Hey man, I'm Darrell Bailey. Thank you for tuning in to SIN, Service for Christ's sake, man. As we get into the Spirit Guardians, dedicated to all of our Native American culture, out of three different King James Version Scriptures. Psalms 121, verses 3 and 4. Psalms 92, verses 1 and 2. And Isaiah 58, verse 11. Here, July the 28th, 2024, the 22nd of Tammuz, 5784 of the Hebrew calendar. I'm glad that here as this message weaves together history and spirituality of the American Indians with our Christian beliefs. Because when we look in the journey of the intersection of spiritual guardianship and divine protection through the lens of both historical and contemporary faith perspectives, we look and realize that it invites us to reflect on the ways in which American Indian traditions and Christian teachings converge on the themes of vigilance, protection, and guidance. As I served not only in Europe, Southeast Asia, but also out West in Colorado, Some of the wonderful acquaintances that I have of soldiers, American Indians, especially one that was on my, under my squad when I was there at Fort Carson. I reflect back on those days and the many, many hours of being out in the environment and having talks with many of our fellow soldiers that were Native American. and in their culture and their concept of spiritual guardianship that is embedded. And I'm glad that we look at our spirits, our deities that are believed to watch over and guide each and every one of us, embodying us with a divine presence that ensures safety and well-being. And so the American Indians reverent the land as sacred and they engaged in worship practices that honored their deep connection to the nature and the spiritual world, their belief in their guardians. the vigilance and protection, it reveals a rich tapestry of spiritual understanding that echoes many aspects of our Christian doctrine. Our focus today will be on three key themes that resonate both with the traditions of the guardian's vigilance, the guardian's protection, and the guardian's guidance from these three scriptures of Psalms 121, Psalms 92, and Isaiah 58. Now, we'll be talking about in Psalms 121, where we find assurance in the unwavering vigilance of God that mirrors the native belief in the ever watchful nature of their spiritual gardens, just as the psalmist assures us that God neither slumbers nor sleeps, and the American Indians believe that their spiritual protectors were always attentive to their needs. Then, I think in Psalms 92, that we look, that we'll be talking about as well, because in each of these areas, amen, and hopefully if I wrote down my scripture correctly on each one of these, actually, I tell you what, I do have a typo. It's actually Psalms 91 verses one and two. Psalms 91 verses one and two, amen, that we'll be talking about. And then Isaiah 58, 11. Boy, it's easy to make a typo sometimes. But in Psalms 91, it speaks to us of the profound protection that comes from dwelling in the secret place of the Most High, the divine protection that echoes the Native American understanding of their spiritual guardians as protectors that shield them from harm and provide safety in the times of trouble. And then finally, in Isaiah 58, 11, that will guide our thoughts as we consider the role of divine guidance in our lives, that promises that God will continually guide us and satisfy our needs, much like the way American Indian spiritual traditions emphasize the guidance of their guardian spirits in their daily lives and decisions. And so as we look at this, with our Christian faith, may we look at a deeper appreciation for the universal truths that bind us together as we open our hearts to the lessons of vigilance, protection, and guidance to seek the honor of the divine presence that guides and guards all of us in this time frame. Now, as we look at the spirit guardians, Amen, It makes me think as I reflect on the American Indian traditions and the Christian teachings that converge on the themes of vigilance and also protection of how that we look and we realize that in our specifics of each of these, that will get into that deals with our eternal destinies because you know when we look at our understanding of our faith we look at the uniqueness of our being and our genetic code and our fingerprints just as our earthly identities are marked by unique genetic codes and fingerprints we anticipate the distinctiveness in heaven because We look and realize that when we get to our eternal destiny, will we embrace our true selves in heaven is the question. And so heaven rejoices over each individual that repents, affirming the value of every soul. And so I'm glad that when we begin to look at our identity, of our body, our mind, and our emotion, and our will. Not only our physical bodies, but also our minds and our emotions. Paul said our humble bodies will be transformed into glorious forms reflecting the likeness of Christ. And so the uniqueness of our being as humans, angels, and heavenly service, death is a relocation because death relocates us to the presence of the Lord, but we remain the same individuals. And so Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5, 8, we're absent from the body but we're present with the Lord. And so angels serve us to