Participants: Lincoln Steed
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR001023
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01:00 Several years ago, I was asked to serve
01:02 as the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty, 01:04 Director for the Northeastern Conference in New York City. 01:08 And I can remember very, very well 01:10 my very first religious liberty case. 01:13 A number of individuals were asked to work 01:15 for the New York City Transit Authority on the weekend 01:19 and 12 of those individuals didn't show up for work. 01:23 They were immediately suspended without pay 01:26 and asked to come to a hearing to deal with their case. 01:31 One of those individuals 01:32 was a Seventh-day Adventist brother for many years. 01:34 And as a conference official, we went with him 01:38 to discuss the case with the judge. 01:40 I remember it very, very well, his name was Daniel. 01:43 And we went there before this stern judge. 01:46 And the first person came before the judge 01:48 and the judge asked him, 01:50 "Why didn't you show up for work?" 01:51 and he said, "Well, sir, I never got the letter. 01:53 I didn't get the special letter." 01:55 And he wrote something down and he said, "Next person. 01:57 Why didn't you show up for work? 01:58 Well, I didn't get the letter. I just never got the letter." 02:02 And then 3, 4, 5, 6 never got the letter. 02:05 And then the man from transit authority went to the judge 02:07 and whispered something in his ear. 02:09 The judge took off his glasses. 02:11 And this is New York City, tough town, tough judges. 02:15 And the judge said, "You know gentlemen, 02:18 I'm not having a good day. 02:22 And the judge said and the next one of you clowns..." 02:24 and that's the term he used. 02:26 He said, "The next one of you clowns 02:27 that comes up with that excuse, that you didn't get the letter, 02:30 I'm gonna see to it that you don't have a good day." 02:34 So I asked the Seventh-day Adventist fellow next to me, 02:36 "What are you gonna tell the judge?" 02:38 He said, "I didn't get the letter." 02:40 I said, "You're gonna tell him that." 02:42 He said, "yeah, I really didn't get the letter." 02:44 And so we were next up. 02:47 And he said, "Well, what's your story?" 02:50 and the Adventist brother said, "I didn't get the letter." 02:55 And the judge stood up. 02:58 He said, "You didn't get the letter?" 03:00 He said, "No, I didn't get the letter, 03:02 but before you say anything judge, I need to tell you this, 03:05 even if I had gotten the letter, I wasn't gonna come to work 03:11 because I don't work on Saturdays. 03:13 I've never worked on Saturdays and I wasn't gonna come in." 03:19 And I kind of sank down in my chair 03:22 and the judge sat back down in his seat. 03:26 And he said, "Come here." 03:28 And the fellow walked up to the judge and he said, 03:31 "I've got your file right here in front of me. 03:34 I know that you're a Seventh-day Adventist. 03:38 I've looked at your work record. 03:40 I've looked at your history and I just wanted to see..." 03:44 and the term he used, "I just wanted to see 03:45 what kind of jitterbug, you are gonna do in front of me today." 03:49 He said, "I know all about you Seventh-day Adventist." 03:51 He said, "There's a Seventh-day Adventist nurse 03:52 that takes care of my mother-in-law. 03:54 I know the kind of people you are. 03:56 So I want you to stay after 03:59 because I need to talk with you." 04:01 He said, "But the rest of you jokers, 04:03 you need to come and meet me in my office." 04:06 And we-- I don't know 04:07 what really happened to the rest of those guys, 04:09 but I know the Seventh-day Adventist brother Daniel, 04:11 he got his job back, he got his pay back 04:15 and he was in good standing 04:16 with the New York City Transit Authority. 04:18 Religious Liberty is one of those things 04:20 that you don't need until you need it, 04:23 but when you need it you really, really need it. 04:27 And perhaps that is why, Religious Liberty 04:30 the campaign, this day, 04:31 is one of the first campaigns of the year 04:33 because it is so very, very, very important 04:37 to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 04:38 The history goes back many, many years 04:41 when we talked before Congress, about the need to have 04:43 religious freedom here in the United States. 04:46 And so we are looking forward to a very, 04:48 very important message this day from Lincoln Steed. 04:52 He is the editor of "Liberty" magazine 04:55 and has a number of other jobs that they give him 04:57 to do there at the General Conference office. 04:59 But he edits "Liberty" magazine, 05:02 really one of the finest journals produced by 05:04 the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 05:06 And he has much to tell us today. 05:07 He is an interesting fellow to talk to, 05:09 has the worldwide knowledge. 05:10 And so liberty weekend or liberty Sabbath 05:14 is not just a North American division thing. 05:16 It is a worldwide thing, although, 05:17 it is very much focused here, on the North American division. 05:20 So we are looking forward 05:22 to a powerful message from Lincoln Steed. 05:25 Allow me to greet you in the name of Jesus. 05:27 My name is C.A. Murray. 05:28 This is the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church 05:31 here at Three Angels Broadcasting Network 05:33 in West Frankfurt, Illinois. 05:35 And we are so very, very happy to welcome our guest 05:38 here in our audience and our worldwide audience 05:42 to this very, very special day. 05:44 We're going to have prayer and then we've asked 05:46 Jill Morikone to bring us the special music. 05:49 Then after she shall have finished playing. 05:51 The next voice, you'll be hearing 05:53 will be that of Lincoln Steed, 05:55 Pastor Elder Lincoln Steed who is the editor 05:59 of "Liberty" magazine and directs 06:01 the religious liberty work at the General Conference office 06:05 in Silver Spring, Maryland. Shall we pray? 06:08 Father God, we do thank you so very, very much 06:12 for the privilege of serving you. 06:15 We thank you that we are not left alone, 06:18 when it comes to lifting up 06:20 the mighty and matchless name of Jesus. 06:22 We know that there are forces 06:24 that would like to curtail the spread of the gospel. 06:27 That would like to put it in a box and hide it away. 06:30 But we're thankful that our light cannot be hidden 06:34 and shall stand for all the world to see. 06:37 We ask that you would keep the doors of employment open. 06:42 Keep the Congress and the legislators 06:47 not only in the States, but across this country. 