is focused on persecution worldwide. Said this latest rant coming from no less than an Arch Deacon of the Church of England is a new low for the Church of England and really is an expression of persecution coming from within the Church because people are white. It certainly makes a mockery of the whole idea of persecution. I didn't know that persecution had anything to do with the color of your skin. We would call that racism, wouldn't we? But Jeff King sees it as more than that. He says the Church is actually starting to persecute its own people because of something they have no control over. In other words, instead of calling for the people to live righteous lives in accordance with the word will and ways of God, they're setting up a whole different standard so that they can persecute the people in order to cause culture to reign over Christ. Now you begin to see how these things can begin to tie together. First we have an atheist say he identifies as a cultural Christian, then we have Biden being a cafeteria Catholic. It's not really a Catholic at all except in name only. And then we have another Catholic cardinal calling for a moral reawakening to save the world that without Christianity there's no real hope. So why is it then that culture is being preached as the dominant thing that even the Church has to conform to? Why is that? Maybe we've all become Richard Dawkins. Maybe we've all just become cultural Christians. Maybe we all just like some of the fruit of the Christian faith, freedom and liberty and things like that. And we like that and we like the Church Steeples and we like things like that, cultural things. But maybe we're not just all that interest in a righteous at all anymore than the atheist Richard Dawkins. Does that sound strange today? On the one hand it sounds strange, but it's not strange at all because that's exactly where things are. That's exactly where things are. And I've quoted this illustration so many times here in the program that for the past ten years or so as the poster to the church George Barra has said that even among Christian professing Christian young people. These aren't atheists. These are professing Christian young people. Only 20% of them believe that Jesus Christ is the only way, the only truth in the only life, which is the most fundamental aspect of the Christian faith. Jesus is the answer for the world today. Jesus is the way, the only way, the only truth in the only life. The 80% of professing Christian young people don't agree with that. What do they agree with? They agree with the viewpoint of the culture. You know, multiculturalism, religious pluralism and political correctness. They believe in religious pluralism. They believe in multiculturalism. They are absolutely directed off of the path of life. They're not on the path of life. They're on a very different path. Yet the Bible tells us that we should seek to stay on the path of life. How are we going to stay on the path of life if we don't even know what it is or where it is? So for the balance of the program today, we want to talk about how to protect godly paths. How to protect godly paths. The book of Proverbs says, "The path of the just is as the shining light that shines more and more unto the perfect day." So I don't know about you, but I want that to describe my life and ways until the day Christ returns. I suspect that that's your desire too if you're listening to this program. So then that means we need to explore again what the path of the just looks like and how we are so prone to wander off the path of life into deceptive ways that lead to destruction so that we believe in our hearts with sincere belief that we're Christians when in fact we're not at all. Because a Christian would act like a Christian, think like a Christian, believe like a Christian. In other words would be indistinguishable from Jesus. Right? We wouldn't just identify as Christians, we would be Christians. Now to help us along that way, I want to provide to you my book, Seduction of the Saints. How to stay pure in a world of deception. There's an entire chapter on how to stay on the straight path. How we get off the path, how we stay on the path. Very easy to get off pathways. I used to do a lot of hiking in my earlier days. And you'll find a why in the pathways. Now which way do I go? Sometimes there's a sign, sometimes there's not. You read the topo maps or whatever it is you have going for you. But sometimes it's very difficult. You want to make the right path, the right turn. If you don't, you can get in trouble. You can get in big trouble. And Jesus tells us what the path is. The Bible shows us the path. If we're willing to follow it. That's the big if. So the book Seduction of the Saints, staying pure in a world of deception, is an $18 book yours for $15 on our website. SaveUs.org. SaveUs.org, you can call us at 1-800-SAVEUSA, 1-800-SAVEUSA, or you can write to us at Save America Ministries. P.O. Box 70879, Richmond, Virginia, 23255, writing a check at $5 for postage and handling. Believe it or not, this book Seduction of the States, Saints, may be one of the best books that you as a parent or grandparent can use for discussion with your kids. If you want to have something, a foundation in which to launch off of, I tell you, this deals with so many issues, so many issues, it'll cause a lot of thought. It'll