Speaker 1: Hey, what up?
Speaker 1: It's Mark Carter.
Speaker 1: I'm the pastor of Fierce Church.
Speaker 1: Welcome to our podcast.
Speaker 1: I'm so pumped that you're able to join us today.
Speaker 1: I hope this encourages you, inspires you, strengthens you, gives you hope to keep pressing on, and it's my prayer that this sermon gives you a more expansive view of God's love for you.
Speaker 1: Enjoy the message.
Speaker 1: So I wanted to sit like this today because I want to have more of a family discussion.
Speaker 1: Some of the best conversations that happen in the Carter home happen at the dinner table, and so I'd love to have a family talk here at the dinner table.
Speaker 1: I got to warn you in advance I'm probably going to say something that I'm going to say something you don't like, no matter who you are.
Speaker 1: So something I say you're probably not going to like it.
Speaker 1: There might be some of you who are waiting for me to lay the smack down.
Speaker 1: You're like Carter's going to bring it today.
Speaker 1: He's going to tell them all, and I got to tell you that that's probably not going to happen.
Speaker 1: Okay, I don't plan on doing any smack downs, just so you know.
Speaker 1: I hope that we can all come in here and we can all have an open heart and open ears.
Speaker 1: I'm really way more concerned about not so much Tuesday's election For those who are listening, maybe in the future we are the weekend before the 2024 election.
Speaker 1: I'm less concerned about what you're going to do then, because I'm guessing most know if you're going to do anything or you've already done anything.
Speaker 1: You already know what you're going to do.
Speaker 1: What I want to do is I want to influence, perhaps with God's word, the coming four years, because it's true there's going to be more elections.
Speaker 1: If you and I stay alive, we're going to be around a little bit longer, and while the election will end, perhaps the political turmoil will not, and so I want us to be equipped from God's word.
Speaker 1: Can somebody say God's word, from God's word, to see if we can't just have some, maybe minor adjustments, perhaps if the Holy Spirit would lead us to do that?
Speaker 1: You know we've had a guideline, so to speak, here at Fears for several years now, really since 2016, that we're preferring, if you're in a small group, do not talk about politics, and the reason we say that is because, man, it can be volatile.
Speaker 1: It has exploded small groups before, like somebody just says something off the cuff and someone didn't agree with that, and people's passions boil and it's like now we can't even be together, and so we've just had this rule hey, just don't even talk about it, man.
Speaker 1: Okay, love each other.
Speaker 1: Talk about it at coffee, you know, or something like that, but let people just be where they are, because it's not worth disrupting the unity of the spirit.
Speaker 1: I think that is still mostly, most of the time, pretty wise.
Speaker 1: Here's my tension with it, though, because some of you might be thinking who's this punk talking about politics up here in church, don't you know?
Speaker 1: You're not supposed to mix those things.
Speaker 1: I feel that here's what I would tell you, though as a pastor, I'm asked by Jesus to teach God's word pretty much on every part of life.
Speaker 1: So if you're married, I'm supposed to teach God's word on marriage, on parenting, on what to do as a business person, on what to do in the home, what to do with just about anything.
Speaker 1: And as I'm thinking this through, I'm like why do we leave politics out of that?
Speaker 1: Like, does Jesus not have lordship over everything?
Speaker 1: Because we're all in it, we're all in political climates, do we?
Speaker 1: Just what does it do if we create a bubble where Jesus doesn't get to come and we're like that's religious, leave it out of here.
Speaker 1: Well, for those who are really loving and trusting Jesus Christ, dude, everything is Jesus related.
Speaker 1: Everything is Jesus related, so why don't we?
Speaker 1: Here's the problem.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it might avoid some disunity, potentially, but it also leaves people tremendously under-discipled, like dude.
Speaker 1: We just need to know God's word in every area of life.
Speaker 1: So that's my heart, that's what I'm trying to do here.
Speaker 1: I want to encourage you.
Speaker 1: I'll bet you there's something, even though I might say something that makes you mad.
Speaker 1: There's probably also something that might be genuinely God for you today.
Speaker 1: And even if 90% of it isn't, please be open for the 10% that might be, because what we're going to try to do is we're going to try to fine tune our brains.
Speaker 1: It's really true that as we grow up in all things into Christ, one of the things that should be shifting is we should be increasingly thinking God's thoughts after him.
Speaker 1: That's what Romans 12.2 means.
Speaker 1: It means don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, and then you'll be able to tell what God's will is his good, perfect and pleasing will.
