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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Michael Tuazon

The Solution to the Recession, Election and Depression

As you know, there's a very important event taking place this Tuesday.

Within the last month, I've probably received a whole bunch of emails.

My emails have spanned from all sorts of different things, and let me tell you, some of them have made me quite passionate.

Some of those emails have really, in my opinion, have fueled sensationalism, emotionalism.

Some people have just ran with some of these emails and Some of them say of an impending Armageddon taking place.

Some of them have talked about martial law taking place before the election and then the world's impending doom or to stock up on beans and rice.

Now, while these people may have good intentions, and trust me, we're going to examine where we are in Bible prophecy, what I want us to do is I want us to be people of the word, not people of the headlines.

Another thing that I've been a little bit passionate about is this upcoming collection.

I'm not passionate for the Republican side.

I'm not passionate for the Democrats either.

I'm passionate about Christian and the society and the ideals that we stand for.

I'll admit I share a lot of similarities with the grand old party, especially when it comes to society, when it comes to morals.

I also share some beliefs with the Democrats, how they believe in a cleared separation between church and states.

But What I am not a fan of and what I don't subscribe to is propagating your party to the point where we have division in the church.

I should have gotten more amends than that.

Precious Father, hear my cry, oh Lord, and take away my sins.

I admit that I'm a man of unclean lips that needs to be purged from your altar above.

I pray, Lord, that as we study this topic, 1 of utmost importance, that you'll give me a clear direction where to go.

As you know that I've been preparing for this sermon, my brain's been scatterbrained.

I haven't understood exactly the best message for your people, but I know that you do.

And So I ask that you send your Holy Spirit to convict my heart to present the truths that are necessary to prepare us for your soon coming.

Once every 4 years, we have a very special event.

It is an event that is preceded by millions of dollars being spent on campaigning.

Thousands of volunteers nationwide pouring their hearts into getting people to vote for the candidate of choice.

The last 2 elections have been quite interesting.

In 2000, we had 1 of the most controversial elections, 1 that featured 1 person winning by a margin of 300 or so votes.

Then the last 1 we had, another interesting campaign, another interesting election where we had another slim margin of victory.

This election seems to be by far the most talked about, The most, shall I say, controversial, the talk of the town.

We've seen already in the Democratic Party someone who is black and a woman compete to be the front runner of their party.

We've seen in the Grand Old Party the Republicans make a stunning decision for a vice presidential nominee in Sarah Palin.

So here we have the cards of a monumental election, something that hasn't happened before.

In addition to that, we've seen a record number of voters already registered to vote.

We've seen a million dollars of people just throwing their money into the campaigns they believe in.

In addition to the presidential election, we have some propositions as well that are looking to shape the way that we look at things, the way that we see our financial system here in California.

We see things the way that it blurs church and state.

With additions of Proposition 4 and Proposition 8, we are looking to blur the lines between church and state.

Now I'm not here to propagate my beliefs on different things.

I'm not here to talk about what I believe, but instead I want to share some truths from the Bible.

And I see some people who can't quite hear me.

There's a lot of people in the back who can't hear and they're asking if we can turn the volume up if you don't mind.

As I stated before, the 1 thing that has gripped me the most are the different hate emails that I've been getting.

Ones that have attacked someone's race and religious beliefs.

Posting video posts featuring some candidate on Saturday Night Live.

Are we vindicating the character of Christ by subscribing to these things?

I want to read something very interesting.

I'm reading from Fundamentals of Education, page 475.

Now for those of you who don't believe that Ellen White is a prophet, at least you can do me this favor and say that she was instrumental in helping start the Adventist church and she should be respected as 1.

Now I personally believe that she is 1 that we should subscribe to.

I personally believe that she's a prophet from the Lord, but those of you who are skeptic, at least give her the respect of her being a woman who has published more writings than any other woman in history.

Found in Phenomenals of Education, page 475, the Lord would have his people bury political questions.

Christ calls upon his followers to come into unity on the pure gospel principles which are plainly revealed in the word of God.

Now listen carefully to what I'm gonna read next.

We cannot with safety vote for political parties, For we do not know whom we are voting for.

We cannot with safety take part in any political schemes.

We cannot labor to please men who will use their influence to repress religious liberty and to set in operation oppressive measures to lead or compel their fellow men to keep Sunday as the Sabbath.

The people of God are not to vote to place such men in office, for when they do this, they are partakers with them of the sins which they commit while in office.

That's a pretty stunning quote, especially where we are in history.

A lot of people have said, who are you going to vote for?

And here we have a very clear statement by Ellen White talking about the dangers of voting for an individual.

Now let me say this, Ellen White, in my opinion, she would stand for moral issues.

Back in her days, she would stand for what was right.

And I think that we should be educated people.

I think we should stand up for what's right.

But at the same time, we shouldn't put our hopes in men.

I think that personally for me, I'm convicted that it's fine to vote on issues, but not vote on candidates.

The second quote, which is also quite sobering, is found in Selected Messages, Volume 2, Chapter 39, which is entitled, Councils on Voting.

There's actually a compilation in Selected Messages that actually has a title that says, Council on voting.

Ellen White advises, whatever the opinions you entertain in regard to casting your vote in political questions, you are not to proclaim it by pen or voice.

Our people need to be silent upon questions which have no relation to the third angel's message.

Do not feel it your duty to urge everyone to do as you do.

There have been a lot of people looking at my emails in the past month, or let's just say 6 months, who have propagated, who have said, vote for this, vote for this person, and these are the reasons why on Facebook people have been sending reasons why you should vote for McCain or Obama or whatever it is, And at the very heart of it, we are leaving out the third angel's message.

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The Solution to the Recession, Election and Depression

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