Sermon
Beloved,
I want you to meditate with me
this morning on the words:
recovering lost Moral values.
Recovering lost Moral values.
I’m sure that most of you
would agree with me in
making this affirmation
that in this life
if God allows you to wake up-
before you go to bed,
there will be something
that goes wrong in your life.
Sometimes it could be something
simple-uncomplicated
and other times it could be something
critical or life-changing.
But how many of you have actually
stepped back and truthfully
analyze the cause of your problem
or problems in your life
Now I have found that
there are four type of people
in this world:
1.
The ones who will look at others
and blame them for the
problem or problems in their life.
2.
The ones who will not
take the time to
stop or step back to examine
the problem or problems
in their life
because they are so
engaged with the things around them.
3.
The ones who are consumed with causing
the problem or problems in their life.
4.
The ones who will stop
take a step back
and evaluate the problem or
problems and realize they may
have to retrace their steps
to get the solution.
Beloved,
there are so many that
wonder if their problem
or problems are due to the fact
that they don’t know enough.
But you know beloved,
I have found that people make
other people feel inadequate
Negativity spoken to any
individual enough times
brands its image
in the mind of the person,
and solving life’s problem or problems
become more challenging.
We become who we think we are.
Tell someone they are dumb
or stupid enough times
they will start to believe it.
Tell a beautiful person
they are ugly enough times
and they will start to believe it.
Colossians 3:12 says:
12 God has chosen you and made you his holy people.
He loves you.
So you should always clothe yourselves with mercy,
kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
So the question
that stands at hand
this morning is:
What has happened to
our Moral Values
in this world?
Beloved,
it’s not because people don’t know
what’s right and what’s wrong.
There are many
who do know
the difference between
what’s right and what’s wrong
because in our world today
we have the opportunity for
accumulated knowledge.
Beloved,
we know more today
than men and women
have known in any period
of human history.
We know more about mathematics,
about science, about social science,
and philosophy,
than we’ve ever known
in any period of the world’s history.
Beloved,
it’s fact that
in our world today our technical
understanding is not slow.
We don’t need a scientific study
to show us that we’ve made progress
understanding technology.
Our technical progress
over the past years has been amazing.
Today,
we live in a world driven
by technology.
Man through his scientific brilliance
has developed a global communication
network called the internet.
The internet allows almost all computers worldwide
to connect and exchange information.
It is the internet that has aided
the social media craze.
Every day social media assumes
a more prominent role
as a preferred channel of communication.
Social media platforms
benefit many of
us personally and businesses are enjoying
the platform as well.
Now with smart phones, smart TV
tablets, and laptops we no longer have to
send a letter by mail.
As a matter of fact over the internet
a letter is not called a letter it’s called:
an e-mail, a text message, a Tweet,
an in box message.
Through the scientific brilliance
of men and women
distance has been altered,
and time has been placed
in handcuffs.
Today it’s possible
to eat breakfast in Cleveland, Ohio
and supper in Paris, France.
Beloved,
it can’t be because man
is stagnant in his or her
technical development.
Men and women’s
technical understanding
has been amazing.
I think we have to look
much deeper than that
if we’re going to find
the real cause
of many people’s problems
and the real cause
of the world’s obstacles today.
Beloved,
if we’re going to really find it,
I think we’ll have to look
in the hearts and souls
of men and women.
The trouble isn’t so much
that we don’t know enough,
but it’s as if many men and women
have sold themselves short.
The trouble isn’t
that our technical
understanding is slow,
but our moral intellect
is out on recess.
Many people have lost
their Moral Values.
Now immorality
(wickedness, corruption, dishonesty, and dissipation)
has come to fruition.
Beloved,
in our society today
the great problem facing
many modern
men and women
is the resources that
we live by today
has stripped
our spirituality
from the way
we once lived.
Beloved,
We need to Recover Our
lost Moral Values!!!
Many people have
messed-up minds because
they are caught up in
a messed-up world.
The problem
is within men and women
and I’m talking about the soul
of men and women.
