ELECTION SERMON 2004
Rev. Bill Banuchi
Exodus 18:19-25:
Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you.
You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to
him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the
duties they are to perform.
But select
capable men from all the people--men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate
dishonest gain--and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties
and tens. Have them serve as judges
for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you;
the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter,
because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you
will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied."
Moses listened to his father-in-law and did
everything he said. He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders
of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.”
This November 2 we
will go to the polls to select our rulers over our thousands, over our
hundreds, over our fifties and over our tens.
Some may object to
the idea of talking about politics in Church. I understand. Jesus had a similar
problem. His disciples couldn’t get their minds off their earthly bondage to
understand that Jesus was talking about spiritual liberty. Let me emphasize
that our true liberty can only come by the cross of Calvary. That’s primary.
But Jesus never intended
that his disciples would become so heavenly minded that they would be no
earthly good!
There is still a
Christian responsibility to be responsible and good citizens of this world so
that we would bring honor to the name of the one we represent.
There is a Christian
responsibility to be good stewards of this gift of liberty He has given us,
this land of the free, and this government, a Constitutional Republic, an
outgrowth of this very book. (The Bible)
There is a Christian
responsibility to give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.
We must not neglect
our dual citizenship and responsibility, -citizens of the city of God, as well
as citizens of the city of man where we serve as ambassadors for the Most High
King, Jesus.
When God placed Adam
and Eve in the Garden He commissioned them to rule over the earth and all its
inhabitants. They failed; they blew it. Then Jesus came to finish the job by
empowering His followers to rule.
Matt. 28:18 “…’All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Jesus intended for
his followers to be leaders, to rule in righteousness.
In Luke 19 Jesus
tells us what the rewards are for being a faithful servant; he said you will
rule over cities. Guess what? That means you’ll be a mayor.
The real good and
faithful servant, he says, will rule over many cities; that means he’ll be a
Governor!
In the Old Testament
we’re continually admonished to possess “the city gates.” What is that? That’s
the seat of power. We’re told we are to be seated on the town councils.
Historically, when
leaders are ungodly the land is cursed
When leaders are
godly the land is blessed.
It’s simple: When
good people are in office you don’t have to worry about bad government.
Proverbs 29:2 “Where
the righteous rule the people rejoice; where the wicked rule the people mourn.”
“He causes his
sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous.”
So it behooves
everyone, Christian or non, to vote for godly leadership; rising tide lifts all
boats!
Jedidiah Morse, The
Father of American Geography, and minister of the Gospel preached an Election
Sermon in 1799 from the Biblical text, Psalm 11:3.
“When the
foundations be destroyed what can the righteous do?”
He said,
“To the kindly
influence of Christianity we owe that degree of civil freedom, and political
and social happiness which mankind now enjoys. In proportion as the genuine
effects of Christianity are diminished in any nation, either through unbelief
or the corruption of its doctrine, or the neglect of its institutions; in the
same proportion will the people of that nation recede from the blessings of
genuine freedom, and approximate the miseries of complete despotism. I hold
this to be a truth confirmed by experience. If so, it follows that all efforts
made to destroy the foundations of our holy religion, ultimately tend to the
subversion also of our political freedom and happiness. Whenever the pillars of
Christianity shall be overthrown, our present forms of republican forms of
government, and all the blessings, which flow from them, must fall with them.”
He was saying that
if Christianity is undermined so is the nation built on a Christian foundation.
George Washington
told us that we must call no man a patriot who would subvert the pillars of
religion and morality. In His Farewell Speech in 1796 said:
~ Of all the
dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, religion and
morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute
of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human
happiness - these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere
politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A
volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity…
And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained
without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined
education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us
to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious
principle.
This next election
will determine whether we will have another four years to pray and seek God’s
face for religious principle to rule in this nation while we pray for national
revival, or whether we will have surrendered this land settled “…for the glory
of God and the advancement of the Christian Religion[i]”
to the gods of Atheistic Secular Humanism.
