¤
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[ Piano plays ]
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>> ¤ O Holy Spirit
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¤ Take rest in me
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¤ Make me your temple
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¤ Restore my soul
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¤ My heart is yours, Lord
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¤ This I decree
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¤ O Holy Spirit
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¤ Take rest in me
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>> ¤ O Holy Spirit
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¤ Take rest in me
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¤ Make me your temple
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¤ Restore my soul
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¤ My heart is yours, Lord
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¤ This I decree
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¤ O Holy Spirit
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¤ Take rest in thee
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¤ Holy Spirit
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¤ Take rest in me
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>> ¤ Oh
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¤ Take rest
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¤ Oh
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¤ Take rest
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¤ Rest
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>> ¤ Oh
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¤ Take rest
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¤ Oh
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¤ Take rest
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¤ Rest
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¤ Oh
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>> ¤ O Lord, take rest
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>> ¤ Oh
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>> ¤ O Lord, take rest
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¤ Rest
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>> ¤ Oh
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>> ¤ O Lord, take rest
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>> ¤ Oh
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>> ¤ O Lord, take rest
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¤ Rest
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¤ Oh
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¤ Take rest
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¤ Oh
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¤ Take rest
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¤ Rest
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[ Applause ]
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[ Piano plays ]
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>> Today's --
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Today's scripture reading
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will be found in Proverbs 4:3-7.
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"When I was my father's
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son, tender,
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and the Holy One in the sight
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of my mother, he also taught me
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and said to me,
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'Let your heart retain my words.
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Keep my commands and live.
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Get wisdom,
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get understanding,
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and do not forget nor turn away
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from the words of my mouth.
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Do not forsake her,
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and she will preserve you.
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Love her and she will keep you.
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Wisdom is the principal thing.
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Therefore, get wisdom.
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And in all your getting
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get understanding.'"
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Please stand as we continue
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to sing.
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¤
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¤
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>> Who will Jesus vote for?
00:17:47.36\00:17:52.63
Don't say anything.
00:17:52.73\00:17:53.60
Nope, nope, nope, nope.
00:17:53.70\00:17:54.74
Stop right there. Yeah.
00:17:54.84\00:17:55.94
Let me tell you what
00:17:56.04\00:17:56.77
I've been hearing
00:17:56.87\00:17:58.07
about who Jesus will vote
00:17:58.17\00:17:59.17
for come November 5.
00:17:59.27\00:18:01.21
Some say that clearly
00:18:01.31\00:18:03.98
Jesus will vote Democrat.
00:18:04.08\00:18:06.31
After all,
00:18:06.41\00:18:07.22
they say, Democrats are kinder
00:18:07.32\00:18:08.88
and nicer,
00:18:08.98\00:18:09.95
and Jesus is clearly all for
00:18:10.05\00:18:11.69
kinder and nicer.
00:18:11.79\00:18:14.82
Others say, "Nope, nope, that's
00:18:14.92\00:18:16.42
not the way it's going to be."
00:18:16.52\00:18:17.59
Jesus will be voting Republican,
00:18:17.69\00:18:20.16
for even the old hymn says
00:18:20.26\00:18:22.16
that we ought to lift up
00:18:22.26\00:18:23.33
the trump and loud let it ring,
00:18:23.43\00:18:24.73
that Jesus might come again.
00:18:24.83\00:18:26.90
>> Amen.
00:18:27.00\00:18:28.64
>> Others respond,
00:18:28.74\00:18:30.24
"Are you serious?
00:18:30.34\00:18:31.97
It's obvious that the Creator
00:18:32.07\00:18:33.48
wants to see his creation
00:18:33.58\00:18:34.74
restored at all costs.
00:18:34.84\00:18:36.04
Jesus will obviously
00:18:36.14\00:18:37.28
therefore vote
00:18:37.38\00:18:38.51
for the Green Party candidate."
00:18:38.61\00:18:40.68
Others say
00:18:40.78\00:18:43.08
that, since sinners do have
00:18:43.18\00:18:44.55
rights and that they
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should be allowed to pursue
00:18:45.52\00:18:46.52
those rights even to the point
00:18:46.62\00:18:47.42
of destruction,
00:18:47.52\00:18:48.19
Jesus will naturally
00:18:48.29\00:18:49.56
be voting Libertarian.
00:18:49.66\00:18:52.69
And still others say it.
00:18:52.79\00:18:53.93
I thought this one
00:18:54.00\00:18:54.63
was quite clever.
00:18:54.73\00:18:55.50
Still others point out
00:18:55.60\00:18:56.63
that Jesus owns the cattle
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on a thousand hills, and that,
00:18:58.50\00:19:00.54
as Haggai 2:8 points out,
00:19:00.64\00:19:03.07
"All the world's silver and
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gold are also his."
00:19:04.57\00:19:05.71
This means
00:19:05.81\00:19:07.01
that Jesus controls
00:19:07.11\00:19:08.48
both the means of production
00:19:08.58\00:19:09.94
and the means of distribution,
00:19:10.05\00:19:11.28
and that he will therefore
00:19:11.38\00:19:12.28
be voting Communist.
00:19:12.38\00:19:16.42
Did someone say amen?
00:19:16.52\00:19:17.52
That was an interesting thing.
00:19:17.62\00:19:18.42
Yes. We'll talk afterwards.
00:19:18.52\00:19:21.09
Come and see me. Yes.
00:19:21.19\00:19:22.49
And on and on
00:19:22.59\00:19:24.73
the prognostications and
00:19:24.83\00:19:26.56
prophecies go as
00:19:26.66\00:19:27.96
to who Jesus will be voting
00:19:28.03\00:19:30.03
for November 5.
00:19:30.13\00:19:31.53
Now, the truth is, of course,
00:19:34.80\00:19:36.47
that Jesus
00:19:36.57\00:19:37.64
himself personally will
00:19:37.74\00:19:39.27
not be voting on November 5.
00:19:39.37\00:19:42.08
The Bible is clear
00:19:42.18\00:19:42.98
that, when Jesus took
00:19:43.08\00:19:43.61
on humanity,
00:19:43.71\00:19:44.55
he retained humanity.
00:19:44.65\00:19:46.01
To this day, Jesus is in Heaven
00:19:46.11\00:19:48.15
since ascending
00:19:48.25\00:19:49.15
after the crucifixion
00:19:49.25\00:19:50.55
and resurrection.
00:19:50.65\00:19:51.49
He is there as our high priest,
00:19:51.59\00:19:52.49
interceding for us,
00:19:52.59\00:19:53.36
getting ready to return
00:19:53.46\00:19:55.06
physically to this planet.
00:19:55.16\00:19:56.12
But he's not here yet.
00:19:56.22\00:19:57.19
And that means that,
00:19:57.29\00:19:57.99
physically, Jesus will
00:19:58.09\00:19:59.73
not be voting on November 5.
00:19:59.83\00:20:01.63
However, Jesus will,
00:20:05.70\00:20:10.57
in a very real sense,
00:20:10.67\00:20:12.27
be voting by proxy.
00:20:12.37\00:20:16.18
That is, he will be voting
00:20:16.28\00:20:17.85
through his people.
00:20:17.95\00:20:20.08
Now, I think
00:20:20.18\00:20:21.22
sometimes we forget this.
00:20:21.32\00:20:22.52
You know,
00:20:22.62\00:20:23.39
the Bible makes it very clear
00:20:23.49\00:20:24.35
we're to be Jesus' hands and
00:20:24.45\00:20:25.69
Jesus' feet, to be Jesus' voice.
00:20:25.79\00:20:26.82
We are to do
00:20:26.92\00:20:28.22
and to say the things
00:20:28.32\00:20:29.22
that Jesus would
00:20:29.32\00:20:30.43
if he were here in our place.
00:20:30.53\00:20:31.76
This includes politics.
00:20:31.86\00:20:33.23
This includes voting.
00:20:33.33\00:20:34.13
We are to vote,
00:20:34.23\00:20:35.13
as we believe,
00:20:35.23\00:20:36.20
to the best of our knowledge,
00:20:36.30\00:20:37.00
that Jesus would vote
00:20:37.10\00:20:37.97
if he were in our shoes.
00:20:38.07\00:20:41.44
So if this is true,
00:20:41.54\00:20:43.20
if Christians are
00:20:43.30\00:20:44.71
to literally do their best
00:20:44.81\00:20:46.01
to cast Jesus' vote for him,
00:20:46.11\00:20:47.71
then we obviously ought
00:20:47.81\00:20:49.21
to have at least some idea of
00:20:49.31\00:20:51.08
how, biblically speaking,
00:20:51.18\00:20:52.61
we ought to approach politics
00:20:52.71\00:20:54.28
in general,
00:20:54.38\00:20:55.62
and perhaps that will help
00:20:55.72\00:20:56.95
us see how to vote
00:20:57.05\00:20:58.12
in this election in particular.
00:20:58.22\00:21:01.46
Now, some might say that's
00:21:01.56\00:21:03.26
impossible, but as it turns out,
00:21:03.36\00:21:06.29
the Bible is more than familiar
00:21:06.39\00:21:07.86
with human politics
00:21:07.96\00:21:09.13
and human reasoning
00:21:09.23\00:21:10.37
and human frailties,
00:21:10.47\00:21:12.67
and it consequently provides
00:21:12.77\00:21:14.77
a solid guide for all facets
00:21:14.87\00:21:16.24
of life,
00:21:16.34\00:21:17.01
including the chaos
00:21:17.11\00:21:18.91
of an election year.
00:21:19.01\00:21:21.01
So, without further delay,
00:21:21.11\00:21:23.58
let me share with you 10
00:21:23.68\00:21:26.21
biblical principles for voting.
00:21:26.31\00:21:28.85
And really,
00:21:28.95\00:21:29.78
these principles can help
00:21:29.88\00:21:30.79
us deal in a Christ-like way
00:21:30.89\00:21:32.05
with politics in general.
