So yesterday we went out on the streets of Milwaukee to speak up for the pre-born. There's about 50 people out there. And it went really well. The literature went out real well. We're at a massively busy intersection, Miller Parkway and Greenfield Avenue. So remember that in your prayers also, that God will continue to work in the hearts of those who came by. We had numerous conversations there. And like I said, the literature went out really well. We are in our final days of tabernacling. The era of tabernacling for Mercy Seed is closing to an end. So these are sweet times. We're actually meeting in a electric company's building today, which is exciting. So thank you everyone for coming and may God bless this time, amen. So I'm going to take a break from the book of Genesis today, and I want to rather talk to you about what happened with the Republican Party here in our city, Milwaukee. As most of you know, the Republican Party changed their national platform regarding abortion and homosex, watering their positions down, bringing in more inclusive language so those who are fine with murder and sodomy can feel more comfortable in the party. And I could have preached about this last Sunday, but I wanted to wait until this Sunday to see if the platform changes actually were approved, and they were. They were not shot down, but I wanted to see that before I spent time preaching a sermon about it. And the RNC was held right here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I want to start by reading a passage of Scripture and praying. So why don't we turn to Isaiah chapter 51, the book of Isaiah. chapter 51, and we're going to read verses 7 and 8 if you'd like to stand for the reading of God's Word. The prophet declares, listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people in whose heart is my law. Do not fear the reproach of men, this is the Lord speaking to his people, do not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool. But my righteousness, my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation. May God bless the reading of his word. The title of my sermon this morning is Repentance, God's Law, and the RNC. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you and praise you that we have your have this time to be with you in the preaching of your word and addressing this important matter that has taken place in our nation. And God, I ask and pray that you help me to set forth that which you've given me to declare, and that you would use it for good in the hearts of your people, anointed mightily by the power of your Holy Spirit, and give each one ears to hear, I pray. May a fire be built within each one's heart of fealty to you. And I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Could we be seated? So some of the highlights, or I should say some of the lowlights, of the RNC, the Republican National Convention, are as follows. And what I plan on doing is sharing some information with you about what took place with the RNC, and then I'm going to be sharing with you from sermons I preached back in 22 and 2023. Just snippets of those, and then ending with an exhortation. So some of the lowlights of the RNC was there was a prayer to a pagan god so their multicultural religious pluralism was on full script for everyone to behold. Some Hindu god, a pro-abortion porn star, was given prime time to praise diversity. The homosexual Republicans expressed glee after the GOP stripped all anti-LGBT language from its official platform. And perhaps we should also mention the party officially nominated former President Donald J. Trump and running mate Senator J.D. Vance, both of whom approved the murder of the pre-born in all forms of chemical murder and are okay with homosex. The new platform cuts the GOP's longstanding support for a human life amendment to the Constitution, And it also endorses birth control. The new platform states Republicans will protect and defend a vote of the people from within the states on the issue of life. And this is a total abandonment of what a republic is. The Republicans are now handing over rule by the mob, one group of people voting to murder another group of people. You have left the republic behind. which would not tolerate murder. And you've decided, out of pragmatism, to allow the people to vote, to murder a certain group of people, namely the pre-born. That's where the RNC is. That's where the Republican Party is at. The new platform also cuts the declaration that, quote, traditional marriage and family based on marriage between one man and one woman is the foundation for a free society. That's gone. It also cuts the call for the reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell opinion, which okayed from the federal government the marriage of two men and two women. One news source I read said it forces all 50 states to recognize homosexual marriage. That is not true. The states have a duty to stand on their own authorities and liberties and say no. And it's the governors who hide behind judicial supremacy that have allowed this evil in each of their states. These changes to the Republican platform passed the committee 84 to 14. Not a nail-biter at all. Log cabin Republicans, that would be the sodomites, claimed that the adoption of the new platform was a, quote, historic moment, unquote. after the GOP published its 2024 