You see friends,
we still haven’t learned
how to be fair,
we still haven’t learned
how to be truthful
we still haven’t learned
how to be compassionate
we still haven’t learned
how to be tangible and
we still haven’t learned
how to be devoted.
And that’s the basis of our problem.
Beloved,
the real problem is that
through our technical understanding
we’ve made the world a neighborhood,
but through our
moral and spiritual understanding
we’ve failed to make it
a brother and sisterhood.
And you know brothers
and sisters in Christ,
the great danger facing us today
is not so much about
explosive devices
that’s created by the
physical science of terrorist
that can destroy hundreds
and thousands of lives.
The real danger
that’s confronting
people today is
the explosive devices that
lies in the hearts and souls
of men and women
capable of discharging
disgusting hate and critical egotism.
That’s the explosive devices that
we’ve got to fear today.
Beloved,
the problem is within
men and women.
Within the heart (mind and emotions)
the souls of men and women.
Beloved,
this is the real basis of our problem
or problems…
My friends,
all I’m trying to say is:
if you want to go forward today,
you’ve got to go back and recover
your priceless moral values
that has been left.
This is the only way
that you’ll be able to create
an improved life,
and to make your life
what God wants it to be.
Beloved,
the only way you can do it
is to go back,
and recover those mighty
priceless moral values
that you’ve left behind.
Our circumstances in life today
reminds me of a very
popular situation
that took place
in the life of Jesus.
I’m sure many of you are familiar
with this very popular
story.
It was our focal scripture
this morning.
We all know it.
You remember when Jesus
was about
twelve years old,
there was the custom of the feast.
Jesus’ parents took
him up to Jerusalem.
That was an annual occasion,
the feast of the Passover,
and they went up to Jerusalem
and they took Jesus along with them.
And they were there a few days,
and then after being there
they decided to go back home,
to Nazareth.
And they started out,
and I guess as it was
the tradition in those days,
the father probably traveled
in front,
and then the mother
and the children behind.
You see they didn’t have
the modern conveniences
that we have today.
They didn’t have automobiles
and subways and buses OR Airplanes.
They walked,
and traveled on donkeys
and camels.
So the travel was very slow.
And they left Jerusalem going on back to Nazareth,
the Scripture says,
they went about a day’s journey
and they stopped to check up,
to see if everything was all right,
and that’s when they discovered
that something mighty and precious
was missing.
They discovered that Jesus
wasn’t with them.
Jesus wasn’t in the midst.
And so they,
paused there, and, and looked
and they didn’t see Him around,
and they went on, and,
and started looking among the relatives.
They saw that Jesus
was not with any of the relatives
and they went on back
to Jerusalem and found Him there,
in the temple with the
Doctors of the law.
Now,
the most important thing here
is that the parents of Jesus
realized what they had lost,
and what they had lost
was a mighty priceless value.
They had sense enough
to know that before they could
go forward to Nazareth,
they had to stop, step back
and evaluate the problem.
It was no doubt in their mind
that they had to retrace their steps
back to Jerusalem to recover this value.
They knew that.
They knew that they couldn’t
go home to Nazareth until
they retrace their steps back
to Jerusalem.
Beloved,
you know sometimes,
it’s necessary to go back over
in order to go forward.
That’s, the parallel of life.
I remember for my birthday
a few year back my wife and children
blessed me by taking me to the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
in Canton, Ohio.
Being an ex-football player
and now an avid fan of the game
it was a dream come true.
It was evening on our way back.
Everyone is talking and telling
of their experience at the
Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Everyone was excited about our trip.
Now it is about a 55 mile trip
or about hour to drive traveling
HI way 77.
Well we had been on the road for about
an hour and a half when First Lady noticed
I had taken the wrong exit.
Now this was a problem.
I tried to play it off like I knew
what I was doing.
But First Lady Niecy
was not trying to listen to
my male ego.
She let me know that I was going
the wrong way
and if I did not turn around immediately
we would end up even further
off course and it would take even longer
to get home.
Well
I knew she was right
so I swallowed my pride
stopped, stepped back and we evaluated
where we were and took the exit
that would lead me back to Hi way 77.
