CHRISTIAN VOTER RESPONSIBILITY
INTRODUCTION: Paul declares to Timothy in 2 Tim. 4:2-4 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
There are many reasons for the preaching the Word. It is the means God has ordained for others to hear the Word of God, and have their hearts convicted and trust Christ as their Savior. Preachers preach to proclaim truth, to instruct, and to bring conviction. The reason is that there WILL come a time when preaching will be ineffective. It will not have the impact on the world that it should have. Even now in these days I fear that preaching is losing its effect. People resist and do not respond toe the still small voice of God in their heart when He convicts their hearts and mind to the things of God. Resistance builds up, our conscience gets seared a little and it is easier to resist the Spirit the next time He prompts us to repentance and restoration. The results of this will be devastating. We know the devastation the last days will bring upon this earth. We need to be sensitive to this attitude when it creeps into our society.
James Dobson, in his pamphlet, Nine Key Issues That Will Shape Our Future, lists four categories and nine issues he believes, (and rightly so) will impact our nation as a whole and believers in particular.
1. THE SANCTITY OF LIFE – Abortion, Physician-Assisted Suicide
2. SEXUALITY – homosexuality, Sex Education, Pornography
3. MARRIAGE AND FAMILY – Taxing Families, Education
4. GOVERNMENT – Religious Freedom, Supreme Court Appointments
I believe the bible when it says:
2 Tim. 3:1-5
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
TRANSITION: Paul is not only speaking of the end times, he is speaking of these times. In Paul’s mind these are the end times.
I. UNDERSTAND THAT DANGEROUS TIMES WILL BE COMING.
A. Notice Paul says, “there will”
1. Not could be
2. Not might be
3. Not probable
4. Not possible
5. “take it to the bank” surety
B. God has given instruction
1. God has told you to pray for your leaders.
1 Tim. 2:1-2
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
2. God has told you to obey your leaders
Romans 13:1-2
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
3. God has instructed us to hold our leaders accountable for what is right
Luke 18:3-5
And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ’Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ’Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’ "
NOW WHEN PRAY DOES NOT CHANGE THEM AND TO OBEY THEM IS WRONG, AND THEY WILL NOT HEED TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT, YOU VOTE THEM OUT!
YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO VOTE THE CONVICTION OF SCRIPTURE, AND TO SEE THAT THE CONVICTIONS OF GOD’S WORD ARE UPHELD.
II. THE DESCRIPTION OF BAD LEADERSHIP
BAD LEADERSHIP IS GODLESS LEADERSHIP!
A. Bad leadership loves themselves
1. To put yourself ahead of those you are leading
2. To put yourself ahead of your own family
3. To put your will ahead of God’s will
4. To take what you want regardless of who it hurts
We have had to many years of this already. When you get ready to vote ask yourself who loves themselves and who doesn’t.
B. Bad leadership loves money
1. Not satisfied
2. Always wanting more
3. Caught up in the power money gives
When we get ready to vote, we need to ask ourselves who loves money
C. Bad leadership must tell you how good they are
1. Boast in what they have got
2. Pretend to have want they do not
D. Bad leadership is proud
1. Better than others
2. “Knows” what is best
E. Bad leadership is blasphemous
1. It curses God
2. It curses others
3. It does not mind if others do it.
Blasphemy against God and others is so prevalent today because men have lost respect and authority for God and for each other. It is easy to curse what we have cheapened.
When you get ready to vote, make sure you vote for the person who will not, has not cheapened people or God!
F. Bad leadership is disobedient to parents
1. Not just their parents
2. Your parents
3. You as parents
4. The moment someone thinks they can raise your children better than you can and seeks to hinder you from doing that – THEY are BAD leaders and you deserve to vote them out, or keep them out!
G. Bad leadership has no sense of gratitude
1. No tanks to God
2. No sense of debt to others
3. Blindness to God’s goodness
H. Bad leadership is unholy leadership
1. blind to modesty, decency and purity
2. given over to passion
I. Bad leadership is without natural affection
1. Lack of feeling for others
J. Bad leadership is untrustworthy
1. Just think for a moment, what happens in any relationship when trust is broken or cannot be found. The relationship disintegrates.
2. Could that be the reason we have no peace in Jerusalem, the factions can find no trust in each other, or in America!
K. Bad leadership is slanderous
1. The Greek word here is the word for devil
2. This is perhaps the worst of all
3. To steal the name of a person, to take their reputation from them is worse than any property loss they will ever face.
You’ve pretty much got the sense. I should not have to go on, except to reveal the result of such leadership
III. THE RESULT OF BAD LEADERSHIP
A. It produces a form of godliness
B. It denies the power of the true God
AND IF WE DO NOT TURN AWAY FROM IT – IT WILL TURN US AWAY FROM GOD!
Why do you need to vote in a couple of weeks?
1. This next election will set the tenor for our country for decades to come. Our courts will be radically changed in the coming years.
2. The next election sets the tenor for human life. Will it be sacred or subverted
3. The next election sets the tenor for families. Will a god ordained institution be taxed and legislated out of existence
4. The next election sets the tenor for our freedom as believers. Do we really believe that if we do nothing it will stop with the removal of Ohio’s Motto, “With God, all things are possible.”?
I AM TELLING YOU THAT IT IS YOUR GOD GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY TO VOTE, AND THE GOD WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE FOR FAILING TO HOLD OUR LEADERS AND WOULD BE LEADERS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP!