get your kids involved. Maybe you too. It'll be healing in your family. It'll be restored if we're looking for tools. People say they're looking for tools. Really? Well, here's one, a big one. Seduction of the Saints, how to stay pure in a world of deception. Do you think that world is out there? Indeed, it is. We'll be right back after this, friends. You're listening to Viewpoint. And Viewpoint does determine destiny. There is so much more about Chuck Chris Meyer and Save America Ministries. On our website, SaveUS.org. For example, under the Marriage section, God has marriage on his mind. Chuck has some great resources to strengthen your marriage. First off, a fact sheet on the state of the marital union, a fact sheet on the state of ministry, marriage, and morals. SaveUS.org. Marriage, divorce, and remarriage. What does the Bible really teach about this? Find all of this at SaveUS.org. Also, a letter to pastors, the Hosea Project, SaveUS.org. And many more resources to strengthen your marriage. This is all on Chuck's website, SaveUS.org. Again, you can listen to Chuck's Viewpoint Broadcast, Live and Archive, Save America Ministries website at SaveUS.org. The Prophet Jeremiah said that we should ask for the old paths, whereas the good way, and walk therein, and we'll find rest for our souls. You know why there's so little rest out there, even among professing Christians? Because we're not on the good path. We're not walking the old path. We want to walk some new path, some shinier path. We want to create gods in our own image. We want to create a gospel in our own image, or that's acceptable to the current ways of the culture. But that's not acceptable to Christ. We're actually trying to avoid even the most modest forms of persecution by the culture by creating synthetic authenticity in our so-called Christian lives. But there's only two pathways. There are only two, and there are only two fathers. One is Father God, the other is Father Satan. Jesus talked about it. He said to the religious leaders of his day, "You're of your Father the devil." Only two pathways, and they parallel the two fathers, God and Satan. The psalmist said, "You will show me the path of life." In your presence is fullness of joy. Well, why is it we're missing fullness of joy? Because we're off the plain path. Then David also said in the Psalms, "By your word, the word of your lips, I have kept me from the paths of destroyer." So that's why God's pathway is called the path of life, or the path of the just. And the just shall walk that pathway totally and exclusively by faith. Simple trust, simple obedience, simple trust, simple obedience. Like that song, trust and obey, but there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. But it's the first verse of that song that really sets the tone. It says, "When we walk with the Lord, see the walk on the pathway. When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, what a glory he sheds on our way. When we do his good will, he abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey." Notice the simplicity of this. Now here's the problem. Please be aware, if you want to identify when you're getting off the path, just realize you're going to be getting into what people continually call complexity. They'll say of the issues of our time, "Well, it's just a complex issue." No, it's not a complex issue. It's only complex because you want to make it that way. Satan's paths are always complex, always. They don't require simple trust or obedience, but they're always interjecting man's reasonings, your reasonings and thoughts, rationalization, second-guessing, self-will, whatever you want to call it, always injecting those things into the mix. That brings us on to the path of the destroyer. They appear to be shortcuts to salvation or blessing, but they always lead to destruction in some way. That's why the Bible says there is a path or a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. So we as humankind are being seduced to follow the deceivers deadly as, like children following the pied piper ever since the Garden of Eden. Satan hasn't even had to change in methodology. It works so well. He gets us to turn to superimpose his thinking, our thinking upon what God has said, and thereby turn the simplicity of walking with God into a complex and confusing situation. Now, let's give an illustration here. Years ago, I was very heavily involved with CBMC, the Christian Business Man's Committee, which is a nationwide organization. In fact, I was very involved. I spoke in Pasadena, California once a month to their meetings, was president for five years of that particular group in Pasadena, California. And during that period of time, the national organization sent out a, like a, I wouldn't know if I'd call it a newsletter, but it was like that, like a magazine introduced letter. And they asked a question of so-called Christian Business Man. Here was the question. Let's suppose that you had the opportunity to go into a business venture with a non-Christian person. And what would you do? Would you go into it or not? Well, the answers came back over a period of three months, and I followed them. The answers basically went like this. Well, I'd pray about it, and then I'd do it. Or I'd do my due diligence, and then I would do it. Well, why did they have to say that? The answer from God's