Proverbs 21, verse 1. And our subject is a biblical perspective regarding governmental elections. And the question that I want to answer is, what is the proper attitude toward politics from a Christian? And what better night to address such a question than the night of the vice presidential election going on as we speak? Proverbs 21, verse 1. The Bible says, The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water he, God, turneth it whithersoever he will. And it's almost worth reading it twice. The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, As the rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever he will. We are only 27 days until the presidential election, and everyone is being bombarded with politics on every platform. You cannot escape it, despite what political party you identify with. If you own a television, you will inevitably watch something that directly ties into the political opinions through news channels, morning talk shows, commercials, and now even sports networks. If you listen to the radio, viewpoints from radio announcers, commentators, and ads will, at some occasion, bring up their various political beliefs. If you read the newspaper, browse the news on websites online, and use social media, you are going to be showered with political sentiments If you listen to the conversation of others in the community, the topic of politics is likely to surface. If you belong to a family, if you have friends, it will be at some time a focus of conversation. And now in October, every time you check the mail, oversized political ads will be waiting for you to briefly glance at only so that you can file it in your trash can in 30 seconds. Now, whether we like politics or not, the reality is we are confronted with it everywhere, daily, and there is no escaping it unless you force yourself to be a hermit and completely isolate yourself from everything and everyone in this world. And while being a hermit does sound inviting at times, we know that God never intended for his children to be completely disconnected from society. So going back to our original question and topic for this evening, how are we as followers of Christ supposed to navigate through the political world that seems to run our world? What is the proper Christian perspective regarding governmental elections? We should have an answer. There should be principles that flow from scripture that help us think through these things and act accordingly. So let me give you what I believe to be six biblical attitudes that a Christian should develop to maintain a balanced perspective regarding politics. And we begin with the first and most important. In thinking and speaking of politics, a Christian needs a high view of God. We have to start there. What do we need as believers? in addressing this political world in our world. We need, first and foremost, a high view of God. In our first text, Proverbs 21.1 has been inspired by God and recorded in the Bible to help us gain such an outlook. Let's look at it again. The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. As the rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever he will. The principle of this verse is that God is sovereign. And God is sovereign over the most powerful men of this world. The heart of every king, every president, every prime minister, the heart of every ruler and politician, all their thoughts, their counsels, their purposes, their power and designs are under the direct influence of God. That's what Proverbs 21.1 assures us of. God does what He wants, when He wants, to whomever He wants, however He wants, and no man can resist Him. Rulers are only a channel used to accomplish God's divine will. Psalm 75, 6 and 7, the Bible says, For promotion come neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge, He putteth down one and setteth up another. And we see this truth scattered throughout the entirety of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. The theme of Scripture, besides the gospel and the good news that Jesus Christ has come to die for sinners, is the theme that God is in control over all. It was God who gave Joseph favor in the eyes of Pharaoh. It was God who hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let Israel go. It was the Lord who stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, to release the Jewish people to return to Israel after 70 years of captivity. And on that note, it was the Lord who raised up Cyrus in the first place. Isaiah 44, 28 records God's benevolence to the Jews through Cyrus 150 years before Cyrus was even born. It was the Lord who permitted King Saul to reign over Israel as their first king, and it was the Lord who stripped away Saul's kingship and chose David to follow after Saul. It was the Lord who allowed Esther to become the queen of Persia so that she might be a hero to the Jewish people in rescuing the Jews from the murderous plot of Haman. It was the Lord who allowed Nebuchadnezzar to reign, and it was the Lord who humbled Nebuchadnezzar and caused him to eat grass as an oxen. Acts chapter 12, the Bible says, it was the Lord who took Herod's life in an instant. when he was being worshipped as a god. This is only scratching the surfaces of the instances in our Bibles that record God governing the ways of rulers to accomplish his divine purpose. The Lord has purposely put so many examples in the Bible of his sovereign ruling over all people in all circumstances to remind us of the bedrock truth of Christianity that God is God and he is God alone. He does according to his will and the army of heaven. He is God and he does as he pleases. This is true not only in the area of politics, but in every sphere of life. Man plans. but the Lord directs. God is over all and in all. Romans 8, 28, we know that all things work together for good, especially to those who love him and those who are the called according to his purpose. So despite who is in office, who