After the Elections

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 8th of November, 2020, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This was an abbreviated service, also streamed live, due to constraints put in place from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Our YouTube streaming channel is:

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

The elections are over now and all the votes have been cast.  While some races are yet to be fully determined, our individual impact on the election is done with.  The only thing we, as individuals, can do now is look to the future.

Some are excited about what lies ahead, and some are very worried.  We, as Christians, must put all our faith in God, so that we have no need to worry.  God is ultimately in charge, not man.  And the Apostle Paul tells us that no one can be in authority over us unless they have been appointed by God; not elected by man - appointed by God.

Please listen and follow along as I read from chapter 13 of Paul’s letter to the Romans, verses 1 through 10, and I’ll be reading this from the Modern English Version of our Holy Bible…

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 Rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil works. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from him, 4 for he is the servant of God for your good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is the servant of God, an avenger to execute wrath upon him who practices evil. 5 So it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for the sake of conscience.

6 For this reason you also pay taxes, for they are God’s servants, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7 Render to all what is due them: taxes to whom taxes are due, respect to whom respect is due, fear to whom fear is due, and honor to whom honor is due.

8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not give false testimony, You shall not covet,” and if there are any other commandments, are summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love works no evil to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

--Romans 13:1-10 (MEV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for keeping control over Your creation.  We recognize and acknowledge Your authority over all things.  Thank You, Father, for giving us human leaders.  Please help us to honor You by obeying them.  Help us place all our trust in You while trusting them to serve the purpose for which You appointed them.  And Father, please protect us from all the madness that seems to have engulfed the world.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and purpose in our love and worship, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us for this day.  Give us a clearer understanding in just how You control Your creation, greater insight into how things must happen before Your Son Jesus returns to set the world right.  This we pray under the blood and in the name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Do you remember the old wooden Indians that used to be placed in front of cigar stores and general stores?  Well, in 1883 in Allentown, New Jersey, a wooden Indian was placed on the ballot for Justice of the Peace.  The candidate was registered under the fictitious name of Abner Robbins.  When the ballots were counted, Abner won over incumbent Sam Davis by 7 votes.  A similar thing happened in 1938.  The name "Boston Curtis" appeared on the ballot for Republican Committeeman from Wilton, Washington.  Actually, Boston Curtis was a mule.  The town's mayor sponsored the animal to demonstrate that people know very little about the candidates.  He proved his point.  The mule won!

Some things just never change.  Many of our politicians today seem to be made of wood, or at least their heads are wooden.  And all of them seem to be as stubborn as mules, refusing to work together for the good of all the nation.  But sadly, too many people see some of these political leaders as being their saviors, hanging on to their every word, following everything they say, doing everything they’re told to do.

As Christians, we know who our Savior is.  We should be following only Him, obeying Him, studying every word He said that is recorded in our Bible.  And if we did, then we’d know not to worry, because Jesus told us not to worry.  Everything in this life is short term and temporary, including the politicians’ times in office.  Let’s expend our energies on serving Jesus, rather than worrying about what the president might do.

Family, it’s important that we pay attention to what Paul wrote in his letters because in them he shares with us the insights that Jesus gave to him.  Jesus struck Paul blind on that dusty road to Damascus, taking away his physical sight so that He could give Paul clearer spiritual vision.  When his sight was restored, Paul said it was like scales had been removed from his eyes.  And I think he meant his spiritual eyes as well as his physical ones.  For Jesus showed Paul the truth as well as the light.  And Paul shared that truth with the early church and with us through his letters.

So when Paul says that there is no authority granted to any human individual except from God, as appointed by God, then we know for certain that this came from Jesus.  And if no person can exercise authority over us except as appointed by God, then to resist that authority would be, in effect, resisting God.  God will not take too kindly to that.  So we should pay our taxes, be respectful, act honorably… even if other folks don’t.

One thing we must keep in mind, though, is that those we elect are not our true rulers.  Just as the children of Israel demanded a king and were given Saul, we demand leaders of our own kind, and are given what we deserve or need at that time.  God is the ultimate and sovereign King, as proclaimed by the descendants of Korah in Psalm 47, verses 6 through 8…

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises!

7 For God is the King over all the earth.

Praise him with a psalm.

8 God reigns above the nations,

sitting on his holy throne.

--Psalm 47:6-8 (NLT)

God is the King over all the earth, including the US!  He reigns above all nations, over all of us.  Our president may lead our nation, and may arguably be the most powerful person on earth, but only by God’s authority and under God’s ultimate rule.

And some day God will exert that final authority by sending His Son back to earth to set everything right.  I’m pretty sure King David spoke of the time when Jesus returns when he wrote these words in verses 27 and 28 of his 22nd Psalm…

27 All the ends of the world

will remember and turn to the Lord,

and all the families of the nations

will worship before You.

28 For kingship belongs to the Lord,

and He rules among the nations.

--Psalm 22:27-28 (MEV)

When Jesus comes back, riding in on the clouds for all to see, the entire world will know just who the true King is.  For many, it will be too late.  They will have sealed their fate by serving themselves and their own agendas rather than serving God.  And their numbers will even include kings and presidents who refused to seek God’s counsel, who failed to follow Jesus’ command.  For no one will escape God’s judgment.

Notice, though, that Paul includes a way for us to be judged as righteous when that day comes.  All we have to do is love our neighbor as ourselves.  God said it, Jesus commands it.  Love one another.  Treat each other with the same love, respect, and honor that we want for ourselves.

Love works no evil, but instead fulfills God’s law.  God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to offer us eternal life in paradise.  He sent Jesus not to condemn the world but to save it!

And when He said for us to love our neighbor, He meant our Republican neighbor and our Democrat neighbor.  He meant our black neighbor, our Asian neighbor, our Muslim neighbor and our atheist neighbor.  He included our homeless neighbor, our immigrant neighbor, our neighbor addicted to drugs.  He also meant the people we don’t get along with, the people we disagree with, the people we’re mad at.

God loves everyone, not just the people that are like us, so to honor Him we must love everyone, too.  And in so doing, we will fulfill His law.

The elections are over now; let’s put hatred aside.  Love all others: it’s the right thing to do.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, our Savior, the one true Son of God.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for Your word to guide us and instruct us.  Our Bible contains everything we need to live righteously in Your eyes until that day when Jesus returns to call us home and set the world right.  Thank You for the promise of that blessed day.  Help us, please Father, to follow the examples of good living that You provided for us.  Help us love all others as Jesus loves.  Show us how we can best serve You and Jesus.  And Father, help us be more loving, more trusting, more merciful, and more kindhearted toward all others in our daily walk.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You straight from our hearts, promising to repent of our sinful ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You gave Paul so much special insight into Your truth that the depth of his knowledge amazed even the men who walked with You for three years.  And then Paul shared that insight with all of us today through his letters to the early church.  Please help us spend more time reading our Bibles and studying those letters and all the stories You told.  Forgive us, Jesus, for putting other things ahead of this in our lives, for sometimes getting our priorities out of whack.  Forgive us when we fail to follow Your command to love others.  Help us be more like You; to be more loving, more caring, more responsive to the needs of others.  Strengthen us, Jesus, through these dark times.  And Lord, please heal those divisions between us, that separate us, even within Your church family.  Help us remain faithful and obedient no matter what we go through.  May our focus be more on the needs of others rather than our own wants and desires.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.