Voting And The Fear Of God Series

Voting and the Fear of God

Ecclesiastes 8:1-17

Rev. Brian Bill

October 19-20, 2024

About a week ago, an Edgewood member and I were riding an elevator with another guy. He asked how we were doing and we replied in unison, “Better than we deserve.” He didn’t know quite how to take that response. We mentioned how everything we have is a gift from God. As the elevator reached the lobby, he asked us if we were ready for the election. We were both searching for a gospel bridge but before we could answer he declared, “I have all my guns, and I purchased my ammo so I’m ready to go.” Neither of us knew how to respond but were thankful we were no longer in the elevator with him!

To clarify, while it’s certainly OK for people to defend themselves, the look on his face said he was ready to do something drastic if his candidate lost.

According to a new Forbes Health survey, more than 60 percent of respondents said their mental health has either been “slightly, moderately, or significantly negatively impacted” by the upcoming election. Nearly half reported feelings of anxiety. An annual poll from the American Psychiatric Association found a similar trend: 43 percent of surveyed adults said they feel more anxious than they did the year before, an increase from 37 percent in 2023. An overwhelming 73 percent of those surveyed said the 2024 election makes them anxious, while 70 percent said they feel anxious about current events in general.

Here are some words that describe what many are feeling – fear, anger, disgust, distrust, frustration, embarrassment, apathy, sadness, and hostility. One blogger who is a believer commented, “We live in a culture where snipers live behind laptops and smartphones. Fewer people are interested in debate, and more are looking for enemies to eviscerate.”

Here at Edgewood, we don’t hesitate to speak into moral matters as we seek to be convictional about sin and compassionate toward sinners. That’s why we hosted the Holy Sexuality Conference two weeks ago and it’s why we hold to the inerrancy and authority of Scripture, God as Creator, the sanctity of life, the protection of the preborn, gender as determined by God in the womb, marriage as one man and one woman, and the exclusivity of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone. Our aim is to live on mission as we go deep in God’s Word while applying it to our world.

While I don’t hesitate to preach on these matters, I admit I am a bit apprehensive to preach on politics because this topic has become so explosive. I’ve been helped by a post I read this week by Chris Castaldo called, Help for Pastors in an Election Year. Here are a few excerpts.

[Pastors are] pressured from both the political left and right to align their preaching and ministry with partisan expectations. This sometimes consists of demands to endorse specific candidates or to denounce others. More often, however, it’s subtle expectations to speak out against political and cultural ‘enemies.’ The message pastors are hearing is clear: conform to these expectations or be labeled a coward. In today’s highly partisan digital age, pastors fear that a wrong or ill-considered word could jeopardize their ministries.

The pressure pastors face isn’t only normal; it’s an immense privilege…though pressure is both common and necessary, we must remain resolute in our identity as ambassadors of King Jesus…in these turbulent times, our allegiance to Scripture and the gospel must be our defining characteristic…this commitment calls us to boldly proclaim God’s Word, ensuring we don’t allow ourselves to be reduced to partisan mouthpieces. It requires us to courageously speak God’s Word without falling into the trap of aligning our ministries with a political party.

Who is sufficient for such things? We certainly aren’t. Nonetheless, here we stand. As Martin Luther declared, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God.” Not everyone in the congregation will be pleased—and that’s OK. As a friend of mine once put it, “Pastoral ministry is the art of disappointing people at a rate they can absorb.”

I’m convinced God wants me to address this topic (otherwise I wouldn’t be courageous enough to do so). You’re free to disagree with me but do so courteously. My aim is to please an audience of One. Let me make two preliminary points.

• I’m a pastor, not a political pundit. While I do follow politics with great interest, my understanding is pretty basic. But that’s OK because my calling is to be a pastor. The word “pastor” means shepherd and as such, my two primary responsibilities are to spiritually lead and Scripturally feed the sheep entrusted to me. 1 Peter 5:2 says: “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you…”