platform, removing, quote, as they said from the log cabin Republicans, outdated and out of step language opposing marriage equality, unquote. Now, I warned back in 2022 and 2023 about the Republican platform in my sermons. I mentioned that this whole move to accept homosex and to water down abortion was part of a bigger agenda, that they were trying to do it in states across America and have accomplished it in some states across America, and that they were bent on changing the national platform. And now they have. By the way, when I talked about what they planned on doing, I was belittled, demeaned, and denounced by numerous Christians and churchmen and people within civil government matters. But yet, here we are, right? Sodomites want to normalize the filth of homosex. They teach their people to involve themselves in all areas of life, including conservative politics, to make people more accepting of their filth, and the Republicans have gone foursquare with it. Various pro-life activists expressed hope to resist the change with more than 100 pro-life thinkers, activists, and organizations signing a joint letter, it's from a news story, urging restoration of the old language. Such efforts collapsed, however, in the wake of Saturday's shooting at a Pennsylvania Trump rally that grazed the candidate's ear, killed one attendee, and critically wounded two others. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, who represented a group of conservatives hoping to submit a minority report reflecting the views of those who did not support the changes to the platform, told Politico that he and other conservative activists had planned to escalate their fight, but the attack on Trump changed the situation. Quote, given today and everything that has occurred, if the opportunity were there, we wouldn't take it at this point. He said, quote, don't take our silence as being indifferent to what took place. It's just timing. And to that I say, wow. Let the pre-born die because Trump was shot. Wicked. Evil. Vivek Ramaswamy, who many people were holding out as something wonderful, told Alexandria Cortez that the GOP platform does not oppose gay marriage and does not support a federal abortion ban. They love this new position they have, because now it can't be pointed out to them that they oppose such evils. And why do they do this? because it's all about winning. It has nothing to do with fealty towards Christ. Part of the preamble for the new platform says this, but now we are a nation in serious decline, and the words serious decline are all capitalized letters. But now we are a nation in serious decline. Our future, our identity, and our very way of life are under threat like never before. Today we must once again call upon the same American spirit that led us to prevail through every challenge of the past if we are going to lead our nation to a brighter future. They say that, and then they bring in language to accommodate murder and to accommodate homosex. If you think you're going to turn the nation from serious decline by trying to appease evil, you're sadly mistaken. You're blind. The new platform ends with, when America is united, confident, and committed to our principles, it will never fail. No trust in God, just trust in man. Arrogance, human buffoonery. Today and together with love for our country, faith in our people, and trust in God's good grace, we will make America great again, all while they spit on the law of God. The pietists will be happy, however. Part of the platform, the new platform, is freedom to pray. Republicans, it says, will champion the First Amendment right to pray. and to read the Bible in school and stand up to those who violate the religious freedoms of American students. And I respond and say, so it's okay to murder, it's okay to pervert marriage, but at least we can pray. That's how the pietists think. They think it's more important that they can pray like that was ever an issue that they couldn't to begin with. while they could care less about the murder of the pre-born, while they could care less about the rampant run of homosex across this nation. So I warned you in past sermons, dating back to November of 2022, that the national platform and many state platforms were going to be changed on these two national sins, and so it has. And that is why I warned you then to be faithful and true to Christ. That is why I exhorted you we should honor the law of God and not vote for the lesser of two evils. And if you forget everything else I say in this sermon today, do not forget this, that repentance is demonstrated by honoring the law of God and no longer voting for the so-called lesser of two evils. True repentance is demonstrated by honoring the law of God. and no longer voting for the so-called lesser of two evils. Have you not noticed that the lesser of two evils has gotten more evil as you have been voting for the lesser of two evils? Yes, and now the lesser evil has gotten more evil again with this platform change. And I say, how about some fealty to Christ? Some fealty to the Lord and his law? I want to share with you some of the things I said in these prior sermons, and I will put these few sermons in the detail box later today, if you care to hear them or to review them. But here's some of what I said. We do not join with evil to stop evil. We do not join hands with wicked men