viewpoint was clear, because the Bible warns us about being unequally yoked with unbelievers. How many Christian men have gotten themselves into deep trouble? I'm thinking of one right now that lost everything, because he was in partnership with an unbeliever that took advantage of him. He traded. Now, that doesn't mean that believers can't do that, but at least it lessens the likelihood. Why would you have to pray about something that God specifically tells you not to do? You know why? Because you want to. In other words, you're elevating your own reasonings and thoughts over what God has said, and you're making your life complex and you're purposely getting off the path of life. It's amazing. I've watched this happen as a trial lawyer for 20 years with 80% of my clientele coming for the broader body of Christ. The decisions that people were willing to make in the name of Christ totally defying the word "will" and "ways" of Christ. Divorcing their spouses. When Jesus said whoever divorced their spouse commits adultery and whoever marries the one's own divorce commits adultery, we say "yes" but. Our pastors are doing exactly the same thing. Our pastors in many respects are hearing the voice of Satan and reasoning with God's word and advising their constituents accordingly. Just like Satan did with Eve in the garden. It's amazing. Just amazing. And we don't seem to get it. We have so enculturated, so place the culture and its thinking over the simplicity of walking the simple path with Christ that we live in continual confusion and then cannot understand what hits us. It's just beyond the pale. Just beyond the pale. The pastors will be complicit in it. Why? Because they want to please the people who are rationalizing just like Eve did in the garden with Satan. Trying to put a spin on what God says to justify what they want to do. That's not legalism, friends. Legalism is adding to the Word of God. And then requiring that. That's what the Jewish leaders did. They added to the Word of God with the Mishnah and their various writings adding to thousands and thousands of rules and regulations adding to the Word of God. Jesus said to the religious leaders of his day, you buy your traditions, your cultural traditions, your religious traditions are making the Word of God of none effect. You're putting on men burdens greater than they can bear. So why is it we're not willing to receive the simplicity of the clear and righteous path that God presents to us? I guess it's because the seducer of our souls convinces our carnal minds that his alternative paths are going to get us where we want to go without learning obedience as Jesus did. So the majority of those who profess faith in Christ don't follow Christ on the path of life. They just don't. They claim the name of Christ while walking Satan's pathway leading to destruction. Now what did Jesus say about that? He said straight as the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it. Now isn't it interesting? Many Christians want to talk about right to life, right to life, right to life. And I agree with that. But Jesus is calling us to walk the path of life, not just call for the right to life, but the path of life. Why is it we're willing, so willing to go on a crusade for pro-life and we're not willing to crusade to keep people on the path of God's light in life? Jesus said enter in at the straight gate for why is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and many there will be that go in there at. So how do we keep on the path of life? Given the fact we're so easily seduced off the godly path, how do we keep our feet on the right path? How do we become like God described David a man after God's own heart? He wasn't perfect, no way, but he was intent to avoid the path of the destroyer. And when he got off of it, it cost him dearly. When he got off it in the matter of Bathsheba, it cost him dearly, painfully. But the same psalmist says the word, your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, order my steps in your word. That's what we need, friends, with our whole heart. We need to do that. So we want to talk about how to return to the path of life. Maybe you got off the path. Maybe you have. Let's get back on it. We'll be right back. Have you ever considered what the early church was like? Many people are developing a heart longing for greater fulfillment in our practices as Christians. A recent study showed 53,000 people a week are leaving the back door of America's churches in frustration. What is going on? Why has there not been even a 1% gain among followers of Christ in the last 25 years? Could it be that God is seeking to restore 1st century Christianity for the 21st century? Jesus said, "I'll build my church." Is Christ by His Spirit stirring to prepare the church for the 21st century? The early church prayed together and broke bread from house to house. They were family, and it was said by all who observed, "Behold how they love one another." Incredible. But the same can be found right now. Go to saveus.org and click sell church. We can revive 1st century Christianity for the 21st century. It's about people, not programs. It's about a body, not a building. That's saveus.org. Click sell church. I have a question for you as we launch into this segment of the program today. How would you know if somebody truly was a man or a