If, we, the people
of God are really living our lives according to a Biblical worldview, we will
be faithful in our stewardship of this democratic republic, and we will go to
the polls to vote, and God will grant us righteous leadership.
In the elections of
2000 only ½ of eligible Christian voters were registered, and only half of them
actually showed up to the polls to vote. The truth is that God, in His mercy
saved us from the leadership we really deserved, and in His grace He’s given us
four years of Godly leadership that, in all truth, we don’t deserve.
On top of that is
the fact that there are still large numbers of people who say they are
Christians, but they would vote for a man would condone baby killing, by protecting
legalized abortion, a candidate who would promote homosexuality by endorsing
same-sex marriage or civil unions; they would vote for this candidate simply
because he makes promises for them or the group they are a part of.
They vote based on what’s
in it for them. This should never be the motive of the believer.
We must never
compromise Scriptural principle for selfish reasons, or we in fact become
complicit in the sins of others.
Proverbs
25:26:
Like a muddled
spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.
The very essence of
our faith calls us to think of others above ourselves. We must never –if we are
in the Spirit of Christ- vote based on getting something for us. We must always
be thoughtful of how others will benefit, what is best for America, and how can
we be a blessing to a world in need of liberty and love.
Those who vote based
on what’s in it for them simply do not see the world through the eyes of
Scripture. They do not have a Biblical worldview.
A recent Barna study
pointed out that only 4% of Americans had a Biblical worldview. In other words
only 4% of Americans see life, and make decisions using this Book at their
guide. That shouldn’t surprise us, because you shouldn’t expect non-believers
to have a Biblical worldview, but what is not good news is that the same Barna
study told us that 91% of self-identified Born Again Christians also had a
non-Biblical worldview.
In other words, 9
out of ten people who call themselves born again believers make their every day
decisions and live their everyday life by the same standards that unbelievers
do.
The Bible is a book
they read on Sunday but don’t do on Monday, or any other day through the week.
Please understand,
it doesn’t take a majority of people who hold a Biblical worldview to insure we
remain One Nation Under God, but it does take a faithful remnant.
If the general
unbiblical worldview prevails, then this great experiment in political liberty
will fail, and we will have the distinct notoriety of being known for being the
generation that ushered in first United Socialist Sodomite States of America.
At about the time
our original 13 states adopted their new constitution, in the year 1787,
Alexander Tyler (a Scottish history professor at The University of Edinborough)
had this to say about "The Fall of The Athenian Republic" some 2,000
years prior.
"A democracy is always temporary in
nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy
will continue to exist up until the time
that voters discover that they can vote
themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the
majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the
public treasury, with the result that every
democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy,(which is) always
followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the worlds greatest
civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those
200 years, these nations always
progressed through the following sequence:
From Bondage to spiritual faith; From
spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to
abundance; From abundance to complacency;
From
complacency to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into
bondage."
Where are we in this
cycle? I believe we are between complacency and apathy, on our way to
dependence, then bondage.
Unless the people of
God live their lives according to a Biblical worldview.
How do you know if
you hold a Biblical worldview? What is the Biblical worldview?
It’s when:
1. You see your commission to subdue the earth,
making disciples of all nations through effective Christian witness in every
area of life.
2. You see your Christian Faith replenishing the
Earth and blessing all mankind?
3. You see the entire world as belonging to God,
and see yourself as a steward of God’s creation in the earth, so that you stand
ready to answer when God will ask you on that final day, “What did you do with
the blessings I’ve given you: your personal salvation, your marriage, your
family, your church, your country?”
4. You move forward in faith in bringing the
kingdom of God upon the kingdoms of this world wherever you go?
5. You stand ready to sacrifice, all you have,
all you are, for the one who sacrificed all for you?