wins the election, how things turn out, God will not allow humanity to hinder his sovereign plan. And this does sometimes include circumstances that are difficult. We need to swallow this pill of truth. God allowing evil men to rule as his channel of judgment is a reality that the Bible speaks of and speaks about often. And I believe we are in that place as a nation as we speak. I believe that we are in that place in the current state that we live in. the perverseness that is celebrated, the murder of unborn babies, the lies and hypocrisy that reigns in the political sphere is only a form of God's judgment on a people who have turned their back on Him. But even so, knowing that God is holding the reins of men's heart, and that God will do only as he pleases takes away a great weight of anxiety, doesn't it? To know that God is in control is the only thing that causes us to sleep peacefully at night. And Psalm 46.10 assures us of this. The Bible says, be still and know that I am God. And the context of Psalm 46.10 is a context of calamity. A context of the heathen raging and the earth being removed and cast into the sea. And when everything around us seems to be destroyed and everything around us seems to be going in a direction that causes our heart to fear, the Bible assures us that we have an anchor, the anchor of hope in the Lord. We can be still knowing that God is over all. Now the unbeliever doesn't have such a hope. The unbeliever's hope is in man and man's policies, but if you are a Christian, our hope is in the Lord who made heaven and earth. So when it comes to thinking about politics and elections, we see first that a Christian needs to develop a high view of God. The second needed attitude that a Christian needs to cultivate is a low view of man. These things are hand in hand. It's the heads and tails on the back of a quarter. You can't have a quarter without the heads and tails unless it's a deceiving quarter, a false quarter. But these two truths are needed in life as we seek to walk in a balanced way. You could say these are the two feet that move us onward in being wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove. We need a high view of God and we need a low view of man. That is to say, we must never place our hope in finite men, specifically governmental rulers. Let me give you several verses that speak on this point directly. Isaiah 2, 22, the Bible says, "'Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils, for wherein is he to be accounted of?' Psalm 118, 8, 9. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. Psalm 146, 3, Put not your trust in princes, nor in the Son of Man, in whom there is no help. Jeremiah 17, 5 and 6, Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm. and whose heart departed from the Lord. But blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is." Isaiah 31.1. Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help, and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many, and in horsemen, because they are very strong. But they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord. Now the Egyptians are men and not God, and their horses flesh and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is hopin' shall fall down, and they all shall fail together." And all these verses highlight a reality that humanity is naturally prone to, and it is the reality that humanity is naturally prone to look to man as a source of confidence. The tendency is to lean on man for confidence in every realm of life. Others trust that romantic relationships will provide them with happiness and purpose. And so they look for happiness and purpose in other people rather than the Lord. Others trust that friends will be their crutch to lean on during difficult times. Rather than looking to the Lord, they look to their friends. Others trust that religious men will be sources of forgiveness and spiritual assistance. Rather than looking to the Lord, they look to religious men. Others trust in higher-ranked employees and employer as a means of obtaining more money and higher position. And we sometimes look to ourselves. We find self-confidence upon our strength, our knowledge, our personality, and our talents. The Bible affirms that since the beginning of time, people have had a propensity toward trusting in princes, the most powerful people in the world. And they've had a propensity to trust in princes or rulers as a channel of those who will bring life. And not so much physical life, Not so much spiritual life, but purpose and meaning to life. This is a great problem and we need to be mindful of it. Let me explain. I'm a great supporter of our current president. And from what I have observed, I am persuaded that he passionately loves our nation. He only wants the best for the American people. And the Lord has used him to stand up against malicious people who stand for devilish values. And in my personal opinion, I hope he wins four more years. But we are foolish to think that any one man can bring hope, peace, and even physical prosperity to a nation. So that's the balanced perspective. Only God can bring peace. Only God can change the hearts of men. Only God controls a nation's economic prosperity or famine. Now God is a God of means. We know that. We see that from Scripture. But what I am saying is our eyes need to be on God more than man. And if our president, for whatever reason, is not elected, I will be disheartened knowing the direction our nation will go, but my faith will not be shaken because God is still on the throne. So we need to constantly remind ourselves. that God is God and man is not. We need to constantly remind ourselves that the best of men are men at best. The best of men are capable of making foolish decisions and executing the most foolish behaviors. The best of men are capable of being proud. The best of men are capable of being humbled by God in their pride to show the world that God is God and man