TOPICS
1 church and state
2 grace and faith in Christ
3 committing children to God
4 the new birth
5 schools
6 accepting Christ
7 altar call
8 God’s vengeance
9 Nazi hatred of Christ
10 Bible interpretation
11 Baptism and salvation
12 Free Government and Economics
13 Preaching
14 War and Military
15 The truth of Scripture
16 The purpose of the Lutheran Hour
17 Christ’s influence
18 Apologetics
19 Success of the Lutheran Hour
20 Abortion
21 The depravity of man
22 Moral Purity and the Christian Home
23 Traitors Within the Church
24 Christian Separation
25 Christian Persecution
26 Gambling
27 Slavery

1- CHURCH AND STATE
Now, the use of textbooks designed to teach children theories concerning the origin of life diametrically opposed to the plain teachings of the very first pages of the Bible not only constitutes a violation of that eminently American principle which separates the Church from the State and prohibits the teacher from interfering with the religious life of the pupil, but is also a major menace to our national welfare, a death-blow to the spiritual life of many children. (From the sermon “All Life From God” 1937, that appears in the book The Cross From Coast to Coast, pg 79)

In your own community speak out bravely against everyone who publicly ridicules the Lord Jesus, against schoolteachers who, violating the constitutionally guaranteed separation of Church and State, misuse their tax-paid positions to inculcate unbelief and contradiction of Scripture. The reason denial of Bible truth has grown so alarmingly in the United States is partially due to the tragedy that too often church members sit by unconcernedly while the disciples of doubt and denial spread their sinister poison. [From the sermon “Fight for the Faith”, which is included in the book “Let Us Return Unto the Lord” 1946]

This account of the cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem takes us back to the days of King Hezekiah, who began to rule Israel according to God’s Word. If only those in charge of governmental affairs throughout the world were guided by the same loyalty to God which that young ruler showed, we would certainly witness much less of the brutality and bloodshed provoked twice in our generation by men who worshiped themselves instead of the Almighty. (From the sermon “O GOD CLEANSE OUR CHURCHES” by Dr. Walter A. Maier, from the book “America Turn To Christ’ page 200).

Defend America by purifying its political life! Exercise your privilege and responsibilities as citizens! Send men to the legislatures who cannot be bought, who refuse to connive with evil, and will stop the enactment of legislation contrary to divine Law! Give us patriots instead of politicians, Christian statesmen rather than partisan leaders, and America, under God, will be defended. (Walter A. Maier, From the sermon “God is Our Defense” Nov. 1941, in the book “For Christ And Country”, page 51)

Finally it must be clear to every one of us that by dethroning God as Creator and making men accidental beasts, atheists are promoting sin, vice, immorality, and giving free reign to lust. If there is no almighty Ruler who brought us into being; if there is no judge of eternity before whom “every one of us shall give account of himself”; if there is no heaven and no hell, why worry about truth, honesty, purity, love, faithfulness? Why keep your pledges and promises? Why try to help your fellow men? Why be restricted by marriage? Why not glory in war, revel in bloodshed, gloat over others in agony? Why not carouse, lie and steal, kill, curse, and crush your fellow men, pander to your passions, live as animals in unbridled lust, close the churches, chop down the cross of Christ, stop the preaching of His Gospel? These are the logical extremes of godlessness. (Walter A. Maier, sermon JESUS CHRIST IS YOUR GOD, in book GLOBAL BROADCASTS OF HIS GRACE, PAGE 97)

What is more, certain misguided city governments are making immorality easy and accessible.  In this national crisis especially we should have emergency legislation abolishing all commercialized vice, as far as possible removing that damnable temptation.  During these difficult times we ought to close every saloon and dance hall where the morals of youth are attacked.  We should ban every lascivious magazine from the mails and public distribution.  The Government should clamp down on the licentious entertainments.  With every power at our disposal as citizens and Christians we should help clean up these appalling conditions and reinforce our national reserve of righteousness. (Triumph over Temptation, by Walter A. Maier, 1941, from the book “FOR CHRIST AND COUNTRY” page 77)

Communists lie when they label our faith a national foe.  Wherever Christ’s Gospel reigns, the power of idolatry and paganism has been broken, tyranny and brutality checked, polygamy and divorce restricted, women and children elevated, the home and family firmly established, slavery and oppression abolished, labor and industry exalted, ignorance and superstition banished, schools and colleges multiplied, the sick and the needy supplied, hospitals and orphanages fostered, and a thousand more blessings otherwise impossible systematically promoted. Without the influence of the Gospel there would be no permanently free nation on the face of the earth today. (From the sermon “For Christ and Country” by Dr. Walter A. Maier, from the book by the same name, page 322-323)

True pastors do not preach politics or engage in impressive demonstrations to attract public attention.  In a quiet, unassuming way they occupy themselves with strengthening men’s souls, and thus build our spiritual defenses. (From the sermon “For Christ and Country” by Dr. Walter A. Maier, from the book by the same name, page 322-323)

The Supreme Court of the United States has officially stated, “This is a Christian nation,” not is the sense, of course, that we have an official religion or that the country does not tolerate all creeds, but because, as the highest court explains, the founding fathers, the original charters, the early practices throughout the country were distinctly Christian.  Our blessings come from the Bible, from the Savior, from His Gospel. (From the sermon “For Christ and Country” by Dr. Walter A. Maier, from the book by the same name, page 323)

Communism’s hatred for the Savior’s followers has been written in blood.  A conservative scholar estimates that 1,860,000 Christians, regarded as enemies of their government, were slaughtered in a single year, 1918.  American church members cannot close their eyes to the growing specter of Communism and collectivism.  To my mind it constitutes one of the major menaces of tomorrow; we should use every means at our disposal to counteract its growth within our boundaries.(From the sermon “For Christ and Country” by Dr. Walter A. Maier, from the book by the same name, page 323)

What the United States -- indeed, the whole world -- needs is statesmen who can honestly be pictured with the Bible, men who can truly be represented as petitioning the Almighty, even as a famous canvas immortalizes George Washington at Valley Forge, interceding with the Ruler of the nations. (From the 1947 sermon "Heaven is Your -- Through Christ", found in the book "Global Broadcasts of His Grace" page 158)

When men rightly fear that the next struggle with its atomic annihilation can wipe out more civilians and soldiers in a single night than the horrifying total of the military dead in the whole last war, may the eyes of mankind be trained on Christ! He cried out against the hatreds and selfish passions which draft men for opposing armies; He condemned the cruelty of aggressive warfare; He forbade His followers to lift a sword even in his behalf; He pleaded for peace; and in an age that has seen one proposal for a warless world after another collapse in failure, He directs mankind to the only pathway which can ever lead to peace. Yet -- may Heaven forgive us! -- Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is systematically barred from the peace conferences in progress today. In a New York City assembly room devoted to United Nations' meetings a costly painting showing Christ instituting Holy Communion looks down upon the delegates, many of whom ridicule the salvation which that sacred Supper would assure and seal for every believer. O God, turn the eyes of the world to Thy Son for His blessed, building peace!
(Heaven is Yours - Through Christ 1947)

