Christians should understand biblical principles before the decide to exercise their freedom to vote. The upcoming election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden has the potential to affect the world and Christianity in a large way. Let us study Bible truth so you can be spiritually informed to make the right decision as to whether you should vote and what principles to apply. Pastor Mark Finley will show you from the word of God insight for the Christian voter.

<p>Christians should understand biblical principles before the decide to exercise their freedom to vote. The upcoming election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden has the potential to affect the world and Christianity in a large way. Let us study Bible truth so you can be spiritually informed to make the right decision as to whether you should vote and what principles to apply. Pastor Mark Finley will show you from the word of God insight for the Christian voter.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

HopeLives365

Mark Finley

Be Careful Who You Vote For (5 Bible Warnings)

The United States is in the midst of its election cycle. We are in the throes of election right now. The presidential campaign is in full force between the sitting president Donald J. Trump and the former Vice President Joe Biden. And often people ask me this question, pastor Mark, should I vote? And what principles do we have from scripture to guide us in this whole voting process? Now, obviously, I am not going to tell you who to vote for. I'm not even gonna tell you whether you should vote. You shouldn't vote. But I am gonna give you five basic principles to consider when you are voting. And then I'm gonna try to share with you a larger picture given to us in scripture about where this world is headed and where America is headed, no matter who is elected in the upcoming presidential election. So first, let's look at five basic principles. First, carefully weigh out the issues before you vote. Don't vote flippantly and say, well, I'm part of this political party, or I'm part of that political party. So merely because I'm a such part of this party, I'm gonna vote for this President. Not at all. Evaluate each candidate based on biblical principles. Principles such as integrity, honesty, righteousness, justice, principles such as the sanctity of life principles, such as where will this political party lead us in the light of liberty of conscience and religious liberty? James chapter one and verse five puts it this way. In scripture, the Bible talks about the decision making process. And in James chapter one and verse five, the Bible says, is if any of you lacks wisdom, let Him ask of God who gives to all men liberally? That's freely, that's abundantly, and without reproaching it'll be given to him. So be, if any man lacks wisdom before we vote on something so important, so critical, so vital as who leads a nation. God says, if any man or woman lacks wisdom, let him ask of God. So pray about your vote. Ask God who you should vote for and base your vote not simply on political considerations, but base your vote on biblical values. Not long ago I read an interesting action that took place in a session of the General Conference, a Seventh Day Adventist in May 17th, 1865. It was the third general conference session. Now, it was fascinating to me, and it can apply to Christians of any denomination of course, but that general conference session of Adventist delegates from throughout the United States at that time made a resolution regarding voting. And I thought it was fascinating. This is what they said. Resolved that in our judgment. The act of voting when exercised on behalf of justice, humanity and right is in itself blameless and may not be sometimes highly improbable, but that the centers of any vote that shall strengthen such crimes as in temperance, as insurrection, as slavery, we regard as highly criminal in the light of heaven. But we would depreciate any participation in the spirit of party strife. Now, what is this resolution saying? It's saying, if you vote, look for integrity and honesty and and candidates that uphold moral values. And then it brings out the interesting point of not getting involved in party strife in a local congregation. So here's principle number one. Carefully weigh out who you're gonna vote for. Evaluate that based on biblical principles and make it a matter of prayer. Now, here's principle number two. Every one of us has a God-given responsibility. Don't allow yourself to be manipulated. Don't allow yourself to be coerced by somebody else's opinion on what you should do. Who sh you should vote for? You have the liberty to make the choice yourself. And in fact, every one of us are accountable to God for the choices we make. Romans chapter 14, verse 12 is a principle that should guide every single one of us. Romans 14, verse 12. It should guide us in voting and other decisions in life. Romans 1412 says, so then each of us shall give account of himself to God. So every single one of us is accountable to God for the decisions we make when we allow ourselves to be manipulated by others. When we allow ourselves to be coerced by others, we lose the very essence of what it means to be human. That is the freedom of choice created with free will by God. So every one of us shall give account of himself to God. If we allow ourself to be manipulated. There's another