FROM CORAL RIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, THIS IS THE CORAL RIDGE HOUR
♪
DESPITE ALL THE EFFORTS OF ANCIENT ALCHEMISTS, NONE
WERE EVER ABLE TO TURN A BASE METAL, LIKE LEAD, INTO GOLD.
BUT OUR ALMIGHTY GOD IS THE GREAT ETERNAL
ALCHEMIST WHO TURNS ALL THE DROSS OF OUR LIVES, INTO GOLD.
THE ALCHEMY OF GOD, THE ALCHEMY OF GRACE, ALL
THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD.
IN HIS NEWLY REPUBLISHED BOOK, TURN IT TO GOLD,
DR. D. JAMES KENNEDY TACKLES THE DIFFICULTIES WE ALL FACE.
CONTACT US TODAY TO RECEIVE YOUR COPY OF TURN
IT TO GOLD, ONE OF DR. KENNEDY'S MOST BELOVED
AND INSPIRING BOOKS, SO THAT YOU CAN BE ENCOURAGED
OR SHARE ASSURANCE WITH A FRIEND THAT GOD'S PROMISES
ARE THE RICHEST GOLD NOW AND FOREVER.
OUR SCRIPTURE LESSON THIS MORNING IS TAKEN FROM THE
TWENTY-SECOND CHAPTER OF THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO
SAINT MATTHEW.
WE'LL BEGIN OUR READING THIS MORNING WITH THE
THIRTY-FOURTH VERSE.
MAY WE HEAR THE INSPIRED AN INFALLIBLE WORD OF THE
LIVING GOD.
AND MAY GOD BY HIS HOLY SPIRIT WHO INSPIRED THIS
WORD ILLUMINATE IT TO OUR HEARTS AND MINDS THIS DAY
AND MAY HIS NAME EVERMORE BE PRAISED. AMEN.
WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?
WELL, THAT IS A SIMPLE ENOUGH QUESTION, YOU SAY.
IT IS A SCIENCE; IT IS ONE OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES.
IT TREATS PEOPLE WHO HAVE MENTAL PROBLEMS.
WELL, OF COURSE, AND YET THERE ARE AN INCREASING
NUMBER OF PEOPLE TODAY, PEOPLE WHO ARE ENGAGED IN
THE FIELD PEOPLE WHO ARE CREDENTIALED
PSYCHOLOGISTS, WHO ARE BEGINNING TO SAY THAT
PSYCHOLOGY IS SOMETHING MORE THAN A SCIENCE.
IT HAS BECOME, THEY SAY, A RELIGION.
IT IS, IN FACT, THE RELIGION OF THE MODERN
MAN, THE MODERN SECULARIST MAN.
PSYCHOLOGISTS AND PSYCHIATRISTS HAVE BECOME
THE "MINISTERS AND PRIESTS" OF THIS RELIGION.
THE COUCH HAS REPLACED THE CONFESSIONAL.
ABRAHAM MASLOW, ERICH FROMM, CARL ROGERS, ROLLO
MAY ARE THE ARCHBISHOPS AND CARDINALS OF THIS NEW RELIGION.
AND NOT ONLY DOES PSYCHOLOGY TODAY OFFER A
SUBTLE SUBSTITUTE FOR SALVATION TO A SECULAR
SOCIETY, BUT MORE THAN THAT, THE RED CARPET HAS
BEEN ROLLED OUT AND IT HAS BEEN INVITED INTO THE
CHURCH, BAPTIZED, AND OFFERED THE FRONT PEWS,
EVEN INVITED INTO THE PULPIT AND GRANTED AN HONORARY D.D.
FOR EXAMPLE: PSYCHOLOGIST WILLIAM KIRK
KILPATRICK, WHO IS A HARVARD TRAINED
PSYCHOLOGIST, AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AT
BOSTON COLLEGE, REPORTED ON AN INCIDENT WHEN HE WAS
ATTENDING A CHURCH SERVICE IN SCOTLAND A FEW YEARS AGO.
THE PREACHER WAS TALKING ABOUT SOME PARTICULAR
SUBJECT, AND HE CALLED TO WITNESS THE APOSTLE JOHN,
AND THEN THE EPISTLES OF PAUL, HE REFERRED TO THE
WRITINGS OF AUGUSTINE AND HE SAID HE NOTICED THE MAN
NEXT TO HIM YAWNED AND THE WOMAN IN THE FRONT PEW WAS
CHECKING THE CONTENTS OF HER PURSE.
AND THEN THE PREACHER CONTINUED: "AS ERICH FROMM SAYS ..."
SUDDENLY THE MAN STOPPED YAWNING!
THE WOMAN CLOSED HER PURSE!
EVERYONE MOVED FORWARD A BIT TO CATCH THIS JEWEL
THAT WAS GOING TO FALL FROM THE LIPS OF ERICH
FROMM, ONE OF THE MOST NOTED OF MODERN
PSYCHOLOGISTS, WHO WAS GOING TO SHED SOME OF HIS
LIGHT UPON THE RATHER TIRED OLD TRUTHS OF THE BIBLE.
YES, INDEED, MODERN PSYCHOLOGY HAS INDEED BEEN
BROUGHT RIGHT INTO THE CHURCH.
DR. KILPATRICK SAYS IT WAS NOT A CASE OF THE WOLF AT
THE DOOR: THE WOLF WAS ALREADY IN THE FOLD
DRESSED IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING AND FROM THE WAY
IT WAS PETTED AND FED BY SOME OF THE SHEPHERDS, ONE
WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT THE WOLF WAS THE PRIZE SHEEP.
NOW, SOME PEOPLE WOULD SAY, WELL WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT?
IS NOT MODERN PSYCHOLOGY SIMPLY SAYING THE SAME
THING AS CHRISTIANITY, ONLY IN DIFFERENT WORDS?