00:21:32.15\00:21:34.59
And along the way,
00:21:34.69\00:21:35.79
perhaps we'll see some things
00:21:35.89\00:21:36.86
that can help us make
00:21:36.96\00:21:37.69
some good decisions,
00:21:37.79\00:21:39.13
specifically in
00:21:39.23\00:21:40.73
the upcoming election.
00:21:40.83\00:21:42.73
10 principles.
00:21:42.83\00:21:44.90
And I need to warn you,
00:21:45.00\00:21:46.94
we're going to go fast
00:21:47.04\00:21:48.57
and we're going to go deep.
00:21:48.67\00:21:50.24
This is going to be --
00:21:50.34\00:21:50.84
There's going
00:21:50.94\00:21:51.84
to be some fairly densely
00:21:51.94\00:21:53.04
compacted points on this.
00:21:53.14\00:21:54.94
If I say something,
00:21:55.04\00:21:56.41
if I cut a corner and you're not
00:21:56.51\00:21:57.21
sure what it is that I meant,
00:21:57.31\00:21:58.51
come and see me afterwards,
00:21:58.61\00:21:59.41
we'll be glad to talk.
00:21:59.51\00:22:01.45
Are you ready?
00:22:01.55\00:22:04.35
Yes. Good.
00:22:04.45\00:22:06.96
Some of you aren't sure.
00:22:07.06\00:22:08.06
All right, let's get to it.
00:22:08.16\00:22:09.09
Principle number one.
00:22:09.19\00:22:10.73
Much hand-wringing and doom
00:22:21.54\00:22:22.84
casting has occurred
00:22:22.94\00:22:24.11
over the supposed supra eternal
00:22:24.21\00:22:25.27
importance
00:22:25.37\00:22:26.51
of the upcoming election.
00:22:26.61\00:22:27.58
Have you heard the phrase,
00:22:27.68\00:22:28.68
"This is the most important
00:22:28.78\00:22:30.18
election of our lifetimes"?
00:22:30.28\00:22:31.41
Have you heard that?
00:22:31.51\00:22:32.65
I've heard that, too. I've heard
00:22:32.75\00:22:33.88
that a lot in the last few weeks
00:22:33.98\00:22:34.68
and months in there.
00:22:34.78\00:22:35.28
I also heard it
00:22:35.38\00:22:36.12
a lot four years ago.
00:22:36.22\00:22:38.09
I heard it a lot
00:22:38.19\00:22:39.19
eight years ago, ad infinitum.
00:22:39.29\00:22:41.09
Well, maybe not ad infinitum.
00:22:41.19\00:22:42.02
But a lot of elections,
00:22:42.12\00:22:42.82
they have said this,
00:22:42.92\00:22:44.76
and indeed elections do have
00:22:44.86\00:22:47.96
consequences, even eternal ones.
00:22:48.03\00:22:50.63
That's true. They are important.
00:22:50.73\00:22:53.74
But sadly,
00:22:53.84\00:22:56.24
the gap between this election
00:22:56.34\00:22:59.54
is important, on the one hand,
00:22:59.64\00:23:01.51
and such and such a candidate
00:23:01.61\00:23:03.38
will be our savior,
00:23:03.48\00:23:04.85
on the other,
00:23:04.95\00:23:06.68
seems lamentably small for many,
00:23:06.78\00:23:08.98
and even Christians are
00:23:09.08\00:23:10.39
today sometimes framing
00:23:10.49\00:23:11.95
their favored candidates
00:23:12.05\00:23:13.29
in salvific terms.
00:23:13.39\00:23:15.06
Unless so-and-so is elected,
00:23:15.16\00:23:16.56
we're all doomed.
00:23:16.66\00:23:17.96
So let it be crystal clear.
00:23:20.90\00:23:22.50
Only Jesus
00:23:22.60\00:23:24.53
can transform the human heart.
00:23:24.63\00:23:27.30
Only Jesus.
00:23:27.40\00:23:29.04
Only Jesus can save us
00:23:29.14\00:23:30.67
from our sins
00:23:30.77\00:23:31.64
and secure a heavenly home.
00:23:31.74\00:23:33.84
And the latter will only happen
00:23:33.94\00:23:35.34
via the Second Coming,
00:23:35.44\00:23:36.51
not an earthly election.
00:23:36.61\00:23:39.48
You know, Jesus himself
00:23:39.58\00:23:40.68
explicitly said that His
00:23:40.78\00:23:42.45
kingdom is not of this world.
00:23:42.55\00:23:44.99
Not, N-O-T.
00:23:45.09\00:23:46.42
That means it's not here.
00:23:46.52\00:23:47.36
His kingdom is
00:23:47.46\00:23:48.29
not of this world.
00:23:48.39\00:23:49.09
Things that happen
00:23:49.19\00:23:50.09
here are important. Yes.
00:23:50.19\00:23:51.26
Do they affect our --
00:23:51.36\00:23:52.19
our ability to be a part
00:23:52.29\00:23:53.43
of that world to come?
00:23:53.53\00:23:54.46
Yes. But His kingdom isn't here.
00:23:54.56\00:23:56.36
This is not
00:23:56.46\00:23:57.23
where it's being set up.
00:23:57.33\00:23:58.70
It is of a different sort
00:23:58.80\00:24:00.07
entirely.
00:24:00.17\00:24:01.24
And temporal politics,
00:24:01.34\00:24:02.87
while important,
00:24:02.97\00:24:04.01
recede into the background
00:24:04.11\00:24:06.21
when we compare Christ's Kingdom
00:24:06.31\00:24:08.18
and the establishment
00:24:08.28\00:24:09.11
of His Kingdom.
00:24:09.21\00:24:11.28
And speaking of which,
00:24:11.38\00:24:12.78
principle number two.
00:24:12.88\00:24:14.02
Let me read that one more time.
00:24:28.23\00:24:29.40
Now, this is not to say
00:24:41.98\00:24:43.11
that Christians do not believe
00:24:43.21\00:24:44.35
that politics or government
00:24:44.45\00:24:45.48
programs can assist
00:24:45.58\00:24:46.65
in positive societal change.
00:24:46.75\00:24:48.12
I'm not saying that.
00:24:48.22\00:24:49.05
I don't think most Christians
00:24:49.15\00:24:49.88
are saying that.
00:24:49.98\00:24:50.59
There indeed have been
00:24:50.69\00:24:51.45
programs over the years,
00:24:51.55\00:24:52.35
for instance,
00:24:52.45\00:24:53.05
that have been helpful to
00:24:53.15\00:24:54.39
keeping the peace in society,
00:24:54.49\00:24:55.82
to forming a more perfect union,
00:24:55.92\00:24:56.73
et cetera.
00:24:56.83\00:24:57.59
But that said,
00:24:57.69\00:24:59.49
we can never forget
00:24:59.59\00:25:01.83
that the state, as
00:25:01.93\00:25:03.43
in the government,
00:25:03.53\00:25:04.30
the state, by definition,
00:25:04.40\00:25:06.87
governs by force of law, and
00:25:06.97\00:25:09.14
force can never change a heart.
00:25:09.24\00:25:12.74
It may alter behavior,
00:25:12.84\00:25:14.31
outward behavior.
00:25:14.41\00:25:15.31
For fear of experiencing
00:25:15.41\00:25:17.41
bad consequences,
00:25:17.51\00:25:18.48
a person may say, "Okay,
00:25:18.58\00:25:19.25
I'm not going to do that,"
00:25:19.35\00:25:20.25
but the heart remains unchanged
00:25:20.35\00:25:22.32
by such an exterior force.
00:25:22.42\00:25:24.09
Only Jesus can make that change.
00:25:24.19\00:25:27.86
Christians who are thus
00:25:27.96\00:25:29.22
craving a better society
00:25:29.32\00:25:30.66
may ultimately be
00:25:30.76\00:25:31.73
more successful
00:25:31.83\00:25:32.86
if they host a neighborhood
00:25:32.96\00:25:33.76
Bible study
00:25:33.86\00:25:34.83
than if they wave banners
00:25:34.93\00:25:36.23
at the local political rally,
00:25:36.33\00:25:37.60
regardless of which party
00:25:37.70\00:25:39.13
the rally is for.
00:25:39.23\00:25:43.10
You know, Jesus had this to say.
00:25:43.20\00:25:44.27
John 12:32, He says...
00:25:44.37\00:25:45.61
He says, "And I,"
00:25:49.94\00:25:50.98
meaning himself,
00:25:51.08\00:25:52.15
not somebody else,
00:25:52.25\00:25:53.52
not a political candidate,
00:25:53.62\00:25:55.32
not a political savior.
00:25:55.42\00:25:56.92
When Jesus is lifted up,
00:25:57.02\00:25:58.85
He will draw all people to Him.
00:25:58.95\00:26:01.82
And the disciples,
00:26:01.92\00:26:02.96
even when their very lives were
00:26:03.06\00:26:04.73
literally at stake,
00:26:04.83\00:26:06.13
had this to say...
00:26:06.23\00:26:07.40
>> Amen.
00:26:10.63\00:26:12.90
>> Again, Jesus, not politics,
00:26:13.00\00:26:15.07
is the ultimate fix
00:26:15.17\00:26:17.37
for society's troubles.
00:26:17.47\00:26:19.67
Jesus, not government programs,
00:26:19.77\00:26:21.64
is the ultimate solution
00:26:21.74\00:26:23.14
to humanity's problems.
00:26:23.24\00:26:25.05
So, if you're a Christian
00:26:25.15\00:26:28.38
and you get more excited
00:26:28.48\00:26:30.15
about your favorite
00:26:30.25\00:26:30.95
political hero
00:26:31.05\00:26:31.99
than you do about sharing
00:26:32.09\00:26:33.09
your faith with others,
00:26:33.19\00:26:34.12
you have a serious problem.