danger. There's a day coming when the mark of the beast will be enforced according to the Book of Revelation, where political powers will unite church and state, where there the majority will put pressure and coerce to attempt to coerce us, to violate our conscience. If we violate our conscience now and are manipulated by others to vote in a certain way just because the majority is voting that way, then that prepares us ultimately to receive the mark of the beast. So here's the second principle, after you've prayed about it, after you've weighed a cons situation in biblical values, make the decision privately yourself. Here's the third principle. There are many people who are going to allow political differences to divide the church. People say, I'm of this political party, or I'm of that political party. There's a much higher, much higher allegiance that we have than to a political party, a much deeper allegiance, a much broader allegiance, and that's the allegiance to the body of Christ, the church. We are brothers and sisters in Christ that trumps over any political party. Now notice Ephesians chapter two in chapter three. You and I are members of the household of God when we make a decision to become a Christian, and when Jesus Christ guides governs our life. Ephesians chapter two, verse 19. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers in foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints in members of the household of God having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being our chief coroner stone, we are fellow citizens with the saints. We're members of the household of God. You and I are brothers and sisters. You may have won political party. I may be at the other political party, but we are together in Jesus Christ. We are together in the family of God. We are part of the household of God. Ephesians chapter three, verse 14, for this reason, I bow my knees to the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 15, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might through his spirit and the inner man. We have come to Christ, we're strengthened by the Holy Spirit. We have become Jew and gentile, male and female educated, uneducated. We've come from various denominations, we've come from various ethnic groups, but we now do not have a party spirit that divides us. We do have some political ideology that separates us. We are part of the household of faith and the family of God. So here's three principles. Number one, weigh carefully who you vote for. Base it on biblical values. Pray about it. Number two, every one of us has a personal responsibility to God, not to be manipulated or guided by another. Number three, don't allow political differences to divide the church's brothers and sisters. That would be Satan's goal. And here's number four, recognize that God is sovereign. Whoever is elected in this upcoming American election, whoever is elected, God is sovereign. God is the one that sets up kings and God is the one that takes down kings. Look, there are two clear texts on this. Now notice these two texts are very fascinating. The first is found in the book of Daniel chapter two, verse 21. This is in the days of Babylon. Was Babylon a godly power? Not at all. Babylon was a godless power. It war against the true God. But notice what Daniel chapter two says, and and he God changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings and raises up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who are understanding. God removes kings and raises up kings. You mean the destiny of nations is in the hands of God. Even unjust rulers can ultimately fulfill the plans of God because Rod, God raises up a king and takes down a king or raises up a political leader and takes down a political leader. Doesn't mean that political leader is a servant of God. It doesn't mean that they are faithful in their allegiance to God. It simply means that whoever is ruling a nation, God is in ultimate control and will use that person to carry out his destiny or his purposes. Now, we find that in Daniel chapter two, we find it also in the book of Romans. Now, you'll recall in Romans chapter 13, Paul is writing to the church at Rome, and it's very strange when you actually think about it. What Paul actually says In the divine drama of destiny, God is still in control of raising up and taking down kings. Even when those kings are godless. Rome is 13 verse one and two, let every soul be subject to the governing authorities for there is no authority except from God and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. How in the world could Paul say the authorities that exist are appointed by God? How in the world could Paul ever say that these Roman rulers that were despotic, that were persecuting Christians or appointed by God, therefore whoever resists the authority, that's the authority of that state power resists the ordinance of God and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. Now, obviously, there is a time to resist when government leaders make laws that are contrary to the laws of God, that's the time to resist. When government leaders cause men and women to violate the principles of the 10 Commandments, that's the time to resist. We don't go along. But look, when Rome was ruling, Paul says that the Roman authorities were placed there by God. What did Paul mean? He meant that God was sovereign over all. So don't get so distressed, so