Footprints

                    Sermon by Pastor Thomas Robb

In the mid 60's Frank Sanatra's daughter, Nancy Sanatra recorded a song about boots. A portion of the song said, "These boots are make for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do. One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you."

Of course Nancy Sanatra was talking about getting even with an ex-boyfriend. 

Sometime we hear in the negative a description about how someone, in order to get a head, walks over people. But we all walk on people, everyday we walk on people and leave our footprints. The kind of footprints we leave, however, can be quite different. We’ll connect the footprints with the rest of the story in a few moments.

Over the past several decades we have seen a great shift occur within the Christian church. This change and damage has been slow and methodical and has gone mostly unnoticed by the vast majority of people. This change can be compared to the change that occurred during the time of the Babylonian captivity of Israel beginning in the year 585 BC. According to Scripture, our forefathers had sinned and God sent punishment upon the nation. Although Israel had sinned, those that kept the faith had never the less kept it pure and unadulterated. However, with the Babylonian captivity, a great change took place which laid the foundation for today’s Judeo-Christian one world church.

Our forefathers entered Babylon with the law. But out of Babylon came the Talmud. They entered Babylon with the priests, but returned with the Rabbis. They entered Babylon with the temple and returned with the synagogue. They entered Babylon with their religious leaders chosen from among their own people, but when they returned, the priesthood of Israel had become corrupted with non-whites.

As a result, Ezra and Nehemiah, the leaders of the return struggled to restore the priesthood of Israel to the proper authority and remove non-whites from the priesthood. All this is recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. We are told in Scripture that the priests had to prove their geneology was unadulterated. If they were unable to prove this the Bible records that they were "polluted and put from the priesthood." The Babylonian captivity infected Israel with what the Apostle Paul refers to as "Jewish fables," (Titus 1:14). This great transformation has once again infected our people like a cancer eating away at our soul. We are actually witnessing a mutation of the Faith of our Fathers.

For generations upon generations we were known as Christians. We had a Christian faith and we acted upon Christian morals, values and culture. These virtues were unique to our people. We are the benefactors of these blessings because of God’s promise to our Israel forefathers that he would write his laws in our hearts. As Psa 147:20 says, he has not done so with any other people. "He sheweth His word unto Jacob, His statues and His judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation" The Moffit translation says, "He makes his purpose known to Jacob, his orders and his laws to Israel. Never has he done so to other nations." Judeo-Christians say "That’s the old testament -- ha ha." But the Apostle Paul, writing on the same theme says in Rom 9:4 that it is Israel who has received the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the law, the service of God and the promises.

However, the New Age doctrine of the Brotherhood of Man and the Fatherhood of God has entered the Christian faith and mutated into today’s Judeo-Christian church which has captured the vast majority of those who were at one time Christians. Our people have forsaken the Christian faith for the teachings of the one world Judeo-Christian church of tolerance and brotherhood. Today the morals, the values and our culture is threatened and the Judeo-Christian church has become the chief advocate of our own destruction. Judeo-Christian churches now stand on the same ground, occupy the same buildings and it’s ministers occupy the same pulpits where Christian ministers once stood. And what does this have to do with Mothers Day and Father‘s Day? Let’s shift gears a little then I hope to tie the connection. 

Does God keep His Promises? We all look upon and speak of God being our father. And we refer to him as our father in our prayers and speech. Even Jesus Christ taught the disciples to pray "Our father which art in heaven." Now I am going to step out of the box, because there is at least one scripture where God relates himself to us as our mother. God says in Isaiah 49:15 "Can a women forget her nursing child and not have compassion on the baby she gave birth. But even if they do forget, I will never forget thee. Look I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands." This occured when he was taken and nailed to cross and paid the price as the redeemer of Israel. Isa 9:6 "For unto US a child is born and unto US a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulders and his name shall be called wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever." Of what could be called part TWO of this verse is found in Daniel 2:44 "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand for ever."

