 tells us that wise people are builders. They build families, they build businesses, they build communities, and that is why our foundations matter. And we are so honored to build our life and foundation with you here on Hope Today. I'm Amy Schaefer here with Tom Hollis. Today, Tom, it's going to be a great conversation. Yeah. In fact, I want to ask you about your foundation. How is your foundation? Do you have a strong foundation? And I'm not talking about your house. That's not what we're talking about. I hope you have a good foundation there, too. But I'm talking about your spiritual foundation, your biblical foundation. Pastor Robert Passienza has written a book and DVD series called How Firm a Foundation. And he's going to be with us to examine key Christian truths and how they should affect every sphere of our lives. Amy, this is so important, this whole foundation series because we can, culture can kind of drag us away from our foundations. Oh, no. Everything is trying to drag you away from your foundations. Even with, you know, talking to my kids on an everyday, casual level, they're like, well, this little video said this, and this person said this, and all of these little voices, these little thoughts are trying to build into their life value systems, beliefs, which become your foundation. So sometimes, Tom, I just have to say, you know, that person is cute. Oh, they were so inspiring. But that's not really quite what the Bible says. I mean, you really have to be strategic in these days to clear through all of the clutter and all through the noise to get back to the basics of our biblical truths, our biblical worldview, which is the foundation and the rock which we build our life on. Well, and you think about that, and we have so much information coming at us from so many different things. We're more connected that way than ever. But where is the foundation of that information coming from? And, you know, and it's quite often not biblical. And so often, Christians don't have a biblical worldview. Well, many of you may be familiar with our next guest. He can be seen here on Cornerstone Television Network on the program, Truths to Transform. Dr. Robert Pasienza is also the senior pastor of Coral Rids Presbyterian Church and president and CEO of D. James Kennedy Ministries. He recently released a new book and video series called How Firm a Foundation, which equips the church to live out God's truth more faithfully in an unbelieving culture. Pastor Rob, it's great to have you back with us on Hope Today. Excellent to be back with you this morning. Well, let's talk about this a little bit. Some statistics say that only 40% of Christians, I'm talking evangelical, born-again Christians, have a biblical worldview. What's going on? Why are we losing our foundations? Well, in some statistics show that it's even lower than that. In some areas of the country, for instance, where I'm ministering in South Florida, one of the most unchurched areas in the country, some of the statistics show that only 20% of evangelical Christians have a biblical worldview. I think the reasons are various, but I think one of them is we live in a progressive culture that has convinced even those inside of the church that we somehow have to break away from the traditional ideals and values that are found in God's Word and instead embrace a more progressive understanding of the world. We live in a very secularized nation. What do we mean by secular? A public square that is absent of God and of religion, and we've been suffering the consequences of this secular age for the last few decades. We're seeing it in mainstream media. We're seeing it in higher education. We're seeing it in the halls of government. How do we live life apart from God and apart from religion, apart from God's infallible word, and we're, as I said, even seeing severe consequences inside of the church. Let's talk about absolute truth, one of your principles of these foundations. It's your truth, his truth, my truth. We're just pulling truth out of the sky. How do you address that? Yeah, if there is an absolute being, God, then there is an absolute truth. There's a God that defines truth. Anybody that says that there's no such thing as absolute truth or it's impossible to determine that which is absolutely true is just ignorant to the reality of everyday life. We have laws in which govern our lives. You don't have to be a Christian or a believer in God to understand that there are laws, natural laws that govern our lives. We don't run red lights for a reason or run through a stop sign. If you're in an airplane, you don't dare just jump out of the plane. We all believe in the law of gravity. There are absolutes that govern our lives every day, whether we realize it or not, and those absolutes point to an absolute being. Even for someone to say that there's no such thing as absolute truth is an absolute in and of itself. It's inconsistent. It's ignorant to believe that there are no absolutes, as I said, because they govern our lives all the time. When we discover that God is real and that he is an absolute being that governs our lives, it's only logical to conclude that this absolute being would give his creation, his creatures, absolute laws, an absolute truth in which would govern their lives and lead to flourishing. Let's talk a little bit about the idea of believing the Bible, because I think most Christians would say, well, yeah, I believe the Bible. But what are we really saying? And what's a biblical worldview? Worldview isn't a term. I mean, we hear it in philosophical circles, but we don't use it in real life very much. What is a worldview? And what's a biblical worldview? A worldview very simply put is just the lens by which we see all of life and all of the world. It's not a matter of whether we have a worldview or not. We have one. The question is, what is informing it? We look at issues like gender, sexuality, family, politics, government, work with a lens. The question is, is it being informed by the infallible word of God, or is it being informed by the secular world? Is it being informed by the vain philosophies of the world, as it says in the book of Colossians? And