Decision 2020 and the Church - Part 2

Last Sunday I began a short, two-week series on Decision 2020 and the Church. I had not intended to address issues around the election at all. But as we completed our time in the Be Attitudes, the realization that we should seek peace, but that sometimes we cannot have peace, prompted me to speak to these issues.

In Matthew 10:34, Jesus said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35

But Jesus also said in Matthew 10:16, we are to be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves”

So, Jesus tells us to be wise and shrewd in the way in which we communicate our message. But that at the same time, we should realize that God’s truth, the truth of the gospel, comes with a price…and that price sometimes, is conflict.

Because of this, the Bible tells us in Ephesians 6:10-12:

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

So…in other words…to speak the truth…even with wisdom and love, is to invite conflict, disapproval and rejection. None of which we personally desire. And the reluctance to risk those things, has been a direct contributor to the decline we’ve seen in our culture.

The American church is in the process of altering our doctrinal and theological positions in order to win the approval of the world. We are taking up causes that take us away from the greatest cause of all…the cause of Christ. And in trying to win the favor of the world and connect with the world, we are in the process of disconnecting from God. And by the way…just in case there is any confusion about who the “church” is…it is you and me! It is every redeemed person that belongs to Jesus. The “church” is not some amorphous thing out there…it is individuals. One at a time, person by person, we are sacrificing the teachings of Jesus, the commands of God, in order to fit in. And our families, our churches, and our culture are paying the price.

Abraham Lincoln - "I am not at all concerned about that. . . . But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side”.

Every question we are facing today has two answers….God’s answer and everyone else’s. And when those two differ, everyone else is wrong. God is in charge, and He wrote the only rule book that matters and it is the best life available for all of humanity. Whether we choose to believe that or not is wholly irrelevant to the truth of it. It’s true whether we believe it or not. The problem is that many Christians say we believe it, but live as if we do not. It’s time for us to get back to God’s rulebook for making the choices that not only affect our lives, but shape our culture. And one of the ways we do that is by determining who we will vote for to decide the policies and direction of our state and of our nation.

First, we must remember that God established civil government. – Romans 13

While God may have established civil government, that doesn’t mean that every government official is serving the Lord.

Proverbs 29:2 – When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked bears rule, the people mourn.

This verse tells us all we need to know about the work we have before us as believers. Government is established by God. But our job is to work in and influence the culture, including our government, for the cause of Christ. In so doing, not only will we see people become part of his ETERNAL kingdom, we will shape the culture by seeing people with kingdom values leading and ruling in our governmental institutions.

And that’s a big deal….because, as Solomon just said, when the righteous are in authority….when people lead and govern according to righteous principles…people and a nation rejoice. But when leaders don’t advocate or embrace principles consistent with scripture, it contributes to moral decline and problems.

SO WHAT IS THE LORD’S SIDE?

· LOVE GOD AND LOVE PEOPLE….BE A GOOD CITIZEN

In Matthew 22, Jesus was asked about who people should give their tax to…the Romans or to God…to the government…or to God. Jesus presents a THEOLOGY OF GOVERNMENT, and then applies it in a way that we can understand.

He affirms the role of government, even a government that is not in alignment with God. And it’s no understatement to say that the Roman government was in no shape, form, or fashion a God-honoring government. In fact, it was the very government that crucified Jesus.

But Jesus said to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. Government is due a certain degree of honor, whether it is in alignment with God’s principles or not, because, ultimately, all government’s authority either comes from or is allowed by God.

1 Timothy 2:1-3 (NKJV) 1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

All authority ultimately comes from God. We are to give appropriate honor to those in governmental position. We are to pray for them. This is EXACTLY why we need to be exercising our civic duty to do all that we can to put people into positions in the government that will at least espouse biblical principles, even if they are not Christians. --

But that verse says to be praying for them….Christians have historically understood that what is prayed for in private is to be labored for, or worked for in public. We’re not only to be earnest in our prayers, we are to be earnest in our efforts to advance the opportunity of the gospel.

1 Peter 2:13 (NKJV) - 13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,

So if the Lord calls us to submit to government, then obviously, we need to be doing what we are able to make sure that our government is being led by people who will be most in alignment with biblical principles.

· LOVE GOD AND LOVE PEOPLE….BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THE GOSPEL

FAITH IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE

· June 25, 1962 – Prayer was banned in public schools

· We have gone from freedom of religion which was established at the founding of our country (Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof) to freedom from religion.

· In fact, one of the biggest challenges to faith in the public square is an organization called FREEDOM FROM RELIGION.

· This particular organization has used the courts, legislation, and intimidation to keep anything that may represent biblical values from being heard, seen, or even from being spoken.

· It has had overwhelmingly negative impacts on the courage of people of faith.

· Our government, which once upon a time embraced a commitment to faith and biblical values, now chastises potential judges for holding firm positions of faith

· With almost 25% of Americans now claiming no religious affiliation at all, this is only going to continue to get worse if we sit on the sidelines and say nothing and do nothing.

· I believe the push to eliminate faith from public discourse is one of the greatest threats to our country. But even worse, it is one of the greatest threats to eternity for millions of people if we can no longer openly and courageously share the gospel.

· Matthew 5:15-16 - Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.

· John 15:19 tells us that while we are not OF this world…we are still IN this world. Our Christianity doesn’t make us invisible or irrelevant. We are still IN the world.

· We have a Constitutional right and a kingdom mandate to be the light that overcomes the darkness. If we hide our light, we are doing a disservice to our Lord as well as our fellow citizens, because it is God’s rulebook that serves us best.

· And believe me when I say that if we fail at this level…if we allow our faith to be silenced in public because we went silent on the issue…. we will have lost our usefulness as salt.

So what is the Lord’s side? Love God and Love People. I believe we do that during this election by being a good citizen….a strong advocate for the gospel.