06:51 Give them an understanding of the need 06:54 to allow men and women to worship, 06:57 according to the dictates of their conscience. 07:00 And Lord just help us to hold up the name of Jesus, 07:04 so that men and women will be saved. 07:08 Bless this day not only in this place, 07:10 but around the world. 07:12 And we thank you dear Father for every good 07:15 and perfect gift in Jesus name. Amen. 07:19 And now, Jill Morikone followed by Pastor Lincoln Steed. 11:16 It's great to be at Thompsonville 11:17 and on 3ABN again 11:19 at this time of special emphasis for religious liberty. 11:24 You know religious liberty is not just 11:25 a solid biblical principle. 11:28 It's not just a well tested 11:30 constitutional principle of the United States. 11:33 It's not just an underlying principle of the United Nations 11:36 expressed in the universal declaration on human rights. 11:40 It is a concern of every human being. 11:43 It's in a knight need, 11:45 for all of those that serve a higher power. 11:50 And it's not just a United States concern. 11:52 It concerns people all around the world. 11:55 This year, as we promoted 11:57 to our churches though in North America, 11:59 we've told them about a case in the United States 12:03 that sometimes thought by people, 12:05 that it's somebody else's problem, 12:07 that we're not restricted here. 12:09 That no one ever troubles us about our faith. 12:12 But those of you that are in North America 12:15 and had a chance to see the materials 12:16 that we've send out, particularly, 12:18 to the Seventh-day Adventist churches. 12:20 Know that, we've told an incredible story there 12:22 that happened only a few months ago. 12:25 Of a group of student, book or Bible sellers 12:30 and witnessing group that went out down at Louisiana, 12:35 as many similar groups regularly go door to door 12:38 all over the United States and Canada in particular. 12:41 And as they came into the town, 12:43 in advance they'd send out a letter, 12:45 to tell the town that they would be coming 12:46 and that they would be sharing with the community. 12:49 They send it to the authorities, as is typically done. 12:52 But on this particular day, as they were going door to door, 12:55 the police car pulled up next to the student leader, 12:59 asked him what they were doing. 13:01 Said you have no right to be sharing 13:03 these religious materials here. 13:05 There are ordinances against this. 13:07 And things escalated. 13:09 And in a few moments, the leader found himself handcuffed, 13:13 in the police car and taken back to the county head quarters 13:17 and put in jail because as they said, 13:21 you are not allowed to share your Christian materials here. 13:26 That was a pretty easy battle to win constitutionally. 13:29 But you know laws are one thing, but local attitudes are another. 13:33 And we put up this story to tell people 13:36 that you cannot always take for granted, 13:39 the religious liberty that you think you have by law. 13:43 A few months ago now, 13:45 the Seventh-day Adventist Church worldwide, 13:47 put out an urgent item of concern 13:50 for a Seventh-day Adventist leader in a far flung country 13:53 from the United States in Togo, Africa, 13:56 a country that most people don't even think about. 13:58 They'd be hard pressed to put a pin on the map 14:01 where Togo is, there on the east coast of Africa, 14:04 a small country of only 6 million people. 14:08 And of that 6 million, only about 20-25% are Christian, 14:13 the similar amount Muslim and the rest 14:16 basically animist religions. 14:18 Seventh-day Adventists 14:21 in that little country. We have an active program. 14:25 And then nine months ago or about ten months ago now, 14:29 in a move that still has our church leaders troubled 14:33 and perplexed on what to do about it. 14:35 One of our leaders, a Pastor Monteiro, 14:39 a Sabbath school leader which is leading out 14:41 in the Bible studies, within the church 14:43 primarily concerned with church membership operation. 14:46 Pastor Monteiro was accused, 14:49 by a criminal who had been caught by the police, 14:51 accused to being the ring leader 14:54 of a criminal gang that had killed as many as 14:57 20 young women, drained their blood. 14:59 It's not clear whether for medical or animist uses, 15:03 but drained their blood, killed them in a vicious way. 15:06 And here, Pastor Monteiro, a Christian leader 15:08 is accused of being the criminal mastermind. 15:11 Another Seventh-day Adventist layman was arrested 15:14 and claimed that he was an accessory. 15:17 He happens to head up, 15:18 one of the cell phone companies in that area. 15:21 Some other Christians were also brought into jail. 15:24 And our Pastor Monteiro has been now in jail 15:27 for the best part of the year on a charge 15:29 of this heinous crime, but no evidence given. 15:33 And the judges are quite forth right 15:35 in saying well, they know of no evidence. 15:37 There's nothing to convict him on, but he languishes in jail. 15:41 Meanwhile, on television and in the media, 15:44 in general, they are portraying 15:46 Seventh-day Adventist Christians 15:48 as the type of people that would do this, 15:50 the type of people that should not be in that country, 15:53 the type of people that are dangerous criminals. 15:57 And of course, this goes to the root of religious liberty. 16:01 Many people around the world 16:03 whether they are Seventh-day Adventists, 16:05 whether they're Christians, whether they're Muslims, 16:07 whether they're any belief system. 16:10 Often in the minority, they find 16:12 that they are accused of anti-social behavior. 16:15 They find that they are accused to being something 16:18 that's against the public view. 16:20 They're not always charged with being-- 16:23 in this case as he is a Seventh-day Adventist, 16:25 but they are always charged as being a problem 16:29 at root because their religion does not fit. 16:32 This is a challenge to religious liberty. 16:36 And I do ask anybody who's watching this program 16:39 to pray for Pastor Monteiro. 16:41 He's actually a native of Cape Verde, 16:44 a small group of islands 16:45 about 400 miles off the coast of Africa. 16:47 So he's away from his own homeland, 16:49 in a country where the judicial system 16:53 is problematic at best. 16:55 They probably do the best they can. 16:56 But it's not well organized, where the political structure 17:00 is fluid and all sorts of influences 17:05 and other things that we couldn't even imagine 17:08 enter into the execution of justice. 17:11 And we can just pray that the Lord intervenes 17:15 and that religious liberty is upheld in that country. 