AREN'T THEY MERELY OPENING A WINDOW AND LETTING IN
SOME FRESH AIR ON PERHAPS SOME RATHER STALE TRUTHS?
WELL, MY FRIENDS, THAT'S WHAT MOST PEOPLE THINK,
BUT THAT IS NOT ACTUALLY THE CASE.
THAT'S NOT MERELY MY OWN BIASED OPINION; THAT IS
THE VIEW OF AN INCREASING NUMBER OF PSYCHOLOGISTS THEMSELVES.
FOR EXAMPLE, DR. PAUL VITZ IS THE ASSOCIATE
PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, AN
ALMA MATER OF MINE, AND HE SAYS THAT PSYCHOLOGY HAS
BECOME A RELIGION, IN PARTICULAR, A FORM OF
SECULAR HUMANISM BASED UPON THE WORSHIP OF SELF.
AGAIN, PSYCHOLOGIST KILPATRICK SAYS,
"PSYCHOLOGY AS A RELIGION IS DEEPLY ANTI-CHRISTIAN.
INDEED IT IS HOSTILE TO MOST RELIGIONS".
IT IS MUCH TRUER TO SAY THAT CHRISTIANITY AND
PSYCHOLOGY ARE COMPETING FAITHS RATHER THAN TO SAY THAT
THEY ARE SIMPLY THE SAME THING SET FORTH IN DIFFERENT WORDS.
FOR EXAMPLE, WE MENTIONED ONE OF THE MODERN
PSYCHOLOGISTS, ONE OF THE LEADERS OF ONE OF THE
MODERN SCHOOLS OF PSYCHOLOGY, ERICH FROMM
WHO WAS QUOTED FROM A PULPIT AS HE HAS BEEN
QUOTED FROM THOUSANDS OF PULPITS AND IN THOUSANDS OF SERMONS.
IS THIS MAN REALLY SAYING THE SAME THING THAT WE'RE
SAYING IN DIFFERENT WORDS?
CONSIDER ERICH FROMM FOR A MOMENT: BORN IN 1900,
EDUCATED AT HEIDELBERG, FRANKFURT, AND MUNICH,
AUTHOR OF A NUMBER OF BOOKS, ONE OF WHICH IS THE
DOGMA OF CHRIST, WHICH HE STATES HIS BELIEF THAT
FAITH IN GOD IS ALWAYS THE ALLY OF THE RULING CLASS
AND IT IS USED TO KEEP THE MASSES IN CHECK.
DOES THAT HAVE SORT OF A FAMILIAR RING TO IT?
SORT OF LIKE: "RELIGION IS THE OPIATE OF THE PEOPLE"?
OR ANOTHER OF ERICH FROMM'S BOOKS ENTITLED YOU
SHALL BE AS GODS.
AND I WONDER IF THERE IS ANYONE IN THIS SANCTUARY
THAT DOESN'T KNOW THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR OF THOSE WORDS?
SINCE BIBLICAL ILLITERACY IS STAGGERINGLY HIGH
TODAY, I MUST ASSUME THAT THERE ARE SOME WHO DO NOT
KNOW WHO ORIGINALLY SAID THOSE WORDS, AND SO I WILL
TELL YOU THAT THEY WERE SPOKEN ORIGINALLY BY
SATAN, PART OF THE ORIGINAL LIE FOISTED OFF
ON THE HUMAN RACE IN EDEN, WHEN HE SAID TO EVE, "YOU
SHALL BE AS GODS".
SATAN'S LIE, NOW THE TITLE OF ONE OF FROMM'S BOOKS!
BUT KEEP IN MIND, ERICH FROMM HAS NOT REPUDIATED
IT; HE IS, INDEED, BASICALLY ENDORSING IT.
AND HE SAYS THAT THE CONCEPT OF GOD HAS EVOLVED
TO THE PLACE WHERE MAN IS GOD.
REMINISCENT OF SECULAR HUMANISM, BECAUSE IT IS
SECULAR HUMANISM AND HE SAYS THAT IF THERE IS SUCH
A THING AS THE SACRED, ITS CENTER IS IN THE SELF.
YOU SEE, MODERN SECULAR HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY HAS
SIMPLY BECOME THE CULT OF SELF-WORSHIP.
BASICALLY THE SAME THING THAT SATAN HAS BEEN TRYING
TO GET HUMAN BEINGS TO DO FOR COUNTLESS CENTURIES
NOW ENDORSED BY A VERY INFLUENTIAL CLASS OF
PSYCHOLOGISTS AND PSYCHIATRISTS.
ANOTHER OF ERICH FROMM'S BOOKS ENTITLED THE SANE
SOCIETY; HE EXPRESSES HIS BELIEFS IN ATHEISM,
MATERIALISM, AND WHAT HE CALLS "COMMUN-ITARIAN
SOCIALISM"- THAT IS DUST IN THE AIR TO CONFUSE THE NAIVE.
WHICH SIMPLY MEANS COMMUNISM.
ATHEISM, MATERIALISM, AND COMMUNISM.
NOW AGAIN, ERICH FROMM, IS HE REALLY SYMPATHETIC TO
OUR BELIEFS?
IS HE LIKELY TO HOLD THE SAME TENETS THAT WE HAVE?
THE FACT IS HE BELIEVES DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE ON
ALMOST EVERY BASIC ISSUE.
AND, YET, THE CONCEPTS THAT HAVE COME FROM THE
PENS OF THESE MEN HAVE NOW FLOODED OUR CHURCHES.
HOW ABOUT THE PREACHER WHO SAID THAT CHRIST REALLY
CAME INTO THE WORLD IN ORDER THAT YOU MIGHT BE
ABLE TO SAY THAT YOU'RE OKAY AND I'M OKAY, ISN'T THAT GREAT?
