Elephants and Donkeys
Engaging Our Culture • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 3 viewsAs Christians, we must recognize citinzenship is God's Kingdom before any other kingdom.
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Is anyone else excited about the LSU@Bama game this weekend?… Apparently we aren’t the only ones, President Trump is going to be at the game this weekend, apparently doing the coin toss. The Student Government at Bama has had to come out and warn students against protesting, there’s a poll on CNN about how he’ll be received apparently. It’s a big deal, because people care about politicians and politics. I’m sure when I said his name some of you reacted. If I say some other names many of you will react…
It’s because our country is in a place that I think is sad. It’s divided, republicans vs. democrats, …
We aren’t going to get into any specific issues tonight, I’m not going to tell you where I line up, and I’m not endorsing anyone. I want to give three articles that every follower of Christ should remember and live by as a citizen of this, or any, country. Things that we need to remember when it comes to politics, even for Christians who are too young to vote yet!
Pray.
Article One God puts leaders in place and us under their authority.
Article One God puts leaders in place and us under their authority.
Has anyone played Plants vs. Zombies? Or any other tower defense game? I found one when I was in grad school that was monkeys throwing darts at balloons. It was awesome. But they way that you pick where to put the plants or monkeys or whatever your towers are, and choose how powerful they will be, it’s something kind of like how God put leaders in place.
who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’ ” Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed:
Isaiah 44:
Fun fact, this was actually written 150 years before Cyrus became king!
This next verse is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. It’s about a Babylonian king named Nebudchadnezzar who got too proud and arrogant…
Daniel 4:25
that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.
One more verse showing this that also tells the purpose of every ruler that God has brought to power in history. God says to Pharaoh, through Moses...
But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.
God establishes rulers, puts them in place. So what does that mean for us?
Read &
So we are called to submit to the government because it has been established by his authority and is an extension of his authority. Think about the government that Paul was dealing with when he wrote this... I know that can bring up some questions, but know that God has established leaders for his purposes and glory, even when we don’t understand it. So Christians are called to live according to the law. That means it is a sin to disobey the law.
There are all kinds of conversations we could have about this, but not tonight!
Here’s the other thing we need to do in light of this...
for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
So th
That’s not just ones we agree with. Not ones we like. All of them. Probably especially the ones you think are messed up. You don’t like Trump? Pray for him, that God would work in him to and glorify himself through him.
That’s our first principle for Christians and politics. The second is this...
Article Two Love Others, regardless of political affiliation or views.
Article Two Love Others, regardless of political affiliation or views.
The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:
This includes people you disagree with.
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
And if you want to have a little edge on this, a little spite…
And if you want to have a little edge
To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
And if you want to have a little edge
Romans 12:20
It is possible to be a faithful Christian and a member of any political party, at least the ones I know about. You don’t have to agree with all the platforms of a party to be in it.
I had a very close friend and found out that we had some significant disagreements when it came to politics. It didn’t affect our friendship. Democrats, it’s possible to show Jesus’ love to a republican. Republicans, it’s possible to show Jesus’ love to a democrat.
Our first allegiance should be to Christ, not a political belief. So our common bond to Christ should overrule anything else!
It is ok, even encouraged, to still be friends with people who you see things differently than!
If you can’t get past someone backing a certain political agenda or not liking a certain politician, then you have elevated politics to too high of a place in your life.
Christians are called to love everyone. And this doesn’t just apply to politics, it applies to everything. City school kids, love county school kids. County school kids, love city school kids. Homeschoolers, love everybody! Don’t over inflate your differences because all the differences based on earthly things will pass away!
That rolls into the final principle for tonight.
Article Three Jesus is King over all creation.
Article Three Jesus is King over all creation.
Sometimes when my boys are playing I’ll hear them start to argue over what they’re going to do. They’re playing Avengers or Power Rangers or football or something and they have different ideas about what the rules are. Parker might say, “I’m in charge cause I’m the oldest.” Hudson will say, “No I’m in charge!” He has no reason, he just is. Then Dawson will scream some slurred something about his power. I’ll hear it and grin. “No, you’re all wrong! I’m in charge!” If I’m in a salty mood then I might just go and take all their toys and put them where they can’t get them. If Kristen is around then after I’ve established my dominance, she’ll say, “No I run this house!” and I’m like “yes ma’am!”
All these leaders and the people who follow them who argue about who’s in charge and making the laws and all are ultimately falling short. Arguing over things with no eternal significance ultimately. Jesus is King and only his Kingdom will stand, not any kingdom of this Earth. That’s all that matters and that’s where our first allegiance must go!
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
When Jesus is going through his trial before being crucified He has this exchange with Pilate that says who is in charge pretty plainly.
Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”
Jesus is our King. He’s a perfect King. The problems of this world were created by humans, so we can not expect that any mere person or people will be able to fix these problems. We need the one who has ultimate authority to fix the things that are broken. We need to live invested in an everlasting Kingdom, not one that is passing away. The United States is passing away, along with every other nation on this Earth. Don’t look to political leaders to fix humanities problems. Look to the King over all of creation.
In , Jesus has an exchange with someone trying to make Him say something He shouldn’t. They ask Him if the Jewish people should pay taxes to Rome. Jesus asks for a coin and says this,
“Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
I was reading a book by a pastor named Mark Dever yesterday and he pointed something out that I’d never realized before. Jesus says to pay the taxes because the money belongs to Caesar and we know that because his image is on it. He says to give to God what is his.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
We belong to God and He stamped his image on each of us to remind us of it. Don’t give yourself to any government or politician or any human. Give yourself to God. Politicians are hopefully doing their best to serve their people and fix the problems that sin has created, but they’ll never succeed. Only God has the answer to sin...