Christ is not only "a king"; He is the King, "the King of Kings," "the Lord of lords," the Ruler of rulers. He regulates this entire universe with its billions of stars. He controls the trillions of human beings in all history. He produces and uses the mighty forces of nature. He directs the course of human events. "In him we live and move and have our being." Whether you realize it or not, you, as every person, are subject to Him in His Kingdom of Power.(Heaven is Yours - Through Christ 1947)

Because Pilate misunderstood this universal rule, Christ hastened to add, "My kingdom is not of this world," that is, not after the manner of earthly monarchies and the pattern of princely rule which men see. Thank God for that! Human kings have often secured their thrones by fraud and falsehood, brutality and bloodshed; but Jesus reigns as the divine Creator. Monarchs among men have sometimes been sensual degenerates, selfish criminals, with hands and souls stained by the crimson blood of their murdered victims; but our Lord rules with righteousness and justice. The mightiest potentates have lived their brief span and disappeared in death; but of our Redeemer even the Old Testament records, "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever!" The crowned heads of this world have waged costly, deadly warfare; but Jesus tells Pilate: "If My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered." Reread these words and realize that the son of God never wants His Church to engage in bloody conflict; He condemns those gory butchers who under the banner of the cross, in the name of His truth, with the sanction of churches, have cut down in cold blood their fellow men who refused to believe as they did. Behold the Lord of love, when weak and wan, torn and tormented, He faces Pilate! As the King of compassion, He condemns those who have sought to spread or defend His Gospel with the sword (Heaven is Yours - Through Christ 1947)

The Savior tells us, too, "My kingdom is not of this world," to remind those who love Him that they should shun fleshly means of extending His realm. He does not want churches which bear His holy name to heap up inordinate wealth, overlarge real-estate holdings, bulging bank deposits, while hundreds of millions in our war torn world are starving, physically and spiritually. He forbids His followers to use illegal means of raising funds for His cause. In Christ's work, contrary to the teaching of some creeds, the end never justifies the means. Gambling, in its fine and gross forms, or profiteering in the name of religion, is abhorrent to the Christ who drove the money-changers from the temple. Our Lord does not want His church in politics any more that He wants the state to intrude upon religion. He asks for the sacrifice of loving hearts, not for suppers and socials as substitutes for generous giving. (Heaven is Yours - Through Christ 1947)

Learn also from these words, "My kingdom is not of this world," that you have no reason to expect worldly, financial, or social rewards from following Christ. His disciples hoped He would establish a mighty kingdom here on earth, and repeatedly they debated the question, who is to have the positions of highest importance in the new realm? Today, likewise, misguided people reach out for selfish rewards in following Jesus. They look forward to a time when the believers will be happy, healthy, wealthy, in a kingdom of might here below, forgetting entirely the plain truth of these clear words, "My kingdom is not of this world." Every Bible reader ought to know, in protest, that the Savior's Word reminds us, "We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." Millions of believers in our age have realized the heavy truth of this statement in the suffering and sorrows laid upon them. "The disciple is not above his Master," Jesus told us, and He added, "If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you." The victims of Fascist and Communist mass murders who suffered or died for their loyalty to the Lord know certainly that His realm "is . . . not from hence," as the Son of God said, referring to this globe.
(Heaven is Yours - Through Christ 1947)

Today a New York freethinkers’ publishing company sends many of you a folder with lust-filled illustrations, which clearly ought to be denied the privileges of the United States mail. I have asked the post office officials in Washington to bar this offensive circular; somehow the authorities have not seen fit to banish this sacrilegious, obscene attack on the Bible. [From the sermon “Build Your Home on Christ”, Jan 1945, from the book, “Jesus Christ Our Hope”.]

No believer can ever exalt leaders who are against God and His Son, who have persecuted Christians, destroyed churches, boasted of their blasphemy, advocated the overthrow of our form of government, and agitated for world revolution—no matter how closely these men may be allied with us! Don’t write me that I am preaching politics when I say this! Was Isaiah preaching politics when he denounced godless Ahaz? Was Jeremiah preaching politics when he attacked Jehoiakim? Was John the Baptist preaching politics when he assailed Herod? How can you expect me to see my Lord and Savior viciously blasphemed—and not protest? If anyone in Moscow, in Berlin, or for that matter in Washington, cries out against Christ, I cry out against him. [From the sermon “Christ, Make Us New Creatures!” 1945, from the book, “Jesus Christ Our Hope” page 246.]

While everyone of us should prepare to cast an intelligent, prayerful ballot at each election, the salvation of America requires far more than a Republican or a Democratic victory. It demands, first of all, a repentant return to God, national and individual, admission of our sins and a humble trust in the saving Christ. [From the sermon “Jesus Christ is Our Hope”, October 1944]

But do not for a moment believe that this sword-smiting religion is only a matter of ancient and medieval history. Today, in the year of grace 1931, we think of the modern counterpart of all this in the form of political activities led by professional “reformers” operating under the Church’s sanction and with salaries paid by the Church. We think of the political lobbies maintained by American churches in the national capital and in the political centers of our States, of the conscious and defiant utterances of churchmen who still contend, in spite of all past tragedies to which this principle has given expression, that the Church must direct the political affairs of the American nation. We think of the lamentable fact that too many Scriptural texts become merely political pretexts, that too many militant clergymen are really virulent policemen, and we realize that this spirit of Peter, far from being extinct, flourishes today as one of the greatest dangers threatening the welfare of our country, — flourishes to promote bigotry and intolerance in our own lives, to make us think of the Church, as Peter did, in terms of merely human and perverted ideals. [From the sermon “Shall We Smite with the Sword” found in the book “The Lutheran Hour”, page 208.]

Here are Christ’s words, words of im-perishable truth, “The Son of Man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” If Christ were with us here in the United States today, His voice of warning would also be raised, we may well believe, against those aggressive interferences in the political life of the nation on the part of church organizations which have gone beyond the scope of their province in busying themselves with economic issues, with political problems, and with purely governmental questions. He would not countenance the campaigns conducted by church federa-tions to mold popular opinion in regard to such purely partisan issues as the entrance of our country into the League of Nations or the adoption or modification of inter-national treaties. He would disavow the outspoken pacifist tendencies of certain religious groups, the iron-fisted con-trol which some churches wield in the petty circles of ward and city politics, the customary procedure of church-bodies in passing political resolutions or endorsing political can-didates at their annual conventions, and the whole unholy relation by which the spirtual power of the Church is prostituted, its appeal to the soul materialized, and its inner effectiveness hopelessly paralyzed. [From the sermon “Shall We Smite with the Sword” found in the book “The Lutheran Hour”, page 209.]