humanity. Angels serve under God's direction, aiding and ministering to those who inherit salvation. The writer of Hebrews in chapter 1 verse 14 says, ministering spirits sent to serve God's heirs. So the uniqueness of our being of the human angels in heavenly service, the emotions and desires of heaven, God's emotional nature as to our God created humanity, we reflect God's own emotional character. And so angels express various emotions in worship before the throne of God, the holiness of desires, because in heaven, our desires will be aligned with God's will. free from sin's distortion. The psalmist said in Psalms 37, four, delight in the Lord and he'll grant you the desires of your heart. And so we maintain our identity in eternity because we will retain personal identities. We will retain our unique identities in eternity, accountable for our actions on earth as Isaiah 66, 22 says, our names and descendants endure the new heavens and earth. So we'll have an eternal name. Our earthly names and our new names will be bestowed in heaven that will reflect continuity and distinction in God's creation. And so I'm glad that the names that are inscribed in the Lamb's Book of Life will endure for all eternity. Praise God. And so I thank God as I reflect back on our church at Bethel Crossroads Baptist Church and our pastor, Keith Dempsey. Let's open up and remember each and every one of those that have a need that are going through tough times right now. And we want to reflect and remember all of our family as well. as Lynn and Rusty Lanier. We want to remember Betty Sue Scott, Freddie Wolfe, Heath Minter, Doug Klein, Donald and Linda Cox, Justin Lindsey, Oso, Baby Hardin, Whitney Haygood, Vicki Dupree, Linda Williams, Tina Bagley, Tim Forsythe, Connie King, Clemmie Jackson, Happy Ferguson, Richard and Marge Riley, along with many others that are unspoken at Bethel Crossroads that we lift up and we ask that you would just intervene with us as we lift up them right now. Father, I ask God in the mighty name of Jesus Christ that you'll intervene on the behalf of the many names that we've asked, even our wife, We lift her up, Lita, and Lord, for the many of our congregation, our Pastor Keith and Amy, and Lord, I pray that you'll watch over our congregation, keep them all safe and secure, be the great physician of their lives. And Lord, I ask you, Father, that Lord, at your guidance and protection as we speak about, Lord, the spirit guardians, I pray that be our guardian in the night passage, leading us with your light, sustaining us with your grace, and may your word dwell richly within us, providing strength for our journeys ahead. And Father, I pray that we may magnify your name in all that we do. Thank you for saving us by your marvelous grace. and bless all our pastor and our church at Bethel Cross Rose Baptist Church and all of our pastors and fellow churches across this country, our nation, and for this coming November, the decisions that father of leadership that will come out of that, that I pray our nation will sincerely pray and ask for guidance in the direction that they would get someone that would care about them, someone that would not be a dictator to them and tell them what they want, but someone that would be a democracy that would ask the people's public what they want instead of just doing what they want to do. Lord, they would ask for the people, by the people, which is what a democracy is all about. In Jesus' marvelous mighty name, Amen. All right. Now, when we look and realize that the Native American cultures are rich with symbols and imagery that represent a spiritual guardianship. And so as my time out west, Looking at these things, being around our American Indians, we saw a lot of symbols and images and pictures that might be used to portray the spirit guardians. The animal tokens, many of the Native American tribes associate Pacific animals with spiritual guardianship. And these animals such as the owl, the eagle, the bear, the wolf, or the buffalo, they are reverend for their strength and wisdom and protective qualities. The imagery of these animals either depicted realistically or stylized in traditional art forms that could symbolize the presence of spirit guardians. Also, not only animal totems, but feathers that might hold a significant symbolism in Native American cultures that represent the connection to the spiritual realm. Feathers from sacred birds like eagles were believed to carry the prayers of the people to the creator. And the images of those feathers of reverend birds could be signifying the presence of a spiritual garden watching over and protecting their community and their families. The stars and the celestial bodies. The Native American cultures often look to the skies for guidance and spiritual insight. The images of the stars, the moons, and the other celestial bodies could symbolize the presence of a spiritual garden guiding and illuminating the path for the individuals and the communities. The dream catchers. originated in Native American cultures, particularly among the Ajobe people, the protective charm to ward off negative energy and nightmares that often adorned with feathers, beads hung above the sleeping areas to catch and filter out the bad dreams. While