HOW ABOUT THIS ONE: YOU MUST LOVE YOURSELF; IN
FACT, IF YOU DON'T LOVE YOURSELF, YOU CAN'T LOVE
YOUR NEIGHBOR.
AT LEAST A THOUSAND SERMONS OR MORE HAVE BEEN
PREACHED ABOUT THAT IN THE LAST YEAR, I'M SURE.
HOW ABOUT SELF-ACTUALIZATION, OR
SELF-REALIZATION, OR THE HUMAN POTENTIAL MOVEMENT?
OR, HOW ABOUT THIS QUOTE: "HIS REAL PROBLEM IS A
POOR SELF-IMAGE.
AND THAT'S WHAT HE REALLY NEEDS FIRST TO CORRECT HIS
POOR SELF-IMAGE".
ALL OF THESE, MY FRIENDS, ARE MERE COUNTERFEITS OF
REAL CHRISTIANITY.
AND IT'S INTERESTING, AGAIN, HARVARD-TRAINED
PSYCHOLOGIST, DR. WILLIAM KILPATRICK, SAYS
CHRISTIANITY IS MORE THAN PSYCHOLOGY; BUT IT IS
BETTER PSYCHOLOGY THAN PSYCHOLOGY.
NOW THAT'S A PSYCHOLOGIST TALKING FROM BOSTON COLLEGE.
BUT INDEED, UNFORTUNATELY, NOT ONLY THE MODERN
SECULARIST UNBELIEVING WORLD, BUT MANY CLERICS
AND MANY CHRISTIANS HAVE FOLLOWED THE LURE OF THE
"SIREN SONG" OF PSYCHOLOGY.
BUT YOU KNOW THEY ARE DOING IT AT A TIME WHEN AN
INCREASING NUMBER OF PSYCHOLOGISTS ARE POINTING
TO THE ABJECT FAILURES OF PSYCHOLOGY TO PRODUCE OR
PROVIDE WHAT THEY CLAIM THAT THEY PROVIDE.
MANY PEOPLE THINK THAT IT HAS DONE ABSOLUTELY
MARVELOUS THINGS.
LET ME POINT OUT TO YOU A FEW STUDIES TO THE CONTRARY.
HANS EYSENCK, FROM THE INSTITUTE OF PSYCHIATRY OF
THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON, DR. EYSENCK MADE SOME
CONTROLLED STUDIES USING PSYCHIATRIC THERAPEUTIC
COUNSELING METHODS WITH ONE GROUP AND NOTHING WITH
OTHERS AND HE REACHED THESE CONCLUSIONS: THAT
NEUROTIC PEOPLE WITHOUT THERAPY, WITHOUT
PSYCHOTHERAPY ARE JUST AS LIKELY TO RECOVER AS
NEUROTIC PEOPLE WITH PSYCHOTHERAPY.
PSYCHOTHERAPY IS NO MORE EFFECTIVE IN CURING
NEUROTIC PROBLEMS THAN IS THE PASSAGE OF TIME.
I WANT TO TELL YOU ONE THING, IT'S A LOT MORE EXPENSIVE.
(LAUGHTER)
DR. EUGENE LEVITT OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL
OF MEDICINE SAYS AFTER CONDUCTING STUDIES THAT
DISTURBED CHILDREN WHO HAD BEEN TREATED WITH
COUNSELING, SECULAR COUNSELING TECHNIQUES,
RECOVERED AT THE SAME RATE AS THOSE WHO WERE NOT
TREATED AT ALL.
FURTHERMORE, THERE IS ALSO INCREASING SCIENTIFIC
EVIDENCE COMING TO LIGHT THAT SECULAR PSYCHOLOGY
MAY BE HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH.
MAYBE WE WILL HAVE THE SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING
ON THE DOOR OF THE PSYCHOLOGISTS' OFFICE
BEFORE LONG.
THE CAMBRIDGE SOMERVILLE YOUTH STUDY, WHICH STUDIED
A GOODLY NUMBER OF DELINQUENT YOUNG PEOPLE,
MADE THIS DISCOVERY: THAT UNCOUNSELED JUVENILE
DELINQUENTS HAD LOWERS RATES OF FURTHER
DELINQUENCY THAN THOSE WHO HAD SECULAR PSYCHOLOGICAL
COUNSELING.
SO, IF YOU'VE GOT A JUVENILE DELINQUENT WHO IS
CAUSING YOU TROUBLE, AND YOU WANT TO HAVE MORE
TROUBLE IN THE FUTURE, SEND HIM TO A SECULAR PSYCHOLOGIST.
IT'S ALMOST GUARANTEED TO WORK.
FURTHERMORE, THEY HAVE DISCOVERED IN OTHER
STUDIES THAT LAY PEOPLE WITH NO TRAINING ARE ABOUT
AS EFFECTIVE AS PSYCHIATRISTS WITH COLLEGE
DEGREES, MEDICAL TRAINING, GRADUATE PSYCHIATRIC WORK.
IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS SOMETHING AMISS IN THIS WHOLE THING.
AS ALWAYS, SECULAR PHILOSOPHY, IGNORING GOD,
DENYING GOD AND DENYING HIS REVELATIONS, TRYING TO
PROVIDE THE SOLUTION TO MAN'S PROBLEMS TO ANSWER
THE GREAT QUESTIONS OF HIS EXISTENCE, UTTERLY FAILED
TO DO IT.
AND AFTER 2,600 YEARS OF TRYING TO PROVIDE A
RATIONAL ANSWER TO MAN'S PROBLEMS, MODERN
PSYCHOLOGY HAS ENDED IN THE QUAGMIRE OF TOTAL
IRRATIONALISM, AND PSYCHOLOGY IS FOLLOWING
SUIT MUCH LATER IN THE GAME AND IT SEEMS THAT,
AGAIN, IGNORING GOD'S WORD THEY HAVE DONE ABOUT THE
SAME SORT OF THING.
