Decision 2008; Jesse Bennett 10-26-08
Bible Baptist Church Shawnee Oklahoma
I Corinthians 10:24-25
Our elections are upon us once again, we have some tough decisions to make about our countries future. Thank God we still have the ability to make decisions, for we still have the freedom to vote. And by voting we can have a peaceful revolution every four years in our nation. Our right to vote is a wonderful gift given to us by God. For blessed is the nation who’s King is the Lord. And naturally in Christ we are free indeed.
I read this morning from the King James Version, but I think the NIV explains this a little clearer, and for the benefit of the many young people who are with us this morning, the NIV says it this way.
Corinthians 10:24-25
The Believer’s Freedom
"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial.1Co 6:12 "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. 24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.
According to the Associated Press, on the evening of February 6, 1996, three friends drove the rural roads east of Tampa, Florida, with the intent of
playing a prank. Tragically, their game was anything but funny. They pulled some twenty street signs out of the ground, including the stop sign at one
fateful intersection.
The next day three eighteen year old buddies, who had just finished bowling, breezed through that intersection without stopping. Their car sailed
into the path of an eight-ton truck, and they were all killed.
One year later the three perpetrators of the deadly prank were convicted of manslaughter. In June of 1997 they stood in orange jail jumpsuits and handcuffs before a judge in a Tampa courtroom, weeping and wiping their eyes, and were sentenced to fifteen years in prison.
It is a dangerous thing with tragic consequences for anyone to take down a signpost on the highway. It is no less dangerous for anyone to
vandalize the signpost that God puts on the highway of life. When we honor God’s commandment, we point the way to the signposts
1. During the election season we see a lot of signs trying to point us this way or that, concerning our voting decisions.
I had an opportunity to look at both the Democrat and Republican platforms this year.
And for those who do not know what these are: It is a document written and approved by each party and how the majority of them stand on certain issues.
You don’t have to take my word for it, if you have the internet, you can look at it there or go to the party headquarter and they will give you a copy of it.
At this point I bet some of you are asking, “Pastor Jesse, what does this have to do with church.” As your pastor it is my duty to inform you, and give you a Godly prospective on issues we are facing both individually and personally. Some of you may feel like you don’t agree with me or what I am saying.
Well this morning I’m here to tell you I’m really not concerned about what a persons feelings are. I’m concerned about THE TRUTH, and how God Feels about it!!!
These are just a few of the issues from the parties’ platforms or agendas, if you will.
I’ m going to share those with you.
Democrat Platform Education: Overwhelming support for only public education, expanding, spending and adopting a curriculum for the 21st century.
Republican Platform Education: Support of right of parents to teach there children what they believe, support private school vouchers, home schooling, charter schools and Christian schools, freedom in education.
Democrat Platform Choice/life: 100% support of Roe V. Wade, and support for using tax dollars to fund abortions. (No rights for the unborn child)
Republican Platform Choice/life: 100% apposed to killing an unborn child, that an unborn child is a person and has the right to live.
Democrat Platform Terrorism: Total surrenders in Iraq and Afghanistan, total withdraw of our troops; seek a diplomatic solution to global terrorism.
Republican Platform Terrorism: Winning the war in Iraq and Afghanistan; seek to win peace by force of arms, take the fight to the terrorist in their home countries.
Democrat Platform “right to bear arms”: They feel we have the right to bare arms but this must be strictly controlled and a band on assault weapon to keep them out of the hands of the terrorists.
Republican Platform “right to bear arms”: Every person has the right to own a gun and that this right should not be infringed upon
Democrat Platform Healthcare: To socialize health care and to provide healthcare, for all citizens at tax payer expense. (I wander why Canadians who can afford it come here for treatment?)
Republican Platform Healthcare: To keep health care private and attempt to lower the price of health care. Appose socialized medicine.
The question to ask is “Does this glorify God?” Remember that God doesn’t desire for us to do just what is good, but what is best.
Keep these things in mind when you cast your vote on Tuesday November 4th.
(Change gears)
There is another question on the ballot of life you need to ask yourself; who will I serve, what is my purpose and where am I going as a person.
1 Corinthians 15:1-8 NIV
1Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Peter,[b] and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
Good people, Jesus is alive, He is our ruler our judge our savior.
Some of you here have spent your whole lives serving yourselves, living for yourselves, loving only yourselves. Hopeless, feeling helpless and unsure of the future. I believe God had brought you here today to make a decision about you future.
God has a purpose for your life and for eternity, God loves you and has gone through hell on earth for you. So that by His sacrifice you might have eternal life.
You have been created to worship! To worship God not yourself. The reason why you feel joy in this place is because it is right for you to be here, you were created for him.
Maybe up until this point, your life has been like trying to square peg in a round hole, seems like nothing fits right, everywhere you go everything you do, you run into a wall.
You feel like a jar of water with a hole in the bottom, you fill it up with thing of this world but in time it all runs dry.
You choose today were you want to go. Before you are two doors, 1 down this isle to surrender your life to Christ. 2 that back door, that leads right back into this world were hell is your final destination. So I ask you today, won’t you choose eternal life?