2- GRACE AND FAITH IN CHRIST
Jesus is ready to forgive you freely, if only with faith in Him as God’s Son and your Redeemer you penitently beseech His mercy.  Anyone can come to Christ, no matter how high or how low he may be in the scale of human favor; everyone, but particularly you; any time, but especially now, when the Spirit knocks at your heart, can be the right time to approach Him for His pardon and His blessed peace. (From the sermon TRIUMPH OVER TEMPTATION, found in the book FOR CHRIST AND COUNTRY, PAGE 74)

    Now forget the rest of humanity for a moment and concentrate on yourself! Review your own transgressions, your hate-filled, lust-laden thoughts, your cruel, cutting words, your shameful acts, sometimes hidden from human gaze, but--be sure of this!--known in all their sordid details to the holy God; and as His Word and your conscience remind you that you cannot stand before Him with unforgiven transgressions, I ask you: do you know any man, saint, or angel who can transfer your guilt to himself? But Jesus, precious Jesus did” “His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree,” His cross is your defense against sin; His blood, your defense against hell; His death your defense against the decay of the grave. When Christ is enthroned in your heart, you can face an accusing conscience with the triumph: “Jesus ‘is my Defense!”  “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercessions for us.” With the Savior controlling your life, you can reject the coaxing of satanic temptations. When doubts assail you, you can push them aside to declare: “Jesus ‘is my Defense!”  “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” If Christ is your Lord, you can face divine justice and though your sins are many, grievous, and disheartening, tell of Judge of eternity: “O Father, Jesus is my Defense.” “He was wounded for’ my ‘transgressions, He was bruised for’ my ‘iniquities.”
(From the sermon “God is Our Defense” Nov. 1941, in the book “For Christ And Country”)

What endless love are contained in that short five-letter word, grace! Consult your dictionaries to find its exact meaning, and you will discover that it is widely used in law, royalty, music, sports, in a dozen other ways!  But take your Bible, stand beneath Calvary’s cross, and “grace” has only one ever-blessed assurance.  It is the mercy of God in Jesus; it is Christ’s compassion, the love that brought Him from heaven’s highest glories to be born of a virgin on this earth of evil and sorrow, to live as a man among men, yet without sin, and then, as the “Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world,” to bear in His own holy body the transgressions of every man, woman, child during the past, present, and future of all history.  Forcefully does Scripture teach C and nothing else is the Bible truth concerning our Lord’s grace -- that His death on the cross was the one perfect, all-sufficient, all-embracing sacrifice for human iniquity.  He left nothing undone, unpaid, unfinished.  His mercy cannot be bought, earned, or received as a reward.  It is not restricted to a few or reserved for those classified as the most unselfish or most virtuous among men. Your eternity in heaven or in hell, joy indescribable, face to face forever with Jesus, or banishment never ending, in darkness and death, this is the “either-or” that always comes with the acceptance or rejection of divine grace. [From the sermon “The Beautiful Savior” 1941, which is included in the book “For Christ and Country”.]

Believe Him, not merely with a denominational faith, a church faith, a family faith, but with your own personal conviction which joins the Apostle in declaring, “I know whom I have believed!” [From the sermon “Jesus Christ is Our Hope”, October 1944]

Once more I call your attention to the truth that the Apostle is not satisfied with declaring all religions—any kind of creed—are the hope of the world. He does not want—and neither should we—the easy, pleasant, soft, sweet delusions which prate about man’s goodness, but stifle the subject of sin, insist that all are on the road to heaven, but call the Savior Himself narrow and bigoted when He declares, “No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him.” [From the sermon “Jesus Christ is Our Hope”, October 1944]

Why is Christ our Hope? First, because He is our God. Therefore nothing is impossible for Him to whom all power is given “in heaven and in earth.” He can succeed when experts fail. He can make peace when we can see only further war. He, without whom “was not anything made that was made,” who upholds “all things” in the vastness of this universe “by the Word of His power,” who can move dictators as though they were helpless puppets and destroy haughty nations in a twinkling—this same Jesus can richly supply your every need, graciously share your burdens, miraculously, if necessary, rescue you from danger. [From the sermon “Jesus Christ is Our Hope”, October 1944]

Men lie when even in the name of religion, they systematically deny that Jesus is the Savior of mankind and, contradicting the sacred promise that "whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life," teach that He is the Redeemer only of a select few. They lie when they claim the atonement He purchased with His blood is not enough to free us from our sins, that we ourselves must earn and pay our own way into heaven, when His Word testifies to the truth that "by one offering He has perfected forever them that are sanctified." [From the sermon, “Join the Jury Trying Jesus” 1947.]

3- COMMITTING CHILDREN TO GOD
Then, perhaps, Job presented his sons and daughters to Heaven with words like these: "Ever-living God of our fathers, here are my children. I give them to thee for service to thy holy name." Today we need a similar presentation of the family to the Lord. An increasing number of believers consecrate their new homes to Jesus. Even more important, however, is this, that our families, every member in them, sanctify themselves to the Savior in true, trusting faith. (from "Global Broadcasts of His Grace", page 11, sermon, " Give Your Home To God")

4- THE NEW BIRTH
So, from illustrious university circles to illiterate groups we see clearly that education, higher or lower, in itself is no guarantee for goodness. Besides training the mind, we must purify and strengthen the soul; and for that we need the abiding presence of God the Holy Spirit. We must be born again by faith; we must become new creatures in Jesus. (From "Global Broadcasts of His Grace", page 138, sermon, "Join the Jury Trying Jesus".

We look the same after this rebirth as before, but we cannot act the same.  A real change has come from within.  We who hated God begin to love Him.  Those who ridiculed a rejected Christ now show Him reverence.  Those who served sin now serve Jesus.  Habitual drunkards write us to testify that after hearing the broadcast Word the power of alcohol has been broken.  Self-confessed atheists testify that they have become humble believers’ would-be suicides that they have found life eminently worth while when lived for Jesus.  Scoffers have converted their blasphemy to testimony, their foul-mouthed profanity to praise for Christ.  Parents who wickedly plotted to destroy their unborn children have learned to stop this murder, welcome and cherish the baby that came to them as God’s gift. In hundreds of ways by the Spirit’s power working through these broadcasts, lives have been remade, the desires of the heart directed from sin to the Savior, the understanding of the Scriptures opened and simplified, as men who before their conversion had sought contradictions in the Bible now bow before its harmony.(From the sermon “Are You “Born Again”?, in the book For Christ and Country, page 175, first aired January 1942)

John Newton went to sea as a young man and early learned the shocking blasphemies of coarse unbelief. He deserted the Navy, was whipped and demoted. He sank lower and lower, until he lived on an African plantation, shunned even by slaves, and taunted by his native master. Then, after he had been spared in a terrific storm at sea, he turned to God in his utter despair, made time to read the Bible and pray, was graciously converted, and later helped break the tyranny of slavery. He became an energetic minister of the Gospel and the author of hymns which have brought joy to millions. On his deathbed he declared, "I know two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Jesus Christ is a great Savior." His tombstone bears this inscription: "John Newton . . . once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy." The Holy Spirit can work the same wondrous change in you, if you only acclaim God's Son your Redeemer and, trusting Him, are born again into the new and heaven-blessed life. [From the sermon, “Join the Jury Trying Jesus” 1947.]