BUT I BELIEVE THAT SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THEIR
MINDS INDOCTRINATED AND POISONED BY SO MANY
PSEUDO-SCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
THAT THEY ARE NOT EVEN READY TO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT ONE OF THOSE: "YOU MUST LOVE YOURSELF".
I COULDN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY CHRISTIAN BOOKS
WRITTEN BY CHRISTIAN CLERGYMEN ARE OUT ON THE
STANDS TODAY TELLING YOU THAT YOU MUST LOVE YOURSELF.
NOT ONLY MUST YOU LOVE YOURSELF, BUT IF YOU DON'T
LOVE YOURSELF, YOU CAN'T EVEN LOVE GOD.
AND WHERE DID THEY GET THAT?
WELL, THEY TELL US THAT THEY GET IT FROM THE
WRITINGS OF THE SCRIPTURE.
MY FRIENDS, THAT IT NOT TRUE.
IT COMES OUT OF THE BOOKS OF ERICH FROMM, ABRAHAM
MASLOW, CARL ROGERS, AND OTHER SUCH PSYCHOLOGISTS AS THIS.
IT HAS BEEN IMPORTED, TAX-FREE, INTO THE
SCRIPTURE, AND THEY HAVE TRIED TO FIND SOME HAPLESS
TEXT TO TAG IT ONTO.
AND THEY HAVE DONE THAT WITH THE PASSAGE THAT I
READ TO YOU TODAY FROM THE 22ND CHAPTER OF MATTHEW
WHERE CHRIST WAS ASKED WHAT IS THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT.
AND DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT HE SAID?
HE SAID THAT THOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH
ALL OF THY HEART, MIND, STRENGTH AND SOUL AND THEN
FURTHER THAT THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF.
NOW, WE ARE TOLD BY THE MODERN PSYCHOLOGIZING
PREACHER, WHO SEEMS TO BELIEVE THAT THE BEST WAY
TO UNDERSTAND THE SCRIPTURES IS TO PUT ON
THE GLASSES OF MODERN SECULARIST PSYCHOLOGY, WE
ARE TOLD BY SUCH CLERICS AS THESE, THAT WE HAVE THE
COMMANDMENT TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR BUT IN THAT SAME
VERSE WE HAVE A COMMANDMENT TO LOVE
OURSELF: "THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF,"
WHICH MEANS, THEY SAY, "THOU SHALT LOVE THYSELF".
NOT ONLY IS THERE A COMMANDMENT THERE THAT
THOU SHALT LOVE THYSELF, BUT FURTHERMORE, THAT THIS
IS A PREREQUISITE FOR BEING ABLE TO LOVE YOUR
NEIGHBOR, IF YOU DON'T LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR, YOU
CAN'T LOVE, IF YOU DON'T LOVE YOURSELF, RATHER, YOU
CAN'T LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR.
AND I SUPPOSE, IMPLICITLY, YOU CAN'T LOVE GOD, EITHER.
SO THEREFORE, OBVIOUSLY, NUMBER ONE ON THE AGENDA
AT THE TOP OF THE LIST HAS GOT TO BE THAT NUMBER ONE
PRIORITY TO LOVE YOURSELF.
OH, WOULDN'T THE DEVIL BE PLEASED WITH THAT?
IS THIS A COMMANDMENT TO LOVE OURSELVES?
I VENTURE TO SAY THAT PROBABLY AT LEAST 75
PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE IN EVANGELICAL CHURCHES IN
THIS COUNTRY TODAY HAVE BEEN CONVINCED THAT THAT IS TRUE.
BUT I ASK YOU TO LOOK AT IT WITH ME.
TAKE OFF THE GLASSES AND LOOK AT THE TEXT AND SEE WHAT GOD SAYS.
JESUS WAS ASKED WHAT WAS THE FIRST AND GREATEST
COMMANDMENT IS AND HE SAID, "THOU SHALT LOVE THE
LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY
SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIND.
THIS IS THE FIRST COMMANDMENT AND THE SECOND IS LIKE UNTO IT.
THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF.
ON THESE TWO COMMANDMENTS HANG ALL THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS".
HOW MANY COMMANDMENTS ARE THERE?
TWO OR THREE?
IS IT LOVE GOD, LOVE NEIGHBOR, LOVE SELF THAT
WE ARE COMMANDED IN THAT PASSAGE?
NO, NO, JUST TWO.
THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD, AND THOU SHALT
LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF.
ONLY TWO COMMANDMENTS.
CHRIST IS NOT HERE COMMANDING US TO LOVE OURSELVES.
HE IS SIMPLY SAYING THAT WE ARE TO LOVE OUR
NEIGHBORS AS IT IS ALREADY SELF-EVIDENT THAT WE LOVE
OURSELVES.
THIS IS ANALOGOUS TO A PASSAGE IN PAUL'S LETTER
TO THE EPHESIANS, WHERE HE TELLS HUSBANDS, HE SAYS TO
THEM, THAT HUSBANDS ARE TO LOVE THEIR WIVES AS THEY
LOVE THEIR OWN BODIES.
SAME EXACT CONTEXT, SAME TYPE OF TEXTUAL STRUCTURE.
THE HUSBAND IS TO LOVE HIS WIFE AS HE LOVES HIS OWN BODY.
ARE WE TO SAY THAT IS A COMMANDMENT FOR US TO LOVE
OUR OWN BODIES?
WELL, THAT'S CLARIFIED BY THE VERY NEXT WORDS WHICH
SAY, FOR NO MAN EVER YET HATED HIS OWN BODY BUT
NOURISHETH AND CARETH FOR IT AND ALL OF THESE SORT OF THINGS.
