Political Indecision

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Intro

God, Politics, & The Church

Quick recap from last week…

I believe in the authoritative, inerrant, inspired Word of God and all its teachings for the practice of truth and godliness.

I believe that all those who claim the name of Christ are constrained by the scripture in all avenues of their lives.

I believe that America is a great country with freedoms we should all cherish and seek to continue to uphold.

Because of these premises above last week we began our talk about God / Politics / Church

Offense - Spirit / Shut off

Love and Bible not opinion

Political Ideology

God and politics must be separate - political idolatry

God and politics can not be separated - God owns government

We as christians must form and conform our political ideology with scripture....

Political Indecision / Political Identity = who you must vote for this year!

PRAYER

Message

How do you make decisions?

As a:

Parent

Spouse

Child

Citizen

Etc...

As a Christian how must we go about making decisions?

Application

Knowledge

Scripture

Christians grow in our knowledge of scripture by prayerfully reading God’s Word through the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

3 Main Questions for Today

Should we as Christians participate in this election at all (should Christians vote)?

Political Indecision in Participation

Separatism

Duty to Vote

Romans 13:1–7 ESV

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Be subject \ governing authorities = instituted by Him

resist - God appointment = judgement

avoid wrath | conscience

pay to those who are owed…

Mark 12:13–17 ESV

13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.

(Matt 22.15-22; Lk 20.19-26)

Taken together...

gov by God = submit to

render | separate

Our gov established by God runs by asking citizens to participate in vote

Conscience = commission / omission

Citizen | Ambassador = Martin Luther King Jr.

If we as Christians should vote how do we know what to vote for and against?

Political Indecision on Policy

If you are a Christian, you must allow the Bible alone to tell you what to vote for or against…

Make decisions… Christians should make their decisions based upon the application of their knowledge of scripture. = Christians grow in our knowledge of scripture by prayerfully reading God’s Word through the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

What does the Bible say about:

Immigration

Abortion

Gender / Sexuality / Marriage

Racial Equality

The Character of Leaders

Women’s Rights

Gun Control

Climate Change

Economy & Finance

Healthcare

MSNBC - FOX | Joe - Don | God…

encourage you = do some homework !!!

warn you = God will judge you

ABC - ask if you want to… but not my word, Gods… He will tell you = He wants you to know !!

Promise…

James 1:5 ESV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

The OT says it this way…

Proverbs 2:3–6 ESV

3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Jesus Himself says…

Matthew 7:7–11 ESV

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

God’s Word = God’s Word - All or none

once you know - you must ACT = Caesar | God

Luke 12:42–48 ESV

42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

Look Also @…

John 8:39–47 ESV

39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Follower of Christ = God is King | Master = we are servant

ignorance | disobedience

Close

Are you a follower of Christ?

Political Indecision = temporal problem

Messianic Indecision - eternal issue = YOU MUST DECIDE

John 3:16–18 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

If a follower of Christ then follow Him… = Indecision is inexcusable !

if you are not… I beg you to make this decision

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