17:18 It reminds me though, when I've heard 17:21 about Pastor Monteiro and pray for him 17:23 still because this is not a story, that's finished. 17:26 It reminds me that nearly a decade ago, 17:28 just over a decade ago, our Liberty magazine promotion 17:32 featured another Seventh-day Adventist leader 17:36 in another far flung country who was imprisoned, 17:40 essentially because of his faith, 17:42 but the charge that was overlaid 17:44 over that imprisonment was terrorism. 17:47 Since 9/11 in the United States, 17:50 we've learned that anyone accused of terrorism 17:53 is essentially beyond the law. 17:55 Every aspect of society is against such a person 17:58 because it doesn't matter whether you're--you know, 18:01 whether you're a capitalist or some other beliefs 18:05 in democracy or communist or whatever. 18:07 The whole world has decided terrorism is unacceptable 18:11 and so for the charge of terrorism 18:13 to be laid against someone essentially 18:15 because of their faith is a very dangerous development. 18:20 We featured Pastor Anthony Alexander 18:24 in that promotion so many years ago, 18:26 a man, a Seventh-day Adventist pastor and teacher in Sri Lanka. 18:33 The years have gone by fairly quickly 18:35 and it's now about four years since the civil war 18:38 in Sri Lanka has come to a bloody end. 18:41 Those that watch the news and television closely 18:44 might well remember that the 26 years civil war in Sri Lanka 18:51 ended with the government forces of the Singhalese population. 18:55 That's the Buddhist majority in that country, 18:58 finally pushing the Hindu Tamil Tiger guerillas 19:06 up to the tip of the country where they were trapped. 19:09 They couldn't leave the land and they just advanced killing 19:12 as they went until the last man, women and child 19:15 of that faction were destroyed. And it ended. 19:19 But when Pastor Alexandra was charged, 19:22 it was still an active civil war. 19:24 It was still so active that few years after 19:26 when I visited there with Dr. John Graz, 19:28 world religious liberty leader. 19:30 We landed at Colombo and the plane 19:33 had to go into a tight spiral 19:35 from cruising altitude to the airport, 19:37 to avoid being out and around, 19:39 where the guerillas could shoot us down 19:43 because they had actually attacked the airport. 19:45 And in the largest single attack on any airport in the world, 19:49 they destroyed dozens of planes. 19:53 Pastor Alexander was teaching at our school in that country. 19:56 And one of his students registered and he befriended him 20:01 and taught him as any teacher would. 20:03 And then the government said this young man 20:05 is actually a member of the Tamil Tiger guerillas 20:08 and you Pastor Alexander are a terrorist 20:12 for aiding and abetting this cause. 20:14 And so he was put on trial, put in prison. 20:18 He was imprisoned for about a year in total. 20:20 And he came up for trial and then hearings periodically. 20:23 And our lawyers and our church leaders 20:25 would go over and sit in all those hearings. 20:27 They would talk to authorities and at no point, 20:30 did they think that he was going to escape imprisonment. 20:34 And sometimes, they feared that he would be executed 20:36 because that was the nominal sentence for that. 20:41 Amazingly and I think providentially 20:42 because of the Lord's intervention, 20:46 he was released suddenly and taken out of the country, 20:49 and is now living in Canada. 20:51 But what impressed me about Pastor Anthony Alexander was 20:55 when I spoke to him upon his release 20:57 and asked him about what happened when he was in jail. 21:01 Remember, he had done nothing, 21:04 was guilt by association at best, 21:06 but he was put in jail because he's a Christian, 21:10 in a Buddhist and Hindu 21:12 dominated country, primarily Buddhist. 21:15 His religion was seen as vaguely threatening anyhow. 21:18 And as a Tamil, he was of course, 21:21 the same ethnic persuasion as the guerillas. 21:24 And so that was enough to put him in jail. 21:27 But he told me amazingly that it was 21:30 the Lord's will that he be imprisoned. 21:32 Because in prison he was able 21:34 to witness to many of the prisoners. 21:37 And he said that there were 60 people 21:41 joining together every Sabbath in worshiping. 21:44 He told me and I've repeated this, 21:46 a number of times over the years, 21:48 but every time I tell it, it's amazing to me. 21:50 That he was regularly tortured, his ankles tied together, 21:54 he was held up and they would beat on his feet 21:57 until he was almost crippled and of course, no mark on him. 22:00 Then other times, they would put a book 22:02 on his head and beat on his head, 22:03 until there was a brain injury or perhaps permanent damage 22:07 because he said his memory was never quite the same afterwards. 22:10 But he said when it was all over 22:14 that it was God's will that he be in jail. 22:17 And he did not want to be released 22:19 because these people were worshipping with him. 22:21 And he said that was only, as he was released 22:24 that another minister of religion and I think 22:27 a Seventh-day Adventist, but I'm not sure was imprisoned 22:30 and was able to continue 22:32 the pastoral care of that prison group. 22:34 That he was released and he saw again, the Lord's hand in that. 22:40 We do need to see religious liberty. 22:42 It's a little bit more than just a judicial intervention 22:47 or a legal intervention, when we have difficulties. 22:51 And goodness knows, around the world 22:53 people of different religious persuasions 22:56 not just Seventh-day Adventist and not just Christians. 23:01 For example, Islam, 23:03 we think it's uniformly 23:05 antagonistic toward Christianity. 23:07 That is not quite true, although, 23:10 it's being very true, lately in many countries. 23:12 But within Islam, groups like the Ahmadiyya Muslims, 23:16 there are a group of about 8 million worldwide, 23:19 are viciously persecuted and in Pakistan 23:21 they are above the protection of the law 23:24 and regularly large groups of them, 23:26 Ahmadiyya Muslims are not just in prison, but are massacred. 23:31 These are real problems, but what often happens 23:37 is that the persecution presents in a way 23:40 that is not obviously about religion. 23:43 People lose their right, to go door to door. 23:47 Now we still have it in the United States 23:48 because of a Supreme Court action several years ago. 23:51 Another church group challenged 23:54 local town ordinances that restricted them. 23:56 And so we're able to go and witness and sell 23:59 religious materials door to door. 24:01 But it could've been otherwise, even in the United States. 