Can a women forget her nursing child God tells Israel. "Look - I will never forget thee." NEVER!" And he says he has graven us upon the palm of his hands. He compares himself to a mother who cannot forget her nursing child. Who was he talking to? Israel! Did God lie? Did he change his mind? Does it seem fair? Does it seem loving? Did God forsake His people? Absolutely not!  Isaiah 49:3 says, "Sing O heavens; and be joyful O earth, and break forth into singing, O Mountain; for the Lord hath comforted His people." He said to Israel I HAVE GRAVEN THEE UPON THE PALMS OF MY HANDS! Does a loving mother forsake her baby to care for another? God could use this illustration because of what it implies. As a mother nurses her infant so does God nourish Israel. Surely we understand that when a mother brings a baby into the world - she makes a commitment to the baby. What do you think of the mother who doesn’t keep her commitments. I know what you think - even if you don’t say it. What do you think of people who say one thing and do another? How long do you trust someone who does not keep their word? How reliable is someone who does not keep their promises?

Is God's word - his promise - to Israel reliable?

Let us look at the words, the promises and the commitments our God made to Israel. God states in Amos 3:2. "Thou Israel art the only family I have known of all the families of the earth" Did God Lie? "Remember these O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant, I have formed thee; thou art my servant; O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me." Do you think God will keep that commitment to Israel? Or will he be like those whose words mean nothing? God made this great promise to Israel - the question we have is, will God keep His word or will he betray his covenant? 

People can make all kinds of claims of why Christ came into the world. But Romans 15:8 tells us why. It was to "Confirm the promises made unto the fathers."  He made promises to OUR Israel forefathers and he WILL keep each and every one! Why? Because we are what the Bible calls the sheep of His pasture. Matt 1: 23 says of the birth of Jesus. "He shall be called Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins." Who are his people? Israel! Who was this promise made to? Israel! Luke 1:68 says, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people (Israel).  And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us (Israel) in the house of his servant David. As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began. That we (Israel) should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our (Israel) fathers and to remember his holy covenant. The oath which he sware to our father Abraham." Does this scripture lie? He either has kept this oath, this commitment and covenant to Israel or he has not.

 Isa 43:21 says, "These people have I formed for myself, they shall show forth my praise." II Cor 6:16 says "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; As God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people." Who is he talking to? He is talking to Israel. He is saying "You (Israel) are the temple of the living God." The apostle Paul reminds them of what God said, "I will dwell in them." Judeo-Christians twist scripture to say that he is talking about anybody of any race who becomes a "Christian." Paul is reminding them of what God previously said in Lev 26:11-12 where God tells Israel, "I will set my tabernacle among you and I will walk among you and will be your God."

Mike Kryzewski, head basketball coach for Duke University understood the impact of commitment, "If you set up an atmosphere of communication and trust, it becomes a tradition. Older team members will establish your credibility with newer ones. Even if they don’t like everything about you, they will say, ‘He’s trustworthy, committed to us as a team." As the sons and daughters of Israel which understands our identity we can state with assurance. God is trustworthy, he is committed to us as a team, as a nation. He keeps his word and his covenants to Israel.

1) So far we have seen that modern Israel like ancient Israel has forsaken God. Ancient Israel saw their faith mutate into Talmudism. Today Talmudism, the religion of the Rabbi’s which was called Phariseeism at the time of Christ has entered the church and mutated Christianity into Judeo-Christianity, a multi-racial, occultic religion of he New Age Movement. Today, the ancient teachings of the Rabbi’s, the Jewish fables spoken about by the Apostle Paul has become the faith of modern Israel.

2) We have taken God at His word. HE WILL NOT FORSAKE ISRAEL. He nourishes us as little babes. It is from him we have our strength. Act 17:28 says, "For in him we live, and move, and have our being." Now we will put those two items on the shelf and come back to them. 