Meaning we had to retrace
where we had come from
to get back on the right road.
It took some time to get back
on the right road.
We discovered where I went wrong
and got back on the right road.
Beloved,
in other words,
before I could proceed
to get my family home
I had to go back about 16 or 17 miles
just to get to back on the right road.
__________________
So you see,
the thing that Jesus’
parents realized
is that they had to
go back and find this mighty priceless
value that they had left behind,
in order to go forward.
They understood that.
And so they went back to
Jerusalem and found Jesus,
recovered Him (so to speak)
in order to move forward
to Nazareth.
Beloved,
that’s what we’ve got to do
in our life today.
We’ve left a lot of
irreplaceable morals behind
and we’ve lost a lot of priceless values.
Beloved,
if you want to move forward,
if you want to live better
in this world
you’ve got to go back
and recover your priceless lost moral values.
that you’ve left behind.
Again,
if you’re going to go forward
and want to live better morally
you must recover.
Now,
I want to deal with one or two
of these Moral Values
that many have left behind.
1.
Beloved,
the first principle of value
that you need to recover is this:
Know that all reality
is centered
on moral foundations.
In other words,
this is a moral universe,
and that there are moral laws
of the universe,
just as enduring
as the physical laws.
I’m not so sure
we all believe that.
We never doubt that there
are physical laws of the universe
that we must obey.
We never doubt that.
You see,
we don’t just go jumping
out of airplanes
or jumping off
of high buildings
for the fun of it.
We don’t do that.
That’s because we,
unconsciously know that there
is a final law of gravitation,
and if you disobey it
you’ll suffer the consequences-
we know that.
Even if we don’t know it
in its Newtonian design,
we know it intuitively,
and so we just don’t jump off
the highest building in Cleveland
for the fun of it.
We,
just don’t do that,
because we know that there is
a law of gravitation
which is final in the universe.
If we disobey it,
we’ll suffer the consequences.
But I’m not so sure if we know
that there are,
moral laws,
just as abiding as
the physical law.
I’m not so sure about that.
I’m not so sure we really believe
that there is a law
of love in this universe,
and that if you disobey it
you’ll suffer the consequences.
I’m not so sure if
we really believe that.
Because,
there are at least two things
that convince me that
we don’t believe that.
You see there are so many
that have strayed
away from
the principle
that this is
a moral universe.
The first thing is:
that many have embraced
the relativistic ethic.
In other words
many have comprised
or have replaced
their Moral values for
the modern world
moral belief system
that says:
it’s Ok to have recreational sex
its ok to have a same sex relationship
Its Ok to talk bad to your parents
It’s OK to ignore what your
parents tell you what not to do.
Its Ok to live together,
It’s OK to believe that marriage
is just an option today.
This morning
I’m trying
to wake up a world
that is sleeping
with its eyes open
with a very concrete message.
Friends,
today many people
have accepted the attitude
that right and wrong are simply relatives.
Most people can’t stand up
for their, convictions.
That’s because other
people might not be doing it.
In other words it’s not the trend.
Everybody’s not doing it,
so it must be wrong.
Or
Since everybody is doing it,
it must be right.
Now,
to me it sounds sort
of like a numerical interpretation
of what’s right.
But this morning,
I’m here to say to you
that some things are right
and some things are wrong.
Now I’m sure there is someone asking:
BISHOP HOUSTON
DO YOU HATE GAYS OR PEOPLE
having sex out of wedlock
OR PEOPLE WHO
LIVE TOGETHER AND SO on?
WELL I’M GLAD YOU ASKED!!!!
And my answer is absolutely NOT!!!
Though I may disagree with a lifestyle,
or a life choice,
I do not hate the individual.
1 John 4:20 -
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar:
for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen,
how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
1 John 3:15 - Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer:
and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
Proverbs 10:12 - Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
Beloved,
It’s absolutely wrong to hate.
It always has been wrong
and it always will be wrong!!!
It’s wrong in America, its wrong in Africa, its wrong in Russia,
its wrong in France!!!
It was wrong in two thousand B.C.,
and it’s wrong in 2015 A.D.!!!