NOW MY FRIEND, WHETHER OR NOT YOU LIKE YOUR BODY OR
NOT IS NOT THE QUESTION, BECAUSE THE WORD HERE
AGAPAO, IT DOES NOT MEAN "LIKE"-IT MEANS "LOVE," IT
MEANS TO CARE FOR, TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT, TO BE
KINDLY TOWARD, AND TO PROVIDE THE NEEDS OF.
THERE IS NOTHING TO SAY IN THESE VERSES ABOUT WHETHER
YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.
I MEAN YOU MAY LOOK IN THE MIRROR, HUSBANDS, AND YOU
MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU SEE.
YOU MAY DECIDE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN STRICKEN WITH
"FURNITURE DISEASE".
MY WIFE TOLD ME ABOUT THAT THE OTHER DAY, DO YOU KNOW
WHAT THAT IS? IT'S GOING AROUND NOW.
THAT IS WHERE YOUR CHEST HAS FALLEN INTO YOUR DRAWERS.
(LAUGHTER)
YOU MAY NOT REALLY PERCEIVE YOURSELF AS A
CANDIDATE FOR THE LEADING ROLE IN SUPERMAN III, BUT
THAT IS IRRELEVANT.
REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR BODY, THE
FACT IS YOU FEED IT, AND YOU WASH IT, AND YOU
CLOTHE IT, AND YOU KEEP IT WARM IN THE WINTER AND YOU
KEEP IT COOL IN THE SUMMER, AND YOU HAUL IT
AROUND IN A NICE AUTOMOBILE AND YOU TAKE CARE OF IT.
AND THAT IS WHAT GOD IS SAYING THAT WE ARE TO DO HERE.
FURTHERMORE IF YOU NEED ANY MORE PROOF OF THE
FACT, MAY I POINT OUT TO YOU IN ANOTHER PLACE,
ANOTHER GOSPEL WHERE CHRIST GIVES THIS
COMMANDMENT THAT THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF".
HE FOLLOWS THAT WHEN A PERSON SAYS, WELL WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?
AND HE TELLS THE STORY OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN.
NOW, SINCE JESUS IS OBVIOUSLY TEACHING THAT
OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS TO LOVE OURSELVES AND TO
PUMP UP OUR OWN SELF-ESTEEM AND TO DISCOVER
OUR OWN SELF-IDENTITY, AND TO HAVE OUR OWN
SELF-ACTUALIZATION AND REALIZATION AND HUMAN
POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, OBVIOUSLY THEN, THE
SAMARITAN, SEEING THIS MAN LYING BY THE SIDE OF THE
ROAD GROANING AND REACHING UP TO HIM FOR HELP, HE
SAYS TO HIM, "I SAY OLD BOY," HE SAID, "I'M SORRY
TO SEE YOU IN SUCH A PICKLE, BUT THE TRUTH OF
THE MATTER IS, I WAS JUST CONTEMPLATING MY NAVEL,
YOU SEE, AND I WAS EXAMINING MY SELF-IMAGE.
AND I'M WORKING ON IT, YOU KNOW AND I DON'T REALLY
LIKE MYSELF YET AND SO I REALLY CAN'T STAND YOU.
HOWEVER, I'M ON MY WAY DOWN TO SEE THE LOCAL
PSYCHOLOGIST, AND HE TELLS ME THAT IN JUST A COUPLE
OF YEARS I SHOULD LIKE MYSELF WELL ENOUGH TO BE
ABLE TO LOVE MY NEIGHBOR.
SO JUST HANG AROUND AND I'LL BE BACK AFTER AWHILE".
WELL THAT IS NOT WHAT CHRIST SAID AT ALL!
HE SAID THAT THE SAMARITAN SAW HIM AND HE MINISTERED
TO HIM AND HE CARED FOR HIM AND HE BROUGHT HIM TO
THE INN, AND PAID FOR HIS CARE.
YOU SEE, MY FRIENDS, IF LOVING OURSELVES BECOMES
THE FIRST PREREQUISITE AND DEVELOPING THIS IMAGE IS
ESSENTIAL BEFORE WE CAN DO ANYTHING ELSE, AND SINCE
THEY OBVIOUSLY INDICATE THAT SOME PEOPLE MAY SPEND
MANY, MANY YEARS DOING THAT, WELL AFTER TEN YEARS
OF WORKING ON MY SELF-IMAGE, JUST ABOUT THE
TIME I GET MYSELF TO THE PLACE WHERE I REALLY THINK
I LOVE MYSELF AND I'M REALLY DELIGHTED WITH MYSELF, I DIE.
AND GOD SAYS TO ME "I SEE THAT YOU DIDN'T LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR".
"WELL, YOU SEE, GOD, I WAS INTENDING TO DO THAT AND I
WAS GETTING AROUND TO IT BUT I SPENT THE LAST TEN
YEARS WORKING ON MY SELF-IMAGE, YOU SEE, AND
THAT'S NUMBER ONE, AS YOU TOLD ME, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T
LOVE MY NEIGHBOR UNTIL I LOVE MYSELF.
SO I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THAT AND I WAS GOING TO
GET AROUND TO THAT SHORTLY BUT YOU PULLED MY STRING TOO SOON.
I WANT TO ASK YOU, MY FRIENDS, HOW DO YOU THINK
THAT WOULD WASH AT THE FINAL JUDGMENT?
THAT IS A TOTAL DISTORTION OF WHAT THE BIBLE IS TEACHING.
INDEED, THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT WE SHOULD LOVE GOD;
THEN WE SHOULD LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR.
YOU KNOW, IT IS AN INTERESTING THING THAT THE
SECULAR PSYCHOLOGIST, HAVING ADOPTED HIS ATHEISM
AND HIS MATERIALISM, HAVING ABANDONED GOD AND
CHRIST, NOW FINDS MAN WITHOUT ANY ETERNAL
SIGNIFICANCE, SIMPLY AS A CONCATENATION OF
PROTOPLASM, SOME CHANCE GATHERING OF AMINO ACIDS
THAT CAME TOGETHER IN THE PRIMEVAL SLIME, THAT HAS
NO ULTIMATE PURPOSE OR MEANING AND HE COUNSELS
HIM TO SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIFE TRYING TO FIND
OUT WHO HE IS.
