Over the last few months, in response to some commentaries that I've posted on Sermon Audio, I've been asked and I've had inquiries as to who we should vote for in the upcoming presidential election. I want for us to consider the question in this study, is it a sin to not vote? We have been told for decades, as I keep saying this, we have been told for decades that not voting in elections is sin. Can you show me in the Bible where that is true? I want you to consider something that's very important as far as Scripture is concerned. In Scripture, as we see the examples in the Bible, most, if not all, did not have an opportunity to vote. And let me just say this, if you think that 2020 was the first stolen election, you do not understand history. I have known of references and unrevised history clear back to the time of Abraham Lincoln's reelection. There was voting fraud clear back at the time of Lincoln. I want you to consider again the question, is it a sin to not vote in an election? Psalm 118 verse eight says, 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. I want you to consider that we have bought the lie that elections are the way to change a nation. Listen carefully to a misspeak from George W. Bush in which he emphasizes the importance of getting out to vote. Russian elections are rigged. Political opponents are imprisoned or otherwise eliminated from participating in the electoral process. The result is an absence of checks and balances in Russia and the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq. I mean, of Ukraine. Iraq, too. Anyway. 75. The truth of the matter is our system works pretty well. We got a large complicated country with a variety of different interests and states and yet we've been pulling off elections for quite a while. The ballot is stronger than the bullet. Pretty relevant these days. I hear a lot about today's political environment. There's a lot of angst around the country. People are really worried. They don't like the anger. They don't like the finger pointing. They expect better. And if you've got a problem with that, the key thing is to vote. As we consider this question, is it a sin to not vote? I want you to consider, first of all, rarely are we ever told that voting contrary to the word of God is actually sin. So I want you to think about this. So the lesser of two evils, a president is in support of sodomite marriages, but he's anti-abortion. Do we vote for that man? I want you to consider that what we are saying is that not voting is the sin, but we never stop to think about the fact that we are voting contrary to what the Bible says. Electing and reelecting Republicans who did nothing about abortion gave us Roe versus Wade. I wanna give you the example here of electing and reelecting Republicans who did nothing about abortion. You know, we often, we bought into this lie, okay, I know Roe versus Wade has been reversed, but here's the real issue. Roe versus Wade was actually given to us by Republicans. We made it a conflict between Republicans and Democrats. The reality is that in 1973, Roe v. Wade, Roe versus Wade, it was decided by a court that was made up of a majority of justices who had been nominated by Republican presidents. I want you to think about that statement. 1973, that gave us Roe v. Wade to begin with. Most of them were Republican-nominated Supreme Court justices. The vote in 1973, Roe versus Wade, was seven to two. The justices that supported the case's pro-choice outcome are listed as follows. Harry Blackmun, appointed by Nixon, Republican. These are the ones who voted for Roe v. Wade in 1973. Warren Burger, Nixon appointee. William Douglas, an FDR appointee, of course, was a Democrat. William Brennan Eisenhower, a Republican. Potter Stewart Eisenhower, a Republican. Thurgood Marshall was appointed by LBJ, of course, a Democrat. Louis Powell Nixon, appointee. those who voted against Roe versus Wade. There are only two, seven to two vote. There are only two, one was a Democrat and one was a Republican nominated a justice. Here's the bottom line of this fact of history. Democratic presidents did not nominate Supreme Court, the Supreme Court that produced the Roe versus Wade outcome. Republicans gave us Roe versus Wade to begin with. It is a lie to think that this is a Republican versus Democrat issue. Of course, Donald Trump was formerly a liberal Democrat who became a Republican. I want you to consider here, Donald Trump's position has changed dramatically. He's had a moving target over the last several decades regarding abortion. Listen to a statement when he was still considered a Democrat. I believe this was taken from 1999. It would not disturb me. Again, I'd want to talk to lots of experts within the military, but it's not something that would disturb me. I mean, hey, I lived in New York City and Manhattan all my life. So my views are a little bit different than if I lived in Iowa, perhaps. But it's not something that would disturb me. Partial birth abortion. The eliminating of abortion in the third trimester. Big issue in Washington. Would President Trump ban partial birth abortions? I'm very pro-choice. I hate the concept of abortion. I hate it. I hate everything it stands for. I cringe when I listen to people debating the subject. But you still, I just believe in choice. And again, it may be a little bit of a New York background because there is some different attitude in different parts of the country. And you know, I was raised in New York and grew up and work and everything else in New York City. But I am strongly for choice, and yet I hate the concept of abortion. But you would not ban it? No. Or ban partial birth abortion? No, I would, I am pro-choice in every respect and as far as it goes, but I just hate it. In April of this year, Donald Trump, in a campaign video, took credit for reversing Roe versus Wade. But I want you to consider, as he emphasizes in that video, it should be the state's rights. We've got to get it back to the states. That's exactly what everyone wanted. Why is he saying that? Because at the end of his video, he says, in the end, we still must win elections. Our nation is in trouble, we must win elections. Why is he not taking a stand anymore on an abortion ban? One of the abortion bans that he made public about his position was a 15 or 16 week abortion ban. First question I have is, is that unborn child not a child until 15 weeks? That unborn child is not a baby until 15 weeks, 16 weeks. To take an abortion stand like that, I want you to consider is compromise. It is actually for abortion. And one of the things that I've been noticing in the news is that abortion numbers