It has always been wrong,
and it always will be!!!
It’s also wrong
to throw your lives away
in uncontrolled, rebellious,
disobedient and stubborn living.
No matter if everybody in
Cleveland Ohio is doing it
No matter if people in Texas is doing
No matter if people in Kenya is doing it.
It’s wrong!!!
Beloved,
it always will be wrong!!!
And it always has been wrong.
It’s wrong in every age,
and it’s wrong
in every nation.
Some things are right
and some things are just wrong,
no matter if everybody
is doing the opposing.
Some things in this universe
are absolute.
The God of the universe
has made it so.
Beloved,
as long as people adopt this relative
attitude toward right and wrong,
they’re in contradiction
of the very
moral laws of God and
is in obvious disobedience
to God Himself.
Now that isn’t the only thing that
convinces me
that we’ve drifted away
from this attitude, or principle.
2.
The other thing is that
we have adopted
sort of a pragmatic test
for right and wrong.
In other words
whatever works is right.
Many people say:
if it works, it’s all right.
Nothing is wrong
as long as it works.
So in essence,
if you don’t get caught,
it’s right.
That’s the attitude,
isn’t it?
It’s all right to disobey
the Ten Commandments,
but just don’t disobey the
Eleventh Commandment,
Now I know many of you caught that.
You saying the Eleventh Commandment
Bishop Houston there is only 10 commandments.
Wellthe world has added an eleventh commandment.
Which says:Thou shall not get caught.
Beloved,
that’s the attitude.
That’s the predominant
attitude in our society.
Our society tells us:
No matter what you do,
just do it with a,
bit of discretion.
You know,
sort of with a slick attitude
that you haven’t got caught
“YET!!!”
You see after not being caught,
it becomes a how to be slick book for dummies,
and then it’s passed on.
Now
by way of the internet
YouTube and Vimeo has people
video teaching
on how to be slick,
people are tweeting how to be slick,
people on Facebook is now posting
how to be slick, Google plus, Tumblr and Pinrest
is now posting pictures
on how to be slick
and before you know it,
the videos have gone viral
Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus
and Pinrest has thousands and thousands
of likes and comments.
And now,
being slick has become a trend.
Now everyone wants to be slick.
Being slick is now the right thing to do.
So now that being slick
is the right thing to do it’s now OK
to lie, but lie using a bit of discretion.
Now,it’s all right to steal
and rob and extort,but remember,
you have to do it with a bit of discretion.
Now,it’s even all right to hate,
but just dress your hate up in the costume
of love and make it appear that you are loving when
you are actually hating.
In other words:
Just get by!!!
That’s the thing that’s right
according to
this new moral belief.
My friends, that attitude is destroying
the soul of our culture!!!
It’s destroying our nation!!!
And it’s destroying many men and women.
Beloved,
the thing that we need
in the world today,
is a group of men and women
who will stand up for right
and be opposed to wrong,
wherever it is.
I speaking of
a group of people who
see that some things
are wrong,
even if they’re never caught,
and some things are right,
whether someone
sees you
doing them or not.
Friends,
this morning,
all I’m trying to say is,
our world today is centered
on moral foundations.
This is the way God created it!!!
God has created the universe to be
centered on Moral Values.
As long as we continue
to disobey the moral standards
God has place in front of us,
the more disgusting and nauseating
we are to Him.
Beloved,
what we need in the world today
is people who will stand for
what’s correct and respectable.
Beloved,
you don’t have to know
the profound details
of zoology or ecology.
But what we must know
is the profound details
of moral values.
Beloved,
we don’t have to know the
profound details of basic English.
But what we’ve got to know
is that it’s right to be honest
and being fair with our brother and sisters.
Beloved,
you don’t have to know the profound details
about our philosophical and mathematical restraints.
But we have to be
simply profound
with detailed discipline,
when it comes to being honest,
loving and fair with all of humanity.
Friends let me tell you,if we’re not teaching
or being taught the moral values of God,
we will destroy ourselves by the
misapplication of our own influences.
Beloved,
your life is centered
on God’s foundation of moral values.
