For his part, Hunt’s sermon provided an insightful look into how he conceives of himself and his qualifications for ministry.
“How many of you know that God’s callings are irrevocable,” Hunt said of his early beginnings in ministry over four decades ago.
He continued, “Sometimes, you may think, ‘Well, you know, I made some bad choices in my life—and by the way, have you ever made a choice you wish you could undo but you can’t undo it? What do you do with stuff you can’t undo? You give it to Jesus and he washes us and cleanses [us] in the blood as we repent and we return to him.”
“When God calls you to do something, and you begin to think you’re no longer qualified to do it, hold on just a moment,” Hunt said. “You don’t think he knew your past, your present, and your future when he called you? … Anybody can quit. And, by the way, that’s why so many do it: it’s so easy.”
Hunt went on to read Psalm 119:85-86, which says, “The proud have dug pits for me, which is not according to your law. All your commandments are faithful; they persecute me wrongly; help me!”
Hunt pointed out that the phrase “they persecute me wrongly” could be translated more literally as “they’re lying about me,” going on to read verse 87: “They almost made an end of me on earth, but I did not forsake your precepts.”
“No one can put an end to you except for the one who gave you your beginning,” Hunt preached.
Referencing his abuse scandal directly, Hunt expressed that some have asked him about how he was going to respond to “what so-and-so wrote” about him on Twitter.
“I’m not spiritual, but I want you to know this, and I’ve got an over eight-month history on this: I’ve not responded to any of it,” he said. Expressing that he was speaking off the cuff, Hunt then recounted his experiences after the news of the allegations against him came to light.
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“I don’t know why, but I’m consumed with the thought: I’m laying in bed in my home here in Panama City Beach. Some false allegations had broken against me. There were some allegations that weren’t false, but the ones that were false were the damaging—the other would have been easier to survive,” Hunt said. “I’m in bed, and I’m awakened by a cry and my wife is weeping. And I wake up and I say, ‘I’m sorry. Are you okay?’ And she said, ‘They’ve ruined your life. Just with a letter, they’ve ruined your life.’”
