John Quincy Adams once said, “Duty is ours, results are God’s.”
Let me start off by telling you that the future of our nation is not determined through an election, but instead, it is determined by those who are willing to put forth the work that they have been called to do by God. Your future, is not determined by an election, but by what you do with what you have been given on this earth. None of us can use any election as an excuse before God when we stand before Him and are being held to an account of what our lives have accomplished and whom our faith was in. Many Christians find themselves getting upset about an election that doesn't go their way mostly because we, as Christians, want things to go easy. God never promised that.
Regardless of who you voted for there are some basic truths that still stand today.
1. The Bible contains all the answers to life.
2. Prayer still works and God still hears the cries of His children
3. The Holy Spirit is still at work in the world today
4. Those who call upon the name of The Lord shall be saved.
5. God still sits on the throne
Patrick Henry (Give me liberty or give me death) once said, ““The eternal difference between right and wrong does not fluctuate, it is immutable (unchanging).”
Regardless of who you voted for,
1. Life is still valuable
2. Baby’s in the womb are still lives that matter
3. Injustice is still a thing
4. Poverty still exists
5. God created man and woman to become one flesh to procreate
6. The Bible is the Word of God
7. Jesus is the only way to heaven
The political structure is a direct result of the lived experiences and beliefs of those within the voting block. Patrick Henry also said, “"The great pillars of all government and of social life . . . [are] virtue, morality, and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone, that renders us invincible."
The Founding Fathers all agreed that religion and morality were the two primary pillars of free society. The more we've become immoral and forsaken God, the farther away from true freedom we get. It's a direct cause and effect relationship. We must become moral and closer to God once more if we want to be free.
Romans 13:1-3 (AMP)-- 13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God [granted by His permission and sanction], and those which exist have been put in place by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists [governmental] authority resists the ordinance of God. And those who have resisted it will bring judgment (civil penalty) on themselves. 3 For [civil] authorities are not a source of fear for [people of] good behavior, but for [those who do] evil. Do you want to be unafraid of authority? Do what is good and you will receive approval and commendation.
Whether within society as a whole, or just the church, who a person votes for is often based on a personal view of right vs wrong. But let me tell you this also, though we may vote, it is God who ordains the person that sits in authority. God has chosen who his authority figure will be that He will work through for this nation. In 1 Samuel, the people wanted a king just like the other nations. Samuel tried to warn them that they would be taxed more, lose some of their property, becomes slaves to the government, and be subjected to draft for battles. But they still wanted it.
In 2020, for America, whoever ends up in the White House will be the man that God chooses based upon what the people want which is evidenced by their faith as a whole. Whether it is to bless us or punish us is something that time will tell. But we have to remember that whatever happens is a direct result of our faith as a whole and the influence of the church within society.
The Apostle Paul wrote that it was our responsibility to submit to the government leaders no matter if we like them or not, as long as they are not asking us to do things which violate God’s laws.
Now remember, when Paul was writing this letter, the authority in charge, the emperor, was a man named Nero. He was not a nice fellow. If you are a Democrat, your idea of a bad leader may be Donald Trump; or if you are a Republican, your idea of a bad leader may be Barack Obama. But Nero was probably one hundred times worse, a thousand times worse than either of them. Yet, Paul told his Christian friends at Rome that they needed to submit to Nero. Why? Because Paul understood that for some strange reason Nero was the man God had placed in that position. At many times in history, and in many parts of the world today, Christians live under the rule of political leaders who are far from perfect.
Paul also said in verse 7 (Rom a13:7)-- Pay to all what is due: tax to whom tax is due, customs to whom customs, respect to whom respect, honor to whom honor. This reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 22:21 (AMP), ““Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.”
Jesus was answering a question about paying taxes to the Caesar. Since his likeness was on the coin, it demonstrated that he was the owner of the coin and so the people were obligated to give him what he asked for. Similarly, we are made in the likeness of God and we are sealed (or marked) with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13). Meaning Jesus wants us to not get caught up in fighting the authority that has been set in place by Him, but instead, focus on our relationship with God and giving more of ourselves to Him and the Kingdom of God. Like the image of Caesar on the coin, the image of God suggests ownership of us.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:25a "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear." Or about who is going to be in the White House. Instead Paul says, Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
I have had a lot of conversations this past week with many people, myself included, that have shown great fear about what will happen if their candidate does not end up winning this presidential election. Can I tell you that goes against God? As a Christian, we are not supposed to worry about those things. We need to remember that we are supposed to put our trust in God and know that He will carry us through.
Psalm 46:1,2 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. No matter how bad things get, even when there is chaos in our midst and very dark clouds on the horizon, those who trust in God are not afraid. He will continue to work for His glory and for the good of His people no matter who the is in the White House.
1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NASB)-- First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Once again, the leader that was in charge when Paul wrote this to Timothy was none other than that infamous Roman emperor Nero. The same one that had the passion for torturing and killing followers of Jesus. There were some within the church who were encouraging others not to pray for ‘all who were in authority.’
So we know that Paul charged Timothy with the difficult task of praying for Nero who was in authority. Timothy also had to teach other believers to do the same. We don’t have to like who is in authority, but we do have to be obedient to God and pray for those in authority.
I want to encourage you to pray for all those in authority. Begin praying for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Pray for Donald Trump and Mike Pence. Pray for members of congress and the Supreme Court. Pray for governor Andy Beshear. Pray for the mayor. Pray for your bosses at work. Pray for all those who in authority. Each one of them is an attack waiting to happen from the enemy, Satan. He desires to sift them like wheat, so pray for them. Pray that they would be strong and withstand the temptation of the world.
Remember…
1. The Bible contains all the answers to life.
2. Prayer still works and God still hears the cries of His children
3. The Holy Spirit is still at work in the world today
4. Those who call upon the name of The Lord shall be saved.
5. God still sits on the throne
I want to leave you with 1 final scripture
Proverbs 21:1 (NASB)-- The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He pleases.
Remember, God can change anyone's heart according to His perfect will.
*With all the information that is available for consumption, some of my sermons may be influenced by what i have read or heard. Anything that is posted is available to be used by all. The Lord gives abundantly and may you be blessed!