woman after God's own heart? What would you be looking for? Would you be looking to see whether they went to a particular church or any church? Would that define it? Not even close. It might be an initial indicia, but it's not a real indicia because the majority of people going to our churches today are cultural Christians, just like Richard Dawkins. Oh, they believe in God. They just don't believe him enough to obey him. Mm-hmm. That's why the word obey is the most hated word in the church today. Even in our evangelical churches. Yep. We don't are not much interested in walking the path of life. So what would you be looking for? What would you be looking for to decide whether somebody, if you were able to discern that, was a man or a woman after God's own heart? Well, I just mentioned the key word, obey. What was the key element of Jesus' relationship with the Father? Obedience. That's right. He obeyed the Father. He was the only Jew who ever lived that truly obeyed God. That's why he was able to be our Savior. He was without sin. Now he loved the Father, yes, but he showed that love by doing the Father's will. So how would you know if somebody were something other than a cultural Christian and were truly a man or a woman after God's own heart? It'd have to be a doer of the word, right? In other words, there would be something that would differentiate between that person and the rest of the people in the culture, even those who were church-going folk that were doing all kinds of things that were contrary to God's word, will, and ways. Oh, they might have been approved by the culture, but not approved by Christ. Not approved by the epistles written by Paul or Peter or John or James. James said, "We should be doers of the word and not here as only deceiving our own selves." You see, if we're not doers of the word, in other words, obeying, walking the pathway clearly that God has described, agreeing with his viewpoint on every issue, then we're elevating ourselves over his authority. If I'm elevating myself over God's authority, I'm basically saying, I have a better path. I have a better topo math, topographical math, to be able to walk the necessary paths of life to get where I need to go, and then in the middle of it all, I'll claim to be a Christian. I identify, as a Christian, like atheist Richard Dawkins, that I'm not much walking like one. Reminds me, was it a song or something of years gone past, "Walk like an Egyptian"? Yeah. Most Christians walk like an Egyptian. They claimed to have gotten out of Egypt, but God couldn't get Egypt out of them. That's why he couldn't let 599,998 out of 600,000 men that he took out of Egypt into his promised land, because they walked like an Egyptian. They did not walk the path of life, and God said, "I'm sorry, I cannot let you rebels into my promised land." So how do we return to the path of life? God cares. He does. Is there hope? Can I find my way back? Yep, you can. It might not be all that easy. But you can find your way back, but the first thing you have to do is choose. Choose to return. You don't like Joshua said, Joshua chapter 24. Choose you this day, whom you will serve. But as for me in my house, we're going to serve the Lord. In other words, we're going to stay on the path of life. We're going to do what God says. We're going to agree with his viewpoint on every issue of life. No matter what anybody else says, pastor, parachurch, leader, president, pope, prelate, whatever. We're going to agree with God. So who do you agree with? We have to choose. Choose to return. Years ago, my wife and I were at a very well-known bed and breakfast plantation in Mississippi called Monmouth. And while we were there in their little store, we saw a plaque, and here's what it said. If you do not feel close to God, guess who moved. We were so moved by that that we bought it and keep it in front of our congregation every week. If you don't feel close to God, guess who moved. God doesn't change, but we do. We drift away. We wander off the divine path, don't we? Yeah. So the next thing, in choosing, we have to restore what the Bible calls the ancient landmarks. Yeah. The landmarks are there to keep us on the path. But I was hiking a lot, particularly up in the higher mountains in the Sierra and so on. There were little areas where there were no signs or anything like that, but there were what they call Cairns, C-A-I-R-N-S, Cairns. There were little stacks of rocks, and you'd look for those because they would help to guide your path. So you could stay on the path of life because if you didn't follow that, you could be in deep trouble. The problem is, in so many areas of our lives, we've removed the ancient landmarks. For instance, Bill Clinton, there in 1997, did said something that is the most arrogant thing, perhaps ever said by an American president other than the Barack Obama and Joe Biden. They're all birds of a feather. Here's what he said. He purposed to meet and address a known homosexual group in California. And this is what he said in his speech. We are, in practical ways, redefining the immutable ideals that have guided us from the beginning. In other words, he's saying, we, American people, we leaders in America, on the ground, are changing the unchangeable ideals that have guided this country from the beginning. What he really said was, we are intentionally