have not changed since Roe versus Wade. So it's back to the state's rights. But then we'll also think about right after that statement that he made in relation to abortion, Arizona tried to put back into place a Civil War era abortion ban. Donald Trump came out against it. He said, in the end, the governor will make it right. So what is it? States rights or federal abortion? He's running for president. He's not running for office in Arizona. Florida also is going to have a six week ban, I believe it is, that's voted on here November. It's also very interesting to consider that at times since Roe versus Wade in 1973, there were times when Republicans had control of the federal government, presidency, Republican appointed justices, and Congress. They had control of every aspect of the federal government and nothing was done about Roe versus Wade. My question when they reverse Roe versus Wade is why now? Why after so many decades? Why after so many millions of babies had been slaughtered in abortion clinics all over America? Consider another issue that I believe is very important to consider as far as who we want as president. The sodomite issue also labeled as pro-gay, homosexuality, the Bible word is sodomite. One of the things that's interesting in the Old Testament talks about as far as the moral depravity in the nation of Israel says there were sodomites in the land. There are sodomites in our land and I want you to consider they're legally protected even as they're fake marriages. God defines marriage. God is the one who established marriage, male and female. God did not give Adam a choice between Eve and Steve. God created them in the beginning, male and female. Jesus emphasized that. So are we going to vote for a president who has promoted himself as being the most gay president in history? President Trump is the most pro-gay president in American history. I can prove it. My name is Rick Grinnell. I'm America's first openly gay cabinet member. As a United States Senator, Joe Biden said gay people couldn't receive security clearances because we would be a security risk. Joe must have been terrified when Donald Trump appointed me as acting director of national intelligence. The fact that I'm gay didn't even faze Donald Trump. Joe Biden certainly didn't congratulate the appointment or even acknowledge it. but his silence was deafening. President Trump has done more to advance the rights of gays and lesbians in three years than Joe Biden did in 40 plus years in Washington. For four decades, Joe Biden has attacked the LGBT community. As a U.S. Senator, Biden supported Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act. Biden voted to cut off federal funds to any school that teaches acceptance of homosexuality. Biden said again and again that he was against marriage equality. And now? Well, now that we've made progress, Joe Biden has changed his mind. I know firsthand that President Trump is the strongest ally that gay Americans have ever had in the White House. Donald Trump is the first president in American history to be pro-gay marriage from his first day in office. President Trump knew I was gay when he appointed me to one of the most prestigious and powerful ambassadorships in the world. As ambassador to Germany, President Trump fully supported our fight to crush the homophobic and barbaric Islamic terrorist organization Hezbollah and the Iranian regime that supports them. While President Trump was denying the homophobic regime money, the Obama-Biden team was giving them billions of dollars. Joe Biden not only admits it, he says he'll do it again if elected president. I would reinstate the Iran nuclear deal. President Trump began a historic campaign to decriminalize homosexuality around the globe at the United Nations, where he publicly challenged the 69 countries who make being gay a crime to change their laws. My administration is working with other nations to stop criminalizing of homosexuality. Gays and lesbians can be put to death in nine countries just for being who we are. So why did Joe Biden fail to make this issue a priority in his more than 40 years in Washington? He's never answered this question. This is why I believe we need President Trump in office for another four years, and I'm certainly not the only one. There are millions of patriotic gay Americans who are sick of being told to sit down and shut up by those who want to control us, those who are afraid of our voice, Those who want to keep equality a partisan issue. They tell us our opinions don't matter because we don't subscribe to their groupthink. They try and bully us into silence. But in my experience, proud gay people don't like to be silent. They like to be loud. Yesterday's champions of diversity are today's intolerance. Well, I love this country and I'm not going to be silent. There are tens of thousands of gay conservatives just like me who also won't be silent. Gay people don't have to vote Democrat because Donald Trump is the most pro-gay president in American history. That audio was from a 2020 campaign video in which Donald Trump was promoting and trying to get the vote of homosexuals in America. Since he left office in 2021, he has hosted more than one, several different homosexual pro-gay events at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Donald Trump's position has not changed. I want you to consider also in relation to this question, is it a sin to not vote in an election? Voting is consent. So when we consider what Donald Trump really stands for in relation to abortion, in relation to sodomite marriages, voting is consent. Many who have voted for Donald Trump admit he has been an immoral womanizer. Listen to Robert Jeffress defending Donald Trump apparently after some lewd statement was made in public. That they do, and there's a lot of discussion surrounding Donald Trump's toxic remarks. Can he redeem himself before election day? Pastor Robert Jeffress is a member of Trump's Faith Advisory Council and is sticking by the GOP nominee. He joins us now from our Dallas bureau. Sir, thank you so much for joining us. You've been defending and campaigning Donald Trump from the very beginning, but sir, how do you defend the most recent audio leak that we've seen? Well, let me be very clear about this. These statements were lewd, offensive, and indefensible. But they're not enough to make me vote for Hillary Clinton. Last week, I was in Trump Tower. I moderated a meeting between Mr. Trump and religious leaders. And I said, with Trump seated to my left, I said, look, I might not choose this man to be a Sunday school teacher in my church, but that's not what this election is about. It's