“The Charge of the Light Brigade: Being Good Citizens”
Prov. 29:2; Mt. 22:15-21
I am so ready for the elections to be over. I’m tired of all the political mud-throwing, fact-checking, partial truth, bold promise ads. It reminds me of the story of a 4 year old who tugged on her dad who had been watching political ads and begged him to stop and read her a fairy tale. Weary of watching the ads, he agreed and began reading the fairy tale. No sooner had he begun, however, than she interrupted him and asked, “Daddy, do all fairy tales begin with ‘Once upon a time?’ He responded, “No, sweetheart, most fairy tales begin with: ‘And when I’m elected…”
Because of this prolonged season of politicizing, it is easy – very easy – to tire of politics, sour on political involvement, and despise politicians. One preacher, in fact, postulated that if Christopher Columbus were around today he could be the greatest politician of all time. After all, when he left he didn’t know where he was going, when he got there he didn’t know where he was, when he came back he didn’t know where he had been. And he did it all on someone else’s money!
And all of this is unfortunate because it warps our view of a Christian’s role and responsibility in the political arena. Therefore, on this Reformation Sunday, just two days prior to a major election, it’s appropriate for us to consider this subject. We must not forget that the reformer John Calvin worked diligently to not only reform the church but to reform and establish Christian governing as well. So this morning I want to briefly address our relationship, as Christians, to the political arena.
To begin let’s ask WHY SHOULD CHRISTIANS BE INVOLVED IN THE POLITICAL ARENA? First of all we need to be involved because SUCCESSFUL GOVERNMENT DEPENDS UPON IT. Consider that government is one of only three institutions God established, the other two being the family and the church. As Paul wrote in Romans 13:1, “…there is no authority except that which God has established.” And one of the major themes I’ve tried to burn in our minds this fall has been the truth that our nation was founded upon Christian principles and designed to function best when Christian principles and character are at the core of our government. The first representative assembly in America convened in the church at Jamestown in 1619, "to establish one equal and uniform government over all Virginia" which would provide "just laws for the happy guiding and governing of the people there inhabiting." When the Pilgrims came one year later, in 1620, they were blown off course and didn't make it to Virginia where they would be governed by the King's charter. So they decided to draw up their own self-governing document, the first created in America, called the Mayflower Compact. It begins: "In the name of God," and gave this reason for their coming: "For the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith." Connecticut is called the Constitution state because the first Constitution in America was enacted in 1639, called the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut; but did you know that it was based upon Pastor Thomas Hooker's sermon on Deut. 1:13? Did you know that the first education law was passed in Massachusetts in 1641 for the purpose of ensuring that children would be able to read and understand the Scriptures? Did you know that the first university in America, Harvard, was named for Reverend John Harvard, or that it was founded to train ministers and that for over 150 years it was distinctly Christian in its mission? Did you know that 93% of our founding fathers who voted for the Declaration of Independence and crafted our Constitution were professing Orthodox Christians, and that even of the handful who were not orthodox Christians, each one respected Biblical morality as the basis for our laws and valued public religion for maintaining order and civility? In fact, President George Washington said that the twin pillars essential for supporting a successful society are morality and religion. What kind of religion? John Adams, our second President, clarified that when he declared that "The general principles on which the fa¬thers achieved independence were... the general principles of Christianity."
Years later, in 1923, President Calvin Coolidge stated “Settlers came here from mixed motives…but those who have set their imperishable mark upon our institutions…were seeking a broader freedom…intent upon establishing a Christian commonwealth in accordance with the principle of self-government…” More recently Walter Maier, longtime voice of the Lutheran Hour radio broadcast, preached: “The United States was settled, not by Communists, freethinkers, atheists, but by Christians. The charters of our colonies were not sealed in the name of Buddha, Zoroaster, Moses, Lao Tse, but in the name of the Lord Jesus. Each of the thirteen colonies had a Biblical foundation, and each revered the Scriptures as divine authority.” Since all this is true, it is clear that our form of government can only function well when Christian principles and character are operating at its core.
Second, Christians need to be involved in the political arena because GOD COMMANDS IT. In essence, Jesus’ response to the trick question was that we owe our worship to God alone but must not neglect our obligations to our rulers and government. He had the Jews show Him a Roman coin to remind them that if they expected to enjoy the benefits and amenities of the Roman government then they needed to contribute to that government.
Jesus’ followers learned the truth and caught the vision. Paul wrote to people undergoing persecution by their government (Rom. 13:1-7), “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. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” Peter wrote (1 Pt. 2:13-17): “Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” Paul wrote to his young successor Timothy (1 Tim. 2:1-4): “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” When government functions well and restrains chaos and evil, conditions are ripest for preaching the Gospel!