is not, and that's exactly what happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. the ruler over one of the greatest kingdoms the world has ever known, and God humbled him to be like an oxen and eat grass. Here, Nebuchadnezzar commanded Daniel chapter three, all people to fall down and worship him. And God says, watch this. Now who's gonna bow down to the ground and eat grass? So do not let politics tiptoe near the throne of heaven in your mind. God is in heaven and the earth is his footstool. And all men are like grass that are slowly withering away. God is infinite. Man is finite. God is holy. Man is sinful. We need a high view of God and a low view of man. The third attitude that is needed as we consider these things is a needed zeal for truth. A needed zeal for truth. God's people are to be a people who uphold the truth assertively and unapologetically. And this obviously means those truths that God has given to us in his word. We need to know the mind of God and various issues that are among the political arena and be passionately persuaded of their implications on our life and our society. In other words, we need to love the things that God loves and we need to hate the things that God hates. We need to agree with God on those things He has already made a judgment about. To give a few examples, We need to be convinced from Scripture that abortion is murder and it is loathed by God. God hates the shedding of innocent blood. We need to be convinced by scripture that marriage has been defined by God as a union of one man and one woman. Anything else besides true marriage as defined by God is not marriage, it is only a mirage. We need to be convinced that there are only two genders. We're not convinced by science alone, we're convinced by Holy Scripture. God, from the beginning, made them male and female. We need to be convinced that the church is essential. God has established his church. Jesus Christ has died for the church. We have been commanded to meet as a church, and in a physical sense, since the founding of our nation, our gathering has been protected by the Constitution, and this has been a direct blessing of God to our nation as American citizens. Knowing these truths are authorized by God and not man, we should never fear from believing in them. We should never fear of speaking about them and standing up for them as God gives us opportunity. Our nation has failed because churches have failed. Churches have compromised. Let's just become soft. Let's just welcome people in so we can be successful. Let's take the edge off the sword of the Spirit Let's just put our doctrinal guard down so that we can quote, love as Jesus loved. And our nation is only a reflection of our Christianity. I mean, if you think about the last 50 years and the supposed numbers that preachers and churches boast of in converting in their community, millions and millions of people supposedly, my question is, where are they and where is the effect? Somebody might ask, well, isn't that bringing politics into the church? My answer is no. It is not bringing politics into the church. It is bringing the truth that the church stands upon into the world. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5 that Christians are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. When we speak about biblical truths that directly relate to moral issues in our society, it is the way that we can influence our society for better. You look at the nations that have prospered, you look at those nations that have been blessed by God, and it is those nations who fear the Lord. It is those nations who have a heavy Light for the sake of Christ. And I can't help but think of the Hebrew midwives in Exodus chapter one, when they refused to perform after birth abortions as the Pharaoh commanded them, was it spiritual or political? The answer is yes. They wouldn't bow. Their convictions were strong. Their convictions were rooted in what God said, and when those convictions were then pressed on by the rulers of their society, they stood firm for what God had said and God approved of it. They weren't trying to be political activists, but their beliefs, when pressed by political leaders, just automatically came out to society, and that was God's will. The fourth attitude that Christians should develop to maintain a balanced perspective regarding politics is number four, a privileged voice. Christians, especially those living in a nation that gives them the opportunity to speak freely and vote, must understand that we have God-given freedoms that allow our voice to be heard. In some nations, Christians do not have this privilege. In fact, in some nations, the average citizen doesn't have this privilege, but we do. We have the privilege of voicing our opinions. We have the privilege of speaking at city council meetings. We have the privilege of signing petitions, and we have the privilege to vote. We may not have that privilege in the future. Only God knows, but we have it now, and the Bible says that we need to redeem the time because the days are evil. We do not take for granted that God has given us the opportunity to be a people who are free, who can voice their opinions and vote. What we say does have an effect on how things are done. Now, it may not seem like it in some ways, but it does. It will shape the future of our children and grandchildren if we voice our opinions. And if we don't voice our opinions, Where will we be? Do we want our children learning to be lazy bums, receiving free money from the government? Or do we want them to go to work and earn an honest living? Do we want to teach them that police officers help our communities or hurt our communities? Do we want to teach them that it is fair to close down churches during a pandemic while marijuana dispensaries, liquor stores, and abortion clinics remain open? What do we want to teach our children and grandchildren? Church, we cannot stand back and