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(Video links and transcript below)
Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee has attracted a lot of attention in recent weeks, especially among evangelical Christians. I know I have been looking at him more closely as I consider which candidate to vote for in the upcoming primaries.
On Sunday, November 4, Huckabee preached a sermon at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. Jeremiah 29:11 was the Scripture text for his message: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
In his opening remarks, Huckabee made it clear that this was a personal not a political message.
I want to share really more of a message from my heart then about just politics, and I know that sometimes when people like me come to a church, the expectation is, okay, he’s going to use this to politicize. I want to assure you, I’m not … I want to … distance myself from ever making the pulpit a place where I would try to somehow take advantage of it in that way.
You can view the video of the message at the three links below. I have also included a transcript of the videos if you would rather read Huckabee’s sermon. He has a great illustration using the Arkansas Razorbacks at the end.
Video links:
- Part 1 of Mike Huckabee’s sermon on video
- Part 2 of Mike Huckabee’s sermon on video
- Part 3 of Mike Huckabee’s sermon on video
Update: You can also view all three videos at The Huck Report.
Related posts:
- Hillary Godmother
- Still Leaning Towards Fred
- The Cluster Approach to the GOP Nomination
- The MPR Select a Candidate Quiz
- Memo to Evangelical Leaders on Romney
- Rasmussen Reports Daily Presidential Tracking Poll
- Ravi Zacharias on Electing the Next President
- Should Christians Call Mormonism a Cult?
- Rudy, John, Mitt . . . and Fred?
(Click the link below to read the transcript of Mike Huckabee’s sermon.)
Transcript of Mike Huckabee’s sermon at Prestonwood Baptist Church, November 4, 2007
Note: The first video was mostly opening remarks, so I have summarized rather than transcribed it. The second and third videos, which contain the actual message, are transcribed completely below.
(Video Part 1)
Mike shares his opening remarks with the congregation. He then shares an illustration of when he was at a February 2001 conference in Utah, and Utah Governor Mike Leavitt arranged for a Governor’s Bobsled Competition at Olymic Village. The humorous story ends with the teenage brakeman giving Huckabee the following advice about maneuvering the bobsled:
“Steer for the curve ahead.” And that 16-year-old kid did not realize it, but he had not just given me great advice for driving a bobsled … but more importantly, I realized that he had just given me a great piece of advice about being a husband or a father, or running a business or for that matter running a state. Steer for the curve ahead. Forget what’s behind you. You can’t fix it now … Steer for the curve ahead.
(Video Part 2)
And I think sometimes in our spiritual lives we get so wrapped up in where we’ve been, so wrapped up in where we are that we forget that what God really wants us to focus on is that curve ahead.
In Jeremiah chapter 29 in verse 11 the prophet says, “For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ”
If we could only see down the track and keep our eyes on the curve ahead, we would discover that God has plans for those curves ahead. And I’m going to just briefly share with you what those plans might be.
The Bible says God has plans to prosper us. The word “prosper” in the Scripture means “to cause to succeed or to thrive.” You know, God plans for us to succeed not to fail.
You remember what Ethel Waters used to say when she sang at the Billy Graham crusades years ago? I never will forget her statement. She said, “God don’t sponsor no flops.”
God is not in the business of leading us to a disaster. It is not in his best interest to lead us to a point where you are humiliated as a result of following him.
Now, there’s no guarantee that following Jesus means that we’re going to be wealthy. Neither is it his goal to make us poor. His goal is to make us like Jesus, and that is prosperity. To put in us the character of Christ so that whatever happens in our lives, we are able to reflect the personhood and the very life of the Savior who is in us.
Sometimes we think that we ought to hold back in our lives, not take risks, not step out in faith, because we’re not sure what is out there. We’re not sure what’s in the curve ahead. I would ask you, “When are you most like Jesus, when you hold back, or when you let go?” When are we most like him who went to the cross for us?