allowing good dreams to pass through, the dream catchers could be used as the symbols of spiritual guardianship and protection and the medicine wheels The medicine wheels were sacred symbols used by many of the Native American tribes to present the interconnectedness of all life and the balance between physical and emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of their existence. They often incorporate various symbols and colors and geometric patterns with their own spiritual significance. The medicine wheels could be interpreted as representations of the spirit guardians guiding and protecting individuals on their spiritual journeys. And so these symbols and these images and pictures could carry a deep spiritual meaning in the Native American cultures that could serve as powerful representations of that spiritual guardianship and protection in their artwork, in their crafts, and in their storytelling. And so while the term guardian may not be explicitly used in the King James Version of our Bible, there are several passages that convey similar themes of protection, guidance, and watchfulness that the Lord has laid upon my heart as we look at the spirit guardians to talk about, as we look at the Word of God in Psalms 121. And I'm glad that as we look at those and begin to realize that the Bible says, He will not suffer thy foot to be moved. He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. And of course, we see the English translation version as well. But this passage emphasizes the vigilance of the guardian, liken it to the constant watchfulness of the owl in the Native American lore. It underscores the idea that the guardian never slumbers nor sleeps away watching over his people. And I'm glad that when we look at each and every one of the things in our life, Amen, we're able to distinguish the same thing as well, because I'm glad uh that the southern baptist theology is a strong emphasis on the resurrection of the body and the eternal nature of the soul with the specifics of what individuals will be like in heaven may not be fully comprehensible to humans but the belief that Individuals will experience a glorified existence in the presence of God, retaining our essential identities but transformed and perfected, but both the King James and the Southern Baptist belief affirm the continuity of spiritual identity in heaven and glorified perfected form. that offers comfort and assurance to all believers and the significance of our lives and relationships of our context in eternity. And so I'm glad that when we look, that we know that we will be unique. Our genetic code and fingerprints are very unique. And so God is the creator of that individual identity and personality, and he makes no two snowflakes alike. much less to people a lot. Not even individual twins are identical. Individual preceded, individuality preceded sin and the curse and it was God's plan from the very beginning that heaven's inhabitants would rejoice over the individuals that are converted, praise God. And so I'm glad that heaven's multitudes, they rejoice over each other and every person who repents and the powerful affirmation of heaven's view of each person as a separate individual whose life is observed and cared for one at a time. When Moses and Elijah appeared out of heaven to stand with Christ at his transfiguration, the disciples with Christ recognized them as the distinct individuals that they were on earth. And this is another indisputable confirmation that we do not lose our separate identities after death when we pass on from this walks of life. We'll sit at a banquet to dine with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And I'm glad that it tells us that as we do this, our genetic code and fingerprints are unique, and that our identity is determined by the body plus mind, emotion, and will, because our personality includes mind, emotion, and will, and includes our traits of spiritual gifts, natural abilities, our passions, our preferences, our memories, and our interests that will be unique elements that go into the making of who you are. C.S. Lewis said one time, if you had no use for all these differences, I do not see why he should have created more souls than one. Imagine yourself at your best and you will have a small idea of who you will be in heaven. But think about a time when you really felt good about yourself. and not in pride or arrogance, but when you sense that you honored God for who he was. Think about a time when you were most like Christ, sacrificial, faithful, humble, a servant hearted, that you get this small idea of how you will behave in heaven. And imagine a time when you felt so strong that you could go on forever and that you have a small idea of who you will be in heaven. You see, you will be unique when you get to your eternal destiny. And I'm glad that we're going to become like the angels in heaven. Death will be that relocation of that same person from one place to another. The place changes, but the people stay the same. The same person becomes absent from his or her body and present with the Lord. But I'm glad that as 2 Corinthians 5 says, yet we are confident and satisfied to be out of the body and at home with the Lord. And so the person that departs is the one