Final Election Results

“Final Election Results”

TEXT: 2 Peter 1:10-11 – “Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your ELECTION sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

INTRODUCTION: The 2000 Presidential Election Deadlock has captured the attention of America. We’ve sat glued to our television sets until the wee hours of the morning, waiting on the edge of our seats for the latest updates. My remote flashes back and forth between the FOX NEWS NETWORK and CNN so fast that I get a head rush! Speaking of RUSH, we’ve listened to 24-hour talk radio shows as the likes of Mike Gallagher and Rush Limbaugh have given us their spins and opinions. We are now into Day Number 12 of “America Held Hostage”! It’s been 12 days since we went to the polls and the Final Election Results still aren’t in. Our emotions have been on a roller coaster ride. We experience new highs and lows with each “breaking report.”

We can tell you all about Election Exit Polls, Florida hand re-count laws, overseas absentee ballots and “Smokes for Votes.” We can tell you all about James Baker, Jim Daley and Katherine Harris. We can debate with you on the pros and cons of the Electoral College and the Popular Vote. Our geography has improved across America – we now know where Iowa, Michigan, New Mexico and Oregon are located. We even know where to find the following counties in the state of Florida: Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Volusia. We’ve learned more than we would ever care to know about “CHAD’S” in their various forms – pregnant, dimpled, pimpled, hanging, loose in one corner and double-punched. I think everyone in the whole world outside of Palm Beach, Florida knows how to fill out a “Butterfly Ballot.” Who knows, one of these days we may even find out who pays to fly the Rev. Jesse Jackson all over the country and the name of the church he pastors.

We know the stories, we’ve heard the debates, we’ve watched the special reports, we’re on a first name basis with most of the reporters, we’ve heard the phrase, “the will of the people” quoted a million times. We know one candidate had a boil on his face and the other looks funny playing football in the front yard. We know all this stuff about what will go down in history as one of the most memorable and historical elections in American history, but the one thing we don’t know is, “Who will be the next President of the United States of America!?!?!”

It’s been twelve long days since I pulled my levers in the Butler Township Authority Building. I have prayed and prayed and prayed some more. This isn’t like a football game in overtime. There’s much more at stake than a Championship ring and a Super Bowl trophy. This is about our future. The future of America, our children, the lives of the unborn and more are on the line. The tension and the suspense is mounting. The votes are all in but the Final Election Results have not been announced. I can’t tell you who the winner will be, but I do know who I voted for. I was sure of myself when I went to the polls. I had made up my mind. I was ready. As important as this Presidential Election is for the future of our country, it pales in comparison next to the Final Election of All Time.

* The Presidential Election is about our country’s immediate future. The Eternal Election is about forever. Your eternity is on the line.

* You may or may not have voted in the Presidential Election, but everyone votes in the Eternal Election.

* It’s a two-party ticket. You aren’t registered as a Republican, Democrat, Independent or Reformed. You’re either a Christian or a Non-Christian. You either have an “R” by your name for “Redeemed” or a “D” for the “Devil.” You have one ballot and two choices and…

PROPOSITION: You cannot afford to be wrong in the final election of all time so cast your vote well.

INTEROGGATIVE STATEMENT: What are the things you need to know as you consider the most important election of your life?

I. THERE ARE ONLY TWO CANDIDATES TO CHOOSE FROM. Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

It’s not a complicated election. There are no Independent or Reformed Parties in the Eternal Election. There are no confusing ballots. Just one ballot, two names. You’ve got a choice to make. Eternity is on the line.