Let’s see if we can’t start connecting this to Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Mark Twain said, "It is at our mother’s knee that we acquire our noblest and truest and highest ideals." George Washington said, "I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intelectual and physical education which I received from my mother." John Quincy Adams "All that I am my mother made me." Napoleon Bonaparte "The future destiny of the child is always the work of mothers. Let France have good mothers and she will have good sons." Billy Sunday, "Mothers and teachers of children fill places so great that there isn’t an angel in heaven that wouldn’t give a bushel of diamonds to come down and take their place." Theodore Roosevelt, "When all is said, it is the mother, and mother only, who is a better citizen than the soldier who fights for his country. The successful mother, the mother who does her part in rearing and training aright the boys and girls who are to be the men and women of the next generation is of greater use to the community, and occupies, if she only would realize it, a more honorable as well as more important position than any man in it. The mother is the one supreme asset of national life; she is more important by far that the successful statesman, or businessman or artist or scientist." Each of these men and there are many more paid a high regard and respect to the office of motherhood. Recognizing the responsibility that they have in the early development of their children. 

I began today’s message about foot prints. You see my mother along with my father walked all over me leaving deep huge footprints. I have been trampled upon all my life. If you had some kind of special glasses you would be able to see footprints all over me. And likewise I have attempted to leave footprints all over the lives of my children. Perhaps the earliest recollection I have as a child occurred when I was about 4 or 5 years old. It was at church. I am walking down the hallway and going into the adult Sunday school class. I was looking for my father and mother. I don’t know why. But I can remember it as if it is happening right now. Those in the class are singing, and as I push open the door to the adult Sunday School room, the words of the song are loud and clear. "When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more, when the morning breaks eternal, bright and fair. When all the dead in Christ shall gather on the other shore, When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there." This is the first song in my memory. What better foundation for a child than a song of praise to God. It left a footprint. 

I can’t tell you how old I was, but as far as I can remember, I can hear my father’s booming voice leading the family in prayer. Each time he prayed it left a footprint.

In church my mother would often join Flora Weed and together they would sing. Some of those songs were "Face to face with Christ my savior, face to face what will it be. When with rapture I behold him, Jesus Christ who died for me;"  "Throw out the lifeline, throw out the life line. someone is drifting away. Throw out the lifeline, throw out the lifeline someone needs Jesus today;" "My Lord has garments so wondrous fine. And myrrh their texture fills. Its fragrance reached to this heart of mine, with joy my being thrills. Out of the ivory palaces into a world of woe. Only his great eternal love made my savior go." Each time they sang they left a footprint.

If I could transport you back in time. You would see my father at the downtown mission preaching. Each time he spoke, he left a footprint. And you know they weren’t the only ones who walked on me. No! they recruited others. Yes, they brought other people into my life and let them all have have an oppurtunity to walk on me and leave their footprints.

 Mrs. Spain, I don’t know much about her. But I remember her as the little old lady that we sometimes saw at house meetings. In her way, as we gathered with Christian friends she left a foot print. There was the bald headed man - I can’t remember his name, but Mrs. Splain led him to the Lord and, there he was stomping all over me. He was a song leader and the one song I always associate with him, which I think might have been his favorite was, "I’m pressing on the upward way, new heights I’m gaining everyday, still praying as I upward bound, Lord plant my feet on higher ground. Lord lift me up and let me stand by faith on heavens table land. A higher plain then I have found. Lord plant my feet on higher ground." Each time he lead music, he left a footprint.

And there were others. Oh yes! they brought all kinds of people around me and let them all an oppportunity to stomp on me. They all left footprints. You see they’re pretty smart, they knew if it was only their feet stepping on me I might wiggle out and get away. So they were sure to get a lot of feet stomping on me all the time.

Lloyd & Eleanor Campbell, they got their chance too!. I heard his testimony (more than once) and each time it left a foot print. Glen Carless and his wife Nina, they had footprints on me also. Merrill Weed and Flora stomped on me and left a lot of footprints. Merrill would pull out his harmonica and soon some gospel song filled the air. And each time he played he left a footprint. And there were others. My folks had lots of Christian friends. And even though I may not remember their names, or even what they may have said, they were leaving footprints.

