Sunday, November 11, 2012
Some things this election has not changed!
Regardless of whom you voted for and why (and this lesson is NOT
intended to take sides), one thing is sure: As Christians we ought to be
very concerned at the direction this country (and the world) is headed
morally. It is no secret
that we are in trouble spiritually.
Our moral compass is broken on many fronts.
Many of the decisions that are being made are based upon greed
and selfishness. Ungodly
conduct such as homosexuality, abortion on demand, substance
consumption, pornography and gambling are winked at or tolerated as the
“new normal”. Such things
grieve me as a Christian because they are the types of things that lead
to the destruction of societies and souls.
Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness
exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe to
those who call evil good and good evil; Who put darkness for light and
light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
WE are blessed to live in a country where we have a say in who leads us
and the laws that are established.
Our constitution is set up in such a way that every qualified
citizen (and it is an overwhelming majority) can vote on both their
representatives and various laws that will govern us.
It truly is one of the blessings we enjoy, as we can have a say
about the moral direction we are headed in.
Over time, we are going to win some and lose some.
Sometimes these elections will be ugly and divisive.
BUT, no matter how an election turns out, there are some things
that have not changed. This
morning I would like to discuss a few of these.
NOTE: In this lesson I am
not seeking to discuss who or what you voted for.
That was your decision and we each have to live with whatever
that is (i.e. there are some who think you shouldn’t vote at all), but I
certainly hope that when it comes to some of the issues we have
mentioned above there is agreement in favor of God’s moral will.
This lesson is a message about some things that ought not to
change.
a.
He always has been and
always will be. God created
this world by His word and He sustains it by the same word.
When things don’t go the way we want them to, we need to remember
this.
b.
Rom. 8:28 says, “And we
know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to
those who are called according to His purpose.”
Now I realize that the ultimate message of this text is dealing
with spiritual matters and God’s will, but the reason that is so is
because He is in control.
Job 42:2, when Job was finally humbled one of the first things he said
was, “I know that you can do
everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.”
c.
But that doesn’t mean that
He is not going to allow ungodliness and its consequences.
We are creatures of free-will. Prov. 21:30 says, “There
is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the Lord.”
When we look at moral decay we know that the statement is not
saying man cannot choose to reject God’s counsel in his life, but
ultimately, he will NOT defeat God’s purpose for mankind.
d.
Friends, it is the purpose
of God that needs to govern our lives. What
is that purpose? Consider 1
Tim. 2:4 says that God, “desires
all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
(cf. Matt. 18:14, etc.)
II.
Our duty to honor, submit to and pray for those in
authority –
a.
In this world there are
many different types of governments – democracy, republics, socialist,
communist, theocracy, etc.
The times in which the Bible was written involved different types of
government – yet the type of government did not change the charge to
obey the laws and show respect for its leaders.
As you study God’s instructions concerning governments, you find
that the idea of government came from Him (Rom. 13:1-2) and is
sanctioned regardless of its structure.
We may not like the direction our government is headed or our
leaders, but they are still our leaders and it’s still our government.
WE have to render due respect.
b.
1 Peter 2:13-17 – we are
commanded to submit to “every
ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or
to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of
evildoers and for the praise of those who do good...Honor all people.
Love the brotherhood.
Fear God. Honor the King.”
Friends, we are subject to our rulers, whether we like it or not.
And we are to submit to our leaders and to treat them with
respect, whether we like THEM or not!
c.
1 Timothy 2:1-3 – clearly
calls for us to pray for all men, and “for
kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life in all godliness and reverence…”
d.
Acts 5:29, of course we understand
the one exception to that is, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
III.
Our loyalty to Christ above all attachments –
a.
Acts 5:29 leads us to our
next point – our loyalty to putting Christ FIRST ought not to change.
The world is filled with selfish pursuits.
It is amazing to me how many people vote based upon selfish
pursuits. In other words,
they ask, “What’s in it for me?” and vote themselves entitlements,
permission to commit sin, etc. And
that is the way many live as well.
They give little consideration to how their actions will affect
others both now and in the future.
But as Christians, such ought not be our goal.
b.
Even in this crooked and
perverse generation, we must never forget to put Christ first.
In Matt. 6:33, Jesus taught,
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”
c.
Paul in Philippians 3:20-21
reminds us that our citizenship is in heaven.
This comes after he speaks of having given up those things of
earthly gain.
d.
2 Cor. 5:1-8, esp. vs. 1,
“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have
a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens…”
a.
I sometime am amazed at how
excited some people get about politics, or other worldly pursuits, such
as sports or some hobby or business venture.