24:04 But a regulation can stop that behavior. 24:06 In other countries, the church loses its permit. 24:12 And therefore, as we've seen even pictures 24:14 that have been shown to many people, 24:16 in some of the ex-Soviet Republics 24:18 we've seen pictures of bulldozers, 24:20 bulldozing down Christian churches, 24:22 some seventh Adventist churches. 24:25 It's not persecution according to those in authority. 24:28 You just fail to get the right building permit 24:31 or the right occupancy permit. 24:33 But above this all, stands a prejudice 24:36 against the religious viewpoint. 24:38 That's religious persecution, 24:40 that's an attempt to restrict religious freedom. 24:47 What do we do though, 24:49 when it comes up to a personal restriction? 24:53 It's fine to talk theory. 24:55 In the United States, we talk 24:56 about the constitution all the time. 24:58 When we're looking overseas, 24:59 we talk about people groups here, 25:01 there or whatever and it can be an abstraction. 25:04 It can be something, you know, 25:06 that it's shocking to read about, 25:08 but, you know, it might as well be, 25:10 a tale of the Arabian nights, 25:12 you know, 1001 nights, it's a story. 25:14 It's not real to us, but what about 25:16 when as Satan said to God in the Book of Job, 25:20 when he was trying to persuade God, 25:22 that Job was not a faithful servant. 25:24 He says, you know, touch him. 25:26 Put out your hand and touch him. 25:27 And then see if he's faithful. 25:30 That's the bottom-line question about religious liberty. 25:34 Will that person, keep their faithfulness 25:37 at the time of extreme stress? 25:40 You know, I can't think of a better 25:42 biblical example of someone that was faithful 25:45 through all sorts of situations than Daniel. 25:49 And that's really where I take the title 25:51 to this presentation today. You know, "Dare to stand alone." 25:55 When I was young fellow in Australia, 25:57 where I grew up, I can remember 25:59 singing that song you know, dare to be a Daniel, 26:02 dare to stand alone, standing by a purpose true. 26:09 Daniel did it. As a young man, probably, 26:12 barely out of his teens or may be 26:14 even in his teens taken from his homeland by force. 26:17 Perhaps, you know, physically turned into a eunuch. 26:20 We don't know the abuses heaped upon him, very likely. 26:24 Then kept. Well, it's true in king's palace, 26:27 but as a person apart. 26:30 And then faced with regime after regime 26:33 and their claims and their tests that were put upon him 26:36 and he distinguished himself over and over again, 26:39 several times faced with the death penalty, 26:42 if he could not come up with the answer 26:44 or come up with something that vindicated himself, 26:48 in front of the king and in front of the authorities. 26:51 The story that I want to refer to this morning 26:54 is so well known. 26:57 There are several stories in Daniel, we could talk about, 26:59 but the one I want to bring to your mind 27:01 is Daniel in the lions' den. 27:05 You know, there's no more powerful story 27:07 from that Book of Daniel. 27:09 When I was working in Idaho, I noticed on my way to work, 27:13 sometimes driving through Nampa. 27:16 There was a bar, a night club with no windows on it 27:19 and it was called Daniel's den. 27:21 There are some threats to ask spiritual security 27:25 that are very much like that. 27:26 But Daniel faced something palpable, 27:30 the lions that would have eaten him alive 27:32 and why did he go there? 27:35 That's an amazing question. It's a question of state craft. 27:39 It's a question of his integrity 27:40 that he so distinguished himself, 27:43 that following the military collapse 27:47 of Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, 27:49 his son or grandson its not quite clear in the record, 27:51 but following the military collapse of Babylon, 27:54 that great city. 27:55 As Babylon says this city that I've created, 27:57 it collapsed in one night, 27:59 after Belshazzar's moment of denigrating 28:03 the sacred things of the Jewish people 28:05 and carousing and celebrating there or even though, 28:08 there was an army outside the walls 28:10 that he thought could never get in. 28:12 And the Bible says in Daniel Chapter 5, 28:14 I think it is, it says in one night 28:17 or that night Belshazzar was slain 28:21 and his kingdom fell. 28:23 Daniel had had prominence 28:26 in Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar's court. 28:28 In fact, as that episode ends, Daniel is given authority. 28:34 He's made one of three rulers of the kingdom. 28:37 And then it fell. And the next morning, 28:39 King Cyrus is the ruler of the Medes and the Persians 28:44 who took over that great civilization 28:46 and that great power. 28:47 And it's amazing to read there in Chapter 6, 28:51 what happened with Daniel. 28:54 It says there, "It pleased Darius," 28:56 in verse 1 of Chapter 6, 28:58 "It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps," 29:04 rulers "to be throughout the kingdom, 29:08 and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one." 29:13 So as far as the protection of law, 29:15 Daniel had it. 29:16 He was one of the rulers of the system 29:19 that was predicated on other guards, other peoples. 29:22 He distinguished himself by his personal integrity. 29:25 And yet now the story takes a strange twist 29:30 because it says that there was jealousy. 29:33 That many of those 120 29:35 and certainly the two other presidents 29:37 were jealous of Daniel, 29:39 didn't like that he was gaining prominence. 29:41 And it says by agreement, they came together. 29:45 And discussed how could they destroy 29:47 and get rid of this Daniel, this person from another place, 29:52 another religion? How could they get at him? 29:54 They couldn't find any fault with him. 29:57 And it's interesting to me, 29:59 as I read that to realize in the United States in particular, 30:02 where we defend people in the workplace, 30:04 Seventh-day Adventist particularly 30:06 for their faith stance. It's very important, 30:10 that when they're challenged, 30:11 say, on getting Sabbath, the seventh day Saturday, 30:16 day of rest off. 30:17 It's very important that the rest of their 30:19 work experience be exemplary. 30:22 If they're not good workers, then nobody is much convinced 30:25 that this person wants a spiritual exemption. 30:29 And they could find nothing with Daniel. 30:32 There was no weakness in his system. 30:34 So then they thought a little bit further 30:36 and they realized it had to be his religion. 