Or are you one of
those 91% of self-identified Christians who do not see life through a Biblical
worldview, but rather see Satan as ultimate ruler over the earth, and you see
1. You make every day decisions based on your
“feelings” rather than the principles of Scripture.
2. You see Christian culture as a separate
counter culture, an isolated, persecuted minority in an evil world?
3. You see Church activities as primarily spiritual,
while you see worldly pursuits as secular. There is a separation of Church and
life.
4. Have you surrendered the idea of righteous
reformation of our culture in exchange for a fatalistic view that this world is
only going to get worse, so let it go to hell while you stay in your prayer
closet and wait for His coming?
V. THE FUTURE OF
AMERICA IS IN THE HANDS OF THE CHURCH?
Charles Finney said,
…
The church must take right ground in regards to politics…
The time has come for Christians to vote for honest men, and take consistent
ground in politics or the Lord will curse them...
God cannot sustain this free and blessed country, which
we love and pray for, unless the Church will take right ground. Politics are a
part of a religion in such a country as this, and Christians must do their duty
to their country as a part of their duty to God...
God will bless or curse this nation according to the
course Christians take in politics! ~
Will God Bless us or
curse us? Blessed is the nation whose
God is The Lord!
Whether or not the
next generation is blessed or cursed will be determined by whether or not we
will fulfill our responsibility to be a part of this government of the people,
by first of all going to the polls on November 2nd, and voting, not
for a man, or a political party, but voting for God; for that man, or woman, on
every level of government who first of all will publicly acknowledge that God
is their source, and will rule and make decisions in a manner consistent with
God’s Word to the best of his or her ability.
We can no longer
vote according to old customs, traditions or prejudices. Our loyalty to God,
and His righteousness must be undivided.
Let me share with
you some reasons why we must vote.
The Place of God in
our culture:
Our Motto is “In God
We Trust.” Many other mottos were considered, including the motto: “E Pluribus
Unum,” from many one. But it was determined that more importantly than any
other idea is the idea that it is in God that we place our ultimate reliance. If we had this debate today in the halls of
Congress the ACLU would be all over us for talking about God in government, and
yet our founders were establishing that God is the ultimate source of all
government.
Today, they might go
for “In Humanity We Trust,” or “In the Legislature We Trust,” or “In Judges We
Trust.” But that’s not our motto. Our motto, and the primary framework of
thinking for all our social and government affairs is, “In God We Trust.”
Take out a quarter, and
look on its face and you will see the word “Liberty” and on the same side of
the same coin you will see the phrase “In God We Trust.” As inseparable as you
will find these two inscriptions to be on every quarter you spend, that is how
inseparable these two ideas are in fact. You cannot separate liberty from a
belief in the God who gave us liberty.
“What about the
Atheist?” You say. Well, they can live here, and enjoy all the freedoms of a
nation that puts its trust in God.”
Listen to what “Give
Me Liberty or Give Me Death” Patrick Henry said,
“It cannot be
emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by
religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus
Christ; for this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum,
prosperity, and freedom to worship here.”
The reason he can
enjoy freedom here is because we do put our trust in God. But we must never elect Atheists to office,
because they will answer to no one higher than themselves. They become their
own Gods.
In 1953 President
Eisenhower stated, and it was later restated by President Gerald Ford,
“Without God
there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life.
Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first –the most basic- expression of
Americanism”
So don’t let anyone
tell you you can’t talk about God. The truth be told, you can’t be a good
American without a belief in God!
“What about the
Constitutional separation of Church and state?” you say. Well there is no
Constitutional Separation of Church, unless of course you’re talking about the
Constitution of the former Soviet Union. It’s in that Constitution. It’s not in
ours.
George Washington
told us it’s impossible to govern without God and the Bible.
Once you establish
that it is God in whom we ultimately place our trust, then that tells you where
your rights come from. That’s why the Declaration of Independence states that
we our endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights. In other words,
your Creator, God has given you rights that no man, and no judge and no
government can take away.