00:26:34.22\00:26:37.06
If you get more excited
00:26:37.16\00:26:38.69
about tuning in
00:26:38.79\00:26:39.53
to the latest thing
00:26:39.63\00:26:40.30
that just been said,
00:26:40.40\00:26:41.00
the latest development
00:26:41.10\00:26:41.93
of what's going on with your
00:26:42.03\00:26:42.66
political party in there,
00:26:42.76\00:26:43.70
than you do about spending time
00:26:43.80\00:26:45.30
with Jesus in His Word,
00:26:45.40\00:26:46.43
you have a problem.
00:26:46.53\00:26:48.57
You've got your priorities
00:26:48.67\00:26:49.97
wrong and you might even be
00:26:50.07\00:26:51.21
guilty of idolatry.
00:26:51.31\00:26:53.48
Jesus, not politics,
00:26:53.58\00:26:55.84
is the ultimate answer.
00:26:55.94\00:26:58.05
Let us approach politics and
00:26:58.15\00:26:59.51
elections accordingly.
00:26:59.61\00:27:00.82
Principle number three.
00:27:03.59\00:27:04.72
Now, I said there,
00:27:15.00\00:27:15.76
as a general rule,
00:27:15.86\00:27:16.63
I mean,
00:27:16.73\00:27:17.37
there could be exceptions.
00:27:17.47\00:27:18.57
Possibly there's other things
00:27:18.67\00:27:19.90
that might come up that would
00:27:20.00\00:27:20.74
exceed this in importance.
00:27:20.84\00:27:21.84
But as a general rule,
00:27:21.94\00:27:24.27
religious liberty is
00:27:24.37\00:27:26.57
the most important issue
00:27:26.68\00:27:28.61
in any political election.
00:27:28.71\00:27:32.35
Now, it is true there are
00:27:32.45\00:27:33.62
other issues
00:27:33.72\00:27:34.58
in the political arena today
00:27:34.68\00:27:36.05
that are clearly
00:27:36.15\00:27:36.95
of deep importance.
00:27:37.05\00:27:37.95
I'm not denying that at all.
00:27:38.05\00:27:38.62
Some of them
00:27:38.72\00:27:39.42
are extraordinarily important.
00:27:39.52\00:27:41.49
But, and please listen carefully
00:27:41.59\00:27:43.83
to what I'm going to say next
00:27:43.93\00:27:44.79
here, because this is really
00:27:44.89\00:27:45.89
key.
00:27:45.99\00:27:47.30
No one can afford to forget
00:27:47.40\00:27:49.76
a foundational fact.
00:27:49.86\00:27:51.27
Let me put it
00:27:51.37\00:27:52.00
on the screen here for you.
00:27:52.10\00:27:53.23
Now, that's a mouthful.
00:28:06.88\00:28:07.75
Let me read it one more time.
00:28:07.85\00:28:08.82
In other words,
00:28:18.59\00:28:19.23
what I'm saying here
00:28:19.33\00:28:21.00
is that, if there is
00:28:21.10\00:28:22.93
not religious liberty,
00:28:23.03\00:28:26.03
religion will not flourish.
00:28:26.13\00:28:28.70
And because religion is
00:28:28.80\00:28:30.34
the source of morality,
00:28:30.44\00:28:31.94
morality will eventually fail
00:28:32.04\00:28:33.78
and society with it.
00:28:33.88\00:28:37.58
You say, well, Pastor Shane,
00:28:37.68\00:28:38.75
that's just you saying that.
00:28:38.85\00:28:39.48
Well, I have
00:28:39.58\00:28:40.65
a few friends this morning
00:28:40.75\00:28:42.05
I'm going to put on the screen
00:28:42.15\00:28:43.18
that actually agree with me.
00:28:43.28\00:28:45.19
You heard of a guy named
00:28:45.29\00:28:45.79
George Washington?
00:28:45.89\00:28:47.72
He used to work in this country.
00:28:47.82\00:28:49.16
Okay.
00:28:49.26\00:28:49.92
He was our first president.
00:28:50.03\00:28:50.99
And he had some things
00:28:51.09\00:28:53.13
to say about this.
00:28:53.23\00:28:54.60
And let me frame his comments
00:28:54.73\00:28:56.90
by giving you kind of
00:28:57.00\00:28:58.27
a biblical foundation here.
00:28:58.37\00:28:59.87
Let's do a little bit
00:29:00.04\00:29:00.94
of biblical philosophy
00:29:01.04\00:29:02.70
this morning.
00:29:02.80\00:29:04.07
Text in the Bible.
00:29:04.17\00:29:05.31
Acts 17:28.
00:29:05.41\00:29:07.34
"In Him," meaning in God,
00:29:07.44\00:29:08.94
Paul here is speaking to an
00:29:09.04\00:29:09.81
unconverted crowd, right?
00:29:09.91\00:29:12.65
"In Him [God], we live and move
00:29:12.75\00:29:15.22
and have our being."
00:29:15.32\00:29:17.29
"In God, we live and move
00:29:17.39\00:29:18.42
and have our being."
00:29:18.52\00:29:19.75
Probably one of the most power-
00:29:19.85\00:29:21.86
packed philosophical statements
00:29:21.96\00:29:23.26
in all of the New Testament.
00:29:23.36\00:29:25.26
Now, what is he saying here?
00:29:25.36\00:29:26.29
A whole bunch
00:29:26.39\00:29:27.03
we could point out.
00:29:27.13\00:29:27.86
Let me just point out this.
00:29:27.96\00:29:29.10
Paul is saying here,
00:29:29.20\00:29:30.60
at the very least,
00:29:30.70\00:29:31.30
that God is
00:29:31.40\00:29:32.77
the necessary condition
00:29:32.87\00:29:34.04
for life to exist.
00:29:34.14\00:29:36.07
"In God, we live and move
00:29:36.17\00:29:36.94
and have our being."
00:29:37.04\00:29:37.74
God is the necessary condition
00:29:37.84\00:29:39.17
for life to exist.
00:29:39.27\00:29:40.08
Our existence
00:29:40.18\00:29:41.14
is predicated on His.
00:29:41.24\00:29:42.84
He is, therefore,
00:29:42.94\00:29:44.18
God is, therefore, the basis
00:29:44.28\00:29:46.11
for defining reality,
00:29:46.21\00:29:48.68
and as such,
00:29:48.78\00:29:50.19
God is also the ultimate basis
00:29:50.29\00:29:52.12
for defining morality,
00:29:52.22\00:29:54.66
not just reality, but morality.
00:29:54.76\00:29:57.19
After all, by definition,
00:29:57.29\00:29:58.39
only the Creator
00:29:58.49\00:30:00.10
can define what is right
00:30:00.20\00:30:01.50
and wrong for the created.
00:30:01.60\00:30:03.83
You follow me?
00:30:03.93\00:30:04.60
You follow me here?
00:30:04.70\00:30:05.43
This is what
00:30:05.53\00:30:06.20
Paul is saying in this text.
00:30:06.30\00:30:07.64
Now, this is not to say
00:30:07.74\00:30:09.40
that an atheist cannot be moral.
00:30:09.50\00:30:11.77
It is to say
00:30:11.87\00:30:13.14
that, if an atheist is moral,
00:30:13.24\00:30:14.78
it is because he or she
00:30:14.88\00:30:15.88
is borrowing from
00:30:15.98\00:30:17.51
a theistic worldview that is
00:30:17.61\00:30:18.91
morally superior to their own.
00:30:19.01\00:30:21.05
I'm all for borrowing.
00:30:21.15\00:30:22.28
So if you're an atheist
00:30:22.38\00:30:23.45
listening right now,
00:30:23.55\00:30:24.65
please continue to borrow.
00:30:24.75\00:30:27.76
But note this carefully.
00:30:27.86\00:30:29.22
Note this carefully.
00:30:29.32\00:30:30.26
Let me put this on the screen.
00:30:30.36\00:30:32.53
Religion --
00:30:32.63\00:30:35.16
And what do I mean by religion?
00:30:35.26\00:30:36.43
Well, what I mean by religion
00:30:36.53\00:30:37.70
in this context
00:30:37.80\00:30:39.77
is what the Founders meant
00:30:39.87\00:30:41.17
by religion in their context.
00:30:41.27\00:30:43.37
So listen carefully.
00:30:43.47\00:30:44.67
[ Whistles ]
00:30:59.79\00:31:02.56
We live in a republic.
00:31:02.66\00:31:03.53
This is not a straight
00:31:03.63\00:31:04.39
democracy, we're
00:31:04.49\00:31:05.29
a representative democracy.
00:31:05.39\00:31:06.43
That's what a republic is.
00:31:06.53\00:31:08.80
And religion, as understood
00:31:08.90\00:31:10.63
by our forefathers,
00:31:10.73\00:31:12.43
the Founding Fathers
00:31:12.53\00:31:13.27
of this country,
00:31:13.37\00:31:14.70
it was this brew of natural law,
00:31:14.80\00:31:17.47
deism, and Protestantism.
00:31:17.57\00:31:18.61
You know, I hear people say --
00:31:18.71\00:31:19.84
not just now, this has been
00:31:19.94\00:31:20.98
said for quite some time,
00:31:21.08\00:31:21.88
at least the last 50 years --
00:31:21.98\00:31:23.14
we need to get back to
00:31:23.24\00:31:25.11
America's Christian roots.
00:31:25.21\00:31:28.42
I'm always
00:31:28.52\00:31:29.68
a little puzzled by that.
00:31:29.78\00:31:31.49
And I always want to ask,
00:31:31.59\00:31:32.55
which roots do you mean?
00:31:32.65\00:31:34.49
Okay. Because most
00:31:34.59\00:31:36.02
of the Founding Fathers,
00:31:36.12\00:31:37.29
oh, they had Christian leanings.
00:31:37.39\00:31:38.39
And many of them, in fact,
00:31:38.49\00:31:39.39
most of them attended services
00:31:39.49\00:31:40.96
at some church somewhere.
00:31:41.03\00:31:42.00
But make no mistake,
00:31:42.10\00:31:43.26
most of them were deists.
00:31:43.37\00:31:45.57
You say, what's a deist?
00:31:45.67\00:31:46.63
Well, I'm glad you asked.
