hardly any TV, you've seen more political ads than you want, I know.
I don't know, I don't think I've received any on my cell phone, but the house phone,
the landline, every day there's some kind of political call.
Just about any place you turn on the internet, there's some type of political ad.
By the time November the 3rd rolls around, you're going to be ready to scream,
enough or worse.
But I want to ask you, do you really need all these ads?
Do you really need all this information to help you to decide who to vote for?
I don't know many people who have not, on their own, already decided
who they are going to support come November the 3rd.
What I want to ask you this morning is, how did you decide?
How did you make up your mind?
Did it have anything to do with your candidates' views about issues that the Bible speaks to?
Does what the Bible reveals about this issue or that issue come into play
as you evaluate what the different candidates running for office are saying they believe?
You know, God calls us as Christians to look to His Word for guidance about every aspect of our lives.
Most all Christians understand we're supposed to look to God's Word for guidance in our homes.
What kind of husband we should be?
What kind of wife you should be?
Parents, children.
We understand we're supposed to look to God's Word in personal relationships.
Loving one another, forgiving one another, being patient, things like that.
But we need to understand that God expects us to look to Him as He has revealed His will in His Word
for guidance about every aspect of our lives.
And that includes how we vote.
I want us to conclude the message that I began last week on thinking biblically about political involvement.
And we're going to begin with a review of some of the things we looked at last week.
Let's begin with this question.
Why are all people held accountable to the same biblical standards?
We looked last week how every human being is accountable to God to live by the moral standards that He has revealed in His Word.
Here's a brief summary of why that's true.
First, everyone has been uniquely created by God in the image of God to live in this world governed by God according to the will of God for the glory of God.
And we're not going to look at all those different scriptures that we put on the screen and looked at last week.
But I'm giving you the references here.
That's a summary statement of how God has created us and worked in us and is still working in us.
We belong to Him as our Creator.
Next, everyone possesses at least a basic understanding of God's existence.
Romans chapter 1, Paul talks about that.
Everyone knows something about God by virtue of the fact that He has created this world.
And we live in it.
And we see that it's complex.
It's orderly.
And other things.
God has revealed Himself through nature in a general way, the scripture says.
And God has revealed His moral standards.
The moral standards of God revealed in scripture.
He has put a general awareness of that basic right and wrong on people's hearts, in their conscience.
Paul describes in Romans 2, 14 and 15.
Therefore, everyone will be judged by God according to the moral standards of His word on the day of judgment.
That's what the Bible teaches.
Everybody at the end of their life is going to stand before God.
They're going to be judged on how they lived based on the truth of God that they have received.
Here's a sobering thought.
Us in this room, we're going to be held to a stricter judgment because we have the revealed word of God in scripture.
If we're Christians with the spirit of God living in us to help us understand that and be able to live it out,
we're not going to have a whole lot of excuses for not living faithful Christian lives when we stand before God on judgment day.
We're going to have no excuses.
Some people who have a limited knowledge of who God is and just that general basic understanding of right and wrong on their conscience,
they will be judged, but they didn't know as much as we do.
So we need to take this seriously, you and me in this room.
Wayne Grudem explains things like this in detail in his book, Politics According to the Bible.
And he points out how this applies to political matters that deal with moral laws.
We looked at that last week, but let me look at it again.
He says,
This truth, that all people are held accountable to the same biblical standards,
has significant implications for how Christians understand political questions that involve right and wrong.
For example, if God says that murder is wrong,
and if it is determined that the command not to murder applies to preborn children,
and to those who are elderly or very ill,
it clearly affects how one views laws regarding abortion and euthanasia.
I didn't put this next statement on the screen last week,
but Southern Baptists make that same point in our denomination's official statement of faith.
It's called the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
It was adopted, updated in the year 2000.
This is also our church's statement of faith.
But I want you to look at what this says in Article 15,
The Christian and the Social Order.
All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society.
Most people would say,
If you're a Christian,
obviously you should seek to make the will of Christ supreme in your own life.
But they would stop there.
But that's not what the Bible says.
I want us all to be clear about this.
There is no such thing as an individual or just a personal faith belief system.
God created this world and everything in it.
He rules this world according to His standards.
All people are accountable to God.
We as God's people who know the truth,
we have been given the charge to teach this to all people, everywhere.
We are, look at it again.
We are to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives for sure.
That's where it begins.
We can't stop there.
And also in human society.
It goes on.
Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole
under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love.