30:38 They had to get him on his religion. 30:40 So by agreement, 30:41 they went to the king with a very flattering proposal. 30:45 You know, oh, King, you're a great king. 30:49 How about you pass a law, a law of the Medes and Persians 30:53 that can't be changed, that's inflexible. 30:54 It's like the U.S. Constitution, it sits there, as a benchmark. 30:58 You know pass this law that nobody can make 31:02 any application or appeal to God or a man, 31:06 other than to you, for one month. 31:10 And I've read some commentators that say, 31:12 you know, this is implausible. Why would he do such a thing? 31:15 Well, that seems to me, those commentators 31:16 ignore the reality of the Roman Emperors. 31:19 They were inclined to fall for the idea that you're a God. 31:22 You're like the gods, appeals to him 31:25 and sensibilities of people of great ambition. 31:29 But more than that Cyrus 31:30 has just recently conquered this kingdom. 31:32 This was a perfect opportunity for him, 31:34 to show that his kingly power, 31:37 his dominion over this new 31:39 and polyglot system was complete. 31:42 And that all gods and people need to bow before him. 31:44 And he said, "Yes, I'll sign it." 31:46 So he signs it. 31:47 And the next thing is most important 31:50 to what I'm trying to share here this morning. 31:53 It says, "When Daniel 31:56 knew that the document had been signed--" 31:59 what did he do? 32:03 It tells me first of all, he was not disengaged 32:07 from the situation even though, 32:09 he doesn't seem to be present, 32:10 when they made their presentations 32:12 and when they plotted and planned. 32:13 He was aware of it. And at the moment, 32:15 he knew that they had succeeded in their plan. 32:19 It says, "When he knew that it had been signed, 32:22 he went to his house, 32:24 where he had windows in his upper chamber 32:27 opened toward Jerusalem and he got down 32:29 on his knees three times a day and prayed 32:32 and gave thanks before his God." 32:36 Couple of things there. 32:39 Would you be thankful in such a moment? 32:41 He knew that imminent was a punishment 32:44 for this disobedience. 32:45 You know, they'd put the penalty to the king. 32:47 It was written into the law. 32:49 You were thrown to the lions. He gave thanks. 32:53 And I imagined that his thinking 32:54 was very much like Pastor Alexander. 32:56 He gave thanks that he had this opportunity 32:59 he had been given to him to witness to his Lord. 33:03 It wasn't a moment of crisis. 33:05 It was a moment of opportunity. Amen. 33:08 And Daniel did not have to pray three times to the Lord. 33:11 You know, what did Paul say, "Give thanks continually." 33:14 He could have prayed in his heart, 33:16 to his heart's content. 33:18 God's happy with that. 33:21 But I think he saw this is an opportunity, 33:24 not that he was under any requirement 33:26 for these three prayers or six prayers or five times. 33:29 I think it's like the Muslims. 33:30 No, he was under an internal obligation 33:33 to be proud of his God 33:35 and to witness for Him before them all. 33:37 And Daniel knew what would come of that. 33:40 And he was not wrong, of course. 33:43 It says, "By agreement again, they went to the king." 33:45 Oh, King, you signed this document. 33:47 This Daniel, he doesn't pay any attention. 33:51 You know, it might have been this Pastor Monteiro. 33:55 Well, he's been accused, but he must be a troublemaker, 33:59 comes from another place, another religion. 34:01 You know, this Pastor Alexander, 34:03 you know, he is of those people of the insurgency, 34:08 must be guilty. They said to the king, 34:11 "Your law cannot be changed. You must execute it." 34:15 And to his credit, the king was troubled by it. 34:19 He didn't want to act against Daniel. 34:22 And says Darius stayed up all night, 34:24 trying to figure out what? Was stayed up? 34:27 Spent most of the day rather, 34:28 trying to figure a way to solve this, 34:31 and then he delivered Daniel to the lions' den. 34:33 And said your God is able to save you. 34:36 And then he stayed up all night, worrying about it. 34:41 You ever wondered why the stone was put over, 34:44 over that entrance. 34:46 It's troubled me for a long time. 34:48 Recently I read, what very few people read, 34:51 outside the Roman Catholic Church 34:54 and the Orthodox Church that there's an ancillary book 34:59 that is not uniformly regarded as authoritative, 35:03 "Bel and the Dragon." 35:05 But it tells the story, 35:06 there about Daniel in the lions' den 35:08 from a little different point of view. 35:11 It also tells the story of Daniel 35:13 before the same King Darius where a challenge was set up, 35:19 that this god Bel was eating food at night in this temple. 35:25 And Daniel said, "This god's--he's not real. 35:29 It's just a fanciful god." And so a challenge was set up, 35:32 that if Bel was to be seen to be eating the food, 35:37 Daniel would die. 35:38 If not, then the priest would die. 35:41 And Daniel cleverly showed the king by putting a chalk, 35:47 I think it was, on the floor, 35:48 that there were footsteps of the priest 35:49 coming in at night and stealing the food 35:52 or eating the food, they and their families 35:54 who came through a secret door. 35:56 I believe the king put the stone over the door, 36:01 not to keep Daniel in, 36:03 it was supposed he would probably die, 36:04 moments after being thrown in. 36:06 It was to stop outside interference 36:09 that the issue would be plain. 36:11 When the stone was removed, was Daniel alive or was he dead? 36:15 And it would be up to the lions and to God. 36:17 No one would sneak in. You know, and put him to death. 36:22 And in the morning when the king came, 36:24 Daniel said, "God sent His angel and He shut the lions mouth." 36:29 I heard a powerful black preacher holding 36:32 forth on Daniel in the lions' den, the other day. 36:34 And he made the point that these words remembering, 36:37 the lions mouths were open as they came at him. 36:39 God shut their mouths. 36:40 They were not passive lions when he went in there. 36:43 They did what you'd expect. 36:44 And as they did later, when the plotters were thrown, 36:47 they and their families thrown into that same thing. 36:49 It says before they pretty much cease their fall into the den, 36:55 their bones were broken and they were eaten. 36:58 But God shut their mouths. Amen. Praise God. 37:04 We can't all be Daniel. 37:07 You know, I don't know about you. 37:11 I tried the best, but as I look at my life, 37:14 you know, there are many cases 37:15 that I haven't witnessed for the Lord as I should. 