A Trustworthy Saying Series

INTRO.- Is this a trustworthy saying? “When I served in Vietnam....”

ILL.- It’s called “Blumenthal’s Blunder” (Conn. State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal) but it’s a not a trustworthy saying. Here’s the story and here’s what he said.

"We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam," he told Norwalk, Conn., voters in March 2008. "And you exemplify it. Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it -- Afghanistan or Iraq -- we owe our military men and women unconditional support."

In another appearance in 2008 before the Veterans War Memorial in Shelton, Conn., he paid tribute to American soldiers serving abroad then said, "I served during the Vietnam era. I remember the taunts, the insults, sometimes even physical abuse."

On May 18, 2009 Blumenthal said the following at a military board tribute to veterans, as reported by the Connecticut Post: "When we returned from Vietnam, I remember the taunts, the verbal and even physical abuse we encountered.”

In his defense at a news conference where he took no questions, Blumenthal said he inadvertently misspoke "on a few occasions out of hundreds of events" and could not be held responsible for how he was quoted in the press. He never apologized for making these and other false remarks.

Someone said, "There is now a very long and deep scratch in Blumenthal’s Teflon, and the tougher the Teflon, the more damaging the scratch. Voters are now likely to see Blumenthal as more of a typical politician than he’s ever been.”

The well-researched Times story, quoting from news accounts of his speeches, as well as eyewitnesses and tapes, showed he had misrepresented his military service record and had never served in Vietnam. HE LIED!

Richard Blumenthal is not the first person to “misspeak,” as he called it. Or we might say he is not the first person in politics to lie to the public.

Perhaps we recall such statements as: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” Or “I am not a crook.” Or “I did not attempt to sell Obama’s Senate seat.” Or “I was hiking on the Appalachian trail.” And there are probably many others that we don’t know about.

The other side of the coin is this: God’s Word is completely trustworthy and we must cling to it. God has never lied to us.

PROP.- The word of God contains nothing but trustworthy sayings.

1- If we died with Him, we will live

2- If we endure, we will also reign

3- If we disown Him, He will disown us

4- If we are faithless, He remains faithful

I. IF WE DIED WITH HIM, WE WILL LIVE

11 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him.

ILL.- Three buddies die in a car crash, they go to heaven to an orientation. They are all asked, ’When you are in your casket and friends and family are mourning upon you, what would you like to hear them say about you?

The first guy says, ’I would like to hear them say that I was a great doctor of my time and a great family man.’

The second guy says, ’I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher which made a huge difference in our children of tomorrow.’ The last guy replies, ’I would like to hear them say, ’Look, he’s moving!’

The thought of dying doesn’t sound good to most people but, of course, they are only thinking of one type of dying. The act of physical death doesn’t excite most people because they think that’s the end of life.

I Thessalonians 4:13-14 “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”

We all grieve somewhat when we lose loved ones but if they are in Christ, we don’t grieve like those who have no hope.

ILL.- I was called to go to a funeral home one time in MO when a lady was to view her deceased husband for the first time. I stood off to the side and said nothing. When the lady walked to coffin to view her husband she broke down with strongly crying and said, “Would somebody pray?” I stepped up and prayed for her.

That lady was completely broken at her loss and I’m not sure she had much hope. But I could contrast her with a young married couple who lost their young son in an accident, as I recall. The boy was probably 8 to 10 years old. I watched as that young father and mother viewed their son and then watched them kneel down in prayer in front of his casket. After a period of time, they got up and walked out of the funeral home.