BUT IF A PERSON IS A CHRISTIAN, HE KNOWS WHO HE IS.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, MY FRIEND, BUT I KNOW WHO I AM.
AND IN CASE YOU DON'T KNOW, THEN LET ME TELL YOU.
I HAPPEN TO BE ROYALTY.
MY FATHER IS THE KING, YOU BETTER KEEP THAT IN MIND.
MY FATHER IS THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS,
AND I'M A CHILD OF THE KING, A PRINCE ROYALE.
I WANT TO TELL YOU, THAT GIVES LIFE MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE.
AS TO WHY I AM HERE?
I HAVE BEEN PLACED HERE FOR A GREAT AND GLORIOUS PURPOSE.
I AM TO FULFILL THE PURPOSES OF THE ALMIGHTY
CREATOR AND REDEEMER OF THE UNIVERSE.
I DON'T NEED TO RUN AROUND BLATHERING ABOUT WHO AM I
AND WHERE DID I COME FROM AND WHY AM I HERE AND
WHERE AM I GOING?
IF I AM A CHRISTIAN, I KNOW THOSE THINGS.
WHAT I NEED TO BE ABOUT IS OBEYING WHAT CHRIST SAID
TO LOVE GOD WITH ALL OF MY HEART, MIND, AND SOUL, AND
TO LOVE MY NEIGHBOR AS MYSELF.
AND YOU KNOW SOMETHING?
A SELF-IMAGE IS VERY MUCH LIKE HAPPINESS.
SOMEBODY ONCE WROTE ABOUT THE UNHAPPY QUEST FOR
HAPPINESS, THE UNHAPPY PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.
AND THE UNHAPPIEST PEOPLE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO PURSUE
HAPPINESS, BECAUSE HAPPINESS IS NOT SOMETHING
WHICH YOU CAN FIND BY DIRECTLY PURSUING IT.
IT IS SOMETHING WHICH IS A BY-PRODUCT OF PURSUING
SOMETHING ELSE.
IT IS SOMETHING WE DISCOVER WHEN WE ARE NOT
REALLY LOOKING FOR IT AT ALL.
MY FRIENDS, YOU CAN BE SOMEBODY WHO HAS ETERNAL
AND INFINITE SIGNIFICANCE, BUT YOU CAN ONLY DO THAT
AS YOU ARE RELATED UNTO THE CREATOR WHO MADE YOU.
AND WHEN YOU TRY TO DISSEVER THAT RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE GOD WHO CREATED YOU, YOU WILL FIND
THAT YOUR LIFE LOSES ALL SIGNIFICANCE AND MEANING
AND YOU CAN SPEND YOUR LIFE CHASING IT AND IT
WILL BE NO MORE FRUITFUL THAN A DOG CHASING HIS
TAIL AROUND A TREE.
BUT INVITE CHRIST TO TAKE HIS RIGHTFUL PLACE UPON
THE THRONE OF YOUR LIFE, REPENT OF YOUR SINS, AND
TO PLACE YOUR TRUST IN HIM WHO DIED FOR YOU.
WHO IS WILLING TO PUT UPON YOUR FINGER THE RING OF
SONSHIP, TO ADOPT YOU INTO HIS FAMILY, TO GIVE YOU
HIS NAME, TO MAKE YOU A PRINCE OR PRINCESS IN HIS
REALM AND YOUR LIFE WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANCE THAT
YOU NEVER DREAMED OF BEFORE.
DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE?
WHAT KIND OF SELF-IMAGE DO YOU HAVE?
CHRIST WOULD LIKE TO REMAKE YOU INTO THE VERY IMAGE OF GOD.
HOW IS THAT FOR A SELF-IMAGE.
MAY WE PRAY.
O GOD, FOR THOSE WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH FEELINGS
OF WORTHLESSNESS AND USELESSNESS AND
INSIGNIFICANCE AND LACK OF PURPOSE AND MEANING, MAY
THEY LIFT UP THEIR EYES UNTO CALVARY'S CROSS AND
SEE THERE THE PORTAL THAT LEADS TO PARADISE AND THE
DOORWAY TO MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE IN LIFE.
MAY THEY ENTER THROUGH THAT ON ONE SIDE OF THE
DOOR, THEY ARE A PAUPER CLOTHED IN THE FILTHY RAGS
OF THEIR OWN UNRIGHTEOUSNESS BUT WHEN
THEY PASS THROUGH THAT PORTAL, THEY ARE PRINCES
AND PRINCESSES CLOTHED IN THE ROYAL ROBES OF THE SON
OF GOD AND GIVEN A MEANING AND PURPOSE WHICH WILL NEVER END.
WE BLESS THEE FOR THAT.
IN CHRIST'S NAME.
AMEN.
HELLO, MY NAME IS ROB PACIENZA, THE SENIOR
PASTOR OF CORAL RIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
FOUNDED BY DR. D. JAMES KENNEDY.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR LIFE?
I HOPE IT'S TO GLORIFY GOD AND TELL OTHERS ABOUT HIM.
BUT YOU CAN'T DO EITHER OF THOSE IF YOU DON'T KNOW
HIM AS YOUR SAVIOR AND YOUR LORD.
DO YOU?
IF NOT, I URGE YOU TO PRAY WITH ME AND ASK JESUS
CHRIST TO WORK OUT HIS PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE.
IF YOU'LL DO THAT, HE'LL GIVE YOU JOY AND PEACE IN
THIS LIFE AND FOR ALL ETERNITY.