00:31:46.74\00:31:48.04
A deist is somebody who has
00:31:48.14\00:31:49.44
a kind of a bare-bones belief.
00:31:49.54\00:31:50.91
It's heavily
00:31:51.01\00:31:51.87
weighted towards reason.
00:31:51.97\00:31:53.14
A deist believes
00:31:53.24\00:31:54.11
that there is a God,
00:31:54.21\00:31:55.21
that He deserves
00:31:55.31\00:31:56.21
to be worshipped,
00:31:56.31\00:31:57.15
that He has a will,
00:31:57.25\00:31:58.81
that He desires people
00:31:58.91\00:31:59.85
to follow,
00:31:59.95\00:32:00.78
and that there will be
00:32:00.88\00:32:01.68
an accounting for how one
00:32:01.78\00:32:03.62
has or has not followed
00:32:03.72\00:32:04.72
that God's will.
00:32:04.82\00:32:05.49
That's about it.
00:32:05.59\00:32:07.06
Those are the broad things.
00:32:07.16\00:32:08.29
It meshed pretty well
00:32:08.39\00:32:09.82
with Christianity,
00:32:09.92\00:32:11.06
but it wasn't Christianity.
00:32:11.16\00:32:13.56
So when people say they
00:32:13.66\00:32:14.73
want to return the country
00:32:14.83\00:32:16.03
to its Christian roots,
00:32:16.13\00:32:16.80
I just say, "Well, show me
00:32:16.90\00:32:18.03
which root that is, okay."
00:32:18.13\00:32:19.87
Because the Founding Fathers,
00:32:19.97\00:32:21.30
while very sympathetic
00:32:21.40\00:32:22.17
to Christianity,
00:32:22.27\00:32:23.10
their idea of religion
00:32:23.20\00:32:25.71
was not a denomination.
00:32:25.81\00:32:27.01
In fact,
00:32:27.11\00:32:27.88
most of them despised
00:32:27.98\00:32:29.21
denominationalism.
00:32:29.31\00:32:30.91
Instead,
00:32:31.01\00:32:31.78
when they said the words
00:32:31.88\00:32:32.75
religion, they meant this brew
00:32:32.85\00:32:34.55
of deism and natural law.
00:32:34.65\00:32:36.02
John Locke, Voltaire, et cetera,
00:32:36.12\00:32:37.42
mixed in with Protestant
00:32:37.52\00:32:38.95
understandings of things.
00:32:39.05\00:32:40.32
And that turned out to be --
00:32:40.42\00:32:41.96
And to this day,
00:32:42.06\00:32:43.43
it is the source
00:32:43.53\00:32:45.46
of the nurturing of a republic.
00:32:45.56\00:32:47.50
I mentioned George earlier.
00:32:50.20\00:32:51.33
Let me show you what he said.
00:32:51.43\00:32:52.70
George Washington, 1796.
00:32:52.80\00:32:54.50
This is his exit interview.
00:32:54.60\00:32:55.97
This is his farewell speech
00:32:56.07\00:32:57.34
as he was leaving office.
00:32:57.44\00:32:58.67
Among other things,
00:32:58.77\00:32:59.41
he said this.
00:32:59.51\00:33:00.48
Now, again, when he says
00:33:08.78\00:33:09.75
religion, he's not talking about
00:33:09.85\00:33:10.89
denominationalism, he's not
00:33:10.99\00:33:11.95
talking about Episcopalians
00:33:12.05\00:33:12.62
or Catholics
00:33:12.72\00:33:13.39
or Seventh-day Adventists.
00:33:13.49\00:33:14.36
He's talking about this
00:33:14.46\00:33:15.22
much more broad definition,
00:33:15.32\00:33:16.36
lowercase "r" of religion.
00:33:16.46\00:33:18.56
"Of all the dispositions and
00:33:18.66\00:33:19.86
habits which lead
00:33:19.96\00:33:20.76
to political prosperity."
00:33:20.86\00:33:22.66
For the government to flourish,
00:33:22.76\00:33:23.87
"religion and morality
00:33:23.97\00:33:25.50
are indispensable supports."
00:33:25.60\00:33:27.17
No religion, no morality.
00:33:42.58\00:33:44.85
So says George Washington.
00:33:44.95\00:33:47.69
And he was not alone in this.
00:33:47.79\00:33:49.26
Guy by the name of
00:33:49.36\00:33:50.09
Alexis de Tocqueville.
00:33:50.19\00:33:51.23
In 1831, he came to
00:33:51.33\00:33:54.10
the United States of America.
00:33:54.20\00:33:55.06
You know, the United States,
00:33:55.16\00:33:56.10
by the 1830s, this was a world-
00:33:56.20\00:33:57.80
renowned experiment.
00:33:57.90\00:33:59.23
This Republican form of
00:33:59.33\00:34:01.07
government that they're using.
00:34:01.17\00:34:02.17
And the way things are set up,
00:34:02.27\00:34:03.77
he wanted to see it
00:34:03.87\00:34:04.97
with his own two eyes.
00:34:05.07\00:34:06.41
de Tocqueville,
00:34:06.51\00:34:07.21
he was a French jurist,
00:34:07.31\00:34:09.04
he was a diplomat,
00:34:09.14\00:34:10.01
he was a keen social observer,
00:34:10.11\00:34:11.81
And he wrote,
00:34:11.91\00:34:12.95
as a result of his visit here
00:34:13.05\00:34:14.05
in 1831,
00:34:14.15\00:34:15.32
a two-volume work called
00:34:15.42\00:34:17.55
"Democracy in America."
00:34:17.65\00:34:18.75
Pretty famous.
00:34:18.85\00:34:20.42
First volume came out 1835.
00:34:20.52\00:34:21.89
Second volume, 1840.
00:34:21.99\00:34:23.49
In 1835, in volume one,
00:34:23.59\00:34:25.43
in part, he said this.
00:34:25.53\00:34:27.60
Well, what did he mean by that?
00:34:42.71\00:34:43.51
"Religion in America
00:34:43.61\00:34:45.38
takes no direct part
00:34:45.48\00:34:47.38
in the government of society."
00:34:47.48\00:34:48.82
Someone say "amen."
00:34:48.92\00:34:49.92
>> Amen.
00:34:50.02\00:34:51.49
>> Separation of church and
00:34:51.59\00:34:52.49
state, even de Tocqueville
00:34:52.59\00:34:53.32
here gets this, right?
00:34:53.42\00:34:54.32
"Religion in America
00:34:54.42\00:34:55.39
takes no direct part
00:34:55.49\00:34:57.13
in the government of society,
00:34:57.23\00:34:58.56
but it must be regarded
00:34:58.66\00:35:00.56
as the first of their
00:35:00.66\00:35:01.53
political institutions."
00:35:01.63\00:35:03.30
Huh.
00:35:03.40\00:35:05.10
In other words,
00:35:05.20\00:35:06.27
don't legislate religion,
00:35:06.37\00:35:08.57
but encourage religion
00:35:08.67\00:35:10.41
amongst the populace.
00:35:10.51\00:35:12.27
Huh.
00:35:12.37\00:35:14.34
"I do not know," he continues,
00:35:14.44\00:35:15.81
"whether all Americans have
00:35:15.91\00:35:16.85
a sincere faith in their
00:35:16.95\00:35:18.15
religion for who can search the
00:35:18.25\00:35:19.68
human heart, but I am certain
00:35:19.78\00:35:20.98
that they hold it to be
00:35:21.08\00:35:22.08
indispensable to the maintenance
00:35:22.18\00:35:23.92
of republican institutions."
00:35:24.02\00:35:25.65
Lowercase "r" there, republican.
00:35:25.75\00:35:27.06
Republican institutions.
00:35:27.16\00:35:28.62
"This opinion is not peculiar
00:35:28.72\00:35:30.39
to a class of citizens or to
00:35:30.49\00:35:31.43
a party, but it belongs to
00:35:31.53\00:35:32.83
the whole nation
00:35:32.93\00:35:33.80
and to every rank of society."
00:35:33.90\00:35:37.20
Now there are many more
00:35:37.30\00:35:38.13
historical examples
00:35:38.23\00:35:39.10
I could give you of this,
00:35:39.20\00:35:39.93
but let's just sum it up here,
00:35:40.04\00:35:41.17
because we see this progression.
00:35:41.27\00:35:42.87
In American history,
00:35:42.97\00:35:44.41
religion -- again, defined
00:35:44.51\00:35:46.71
by the Founding Fathers and
00:35:46.81\00:35:47.74
others -- is that which was
00:35:47.84\00:35:48.94
sympathetic to their brew
00:35:49.04\00:35:50.01
of natural law, deism,
00:35:50.11\00:35:51.71
generally Protestant theology.
00:35:51.81\00:35:53.42
Religion was seen as essential
00:35:53.52\00:35:55.68
to the maintenance of morality.
00:35:55.78\00:35:58.65
A moral populace was essential
00:35:58.75\00:36:01.99
to the thriving of the republic
00:36:02.09\00:36:03.69
for only a largely moral society
00:36:03.79\00:36:06.19
would uphold the dictates
00:36:06.29\00:36:07.73
of the Constitution
00:36:07.83\00:36:08.73
and thus preserve
00:36:08.83\00:36:09.56
the general peace.
00:36:09.66\00:36:11.80
Religious liberty, therefore,
00:36:11.90\00:36:13.70
has always been a primary,
00:36:13.80\00:36:16.47
overarching concern
00:36:16.57\00:36:17.91
for thoughtful Americans,
00:36:18.01\00:36:19.17
leaders, and general citizens
00:36:19.27\00:36:20.28
alike,
00:36:20.38\00:36:21.98
because it was widely recognized
00:36:22.08\00:36:23.55
from the earliest of times
00:36:23.65\00:36:25.11
in the United States that no,
00:36:25.21\00:36:26.92
or even merely weak,
00:36:27.02\00:36:28.25
religious liberty
00:36:28.35\00:36:29.25
would ultimately lead
00:36:29.35\00:36:30.65
to the suppression of religion,
00:36:30.75\00:36:33.05
which would leave morality
00:36:33.15\00:36:34.76
without a source,
00:36:34.86\00:36:36.32
which would lead
00:36:36.42\00:36:37.29
to moral bankruptcy,
00:36:37.39\00:36:39.09
which would sooner or later lead
00:36:39.19\00:36:40.90
to the breakdown of society.