5- SCHOOLS
In too many cases such schools have become hotbeds of infidelity and hatred of the Redeemer. As some of you parents know from bitter experience, young people who enter colleges as happy, trusting believers, leave as dissatisfied, sophisticated skeptics. Particularly in times like these, when the nation needs spiritual strength for its first line of defense, we must keep Christ in our culture. Therefore, if you fathers and mothers want your children to attend a college in which Biblical religion, far from being assailed, will be exalted, write me for a list of spiritually accredited colleges connected with my Church! (Walter A. Maier, Keep America Christian, from the book For Christ and Country, page 198)

Similar slander is being taught in certain American colleges and universities.  Bertrand Russell, whose lectures are compulsory for some public schoolteachers in New York City, declared, “I say quite deliberately that the Christian religion as organized in its churches has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world.”  And in a hundred different ways campus men and women, except in Christian, church-maintained schools, which deserve your special support, are often instructed to regard our faith as an outworn superstition, hostile to the masses, thwarting progress, a menace to democratic development. (For Christ and Country, a sermon by Dr. Walter A. Maier, from the book by the same name, page 321)

Today much of public education is pointedly antireligious, with a deep-rooted determination on the part of many teachers (whose salaries are paid from public funds) to poison young minds against the Bible. Most of you have no idea of the startling extent to which textbooks used in many public schools feature an away-from-God tendency. (Walter A. Maier, Keep America Christian, from the book For Christ and Country)

If our youth is trained to be mentally cunning instead of spiritually good; if its education molds the brain but neglects the soul; if schools refuse to recognize sin and wrong, have no place for God and His grace in Christ, can you not see, should this treachery toward our youth assume control of American education, that the ship of our state may slowly but surely be steered toward destruction on the rocky shoals of unbelief? (From the sermon “God is Our Defense” Nov. 1941, in the book “For Christ And Country”)

This defiant doubt and proud denial rules much of our world today. It is found in high schools, when teachers deliberately go out of their way in holding up God’s Word to derision, and sneer, “Does anyone still believe the Bible?” The same we-don’t-believe-it-because-you-can’t-prove-it spirit holds sway in many colleges and universities, even — we say this with especial regret — in schools founded by churches. A few days ago a student at a Minnesota college which was established and supported by Christians wrote me: “My biology professor is an atheist and an evolutionist. My English teacher tells us that the Bible is merely a book of old literature, most of it legend. Thank God, I was reared in a Christian home, and my faith cannot be moved. But I have seen students come here in faith and leave for home evolutionists and doubters.” If even church schools thus reject divine truth, what can we expect of colleges where Christian influence is ruled out from the very start? (From “For Christ and Country”, sermon “Away With Unbelief! Believe!”.)

Now, the use of textbooks designed to teach children theories concerning the origin of life diametrically opposed to the plain teachings of the very first pages of the Bible not only constitutes a violation of that eminently American principle which separates the Church from the State and prohibits the teacher from interfering with the religious life of the pupil, but is also a major menace to our national welfare, a death-blow to the spiritual life of many children.  Will you parents, whom God has appointed the human guardians of the souls of your own flesh and blood, not be ready to protest against such a diabolical attack?  You spend much time and money to see that your girls and boys get proper food, that they are guarded against contagious diseases and accident.  Will you not also watch over their spiritual life, so that their minds are not fed with this slow poison and they are not afflicted with the contagion that infects the soul?  Speak out in protest to the teachers and principals in schools that feature these unscientific and withal destructive teachings!(From the sermon “All Life From God” 1937, that appears in the book The Cross From Coast to Coast, pg79)

These five eternally precious words, “Jesus Christ…is our Hope,” should banish the thought that science, culture, education, are the saviors of our world. If they were, why would relatively many college professors and honor students take their own lives? Human ingenuity can make robot bombs sixty feet long, leaded with explosives, and then declare these hellish instruments of death outmoded as new and even more devastating means of destruction are devised; but all superminds throughout the ages, of themselves, have never discovered the means of speaking peace to a grief-gripped soul, pardon to a sin-burdened heart. [From the sermon “Jesus Christ is Our Hope”, October 1944]


6- ACCEPTING CHRIST
The Holy Spirit can work the same wondrous change in you, if you only acclaim God's Son your Redeemer and, trusting Him, are born again into the new and heaven-blessed life. (Dr. Walter A. Maier, from the sermon "JOIN THE JURY TRYING JESUS" found in the book "Global Broadcasts of His Grace")

At some time every one who has ever heard the history of Christ's death and the message of His mercy must declare Him either true or false. You can sidestep a verdict on a thousand other issues; but once you know, as I now declare, that our Lord was sentenced to the cross as a vicious criminal, and that He died there to remove your sins, you put yourself on record for or against Him. [From the sermon, “Join the Jury Trying Jesus” 1947.]

My fellow redeemed, if you want a sure protection against evil, acclaim Christ your own Savior! Accept Him now! A day; even an hour’s hesitation, my prove too long and too late. (From the sermon “God is Our Defense” Nov. 1941, in the book “For Christ And Country”)

The day on which your sons and daughters accept the Lord Jesus will be far more important in eternity than the day when they receive their high school diploma or college degree, or the time they develop successful business or professional careers. ( from "Global Broadcasts of His Grace", page 12, sermon, " Give Your Home To God")

Now, if you accept this magnificent mercy — but the word “accept” is altogether too weak — if you believe that Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, and humbly come to Him with your guilt, trusting His promise: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool”; if at the cross you confess yourself a lost, damned sinner, but Jesus your sin-conquering Redeemer, then, by grace, through faith, heaven is yours. (W. A. M. Heaven is Yours — through Christ, Global broadcasts of His Grace page 168)

Do not repeat what a man told me on the Pacific Coast last Sunday! He walked over twenty miles to attend our meeting in the Santa Ana Bowl; and as the tears rolled down his face, he said that no one had ever asked him personally to accept the Lord as his Savior. For now I ask all of you individually to receive Jesus, acclaim Him your Savior, crown Him your King, love Him with all your heart, soul, and might. In this broadcast Jesus approaches you, as once after His resurrection he drew near Thomas. God grant that you will come to Him in contrite faith! (From “For Christ and Country”, sermon “Away With Unbelief! Believe!”.)