HE'LL SHOW YOU YOUR PURPOSE FOR LIVING.
I WANT YOU TO PRAY WITH ME RIGHT NOW, "LORD, JESUS
CHRIST, I WANT TO KNOW YOUR PURPOSE FOR MY LIFE.
I ADMIT THAT I AM A SINNER IN NEED OF A SAVIOR.
I REPENT OF MY SINS AND ASK YOU TO COME INTO MY LIFE.
I ACCEPT THE FREE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE THAT YOU CAME
TO GIVE AND I PLACE MY TRUST IN YOU FROM THIS DAY FORWARD.
AND ITS IN IN YOUR NAME I PRAY, AMEN."
IF YOU JUST PRAYED THAT PRAYER SINCERELY, FROM
YOUR HEART, THEN THIS IS WHAT JESUS CHRIST SAYS,
"HE WHO BELIEVES IN ME HAS EVERLASTING LIFE."
I WANT TO WELCOME YOU TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!
TO HELP YOU GROW IN YOUR NEW FAITH, WE HAVE A
SPECIAL GIFT FOR YOU.
IT'S BEGINNING AGAIN, THE BOOK WRITTEN BY
DR. KENNEDY FOR NEW BELIEVERS.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE DOING - BEGINNING AGAIN.
SO ASK FOR YOUR COPY TODAY BY WRITING TO OUR ADDRESS
OR CALLING OUR TOLL-FREE NUMBER.
AND MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
AND NOW, A CORAL RIDGE PROFILE, A PERSONAL LOOK
INTO A LIFE TOUCHED BY GOD.
HERE'S DR. KENNEDY.
TODAY WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AN ELUSIVE THING CALLED SELF-IMAGE.
MANY PEOPLE SEEM TO STRUGGLE WITH THIS BUT
WHAT IF YOU'RE HANDICAPPED AND HAVE A BODY THAT'S
BROKEN OR FAR LESS THAN PERFECT?
HOW DO THESE PEOPLE LEARN TO ACCEPT THEMSELVES?
ONE YOUNG LADY NAMED JONI EARECKSON TADA DISCOVERED HOW.
ON A HOT SUMMER'S DAY IN 1967, 17 YEAR OLD JONI
EARECKSON'S LIFE WAS ABOUT TO CHANGE FOREVER.
BUTCH, ARE YOU GOING TO COME IN?
OW, OW, A CRAB GOT ME, JONI WATCH OUT FOR CRABS.
JONI?
DIVING INTO WATER THAT WAS TOO SHALLOW, JONI BROKE
HER NECK AND SEVERED HER SPINAL CORD,
PARALYZING HER FROM THE NECK DOWN.
BUTCH, HELP!! BUTCH!
JONI BATTLED FOR HER LIFE IN THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED
THE ACCIDENT BUT THIS WOULD NOT BE THE ONLY
BATTLE JONI WOULD WAGE AS SHE BEGAN TO FACE THE
REALITY OF BEING A QUADRIPLEGIC FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE.
UP UNTIL THEN, ALTHOUGH I WAS A CHRISTIAN, I ALWAYS
DEPENDED ON THE OUTWARD SHELL, I ALWAYS DEPENDED
ON THE ABILITY TO MOVE AND RUN AND PLAY TENNIS AND GO
SKIING AND SO MANY OF THE THINGS THAT MAKE UP THE
PHYSICAL IDENTITY OF WHO WE ARE.
BUT SUDDENLY I WAS HIT WITH NOTHING BUT A SPIRITUAL IDENTITY
I MEAN, I WAS ONLY A YOUNG TEENAGER AT THE TIME AND
MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO MY SELF-IMAGE WAS HAVING A
ZIT ON MY CHIN ON A FRIDAY NIGHT AND SUDDENLY I HAD
TO DEAL WITH TOTAL PARALYSIS.
YOU IDIOT, STUPID JERK, YOU MUST HAVE HANDS LIKE MEAT HOOKS!
HER NERVES ARE ALL STANDING AT ATTENTION RIGHT NOW.
THE YARDSTICKS I USED WHEN I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL WERE
BASED ON ABILITIES, PERFORMANCE, APPEARANCE,
BACKGROUND, ACHIEVEMENT AND I REMEMBER ALL THOSE
BEING TAKEN AWAY FROM ME AND THINKING I HAD NOTHING
LEFT AND I FELT SO SORRY FOR MYSELF.
AND I REMEMBER GOING TO OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY EVERY
DAY AND MY THERAPIST TELLING ME YOU'RE GOING TO
HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO PUT A BRUSH BETWEEN YOUR TEETH
AND WRITE AND TYPE AND BRUSH AND PAINT.
AND I SAD, NO WAY, I MEAN, THAT'S FOR HANDICAPPED
PEOPLE THAT'S NOT FOR ME!
AND I KEPT SPITTING THIS PENCIL ON THE FLOOR AND
SHE KEPT WIPING IT OFF WITH LYSOL AND STICKING IT
BACK IN MY MOUTH AND I KEPT SPITTING IT OUT.
AND FINALLY SHE GOT TIRED OF THAT ROUTINE AND LEFT
ME IN THE CORNER TO FEEL SORRY FOR MYSELF.
AND THEN ONE DAY A YOUNG QUADRIPLEGIC IN A
WHEELCHAIR CAME IN AND HE WAS MORE PARALYZED THAN
ME, ALL HE COULD DO WAS BLINK HIS EYES.
AND THE NURSE PUT HIM IN FRONT OF AN EASEL AND PUT
A PENCIL IN HIS MOUTH AND HE DIDN'T COMPLAIN AND HE
DIDN'T SPIT IT OUT ON THE FLOOR AND HE DIDN'T LOOK
AROUND AT EVERYBODY ELSE TO SEE WHO WAS DOING WHAT
AND IF HE WAS BETTER OFF THAN THEM, HE JUST STARTED
PRACTICING WRITING WITH THAT PENCIL BETWEEN HIS TEETH.