caught up in a political movement that you fail to recognize the sovereignty, the largeness, the bigness, the greatness of God that he is in control. Now, there is a fifth thing about this too that I wanna mention, and that is discover God's overriding purpose for your own life. In other words, there's a bigger election than the election that's going to take place right now. There's a much bigger election and there's a much larger purpose. What is that bigger election? Peter speaks about it. There's a bigger election than electing Donald J. Trump or electing Joes Biden. Much bigger election. You say it's a bigger election than that? Yeah, there's a greater election. Second Peter, chapter one, verse 10. Here's the bigger election. Therefore brethren or sisters be even more diligent to make your calling an election. Sure, notice this is an election to make your election and your calling sure for if you do these things you won't stumble for. So an entrance will be supplied to your abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. What does it mean to make your election? Sure. Before you were go born, God predestined you for eternity. Before you were born, God had an ultimate plan for your life. Before you were born, you were elected by God. When you were still in your mother's womb, you were elected by God for salvation. Jesus died for you. You are justified by his death on the cross, Christ's life on earth. In meeting the temptations of Satan and overcoming them was for you. Christ's death was for you. Christ's resurrection was for you. Christ's ascension was for you. Christ, highly priestly ministry is for you. You are elected for salvation, but we must elect to receive the grace of Christ. We must elect to receive his power in our lives. We must elect to receive the salvation that is ours in Christ. The greater election is not the election of Donald Trump. It's not the election of Joseph Biden. It is that you and I are elected for salvation, and when we accept the gift of salvation so freely authored, Jesus invites us to go out on a redemptive mission, to share the good news, to share the grace of God. I am amazed that thousands of people, tens of thousands, will go door to door to give out pamphlets for a political leader, but you can't get 'em to go door to door for Jesus. I'm amazed that people will go speak to their neighbors about a political candidate, that they want to be in office, but you can't get them to speak to their neighbors about Jesus Christ. I am appealing to you, my brother and sister, that there's a greater purpose. It's a larger purpose in life than a current political election because the Bible tells us we are on the knife edge of eternity. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is soon to come. The Bible tells us through who, that whoever is elected, that there are gonna be natural disasters. There are gonna be conflict and strife in the streets. There is going to be a trauma in our society. There's going to be a time when religious liberty is curtailed and taken away from us. There's gonna be a time when the mark of the beast is enforced, but God invites us to go with the good news of the gospel, to go with the good news of His grace. In the Bible says in Matthew 24, verse 14, in this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world unto all nations. Then the end shall come. Will you sense that larger purpose? You know whoever you vote for, that is your personal choice. In fact, there's a marvelous statement by Ele White in second selected messages. Book two, page 3 37. She says, if you vote, keep your voting to yourself. Do not feel it. Your duty to urge everyone to do as you do. In other words, you if you vote, that's your personal matter, but keep it to yourself. But there's something you don't wanna keep to yourself. That is that you've been saved by grace. That is you've been transformed by God's love. That is you been change. You're a new man, you're a new woman. Go my brother. Go my sister. Tell the story of Christ. There's a larger purpose. There's a greater vision that God has for you and me, and that is to participate with him, to prepare a world for his soon coming because we have been elected by God as the ambassadors for Christ to warn the world that He will come soon. Let's pray. Father in heaven, thank you that you're coming soon. Thank you that Jesus is on the way. Thank you that we have been elected to share your love, your grace, your goodness with others in we wanna accept that challenge. Oh, father, we do pray that you'd guide in the upcoming election here in the United States of America. We pray that you would move powerfully to put the person you so desire, Ian, oh Lord, keep the doors of religious liberty open. But Father, whatever political persuasion we are of, help us to know that we're brothers and sisters in Christ, that we have a larger vision, that were to go out and preach the gospel to tell the story of your grace. We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen. This media was brought to you by Audio verse, a website dedicated to spreading God's word through free sermon, audio, and much more. If you would like to know more about Audio verse or if you would like to listen to more sermons, please visit www.audio verse.org.

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Be Careful Who You Vote For (5 Bible Warnings)

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