and their tactics to supposedly stop wickedness. We must put Christ first and honor the law and word of the Lord. The rejection of God's law by American Christianity has reached such a point of insanity that Christians are now voting against the law of God by voting for men who openly impugn the law of God. They are voting against the law of God. They are giving their assent to the impugning of the law of God. As Christians, We cannot in good conscience vote for any magistrate who wants to shed innocent blood. Murder is against God's law. We should not vote for a man who impugns the law of God and declares he will make a law that says you can murder. And then I said, I warn you on this. And you know me. I'm an exhorter. Plainly set forth the facts, the truth of God's word, speaking for God to man when I'm in the pulpit, but I use those words, I warn you on this. That's how strong and important it is. I said in one of the sermons, Tim Michaels, Ron Johnson, even Charlie Kirk, when he was here, all promoted situational ethics and they employed fear to do it. Each of them stated we must all join together and unify and defeat the Democrats. That was their big you and cry in order to dismiss the two national sins, to put the pre-born in the back of the bus and accommodate homosex. They stampeded the people by the fear of the Democrats winning. And I ask you, where is your fear of God? We must fear him first, and we demonstrate our fear for him by not voting for men who openly impugn his law and his word. Where is our faithfulness to the Lord? You live in a police state, and it's been built by both the Democrats and Republicans alike. Both parties are socialists. Both point their fingers at each other like schoolchildren in order to stampede the people into one party or the other. But both are headed in the same direction and have been for decades. And all this goes back to rejecting the law of God. All this goes back to rejecting the law of God. When a person rejects the law of the Lord, it has consequences. And when societies and nations reject the law of God, it has consequences. Our nation is experiencing the consequences right now. we are fighting against the Lord. We have forsaken the Lord and we have forsaken His law, and the Scriptures do equate the two. When you forsake His law, you have forsaken Him. Mark down 2 Chronicles 12, verses 1 and 5. 2 Chronicles 12, verses 1 and 5. And we ourselves, not just as Americans, but as Christians, have forsaken his law. We have forsaken him. The two are equated in scripture. You forsake his law, you have forsaken him. Sadly, many of the good people are still listening to the wisdom of their political frauds, listening to the worldly wise men. And we have reached a point where we must understand compromise with evil, appeasement of evil, will no longer do. We must not speak appeasement. We must point men to the law of God. But repentance is nowhere in sight. And what repentance do I speak of? It's precisely this. We must quit voting for men who openly impugn His law, and we must honor Him and honor His law. That is the repentance I speak of here. That is the repentance that's needed. You do not bring about good by doing evil. You do not bring about good by brazenly impugning the law of God. That is not what a nation should do, and it is clearly not what Christians should do. Christians should not vote for murder. They should not vote for sodomy. But things will get worse if we don't vote for the Republicans, is the hue and cry. And I respond and say, they have been getting worse while you've been voting for the Republicans. Things will get worse if we don't vote for the Republicans. Things have been getting worse while you've been voting for the Republicans. Haven't you noticed that? Going along with their compromise for evil, time and time again. Things have been getting worse, and they're going to continue to get worse. If you continue to vote for men who openly impugn the law of God regarding massive sins and crimes like the shedding of innocent blood and the filth of homosex, you are fighting against the Lord. As his ambassadors, we must declare his law and word to men, and to the governments of men, and to the parties of men. Make a stand for the Lord, brothers and sisters. Understand things will likely get harder before they get better when you finally confront the tyrants and their evil. That is almost always the case. Things get worse, harder, before they get better when you take a stand against the evil or the idols or the tyrants of the day. Remember Moses when he confronted Pharaoh? Pharaoh didn't say, oh, sure. You guys can all leave, no. He made the children of Israel make bricks without straw when Moses took his stand. And the children of Israel griped and complained and whined about Moses making things worse. And it is that way in our day. Those of us who stand with the Lord and declare his law are excoriated by other Christians who demand that we are stupid and brainless and need to listen to the worldly wise men of the Republican Party and the conservative talking heads. But Proverbs 28, verse 4 declares, those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but such as keep the law contend with them. Not only have the people and the government officials and the businessmen, by and large, forsaken and abandoned the law of the Lord, but so