Speaker 1: God wants us to constantly be adjusting our thinking to what his thinking is, and it makes us more like him.
Speaker 1: It's part of loving the Lord, our God, with all of our mind.
Speaker 1: And so just know, I'm not trying to give anybody a hard time.
Speaker 1: I'm not going to disrespect anybody, or at least I'm not going to try to.
Speaker 1: I don't want to demonize anybody.
Speaker 1: I don't want to treat you like you have a view that, because I don't have it, that's a dumb view.
Speaker 1: I don't think that's true.
Speaker 1: I think I live in the greatest nation in the world.
Speaker 1: I think we benefit from having a two-party system.
Speaker 1: I wish there was more parties, but I think it generally course corrects itself over time and I'm really thankful for it.
Speaker 1: I'm also just, you know, I'm not trying to win.
Speaker 1: Okay, I'm not going to have any red meat here.
Speaker 1: I'm not going to be like so boom, suckas, like I'm not going to do that.
Speaker 1: You've seen that.
Speaker 1: You know, on TV, you've seen that with news organizations, somebody just drops it like yeah, yep.
Speaker 1: Now my point is proven.
Speaker 1: Now we're not going to do that today, not here.
Speaker 1: Why?
Speaker 1: Because this is church.
Speaker 1: This is not a rally.
Speaker 1: This is Jesus's place with Jesus's people.
Speaker 1: So here's some things you want to watch out for and you're going to see it in the text today.
Speaker 1: We want to be careful that we don't first under pray.
Speaker 1: We're going to see it's really important for God's people to pray in a political environment all the time.
Speaker 1: It's really important.
Speaker 1: We're going to see it's important for us to not opt out.
Speaker 1: That's some of our strategy.
Speaker 1: Hey man, look, this is too complicated, it's too divisive.
Speaker 1: I just don't want to deal with it.
Speaker 1: I'm going to opt out.
Speaker 1: I'd rather just worry about heaven.
Speaker 1: Let all this go to hell.
Speaker 1: That's fine.
Speaker 1: That's some of our attitudes, and the Bible is going to warn us against that.
Speaker 1: There's one other warning that we're going to take from the scriptures, and that is Christian.
Speaker 1: If you really trust Jesus and you may not, okay, so you might be here and you're just listening in, you're just like what do these Christians think?
Speaker 1: This is going to be a hard message maybe for you to really get your arms around, because it's from the Bible and it's from a people that are exalting the Bible as the highest standard and the thing that we have to obey.
Speaker 1: So if you're not there, just kind of roll with me.
Speaker 1: At least you'll have a good education on the way Christians are trying to think about this.
Speaker 1: But, christian, if you're a Christian, the truth is there should be a radical difference between how you act in a political climate and how everybody else acts.
Speaker 1: And we're going to see that today.
Speaker 1: And I don't need us to be perfect, but I just think each one of us should take that challenge and say could I be a little bit better and could I be getting better over the next four years?
Speaker 1: It is not my ambition, just you know.
Speaker 1: I don't think that the win is let's get a Christian president in the White House.
Speaker 1: That's not what I think the win is.
Speaker 1: I do think we need to be exceedingly prayerful about not only what happens, but about our steps and the people that we're around as we do it.
Speaker 1: And finally, I think we need to seek the good of the land that we're in, and that's what we're going to see.
Speaker 1: Let's start with 1 Timothy 2, verses 1 through 8.
Speaker 1: So Paul is talking to Timothy and he knows Timothy's going to pass on this letter to others and he knows Timothy's going to instruct his church and he wants to make sure in the church they've got a lot of secular authorities.
Speaker 1: And he says guys, I want to make sure that you relate rightly to your secular authorities.
Speaker 1: I want to make sure, even though you're persecuted, even though you know very much, you're an exile here, you're not like at home here in this world.
Speaker 1: Even so, you've been given secular authorities and I don't want you to just forget about them, I want you to remember them.
Speaker 1: So here he goes, first of all.
Speaker 1: Then I exhort the petitions and prayers, requests and thanksgivings.
Speaker 1: It means all kinds of prayers, pray.
Speaker 1: All kinds of prayers be made for all men.
Speaker 1: He's already said all twice.
Speaker 1: Did you notice this?
Speaker 1: He's going to say all a lot that's on purpose For kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
Speaker 1: Wow, isn't it?
Speaker 1: What would that be like?
Speaker 1: A tranquil and quiet life?
Speaker 1: That doesn't seem to be the tone of the day right now, does it?