Sometimes we are so fixated on hanging on to those things of our earthly nature, whether it ‘s our personal treasures or reputations, whatever it might be, because we fear the unknown. We fear what might happen. We should be one that remembers that God will not have his name disparaged. We may not know the outcome, but we will know the one who is in charge.
You see it’s in God’s best interest when we put our faith in him, that our path is one that leads us to be able to bring glory to Christ. Would anyone buy a toothpaste if the toothpaste turned your teeth black? Probably not. Would anyone buy a shampoo that made one’s hair fall out? Some of you say, “You must be using that one, Mike.” Would you drive a car that didn’t run? Would you eat in a restaurant in which everyone got sick who ate there? Of course not. The Bible says, “God has plans to prosper us.”
He also has plans to protect us. That means God is not going to try and harm us. I think sometimes we are so afraid if we let go and let God have his way in our lives, what might the Lord do, as if we need to be afraid that the Lord will break all the eggs in our basket.
Well the only legitimate fear we should have is the fear of what happens if we don’t trust God with our whole hearts and with our whole lives.
Second Timothy chapter 1 verse 7 says this, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.” Romans 8:31 reminds us that, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Matthew 6:33 reminds us that if we “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things shall be added unto us.” Philippians 4:19: “Our God shall supply all of your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
God plans to prosper us, to protect us and to prepare us.
The truth is, the only reason we prepare for anything is because we expect something. If you expect rain, you carry an umbrella with you. When you don’t, you leave your umbrella at home. When you expect pain at the doctor’s office, what do you do? You close your eyes. You tense up. When the nurse walks in the room, she has that big needle, you don’t say, “Oh, I’ve been looking forward to this.”
And by the way, I’m just a little tired of hearing people talk about politicians being liars? Biggest liars in the whole country are the people in medicine. Now you think about it, you go to the doctor’s office and the nurse comes in and what does she say? “You’re going to feel a little stick.” That is a lie! You’re going to think you’ve been stabbed by the Hell’s Angels is what you’re going to think! And when the doctor comes in? Men, you’ll understand what I’m saying, he says, “This may be a little uncomfortable.” No, this is very uncomfortable!
So I for one just want to be on record as saying that , “Please do not disparage people in politics anymore about the way in which might stretch the truth just a bit because, I would say that sometimes the folks in medicine do it even more. And we know when they come in there with the big needle, we, we have an expectation of the pain so we do like this, don’t we, anticipating that it’s going to hurt.
When you expect company to come to your home, you change the sheets on the guest bed. You’re laughing, some of you don’t! Let me make note of who you are, because I don’t want to stay with you.
God says we ought to expect him to do things. And when we expect him to do things, we prepare for him to do things. When we do not prepare for him to do things, it’s because we don’t expect him to do something. And we know whether or not we have faith in the Lord not by what we say but by what we do. When the world watches us prepare, it’s because the world sees our faith in action. We’re preparing for what we expect. When the world sees us not preparing for anything, they know that our faith is weak because we don’t expect anything to happen.
The Bible says God has plans for us, and those plans are to prosper us, to give us a hope, and a future, not to hurt us, and plans to provide for us. God wants to give us something that we can look forward to.
(Video Part 3)
And by the way, God is not just interested in our material blessing. God is interested in our spiritual prosperity, our blessing, our knowledge of him, our walk with him. There are many times in our lives when we get the distinct impression that what the Lord is up to is just to take us down the worst possible path and to make life difficult and miserable.
But the fact is what the Lord really wants to do is to cause us to experience the greatest joy in all the world, the joy of knowing Jesus Christ, the joy of knowing what it means to follow him, and the joy of knowing that no matter what happens on this earth, that he takes us to a point of victory in our lives.
I think sometimes we forget that to be a believer means that we have some confidence of the outcome that nobody else can share. And it’s not an arrogant confidence. It’s a confidence not in ourselves. It’s not a confidence in our abilities. It’s not a confidence in anything that we have done. It’s a confidence in the promise of God being true.
