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Welcome to the Flatline with your host, Rick Hughes. For the next 30 minutes, you’ll be inspired, motivated, educated, but never manipulated. Now, your host, Rick Hughes.

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Good morning and welcome to the Flatline. I’m your host, Rick Hughes. And for the next 30 minutes, please stay with me. It will be 30 minutes of motivation, some inspiration, a little bit of education, and All done with no manipulation because we don’t manipulate people. We’re not trying to hustle you. We’re not asking for money. We’re not soliciting membership. This is not an infomercial. This is simply a show about truth from the Bible, the word of God, the infallible scriptures. And hopefully that truth will help you verify and identify God’s plan for your life. If you can do that, you have the freedom to orient and adjust to the plan. That’s up to you. But my job is to get it accurate and give you accurate information. If you’ve been listening to The Flotline for any amount of time in your city, you’ll know that we’ve been airing these shows for quite a while now. And as the new year approaches, 2013, can you believe it?

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2013.

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I never thought I would live to see that, and I have not lived to see it yet, and you might not live to see it either, but it’s coming around the corner soon. And 2013, we don’t know exactly where we will go with our radio shows, but We always trust the Lord. We’ve always said if God’s in it, God will pay for it. And so as we adjust our schedule for 2013, we may or may not be in your city. I don’t know. We’re praying about where to stay, if to stay on all stations or to stay on a few. I don’t know. We’ll see how the Lord does that. But if you’re listening and you enjoy the show, I would like to hear from you. I would like for you to drop us an email or drop us a note. This is no request for money. We’re not asking you to send any money, but we’d like to know if you’re out there, what stations are listening, who’s in what area. And you can always write to us at rick, simply you can email us from the website, rickhughes.com. RickHughesMinistries.org. RickHughesMinistries.org. Or you can just send us a straight letter. And that would be Rick Hughes Post Office Box 100. It’s not very hard. PO Box 100. And we live in the booming city of Cropwell, Alabama. Cropwell, Alabama. Our zip code here is 35054. 35054. And just drop us a note and say, I listen to you on my station in this city. And I want you to keep the show going. If that’s true, if that’s what you want, let us know. We have to make some decisions in the coming year, and we would appreciate your input on that. So as we press forward, you never know what God’s going to do. It’s been an interesting year in the past. It’s been a very, very busy year for me. And as we approach the Christmas season, Remember, we focus on this show about the unique 10 problem-solving devices that God has provided for you. When you learn these 10 problem-solving devices, you build an invisible flotline on your soul. That flat line is your main line of resistance. It’s 10 unique problem-solving devices that stop the outside sources of adversity before they ever penetrate into your thinking and become the inside source of stress. Your memory center, your mind, your thinking, that’s the command post of your soul. And what the adversity will seek to do is to cause you to worry, to cause you to fret, to cause you to stress out, and you don’t have to do that. If Jesus Christ controls history, and he does, then you have nothing to worry about. The Bible is very clear about that. And in Matthew 6, if you’ll read Matthew 6, the Lord promises, teaching the disciples in the Sermon on the Mount, he promised that he would meet their every logistical need. Logistical grace is amazing. Logistical grace is that God promises he will meet every logistical need the believer has. He’s not gonna let you starve to death. He’s not gonna put you out into the cold. He will feed you and clothe you. He promised that. If you will make priority number one, there’s a condition there. It says seek first the kingdom of God and then all these things will be added to you. If you’ll make priority number one, learning God’s word and serving God, then he will make you priority number one and provide for you. It’s just that simple. However, what is appalling is how many people are not interested in learning God’s word. What’s even more appalling is the way that Satan has successfully manipulated the world in this generation to believe that Jesus Christ is not the answer to the problems of man. Many years ago, my pastor wrote a book. It’s a simple book. It was called The Night Before Christmas. And in this book, he penned a poem. I would like to read this poem to you today and to give you a few excerpts out of his book. Here is his poem that he wrote many years ago. By the way, This is Pastor Robert V. Thiem, Jr., who pastored Baraka Church in Houston, Texas, for 53 years. “‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the world, a message was preached and a challenge was hurled. Believe on the Son, and thou shalt be saved. The