that goes to be with the Lord. Angels are angels and humans are humans. Angels are beings with their own histories and memories with distinct identities. Angels have personal names such as Michael and Gabriel. But I'm glad that death is just a relocation of the same person from one place to another. And under God's direction, angels serve humans on this earth. Michael, the archangel, serves under God. Other angels in various positions serve under Michael. But I'm glad that in heaven, human beings will govern angels. And the fact that angels have served us on earth will make meeting them in heaven particularly fascinating. Our guardian angels have been with us from childhood. I believe that because you and I, as heaven, as it will be interesting to find out in heaven how that our guardian angels have protected us on earth and intervened on our behalf. Angels aid us in spiritual balance and have strengthened us from time to time. And we're not even aware of that. No biblical basis for contracting angels now, but we ask God, not angels, for wisdom because scripture warns that angels can appear as the servants of righteousness. They can bring us messages that appear to be from God but aren't. But this does not preclude us from thanking God for our angels and acknowledging their presence in all of our lives. We will be unique. We will become angels, we will become angels in heaven, but we'll have emotions in heaven because God is an emotional being. And God's emotions are described in scripture that God is said to laugh, to enjoy, to delight in, to be happy, to be glad. And God also is said to be angry, grieved, unhappy, and jealous. And there's not just these emotions that are derived from God and whose image that were made. But since our emotions are afflicted by the fall, and because we're sinful, our emotions are a distortion of God's emotions. And we expect that our emotions in heaven will be for our good and for God's glory. And so I'm glad that here we see the passage of Psalms 121 that emphasizes the vigilance of the guardian, liken it to the constant watchfulness, of the Al and the Native American lore that we go through. And it reminds us again of our spiritual guardians, that the guardians vigilance in Psalms 121 verses 3 and 4. Also, we see secondly of Psalms 91. Thank God I got that right. I might have put it wrong on the cover. That he that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. And I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress. My God in him will I trust. Now, when we look at this, we're reminded of our spiritual guardians, not only of the first thing, the guardian's vigilance of Psalms 121, but also the guardian's protection, because these verses highlight the protective nature of the guardian, drawing our parallels with the buffalo's shielding of its herd and the Native American traditions. It emphasizes the concept of finding refuge and safety under the wings of the almighty God. Amen. And so God is an emotional being. And what kind of emotions will we expect when we're in heaven? Well, we're told of banquets, of wedding to King James, of feasts and singings, that people are going to be laughing there. And Luke 621 says, blessed are you who are hungry now because you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now because you'll laugh. And so there's going to be times of emotions. There'll be intense times and heaven will be free to feel intensely never afraid of our feelings. But what about tears in heaven? When we look at our spirit guardians as compared to the Native Americans, God said in Revelation 21, four, he'll wipe away every tear from our eyes. Death will exist no longer. Grief, crying and pain will exist no longer because the previous things have passed away. Tears will be finally wiped away in the new heaven and the new earth. And there'll be great joy because of that, which will be no more, no more sin, no more sorrow, no more suffering, no more pain, no more death. And no doubt there will be rejoicing as the tears of the oppressed, the cries of the poor, the widow, the orphan, the unborn and the persecuted will be no more. And I'm glad that not only will we be unique as the guardian's protection, we'll become angels in heaven, we'll have emotions in heaven, we will have desires in heaven. Because our desires in heaven will be holy desires. Everything that we want will be good. And when we enjoy good things, we'll be celebrating the God who made it possible. Our desires in heaven will be holy desires. We'll no longer have to battle our desires. For example, we're going to enjoy food without gluttony. We'll express admiration and appreciation without sinful lust. And so Christianity uniquely teaches that desires are good, not evil. The Buddhist concept of deliverance teaches that one day people's desires will be eliminated. Christianity teaches that Jesus takes our sin away while redeeming our desires. In heaven, we'll no longer have to battle our desires. All of our desires will be God-given, God-glorifying. No rules will be needed for our hearts will be given over to God. David said in Psalms 37 4, delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. And so when we delight in God and abide in him, whatever we want will be exactly what he