Look, you can’t trust any promise anybody makes on this earth, even the people that really want to keep them, because we’re all frail and we have the capacity to break them. God is not even capable of breaking a promise. It is not within his capacity to lie to us. It is not within his ability to lead us one way and then for him to go another.
That’s why the only thing in this world that really makes sense is to follow him. If you lose everything, but you still have Jesus, you have what you need to finish at the finish line with success. And that is why nothing else should overshadow your ultimate desire and goal.
When the Arkansas Razorbacks had a great basketball team, and were competing every year, or close to it, at the national championship, often times the games would be blacked out live, we couldn’t get them live, but they would replay them and show them at 10:30 at night on the local ABC affiliate in Little Rock.
And during those years, they had a practice on the sportscasts, because the game had finished just a few minutes before, and the sports announcer would come on and he would say, “Now the Razorback game will be replayed in just a few moments here. For those of you who don’t want to know what the final score was, turn the volume on your television set down, and that way you won’t know and you can watch it live as if it is happening and you can have the suspense of not knowing.
And I don’t know, but I just couldn’t imagine anybody going to their television set and turning it down right then or hitting the mute on the remote. Not me! I turned the volume way up. I wanted to know who won. Because here’s the deal. If the Razorbacks lost, I am not staying up until 1:00 in the morning to have my heart broken. Why bother? No, I turned it up real loud, and if I found out they lost, I go to bed. I mean, I can read the final score the next morning, and that’s fine. If they lost, that’s it. Go to bed. Just leave it off. Forget about it.
But if I hear the announcer say, “And the Razorbacks pulled out a great victory tonight,” then I’m up, man, I’m popping popcorn, putting my feet up, and we’re watching a ball game.
And it was really wonderful. I love doing it that way, because as the ball game progressed, I found that I was so at peace and calm. No matter where the game was, we could be twenty points down, I’d say, “Don’t you worry, they’re coming back! They’re coming back!” It would get down to the final minute of play, we’d be six points down. And if my wife was still up and didn’t fully understand what was going on, I’d say, “You watch this. They’re going to come in there, and they’re going to get it. We’re going to win this thing.” And sure enough, even in the last seconds of play, it was a 35-foot jump shot that won it at the buzzer. I knew all along how it was going to turn out, because the game had already been played. I was just getting to see what already had been won.
Now let me share something that has meant the world to me as a believer in Jesus Christ. There are a lot of uncertainties in my life. There are a lot of uncertainties in your life. Every day you wake up, you absolutely can’t positively know everything that could happen to you, the best and the worst. A lot of things that you didn’t expect can happen, and things that you did expect may not happen, but here’s one thing, that if you’re in Jesus Christ, we know how it turns out at the final buzzer. I’ve read the last chapter in the book, and we do end up winning at the end. It’s really good news there at the end.
And whatever is the score at half-time or late in the second half, don’t worry, because the game’s already been played at the cross. Jesus paid the price that has to be paid for us to have eternal life and for us to have victory, and that’s why even the prophet could say, “I know the plans I have for you. They are plans to prosper you, plans not to harm you, but to give you hope and to give you a future.”
My dear friends, the reason we celebrate today is not because we just hope something good will happen. It’s already happened. We just hope that we have the good sense to remind ourselves that Jesus will keep his promise. That’s why we live with an expectancy. That’s why we live with a hope and an assurance.
And that’s why I believe that if we pray, this nation that God has put on this planet out of his own providence – and in my heart and mind there is no doubt but that this nation was not just the result of some human wisdom but the result of divine intervention – that I have to believe that God will bless this country if his people will pray, will turn from their sins, will seek his face. And he will answer our prayers.
God bless you. Thank you for letting me share this testimony with you today.
(HT: MMI)
I may be in the minority here and I’m trying not to be too cynical, but it wears me out to hear Jeremiah 29:11 ripped out of its original context.
Huck’s not alone, for it’s a great t-shirt verse, but I’m firmly convinced at least 93% of professing Christians have never read the context of that verse.
It’s a message, of course, to the exiles of Israel about how to live patiently in their new cities, awaiting restoration to the land, because God had promised.
