This sermon emphasizes the importance of following righteousness and faith, highlighting the dangers of pursuing material wealth, the significance of building our lives on faith rather than worldly security, and the need to flee from pride, lust, and false values. It addresses societal issues like racial discrimination and the importance of loving all people without distinctions, urging listeners to focus on faith, patience, godliness, and meekness in challenging times.

Now if you will please turn to 1st Timothy 6 chapter. Let's read verse 10. For the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness, fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called and has professed a good profession before many witnesses. But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, follow after righteousness. You know folks, in places of business today, bosses are requiring their crew, some of their staff, to do things which are false, not truthful. And you see, especially when you are afraid of losing your job, and when the job is your God, you don't have the courage to tell your boss this is wrong. And we live at a time when false figures, inflated figures, have been so extensively used, in not just one place, but in numerous places, including banks, projections which are unreal. And surely, I can't say I have an asset, that is, I have so much money, when it is not there. How can you say that? But it has been done in such an extensive manner, that the whole world is reeling under its impact. And where did this collapse begin? Right here. And shall we ask ourselves, how is it possible to have the Bible preached in so many Christian radio stations, so many Christian preachers preaching away, and still so little impact upon the commercial world, that a whole nation can be embroiled in a situation where untruth has been the downfall. Now, follow righteousness. You know, it takes courage to follow righteousness. Somehow, this lesson of following righteousness does not sink into people. You see, I have had to deal with various cultures. You know, one culture believes in conserving the money, save, save, save, you see. And another culture that I can think of says, son, I will buy some land for you in this country, and build a nice house. You send your money. What are you doing with your money? So, a son or a daughter is a financial investment to some people. Say, I did so much for you, I spent so much money for you, and now, come, send me your money. So, while I have had to deal with so many cultures, and so many types of people, I find that this lesson of following righteousness is a hard lesson for people to learn. How do I follow righteousness? By obeying God's word. Not by having a set of rules, which I make for myself conveniently. Now, follow righteousness. Oh, it's hard, you know. Children get offended. Why? Because you speak the truth. You know, we have to deal with situations today when people say, I am already battered enough outside the family, and when I come into the family, all I need is to be pampered. I don't want to be preached to. You know, there is a lot of pride in our whole system today. A lot of pride. And God knoweth a proud man afar off, says the Bible. For everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to God. You know what it is, when you step out of a beautifully polished, gleaming, expensive or new car, you have a certain amount of feeling of pride. Pride in a piece of metal. Well, I wonder how the car will fare when it's involved in a crash with a semi. Probably the semi will go over it and flatten it. But, you see, that's human nature. And we have got to bring that kind of nature to the cross. God forbid that I should glory in anything but the cross. Now, is there anything which is abiding? Today we see. You know, friends, when I moved to Michigan some years ago, one of the first things I realized was Michigan was very expensive. And you could get a lot more of a house. That is, houses in Indiana were much cheaper. But in Michigan, they were so expensive, almost double the price. All right. People were earning big and therefore huge mansions were going up. Five hundred and fifty thousand to six hundred thousand. Oh, well, you know, in the cities and towns of the small towns of Indiana, rarely do you see such big houses, except in very rich neighborhoods. However, when I saw this high valued stuff, I did not think that it was going to be a bubble that would burst so soon. And some of those houses would be offered for much lower price as they were foreclosed upon. But it all came pretty suddenly. And I do not know how many people lost everything. Can you imagine a person paying mortgage for five hundred thousand, while the house is actually valued at three hundred and fifty thousand. What a loss! Which man wants to pay a mortgage at five hundred thousand, when the house is not even valued at that price. But that is exactly what is happening to so many people today. Now, when we have invested in eternal souls, do you think a soul is ever going to be devalued? Do you think the cross is ever going to be devalued? Do you think that our eternal riches is ever going to be devalued? Faith is ever going to be devalued? What is the only means of survival today? Faith. And unfortunately, many people don't have faith. They have not built their lives on faith. They have just built their lives on their paychecks. And how are those people going to feel secure when the paycheck becomes shaky or iffy? Faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Impossible. See, friends, whatever you may learn at the feet of Jesus or in this preaching or retreat, it should be faith. And faith should stand you on good ground. Now, if you turn to 2 Timothy and the 2nd chapter and the 22nd verse, you will notice, Flee also youthful lusts, but follow righteousness. You see, because I did not go to school in America, except address schools or address colleges, I was never a student, you know, here. And therefore, I do not very much know the thinking and the lifestyle of many campuses. But reading Mr. Obama's book, he speaks of a conversation between him and his friend Buddy in Hawaii. Both of them being school students, high school students. Well, you know, his friend said to him, Oh, these girls, they don't want to date us. And here's that girl, that white girl. And she said, No, I'm not going to the party. But the first thing I see when I went to the party is she's dancing away with someone else. And then he adds in his book, These Asian girls, they think we have a disease. So, they will turn us down. You know, this color thing. See, I was never schooled in the color thing. Of course, you have these ghettos everywhere. You have the caste ghetto, regional ghetto, linguistic ghetto, national ghettos. You see, even a breakdown of society in your city. You will see, who are the fellows who get together? Some little ghetto. You know, as though we are ganging up against the rest of the people. I don't understand that mentality. I fought against it from my childhood. My home was a cosmopolitan home. Everybody was received. People of so many nationalities. And I called them uncles. We had no such distinctions. Caste differences. Or class differences. We just loved people. Of course, there was a little bit of class. Because, in my home, there would be some three or four servants. So, you would call it a little bit of class. But we treated our servants very well. Very well. Not like servants are treated. So, that ghetto mentality, and put it in the 21st century. And put it in the Christian context. Oh, it is grotesque. So, if you see a party going on, you can count on it. It must be a Tamil Sangam society. Or a Telugu Sangam. Or it can be some other group, Filipino group. Or some other regional group. You know, I stayed clear of all that rubbish. God so loved the world. That's all I care. God loves all people. Some of these distinctions, we have drawn. And have made into a source of oppression of others. Rejection of others. Sick minds, that's all. Not Christian. Don't bring Christianity into it. There is nothing Christian about it. Christ died for all. And I don't want such a setup. You know, when our retreats began here, some of my old friends, and those that had been in my meetings, they would be here. Brother, Pastor Homer Candle, who is now in heaven. And others, the Kauffmans, and so on, would be here. There would just be a sprinkling of other nationalities. But after the computer age, of course, there would be a few more of brown skins, and so on. But, you know, to me, if we cannot be the leaven of society, we are not following righteousness. We are following a sectarian groove. A racial groove. A non-Christian groove. I can't see how such a mind can ever get into people. Flee pride in your skin. Flee youthful lust. Flee pride of your big check. Paycheck. Flee! Let us pray. Let us tell God, Lord, teach me to follow righteousness. Faith. Patience. God-likeness. Meekness. At trying times, let me not sit and mope or weep. Give me faith. The Lord will not put me to confusion. Give us faith, Lord. What an anchor you have given to us. The anchor of faith. Which can withstand any storm. Oh, please, teach us how to be faithful to the end. Teach us, Lord, teach us. We ask this in Jesus' holy name. Amen.