AND I WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH HIS ATTITUDE THAT HE
JUST "GOT ON WITH LIVING" THAT I DECIDED THAT THERE
HAD TO BE MORE TO LIFE THAN JUST FEELING SORRY
FOR MYSELF AND COMPARING MYSELF TO EVERYBODY ELSE.
AND I THINK THAT WAS THE POINT WHERE I FINALLY GRIT
MY TEETH AND SAID "YES" TO WHATEVER GOD WANTED TO DO
ON THE INSIDE.
OK, LORD.
I'LL STOP TRYING TO WORK IT OUT TO MAKE SENSE JUST FOR ME.
I KNEW THERE WASN'T MUCH CHANCE, MUCH HOPE FOR THE
OUTSIDE BUT I KNEW THAT A LOT COULD BE DONE WAY DOWN
DEEP IN MY HEART AND TRUE BEAUTY WASN'T GOING TO
DEPEND ON THE LATEST SHADE OF REVLON NAIL COLOR IT
WAS GOING TO DEPEND ON PATIENCE AND PEACE AND
SELF-CONTROL AND SELF-DISCIPLINE.
AND IT WAS A TRADE OFF, I MEAN, I HAD TO SUDDENLY
TRADE IN ALL MY OLD VALUES FOR NEW ONES AND THAT
YOUNG MAN IN THE THERAPY ROOM HELPED ME GET STARTED.
22 YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE JONI'S ACCIDENT AND WITHIN
THAT TIME, JONI HAS BECOME AN ACCOMPLISHED ARTIST, A
MEMBER OF THE PRESIDENT'S NATIONAL COUNCIL ON
DISABILITY AND COMRADE AND COUNSELOR TO THOSE WHO
FACE SPECIAL PHYSICAL PROBLEMS.
YOU SEE SOMEBODY LIKE ON THE BUS OR SOMETHING AND
THEY'RE HANDICAPPED AND YOU DON'T REALLY THINK
ABOUT IT, IT'S JUST ANOTHER PERSON.
THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THEM.
AND THEN WHEN YOU'RE HANDICAPPED AND YOU CAN'T
DO SOMETHING IT MAKES YOU THINK ABOUT IT.
KEN TADA, JONI'S HUSBAND OF SEVEN YEARS COMMENTS ON
THE EMOTIONAL HEALTH OF HIS WIFE AND HIS MARRIAGE.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SELF-IMAGE AND PEOPLE
THINK OF THE DISABILITY AS BEING A NEGATIVE, AND WE
REALIZED THAT MOST PEOPLE IN ANY MARRIAGE HAVE DISABILITIES.
IN FACT, WE CONSIDER OURSELVES THE FORTUNATE
ONES BECAUSE THE DISABILITIES WE HAVE ARE
VISIBLE BUT THERE ARE SO MANY WHO HAVE INVISIBLE DISABILITIES.
AND I THINK THE BALANCE COMES IN THE FACT THAT
JONI LOVES THE LORD.
THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE AND THAT'S THE THING THAT
SOLIDIFIES OUR MARRIAGE THE MOST AND MAKES IT SO
SPECIAL, FOR ME TO BE MARRIED TO A CHRISTIAN WOMAN LIKE HER.
I'M REALLY CONVINCED, NOT QUASI-CONVINCED, BUT
REALLY CONVINCED THAT BEAUTY IS WHAT EFFERVESCES
FROM THE INSIDE OUT.
THAT ITS JESUS THROUGH YOUR SMILE, THE EYES
REALLY ARE THE WINDOWS OF THE SOUL.
AND SO MUCH ABOUT POISE AND CONFIDENCE AND
SECURITY AND SIGNIFICANCE AND HOPE AND ASSURANCE HAS
TO DO WITH THE WAY YOU COMMUNICATE THROUGH YOUR
FACE AND THE WAY YOU EXPRESS IT AND REAL BEAUTY
DOESN'T DEPEND ON WHAT HAPPENS ON THE OUTSIDE.
IT'S GRACE UNDER PRESSURE.
IT'S THE ABILITY TO SMILE NOT IN SPITE OF YOU
PROBLEMS BUT BECAUSE OF THEM.
AND IT'S ANY DEGREE OF CHRIST'S CHARACTER THAT'S
BEEN CULTIVATED INSIDE SOMEHOW SHINING OUT LIKE A
CITY ON A HILL ON THE OUTSIDE.
AND THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO ACCOUNT FOR ETERNITY, NOT
MY LIZ CLAIBORNE SWEATERS.
DESPITE ALL THE EFFORTS OF ANCIENT ALCHEMISTS, NONE
WERE EVER ABLE TO TURN A BASE METAL, LIKE LEAD, INTO GOLD.
BUT OUR ALMIGHTY GOD IS THE GREAT ETERNAL
ALCHEMIST WHO TURNS ALL THE DROSS OF OUR LIVES, INTO GOLD.
THE ALCHEMY OF GOD, THE ALCHEMY OF GRACE, ALL
THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD.
IN HIS NEWLY REPUBLISHED BOOK, TURN IT TO GOLD,
DR. D. JAMES KENNEDY TACKLES THE DIFFICULTIES WE ALL FACE.
CONTACT US TODAY TO RECEIVE YOUR COPY OF TURN
IT TO GOLD, ONE OF DR. KENNEDY'S MOST BELOVED
AND INSPIRING BOOKS, SO THAT YOU CAN BE ENCOURAGED
OR SHARE ASSURANCE WITH A FRIEND THAT GOD'S PROMISES
ARE THE RICHEST GOLD NOW AND FOREVER.
THIS HAS BEEN A PRODUCTION OF
D. JAMES KENNEDY MINISTRIES