10″For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. (Jer 29:10-12; ESV)
These are specific words of prophecy made to God’s covenant nation. These are not promises made to Huck or me.
Some good and encouraging things were said, and they were true, just not from exegesis of this particular text.
Gunny -
Good point! I am chuckling because I was thinking some of the same thoughts when I posted the sermon.
For example, why do we often quote Jeremiah 29:11 (“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ) but not Jeremiah 21:5 (”I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in anger and fury and great wrath.”)? I am guessing we are much more careful to check the context on 21:5 than on 29:11!
Although we should be careful to put Jeremiah 29:11 into context, I do think we can rightly apply the promise in the verse to believing Christians today. For example, we also often quote Jeremiah 29:13 from the same passage: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Is that verse also only for the exiles or is that for us, too?
I think if we can find parallel verses in Scripture which teach the same truth (such as Romans 8:28 for Jeremiah 29:11), then we can (carefully) apply the promise to ourselves. But, yes, we must set the verse in its context first before we can begin applying.
Great comment! Thanks for stopping by.
Good points, Ray. I’ve yet to see Jeremiah 21:5 on the back of a t-shirt, but I might have one done just for fun.
I remember the first time I preached Jeremiah 29:13 many moons ago and realized that in the context the seeking was connected to obedience to the covenant, not so much an intensive time of solitude where I pietistically seek after God to have a special experience with Him.
It ruined a lot of the illustrations and applications I had up my sleeve that I had been hoping to connect to a passage! We live and we learn, though I’m slow on the uptake.
Don’t get me wrong, I have my own pietistic leanings, and unashamedly so, but I realize the verse was more akin to John 14:21 than James 4:8, though both truths of Scripture are precious.
I think one thing that folks miss out on in the application of Jeremiah 29 to a contemporary audience is the corporate nature of the commitment God makes.
He’s faithful to His promises to His covenant people, rather than an emphasis we tend to see.
For example, we make the “you” more singular instead of the plurality of the original text. We tend to hear, “For I know the plans I have for Gunny, plans to give him lots of stuff, making him happy, and insulating him from bad things, which will make him sad.”
I think a more appropriate application would be toward the/a church instead. But then again the longer I’m a Christian the more I’m convinced individualism has somewhat run amuck.
Good stuff, brother.
Gunny -
I love the t-shirt idea. It would make a great teaching illustration to have the two t-shirts made up and then have students study the verses in context. Good points on the “you plural,” too.
That was a great sermon. I have already endorsed him for president.
Shane -
I have mostly been leaning towards Fred Thompson with Mitt Romney as a second choice, but I really liked what I saw of Mike in this sermon. I definitely need to take a closer look at him as a candidate.
Thanks for commenting!
He is my Man! We need someone who will finally stand firm against this sick and decaying world.
In Jesus Name
I as well value the integrity of maintaining context for the usage of scripture, however Mr. Huckabee’s use of Jer. 29:11 is very appropriate as is the way most of us have used it. For every prophetic passage there is not only a context but also a subtext. Whereas the context asks “who was saying this and to whom was it being said, and why?” the subtext asks “what does this say about the character and nature of the one speaking?” This promise is transferable to all His covenant people for it is rooted in God’s unchanging nature of love, faithfullness and restoration to all who call on His name. This prophetic promise is for YOU too.
Mark -
Great points! We need first to set the passage in its context, and then look at how we may properly apply its truth. And yes, I agree, there is some wonderful application in this promise for believers today.
May I ask of those so readily endorsing Huck? What about his open endorsement of one the 20 and 21st greatest heretics? You guys can’t be serious. Copeland?
Word.
I know folks want to see Huck as the great Christian hope, but he’s REALLY questionable theologically, as Lionel pointed out.
Huck is theologically liberal.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/257943.aspx
Many of Huckabee’s critics point to his fiscal philosophy typified by a willingness to raise taxes during his time as Arkansas governor. But what caught my eye was Huckabee’s decision to side with moderates when conservatives gained control of the Southern Baptist Convention during the 1980’s. Fund quotes former Texas judge, Paul Pressler, who sided with the conservatives in that bitter fight, “I know of no conservative (Huckabee) appointed while he headed the Arkansas Baptist Convention.”