37:17 There are many cases 37:19 that I haven't stood for religious freedom, 37:22 which is the freedom that God gives all of us. 37:24 You know what Jesus spoke about the gospel of liberty. 37:28 And I know in previous religious liberty sermons, 37:31 I tried to emphasize this. 37:33 Religious liberty is something that we have as a gift of God. 37:38 No man gives it. 37:40 The best they can do is acknowledged that. 37:43 So we inherently shows have something 37:46 and it's up to us to show it. And if I look at my life, 37:49 I haven't always showed it adequately. 37:51 There are times when I've not taken 37:53 advantage of the opportunity like Daniel had. 37:55 Knowing that, that there was a bad situation, 37:58 have I made a point of witnessing to my Lord? 38:03 We got to avoid the tendency that many people have 38:07 when there's a stress on their faith. 38:09 When there is a stress on their witness that they moderate. 38:12 They just sort of pull back and keep quiet. 38:15 You know what if in the United States, 38:17 every town had an ordinance against witnessing door to door. 38:21 Would we cease to witness door to door? 38:23 I hope not. 38:25 You know, it's to be, you know, 38:29 we should be very thankful 38:30 that we still in most western countries 38:32 and many others still have 38:34 the right to do things like that. 38:36 But we do not do it because we have the human right. 38:39 We do it because we have the liberated right from God. 38:46 I want to tell you a story 38:48 that I just picked up on recently, 38:49 even though, I've known it since I was a young man. 38:53 And I need to tell you about Idaho. 38:55 And there's probably, a few Idahoans, 38:57 watching this broadcast and I hope I don't offend them. 39:01 But I came as a young man to the United States 39:04 when I was a teenager and lived on the east coast. 39:07 And it wasn't all that different from Australia. 39:10 Few accent differences and you know the greenbacks, 39:14 instead of the Australian dollar, 39:15 but a similar society. Then I went back to Australia. 39:19 Worked there for nine years and after that term, 39:22 I got a call to a publishing house in Boise, Idaho, 39:26 Seventh-day Adventist Publishing House, one of-- 39:29 now two large houses in the United States. 39:34 And I remember looking in the encyclopedia 39:37 and other sources to find out about Idaho. 39:40 I never heard of this, what it was like. 39:42 I just heard of it, potatoes, was all I thought of. 39:44 And their PROs worked pretty well. 39:47 I wish they hadn't done it 39:49 because there's a lot more there than potatoes. 39:50 But as I looked at the pictures, 39:51 it was an alien landscape. 39:53 You know tumbleweeds and desert, 39:56 as well as, some better stuff north of the-- 39:58 that Rodeas, Rodeos or Redias I think the Californians, 40:02 might say Rodeo drive. 40:05 But it was a different landscape to me. 40:09 But one thing I knew, one thing I knew from Idaho, 40:13 I knew about one man that had lived most of his life 40:16 in that country or in that-- 40:18 in the capital, the Boise, Idaho. 40:21 I'd read a book, when I was a young person 40:23 about the story of Harry Orchard. 40:29 Don't know how many that are listening to this, 40:31 have even heard of this man's name? 40:33 And I don't know, how many have really heard 40:36 or aware of the great social dislocations 40:38 of just over 100 years ago, in the United States 40:42 and the battles between capital and labor and the-- 40:44 in particular the Western Miners Federation? 40:47 There was almost open range warfare 40:50 between the miners union 40:53 and the mine owners, and the capitalists 40:55 and the moneyed interests from the east coast. 40:56 Many of them, that were determined to restrict 40:59 the workers to minimum wages. 41:01 And pretty much, surf like relationship to the owners. 41:06 And the mine owners or the mine unions 41:09 rather were determined to resist 41:11 and they went about it the wrong way. 41:12 They hired some thugs. 41:14 And one of them was a man named Harry Orchard, 41:17 who went on a trail of murder 41:19 and bombings and assassinations 41:23 that almost goes big as the imagination. 41:26 And I'll just share with you what I found recently, 41:30 online that a record from the New York Times in 1907, 41:36 when Harry Orchard, a convicted criminal by that stage, 41:39 gave evidence in a major case against the union. 41:44 And there were people like Clarence Darrow, 41:46 famous attorney presenting their case in the court room. 41:51 And this is what the newspaper said it says, 41:53 "For three hours and a half today, 41:56 Harry Orchard sat in the witness chair 41:58 at the Haywood trial 41:59 and recited a history of crimes and bloodshed, 42:01 the like of which no person in the crowded courtroom 42:04 had ever imagined. 42:06 Not in the whole range of "Bloody Gulch" 42:08 literature will there be found anything 42:11 that approaches a parallel to the horrible story 42:14 so calmly and smoothly told by this self-possessed, 42:18 imperturbable murderer witness." 42:21 That's the story of Harry Anderson. 42:23 You know the bunny inclined personified of his era, 42:28 a murderer and what it brought into the conviction 42:33 and the prison sentence. 42:34 Initially, he was condemned to death. 42:36 Then it was commuted to life imprisonment. 42:38 What brought him there was a horrible assassination 42:41 of the recently retired governor of Idaho, 42:44 Governor Steunenberg. 42:46 Steunenberg lived in the little town of Caldwell, Idaho, 42:50 just a few miles from where I lived, 42:52 for many years working at Pacific Press. 42:55 He lived in Caldwell, Idaho. And on this particular day, 42:58 he'd walked from his home in the town, 43:00 down to a hotel where, not to drink, 43:04 but where he was socializing 43:05 with some of the people in the town 43:07 and then he walked back to his home. 43:10 And the guy was killed by a bomb 43:12 that Harry Orchard had set at his gate. 43:15 It was a remotely triggered device 43:17 where Harry Orchard didn't need to be there, 43:19 that was part of the genius of his assassinations. 43:22 He was never there when the person was killed. 43:24 But he actually passed the governor on the street, 43:28 as he was walking back to the hotel 43:30 and the governor was walking to his home. 43:33 He was rounded up shortly after because even though, 43:37 his alibi seemed pretty good. 43:38 In a little town, people knew he was a stranger. 43:40 They thought that he was up to no good 43:42 and he pretty soon cracked. 