Six weeks from this coming Tuesday, November the 3rd, Americans are going to the polls to elect a president,
United States senators, some states will that is, and all the House of Representatives members.
And those leaders are going to determine the laws and policies of our country,
including the laws and policies that deal with matters of right and wrong found in the Bible.
You and I, as God's people, we must take our responsibility seriously.
We must seek to vote for candidates who come the closest to supporting biblical morality.
And I want to emphasize come the closest because none of them are models of biblical morality.
But I want you to notice something John Frame, the theologian, says that I think can be helpful to everybody
when it comes to making a decision between people, two people that you don't like, that you don't respect.
Look at this.
Frame says, many political debates do not leave room for a third alternative.
Typically, we have to choose between two candidates or two parties, or we have to vote yes or no on a proposition or bill.
Often, neither alternative represents an ideal Christian choice.
But often, one alternative is distinctly better than the other.
So that the Christian would be wise to be co-belligerent with one party or another.
I think Frame is very wise in pointing this out.
Now, since some people wrongly believe that Christians should not get involved in politics at all,
I want to do a quick review of why we should.
Question number two, why should Christians be involved in the political process in our country?
Well, if you look at the Bible, God has always called His people to be involved in their world.
God's always called His people to make a difference where they are, however they can.
We looked last week, and I just want to touch on it now, for example, how Daniel.
Daniel was directly involved in what we would call the political system or his government.
He was a governmental official in a place where he didn't want to be
because he was taken captive to Babylon when he was young.
But he made the best of it.
He rose to the top, became a respected leader.
But Daniel used his position of power, of influence,
to confront the pagan king Nebuchadnezzar about the way he lived.
Look at this.
Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you.
Break off your sins by practicing righteousness
and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed,
that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.
That was a risky thing to do.
But Daniel knew it was his duty to confront the king like that
because there's only one standard of morality,
only one standard of right and wrong in this world,
that which has been revealed in Scripture.
The prophet Jeremiah told the Jewish people
who were living as captives, prisoners of war in Babylon,
to get involved in the affairs of their city,
to benefit that pagan city,
because as that city prospered, they would prosper.
Look at what he said.
He said,
Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile
and pray to the Lord on his behalf,
for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
And as I showed you last week,
Grudem says this has to include political involvement.
Look, the true welfare of such a city
will be advanced through the governmental laws and policies
that are consistent with God's teaching in the Bible,
not by those that are contrary to the Bible's teaching.
We need to be involved in seeking to bring about
the overall welfare of the United States of America,
of South Carolina, of Pickens County.
And as our county and state prospers,
we will prosper.
That's what he's talking about.
That's part of God's common grace,
the way he works just in this world,
not just in Christians' lives,
but the way he works for good throughout this world.
You remember last week,
Jesus also instructed his disciples
to be actively involved in this world,
and he said we're to exert our influence like salt and light.
Look at this real quickly.
We're to be like salt,
having a preserving and flavoring effect on our community.
We're to be like light,
shining the light of the truth of God's word
wherever we go.
It is a part of our Christian duty,
our responsibility to be involved first here in Pickens County
and in every level of society that we can,
promoting and defending the moral standards of the Bible
as the moral standards of all people
because they're given to us from the God
who has created all people.
This is one way we fulfill also the commandment.
Think about this.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus said that's the second most important commandment.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Life works best for everyone
when we try to live it according to God's way.
God's moral standards are for our benefit.
They make life better for us as individuals,
for our families, for our communities.
And so we need to believe it, practice it,
and seek to influence as many people as we can,
live life God's way,
according to the way he's revealed in his word.
Now, one of the ways that we need to do this right now
is to look at where the political party and candidate
stand on the issues
and then vote for those who most clearly align
with the truth of God's word.
What I want us to do now is look at this.
Third question.
Where do Republican and Democratic candidates
stand on issues addressed in Scripture?
Now, with rare exception,
there are a few exceptions,
but with rare exception,
the men and women running for president,
United States Senate,
and House of Representatives,
they support their political party's platform.
Therefore, let's compare the Republican
and Democratic Party's platforms
on the issues addressed in Scripture.
If you look at those,
you can look at them,
go online,
just type in
Democratic Party platform,
Republican Party platform.
They're long documents.
They cover a lot of areas.
What we're going to look at now
are some of the issues
that could be considered,
that are considered biblical issues.
The first one is abortion.
Abortion destroys the life of a baby
in his or her mother's womb.