—
There’s also that whole bit where he wouldn’t sign the disaster relief bill as governor because he doesn’t believe calling natural disasters “acts of God” since his God would have nothing to do with natural disasters, having no part in such.
Lionel ,
Would you share with us what great governing body has created the top 20 heretics list? Is Mike Huckabee on that list now? He is staunchly pro-life and pro-family. He has publicly stated that the Bible is Gods word to man. That’s as conservitive as you’ll EVER get out of ANY political candidate, not to mention the lineup we’ve been given for ‘08.
By the way Gunny,
The news source you cited is CBN. Headed by Pat Robertson who in his right wing conservative integrity endorsed Rudy Guliani, the stalwark of conservitive values and christian beliefs. NOT! The author of the blog you linked to is very wrong by the way about his reading of the bible. But that aside are you going to disqualify Huckabee because he says God does NOT want to kill people? Hmmm. Where was it I heard someone say “God is not willing that any should perish” as well “Satan comes only to kill steal and destroy, but I have come that they might have life”
Oh I forgot, the theology of CBN and Pat the false prophet needs God to be the source of destructive weather so they can tie every little policy decision or statement they don’t like to God’s disapproval. If your going to call someone a false prophet, it might help next time to make sure your source is not a false prophet.
Here is where the church has always lost it’s way in history- placing moral and spiritual penalty on every single issue in thier political platform instead of keeping it confined to that which the bible teaches as essential.
Mark,
Yeah, I know, those were just handy sources that I could link to. The ones I wanted to required subscription and that’s a whippin for folks.
I’m not a Rudy guy and don’t understand Robertsons endorsement either.
With regard to your citations (“God is not willing that any should perish” as well “Satan comes only to kill steal and destroy, but I have come that they might have life”) time doesn’t permit me to show how the context has absolutely nothing to do with God not wanting hurricanes to destroy. Surely, you realize in both of those the context is salvation (i.e., not perishing and life).
Regarding your thoughts on where the church as lost its way … well, I’m inclined to think that by definition charges of heresy (for example) are particularly dealing with those issues which are essential.
Ah yes once again context becomes the intellectual filet knife by which we gut the scripture of the essence and nature of who God is and instead seek to trap it’s meaning in the letter of the law.
So God wants to save souls, but he delights to blow away cities full of innocent children and believers. Did you not read where Abraham said to God “Far be it from you to sweep away the righteous with the wicked, will not the judge of all the earth do right?”
Remember when the big wind came up and blew the house down on Jobs kids? That was Satan who did that by the same power that he used to inspire marauders. Was Jesus rebuking God when he rebuked the storm?
I have to be patient with you because this has been a lost truth for the church.
Believe it or not, I am publishing a book that is due out in a couple of weeks that explores this very topic in detail. Huckabee is right. Destructive weather is not of God. Satan is called the prince of the power of the air. In the greek the word air is “aer” meaning the upper atmoshphere. Now I’m really gonna blow you away-Jesus said “the things that I have done you shall do also, and greater than these you shall do for I go unto the Father”. James said Elijah was a man of like passions just like you and I yet he prayed earnestly and it did not rain for three years..again he prayed and the heavens opened. The context was that we can get the same kind of results that both Jesus and Elijah got IF we have faith. I have seen tornados stopped by speaking the name of Jesus.
But I recognize not everyone has mountain moving faith. Anyway if your interested, my website is www.speaktothesky.net . The book is not yet available, but you can sign up for updates.
Thanks Ray, these videos are awesome! I really admire a candidate that risks his candidacy by delivering a Kingdom message. We’ve had too many candidates who have promised to govern righteously and failed to “walk the talk” once they got elected. Maybe Mike will have the courage to walk the talk!
Annamaria - You are welcome! I am glad you enjoyed them.