Speaker 1: And yet that's what one of God's priorities is.
Speaker 1: That's one of his aims.
Speaker 1: Hey, what are you praying toward?
Speaker 1: Well, you're praying toward this better place of tranquility where there's godliness and dignity.
Speaker 1: That means people are free to obey God and honor God in all of their ways, but also to honor one another.
Speaker 1: And it's just chill, man, it's just peace, man.
Speaker 1: Everybody's not all riled up about everything.
Speaker 1: That's the first aim and first aim.
Speaker 1: And then there's another aim we're to be praying toward.
Speaker 1: This is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth.
Speaker 1: What is God after?
Speaker 1: He's?
Speaker 1: After those two things?
Speaker 1: First and foremost, he wants a quiet, tranquil place where people can honor God and they can come to know and hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1: That is God's agenda.
Speaker 1: That's what he wants to happen on planet earth.
Speaker 1: You say, carter, I've got a different political plan for everybody.
Speaker 1: You might and that might even be, you know fold in there somewhere, but God's first agenda is that the people that are lost are found.
Speaker 1: There's one God and he wants everybody to know.
Speaker 1: There's one God, one mediator between God and men, the man, christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the witness for this proper time.
Speaker 1: I know that it's not popular to say that here now, in this time, but God and Paul want everyone to be very, very sure there's one God, there's one God.
Speaker 1: There's one God.
Speaker 1: It's the triune God, father, son and the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1: It's God the Father, god the Son and God, the Holy Spirit, and it requires the relationship between God and man, requires a mediator.
Speaker 1: You saw that one mediator, also between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.
Speaker 1: A mediator is a go-between, it's someone who is reconciling two parties.
Speaker 1: It's somebody who is kind of a friendly lawyer, but in our case the lawyer also wants to pay the penalty for the laws we broke and he brings us back to the Father.
Speaker 1: That's an essential, paul says.
Speaker 1: I want everyone to know that and we're going to skip down to verse eight.
Speaker 1: Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.
Speaker 1: Without wrath and dissension, dadgum, here's number one.
Speaker 1: Christians are to avoid contention.
Speaker 1: Contention means arguments and fighting, especially over beliefs and that kind of thing.
Speaker 1: I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.
Speaker 1: Let's just pull these apart a little bit at a time.
Speaker 1: I want the men.
Speaker 1: That doesn't mean he doesn't want the ladies, but men, sometimes we're challenged.
Speaker 1: Hey, dude, you're supposed to lead, you're supposed to lead your family, you're supposed to lead in spiritual things.
Speaker 1: And men want to be tough and men want to be strong.
Speaker 1: Men maybe want the position and God says whatever you do, men, first of all, pray.
Speaker 1: I want you to lead in prayer, I want you to go after it, I want you to grab the hand of somebody and say let's go pray about this In every place, lifting up holy hands without wrath and dissension.
Speaker 1: That means when we lift up our hands, we say we're like this.
Speaker 1: This should be the posture of everybody in a political climate.
Speaker 1: God, we need you, god, and we're aiming at pure holy hands.
Speaker 1: We're trying to live in a way that honors Jesus Christ and it's without dissension, meaning it's this and not this.
Speaker 1: This is not the way for Jesus' people.
Speaker 1: This ain't the way y'all.
Speaker 1: I know it's the way of the world.
Speaker 1: I know it's fun, I know it's exciting sometimes.
Speaker 1: I know you like to see somebody get punched in the mouth.
Speaker 1: Sometimes you do.
Speaker 1: I'm sorry we do, but that's maybe good for you to watch on TV, but it's not good for us to posture ourselves.
Speaker 1: The character of prayer is lifting up holy hands without wrath and dissension, and I think one of the reasons is because I really believe contention closes our eyes.
Speaker 1: Contention closes our eyes.
Speaker 1: Have you ever noticed when you're in maybe some static with somebody.
Speaker 1: You're in a fight with somebody you can't help, no matter what situation comes up.
Speaker 1: You're seeing them differently because of the static you have with them, because of the difficulty you're having with them.
Speaker 1: Whatever the situation is, you're seeing them differently.
Speaker 1: You're seeing them as maybe adversarial.
Speaker 1: You're projecting motives onto them that aren't even necessarily there Because you're in contention.
Speaker 1: You're seeing them and you and all your situations together very differently.
Speaker 1: And here's what goes wrong in our political climate is we begin to agree with the ways of the world and we say see that person, they're a bad person rather than, oh, that's a policy I think is bad.