road to heaven with his blood was paved, and out of the darkness of sin and despair God’s salvation, the fairest of fair. Was born in a manger. No room in the inn. God in the flesh, he died for our sin. The angels sang. The shepherds rejoiced. Messiah has come. The message was voiced by joyous believers both far and near. Christmas has come. Emmanuel is here. Christmas is coming. just around the corner, maybe less than a week away as you hear this radio show. And there is when we celebrate the most incredible divine gift that mankind has ever known. It is the gift of Jesus Christ, God’s anointed son, the savior of the world. Almost two millennium ago, the savior appeared, the lamb of God who takes away the son of the world. He was a babe in a manger. but he demolished the barrier between man and God. The only reason is that he was born for one purpose, and that purpose was to die on the cross so that through him we may have everlasting life. Unfortunately today, Santa Claus and shopping for presents take priority over the true meaning of Christmas. I remember just recently getting an email, and I think I even posted it on my Facebook page, about a lady who was shopping with her children, and she was so frustrated, trying to go through all the department stores and look at all the toys, and the children wanted this, and the children wanted that. They basically wanted everything they saw. and trying to make the parties and go to everyone’s house and please everyone and taste everything. And as she got on a crowded elevator, she sighed and said it out loud, whoever started this mess ought to be shot. And from the back of the elevator, these words rang out, don’t worry, we already crucified him. The ride downstairs was quiet. No one said a word. Exchanging gifts has supplanted our focus from the greatest of all gifts, the gift of eternal life. The eternal consequences of this season now has been obscured by the celebration of the Festival of Lights. But only the Bible, only God’s infallible Word, the inerrant truth of Scripture, reveals the important meaning of that very first Christmas. The scriptures disclose a meaning far more momentous than the traditions of men, however clever and however charming those traditions may be. We know that Jesus Christ was born on that Christmas Eve. Listen to Luke 2, 7. And she brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling clothes. John 1.2 The same Jesus Christ was in the beginning with God, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. You know what that means, Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ existed in eternity past. He existed in eternity past as God. God, undiminished deity, now became true humanity. Now we had God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, the God-man, hypostatic union. He’s man and he’s God in one body, one person forever. His incarnation began with his physical birth, the same way that all human life begins. And at birth, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes, which are the garments used for the shroud of the dead. From the beginning of his earthly life, he was identified with death. And the shadow of the cross loomed over him his entire life. Because in that moment, God proclaimed to the world that the death of Jesus Christ, his son, was even more significant than his life. John 6.23 says, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Thirty-three years later, the Lord Jesus Christ paid for our sins, past, present, and future, when he was judged on the cross. In 1 Peter 2, the Bible says, Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on a tree, that we, being dead to sin, should live under righteousness. That’s why the significance of Christmas is not in Santa and in the sleigh, but in Jesus Christ and the cross. You know, that night, there were angels in the field guarding the sheep. And the Bible says in Luke 2.10, the angels said unto the shepherds in the field, do not be afraid. I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be for all people for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord. The supernatural appearance of these angels rendered the shepherd speechless with fear at all. Can you imagine if that had happened today? Someone would have taken a video of it and they would have posted it on Facebook or they would have posted it on, what is it, YouTube. That’s what they would have done. I have a video of angels appearing or something like that. I mean, every time somebody sees some strange lights floating through the sky, they call it a UFO. Can you believe that? Here these shepherds are approached by angel of God. I mean, I would freak out if I was out in the field camping out at night and an angel appeared. I would freak out, and I’m sure that you would also. And the first thing this angel said is, do not be afraid. I mean, you and I would have thought, did he come to eradicate us? Did he come to take us off of this planet? Do not be afraid. That’s what he said. I bring you good news, good tidings, because this day the Lamb of God is born. You know, here’s the interesting thing. The supernatural appearance of these angels rendered these shepherds speechless with fear. But the good news that announced that salvation from God was brought down to man promptly transformed