watch evil prevail when God has given us a voice. If you're at Stater Brothers and you see a gathering of three or four teenagers beat on an elderly woman, a woman, do you just stand there? Do you just watch? Maybe do you just pray? Or do you say something? Do you approach them and try to stop it? Let me bring it closer to home. If your spouse or your child was being lured by evil men, are you going to let them be taken without a fight? If somebody breaks into your home tonight, are you just gonna drop down to your bed and just say, Lord, help me? You shouldn't be praying, Lord, help me, but you should be actively engaging them to leave. I'm grabbing your handgun, by the way. Did Esther stand back and watch the Jews be destroyed? Evil triumphs when good men do nothing. And I would even insert there, evil triumphs when Christians do nothing. Solomon tells us there is a time to be silent, but he also tells us there's a time to speak. Don't forget that John the Baptist spoke out against Herod's unlawful marriage. Again, we ask, was he being political? Who is he to call out this ruler? Are Christians supposed to hide in a corner about what is right and what is wrong? Or should they be the leading voice regarding what God says? I'll let you answer the question. God is sovereign. Man is responsible. And God is a God of means. God works through means. And so there is a balance. The church shouldn't be political in nature, but spiritual in nature. Our focus is not changing policies. Our focus as a church is changing hearts. But at the same time, we should not shy away from speaking God's truth and love on the issues of life. The fifth thing that is needed among God's people, it's a humble prayer for mercy. A humble prayer for mercy. Habakkuk 3, 2, O Lord, I have heard thy speech and was afraid. The speech from the Lord was a speech of judgment. God's people had rebelled. And here the prophet is standing in between the people and the Lord. I have heard thy speech and I was afraid. Oh Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known, in wrath remember mercy. God's wrath was about to fall and Habakkuk says, in your wrath, oh Lord, be merciful. Notice he doesn't justify the fact that the nation needs to be spared. He doesn't argue with the Lord that the people are wicked and deserve God's judgment. He knows God is good and righteous to bring down wrath on such a rebellious people. But he says, in thy wrath, remember mercy. And leads us to think of Psalm 127. Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. As we look at our nation, we would say, except the Lord intervene, our bold stance will amount to nothing. Unless the Lord intervene, hypocrites, liars, evil men are going to take this country and destroy it. And if God should mark iniquities, should the United States stand free from God's judgment? Certainly not us, millions of babies slaughtered, blatant disregard of God, compromising Christianity, perverseness that reigns in the most perverse ways. And despite who's in power, seeing the cold condition of our land should cause us to beg God, Lord, forgive us of our sins and turn our hearts. Turn us again, oh God. And cause thy face to shine and we shall be saved. The final attitude that is needed among Christians is an assured hope in the gospel. An assured hope in the gospel. Our only hope for our nation is the saving power of the gospel. Romans chapter 1, Paul says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe it. The message of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection is the only cure for humanity because it's the only truth that can change man in the inward parts. It's the only truth that can change man's heart man's nature. Politics cannot change the hearts of men. Politicians can overturn Roe v. Wade, they can outlaw homosexual marriage, they can make us financially prosperous, but they cannot give us everlasting life. And so knowing that, we look to Jesus. And Jesus has power on earth to forgive of sins. Jesus has promised that those who repent and believe on His name will know the forgiveness of God. And so if that's what Christ has said, and we've experienced that in our own hearts as Christians, we need to understand as we talk about the political realm, as we move forward, responding to the political realm, we move forward in a spiritual way. Only Jesus can save. And we look at Corinth again, that wicked, depraved city filled with idolatry, filled with perverseness. Paul going into Corinth, preaching what? The gospel. The power of God into salvation. Preaching Christ crucified, which to the Greeks is a stumbling block, but to those who believe it is the power of God. Christ went holding up high the message of Jesus and his power. And fornicators, adulterers, effeminate, abusers, thieves, and drunkards came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Paul says, and such were some of you before you were justified in the name of the Lord. What do you think that did to their society? Apart from Christ, their society was lost, as lost can be. But when Paul came with the light of truth, Jesus being the way, the truth, and the life, no one can be saved except by placing their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When Paul came preaching that message, as he won one soul after a time, the community, whether they saw it or not, started becoming better, started becoming more moral. Homes started becoming pure that were depraved. So that's our hope and that's our focus. The focus of our church is not political or social reform. The focus of our church is Jesus Christ and the message of salvation. Christ did not command us to go into the world and make Republicans. Christ commands us to go into the world and make disciples. What is the proper attitude toward politics from a Christian? A high view of God, a low view of man, a needed zeal for truth, a privileged voice, a humble prayer for mercy, and an assured hope in the gospel.