getting off the path of life. We're going to do it our way. No sitting American president ever made a more breathtaking sweeping statement to pull the moral and spiritual anchors out from our nation's soul than that man. Why is it he was a rock star then for people? Because people wanted to get off the path. That's why. But the Bible says, remove not the ancient landmarks. The next thing we have to do is make straight paths for our feet. God doesn't want us to get off the path. You and I have to purpose to walk the straight path. If we don't want to, we risk chaos, destruction, lostness, and even falling away. Mm-hmm. Then the other thing, the next thing we have to do is avoid the crooked and the broad way. The way that everybody else seems to be going. We have to make straight the way of the Lord. We have to prepare the way of the Lord and make straight paths for his feet in our life. If we want to prepare for the second coming of Christ, we must do that and we must get about it immediately. Parents, moms, dads, this is your calling in your household. Prepare the way of the Lord and make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Jesus said not everyone who says unto me, Lord, Lord is going to inherit the kingdom. Only those who do the will of my Father. In other words, only those who stay on the straight and narrow path. We have to choose. And you know what? Have you noticed that we have to make those choices every day? For instance, let me give you an illustration. Just what was it yesterday or today? As I was doing my computer research, as I do every single day for this program. Off on the right, there was a picture, an image that caught my eye. It was intended to catch the eye of every man and there was something about it. It wasn't inherently pornographic. Believe me, it wasn't an entirely pornographic. There was something about it said, you know what? It would be very interesting if you clicked on that. And I remember seeing that, thinking about that and saying, you know what? It's kind of fascinating. It's interesting. And then the Holy Spirit said to me, no, don't do that. You can't afford to do that because it's going to get you off the path. It's leading to destruction. Don't do that. Then I went to another page and guess what? The same thing came up again. I know you've never had that experience, but I did yesterday or today. And it was very obvious I had to make a choice. I had to choose the narrow way. I can't play the pornographic game. I can't even afford to be seduced into things that I don't know for sure are going to lead there, but I suspect might lead there. If you're a man, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Some of you women know about that, too, because 34% of professing Christian women are engaged in what people are calling female pornography. 70% of professing Christian men admit to being engaged in pornography and 30% of the pastors. Why? Because we're allowing ourselves to be seduced into the broad pathway thinking that we can do it ourselves. It's okay. It won't matter if I just do this little time. It won't matter. It won't matter if I take drugs this particular day. I can control it. It won't matter if I drink this particular day, I can control it. It's not that way, friends. It's time to choose. This is the reason why the Apostle Paul said, "Let no man deceive you by any means, for the day of the Lord is not going to come, except they're come a falling away burst." So we've got to make straight paths for our feet. We've got to restore the ancient landmarks in our life. We've got to avoid the wide gate and the broadway that allures our flesh. We have to choose the narrow way that leads to life. So I ask you a question as we wrap up here today. Today, will you hear his voice? Will you harden your heart? Or are you going to agree? Lord, for this time forth, I'm going to walk the straight and narrow path. I know there's only two paths, the path of life and Satan's path. I'm not going to go on Satan's path anymore. I'm going to walk the path in life of life. I'm going to agree with your viewpoint because in your presence, there's fullness of joy. And in your right hand, there are pleasures forevermore. By the way, you might want to consider getting a copy of the book "Seductured at the Saints" because there's an entire chapter in that book dealing with how to stay on God's pathway. You want life? That's how to do it. To an $18 book, yours for $15 is on our website. Save us, not the origin, seduction at the Saints. How to stay pure in a world of deception. Call us 1-800-SAVE-USA. What 800-SAVE-USA are right to us and save American ministries. He'll box 70879, Richmond, Virginia. 2-3-2-5-5, ready to get checked? They have $5 for postage and help. You know what? Jesus is coming soon. You've got to get ready, don't we? You want to have a blemish gown because Christ isn't coming for a bride with a spot ring for any such thing. Right? Don't be seduced. It's more the path of life. God bless and be a blessing. You've been listening to Viewpoint with Chuck Chris Meyer. Viewpoint is supported by the faithful gifts of our listeners. Let me urge you to become a partner with Chuck as I'm voiced to the church declaring vision for the nation. Join us again next time on Viewpoint as we confront the issues of America's heart and home. [Music] [Music] You [BLANK_AUDIO]