There were the Palarmo Brothers, picking their guitars and singing, "Don't send your kids to Sunday School - Get out of bed and take them! Each time they sang, they sunk a footprint into my heart! Pastor McAsh. I probably didn’t listen to his sermons like I should have. But he was still making a footprint.

The old German Sunday School teacher, Mrs Fink. She left her footprints also.

Then there was Joe Maroni the evangelist, my father was converted under his ministry and he was still preaching when I was a teenager. He left a footprint also.

But it wasn’t just people that left footprints. It was the kind of people they were. Christianity was not just a belief it was a lifestyle. And it included not only the love of God, but the love of nation.

Common Sense came to our home and at 13 years old I was sitting on our living room sofa reading its articles and its expose of the how international Jewry had fabricated the Holocaust. Our home had the writings of Kenneth Goff, Carl McIntye, Russel McGuire and Conde McGinly. All of whom stood faithfully against the flood of liberalism and Communism in the nation. While the media was attacking the memory of Joseph McCarthy, Our home regarded Senator McCarthy as a hero. My parents were warning their friends about Fidel Castro and his Communist connections long before he came and butchered his way into Cuba. Copies of American Mercury would be stacked on the bedroom floor and would be mailed to people in an effort to warn them of the danger this country was facing. Did any of those people wake up? Did any of them join the cause? I don’t know? Did they do any good at all? Yes, it left a footprint!

My grandmother would take copies of Carl McIntye’s Twentieth Century Reformation newsletter and mail them to people, hoping they would have their eyes opened, even if only a little bit. She and my grandfather were devout Christians and left footprints on my mother's life. She had literature showing the pitfalls of integration. One was in cartoon form, the first frame showed a little black boy and a little white girl playing together. The last frame showed the white girl presenting a mulotto child to her mother. The message was clear, "Race-mixing is forever! Yes, my grandmother stomped her feet all over me to. And each time it left a footprint.

Now lets see if we can connect all this together.

1) We looked at the sins of Israel and the Christian church mutating into Judeo-Christianity.

2) We read scripture establishing the fact that GOD keeps his covenants, even though the religion of Judeo-Christianity says he does not.

3) and we talked about the footprints left on my life by my parents and their friends.

You see the commitment of parents and especially a mother toward her infant baby is to nourish the child. God wants to nourish Israel because he made a commitment (covenant) to Israel. We read some of the many scriptures to show the commitments. God cannot lie! And even though Judeo-Christians claim He  has broken his word to Israel and now has brought all people enter the covenant. we will continue to trust in His word and have faith in his covenant.

Judeo-Christianity is a mutated form of Biblical Christianity. Judeo-Christianity rebels against scripture to promote its New Age doctrine of the Brotherhood of Man. Now I will attempt to tie footprints, the sins of Israel, my story and the nourishment mothers and fathers give children all together. You see when you get hungry your stomach cries out, and you grab a burger. It doesn’t matter if you are a Baby or if you are old. We all recognize hunger pains and we want to eat. You body talks to you when it is hungry. You get that gnawing in your stomach and you want to be filled. But our spirit does not work the same and he can't cry out the same as your hunger pangs. There are hundred of thousands of people who are starving their spirit and they do not even know it. But if your spirit could talk it would be crying out FEED ME! - NOURISH ME! The little baby who gets hungry cries out FEED ME! NOURISH ME! and the mother rushes to care for the baby. When we get hungry our stomach is crying out FEED ME!  NOURISH ME! and we head to the refrigerator. So it is with our spirit. And though we may not always realize it, even the Spirit of little Alex over there in his mothers arms, at 8 months old is crying out FEED my SPIRIT - NOURISH me! And as a good mother and father feeds and nourishes the physical body of a child so must they also reach down into the soul of the child and feed and nourish its spirit.

They put the child in a good garden surrounded by the sun, the rain, the soil that it needs. The friends, the music, the entertainment, the words, the attitude, the forgiveness, the discipline, the love and the books all leave a footprint on the child. As a child needs nourishment, both physical and spiritual so also does our nation need nourishment. God said as a mother will not forget her nursing child HE WILL NOT FORGET ISRAEL.