While there are other reasons to be involved I need to move on to consider HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS BE INVOLVED IN THE POLITICAL ARENA? First and foremost, PRAY. Listen again to the beginning of the Timothy passage I just read: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority…” What is the very first thing we are to pray for? Those in authority – not for a good day, or for our friends or family, but for those in authority. Pray that they will be filled with divine wisdom, that they will lead according to the will and way of God. Quoting Rev. Cureton from another sermon he preached, “Above all we pray that they would come to know Christ and be saved (v 4). That is really the only way our nation will be changed is through the Gospel. It is only through a relationship with Jesus as Lord that our elected officials will lead in such a way that we will be able to live “peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (v 2). Bottom line: The burden for the health of our nation does not rest on the White House, or on the State House, but on the Church House, it rests on you and on me. The Bible says, "If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chron. 7:14). We must pray. Unfortunately, the times are desperate but the church is not. We need to cry out to the Lord on behalf of our nation and its leadership and get desperate before the Lord. Not “now I lay me down to sleep” kind of prayer. Not “Good food, good meat, good Lord, let’s eat” kind of prayer. But prayer that lines up with the will of God, prayer that reaches the heart of God, prayer that moves the hand of God. If we do not pray for our nation and our leaders, not only will we continue to have little impact on the direction of America, but we are sinning against God.”
Second, as we’ve already heard in Jesus’ words, PAY TAXES. It’s a direct command of Scripture. The government supplies basic necessities of community life – sewer, police and fire protection, a court system, and so forth. Since we do not live in isolation and we have a responsibility to our neighbors, we are to participate in sharing the load.
A third way to be involved in the political arena is to VOTE. As our verse from Proverbs 29:2 states, “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.” The United States has a wonderful Constitution but it is worthless if righteous people are not ruling. Paper does not rule – people do. And whether the righteous or wicked rule depends on whether or not righteous people vote. It sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? But consider “Nearly 80% of Americans self-identify as Christian; fewer than ½ are registered to vote. And of the ½ that are registered, only ½ of those vote. Is it any wonder why America finds herself in political and moral crisis?” Think about it. We’ve seen a number of major elections that were decided by slim margins, including the last six presidential contests. If the vote in 7 battleground states had swung the other way by a couple percent, Barak Obama would have lost. George W. Bush won the previous election by just over 2 percent nationally. Many other important contests were decided by a couple percent in the last decade. Some were decided by razor-thin margins. We all recall George W. Bush taking Florida (and thus the national election) by a mere 537 votes. The governor’s race in Washington was decided by only 133 votes in 2004. Virginia’s Attorney General was elected by 323 votes in 2005. And Al Franken became a U.S. senator courtesy of a 312-vote margin victory a couple years ago. The point is this: It doesn’t take much to tip the scales permanently… and you – our church - could be the difference!
And by way of reminder, to support what Rev. Cureton preached last week, be sure to vote your values. That means you need to know what your prime values are and then what values the candidates hold. You may say, “But no candidate holds all my values.” That’s highly likely – but it’s not an excuse for not voting. Vote for the candidate that holds your most important values – and pray for him or her to have divine guidance on the others.
Fourthly, heed Jesus’ words: "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." And to God what is God’s. BE A CHRISTIAN WHO STANDS UP FOR JESUS. Revelation 13 portrays how the beast, the forces opposed to God, will try to usurp our allegiance to God by replacing it with allegiance to the ruler and the government. But JESUS IS OUR PRIMARY ALLEGIANCE. While the coin Jesus used with the Pharisees had the image of the Caesar upon it, never forget we have the image of God stamped within us! We are always His! When our loyalties compete, Acts 5:29 offers a clear demonstration: “Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!””
We also stand up for Jesus when we live out our values. STRIVE FOR HOLINESS. What we say we believe must impact the way we live – and our lives ought to be distinctively different than those of non-Christians. George Barna, church consultant and dean of church research, made the following comments in one of his books: “A distinguishing mark of authentic Christians is their distaste, but personal holiness will be a forgotten concept as the nation buckles under the weight of moral and spiritual anarchy...In a recent survey we even asked people to identify their goals in life and discovered that less than 1% mentioned anything related to holiness, righteousness of purity…We concluded that Christians have a limited influence on American society because we do not live differently and thereby model an alternative lifestyle for others to emulate. The fundamental indictment of that report, however, could have been phrased this way: Christians fail to transform the culture in which they live because they are neither grieved nor humbled by their sin.” Proverbs reminds us: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
So Jesus said, (Matt. 6:33) “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness…” John wrote (1 Jn. 2:1-3, 15-17): “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.” Charles Colson has written, “…we can demonstrate our love for the world by paying ‘special regard’ to those around us, being godly citizens of whatever kingdom we are in. If children, parents, kings, judges, tax-payers, and tax-collectors were all ‘that Christian’ religion has taught men should be,’ the result, Augustine argued, would be ’the salvation of the commonwealth.’”
Listen to the Psalmist in Psalm 33: “But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth--he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”