    My fellow redeemed, I pause to ask whether you have that faith. Can you say, not only, “We believe, we in our church, we in our Bible class, we in our Sunday school, we in our home,’ but also, “I myself, convinced of my own sin, yet trusting in the Savior’s greater grace for me, believe that Jesus is ‘my Lord and my God’”? (From “For Christ and Country”, sermon “Away With Unbelief! Believe!”.)

7- ALTAR CALL
Today Christ stands at your door, seeking entrance into your soul, with a treasure a million times larger than the world's most productive oil fields. Let me tell it to you again slowly: He offers you pardon for all your sins, peace with God, a cleansed conscience, victory over hell, triumph over your temptations, a new, Spirit-born life, courage in every fear-filled moment, answer to your prayers, strength in your afflictions, hope in your troubles, comfort in your sorrows, soul profit in your losses, help in every need, guidance in uncertainty, life after death, heaven after this earth! With "the riches of His grace" yours, through humble, trusting faith, receive Him now as your Redeemer and Ruler! Cast your ballot on this jury for the sinless Sufferer! Stand up for Jesus even though you have to pay a penalty for your loyalty to the Lord! Tell the world: This Prisoner whom wicked men have sentenced to the cross is not only innocent and stainless, not only the loving Rescuer of the race; above all, He is my God and my Savior! Repeat that with me now, aloud, right before your radios: "Jesus is my God and my Savior!" Then listen closely as His Word of truth that can never be broken promises you, directly and personally, "Whosoever . . . shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven"! O gracious God, bring all of us together before Thy throne, through Thy saving Son, who died for us and went to prepare our personal place in Paradise! Amen! (Dr. Walter A. Maier, from the sermon "JOIN THE JURY TRYING JESUS" found in the book "Global Broadcasts of His Grace")

Have you accepted Jesus as your own Savior and His Word as the promise of your salvation? may God give you His grace, first to realize that you have heard the question of paramount importance in human life and then to answer this question with a ringing conviction that in Christ’s truth and freedom the search for your happiness has found its goal. (From “Christ’s Estimate of the Scriptures” 1930, which is included in the book “The Lutheran Hour” 1931)


8- GOD'S VENGEANCE
God can take horrifying revenge. . . . Soon after the Voodoo worshipers on Martinique Island nailed a pig to a cross in ridicule of the Redeemer, the fires of Mount Pelee flared high, the molten lava spewed down its side, and the sacrilegious natives were destroyed. Within our generation the boasting, blatant agents of atheism who control wide world fronts today will also be cast down in utter defeat. Look at the ruins to which Jerusalem was reduced during the generation after the Savior's crucifixion! Literally, in many cases, not one stone was left upon another. Read in accounts of atrocities such as the world has seldom seen, how mothers ate their own children, and mad cannibalism accompanied the terror of starvation; how the proud city was all but wiped off the face of the earth, as in truth Jesus showed that He did remember those who had struck Him, bound and blindfolded! Let America, blessed immeasurably more than Judea, survey the sweep of divine wrath on Jerusalem and heed Scripture's warning, "The nation and kingdom that will not serve Thee shall perish!" (Dr. Walter A. Maier, from the sermon "JOIN THE JURY TRYING JESUS" found in the book "Global Broadcasts of His Grace")

9- NAZI HATRED OF CHRIST
In Germany Nazi critics of the Church berate the Gospel not merely as weak and effeminate but also as directly contrary to their country’s welfare.  They continue the blasphemy of Friedrich Nietzsche, who wrote, “I call Christianity the one great curse, . . . the one indelible blot upon the achievement of man.” (For Christ and Country, a sermon by Dr. Walter A. Maier, from the book by the same name, page 321)

10- BIBLE INTERPRETATION
The tragedy which divides churches is the indifference to sound doctrine.  They refuse to give the Lord’s Word preference over man’s, follow tradition and emotions rather than the Law and the Gospel, and are unwilling to let the Bible be the final authority in Christian faith and life. (From the sermon “The Power of Pentecost” 1943, included in the book “America Turn To Christ”.)

Now, just what did Jesus do? With more books written about Him than any other figure in history; with His Word and work debated for centuries in every country of the world, you must learn to think clearly and be guided by what the Bible says. (W. A. M. Heaven is Yours — through Christ, Global broadcasts of His Grace page 168)

11- BAPTISM AND SALVATION
Ninth, the Christian faith offers the blessing of Baptism, through which, when you trust the Savior's mercy, your guilt is washed away. (From the Lutheran Hour sermon "Fight For The Faith" that first aired in January 1946 )

"Do not be misled by those who say that Baptism is not important. They contradict Christ. They put their own opinion above Scripture. Take Jesus at His word, and you will find that through Baptism -- and I mean of course, not merely the performance of the ritual itself, but by your personal faith in Jesus and in His promise -- the Holy Ghost unmistakably comes to you." (The Power of Pentecost, a 1943 sermon by Dr. Walter A. Maier, included in the book “America Turn To Christ”.)

Those Pentecost converts not only repented and believed, they were also baptized, following Peter's plain direction, "Be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins!" That has always been the order in His kingdom: repentance, faith, and baptism. Besides granting us pardon for all our wrongs, the Savior has also given us the ordinance of Holy Baptism as a visible assurance that our sins have been washed away. (From the sermon, The Power of Pentecost, which first aired in 1943; found in the book America Turn To Christ)

Do not be misled by the pious patter which pictures all men as good! I tell you from God's Word that by nature all men are bad! Scripture asserts, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Do not be duped by the pernicious promise that all men are going to heaven! I tell you in God's name that without Christ all men are going to hell. Jesus Himself - and He never makes a mistake - warns, "He that believeth not shall be damned." Do not imperil your soul by thinking, "I can enjoy life for a while and then repent later"! You may never have another chance to approach the Almighty. (From the sermon, The Power of Pentecost, which first aired in 1943; found in the book America Turn To Christ)

Don’t say, “I was baptized and confirmed!” That alone—without your own personal reliance on your Redeemer—can never save you. You yourself must approach the Savior, sincerely confess your own sins, penitently seek His forgiveness, and assuredly cling to the promises of His grace. (From the sermon, “Build Your Home on Christ,” which first aired in January 1945, From the book “Jesus Christ our Hope”)

12- ECONOMICS
What does our country require in this crisis? The Christian idea of business and labor as a service, as an expression of Jesus' Golden Rule, "As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise," or capitalists and laborers striving to secure the highest possible prices, income or wages, while millions of young military men risk their lives at hardly ten dollars a week? (From the 1942 sermon, "Christ's Challenge to Seventy Million American Unbelievers", found in the book "For Christ and Country".)