have the churchmen, so as the vast majority of churches and Christians. If you are willing to impugn the law of God, willing to join in this great conflagration against truth and morality, and accept, accommodate, or affirm the filth of Sodom, big deal about your stand against the attack on your autonomy. In the end, you and all the West is doomed if you continue in your impugning of the law of God. Here we learn a great principle, namely, it is precisely the fact that God's law has been impugned by men and governments of men that you have all these subsequent evils, like children being mutilated sexually, transgenderism, and now on to total transhumanism, That's where it is all coming from. You have all these subsequent evils to contend with because you've violated a rudimentary of God's law. Man shall not lie with man. And until you go back and recriminalize homosex and suppress that evil, you are spitting in the wind trying to halt this juggernaut of evil and insanity. And no one's talking about that, are they? Even the pulpits are silent. refusing to declare the truth of God's Word for the criminalization of homosex. You think the magistrates are going to do it? You think the RNC is going to do it? You're living in a fantasy land. We are his ambassadors and we have a duty to speak. As his ambassadors, we must proclaim his law, calling men and governments of men to account Men in our day lack bravery and courage. They want to appease and accommodate, and their churchmen help them hide it all behind soft words sold as spirituality. Our situation causes us to humble ourselves before the Lord. Our situation should drive us towards the Lord, not to embrace and proffer cheap political advice. Our situation should cause us not to speak appeasement. Our situation should cause us to point men to the law of God. You shall not murder. Man shall not lie with man. We need humility. We need repentance. We need boldness and fortitude, and those are only found through Christ. We must get rid of this savior mentality. is all in with homosex. 500 people invited to Mar-a-Lago to celebrate the Disrespect Marriage Act, where the feds openly, through legislative law, embrace homosex. I was part of an effort to call Trump to repentance. It was made up of some churchmen across the country and some businessmen across the country. He received the letter. He received the exhortations. He has not repented. DeSantis, the Red Citadel, Florida, puts the conservative sodomites on stage with himself everywhere he goes. DeSantis has made it red, not because people have moved towards righteousness and morality, rather because he has moved the party to a more leftist position and immorality and the filth of homosex. Asa in 2 Chronicles 16, 7-10, Look to wicked men to help him win. And what did the Lord say to Asa through the prophet for doing that? My wrath is upon you. My wrath is upon you. You do not look to wicked men. You demonstrate fealty and faithfulness to Christ. The president's son, Eric Trump, husband of RNC co-chair, Lara Trump, justified the changes to the new platform to NBC News on the grounds that, quote, it's reflective of my father and what he believes in and my wife, Lara, who runs the RNC and what she believes in, unquote. Quote, if you look at it, it has Donald Trump written all over it, boasted Republican National Committee co-chair, Lara Trump, the former president's daughter-in-law. Quote, unquote, this is his platform. If the Republicans and Democrats want to take the country to hell in a handbasket, they can do it without the vote of Matt Chiuella. And they should do it without the vote of any who truly loves Christ and stands faithful to him. Do you understand the dire situation of our nation? The place is being burnt to the ground. We are an evil people in America. Our laws and policies and court opinions spit in the face of God, and you still want to proffer your situational ethics and pragmatism to justify your voting for men who openly impugn the law and word of God? Haven't learned anything over all these decades? Haven't talked to some older people who see it clearly? That as you vote for the lesser of two evils, it keeps getting more evil? Understand both the murder of the innocent and the filth of sodomy are condemned in God's law and word as crimes, which both deserve the death penalty and both are seen in Scripture to bring the righteous judgment of God upon nations. You do remember Sodom and Gomorrah. Psalm 9, verses 15 through 17, Psalm 9, 15 through 17 declares, the nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made, The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made. That is us today in America. In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught. The Lord is known by the judgment he executes. The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. And this nation has forgotten God. and repentance is massively needed. The restoration of a nation begins by honoring the law of God. The restoration of a nation begins by honoring the law of God. It begins with repentance. And the repentance that is precisely needed here is that we quit voting against the law of God, that we honor his law and no longer vote for men who openly impugn his law The well-known faithful churchman Charles Spurgeon said it this way. He said, of two evils, choose neither. Repentance is