wants for us. And what we should do will be at last be identical with what we want to do. So the guardian's protection that we see, amen. But let's go on to that third thing of our spiritual guardians, and that is Isaiah 58 11 and the Lord shall guide thee continually and satisfy thy soul in drought and make fat thy bones and thou shalt be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not These are the scriptures that the Lord has laid upon our heart because here in Isaiah 58 We see that it underscores the guidance provided by the Guardian, akin to the wisdom sought from the stars by the Native American cultures, that it speaks to the Creator's role in leading his people along the right path and providing illumination in times of darkness. In the journey of life, we often find ourselves traversing through dark passages where uncertainty looms, where fear grips our hearts, and yet in the midst of these shadows there exists a guardian a steadfast presence that guides us safely through the night and so when we look and we realize that the guardian's vigilance in the depths of darkness the guardian watches over us never slumbering nor sleeping amen and so Through every trial and tribulation, his eyes are upon us, offering protection and guidance. And among the many Native American tribes, the deep respect for the natural world, the animals that are within it, the great spirit or the creator that is often believed to manifest through various animals. That one story tells of how the creator appointed the owl as a guardian of the night. Owls with their keen senses and ability to see in the dark are seen as a vigilant protectors watching over the tribe as they sleep. Just as the owl remains ever watchful, so does the creator, never sleeping nor slumbering, always vigilant and protective of his people. And though the watchful owl among the Native American tribes is often seen as a symbol of wisdom and protection, legend has it that during the darkest hours of the night, when the darker lurks in the shadows, the wise owl keeps that watch over the tribe. And it serves as a beautiful illustration of the guardian unwavering vigilance over his people, never slumbering or sleeping, always watchful and protection. And so the guardian's vigilance of Psalms 121 and the guardian's protection of Psalms 91. Under that shelter of his wings, we find refuge from the storms of life. His mighty hand as shields us from harm, surrounded us with his love and strength. Many Native American tribes have deep reverence for the buffalo, seeing it as a symbol of strength and provision. And not only that it provides food and clothing, but also protection. And during the harsh winters and times of danger, the buffalo would gather its herds, forming a protective circle with this massive body that serves as a powerful metaphor for the creator's protection over his children, just as the buffalo shields its herd. And as we see the winters and the fierce storms from the elements, I'm glad that so does the Guardian provide shelter, spiritual shelter, and it enfolds them in its mighty arms, keeping them safe from all harm. And lastly, and closing, that we see the Guardian's guidance of Isaiah 5811, that through the darkest of nights, the Guardian leads us along the path of righteousness and his voice whispers into our souls and illuminates the way forward with hope and assurance. The Native American cultures often looked into the stars for the guidance and direction. They believed that the pattern of the stars held secrets and wisdom that could guide them on their journeys. Elders within the tribe were skilled in reading the constellations, using them to navigate through the vast wilderness. In their stories, the deep respect for the guidance that provided by the stars, which they see as a gift from the Great Spirit. Similar to the Creator, acts as a guiding light for his people, leading them along the path of righteousness, illuminating their way through life's dark passages with his wisdom and grace. And I'm glad just as the stars offer guidance to those who seek it, illuminating the path of righteousness, leading us through life's darkest nights with his gentle voice of wisdom and truth. I'm glad that each and every one of us, as we go forward and as we see the Guardian's vigilance and the Guardian's protection and the Guardian's guidance, amen, in each of these areas of our life, that we go through with. I hope and pray that each and every one of you, if there's someone out there that don't know Jesus Christ, we will be unique in heaven. We will become angels like angels in heaven. We'll be spirit. We'll have emotions in heaven. We'll have desires in heaven. We'll maintain our own identities in heaven. And if you're not in heaven, then who else would you be? The resurrected Jesus retained his identity after the resurrection. In Luke 24, verse 39, Jesus said, It is I, myself. In John's gospel, Jesus dealt with Mary, Thomas, and Peter in very personal ways. And on his previous knowledge of them, in John 10, verses 10-18, verses 24-29, in John 21, verses 15-22, his knowledge and relationships from his pre-resurrected state carried over. And when Thomas said, my Lord and my God, he knew he was speaking to the same Lord Jesus he followed. When