43:44 What is amazing about the story of Harry Orchard 43:48 is not the horrible things he did, as it was said. 43:52 You know that was extraordinary in itself, 43:53 but the amazing thing was as he was in jail on trial 43:58 and then convicted. 43:59 He was visited by several Christians, 44:02 but in particular the son of the governor, 44:06 bringing a message from Governor Steunenberg's wife. 44:10 The son and the mother were Seventh-day Adventist 44:14 and they witnessed to Harry Orchard 44:16 and he accepted Christ, his life changed. 44:20 And unlike most jailhouse conversions, 44:23 he didn't want lesser sentence. 44:26 He agreed readily that he was deserving 44:28 of anything and everything. But he changed his life. 44:32 He confessed freely of all of the crimes 44:34 that he had done. 44:36 Not just to get it off his chest 44:39 and not just to implicate other people, 44:41 but to confess. And as I read the story again, 44:45 something clicked with me that I hadn't known, 44:47 when I read it as a young fellow in Australia. 44:50 A previous editor of Liberty Magazine 44:53 about 50-60 years ago had gone around telling the story, 44:59 with the evidence from Governor Steunenberg's wife 45:02 that what had made the difference in their family 45:05 was the Liberty Magazine and religious liberty materials. 45:08 She said directly and looking at the timeframe on it, 45:13 it was probably the few of the special publications 45:16 that preceded the dated copies of Liberty Magazine 45:20 which began a couple of moths 45:21 after Harry Orchard's conviction. 45:24 But she said, "We've been receiving your Liberty Magazine 45:27 and your religious liberty materials." 45:29 And she said, "We'd accepted the Sabbath 45:31 because of that." And she said, 45:34 "The governor kept his first Sabbath on this earth 45:37 before he was killed because of religious liberty materials." 45:43 And because of that they're accepting the Sabbath 45:45 and becoming Seventh-day Adventist. 45:47 They wanted to share what they'd discovered 45:50 with this criminal, this man that so wronged them. 45:53 And he became a Christian too. 45:56 And, you know, it works two ways. 45:57 I'm trying to show that religious liberty 45:59 can change lives that their wonderful sense of forgiveness 46:03 also changed Harry Anderson-- Harry Orchard's life. 46:09 And someone who started off badly, 46:12 you know, none of us, I think, are likely to approach 46:14 the human level of desperation and crime 46:17 that Harry Orchard had showed up. 46:20 And yet there's redemption even in prison. 46:23 And he lived about 50 years in that jail, 46:27 never let out. 46:29 He served out his natural life in that jail. 46:32 He was baptized. The records are not clear 46:34 whether he actually was baptized in the prison 46:38 or was released, under guard to be 46:41 baptized in the Adventist church, 46:42 but he became a Seventh-day Adventist. 46:44 He became a trusted prisoner 46:46 who was a leader in that narrow Christian-- 46:50 not Christian that narrow prison community. 46:55 We can do that. 46:57 Pastor Alexander, Pastor Monteiro, 47:00 they were put in there because of something 47:02 they didn't do, but still condemned for being 47:05 what they were in some ways Christians. 47:08 Harry Orchard in the prison for something he did do, 47:11 something wrong, took the chance to make 47:14 a great witness for a faith 47:16 and a liberty in spite of prison bonds, 47:22 to witness to the power of religious liberty. 47:25 There is a quote that I want to share with you 47:27 and the time is going quickly, 47:28 but I do want to share this from Charles Spurgeon, 47:33 a great Baptist preacher of just over 100 years ago. 47:37 He preached one of his sermons on Daniel in the lions' den. 47:40 With sermon 1,154, a number of us, 47:45 repeat our sermons from time to time. 47:47 And it's been said that some revivalist preachers 47:51 of the 1700s, only have one or two sermons, 47:54 but Spurgeon had thousands. 47:56 But one of them was Daniel in the lions' den 47:58 and this is what he wrote. 48:00 He said, "Now it is a great privilege 48:02 that we enjoy civil and religious liberty 48:04 in our favorite land." He was talking about England. 48:07 But of course, you can apply in the United States. 48:09 Of course, you can apply in Australia, 48:11 any country that honors religious freedom 48:14 can make that claim. 48:15 Even though, 60 to 70% of the world 48:18 according to the Pew Forum, 48:19 live under severe restrictions of civil liberty, 48:22 religious liberty. 48:23 He says, "Now we have this privilege. 48:25 We are not under such cruel laws 48:27 that are in other times 48:28 and in other countries lay restricts upon-- 48:30 restrictions upon conscience. We are allowed to pray 48:34 according to the conviction of our judgment 48:36 and the desire of our heart. 48:37 But as I want you to value the privilege very much, 48:40 I will put this opposition to you. 48:42 Says Spurgeon, suppose there was only one place in the world 48:47 where a man might pray enough for his supplications onto God. 48:50 Well, I think there is not a man among us 48:52 that would not like to get there 48:54 at sometime or another or at least to die there. 48:58 Oh, what pains we should take to reach the locality 49:02 and what pleasure we would endure to enter that edifice." 49:05 And then he says, "But now that prayer is free." 49:09 Think about Daniel praying with a consequence. 49:12 "Now that prayer is free without money 49:14 and without price 49:16 and the poorest need not bring a farthing, 49:18 when he comes to an audience with God, 49:20 oh, how prayer is neglected. 49:22 Perhaps, it would not be a bad thing on some accounts, 49:25 if we--there could be a law to prevent men from praying 49:29 because some would say, 'We will pray.' 49:32 They would pray. 49:34 They would get over the shock and stoutly protest, 49:36 'We are not to be kept down. We must pray.'" 49:42 Ah, he says-- "He would say or they would say, 49:44 'You can pray in your heart. You need not bend the knee. 49:47 You can pray in your soul. 49:48 But it will not do to sell principle 49:51 or to abide with strict integrity 49:53 and sterling truth in the smallest degree. 49:56 Every jot and tittle has its intrinsic value.'" 49:59 And then he concludes by giving an example 50:02 of an earlier age in England with John Bunyan. 50:04 He says, "Look at John Bunyan, 50:06 the author of "Pilgrim's Progress." 50:07 Look at him, when they bring him up 50:09 before the magistrates and tell him he must not preach. 50:12 "But I will preach," he said. 50:14 "I will preach tomorrow by the help of God, 50:17 but you'll be put in prison again," they said. 50:19 "Never mind, I'll preach as soon as I get out," 50:22 said John Bunyan. 