Every baby that is conceived
is a living human being
created in the image of God.
Every life that is conceived
is a gift from God,
and that little living human person
is being shaped and molded
to be the person that God wants them to be.
I want you to look at an example.
The psalmist describes this in Psalm 139.
He says,
For you formed me in my inward parts.
You knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Jeremiah describes himself like this.
Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,
Before I formed you in the womb,
I knew you.
And before you were born,
I consecrated you.
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
Every child is conceived
by the supernatural,
just miraculous work of God,
you might think.
It can be explained.
But every conception,
that's God's allowing it to happen,
causing it to happen.
And that child is conceived
and grows and develops
according to the plan and purpose of God.
You are like you are
because God made you like you are.
But like Jeremiah talks,
God makes us like we are
because he has a purpose for our lives.
Now,
to share the slide,
I'm not going to read all this,
but it's here for you.
The Democratic Party platform
strongly opposes
any laws that would prohibit
or even restrict
the killing of a living human being
in his or her mother's womb.
And that's what abortion is.
Someone might say,
well that's sort of inflammatory language.
No, that's just real language.
Abortion is the murder,
the killing,
the destruction
of a human being
in the mother's womb.
That's what it is.
Democrats say,
a woman has the right
to do that.
The Republican Party platform
opposes abortion
and defends the unborn baby's
right to life.
That's the emphasis
of the Republican Party.
That's the emphasis
of the Bible in this case.
That which is growing
in the womb of a mother
is a living human being.
And as a living human being
created in the image of God,
that person has the right
to life
that should be protected
until natural death.
But let's move on now.
Second issue,
transgender issues.
We're talking about
biblical issues
that are found
in the Republican
and Democratic Party platforms.
A transgender person
is someone who chooses
to live their life
as the opposite sex
or gender
of how God made them.
A man declares
that he's going to live
his life
as a woman.
Or a woman declares
she's going to live
her life
as a man.
Such people
want what is
their denial
of reality
to be protected
by law.
Now I want to emphasize
that.
Every male
who is born
into this world
biologically male
will always be
biologically male
regardless of what
they call themselves
or how they dress
or how they act.
And for a biological
man
or a biological
woman
to say
I feel like
the man
I feel like
I'm a woman
trapped in a body
a woman's
I feel like
a woman trapped
in a man's body.
That's denying
reality.
That is a mental
problem.
That is not something
that normal people
would think.
And it's certainly
not something
that should be
protected
by law.
God determines
our sex
or gender
when he forms us
in our mother's womb.
God creates us
male and female
as you see
the scripture
on the screen
that we've looked
at numerous times
God decides
whether we'll be
male or female.
And that is
who we are
regardless of
how we think
or what we declare.
Now
the Democratic
Party platform
affirms
people
choosing
their
gender.
For example
they want to
make it legal
for a biological
male
to identify
himself
as a female
on government
documents
like say
a driver's
license.
If
biological
man
chooses
to be
act like
a woman
he can go
to the DMV
and get a
driver's license
that says
female.
Democrats
also want
to allow
boys who
call themselves
girls
to use
the girls
bathroom
at school
and locker
room
and in
other places.
They also
want to
allow
male athletes
who identify
themselves as
female
to compete
against
female
athletes.
There's a few
states that are
allowing that
but most states
still have
enough common
sense
not to allow
that.
Well the
Republican
Party
platform
opposes
this
nonsense.
Opposes
making this
the law
of the
land
and just
pretending
that your
biological
sex
does not
matter.
The third
issue
religious
liberty.
This is the
right to
practice your
religious
convictions
everywhere.
Not just
at home
not just
at church
but at
work
at school
and just
out in
the
community.
This also
applies to
business
owners
being able
to conduct
their
businesses
according to
biblical
convictions.
For an
example
colleges
like
Anderson
and
North
Greenville
Universities
here in
South
Carolina
they're
Baptist
institutions
they now
have the
right
based on
their
statements
of faith
to say
we're not
going to
hire
somebody
who is
a
homosexual
in
administration
or to
teach.
They now
have the
right
because of
their
statement
of faith
to say
we're not
going to
allow students
to openly
engage in
homosexual
behavior
on our
campus
and they
do those
things
because
the Bible
clearly
teaches
that homosexual
behavior
is sinful
behavior.
I'll give you
one example
from 1
Corinthians 6
Paul is
writing to
these people
do you not
know that the
unrighteous
will not inherit
the kingdom of
God.