Let me tell you:
In this life
there is something that justifies
no lie can live forever.
In this lifethere is something that justifies
Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again.
Friends:
Truth will stand forever,
wrong will always be watched by God.
With Moral Values on center stage
it powers the future and our life.
Beloved,
behind the shadow
of the unfamiliar
stands God.
From within that shadow
God is keeping watch above.
In this lifethere is something
that justifies the biblical writer in saying,
You shall reap what you SOW!!!
This is a law-abiding universe.
This is a moral universe.
It centers on the foundation of moral values.
Beloved,
If you’re going to make your life better
you’ve got to go back and
recover your Lost Moral Value
that you’ve left behind.
And then there’s a second thing,
a second principle that you’ve got to go
back and recover.
You have to recover the knowledge
that all reality has spiritual control.
In other words beloved,you’ve got to go back
and recover the principle that there is a God
behind the process.
Now there may be someone
out there asking:
BISHOP HOUSTON
why are you pointing this out
this morning?
I’m listening to your ministry broadcast.
WELL I’M GLAD YOU ASKED!!!
The simple fact you’re listening to
From the Pulpit with Bishop Houston,
should mean you believe in God,
and if that’s the case you don’t need to go back
and recover that.
But now,
the simple fact that people take
out the time to go to church,
or listen to our program,
and the simple fact that people listened to
our Praise and Worship music
and they hear me pray,
does that mean they believe in God?
Well, there’s some truth in that.
But!!!
there are many thatconfirm the
existence of God with their lips
and deny His existence
with their life.
There is no life service.
You see Beloved,
the most dangerous type
of atheism is
not theoretically atheism,
but practical atheism.
This is the most dangerous
so called Christian.
I call them wolves in Christian Clothing.
The world, even the church
and Christian ministries
is filled with them.
There is always a danger.
You see they we will make it appear
externally that they believe in God
when internally they don’t.
Listen to what
Isaiah 29:13 says: (NCV)
13 The Lord says:
“These people worship me with their mouths,
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship is based on
nothing but human rules.
Listen to what
Matthew 15:8-9 (NCV)
8 ‘These people show honor to me with words,
but their hearts are far from me.
9 Their worship of me is worthless.
The things they teach are nothing but human rules.’”
Now listen to what Jesussaid in
Mark 7:6 (NCV)
6 Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right when he spoke about you hypocrites.
He wrote,‘These people show honor to me with words,
but their hearts are far from me.
Jesus even called
the wolves in Christian clothing
“Hypocrites.”
Beloved,
these are the people that
like to make a big appearance.
They say the right thing,
but their heart (mind and emotions)
isn’t in it. And their way of living is not pleasing to God.
These are the people that talk about
and belittle the addicted drug user
and alcoholic and prostitute.
But they’re under cover drinkers,
they’re undercover drug users
they’re sneaking around,
sleeping with someone’s husband
or someone’s wife.
These are the ones who are
out there having recreational sex.
They act like they’re worshiping God,
but they don’t mean it.
They just use God as a cover
for their philosophy or hidden agendas.
But let me tell you friends,
right now is the time to recover your
Priceless lost moral values.
God is about to step in
and astonish the world!!!
The so called intellectual ones
who thought they had it all
figured out will be exposed
and will look like fools.
The smart people who thought
they knew everything
will turn out to know nothing.
Beloved,
We live in the grace and mercy area.
The time is now!!!
Go recover your lost moral values!!!
But you know Friends,
I believe many have
unconsciously left God behind.
I don’t believe many
consciously done it.
You see in our text
it said, that Jesus’ parents
went a whole day’s
journey not knowing
that he wasn’t with them.
Beloved,
they didn’t consciously
leave Him behind.
It was unconscious.
They went a whole day
and didn’t even know it.
It wasn’t a conscious process.
You see, I don’t believe many
people grew up and said, I’m grown now,
I’m going to leave you nowgood-bye God
I don’t need Moral Values any more.
The materialism in America has
been an unconscious thing.
Since the rise of the
Industrial Revolution in England,
and then the invention of
all of our Smart appliances
and Smart devices
and all the modern conveniences-
Many have unconsciously
left God behind.