John said it is the Lord, he meant it's really him, then Jesus that we've known. If we weren't ourselves in the afterlife, then we couldn't be held accountable for what we did in this life. This would make the judgment seat of Christ meaningless. And so, you know what? If I'm who I'm supposed to be, How could I not be rewarded for anything that I did? Because the doctrines of judgment and eternal rewards depends on peoples retaining their original identities. And while Buddhism teaches that the ultimate is being reincarnated in an improved life form, the self with which we have been endowed by our creator is his gift of life to us. Our self-worth was secured forever in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Our eternal home was guaranteed by Christ's victory over death in his resurrection. And to imagine that we will lose our personal identities is a Hindu belief, not a Christian one. We participate in God's holiness and yet we fully retain our God-crafted individuality in heaven. Our own personal history and identity will endure from one earth to the next. Isaiah records God's words as the new heaven and the new earth that I will make, that I make will endure, so will your name and descendants endure in Isaiah 66 verse 22. We all will participate in God's holiness and yet fully retain our God-crafted individuality. And Jesus said to his disciples, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the day when I drink it anew with you in my father's kingdom. In Matthew chapter 26, verse 29, that same Jesus will drink the same wine with the same disciples. And if you're not in heaven, then who else would you be? Because in heaven, we will be called by our present names. The names of God's children are written in the Lamb's Book of Life according to Revelation chapter 20 verses 15 and all the way down to Revelation chapter 21 verse 27. God recognized as valid the names Adam gave the animals. God calls people by their earthly names given by their parents and he calls people in heaven by their same names. Abraham, Isaac, And Jacob, for instance, and the names of the twelve sons of Israel and of the apostles are written on the city's gates and the foundations of its walls in Revelation chapter 21, verses 12, 13 and 14. And to have the same name written in heaven that we that we ours on earth reflects the continuing between this life and the next. In addition to our earthly names, we received new names in heaven in Isaiah 62, 2, Isaiah 65, 15, Revelation 1, verse 17, Revelation 3, verse 12. These new names do not invalidate the old ones. Many had multiple names in scripture. Jacob was also Israel. Simon was also Peter. Saul was also Paul. We will be like Jesus in character, but we'll remain very different in personality. And so the distinctiveness at God's creation, not Satan's, what makes us unique and what makes us survive. And so when we look, I want to invite you for the Romans road. If you have never asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart in life, always sin and fallen short of the glory of God. But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. I'm quoting King James Version. Whosoever, you can put your name there. That's everyone. Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, not might be or could be, shall be. Would you say the sinner's prayer with me if you believe and ask the Lord to be the keeper of your soul? Understanding that I'm a sinner, but believing that Jesus Christ died on the cross to free me from the burdens of my sins, I now receive him as my Lord and Savior. And from this day forward, I desire to live to please Christ and in placing my trust in him for the gift of eternal life. Would you put the amen on that? Would you ask the Lord to be the keeper of your soul? Because. When we look at the spirit guardians that weaves together the history and the spirituality of the American Indians with Christian beliefs, I'm glad that every one of us, as we go our separate ways, we can all make the comparison of the acts of protection, the guidance in adversity. And I'm glad that as we journey through life's dark passages, let us take comfort in knowing that we are never alone. Amen. We're never alone. Every one of us, as we have somebody that can comfort us, we have the Holy Spirit that indwells us. The guardian from the night passage stands ready to lead, protect, and guide us from his unfailing love. We've got to trust in his promises, lean on his strength, walk boldly in the light of his presence, and may his grace sustain us through every trial. and it's peace fill our hearts with assurance. As we close out, thanks for tuning in to our spirit guardians, dedicated to all our Native American culture, our soldiers in arms, brothers in Christ, that we send this out to every one of them. Remember, Psalms 121, Psalms 91 instead of this typo, Psalms 58. Let's close out. Lord, as we depart from this sacred moment, We carry your promise of protection and guidance in our hearts. May your presence go before us, guarding us through every trial, leading us into your perfect will, through your mercy. Hear our prayers, oh God. Be the guardian, the spirit guardian that watches over us and makes us unique. In Jesus's marvelous mighty name, amen. God bless you.