We, as Americans, should gratefully concur in the words of an eminent modern authority in political science: “The idea of legally establishing inalienable, inherent, and sacred rights of the individual is… in reality the fruit of the Reformation and its struggle,” [From the sermon “Life’s Searching Inquiry”, that is included in the book “The Lutheran Hour” 1931]

The Communist creed lies when it makes Christ a Friend of the rich and the capitalists, but an enemy of the poor and the workingmen. Has anyone throughout history ever championed the cause of the downtrodden, the sick, the starving, the enslaved, as our Lord did? The followers of Karl Marx lie when in tall letters they print this falsehood on their public buildings: "Religion" [and they mean especially the Christian religion, the Gospel of the Savior slain for the sins of an evil world] "is the opiate of the masses" -- the drug that puts people to sleep and keeps them from enjoying their right and liberties. For where in all the ages can you find a force that has even approached Christ's Evangel as an agency of freedom, blessing, progress, prosperity, both spiritual and material for the whole human race? [From the sermon, “Join the Jury Trying Jesus” 1947.]


13- PREACHING
Therefore, fortify America by keeping Jesus in the churches built and dedicated to the glory of His name! Every Christian pastor who, seeking to please God rather than men, avoids, soft, Christless preaching and instead reveals God’s whole truth, the punishment of His Law and the promise of our Savior’s pardon, increases spiritual reserve. [From the sermon “God is Our Defense” Nov. 1941, in the book “For Christ And Country”]

14- WAR AND MILITARY
In a world of international greed, hatred, bloodshed, the United States should have a strong, complete defense. It is the earnest prayer of every American Christian that our country be adequately protected and made too strong for successful attack by any foreign foe. That is in harmony with the Bible -- and it is good common sense. The writers of the sacred Scriptures and the founding fathers were not pacifists; and neither should we be. They never entertained the mistaken notion that the world was continually improving and that therefore it was unnecessary for us to have strong military and naval forces; and neither should we, in a world aflame with the fire of war, stop short of protecting our homeland adequately. [From the sermon “God is Our Defense” Nov. 1941, in the book “For Christ And Country”]

Instead of glorifying war we should recognize even the most justified struggle as a visitation from the Almighty directed to bring us down on our knees in contrition and faith. [From the sermon “Jesus Christ is Our Hope”, October 1944]

Have we within the last quarter of a century, however, not gone much farther “in the way of Cain” than the bloodthirsty tyrants of Jude’s day? The last seven years recorded more than 42,000,000 military and civilian casualties on the field of one war! Not even a madman like Nero could approach that figure; and the vilest of those ancient fiends could learn something from Nazi and Nipponese torture camps. Have we on this side of the oceans done our utmost to avoid “the way of Cain”? [From the sermon “Fight for the Faith”, which is included in the book “Let Us Return Unto the Lord” 1946]

15- THE TRUTH OF SCRIPTURE
Tremendous sums have been spent in the effort to discredit His Gospel; long lifetimes of hate-filled study have been devoted to the one unholy purpose of attempting to show errors in Christ’s teachings; millions have been martyred when foes of the faith sought to destroy the church; but all these mad ventures have failed. No man has ever succeeded in producing one real, fact-founded charge against the blessed Redeemer. Therefore, when He promises Paradise; when His errorless Word guarantees, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”; when the Bible abounds in assurances like: “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved,” “He died for ALL,” you can be absolutely certain that heaven is yours when Jesus is yours.

The Bible does what no other volume has ever achieved -- prophesy future events with accurate truth.  If you yourself need a convincing demonstration of the Scriptures’ power; if you want to persuade some skeptic that the Sacred Volume is the errorless truth, take recourse to the proof furnished by fulfilled prophecy.  The Bible must come from God, for only He knows the future; He alone could reveal, centuries in advance, the startling course of our Savior’s life, death, resurrection, as well as scores of other events in the histories of individuals and nations. [From the sermon “The Beautiful Savior” 1941, which is included in the book “For Christ and Country”.]

16- THE PURPOSE OF THE LUTHERAN HOUR
“The Lutheran Hour - Bringing Christ to the Nations,” is fighting the battle for conservative, Scriptural, fundamental Christianity throughout the land.(From the sermon “America Embattled” 12-14-1941, in the book “For Christ and Country”)

Our Bringing Christ to the Nations broadcast is committed to use every available station throughout the world for the purpose of showing men that they are sinners and convincing them by the Holy Spirit that they are saved by faith in the cleansing blood, the atoning death, and the life-giving resurrection of Christ.(From the sermon, The Power of Pentecost, which first aired in 1943; found in the book America Turn To Christ)

17- CHRIST’S INFLUENCE
People with the average quota of common sense can see that Jesus has showered benefits on the whole race.  They recognize that it was He who helped the downtrodden groups of mankind, liberated womanhood from the tyranny of lust, elevated childhood from the depths of despair, turned the toil of slavery into the honor of labor, changed the hideousness of heathendom into decent, progressive society — in short, heaped multiplied blessings on all classes and centuries of men. (From the sermon, “Who is This Jesus” 1941, in the book “For Christ and Country”)

18- APOLOGETICS
    If you ever feel, as Thomas did, that you want proof before you believe — and moments of doubt can come upon the most firmly rooted in the faith — then remember how unhesitatingly some of the mightiest minds have welcomed Christ in faith, instead of demanding proof. William Kitchen Parker, anatomical authority, asserted: “All through these fifty years the joy of the Lord has been my strength and ... the four Gospels ... have been the strength of my life. They have lifted up my mind.” Alexander McAllister, physiologist at Cambridge University, declared: “It has been my experience that disbelief in the ... death and resurrection of our Savior is more prevalent among what I may call the camp followers of science than among those to whom actual scientific work is the business of their lives.” Admiral Alfred T. Mahan, American naval expert, stated publicly: “I assure you with the full force of the conviction of a lifetime that to one who has understood the Word of God, even imperfectly, it brings a light, a motive, a strength and support which nothing else does.” Dr. Howard A. Kelly, internationally recognized gynecologist, gives this confession of faith: “I believe Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, without human father, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. I believe that all men, without exception, are lost sinners, alienated from God and thus utterly lost in sin. The Son of God Himself came down from heaven and by shedding His blood on the cross paid the infinite penalty of the guilt of the whole world.” Jean Henri Fabre, widely honored French entomologist, daily spoke the prayer of the dying Savior, “Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit.” Louis Pasteur, French chemist, to whose life-saving work tribute has been paid by every civilized government in the world, when questioned concerning his creed, did not insist on visible, tangible proof, but admitted: “The more I know,.the more does my faith approach that of a Breton peasant. Could I know all, I would have the faith of a Breton peasant woman” — and the Breton peasants were proverbial for their childlike trust. Sir William Dawson, world-renowned geologist, told a questioner: “I know nothing about the origin of a man except what is stated in the Scriptures, that God created him. I do not know anything more than that, and I do not know anyone who does” Sir William Abney. former president of the Royal Astronomical Society, authority on the photography of the heavens, exclaimed: “The doctrine of salvation is not and cannot be learned from science. It is a matter of faith .... The mystery of the atonement is no greater mystery that many other matters which we cannot explain ” Sir David Brewster, a prominent founder of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, said that he clearly recognized the love of Christ in his own life and added, “It is presumptuous to doubt His Word.” — These and scores of other leaders in scientific research accepted the Scriptures without demanding proof. Now, who in this wide audience would venture to say that he knows more than these experts? — God grant, having now heard the living Christ say to Thomas, “Be not faithless but believing!” you will feel His displeasure at the skeptical insistence on proof and cry out in faith, “Away with doubt!” (From “For Christ and Country”, sermon “Away With Unbelief! Believe!”.)