I believe they didn’t mean to do it.
They just became so involved in,
in getting their big bank accounts
that they unconsciously forgot about God-
they didn’t mean to do it.
They became so involved in getting their nice
new cars, that they forgot obedience
is better than sacrifice.
Many have gotten so involved
in what’s going on Saturday night.
They can’t get up to go to
church on Sunday morning
or get up to listen to
From the Pulpit with Bishop Houston
on their computers or smart devices..
Many get so caught up
that they make plans for all day Sunday.
Going to Church or listening to
From the Pulpit with Bishop Houston
is not part of the Sunday plan.
It was an unconscious thing-
they didn’t mean to do it.
Many became so involved
and fascinated by what’s going to
come on television that they found it a little
more convenient to stay at home
than to come to church
or turn on their computer or smart device
and to listen to From the Pulpit with Bishop Houston
It was an unconscious thing.
They didn’t mean to do it.
Beloved,
they didn’t just go up and say, now God, you’re gone.
They had gone a whole day’s journey,
and then they came to see that they had unconsciously
ushered God out of their life.
A whole day’s journey-
They didn’t mean to do it.
They just became so
involved in things
that they forgot about God.
And that’s the danger confronting
many of us, my friends.
Beloved,
in a nation as ours where we stress mass production,
where we have so many conveniences and luxuries
and smart devices, there is a danger that many
will unconsciously forget about God.
Now don’t get me wrong here!!!
I’m not saying that these things aren’t important,
we need them, we need cars, we need money,
all of that’s important to live.
But whenever they become
substitutes for God,
they become harmful.
And may I say to you this morning,
that none of these things
can ever be a real substitutes for God.
Automobiles and busses, televisions
and cell phones, computers, money-
can never be substitutes for God.
Before any of these came into existence,
we needed God.
And long after they
cease to exist,
we will still need God.
I say to you this morning
in conclusion that I’m not going to put
my ultimate faith in things.
I’m not going to put my ultimate
faith in Smart devices and gadgets.
As a middle aged man I decided a while back
to give my life to something eternal
and complete and unconditional.
Not to these little gods that are here today
and gone tomorrow.
But to God who is the same yesterday,
today, and forever.Not in the little gods
that can be with us in a
few moments of prosperity.
But in the God who walks with us through the valley
of the shadow of death, and causes us to fear no evil.
That’s the God.Not in the god
that can give us a few Cadillac Escalades
and Mercedes, BMWs, as nice as they are,
they’re in style today and out of style three years from
now.
I put my faith in God - Jehovah
who threw up the stars, to decorate the heavens
Not in the god that can throw up a few
skyscraping buildings,
but the God who threw up
the gigantic mountains, kissing the sky,
as if to bathe their peaks in the clouds.
Not in the god that can give us a few
smart televisions and smart phones,
but the God who threw up
that great cosmic light,
that gets up early in the morning
in the eastern horizon,
who paints its Technicolor
across the blue,
something that man could never do.
I’m not going to put my ultimate faith
in the little gods that can be destroyed
in an atomic age, but the God who has been
our help in ages past,and our hope for years to come,
and our shelter in the time of storm, and our eternal home.
That’s the God that
I’m putting my ultimate faith in.
That’s the God that I call upon
for you to worship this morning.
Beloved, go out and be assured
that God is going to last forever.
Storms might come and go.
Our great skyscraping buildings
will come and go.
Our beautiful automobiles
will come and go, but God will be here.
Plants may wither,
the flowers may fade away,
but the Word of our God
shall stand forever,
and nothing can ever stop Him.
All of the scud missiles in the world
can never reach God.
All of our atomic bombs
can never reach Him.
The God that I’m talking
about this morning
is the God of the universe
and the God that will last
through the ages.
Beloved,
if you’re going to go forward
this morning,
you’ve got to go back
and find that God.
That’s the God that demands and
commands your ultimate allegiance.
If you’re going to go forward,
you must go back
and recover your priceless moral values.
And remember
that all facts centers
its moral foundations
on truth that's spiritual controled.