about choosing the best leader to reverse the downward spiral. But it's also about electing someone with character and with judgment. He mentioned comments that he's learned a lot after 10 years. He was still 60 years old when these comments were made. How much growth do you do between 60 and 70 years old? Has his judgment really changed since then? Well, let me agree with you. I do think character is a very important issue when it comes to leadership. But when people suggest that Trump is now disqualified because of his character, they're assuming that Hillary Clinton has a better character. And yet here is a woman who destroyed 33,000 emails, she attacked those victims of her husband's sexual assaults, and she supports the dismembering of babies through partial birth abortion. That's hardly the We are gonna do entire segments about Hillary Clinton on this show today But right now you need to you're speaking out on behalf of Donald Trump. You also lead a congregation congregation How do you convince those people yes that this man supports traditional family values when you hear comments like this? Well, first of all, I don't defend the actions or the words. I also talk about the fact that the Bible teaches we are all sinners who all need Christ's forgiveness. But when it comes to family values, I would just say that the issue, I think, for conservative Christians in this next election is the Supreme Court. USA Today said last Friday that the next president is going to shape the Supreme Court and therefore shape America for generations to come. Donald Trump is the only candidate who said he will appoint justices who interpret the Constitution using the law rather than political correctness. And I just think, Elizabeth, as despicable as these comments are, I really believe conservative Christians need to keep their eye on what the real issue is in this campaign. OK, well, you talk about shaping the Supreme Court of the United States with a number of other factors. But in order to get there, you need the support of your party. And right now, the GOP is completely fractured, especially after these comments. And we're seeing lawmakers rescinding their support of the nominee. So how do you steer the ship from here? Well, I think it's going to be difficult. I think Mr. Trump, for example, in the debate tomorrow night, when he's asked about this, and I think it's for sure he's going to be asked about this, he needs to demonstrate genuine humility and contriteness for what he has done. He's got to say he was sorry. He needs to repeat what he did last night. that he is a changed person. So I think genuine humility is very important. But then I do think, after he demonstrates that, he needs to pivot to what the real issue is. And look, I'm not going to berate people who say they have trouble with supporting the ticket right now because of this. But I really do believe this is a binary choice between Trump and Clinton. And I don't believe a vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote for moral character when you look at her record as well. question for you, Pastor. You said he needs to exhibit genuine humility. Can he promise the American people that this was just a one-off, that we can expect nothing like this again? Well, you've been reporting, and I think it's probably true there are other things from his past that will come out as well. But I think what he can do is say, I'm ashamed of what I've said. It doesn't represent who I am, and I'm a changed person, and I will never exhibit this behavior from this point on. All right. Pastor, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it. Thank you. That defense of Donald Trump took place in 2016, the 2016 campaign. Why I share that with you in this commentary is to show you the extent that we have gone to to defend our political messiahs. So the first answer to this question is that it's sin to not vote. Rarely are we ever told that voting contrary to the word of God is sin. Second answer, voting is consent. I'm in agreement with the man I vote for. or in many cases, the woman we vote for here in America, sad to say. Number three, voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil. Think about that statement. What we are doing is voting for the lesser of two evils. When we vote for the lesser of two evils, we are still voting for evil. What is the end result of that? All we have to do is take a look at the decades in which we've been doing this, voting for the lesser of two evils, and guess what we have? We have increasing evil. We can clearly see it today. Proverbs 14.34 says this, righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Righteousness is what exalts a nation. We have bought the lie that says conservative politics is the answer for our nation. Conservative politics exalts our nation. No, it is bringing us down. It is destroying our nation. Sin is a reproach to any people. So we're voting for lesser of two evils. We're voting for wickedness. I am convinced as I see what is going on in America today, again, we're trying to understand the time so we know how to respond. Millions of people are still blindly following a man who was a liberal New York Democrat all of his life until just before his 2016 campaign. America is looking for political messiahs rather than turning back to the God of the Bible and his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I think it's very interesting in Acts 17 verses five and following it says, but the Jews which believed not moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort and gathered a company and set all the city on an uproar and assaulted the house of Jason and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also, whom Jason hath received. And these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus." Let me ask you, is Jesus Christ truly our king when we are voting for things contrary to the character of our Lord Jesus Christ? Is Jesus Christ King, truly King of us as believers in Christ, when we are voting for things contrary to the commands of the Word of God? The Word of God that Jesus Christ gave us through the Holy Spirit. We are looking for political messiahs, and it is destroying our nation. May we wake up to what's going on, to have understanding of the times, and to know and to totally rethink what we're doing. Why are we voting contrary to the word of God in order to vote for lesser of two evils? That is a question we need to consider seriously, I believe, before God, as we continue through this election, presidential election year. May God help us to have understanding of the time so we know what we ought to do in these last days.