He has called you to serve Him and serve the nation. God wants us to nourish our people the way he has nourished us. We are told in Psa 100: 3 "Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture." Israel is his sheep and he told us, through his conversation with the apostle John. "Feed my sheep." Israel’s spirit is dying. Israel does not know, and the Bible says, they do not even consider what their latter end will be. But our responsibility is to feed them.

Sometime people get angry with the ignorance of Judeo-Christians as they march headlong through the valley of death, not toward green pastures or still water, but toward their covenant with death because they have forsaken the teaching of our fathers and our father’s God. The hatred, the blindness, the ignorance and the contempt that Judeo-Christians have toward those who stand on the divine principles of racial integrity is sometimes hard to forgive. But we must understand - they don’t know. And even worse - they don’t know they don’t know. They have been impregnated with the New Age doctrine of the Brotherhood of Man and the Fatherhood of God. And while they may deny it, the evidence of their folly is seen in the condition America now finds itself. Jer 2:21 says, "I have planted you as a righteous and noble plant, but now look at yourself, you have become a degenerate plant. And though you wash your self and attempt to make yourself clean, your sin is clearly seen by me. How can you make the claim that you are not polluted, that you have not embraced the teaching of Baal. LOOK at yourself and you will know what you have done."

Our nation stood as the most powerful nation in the world in 1940. The teachings of the great evangelist of earlier years has brought great blessings upon the nation. But by 1960 the first generation to come to maturity after World War II appear to have been a cursed generation. From that time until this very hour we have continued the slid toward Hell. As the Bible says, "he nation that forgets God will be turned into hell."

The spirit of our nation is crying out FEED ME! NOURISH ME! We must remember that even as Jesus Christ, the promised redeemer of Israel, forgave us even while we were yet sinners. So we must carry forth the same forgiveness and reach out to feed his sheep, to nourish his sheep. Like a mother to her child we are to bring nourishment to our people. The Bible says Israel has made a covenant with death. They have sinned greatly, and have been impregnated with the spirit of Judeo-Christianity which now dominates their soul and dominates our nation. Their spirit of our nation is hungry it calls out for nourishment. They have their preachers, and their churches. They preach their sermons and testify before others. They profess Jesus Christ and claim to be Christians even though they teach the doctrine of the Pharisees. Rabbi Martin Siegel stated in New York Magazine, Jan 18, 1972, "I am devoting my lecture in this seminar to a discussion of the possibility that we are now entering a Jewish century." He continues by saying that there is emerging a new kind of society. He says, "I call this the judaization of Christianity because Christianity will be the vehicle through which this society becomes Jewish."

Now I hope to make the connection and tie the knot. The most valuable thing a person leaves behind at their death is the influence he leaves upon the hearts of others. Each of you will leave footprints upon the hearts of your child, you will leave footprints upon your wife or husband, you will leave footprints upon your parents, brothers and sisters. You will leave footprints upon your friends and even strangers. Be careful that the footprints you leave behind will help others to a more positive, fruitful and rewarding life. The footprints you leave behind may help someone find the Lord, the footprints you leave may help a Judeo-Christian find his or her way back to the faith of our forefathers. The footprints you leave may help, the nation repent.

Our nation is deep in sin, the chief of which is race-mixing and homosexuality. God has called you to reach out as a mother reaches out to nourish our people and show them the pathway of repentance. Philippians 2:15 says we are to be as a light among a wicked and perverse generation. We are to "mother" our people.

In closing I want to say, that years ago I walked down the hallway of  Parkside Baptist Church and heard those in the adult class singing. It is my oldest musical memory. I want to testify today that in my death, whether it be tomorrow or whether it is when I am old, stooped over and gray, that when I breathe my last breath and close my eyes for eternity and whisper to those gathered around me "I love you" for the last time. I want you to know that in that final hour, I will still be hearing those saints of God singing into the heart of a 5 year old. "When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more. When the morning breaks eternal bright and fair. When all the dead in Christ shall gather on the yonder shore. When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there."