In JFK’s inaugural
address he told us that our rights are not given to us by the generosity of the
state but by the hand of God.
It’s the job of government,
not to dispense rights, but to secure those rights given to us by the God in
whom we have placed our trust.
So the very first
and foremost thing we’re voting for this election is to keep God in His primary
place in American life.
Secondly, we’re
voting to save the lives of millions of babies who will continue to be aborted
unless we can get judges on the Supreme Court who understand the travesty of
the Roe v. Wade decision and overturn it.
In a very real sense
the choice of Supreme Court Justices will affect us more deeply than the choice
for President. A president is here and gone in four or eight years. A Supreme
Court Justice is appointed for life!
Rowe v. Wade must be
overturned to save the lives of one million babies a year.
We need Judges who
will interpret the Constitution according to the original intent of the
founders, not rewrite it to suit their own political agendas.
(We’ve just
published a book entitled, “How Shall I Vote?” that explains these issues more
fully.)
Scripture tells us
to not be led around like the mule by bit and bridle, but seek understanding.
We must understand
that liberal politicians see the Constitution the same way liberal theologians
see the Bible.
They believe the
Constitution changes according to their own desires and needs; they call it “a
living document.” This is the same thing liberal theologians do when they twist
the word of God to suit their own desires.
Let me tell you
about Luigi who I talk about in the book “How Shall I Vote?”
Luigi, the bricklayer refused to use a plumb line to
line up his row of bricks with the foundation. He would simply line up each row
with the row he previously laid. The only problem was that each row was lined
up with an unperceivable shift to the left, until finally Luigi saw what looked
like the Leaning Tower of Pisa just before it came down with a crash!
So will it be for any society that does not have an
absolute standard for truth, a reliable plumb. A Constitution whose principles
do not change. Yes, our circumstances change, but the principles of right and
wrong should never change, in the same way the principles in this book never
change. For
“Thy
Word is settled O Lord forever!”
Not only are the lives of millions of babies
depending on the leadership we choose, but so is the very integrity of our
Constitution. If it can mean anything then it will mean nothing, and we will
end up in legal and social chaos.
Next
is the Holy Institution of marriage. You see once they take God out of the
picture, and then decide the Constitution can mean whatever they want it to
mean, then it just follows that we can redefine an institutions and man can
dispense rights as he sees fit.
And so if we, the
people, decide that marriage should be between any two people who love each
other so shall it be.
But wait a minute,
what about three people who love each other? You can’t discriminate against
them. Who gives you the right to say marriage can only be two people? In fact what about the family who lost their
young mother at age 46 of cancer, and now the 21-year-old daughter wants to
marry her father so she can take care of Him. How can you discriminate against
her? Do you see where this is headed?
Marriage is a holy
institution, one of those inalienable rights granted to us by our Creator. Only
he can redefine it and last time I looked God wasn’t wearing a black robe.
This election we
will be voting on the actual purpose and role of Government in American life: Will
Government be a servant of the people or will it be the parent of the people.
There’s so much
more. We simply don’t have time to go into it today. I suggest you pick up my
book and study, and learn about what it means to be a good Christian American.
We cannot allow
government to continue to grow.
Any government big
enough to give you everything you need is also big enough to take away
everything you have.
Will we continue to
enjoy our blessings while neglecting our responsibilities or will we repent,
turn it around, from singing God Bless America to America Bless God??
Thomas Jefferson …
“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a
nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a
conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of
God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath?
Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God
is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.”
My prayer is that we
will take this warning seriously and join in religious societies, organizations
and groups to make a difference in our culture.
Our vision is to see
every church have a civic concerns ministry that will be the liaison between
that local congregation and government agencies on every level beginning with
the school board on up.
My purpose is to
enlist you in this great cause.
You must first be
saved
Then commit to the
cause of Christ
Sign your name on
the dotted line, make a commitment.
-Amen!