00:36:40.96\00:36:42.50
And we as
00:36:44.33\00:36:45.40
Seventh-day Adventists,
00:36:45.50\00:36:47.40
we understand further
00:36:47.50\00:36:48.77
that such breakdown will lead
00:36:48.87\00:36:49.87
directly to Revelation 13
00:36:49.97\00:36:50.84
type scenarios and
00:36:50.94\00:36:52.37
to the end of the world.
00:36:52.47\00:36:54.34
So to stave that fate
00:36:54.44\00:36:57.25
off as long as possible,
00:36:57.35\00:36:59.61
we, as Adventists,
00:36:59.71\00:37:01.38
and many others, to be fair,
00:37:01.48\00:37:02.65
have fought long and hard
00:37:02.75\00:37:04.45
for a robust religious liberty
00:37:04.55\00:37:06.19
to prevail,
00:37:06.29\00:37:07.39
one that will allow freedom
00:37:07.49\00:37:08.92
for others and a faithful,
00:37:09.02\00:37:11.39
Christ-like voice
00:37:11.49\00:37:12.36
to proclaim the true faith
00:37:12.46\00:37:13.50
as long as possible.
00:37:13.60\00:37:15.96
That as many as possible might
00:37:16.06\00:37:16.93
come to know Christ
00:37:17.03\00:37:17.67
and be saved.
00:37:17.77\00:37:19.60
Vote first and foremost
00:37:19.70\00:37:22.60
with religious liberty in mind.
00:37:22.70\00:37:24.51
Study the candidates' platforms.
00:37:24.61\00:37:26.14
Find out what they
00:37:26.24\00:37:26.88
have both said
00:37:26.98\00:37:27.94
and done in this crucial area,
00:37:28.04\00:37:29.94
and vote accordingly.
00:37:30.05\00:37:31.98
And speaking
00:37:34.42\00:37:35.35
of religious liberty,
00:37:35.45\00:37:37.22
principle number four.
00:37:37.32\00:37:38.75
Let me read that one again.
00:37:52.90\00:37:54.24
You know, one reason
00:38:06.55\00:38:07.88
why so many Christians have been
00:38:07.98\00:38:09.25
so engaged in
00:38:09.35\00:38:10.29
the political process of late
00:38:10.39\00:38:11.29
is their concern
00:38:11.39\00:38:12.22
for the sagging state
00:38:12.32\00:38:13.49
of national morality.
00:38:13.59\00:38:15.09
I get it, I understand.
00:38:15.19\00:38:16.89
I mean, there's all kinds
00:38:16.99\00:38:17.89
of various issues
00:38:17.99\00:38:18.73
that have led people
00:38:18.83\00:38:20.20
to be very concerned
00:38:20.30\00:38:21.70
about the moral heart
00:38:21.80\00:38:23.23
of the United States of America.
00:38:23.33\00:38:25.83
However, we can never forget
00:38:25.93\00:38:29.47
the seminal truth
00:38:29.57\00:38:31.81
that sinners have rights.
00:38:31.91\00:38:34.44
Sinners have rights.
00:38:37.88\00:38:42.58
The ability today to choose
00:38:42.68\00:38:44.39
what is right assumes
00:38:44.49\00:38:45.82
and even requires the ability
00:38:45.92\00:38:47.42
to also choose what is wrong.
00:38:47.52\00:38:50.83
Now, to be clear,
00:38:50.93\00:38:52.26
it is also true that successful
00:38:52.36\00:38:54.46
human governments down through
00:38:54.56\00:38:56.43
the ages have rightly
00:38:56.53\00:38:58.43
limited the ability to express
00:38:58.53\00:39:00.64
either one of these options.
00:39:00.74\00:39:02.00
They've rightly limited
00:39:02.10\00:39:03.07
the ability to choose whatever
00:39:03.17\00:39:04.27
they think is right,
00:39:04.37\00:39:04.97
or to choose whatever
00:39:05.07\00:39:05.84
they think is wrong.
00:39:05.94\00:39:06.57
They put limits on that,
00:39:06.68\00:39:07.48
and that is wise.
00:39:07.58\00:39:08.54
But hear it carefully.
00:39:08.64\00:39:10.91
Outside of the church,
00:39:11.01\00:39:12.28
the rights
00:39:12.38\00:39:13.65
of individual citizens
00:39:13.75\00:39:15.35
to engage in what we
00:39:15.45\00:39:17.12
as Christians would consider
00:39:17.22\00:39:18.42
highly objectionable behavior
00:39:18.52\00:39:20.06
in their own personal lives may,
00:39:20.16\00:39:22.62
sadly, in some situations,
00:39:22.72\00:39:24.36
need to be preserved in order
00:39:24.46\00:39:26.66
to maintain a sufficiently
00:39:26.76\00:39:27.86
free society
00:39:27.96\00:39:28.86
in which the gospel can
00:39:28.96\00:39:29.96
be unreservedly preached.
00:39:30.07\00:39:31.43
You know, Paul hinted
00:39:35.20\00:39:36.34
at this, 1 Corinthians 5:12-13.
00:39:36.44\00:39:38.71
He says...
00:39:38.81\00:39:39.97
Now we can argue over
00:39:48.15\00:39:49.45
to what degree
00:39:49.55\00:39:50.52
this particular text applies
00:39:50.62\00:39:51.75
to the chaos
00:39:51.85\00:39:52.49
of American politics.
00:39:52.59\00:39:53.56
But my hope is,
00:39:53.66\00:39:54.59
at the very least,
00:39:54.69\00:39:55.69
we can agree on this --
00:39:55.79\00:39:57.29
that the Bible here
00:39:57.39\00:39:58.83
is highlighting the seriousness
00:39:58.93\00:40:01.10
with which Christians must take
00:40:01.20\00:40:03.30
the prospects of controlling
00:40:03.40\00:40:05.27
the personal behavior of someone
00:40:05.37\00:40:06.90
who is outside of the church
00:40:07.00\00:40:08.50
and does not believe in Christ.
00:40:08.60\00:40:11.47
We must take that very seriously
00:40:11.57\00:40:14.58
because great wisdom is
00:40:14.68\00:40:16.81
essential in those situations.
00:40:16.91\00:40:18.95
You can't just willy nilly
00:40:19.05\00:40:21.22
off the cuff make a decision
00:40:21.32\00:40:22.32
in these situations.
00:40:22.42\00:40:23.55
It must
00:40:23.65\00:40:24.55
be done with great wisdom.
00:40:24.65\00:40:27.32
As Bible-believing Christians,
00:40:27.42\00:40:29.29
we desire neither a theocracy
00:40:29.39\00:40:31.59
nor a modern day
00:40:31.69\00:40:32.83
Sodom and Gomorrah.
00:40:32.93\00:40:34.73
We must therefore weigh
00:40:34.83\00:40:36.23
political issues
00:40:36.33\00:40:37.33
extraordinarily carefully
00:40:37.43\00:40:38.97
when they deal with morality
00:40:39.07\00:40:40.50
to find the right balance
00:40:40.60\00:40:41.97
between preserving moral agency
00:40:42.07\00:40:43.54
on the one hand,
00:40:43.64\00:40:45.27
and a sufficiently moral society
00:40:45.37\00:40:46.98
which will
00:40:47.08\00:40:47.91
tolerate the spreading
00:40:48.01\00:40:49.04
of the gospel on the other.
00:40:49.14\00:40:50.98
Principle number five.
00:40:55.22\00:40:56.95
Now, honestly,
00:41:16.04\00:41:17.21
Christians of all denominations
00:41:17.31\00:41:18.04
ought to be
00:41:18.14\00:41:18.87
able to agree on this one.
00:41:18.97\00:41:20.78
It is one thing to live and let
00:41:20.88\00:41:22.71
live in today's political chaos.
00:41:22.81\00:41:24.28
But a deeply important line
00:41:24.38\00:41:26.05
is crossed
00:41:26.15\00:41:27.25
when Christian institutions,
00:41:27.35\00:41:28.92
to say nothing of Christians
00:41:29.02\00:41:29.72
as individuals,
00:41:29.82\00:41:30.89
are required to embrace immoral,
00:41:30.99\00:41:33.05
unbiblical practices
00:41:33.15\00:41:34.32
in their own ranks.
00:41:34.42\00:41:37.16
And against such policies,
00:41:37.26\00:41:38.63
no votes, as in nay,
00:41:38.73\00:41:41.33
I vote against that,
00:41:41.43\00:41:42.80
are emphatically required.
00:41:42.90\00:41:45.87
And the Bible tells us this.
00:41:45.97\00:41:46.74
Romans 14:22.
00:41:46.84\00:41:48.30
If Christians just sit by silent
00:41:53.24\00:41:54.71
and let these things roll into
00:41:54.81\00:41:55.94
their churches and institutions.
00:41:56.04\00:41:59.18
And furthermore, the disciples,
00:41:59.28\00:42:00.38
again with a sword
00:42:00.48\00:42:01.58
quite literally
00:42:01.68\00:42:02.58
at their throats, they said...
00:42:02.68\00:42:04.09
These are to be our watchwords
00:42:08.29\00:42:09.72
even in the chaos
00:42:09.82\00:42:10.93
of electoral politics.
00:42:11.03\00:42:12.69
Principle number six.
00:42:15.80\00:42:17.63
[ Chuckles ] I know, you didn't
00:42:26.68\00:42:28.08
know you were going to get a
00:42:28.18\00:42:29.34
civics lesson when you came to
00:42:29.44\00:42:30.68
church today, but just for a
00:42:30.78\00:42:31.65
moment, let's do a little civics
00:42:31.75\00:42:32.48
lesson, all right?