so a biblical worldview is the lens by which we see all of life that is informed by the infallible word of God. And the reason I did this series, preached through how Fermi Foundation, the reason I put this book together is because if we do have a lens by which we see all of life, we need the church to have that lens informed by the infallible word of God. The Bible can't be something that we just read on Sunday mornings or in the context of worship. It can't be seen as a holy book that governs simply our private lives, but it is the book of books that governs all of life, both private and public. And so we need to be raising up a next generation inside of the church that sees all of life, that has a lens that is informed and governed by the infallible word of God. Talking about a worldview, what about the biblical foundation for life? You know, my husband and I pastor in Pittsburgh and with the recent overturn of Roe versus Wade, we were shocked at the pastors, the churches that were not excited about that decision and said nothing about it. What does the Bible have to say about the foundation of life? Yeah, you go to the very beginning of the book of Genesis and it says that God is the sovereign creator and that he has created human beings in his image. That means that every human being, without exception, has worth and sacred value and that life begins not at the moment of birth, but that life and personhood begins at the moment of conception. When you skip ahead to Psalm 139, which I'll be preaching on on the sanctity of human life Sunday on January 21st, we will read that God is the one that knits us together, forms us in our mother's womb. So personhood and life does not begin outside of the womb, but it begins inside of the womb. And because every human being is created in the image of God, the doctrine of the Amago day, that means our value and our worth is not defined by what we do, but by who we are. We all have inherent value and worth. And when it comes to the unborn, it's a matter of justice. Justice in the Bible is always defined as standing for that which is right and standing for those that cannot stand for themselves. And as I always remind our congregation, is there any group, is there any people group in our world that is more vulnerable than the unborn? Individuals that literally cannot defend themselves, those that are in the womb. So the issue of life from the moment of conception is something that's very important to me. And I pray it's important to the people of God. And we need more pastors and more ministry leaders that are speaking out, defending the unborn, defending those that literally cannot defend themselves. Amen to that. And I want to ask you about Jesus. I mean, if we're going to get something right, maybe we ought to get Jesus right. And with the biblical view of Christ, you have a sermon here. Jesus, the only way to God. Now that's swimming against the cultural tide of supposed tolerance. Can you just tell me, unpack that a little bit, why that is so important? Well, the reality, if we're honest, if we study world religions, every world religion has some type of exclusive truth claim. What we're saying is in looking at the life in the ministry and the teachings of Jesus, he makes some audacious truth claims, exclusive truth claims. When he tells his disciples that he is the way, the truth, and the life that no one comes to the Father about through me, we have to ask the question, that exclusive truth claim of Christianity coming from the lips of Jesus himself, either Jesus is who he says he is, or as C.S. Lewis says, he's a liar or a lunatic. But when you see the exclusive truth claims of Jesus Christ and you see it in the context of the rest of scripture, you see that Jesus is incomparable, that actually no other thought leader, no other founder of any religion actually says that he himself is the truth, or he himself is the only way to God. And so if Jesus was a liar or a lunatic, you simply have to dismiss Jesus. But when you actually see his teachings in the context of the rest of scripture, that he is the fulfillment of all of the things that the Old Testament prophets talked about, and that it is absolutely consistent with the rest of Holy Scripture and the rest of redemptive history, you see that Jesus is exactly who he says he is, and that we have to take him at his word. And what's amazing about the exclusive truth claims of Jesus Christ and Christianity is that it's a remarkable understanding of both the exclusive nature of Christianity, but also the inclusive nature of Christianity. Although that this is an exclusive truth claim of Jesus Christ that you can only get to heaven and only get to God through him, he included everybody in that. He included Pharisees and tax collectors, prostitutes and women. He included the upper elites of society, but also those that were downcast and were outcast of the culture. And so it's the most exclusive message, but also the most inclusive message that this world has ever heard. And that's why Jesus is really incomparable and Christianity is a thought, a worldview and a religion that is incomparable when it's contrasted to all of the other worldviews and all of the other philosophies throughout history. I am so thankful for Jesus. Jesus changes everything. You notice at the beginning of the year people are reviewing their life. They're thinking about their life. They're pondering. They're setting goals for this year. You have a teaching that about, you know, what is the meaning of life? Have you found that meaning? Yeah, one of the one of the chapters and one of the sermons that I shared was from the book of Ecclesiastes where Solomon himself addresses this issue. You know, here's a man that had all of the riches and wealth of the kingdom. He had experienced the the highs of life and the lows of life. And here he honestly shares that there's nothing new under the sun. But then he goes on in the book of Ecclesiastes to share that meaning is found in the eternal one, that meaning is ultimately found in God. And I think we should really heed Solomon's words and really understand that this is an effective apologetic for a secular world