"Fellow citizens! Clouds and darkness are round about Him. The dark waters of the seas and stars of the skies form His pavilion. Justice and judgment are the establishment of His throne. Mercy and truth go before His face. Fellow citizens, God still reigns! He will enable the government in Washington to carry on."
Friends, those are the words General James A. Garfield spoke to a distressed crowd in New York City the morning after President Lincoln had been shot. Sixteen years later, Garfield would be elected president, and within a year after that he too would die from an assassin's bullet. Though well over 100 years have passed since he spoke those words, they remain very true and very relevant for us today. "God still reigns. He will enable the government in Washington to carry on!" The presidential election held this past Tuesday ended up with the closest result since 1876. By the way, that year it was four months after the election before it was known that Rutherford B. Hayes had defeated Samuel Tilden for the United States presidency. But, the fact that five days after the election we still don't know for sure who is going to be our next president makes this clearly a time of uncertainty and anxiety in our country. I've always been interested in politics, maybe I am even what some call "a political junkie," but it seems lots of ordinary, normal people are also very interested, concerned and even stressed out by what has been going on this week. So, we are not going to return to our study of 1 Corinthians until next week. Instead, we are going to explore what the Bible says on what has been happening, which I think will help us keep perspective, a godly perspective, on these events.
Now, I realize that those of you listening have a wide variety of political views, and some no doubt different from mine. But the things we are going to talk about today are true for all of us as Christians, no matter what partisan or ideological leanings we may have. So, let's pray that today God would give us an understanding of the truth which would help us have a godly perspective in both our minds and hearts.
We will look at two important biblical truths and explore some of the implications of each.
Truth #1: God is sovereign. James Garfield was right. God still reigns, He is still on His throne. Nothing that has happened this week has changed that one bit. As Psalm 97:1 says, "The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice," or as David says in 1 Chronicles 29, "Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom, you are exalted as head over all,...you are the ruler of all things." The clear biblical teaching, in both the Old Testament and New Testament is that nothing on this planet happens unless God chooses to allow it to happen. Now, we don't understand, at least I don't understand, why the Lord chooses to allow certain events to occur. He could have prevented John Wilkes Booth from assassinating Abraham Lincoln, but He didn't. He allows tragedies every day. That does not mean, however, that He has lost control of His creation. Ephesians 1:11 says that God works all things in conformity with the purpose of His will." Good things and bad things, snowstorms and elections, are all under His sovereign hand. Even when we make choices which are not pleasing to Him, He will still accomplish His purposes. Friends, the fact that God is sovereign is one of the Bible's foundational teachings. Believing this truth is so important if we are to live in a way which honors the Lord. And it is essential that we as Christians apply this truth, put it into practice, in our daily lives.
So, what are the practical implications of the fact that God is sovereign in our current situation?
First, whoever eventually takes office will be the individual that God determines should be there. Listen to Romans 13:1 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. Now, God uses our choices and actions to accomplish this. How we choose to vote does make a difference. But, the bottom line is that no one ever gets into office unless God ordains it. That means whether it is Bush or Gore, this will be the man God has chosen. Whether God has chosen him primarily to bless us or to punish us is something we will find out later. Now remember, Paul says it is our responsibility to submit to these government leaders. As long as they are not asking us to do things which violate God's law, that is our responsibility. It also implies we need to accept their authority. No matter how close or unfair an election may seem, we need to submit to the authorities God has established.
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 Richard Nixon; or if you are a Republican, your idea of a bad leader may be Bill Clinton. 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. Oh, if there would have been an emperor election, I am sure Paul would not have voted for Nero, but since Nero was in power, Paul respected his authority. 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. If the candidate I did not vote for ends up being the next president, I will be disappointed, but I need to be willing to recognize that individual as the president and submit to his legitimate authority. Why? Because he will not be in that position unless the sovereign God chooses to allow him to be there.
Therefore, #2, we should not worry about what is going to happen. It is only natural that we are concerned about these events, but if you have been losing sleep because we don't know who the next president is going to be, you have a problem. 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 the next president. 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 don't think there is anything wrong with praying that your candidate will win the election. As we do that, however, it is good to remember that God answers our prayers according to His will, not necessarily according to ours. There seem to be some folks on both sides of the political fence who seem genuinely afraid of what will happen to our country if the candidate they voted for does not win. As Christians, we need to remember that this response is not appropriate for someone who trusts in God and believes in His sovereignty. Listen to 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,... Though political uncertainty surrounds us, we will not be afraid. I added that last sentence, but that certainly fits with what the psalmist says. 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 next president is.