Do not
be deceived
neither the
sexually immoral
nor idolaters
nor adulterers
nor men
who practice
homosexuality
nor thieves
nor the
greedy
nor drunkards
nor revilers
nor swindlers
will inherit
the kingdom
of God.
Homosexual
behavior is not
singled out here
as some kind
of unique
sinful
behavior.
Paul is just
saying that
anybody who
chooses to
live a sinful
lifestyle like
this including
practicing
homosexuality
will be
excluded from
the kingdom
of God.
It is
contrary to
the way
God made
us and
the way
that God
regenerates
a person
when he
saves a
person.
It is
contrary to
living a
Christian life.
Now there is
good news in
the next
verse.
Paul goes on
to say to
point out that
all sinners
can be changed
by God's
grace.
All sin can
be forgiven.
Look at
this.
And such
were some
of you.
But you
were washed,
you were
sanctified,
you were
justified in
the name of
the Lord
Jesus Christ
and by the
Spirit of
our God.
There were
people in
that church
who had
been alcoholics.
People in
that church
who had
committed
adultery.
There were
people in
that church
who had
been involved
in a
homosexual
lifestyle,
but they
repented of
their sin.
They changed.
They were
not living
that way
anymore.
Another
example.
This has
been upheld
by the
Supreme
Court of
the United
States.
Currently,
a Christian
baker does
not have to
make a
wedding cake
for a
same-sex
couple that
wants
decorations
depicting
two men
or two
women being
married because
that would
violate the
Christian
baker's
convictions
that marriage
is between
a man and
a woman
only.
As the
scripture says,
look at this,
the foundational
statement about
marriage in the
scripture,
Genesis 2,
24,
therefore a
man shall
leave his
father and
his mother
and hold
fast to
his wife
and they
shall become
one flesh.
Now,
I want you to
show the
slides.
There's
going to
actually be
two.
Make note
of these.
The
democratic
platform
forbids
such
religious
liberty.
The
democratic
party
platform
considers
running
your
business
or your
school
or institution
or even
personal life
according to
your
religious
convictions
to be
discrimination.
For
Anderson
University to
say,
we're not
going to
employ
a homosexual
to teach
here.
The
democratic
party says,
we're going
to outlaw
that.
We're going
to ban
it because
that's
discriminatory.
The
Republican
party is
saying,
no,
that's what
the Bible
teaches.
That's what
your religion
teaches and
you have a
right to
practice your
religion even
as an
institution,
Anderson
University.
The
Republican
party supports
religious
liberty.
It affirms
the rights
of businesses,
institutions,
and
individuals to
practice their
beliefs in
life, work,
school, as
well as home
and church.
This applies
not just to
Christians,
I want you to
understand all
of this, this
applies to
people who
practice any
religion.
You can live
out your
faith in
this country
without being
discriminated
against.
Now the
fourth issue
is traditional
marriage and
family.
So I'm
going to go
straight to
this slide
and be real
quick with
this.
Look at
this if you
would.
The
Republican
party states
this.
I'm going to
look at it
here.
Supports
traditional
marriage and
family based
on one
woman and
one man.
Every child,
here's the
quote,
every child
deserves a
married mom
and dad and
our laws and
government
regulations should
actively promote
married family
life as the
basis of a
stable and
prosperous society.
That statement
is a statement
of fact.
All the
research shows
in every
demographic,
in every
demographic,
in every
racial group,
a home where
there is a
stable presence
of father and
mother strongly
impacts a
child's well
being throughout
their lives.
People will
talk about the
problems of
poverty today.
One of the
greatest ways to
deal with
poverty is for
our government
to have
policies that
actually promote
and reward a
man and a
woman living
together as
husband and
wife staying
together and
bringing up their
children in a
solid home.
A lot of the
racial problems in
our country today
could be eliminated
by focusing on
both husband and
wife, father and
mother, being
there, being
present, being
involved in the
lives of their
children.
Well, the
Democratic Party,
as you see on the
screen,
Democratic Party
has sections
supporting every
group you can
imagine under the
sun except the
family.
Look at it.
Go online and
look it up and
you will not find a
statement supporting
what we would call
traditional families,
a husband and
wife, a father and
mother, being in the
home, raising their
children.
If you doubt me,
what I'm talking
about, ask any
teacher in this
room where the
problems are in
their classrooms.
Children can't
help it.