50:23 "But you'll be hanged or kept in prison all your life. 50:27 If I lay in prison," he said, 50:29 "till the moss grows upon my eyelids. 50:31 I can say nothing more than this, 50:34 that with God's help I will preach, 50:37 whenever I get a chance." That's the attitude of Daniel. 50:42 When he knew they passed a law, then he went and prayed. 50:46 And John Bunyan would say the same thing, 50:48 "When they said I cannot preach, I will preach." 50:52 When they tell you, you cannot meet in the church. 50:56 Will you meet or will you keep in your house? 50:58 As one record from John Bunyan's time said 51:02 if there was someone who is fined, 51:04 it said he kept to his bed like a hound. 51:07 We don't want to be those sort of dogs of religious world. 51:11 We want to be those that pick up the spiritual warfare 51:14 and witness for our faith. 51:17 Ellen White, who wrote many valuable things 51:20 for Seventh-day Adventist 51:21 and fulfilled a strong leadership role 51:25 in the early Adventist Church, wrote something 51:28 that I think goes to the heart 51:29 what I'm trying to share with you today. 51:32 In the book called "Prophets and Kings" 51:34 which is largely retelling these Old Testament stories 51:38 in a very winsome way for people 51:40 that probably haven't read or too lazy to read 51:43 the Bible accounts that seems a little archaic to them. 51:46 But in that book on page 546, Ellen White wrote this 51:51 and her inference is spot on in my view. 51:53 She says, "The power--" 51:55 She is talking about the power of God. 51:58 "The power that is near to deliver 52:00 from physical harm or distress." 52:03 And Daniel would agree with that. 52:05 God's power closed the lion's mouths. 52:08 God's power could release Anthony Alexander. 52:13 I'm sure of that. It was not legal intervention. 52:16 We defend Seventh-day Adventist and others in the workplace, 52:21 using available laws. 52:22 But so often, it's divine intervention 52:25 either on the minds of someone 52:26 or some providential change in the status quo. 52:30 At the end of day, it's God's power. 52:32 She says, "The power that is near to deliver 52:35 from physical harm or distress is also near to save 52:41 from the greater evil." What's the greater evil? 52:46 She says, "Making it possible for the servant of God 52:49 to maintain His integrity, under all circumstances 52:54 and to triumph through divine grace." 52:57 That's what's really going on. 52:59 It's not whether you're imprisoned 53:01 or whether you get out, 53:02 whether you're sent to the lions' den 53:04 and whether you're eaten 53:06 or whether you're there the next morning. 53:07 The real question before God 53:10 and before man is to maintain your integrity. 53:15 And on religious liberty, 53:17 I'm speaking as a Seventh-day Adventist 53:19 on the Seventh-day Adventist acknowledge-- 53:23 Seventh-day Sabbath we get it from the Bible. 53:25 But, you know, when I talk about religious liberty, 53:27 I have to be ready to defend to the death, 53:30 if need be. 53:32 Someone who's a Muslim or a Jehovah's Witness 53:35 or whatever or Roman Catholic, 53:37 if they--in a point of integrity are insistent upon worshipping, 53:41 the way they see fit. It's not for me to say 53:45 that I condemn you because you're worshiping the wrong way. 53:49 As a Seventh-day Adventist knowing a certain truth, 53:52 it's my obligation to share with them 53:53 what I have. But on the dynamic of religious liberty, 53:57 I have to defend the right of everybody 54:00 to live up to their conscience 54:02 because the greatest evil possible 54:04 is to deny your conscience, to act in an immoral way 54:11 against what you know to be the right way. 54:15 And Daniel was faithful. 54:18 I believe Pastor Monteiro, no matter what the charges, 54:21 there has the chance to live 54:24 and to exist in that prison in a way 54:27 that keeps his integrity. 54:29 Harry Orchard-- and you know, 54:32 an openly avowed criminal, redeemed his life 54:36 by answering finally to that higher morality. 54:39 And each of us can do that. 54:41 I believe that this is the most incredible obligation, 54:46 laid upon human beings. And some constitution-- 54:50 the U.S. constitution even embraces this. 54:54 And our religious liberty construct does. 54:56 Some people may believe in nothing. 55:00 You know, it's rather empty prospect, 55:03 but God can deal with that person 55:05 if their integrity is maintained. 55:08 We cannot force people to act a certain way. 55:12 We cannot force obedience. 55:14 We cannot force of certain type of worship. 55:16 What we can require-- as the Bible says, 55:19 "What does God require of you, 55:21 but to live justly and to serve God." 55:24 We need to answer to the higher powers 55:26 and allow other people to do that. 55:29 And in the few moments left, I'll repeat the charge. 55:32 Religious liberty, it's a vital liberty. 55:35 It is in many ways the first liberty. 55:38 The U.S. Constitution 55:39 and those that formed it understood this. 55:41 Religious freedom goes to personal integrity. 55:45 It goes to how we relate to the higher powers, 55:49 not just to a president or even a dictator. 55:52 Now how do we relate to God? 55:55 And we must realize as I read before 55:57 and I'll repeat it. 55:58 "The power that is near to deliver 56:01 from physical harm or distress is also near to save 56:06 from the greater evil." 56:08 There are many evils in this world, 56:10 but the greatest evil is to deny God and to deny conscience. 56:15 We can't do it in our own selves. 56:17 And we should never insist on it in anybody else. 56:20 We should allow everybody to operate with integrity. 56:25 And this continues by saying, 56:27 "It is possible for the servant of God 56:30 to maintain his integrity under all circumstances 56:35 and to triumph through divine grace." 56:37 What did Paul say? 56:39 "I've determined to be content under all circumstances." 56:43 Religious liberty is at root, not about easing our way 56:47 in whatever situation we're in. 56:49 Troubles will come upon us, but they're not troubles, 56:53 if we look at it with this higher purpose. 56:55 They are opportunities whether it's in prison, 56:59 whether it's before a tribunal 57:01 or whether it's before the court of our neighborhood opinion. 57:06 I pray that as we witness, as we speak about liberty, 57:10 it's done in a way that will bring glory to God 57:13 and will aid and encourage our personal integrity. 57:17 That is true religious liberty. |
Revised 2014-12-17