Truth #2: There are more important things in life than politics. Now for some of you, that statement is about as obvious as anything. Grass is green, the sky is blue, and there are more important things than politics. Yet, in the past few days, I have listened to quite a few folks, including some Christians, who seem to have forgotten this basic truth. I will always remember something which happened to me when I was a senior in high school. It was the fall of 1974 and I was a young volunteer in a couple of political campaigns. I went to a prayer meeting at our little Baptist church in Prentice, Wisconsin, and that night the pastor asked me this question: "Dan, which is more important to you, your commitment to your political party or your commitment to Jesus Christ?" The Lord used that question to cut right to the depth of my soul. It took a few months before I was able to say, "I am going to be more loyal to Jesus Christ than I am going to be to my party." That decision had a significant impact on my life. When I went to college the next fall, I decided to major in political science and economics with the goal of then going to law school and getting involved in politics. But, by then I knew that my most important commitment in my life was to Jesus Christ. Within a couple of years I realized that this meant, at least for me, that it was not law school but seminary where I needed to go after I finished college, and that God was calling me to be not a politician, but a pastor. I have never regretted that change of paths. I hope you too are glad I made that choice.
Yet, there were a few times this week when, I'm afraid, I forgot this important truth. The emotional roller coaster I was on Tuesday night as the returns came in, the anxiety I have felt at different times throughout the week, and the way I have sometimes been glued to the TV watching CNN's continuous coverage of this election, make me think that maybe I have been treating this whole thing as being a little more important than it really is. However, something I heard on the news Thursday night helped me regain perspective. John Ashcroft has served as a United States Senator from the state of Missouri for the past six years. Before that he was the state's governor. This year he was locked in a close re-election battle with the current governor of Missouri, Mel Carnahan. Three weeks ago, Carnahan and one of his sons were killed in a plane crash. Because the election was only a couple of weeks away, his name remained on the ballot, even though he was now dead. The state's new governor then announced that if more people voted for Carnahan than Ashcroft, he would appoint Carnahan's widow, Jean, to fill the Senate seat. On election day the late Mel Carnahan edged John Ashcroft in the Senate election -- 51%-49%. Since Ashcroft had consistently led Carnahan in polls, most commentators agreed that the vote was not so much a rejection of Ashcroft, as a sympathetic tribute to the late governor.
The election had two significant irregularities. 1) Many question whether votes for Carnahan should even count because as a dead person he is not qualified to serve as a Senator from Missouri. Remember, people were actually voting for a dead governor, not his wife. 2) Voting places in St. Louis, a Carnahan stronghold, were kept open long after a Federal Appeals Court had ordered them closed. Experts agreed John Ashcroft had a good chance of retaining his Senate seat if he would challenge the election results in court. But Ashcroft decided not to do that. I think that was a noble decision, but what he said at his press conference was profound. Standing with his family, he told reporters, and the country, "There are more important things in life than politics." Ashcroft then said that doing the right thing was one of them, and the right thing for him was accepting the fact that more people had voted for his opponent than they did for him. He also added, "I hope this election victory will give some measure of comfort to Jean Carnahan who has just suffered the tragic loss of her husband and son." Those are not the words of a politician, but the words of a statesman. Incidentally, Ashcroft is a committed Christian and a faithful member of an Assembly of God church.
So, what are the practical implications when we realize that there are more important things in life than politics? 1) We need to keep our priorities straight. We need to make sure our commitment to the Lord, our commitment to the church, our commitment to family, friends and other people in our lives, all come before our commitment to political parties and causes. Now, there may be a few people here who are called by God to be very involved in politics, but even they need to remember what is really important. For example, those of us who are a part of this church must never forget that we, living way up here in northern Minnesota, have a greater opportunity to impact the lives of the people around us than any politician in Washington or St. Paul ever does. Why? Because we have been entrusted with the gospel of Jesus Christ, which alone can bring life to people. The government can only put bandaids on people's problems. The gospel can bring healing to their souls. A number of years ago when Bob Ricker was elected president of our denomination, he said, "Being president of the Baptist General Conference is a more important job than being president of the United States." He may have been using a little hyperbole, but it showed he understood the power of the gospel, and what a great privilege it is to serve the Lord through a part of His church. On Friday morning I was vividly reminded of the impotence of politics. Tom Novoselac called and told me how a 17-year-old boy, who worked for the newspaper in Floodwood, had been killed in a car accident. Such a tragedy. Do you think that boy's parents, other family members and friends really care who the next president is? No, I don't think so. If there is one concern they probably have in the midst of their grief, it is this: Now that this boy's body has died, where is his soul? Is there a heaven? Is there a hell? Where is he now? Friends, those are the real important questions of life, and of death, and they have nothing to do with politics. They have everything, however, to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the salvation the Bible promises all those who put their faith in the Lord Jesus.