00:42:32.58\00:42:33.82
Now, why do I talk
00:42:40.79\00:42:41.56
about tyranny here?
00:42:41.66\00:42:42.42
Because the Bible at the end
00:42:42.52\00:42:43.69
of time makes it clear tyranny
00:42:43.79\00:42:45.06
will be the order of the day.
00:42:45.16\00:42:47.60
Now, Revelation chapter 13,
00:42:47.73\00:42:49.00
if you read there, we find
00:42:49.10\00:42:49.93
this unholy trinity
00:42:50.03\00:42:51.10
of the Roman Church,
00:42:51.20\00:42:52.30
apostate Protestantism, and
00:42:52.40\00:42:54.00
Satan himself, expressed
00:42:54.10\00:42:55.37
in spiritualism
00:42:55.47\00:42:56.14
and even his own
00:42:56.24\00:42:56.94
manifest presence.
00:42:57.04\00:42:58.44
Together, the unholy trinity is
00:42:58.54\00:43:00.61
going to wield tyrannical power
00:43:00.71\00:43:02.24
to force the world --
00:43:02.34\00:43:04.21
to try to force the world to
00:43:04.31\00:43:05.58
essentially engage
00:43:05.68\00:43:07.08
in demonic worship.
00:43:07.18\00:43:08.38
Tyranny will be
00:43:08.48\00:43:10.22
the order of the day.
00:43:10.32\00:43:13.52
Well, logic dictates, then,
00:43:13.62\00:43:15.72
that any vote
00:43:15.82\00:43:17.43
we can cast prior to that time
00:43:17.53\00:43:19.96
that can deter the accumulation
00:43:20.06\00:43:22.43
of undue power in any one person
00:43:22.53\00:43:24.77
or one group,
00:43:24.87\00:43:26.07
is probably a good vote to cast,
00:43:26.17\00:43:29.60
because it may possibly preserve
00:43:29.70\00:43:31.04
religious liberty
00:43:31.14\00:43:31.87
and the gospel witness
00:43:31.97\00:43:32.87
that much longer.
00:43:32.97\00:43:35.91
Now, blessedly,
00:43:36.01\00:43:38.41
this idea of federalism
00:43:38.51\00:43:39.55
and the separation of powers
00:43:39.65\00:43:40.72
is part of the core
00:43:40.82\00:43:41.98
of the genius of
00:43:42.08\00:43:42.85
the American experiment.
00:43:42.95\00:43:43.89
We are a republic,
00:43:43.99\00:43:45.22
as I mentioned earlier.
00:43:45.32\00:43:45.75
We are
00:43:45.85\00:43:46.55
a representative democracy.
00:43:46.65\00:43:48.06
We don't have a king.
00:43:48.16\00:43:49.26
We're not intended
00:43:49.36\00:43:50.49
to have a king at all.
00:43:50.59\00:43:51.69
This idea of we elect various
00:43:51.79\00:43:52.86
representatives at
00:43:52.96\00:43:53.83
various levels in the country.
00:43:53.93\00:43:55.13
They work together to govern.
00:43:55.23\00:43:56.36
We also have
00:43:56.46\00:43:57.47
a constitutionally specified
00:43:57.57\00:43:58.87
separation of powers.
00:43:58.97\00:44:00.77
Separation of powers
00:44:00.87\00:44:01.60
is manifest
00:44:01.70\00:44:02.94
in our tripartite government.
00:44:03.04\00:44:04.31
We have the legislative branch,
00:44:04.41\00:44:06.04
the executive branch,
00:44:06.14\00:44:06.94
the judicial branch.
00:44:07.04\00:44:07.94
We do not have a president
00:44:08.04\00:44:09.28
that is all authoritative.
00:44:09.38\00:44:10.21
That's not what
00:44:10.31\00:44:10.95
the Constitution says.
00:44:11.05\00:44:11.88
Instead, there are
00:44:11.98\00:44:12.51
three branches
00:44:12.61\00:44:13.31
that work together.
00:44:13.42\00:44:14.48
We also have the separation
00:44:14.58\00:44:16.28
of powers in federalism,
00:44:16.38\00:44:18.19
where the states,
00:44:18.29\00:44:18.92
the 50 states
00:44:19.02\00:44:19.72
and other territories,
00:44:19.82\00:44:20.59
we have this power diffused
00:44:20.69\00:44:22.06
amongst us
00:44:22.16\00:44:22.96
that together we might be
00:44:23.06\00:44:24.39
able to come up with the best,
00:44:24.49\00:44:25.73
hopefully, government decisions.
00:44:25.83\00:44:27.73
And by the way,
00:44:27.83\00:44:28.86
this is a basic Bible principle.
00:44:28.96\00:44:34.07
Proverbs 24:6. Many of you
00:44:34.17\00:44:36.17
probably memorized it.
00:44:36.27\00:44:37.24
It says that, "In a multitude
00:44:37.34\00:44:38.97
of counselors, there is safety."
00:44:39.07\00:44:41.61
Even the Trinity itself
00:44:41.71\00:44:44.51
proclaims
00:44:44.61\00:44:45.68
that even God shares his power.
00:44:45.78\00:44:50.12
And such examples as this,
00:44:50.22\00:44:51.55
as well as much of the last 200
00:44:51.65\00:44:52.92
plus years of US history, assure
00:44:53.02\00:44:54.06
us that federalism
00:44:54.16\00:44:55.19
and the separation of powers
00:44:55.29\00:44:56.29
can be solid safeguards
00:44:56.39\00:44:57.43
against tyranny.
00:44:57.53\00:44:58.79
So if you see those things
00:44:58.89\00:45:00.40
breaking down,
00:45:00.50\00:45:01.46
you ought to be alarmed.
00:45:01.56\00:45:04.73
Study candidates and issues
00:45:04.83\00:45:06.63
to see whether they will support
00:45:06.74\00:45:08.07
or diminish these two pillars
00:45:08.17\00:45:09.74
of liberty and vote accordingly.
00:45:09.84\00:45:14.58
Principle number seven.
00:45:14.68\00:45:15.98
>> Amen.
00:45:28.56\00:45:29.89
>> If you're an offender here,
00:45:35.53\00:45:36.60
I promise I won't put your
00:45:36.70\00:45:37.50
picture up on the screen,
00:45:37.60\00:45:38.40
all right?
00:45:38.50\00:45:40.10
But ladies and gentlemen,
00:45:40.20\00:45:41.10
this is a truth
00:45:41.20\00:45:42.10
that we cannot afford to ignore.
00:45:42.20\00:45:44.54
How many?
00:45:44.64\00:45:46.31
I don't know,
00:45:46.41\00:45:47.41
probably tens of thousands
00:45:47.51\00:45:49.14
of Christians
00:45:49.24\00:45:50.95
have destroyed their ability
00:45:51.05\00:45:53.11
to witness to countless others
00:45:53.21\00:45:54.42
by the rants
00:45:54.52\00:45:55.48
or even just the political
00:45:55.58\00:45:56.72
opinions that they
00:45:56.82\00:45:57.99
have posted on social media.
00:45:58.09\00:46:02.02
You know, the Bible actually
00:46:02.12\00:46:02.66
does address this.
00:46:02.76\00:46:04.33
Romans 14:1. Paul here says...
00:46:04.43\00:46:05.99
How many times have I heard
00:46:12.57\00:46:13.80
well-intended Christians say,
00:46:13.90\00:46:14.90
"Well, boy, you know, if the
00:46:15.00\00:46:16.24
people that didn't think like I
00:46:16.34\00:46:17.47
do politically could just see
00:46:17.57\00:46:18.67
the light, right?
00:46:18.77\00:46:19.84
They're so weak
00:46:19.94\00:46:20.91
in their opinions."
00:46:21.01\00:46:21.81
Well, ladies and gentlemen,
00:46:21.91\00:46:22.51
if that's true,
00:46:22.61\00:46:23.45
here's how you
00:46:23.55\00:46:24.48
ought to treat those weaker
00:46:24.58\00:46:25.58
brothers and sisters.
00:46:25.68\00:46:26.82
It's true
00:46:29.22\00:46:30.25
that this particular context
00:46:30.35\00:46:31.42
here in Romans chapter 14
00:46:31.52\00:46:32.69
is with regard to food laws.
00:46:32.79\00:46:34.06
But I can't help but think
00:46:34.16\00:46:35.49
that it may apply equally well
00:46:35.59\00:46:36.93
to partisan bumper stickers,
00:46:37.03\00:46:38.39
Facebook posts, Instagram,
00:46:38.49\00:46:39.83
and potluck conversations.
00:46:39.93\00:46:43.60
Ellen White was actually
00:46:43.70\00:46:45.00
even more pointed in
00:46:45.10\00:46:46.10
her instructions in this regard.
00:46:46.20\00:46:47.30
Politics were a big deal
00:46:47.40\00:46:48.34
back in her day, too.
00:46:48.44\00:46:49.60
And it's kind of funny
00:46:49.70\00:46:50.67
because, if you read about
00:46:50.77\00:46:51.77
40 years ago,
00:46:51.87\00:46:52.81
people commenting
00:46:52.91\00:46:53.68
on the quotation
00:46:53.78\00:46:54.54
I'm going to put up here,
00:46:54.64\00:46:55.34
they say, "Oh, but
00:46:55.44\00:46:56.34
you have to understand the level
00:46:56.44\00:46:58.11
of chaos that was present
00:46:58.21\00:46:59.58
in US politics in those days."
00:46:59.68\00:47:02.68
Oh, well, perfect. Welcome home.
00:47:02.78\00:47:04.45
All right, here we go.
00:47:04.55\00:47:05.99
"Gospel Workers" 392, 393.
00:47:06.09\00:47:08.36
"Let political questions" --
00:47:08.46\00:47:10.43
What's the next word?
00:47:10.53\00:47:11.99
Uh-oh, uh-oh.