He would not admit the Easter truth unless he could see and feel; yet even as he spoke, he accepted a hundred mysteries in his own body, in the world about him, on the ground beneath, in the sky above, although he could not see or feel the forces behind them. Mark you, Thomas did not say, for instance, “Unless I see the power that drives the wind, put my hand on its mechanism, I will not believe that there is a wind”; or “Unless I behold the blood coursing through my members and put my finger on the impulse which circulates this vital fluid, I will not believe that blood is being driven through my body”; or “Unless I see the elements that make up the water I drink, measure the hydrogen and the oxygen, I will not believe that water is compounded as it is!” He did not say: “Unless I feel the principle of life, I will not believe that there are living beings. Unless I touch the mysterious power that makes a tree spread and enlarge, I will deny that it grows.” But, like many of you, he insisted on placing human reason above divine revelation. While you cannot explain or prove the commonplace experiences of the nature surrounding you, the life you live, the world in which you exist, you demand proof positive for the things of the spirit which no human eye can see and no natural intellect understand. (From “For Christ and Country”, sermon “Away With Unbelief! Believe!”.)

19- SUCCESS OF THE LUTHERAN HOUR
during the past months we have been able to broadcast over almost 350 stations in the United States and twenty-five foreign countries. During the last six months about a quarter of a million people have written us. Your financial support has been more generous than ever, your interest greater, and — above all the number of souls won for Christ, we pray, much larger. Someone has figured that for every minute of these messages a sinner has been reclaimed for His Savior. There have been difficulties, of course; I have been attacked and slandered, just as our preaching of salvation in Christ alone has been repeatedly opposed. The wonder of it all is that there have not been more assaults and more treachery during this spiritually darkened age. But you have been praying fervently for the broadcast, and your petitions have helped restrain atheism and unbelief. (From “For Christ and Country”, sermon “Away With Unbelief! Believe!”.)

Our broadcasting shows that sermons centering in the crucified Savior still have the promise of divine blessing. No matter how completely international scenes may be shifted, the personal soul-questions remain; and nothing men have ever devised can bring the comfort to be found in the Savior’s cleansing blood, atoning grace, and life-giving death. Let pastors and laymen who wonder whether the old Gospel has lost its appeal look to our broadcast and understand from this nation-wide demonstration that the one message which has the assurance of blessing is the good news of a Savior slain for the sins of an evil world! (Introduction to “Courage in Christ” a book of Lutheran Hour sermons, 1941)

During the past sixteen seasons of broadcasting Christ's eternal Gospel, almost every name you can imagine has been heaped on us by atheists, war-mongers and rabble- rousers, because God has helped us call sin “sin,” denounce evil in high, as in low places, and then point men to Jesus, the only Redeemer from ruin. Despite all this, our broadcast has, by God's grace - and again we ask you to believe that we mean only by God's grace, not by human efforts, least of all mine - steadily grown, until today, as we open our seventeenth season in the name of the triune God and for the spread of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus, “Bringing Christ to the Nations” is larger and more widespread than ever before. The more violently the message of the cross has been assailed, the greater has been the Almighty's blessing. (From the sermon “You Too Should Be A Fundamentalist”, September 1949)

"When Luther undertook the Reformation of the Church and his eyes were opened to the fact that in Christ alone, but in Him completely, every believer has the forgiveness of his sins, it became his all-consuming object in life to exalt the atoning Savior, to preach the crucified, sin-destroying Christ, the risen, life- bestowing Redeemer; and because he humbly dedicated his marvelous mentality and tireless energies to teach Christ, preach Christ, exalt Christ, write Christ, sing Christ, love Christ, live Christ, always as God's Son and the world's Savior, there was not enough power on earth or in hell, among men and devils, to restrain his work. Nor can the churches today ever hope to be used of the Spirit in saving men's souls unless they, too, concentrate their efforts on Jesus." (Walter A. Maier, O GOD CLEANSE OUR CHURCHES, 1943)

20- ABORTION
We look the same after this rebirth as before, but we cannot act the same.  A real change has come from within.  We who hated God begin to love Him.  Those who ridiculed a rejected Christ now show Him reverence.  Those who served sin now serve Jesus.… Parents who wickedly plotted to destroy their unborn children have learned to stop this murder, welcome and cherish the baby that came to them as God’s gift.(From the sermon “Are You “Born Again”?, in the book For Christ and Country, page 175, first aired January 1942)

Believing fathers and mothers will not be misled by this new talk of “planned parenthood,” as the birth control program now seeks to disguise itself; rather, realizing that “children are an heritage of the Lord,” God’s great gift, they will welcome each baby the Almighty entrusts to them as a miracle of His love, a precious life to be dedicated to the Savior. They will not make the serious mistake of finding time for everyone else except for their own children. (From the sermon, “Build Your Home on Christ,” which first aired in January 1945, from the book, “Jesus Christ our Hope”)

21- The depravity of man
As the scope of war increases, taking its toll on civilians -- their homes blasted away before their eyes; on sailors, their ships torpedoed at high sea; on women and children, barely existing on starvation rations; on innocent hostages, fifty shot to avenge an assassinated Nazi general; -- where in all this hideous hatred and sin can we find beauty for the soul, peace for the mind, happiness for the heart?  Certainly not in modern education!  If culture were the key to peace and progress, would ours be the only generation which has witnessed two world conflicts -- at a time when we have more learning and laboratories, more culture and colleges than ever before?  Not Zulus, Hottentots, Congo pygmies or Australian bushmen are leaders in this aggression, but highly civilized people. [From the sermon “The Beautiful Savior” 1941, which is included in the book “For Christ and Country”.]

22- MORAL PURITY AND THE CHRISTIAN HOME
You young people, tempted to break God’s law of purity and decency, urged to throw off all restraints, to revel in immorality, realize what it cost the Lord to free you from past sins, and to strengthen you for firm resistance against future evil!  Cling to Christ as His Word appeals, “AKeep thyself pure!”  Trust Jesus!  Make Him your daily Companion!  Throw away all sex novels and sex stories!  Keep a safe distance from suggestive motions pictures!  Stay out of taverns, dance halls, every disreputable place where the Savior will not accompany you -- and by His grace, He will give you the joy of a beautiful, grace-filled life, and if it be for your spiritual blessing, the happiness of a future home at the side of a clean, consecrated helpmate for life! [From the sermon “The Beautiful Savior” 1941, which is included in the book “For Christ and Country”.]