But the ones that
suffer most are
being raised alone
by someone and a
lot of times neither
father or mother.
You know, there are
other biblical issues
addressed in the
Republican,
Democrat,
platforms like the
role of government
in our lives.
That's another way
of talking about
socialism and we
did, we've done
that enough over the
last few weeks.
But let me just say
this.
Democrats look more
favorably at
socialism and
giving the
government more
power in our
lives and
throughout our
country.
Republicans are
opposed to
socialism and
want to limit the
power of government
government to
control our lives and
control everything in
our country.
Now, in light of all
we've looked at last
week and this week,
it's clear that God
does call his people to
be involved in the
world.
We can't pretend that
what's going on is not
going on.
And that includes being
involved in political
matters.
I think John Frame says
it best in his
explanation of why he's
involved in political
matters.
Look at this.
He says, I try to base
all my ideas not only
about theology but about
everything else on the
scriptures.
That includes politics.
If I am to do all
things for the glory of
God, that surely
includes my voting
behavior and my other
efforts to improve the
government of my country.
I want to ask you, are
you involved in the
political process of
this country to the
glory of God?
Are you informed of
what the Bible teaches
about the issues of
today?
The Bible doesn't
address every issue
that's being discussed
today.
But the Bible does
strongly state clearly
a position on the
issues we've looked at
and many more.
Do you look to the
Bible for guidance
about what is right,
what is wrong?
Are you informed about
what the candidates
running for office
believes about these
issues?
How they line up with
the truth of God's
word?
And are you planning to
vote according to the
truth of God's word?
For the good of our
country and for the
ultimate purpose of
glorifying God.
Now I want to make
one thing real clear.
This is not some kind
of campaign speech or
rally for any
candidate.
I want to make this
clear.
I don't think either
Republican Donald Trump
nor Democrat Joe Biden
has the moral character
to be president of the
United States.
You know a lot of
times evangelicals get
blasted by the liberals
in this country because
many evangelicals support
Donald Trump.
They talk about his
lifestyle and so forth.
Most all evangelicals that
I've ever heard or read
speak about this all
denounce Donald Trump's
moral character and
lifestyle.
And I do too.
I do not hold him up in
any shape, form, or
fashion as a model of
integrity.
As an example of
someone I would want my
grandchildren now to
grow up to be like.
But neither would I Joe
Biden.
Or four years ago neither
would I Hillary Clinton.
But the fact is this.
One of these men,
Donald Trump or Joe
Biden, is going to be
elected president of the
United States in
November.
It doesn't matter what you
think about either one of
them.
Therefore as Christians,
we need to vote for the
one whose policies and
party platform most
closely support biblical
principles.
That also applies to
choosing our senator from
South Carolina that we're
going to do this year.
Either Republican
Lindsey Graham or
Democrat Jamie Harrison.
Final thought.
Voting matters.
It's important for us to
be involved in political
process.
But we must guard against
putting too much
confidence in any human
being or any human
institution.
Our unreserved confidence
must always stay upon our
sovereign God.
He alone controls this
world.
Our country.
And our individual lives.
Regardless of the outcome of
an election.
I think the scripture is very
clear about certain issues
that will help us to evaluate
the two parties, the two
platforms, the two
candidates.
I think the Bible is very
clear how we should vote.
It matters that we vote.
The outcome of this election
matters.
But no matter what, once this
election is over, God is still
in control.
He is still working in this
world for His glory and our
ultimate good.
And He will do that no matter
who is in the White House.
No matter who controls the
Senate or the House.
We must never lose sight of the
fact that God is sovereign.
God will be the one who
determines the outcome of this
election.
Read Romans 13 if you have any
doubt.
So trust Him.
But be involved.
Recognize that God works
through His people to bring
about His outcomes.
Let's pray together.
Father, help us to think
biblically and deeply about
about these issues.
Help us to be involved in the
political process.
Not just voting, but right now,
voting November the 3rd.
And help us, Father, to be
guided by the truth of Your Word
and what the candidates and their
parties say in relation to the
truth of Your Word.
And we pray, Father, that You will
bless our country through this
process, through the outcome of
this election.
But help us, Father, no matter
what, to keep our true faith and
confidence in You and You alone.
Let's just in an attitude of prayer
listen to the Lord and respond to
Him during these next few minutes.
When I say this to God, we pray for
the darkness of what is
this morning.
You have to accept if CHC
and that you release any
related to
Our point of Órght
onor
was