00:47:12.09\00:47:13.40
That's what she says
00:47:13.50\00:47:14.36
to church workers.
00:47:14.46\00:47:15.46
[ Whistles ]
00:47:30.35\00:47:32.21
Can you imagine if we made
00:47:32.31\00:47:33.45
this a job requirement in the
00:47:33.55\00:47:34.92
North American division today?
00:47:35.02\00:47:36.79
How many people
00:47:36.89\00:47:37.65
would be left standing?
00:47:37.75\00:47:38.52
I don't know, I don't know.
00:47:38.62\00:47:41.96
You should know this is
00:47:42.06\00:47:42.89
not an isolated statement,
00:47:42.99\00:47:43.59
by the way.
00:47:43.69\00:47:44.36
She had to deal with this
00:47:44.46\00:47:45.26
in her day every bit
00:47:45.36\00:47:46.23
as much as we do today.
00:47:46.33\00:47:48.26
And her counsel was
00:47:48.36\00:47:49.30
very, very clear.
00:47:49.40\00:47:50.70
Ladies and gentlemen,
00:47:50.80\00:47:51.53
we have got to get our house
00:47:51.63\00:47:53.07
in order on this one.
00:47:53.17\00:47:55.10
We must clean up
00:47:55.20\00:47:56.30
our public postings
00:47:56.40\00:47:57.37
of unnecessary
00:47:57.47\00:47:58.41
and counterproductive
00:47:58.51\00:47:59.41
political opinions.
00:47:59.51\00:48:00.48
After all,
00:48:00.58\00:48:02.08
we are not Republicans,
00:48:02.18\00:48:05.48
we are not Democrats.
00:48:05.58\00:48:08.02
We are Christians.
00:48:08.12\00:48:09.68
>> Amen.
00:48:09.78\00:48:12.32
>> And consequently,
00:48:12.42\00:48:13.62
we cannot immerse ourselves
00:48:13.72\00:48:14.96
in partisan politics.
00:48:15.06\00:48:16.96
We are instead much the wiser
00:48:17.06\00:48:18.39
if we are discreet
00:48:18.49\00:48:19.66
in sharing our political views,
00:48:19.76\00:48:21.00
knowing that the person
00:48:21.10\00:48:22.13
were directly communicating
00:48:22.23\00:48:23.33
with, or those
00:48:23.43\00:48:24.90
who might hear our opinions
00:48:25.00\00:48:26.84
through other means later on,
00:48:26.94\00:48:29.10
they may need to hear
00:48:29.20\00:48:30.47
about Jesus far more than
00:48:30.57\00:48:31.94
about our personal
00:48:32.04\00:48:32.87
political convictions.
00:48:32.97\00:48:35.84
I plead with you.
00:48:35.94\00:48:37.88
Don't let your thoughts
00:48:37.98\00:48:39.15
on earthly politics
00:48:39.25\00:48:41.22
damage someone else's
00:48:41.32\00:48:42.75
reception of a heavenly home.
00:48:42.85\00:48:44.69
Principle number eight.
00:48:48.36\00:48:50.03
[ Laughter ]
00:48:59.93\00:49:01.70
You know,
00:49:09.58\00:49:11.35
if I were to ask Christians
00:49:11.45\00:49:13.25
today -- I don't have
00:49:13.35\00:49:14.08
a survey to back this up.
00:49:14.18\00:49:15.08
It's just my own thoughts.
00:49:15.18\00:49:16.18
If I were to ask
00:49:16.28\00:49:17.22
most Christians today,
00:49:17.32\00:49:19.05
my guess is they would say
00:49:19.15\00:49:20.82
that the days of a clear-cut,
00:49:20.92\00:49:22.79
you know, this issue is good
00:49:22.89\00:49:23.76
and this one's bad.
00:49:23.86\00:49:25.03
You know, this candidate's good
00:49:25.13\00:49:26.26
and this candidate's bad.
00:49:26.36\00:49:27.20
Those days are gone, okay?
00:49:27.30\00:49:29.60
We instead live in a world
00:49:29.70\00:49:31.10
of moral mush
00:49:31.20\00:49:32.27
where gray is
00:49:32.37\00:49:33.23
the favorite color,
00:49:33.34\00:49:34.34
and societal elixirs and poisons
00:49:34.44\00:49:37.47
are freely mixed together
00:49:37.57\00:49:38.81
and offered to society to drink.
00:49:38.91\00:49:41.11
And because of this mush,
00:49:41.21\00:49:43.45
many Christians, and to be fair,
00:49:43.55\00:49:45.21
many people of no faith at all,
00:49:45.31\00:49:46.35
have kind of checked out.
00:49:46.45\00:49:48.45
There's just not a consistency.
00:49:48.55\00:49:49.72
And they're like, "Ah, you know,
00:49:49.82\00:49:50.59
I'm not doing this
00:49:50.69\00:49:51.92
political stuff."
00:49:52.02\00:49:54.89
But we have to understand
00:49:54.99\00:49:56.79
that, even in the messy world
00:49:56.89\00:49:58.33
of casting votes,
00:49:58.43\00:50:00.83
that Christians have
00:50:00.93\00:50:01.80
a different calling
00:50:01.90\00:50:02.83
than the rest of the world.
00:50:02.93\00:50:05.07
We are called to work for God
00:50:05.17\00:50:06.90
until working is no longer
00:50:07.00\00:50:08.44
possible, not just
00:50:08.54\00:50:09.74
when it's distasteful.
00:50:09.84\00:50:12.04
Jesus himself
00:50:12.14\00:50:13.31
clearly admonished us in this.
00:50:13.41\00:50:14.21
John 9:4. Jesus said...
00:50:14.31\00:50:16.31
Okay? So Jesus recognizes
00:50:23.69\00:50:25.55
that there is a time
00:50:25.65\00:50:26.42
when working will not be
00:50:26.52\00:50:27.42
possible any longer.
00:50:27.52\00:50:28.42
But until then, keep it up.
00:50:28.52\00:50:30.59
Keep on going.
00:50:30.69\00:50:32.89
Until that night finally comes,
00:50:32.99\00:50:35.43
we must not quit.
00:50:35.53\00:50:36.53
Instead, even
00:50:36.63\00:50:38.37
as the ideal candidates
00:50:38.47\00:50:39.93
and causes fade away,
00:50:40.04\00:50:41.70
let us do our best to vote
00:50:41.80\00:50:43.54
for the person or policy
00:50:43.64\00:50:45.04
that will bring in the end
00:50:45.14\00:50:46.11
of time
00:50:46.21\00:50:47.08
at the slowest possible pace.
00:50:47.18\00:50:49.71
Principle number nine.
00:50:52.81\00:50:54.75
"Wherever possible,
00:50:54.85\00:50:55.95
personally study
00:50:56.05\00:50:57.72
original sources" --
00:50:57.82\00:50:59.22
What kind of sources?
00:50:59.32\00:51:00.32
>> Original.
00:51:00.42\00:51:01.32
>> ..."original sources
00:51:01.42\00:51:02.49
to discover the true nature
00:51:02.59\00:51:04.16
of candidates and issues."
00:51:04.26\00:51:07.86
It sounds like common sense,
00:51:07.96\00:51:08.76
doesn't it?
00:51:08.86\00:51:10.80
I'm in an academic setting.
00:51:10.90\00:51:12.27
Surely we all know.
00:51:12.37\00:51:13.50
Find original sources
00:51:13.60\00:51:14.60
and all of that, right?
00:51:14.70\00:51:15.94
I got to tell you,
00:51:16.04\00:51:16.84
when it comes to politics,
00:51:16.94\00:51:17.64
in my experience,
00:51:17.74\00:51:18.71
this is not common practice.
00:51:18.81\00:51:21.04
Instead, what most people,
00:51:21.14\00:51:22.81
including what most Christians,
00:51:22.91\00:51:24.05
do -- Again, in my experience.
00:51:24.15\00:51:25.05
I don't have a survey to tell me
00:51:25.15\00:51:26.08
this, but in my experience,
00:51:26.18\00:51:27.35
most, even Christians, will get
00:51:27.45\00:51:28.92
their information for
00:51:29.02\00:51:30.05
how to vote on an issue
00:51:30.15\00:51:31.09
or for a candidate
00:51:31.19\00:51:32.25
from their favorite news outlet.
00:51:32.35\00:51:34.86
That's where it comes from.
00:51:34.96\00:51:38.33
For the thoughtful Christian,
00:51:38.43\00:51:39.39
I would suggest
00:51:39.49\00:51:40.33
that there is a better way.
00:51:40.43\00:51:41.53
And actually, the example
00:51:41.63\00:51:42.76
does indeed come from Scripture.
00:51:42.86\00:51:44.37
Check out this, Acts 17:11.
00:51:44.47\00:51:46.50
Says, "Now the Bereans were
00:51:46.60\00:51:48.74
more noble-minded
00:51:48.84\00:51:51.01
than the Thessalonians,
00:51:51.11\00:51:52.57
for they received the message
00:51:52.67\00:51:54.24
with great eagerness and" --
00:51:54.34\00:51:56.21
key word here -- "and examined
00:51:56.31\00:51:58.65
the Scriptures every day to see
00:51:58.75\00:52:00.82
if these teachings were true."
00:52:00.92\00:52:02.85
In other words, they went back
00:52:02.95\00:52:03.92
to the original source
00:52:04.02\00:52:05.42
to see whether this lined up,
00:52:05.52\00:52:06.86
this message they were hearing
00:52:06.96\00:52:07.69
of the gospel, et cetera.
00:52:07.79\00:52:08.62
Did it actually match up
00:52:08.72\00:52:09.82
with what we would call now
00:52:09.92\00:52:10.73
the Old Testament?
00:52:10.83\00:52:11.46
Did it match?
00:52:11.56\00:52:12.53
They did their research
00:52:12.63\00:52:13.76
personally with
00:52:13.86\00:52:14.76
original sources.