We sometimes comment, “If only they were that enthusiastic about
proclaiming the message of the Lord.”
AMEN! The election is
over and we can’t change that.
Will we dwell on it, or will we seek to glorify the Lord by
proclaiming His word?
b.
Ephesians 1:20-22 speaks of
how far above the world our Lord is.
Do we share this with others?
As people become bothered with immorality around them, there is
opportunity to proclaim something much better than what those of this
world have to offer.
c.
I’m reminded of Paul in
Acts 17:16-19 where Paul in Athens preached Jesus and the resurrection
to both Jews and Gentiles.
Wherever he went, the first thing he did was find a place to proclaim
Jesus. (cf. Ac. 17:1-4)
d.
We ought not to depend upon
our government providing us the right circumstances to proclaim Christ.
We preach Christ Jesus crucified to all mankind and that IS our
mission.
a.
Never underestimate the power of a godly example.
As we have already noted, we live
in a selfish society. But that doesn’t change the way we ought to treat
others OR the results of living a godly example.
b.
Ephesians 5:8-9 reminds us
to walk as children of light which means being influenced by the fruit
of the Spirit.
c.
Philippians 2:14-16 reminds
us to become “blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in
the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as
lights in the world, holding fast the word of life,…”
Matt. 5:16 reminds us that by our godly example, God can be
glorified.
d.
Friends, if we are bothered
by the direction our society is headed, the answer is not going to be
merely in exercising our right to vote, or even engaging in activism.
While those things serve a useful purpose, the best way to change
society is one person at a time, by winning them to Christ.
AND that requires a godly example.
And that includes our emails, social media posts and
conversations.
a.
This is one area where some
may fall a little short. As
we defend our Lord, we need to speak the truth, even when it is
uncomfortable or unpopular.
b.
The scriptures speak of
the persecutions and sufferings Christians will face.
In 2 Tim. 3:12 bluntly says, “Yes,
and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer
persecutions.”
Peter dealt with this in detail in 1 Peter.
Warning the brethren that they might suffer, Peter observed that
such can bring glory to God.
1 Pet. 4:1-3 speaks of what Christ suffered for us (as an example).
This is followed by Peter’s challenge for us to give up the
ungodliness of this world, even that which we used to be engaged in.
Then in 1 Pet. 4:12-16 he speaks of suffering as a Christian.
Friends, while these texts do not tell us to go looking for trouble, we
are told that if we stand for what is right, trouble will find us.
And we need to stand for what is right.
c.
We CANNOT let the fear of
reprisal keep us from exposing error.
Consider:
Eph. 5:11-12 which says, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful
works of darkness, but rather expose them.
For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done
by them in secret.”
d.
Acts 19:18-20, 21-27 – In
Ephesus, Paul exposed the sinful practices of idolatry and witchcraft.
He was successful as he preached the truth.
The result was the burning of magic books totaling 50,000 pieces
of silver. BUT, as you
continue to read, those affected by Paul’s preaching did not take it
lightly. Instead they caused
trouble for Paul and those with him.
MY point: Don’t let wickedness around you keep you from speaking
up against it! It doesn’t
matter how wicked a society becomes a part of our message is to condemn
evil. How truly sad it is
that many churches have lost this trait for fear of consequences.
a.
The final point I want to
notice is to remind us that we are brethren.
And we need to act like it.
Heb. 13:1 says simply, “Let
brotherly love continue”.
Jesus taught His disciples, “By this all will know that you are
My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:24)
b.
We need to cherish our
relationship with one another as brethren above all other things.
The book of 1 Corinthians was written to a church consumed with
problems. Paul began
that letter pleading for their unity.
(1 Cor. 1:10-13).
He told the churches of Galatia, “But
if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one
another.” (Gal. 5:15)
c.
One thing we must all
reluctantly accept as a result of this past election is that we are a
very divided nation. We are
divided politically and socially.
BUT, will we let political and social differences interfere with
the way we treat one another as brethren? WE better think long and hard
before we let such things divide us.
As I read the scriptures, I do not find Jesus endorsing one sect
over the other. He wasn’t a
member of any of them either.
I simply think this is something for us to consider before we
jump to conclusions about the motives of others.
The nation is bitterly divided over these matters – I do not
think that they need to see brethren acting ungodly toward one another
over these things. Just
think about it please!
As I began this lesson I mentioned a number of things that OUGHT not to
change. Clearly, these
things are God’s will and that will NEVER change.
But many of the things mentioned we have control over how we
execute them in our lives.
Are we standing with God or against Him?
Joshua 24:15. Think
about it.