and a world that is grasping for a message of hope and a message of purpose and meaning. I think about my two children 11 and 13, they're at an age where they are being inundated by commercials and marketing schemes and social media, all promising that they can offer them something that will give them purpose and meaning in this life. And as Solomon says, there's nothing new under the sun that the sun rises and the sun sets. But if we try to find purpose and meaning in this life in the temporary, we'll always come up empty. We'll always come up short. But meaning and purpose is found above the sun. It's found in the eternal one. It's found in God who eventually came down. It's the one that Solomon longed for. It's the one that we eventually receive in the person of Jesus Christ that wisdom has come down. It's been personified in the person and work of Jesus Christ. And for anyone listening that's struggling to find purpose and meaning in this life, you'll always come up empty, always come up short if you find it in anything temporary, anything of this world. But we've got to find our meaning and purpose in the one that created this world. And particularly in the one that came down in the person of Jesus Christ who offers us life and life eternal, who offers us life to the full if we simply trust in him and in him alone. Pastor Rob, there are some well-meaning Christians that will say, hey, I don't really get into theology. I just want to love people. I want to share Jesus with people, share his love. And I understand that point of view. But what's been the reaction of your congregation as you have taught through this series? The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. I think our congregation is indicative of what's happening around our nation. I think people are hungry for truth. And my message to pastors and other ministry leaders that maybe want to shy away from what the culture has deemed controversial or maybe polarizing, when people receive the truth, the promise is this, the truth will set them free. And we're seeing people set free by the truth of God's word. And so our people are hungry for it in an age where we are being told that nothing is true, that nothing is consistent, that nothing is sure and steady. We can go back to God's timeless word and His truth, which is the very infallible word of God. And we're seeing people that are just hungry for it and soaking it all up and really seeing it change the way they view life and they view work and they view politics and government and all of the issues that people are being inundated with on a daily basis, we can declare to them as the Church of Jesus Christ that there is a source of truth that is constant, that is timeless, and that gives us that firm foundation in a world and an age that is constantly moving and constantly shifting. There can be the firm foundation in which we can build our lives. What would you say to the person that's like, eh, that sounds like too much work or studying for me, what is going to happen if they don't build a firm foundation for their life? What we see, Paul opens up in the beginning of Colossians and already you think about it, the first century Church, he says you're already being swept away by the vain philosophies and worldly ideas. And so what happens is when we move away from God's word, when we go away from that firm foundation of biblical truth, we will be swept away. We're seeing an entire generation being swept away. I think the statistics are somewhere around the range of 70 to 75% of youth that are raised in the Church are walking away from the faith sometime during their freshman year of college. 70 to 75% of youth raised inside the Church. And so we can turn an blind eye to biblical truth, we can turn a blind eye to giving our children and our grandchildren a biblical worldview, but we are paying the consequences and we will continue to pay the consequences. We will be informed and we will live our lives on some type of foundation. The question is it, is it a foundation that is godless, that is secular, or is it a foundation that is built on God's infallible word? The promise of Jesus is this, if you build your life on anything other than the solid rock of biblical truth, you will be swept away. Your life will crumble. And if we do not heed those words, we will see the devastating results for not only us, but for the generations to follow after us as well. Pastor Rob, before we go, would you just take a moment and pray for those that are watching? You have certainly hit a chord with some of them and say, hey, that's where my children are. That's where my grandchildren, I find them at. Would you just take a moment and pray for that family and those folks? I would love to. Let's pray together. God the Father, you are the sovereign creator of all things. And you have created humanity in your image. And because of that, each human being is sacred and has inherent worth and value. But then because of the fall, because of sin, that image has been broken. The world has been broken because of sin. And we've been suffering the consequences ever since. We've been suffering the consequences of believing that we can somehow live a better life apart from you. But thanks be to God that you sent your son into the world to be the light in the midst of darkness. And you did for us what we can never do for ourselves. You live the perfect life. And then you died on that cruel cross. And you took on all of our sin and all of our unrighteousness. And the promise is this, if we simply believe and trust in you and you alone, we will have life to the full both now and forevermore. And Lord, you offer us that life. You offer us a life that is grounded and rooted in your infallible word. You have not left us to walk through this world aimlessly. And Lord, there is an entire generation that is walking through life aimlessly with no direction, with no purpose. The only thing that seems to be guiding them is the messages that are on the mainstream media and through social media, the messages that they're getting that maybe in secular universities that they can somehow find freedom and life apart from God. And Lord, for any