00:52:14.86\00:52:18.43
Oh, that we would have
00:52:18.53\00:52:19.67
more political Bereans today
00:52:19.77\00:52:23.51
because similar diligence
00:52:23.61\00:52:25.24
can yield wise dividends
00:52:25.34\00:52:27.04
even in the political realm,
00:52:27.14\00:52:28.31
maybe especially in
00:52:28.41\00:52:29.54
the political realm.
00:52:29.64\00:52:31.41
Read the actual published
00:52:31.51\00:52:32.81
platforms of
00:52:32.91\00:52:33.78
political candidates.
00:52:33.88\00:52:35.18
Search online
00:52:35.28\00:52:36.42
for full interviews,
00:52:36.52\00:52:37.52
not merely sound bites
00:52:37.62\00:52:38.72
that you may get through
00:52:38.82\00:52:39.45
whatever outlet you use.
00:52:39.55\00:52:40.82
Look for full interviews
00:52:40.92\00:52:41.96
of candidates in which their
00:52:42.06\00:52:42.96
policy positions are stated.
00:52:43.06\00:52:44.49
Keep a simple log of links
00:52:44.59\00:52:46.23
so that you can refer back
00:52:46.33\00:52:47.23
to them later on.
00:52:47.30\00:52:47.96
Listen to
00:52:48.06\00:52:49.30
professional media newscasts
00:52:49.40\00:52:51.63
with skepticism on whatever side
00:52:51.73\00:52:54.00
of the aisle they come from.
00:52:54.10\00:52:55.84
Because, remember,
00:52:55.94\00:52:56.84
those sources all
00:52:56.94\00:52:58.04
are also businesses.
00:52:58.14\00:53:00.28
Giving you the truth is not
00:53:00.38\00:53:02.11
necessarily top of their list.
00:53:02.21\00:53:04.75
And there's just
00:53:04.85\00:53:05.65
the basic things, again,
00:53:05.75\00:53:06.68
on both sides
00:53:06.78\00:53:07.68
of the political aisle.
00:53:07.78\00:53:09.38
There's the basic things
00:53:09.48\00:53:10.25
of scheduling
00:53:10.35\00:53:11.29
for commercial breaks.
00:53:11.39\00:53:12.32
You got to cut the interview
00:53:12.42\00:53:13.15
off somewhere, you can't put
00:53:13.25\00:53:14.16
the whole thing up.
00:53:14.26\00:53:14.86
There's people
00:53:14.96\00:53:15.69
that are making decisions
00:53:15.79\00:53:16.76
as to what we will hear.
00:53:16.86\00:53:18.03
So be a political Berean.
00:53:18.13\00:53:20.16
Go back
00:53:20.26\00:53:21.13
and find those interviews.
00:53:21.23\00:53:22.40
Find those documents
00:53:22.50\00:53:23.77
and study them for yourself.
00:53:23.87\00:53:26.10
Finding the truth regarding
00:53:26.20\00:53:27.80
politics today
00:53:27.90\00:53:28.90
is not always easy,
00:53:29.00\00:53:32.37
but you can be
00:53:32.47\00:53:33.27
a political Berean
00:53:33.38\00:53:34.91
that does proper research
00:53:35.01\00:53:36.68
so that you can cast a vote
00:53:36.78\00:53:38.55
that accurately reflects
00:53:38.65\00:53:39.88
both reality
00:53:39.98\00:53:41.18
and Christ-like wisdom.
00:53:41.28\00:53:42.88
>> Amen.
00:53:42.98\00:53:45.39
>> Which brings us finally
00:53:45.49\00:53:47.22
to principle number ten.
00:53:47.32\00:53:48.56
>> Amen.
00:53:59.63\00:54:02.24
>> You know, for Christians,
00:54:02.34\00:54:03.37
this is not optional.
00:54:03.47\00:54:05.54
The Spirit declares --
00:54:05.64\00:54:06.78
1 John 4:20...
00:54:06.88\00:54:08.64
And even Jesus himself
00:54:17.09\00:54:18.45
left no space
00:54:18.55\00:54:19.99
for politically motivated
00:54:20.09\00:54:21.32
disdain when he said this.
00:54:21.42\00:54:22.62
Matthew chapter 5.
00:54:22.72\00:54:23.89
I'll tell you what, I cringe
00:54:36.44\00:54:37.51
when I hear Christians make
00:54:37.61\00:54:38.64
statements about
00:54:38.74\00:54:39.47
political candidates
00:54:39.57\00:54:40.81
that Christ would never say,
00:54:40.91\00:54:43.18
and they sound for all the world
00:54:43.28\00:54:44.45
like a secular partisan
00:54:44.55\00:54:45.65
who cares nothing
00:54:45.75\00:54:46.68
for their target's salvation.
00:54:46.78\00:54:48.98
I'll tell you what,
00:54:49.08\00:54:50.92
take the political candidate
00:54:51.02\00:54:52.85
at the top of the ticket
00:54:52.95\00:54:53.92
on the other side from you.
00:54:54.02\00:54:56.02
And now imagine
00:54:56.12\00:54:57.53
that that person knew everything
00:54:57.63\00:55:00.23
that you had ever said about
00:55:00.33\00:55:01.43
them, in private or publicly.
00:55:01.53\00:55:04.63
And then, you went to them
00:55:04.73\00:55:06.50
and said, "Would you like
00:55:06.60\00:55:08.34
Bible studies from me?"
00:55:08.44\00:55:10.24
[ Laughter ]
00:55:10.34\00:55:12.11
Ladies and gentlemen, we are
00:55:16.61\00:55:17.68
called to a higher standard,
00:55:17.78\00:55:19.35
even, and maybe especially,
00:55:19.45\00:55:21.82
in politics.
00:55:21.92\00:55:24.79
You know, the old campfire
00:55:24.89\00:55:25.79
song is still correct.
00:55:25.89\00:55:27.76
And if you know this song,
00:55:27.86\00:55:30.06
would you sing it with me,
00:55:30.16\00:55:31.33
please?
00:55:31.43\00:55:32.76
[ Hums tuning note ]
00:55:32.86\00:55:35.40
¤ We are one in the spirit
00:55:35.50\00:55:38.83
>> ¤ We are one in the Lord
00:55:38.93\00:55:42.27
¤ We are one in the spirit
00:55:42.37\00:55:46.11
¤ We are one in the Lord
00:55:46.21\00:55:49.81
¤ And we pray that our unity
00:55:49.91\00:55:54.15
¤ May one day be restored
00:55:54.25\00:55:57.52
¤ And we'll know we are
00:55:57.62\00:56:00.22
Christians ¤
00:56:00.32\00:56:01.56
¤ By our love, by our love
00:56:01.66\00:56:07.30
¤ Yes, we'll know
00:56:07.40\00:56:09.76
we are Christians by our love ¤
00:56:09.86\00:56:13.47
>>May that message
00:56:16.67\00:56:18.74
and these ten principles
00:56:18.84\00:56:21.01
and the God behind them
00:56:21.11\00:56:23.14
be exemplified as we seek
00:56:23.24\00:56:26.08
to vote as Jesus
00:56:26.18\00:56:28.12
would this election season.
00:56:28.22\00:56:30.79
>> Amen.
00:56:30.89\00:56:32.62
[ Applause ]
00:56:32.72\00:56:40.40
>> Have you ever wondered
00:56:43.70\00:56:44.40
what Jesus was like
00:56:44.50\00:56:45.87
when He walked on this planet
00:56:45.97\00:56:46.84
2,000 years ago?
00:56:46.94\00:56:49.04
Have you ever wondered where
00:56:49.14\00:56:50.41
He traveled, who He talked to,
00:56:50.51\00:56:52.24
who His friends were,
00:56:52.34\00:56:53.34
what His family was like?
00:56:53.44\00:56:55.14
Or have you heard about
00:56:55.24\00:56:55.91
the astonishing miracles
00:56:56.01\00:56:57.11
that Jesus did,
00:56:57.21\00:56:58.58
like feeding 5,000 people
00:56:58.68\00:57:00.25
with just five loaves of bread
00:57:00.35\00:57:01.48
and a couple of fish
00:57:01.58\00:57:02.85
or giving sight back to a man
00:57:02.95\00:57:04.42
born blind?
00:57:04.52\00:57:06.15
What would it have been like
00:57:06.25\00:57:07.96
to be there with Jesus
00:57:08.06\00:57:09.49
in those unprecedented days?
00:57:09.59\00:57:12.39
I hold in my hands a free book
00:57:12.49\00:57:14.10
that I'd like to give to you.
00:57:14.20\00:57:15.00
It's called
00:57:15.10\00:57:15.80
"The Desire of Ages,"
00:57:15.90\00:57:17.67
and it's one of the finest
00:57:17.77\00:57:18.50
biographies of Christ
00:57:18.60\00:57:19.50
ever produced.
00:57:19.60\00:57:21.14
It goes into incredible detail
00:57:21.24\00:57:22.50
of who Jesus was,
00:57:22.60\00:57:23.91
what His life was like,
00:57:24.01\00:57:25.44
who His enemies were, and what
00:57:25.54\00:57:26.71
His followers were like,
00:57:26.81\00:57:28.51
and, of course, ultimately how
00:57:28.61\00:57:30.15
He died on the cross and rose
00:57:30.25\00:57:31.75
from the grave to give freedom
00:57:31.85\00:57:33.48
to people just like you and me.
00:57:33.58\00:57:35.62
"The Desire of Ages" can be
00:57:35.72\00:57:37.52
yours for free by calling
00:57:37.62\00:57:39.15
877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:39.25\00:57:41.39
That's 877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:41.49\00:57:44.56
Jesus is the most influential
00:57:44.66\00:57:46.36
person in all of human history.
00:57:46.46\00:57:48.73
You owe it to yourself
00:57:48.83\00:57:50.33
and those you love to find out
00:57:50.43\00:57:52.27
who he really was.
00:57:52.37\00:57:53.54
¤
00:58:00.04\00:58:09.52
¤
00:58:09.62\00:58:19.09
¤
00:58:19.19\00:58:27.27