needed. Repentance of what? This right here. Stop dishonoring the law of God by voting for men who openly impugn His law. People often ask me, Pastor Matt, how do we reform the church? They say that because they see the awful state of American Christianity. I always reply the same way, by the judgment of God. By the judgment of God. Understand we have a form of Christianity that's incapable of repentance. It's incapable of reforming itself. And God will reform his bride. He will purify her. And he uses judgment to accomplish that ends. When his people are rebellious people. Repentance is needed. Repentance of what? This right here. By honoring the law of God. By no longer dishonoring His law and voting for men who openly impugn His law. Christians think that getting someone to parrot a sinner's prayer is the be-all and end-all. That's the form of Christianity we have. You can say anything after that. Just ask Joel Osteen and everyone's good with you. But the truth is, Jesus never said that. What Jesus said, he said, make disciples of all men of all nations. Make disciples. Because his kingdom, his rule, invades every area of our lives and every area of life. And our politics isn't separated from our Christianity. We need to humble ourselves. James made that clear in his book. If we humble ourselves, He will raise us up. And how do we humble ourselves? By putting our faces low to the ground and crying out to Him, repenting where we need to, and calling the people of this nation to repentance before the Lord, pointing them to Christ and His rule. Are you broken? Have you wept? How can we not be broken? How can we have not wept when we look at the lawlessness against our King and Savior, Jesus Christ? The nation is in shambles. The people need to repent and put the Lord first. Repentance is needed. And in the midst of calling men to repentance, let us be his faithful ambassadors. A faithful churchman was John Gresham Machen, John Gresham Machen lived 100 years ago while the veracity and integrity of God's word was being attacked by men. In higher academic circles of Christianity, he stood faithful and true, and it cost him plenty for doing so. I want to share with you some quotes from him, things he said. And it goes to what you are, his ambassadors, and what you are to be like as his ambassadors. He said this, the type of religion which rejoices in the pious sound of traditional phrases, regardless of their meanings, or shrinks from controversial matters, will never stand amid the shocks of life. He also said this, again, men tell us that our preaching should be positive and not negative, that we can preach the truth without attacking error. But if we follow that advice, we shall have to close our Bible and desert its teachings. He also said this, let us not fear the opposition of men. Every great movement in the church from Paul down to modern times has been criticized on the ground that it promoted censoriousness and intolerance and disputing, of course, the gospel of Christ in a world of sin and doubt will cause disputing. And if it does not cause disputing and arouse bitter opposition, that is a fairly sure sign that it is not being faithfully proclaimed. Just read the book of Acts. Regarding God's law, he said this, what then is the remedy for the threatened destruction of society and for the rapidly progressing decay of liberty? There really is only one remedy, Machen said. It is the rediscovery of the law of God. We began this sermon with Isaiah chapter 51, verses 7 and 8. And so I close this sermon reading it to you. The Lord says, listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people in whose heart is my law. Do not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their insults, for the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation. May we be faithful and true to Christ. May we show fealty to him. May our days matter in the earth. May Christ be praised. Let's stand up and we'll close in a word of prayer. Lord, we give thanks and we give praise to you for the goodness of your Word, that you've preserved it down through the ages so we know your ways and your thoughts, so we don't have to feel around in the dark. And Lord, I ask and pray that we would be doers of the Word, that we would be faithful and true to you, especially in this hour, O God, where men falter, where chaos and lawlessness abounds. where evil men have the force of law behind their evil actions. May we be faithful and true to you. Lord, I ask and pray that you be with each one sitting here today, each one watching. Build your kingdom strongly within their heart. Their devotion to you may deepen because of what was preached here today. May grit be given to them through the theology declared and set forth today. I ask and pray, O Lord, that they would be a bright light, each and every one of them, in this dark hour. Lord, let each home represented here bring honor and glory to you. May each man be a priest to his own, opening your word to his wife and to his children. May they talk about the things of you. May they grow in the faith. May they cause no small stir for your kingdom in the earth. Lord, we love you and we are broken in heart. We have wept and will weep again. And God, we just look to you to do a work in the earth. May we be faithful to you in the days ahead. And I ask these things in Jesus' name, amen.