You older folks whose home life is marked by hatred instead of love, quarrel rather than quiet joy, give Jesus control over the family, and He will help stifle selfishness, jealousy, faultfinding!  His Spirit will show you how husband and wife, parents and children, through faith, can start over again to find harmony and contentment! [From the sermon “The Beautiful Savior” 1941, which is included in the book “For Christ and Country”.]


American atheists print as part of their platform the demand that divorce be granted on request. Think of it, no Word of God to warn that in divorce either husband or wife or both are guilty of sin! No court hearing! No effort to reconcile the estranged couple! No desire to safeguard the children from the handicaps of separation! Instead, divorce available to every married person, without expense, without court procedure, without delay, simply by request! That is the avowed program of American freethinkers, a plan which can destroy the United States faster than the most powerful enemy coalition, despite the sanction of divorce found in some of the socially, financially, and politically most prominent families. Unbelief often delights in the sensual and obscene. Infamous foes of our Christian faith have often been men of filthy minds, unnatural vices, shocking perversions. [From the sermon “Build Your Home on Christ”, Jan 1945, from the book, “Jesus Christ Our Hope”.]

Again—and this is a frequent folly in our day—many people mistakenly believe that a happy marital life can be built only on sex. Understand me correctly: this is truly one of the Almighty’s greatest human gifts, so marvelous when preserved as He, the divine Creator, bestowed it, that the Church should continually and earnestly plead with each of its young people, “Keep thyself pure!” Yet this magnificent blessing has been perverted and poisoned by sin! How destructive it becomes when overruled by evil passion! [From the sermon “Build Your Home on Christ”, Jan 1945, from the book, “Jesus Christ Our Hope”.]

Households firmly grounded on God’s love will not be marred by cursing, shrieking, passionate selfishness, nagging, and argument, which often blast away all happiness and turn some of your homes almost into madhouses. Instead, they will be blessed by peace, understanding, the spirit of self-denial. Following the Savior, who said, “I am among you as he that serveth,” a faith filled family can live together in love and helpful cooperation. [From the sermon “Build Your Home on Christ”, Jan 1945, from the book, “Jesus Christ Our Hope”.]

Unbelief always goes hand in hand with impurity, and the more brazenly Judah rebelled against the Lord, the more bestial the people’s conduct became.  Unmentionable sex sins were practiced within the very Temple bounds; commercialized vice for priestly profit was the least of these immoralities.  With religious leaders catering to lust, what could be expected of the people?  Outside the city walls, in the notorious Valley of Hinnom, they offered their own flesh and blood, helpless children, as burning, shrieking sacrifices to the hideous idol Moloch.[From the sermon “Bring Back the Bible”, Dec. 7th, 1941, from the book, “For Christ and Country” 1942.]

Whenever, worship of God declines, morality sinks with it.  True, American infants are not offered to Moloch, but pagan practices prevent multitudes of children from being born or, after they have come into the world, help poison their souls with unbelief.  Sins of the flesh increase in number and boldness as young people give way to passion, their elders deliberately plan secret affairs, and the Christian ideal of keeping clean and chaste before marriage, true and faithful after, is laughed away. [From the sermon “Bring Back the Bible”, Dec. 7th, 1941, from the book, “For Christ and Country” 1942.]

23- TRAITORS WITHIN THE CHURCH
The churches today have few more disastrous adversaries than the hypocrites in their own ranks, who as they live their godless lives, shake hands with infidels and scoffers, secretly speak contemptuously of what they publicly confess, actually help to keep seeking souls from the Savior and in their deceit send themselves to hell. [From the sermon “Fight for the Faith”, which is included in the book “Let Us Return Unto the Lord” 1946]

When masses today put the God of the Bible on the same low level with the gods of the heathen, are they any better than the ancient Israelites who bowed before the Baals and the Astartes, idols of their heathen neighbors? [From the sermon “Bring Back the Bible”, Dec. 7th, 1941, from the book, “For Christ and Country” 1942.]

Today, if America is to have a thorough, effective reformation - and God knows we need it! - we must start where Moses started, where Josiah, Saint Paul, Luther began - at the Word of God and in the churches.  Say what you will about our country’s various needs, the supreme necessity for this perilous hour pleads, America, bring back the Bible!  Banish the enemies of God’s Word from Christian pulpits!  Exclude the opponents of the Scriptures from Christian theological seminaries and colleges!  Stop the printing and dissemination, under Christian auspices, of books and periodicals that put question marks behind the clear, sure statements concerning our Savior’s death and atonement! [From the sermon “Bring Back the Bible”, Dec. 7th, 1941, from the book, “For Christ and Country” 1942.]
 
24- CHRISTIAN SEPARATION
The Apostle wants the Christians to be holy, separated people, for he says that the faith “was once delivered unto THE SAINTS.” When the New Testament uses this word “saints,” it denotes true believers who - their sins washed away by Jesus - are holy in God’s sight, and with the Spirit’s help try to lead blameless lives before men. [From the sermon “Fight for the Faith”, which is included in the book “Let Us Return Unto the Lord” 1946]

25- CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION
No religion has ever been more brutally opposed than our faith. Tens of millions have been driven from their homes, sold into slavery, tortured, torn by wild beasts, burned at the stake, beheaded, shot down in cold blood, simply because they were believers, while atheists, proud scoffers, brilliant-minded opponents of Bible verity, have been greeted and feted as the men of the hour. If the Son of God, who did no sin, never harmed anyone, instead always aided men, was nailed to a cross, we cannot be surprised when we see that His truth is likewise viciously assailed. [From the sermon “Fight for the Faith”, which is included in the book “Let Us Return Unto the Lord” 1946]

26- GAMBLING
Many church buildings have become centers of illegal money making.  If their members raffle automobiles, conduct lotteries, feature games of chance, against God’s Law and man’s, are they any better than the grasping, greedy Temple officials at Jerusalem? [From the sermon “Bring Back the Bible”, Dec. 7th, 1941, from the book, “For Christ and Country” 1942.]

27- SLAVERY
John Newton went to sea as a young man and early learned the shocking blasphemies of coarse unbelief. He deserted the Navy, was whipped and demoted. He sank lower and lower, until he lived on an African plantation, shunned even by slaves, and taunted by his native master. Then, after he had been spared in a terrific storm at sea, he turned to God in his utter despair, made time to read the Bible and pray, was graciously converted, and later helped break the tyranny of slavery. [From the sermon, “Join the Jury Trying Jesus” 1947.]