parent or grandparent that's listening that has their own children that are maybe walking aimlessly, maybe children that are being sent off to universities or being sent off into the world, Lord, we do pray for those children. We do pray for the next generation, Lord, that you would use the Church of Jesus Christ and the message of the gospel to bring them back to the truth that the story of the next decade would not be a story of children walking away from the faith but seeing revival happening, that this next generation will say no to the ways of this world. And this next generation will say yes to the truth of Jesus Christ say yes to the kingdom of God and no to the ways of this world. We pray for the parents and grandparents that you would give them the tools and the resources to equip their children and the next generation with a firm foundation so that when they do go off into the world, that when we are sending our children off, they're being sent off as missionaries. They're being sent off as salt and light grounded by truth, informed by the Word of God, having a worldview that is not informed by the ways of this world and by a secular age but by informed by the solid rock of God's Word. Lord, I thank you for truth, truth that sets us free, capture the minds and the hearts of the next generation for the sake of your kingdom and for your glory. And it's in Jesus' name we pray this prayer. Amen. Amen. Powerful prayer, important prayer. Pastor Robert Pasienza, how firm a foundation? How can someone access the series and get the book? You go to our website, djkm.org. djkm.org stands for D. James Kennedy Ministries. You can find that resource, both the sermon series, the book and all of our other worldview resources and content from books and documentaries and television specials that will help the church in North America today and beyond help live out what it means to be salt and light in a very dark world. Well, thank you so much, Pastor Rob. Again, an important series. We appreciate you, appreciate all you're doing for the kingdom. Thank you for being with us. Thank you both. What a powerful thing, Amy. What a powerful and important message to be grounded in the Word of God because as we said at the beginning, everything's going to try to pull us away from those foundations. Well, the scripture says that everything that can be shaken will be shaken. So those things which cannot be shaken will remain. You know, several years ago, a couple of decades ago, my husband and I built our first home. And when we got to the property and they started doing all of the earthing to set the foundation, whatever it's called, we found out that it was partially on fill. Oh, okay. And what we had to do was we had to dig piers in through the fill to hit bedrock, right? So the house would not shift, the house would not move. Now, we ended up doubling those pillars. And I'm pretty sure each pillar cost like 10,000. I mean, it was a lot of money. The building we're sitting in right now, the studio is built the same way. There's pillars that are put down to have a firm foundation. So when we sold our house a couple of years ago, did you know that there is not one tiny crack in any of the basement floors, foundations, walls, nothing shifted. Everything stayed stable because of the deep, deep roots and work we did to the foundation of the house. But that's what we need to do spiritually. We don't wait to weather a storm and just wonder if it's storms will come. Seasons will change. And you've got to have some deep roots in your faith, some deep roots and pillars of hope in your life, some deep roots and pillars of health and life and the healing power of God. Because, you know, in this world, Tom, there will be trouble. There will be storms, but be a good cheer. Jesus said, I've overcome the world. Right. And so I think that leads us to the question, what are you built on? Jesus made a big point of, is the house built on the sand or is your house built on the solid rock? The solid rock of relationship with him. But to have a relationship with someone, you have to know who they are. That's why I asked the question about Jesus. If we're going to get something right, if we're going to be good, if we're going to be the old saying is everybody's a theologian. You just need to be a good one. Okay. And so let's get right our relationship with Jesus Christ. If you've never opened up your heart, if you've never opened up your life to Jesus and said, come into my life, forgive me of my sins. I know I've done wrong, Lord. Forgive me of my sins and be my savior and Lord. Listen, we're all in that boat. We've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and we all have to come to the place, come to the cross and invite Christ into our lives to be our Lord and master and savior. And then he builds the foundations, that foundation most importantly of relationship with him. So many songs are going through my head right now about Christ is my firm foundation, the rock on which I stand. And that's what we build our life on. We build our life on the Word. We build our life on Jesus. We build our life on the rock. It is our worldview. It is the absolute truth. It has stood the test of time. I think about even the buildings in Rome. If you go to Rome today, you will see buildings that are over 2000 years old because back in the time they wanted, Caesar wanted everyone to know what I built was so fantastic. The whole world will know about it. Listen, you are building your life right now. You are building families, you're building communities, you're building businesses, you're building health, you're building life, you're building a church. So build today on the firm foundation, which is Jesus Christ. And that will bring you so much hope today. On tomorrow's Hope Today, discover the critical role that friendships play in our lives. Mother and daughter authors Blythe and Kaylyn Daniel offer up encouragement through their uplifting devotional on how to navigate valuable friendships. That's tomorrow on Hope Today. Cornerstone Television wishes to thank all our faithful viewers, whose consistent prayers and financial support have made this program possible.