their fear into great joy. The Bible clearly says in Titus 2.11, For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath now appeared to all men. A wish for a, quote, Merry Christmas, should be a wish for all to know the joy of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. The good news, the good news is this. It’s very simply this. The good news is this, is that Jesus Christ, the Lord, is born. You know, all humanity is under the penalty of death and separation from God because, as the Bible says, all have sinned. And the proclamation that was made on that very first Christmas announced the solution to that sin. The birth of Christ was for the express purpose of saving mankind from the penalty of sin. So not only did the angels bring good news to the shepherds, but to everyone. And there is no exception. Don’t ever let someone tell you that only certain select people can be saved. That is not what the Bible teaches. Listen as I read to you in 1 Timothy 2.6. Jesus gave himself a ransom for all. Hebrews 2.9. That he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man. 1 John 2.2. And he is the propitiation for our sin. And not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And then suddenly, with the angel who made that announcement, there were a multitude of heavenly angels singing and praising God. On that very first Christmas, angels in heaven set the precedence to worship and praise God. It’s amazing that most people have long since ignored that precedence because true worship is based on a relationship with Jesus Christ. I can think of nothing worse than going through a ritual that has no reality to it. Simply going to church can be a ritual. If you don’t have the reality of a relationship, then you’re not a Christian. It’s amazing to find how religion doesn’t teach this. Organized religion teaches that if you’re nice enough, good enough, long enough, then maybe God will let you come to heaven. That’s not Christianity. Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The God of the universe will come and live in you. The Bible clearly says to as many as received him, to them God gave the right to have eternal life, to be his children. How do you do it? Whosoever should call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, quote, from the Bible. Jesus Christ will live inside of you. That was the most phenomenal thing I ever heard the night I believed in Christ. Someone quoted a scripture to me that said, behold, I stand at the door and I knock. And if any man will hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and sup with him and he with me. Technically, that’s what happened. The night that I received Jesus Christ as my savior, he came to live inside of me. And it’s the same thing with you. He lives in you. Christ in you, Paul said, the hope of glory. The amazing truth is that Jesus Christ, the anointed son of God, lives in you if you’re a Christian. It’s a relationship, not a religion. Religion is man’s effort to approbate God by good works and good behavior. Christianity is Jesus Christ being judged in our place and we receiving the gift of eternal life through faith in him. The Bible says in Acts 16.31, And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. No one, no one can enter into the true spirit of Christmas apart from personal faith in the Savior Jesus Christ. Isn’t it amazing? Glory to God on the highest and peace and goodwill towards men. That’s what the angel sang in Luke 2.14. But without faith, the Bible says it’s impossible to please God. How can we have peace with God? You know, Billy Graham wrote a book about this one time called Peace with God. And I remember the night that I accepted Christ as my Savior. It was the very first time that I had a good night’s sleep in a long time. Because I would lay in the bed and there was a spotlight in my head. And it would show me all the stupid things I’d done. My conscience would scream, guilt. And when I believed in Jesus Christ, that night after that had taken place and everything had cleared and I’d gone back to the house, I slept like a baby because I knew, I knew God had forgiven me. I knew I had received Christ as my Savior. And that’s one thing I can tell you is phenomenal about the Christian life. Even though we may sin, we can use problem-solving device number one and rebound. and our sins are cleansed. We don’t have to carry guilt. We don’t have to carry shame. We don’t have to have that sort of conscience when we adhere to the protocol plan of God. And it all starts with you believing in Jesus Christ and receiving him as your savior. That’s where the peace comes from. Listen to the Bible in Romans 5.1. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. You know, these shepherds, when this message was given to them, they got a little excited and they said, let’s go to Bethlehem and let’s see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us. And they made haste, Luke 2.15. You know, these were not normal shepherds. They were not ordinary sheep keepers. These shepherds were men carefully chosen to watch over and guard the flocks from which the lambs who had no spot and no blemishes, those lambs were selected for temple sacrifice. And every time one of those lambs was sacrificed, It foreshadowed Jesus Christ, the true Lamb of God. So these men were guarding something very valuable. They were guarding the sacrificial lambs. They were guarding the temple lambs that would be sacrificed in worshiping God. You know, the Bible says, for as much as you know that you were not redeemed… with corruptible things like silver or gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but you were redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. And that’s the only reason he could go to the cross because he that knew no sin was made sin for us. Those shepherds that watched over those sacrificial lambs, they were well informed concerning the Old Testament prophecies of the coming of the Messiah from Micah 5.2. And while the angels referred to the city of David, the shepherds went immediately to Bethlehem, the predicted birthplace of the Messiah. Their prompt response exhibited not only a knowledge of the scriptures, but also faith in the promises of God. But in contrast, the pious religious leaders of Israel, those who attended temple worship three times a day, they also knew where the Messiah would be born, but they lacked the faith to act on their knowledge. So the shepherds who tended the flock that night could not attend temple worship, and yet the angels revealed the good news to them, not to the religious leaders. And, although faithful in keeping the sheep, those shepherds left those sacrificial lambs to go witness the greatest event in the history of the world, the birth of the Lamb of God, the Savior of all mankind. John 1.29, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world. The question that must be asked is that is Jesus Christ more important to you than anything that you possess? Don’t forget those shepherds made haste to seek a Savior. And the Bible says in Isaiah 55.6, Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he’s near. In 2 Corinthians 6.2, behold, now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. And in John 6.37, and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. And when they had seen it, that’s Jesus in the manger, these shepherds made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning the child, And all of them that heard it wondered at these things, which were told them by the shepherds. The Messiah had come, and the shepherds made the issue of salvation very clear. He that believes on the Son has everlasting life, and he that believes not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God will abide on him forever, John 3, 36. There is no greater joy, there is no greater experience that you can ever, ever experience than to tell another person about the saving work of Jesus Christ and to see them accept him as their Savior. If you’re interested in obtaining this small booklet that I’ve been reading from and quoting from and adding to, it’s called The Night Before Christmas and you can order it simply by coming to our website and sending me an email and saying I would like to have that booklet, The Night Before Christmas. Or you can contact R.B. Thiem, Jr. Bible Ministries. You can contact them on the internet. at rbtheme.org, rbtheme.org. And you can request the book, The Night Before Christmas. So there’s two ways to get it. You can write to me and I’ll send you a copy, or you can write straight to Theme Ministries, rbtheme.org, and they will send you a copy. Just be sure to request The Night Before Christmas. This book was written many years ago when Pastor Thiem was alive and first published in 1965. After 53 years of pastoring his church faithfully, God promoted him to be face-to-face. And now his son, R.B. Thiem III, continues to pastor Baraka Church in Houston, Texas, and he continues to be my pastor even to this day. Much of what you hear me teach and much of what you hear said on this show are things that I have learned under the ministry of that pulpit. So I’m very glad to share these things with you and glad that you’re listening. Remember, if you’d like to hear more, if you’d like for us to stay on the air in your city, let us know. Drop us a note, rickhughesministries.org or post office box 100, Cropwell, Alabama, 35054. My prayer is that God would use this show as a window to open your eyes to the truth The truth being this, that number one, Jesus Christ is the anointed son of God. And number two, that as a Christian, you would be able to grow in the grace and the knowledge of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Those were his words. Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden. I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. Learn of me. I’m not a pastor. I’ve told you that many times. I’m just a voice, but I can direct you to where those pastors are that are clearly teaching the word of God so that you can begin a daily study in your own life maybe even in your own home, so that you can advance to spiritual maturity. It’s a lifelong objective and a lifelong goal. Don’t ever forget that. Until next week, this is Rick Hughes saying thank you for being with me here on the Flatline.

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Thank you for listening to The Floodline with your host, Rick Hughes. If you’d like to contact Rick, please write to him at P.O. Box 100, Cropwell, Alabama, 35054, or online at www.rickhughesministries.org.