Keeping our priorities straight includes making sure our time, energy and money are focused on the things which really matter. Again, the way God calls each of us to be involved in the church, in our family or in politics is going to be a little different. Let me give you some general guidelines, however. If you gave more money to political campaigns than you did to the church last year, I suspect your priorities may be goofed up. If you are more bothered by the fact the candidate you voted for may lose the election than you are that people in your family don't know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, your priorities are mixed up. If you found it easy to tell all the people at work or school who you were voting for and tried to persuade them to do the same, but are afraid to tell them about Jesus or invite them to church, then I think your priorities are out of whack. Friends, we need to make sure our time, energy and money are used for things that matter the most.
We also need to remember not to rely on politics as we seek to influence our culture. In an excellent Breakpoint column this week, Chuck Colson points out that it is indeed the job of the church and individual Christians to not just save souls, but to be salt and light in our society. However, he said it is foolish to think that politics, electing the right people, is the best way to do this. Our world will be made better only as the hearts and minds of people are changed. I think it would be great to pass a law against abortion, but it is more important to convince people that abortion is wrong and is really nothing less than the taking of an innocent human life. We need to use our words and actions, our time, energy and money not so much to persuade people how to vote, but to persuade them to believe the truth which God teaches us in the Bible. That is a priority we need to keep straight.
The second implication of the fact that many things matter more than politics is that we need to love people who disagree with us on politics. To me, that was one of the great things about what John Ashcroft said. He seems to genuinely care as much about the welfare of Mrs. Carnahan as she grieves the loss of her husband as he does about beating her in the election. One of the great testimonies to the power of Christianity is how believers who are political opponents are willing to work together as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. Chuck Colson talks about how when he first became a Christian, the two friends who helped him the most were Harold Hughes, a Democratic Senator from Iowa, and Al Quie, then a Republican Congressman from Minnesota. Even though these two men disagreed on many issues, they really loved each other, and they really loved Chuck Colson and were willing to do whatever they could to help him grow in his Christian life. Friends, are you still feeling a little disappointed, frustrated, even angry with those who voted for "the other candidate" on Tuesday? Are there people in this church you kind of keep your distance from because you know they have different political leanings than you do? It should not be that way. If James Carville and Mary Matilin can enjoy a happy marriage despite their extreme political differences, there is no reason why Christians who don't see eye to eye on these things cannot still love each other as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. If you are having trouble with this, ask the Lord to help you love those people, especially other Christians, who disagree with you on politics.
Friends, we are in the midst of what is certainly an important time in American history. I am convinced that, like Queen Esther, American Christians, including those of us in this room, have been placed in our country "for such a time as this." We should be very thankful that God has blessed our country with probably the most stable political system there has ever been. In well over half the world, an election this close would mean riots in the streets. Historically, our transitions of political power have always gone rather smoothly. We don't know, however, what the next weeks and months will bring. The anxiety and uncertainty that people will feel may be a lot greater than they experienced even a year ago, as we were all preparing for Y2K and the predicted computer meltdown. Difficult days may be ahead.
But in these times, we have a tremendous opportunity to show people how we believe in God's sovereignty, and encourage them to do the same. By trusting God, by not panicking, by not really worrying about the future, we can provide a powerful testimony of the difference Christ makes to the world around us. By remembering that lots of things are more important than politics and encourage others to do the same, we can help maintain perspective and civility in the midst of a lot of tension. By showing love to those who are on the other side of the political fence provides a powerful testimony to those who are not believers. As Jesus said in John 13:35, "By this will all men know you are my disciples, if you love one another." He could have added, if you love one another, even when you disagree. Friends, rather than viewing our present political situation as a crisis, the church of Jesus Christ, including First Baptist Church, needs to see it as an opportunity - an opportunity to be an ambassador for the kingdom of Jesus Christ, even as the kingdoms of the world struggle in uncertainty,.
Join me in singing our last song, America the Beautiful. Let's make this a prayer for our nation.
Go to www.life.1stbaptist.org/sermons.htm for Pastor Dan's sermon site containing over 120 messages