Speaker 1: They're a bad person rather than that's a policy that I think is bad.
Speaker 1: This is really bad for us and you're going to see it.
Speaker 1: I mean, you know this.
Speaker 1: It doesn't help that you see it on the news all the time.
Speaker 1: You see people just sit there at their anchor chair and they just slam everybody.
Speaker 1: They're just like she's an idiot and he's an idiot and they're an idiot and like Kenzie and I will be watching the news and we just turn it off man, like cause we'll click on it, cause we got click baited into it.
Speaker 1: And then we're like this is just slander.
Speaker 1: They're not even telling us anything new, they're just beating them down.
Speaker 1: No-transcript.
Speaker 1: If I say, hey, man, here's what it really is.
Speaker 1: Six plus six is 12.
Speaker 1: And you say well, here's the deal.
Speaker 1: You're a butthead and I'm not a butthead and because of that, for me, I'm the opposite of a butthead.
Speaker 1: So six plus six can't be 12.
Speaker 1: So six plus six is not 12 because you're a butthead and I'm not.
Speaker 1: Do you see what just happened there?
Speaker 1: You missed the entire argument.
Speaker 1: Because you're a butthead and I'm not.
Speaker 1: Do you see what just happened there?
Speaker 1: You missed the entire argument.
Speaker 1: Actually, six plus six is 12.
Speaker 1: But you're so mad at me because you think I'm a butthead.
Speaker 1: You're so emotionally wrought up you can't even hear math because of that, because that's really like.
Speaker 1: I know that's an extreme example, but I really believe that's what happens.
Speaker 1: People just can't even hear because they're so emotionally wrought up.
Speaker 1: Galatians 5, 19 and 20 has stuff to say about this.
Speaker 1: Now, paul's describing the fruit of the sinful nature.
Speaker 1: But when you follow your own wrong inclinations, your lives will produce these evil results.
Speaker 1: Here we go Impure thoughts, eagerness, full lust, full pleasure, idolatry, spiritism that is encouraging the activity of demons, hatred and fighting, jealousy and anger, constant effort to get the best for yourself.
Speaker 1: And here we go Complaints and criticisms, the feeling that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group.
Speaker 1: Did you know that that was evil?
Speaker 1: Did you know?
Speaker 1: Paul says that, yeah, that's the fruit of your sinful side coming out when you think you alone are right.
Speaker 1: That's not right.
Speaker 1: Instead, what we want to do is how about say you know, I can do more than one thing at a time.
Speaker 1: I can chew bubble gum and walk both at the same time.
Speaker 1: That means I can listen to somebody and I can critique their argument and I can be gracious all at the same time.
Speaker 1: That's what God's people can do.
Speaker 1: Maybe people that aren't God's people can't do that.
Speaker 1: I don't know.
Speaker 1: But I know that God's people can do it.
Speaker 1: We've got the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ Doggone.
Speaker 1: We ought to be able to do it.
Speaker 1: But I know that God's people can do it.
Speaker 1: We've got the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ Doggone.
Speaker 1: We ought to be able to do it.
Speaker 1: But you might say but what about their motives, carter?
Speaker 1: Because their motives are wrong.
Speaker 1: See, that's the problem.
Speaker 1: I see that person, and if you just knew what was going on in their heart.
Speaker 1: They're just bad.
Speaker 1: They just want evil things to come about.
Speaker 1: Yeah, we got to be really cautious when we start talking about people's motives.
Speaker 1: Here's why I'm not trying to alarm you, but according to God's word, you can't know people's motives.
Speaker 1: You just can't.
Speaker 1: You might occasionally be right about guessing their motives.
Speaker 1: According to God's word, you and I are not qualified to do that because there's so much of motives that are hidden.
Speaker 1: We don't have access to all the evidence.
Speaker 1: So he says in 1 Corinthians, 4, 5, so don't make judgments about anyone ahead of time, before the Lord returns, for he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives.
Speaker 1: Then God will give to each one.
Speaker 1: Whatever praises do.
Speaker 1: God will handle all that stuff.
Speaker 1: You say, but, Carter, they're going the wrong way.
Speaker 1: Okay, maybe they are, but maybe just stay out of their motives, because that's if you're trying to think and love more Christianly.
Speaker 1: Getting all over their motives isn't going to help anybody.
Speaker 1: It doesn't help you and besides, it's totally ignoring God's word.
Speaker 1: Yikes.
Speaker 1: Instead, here's what you might want to try.
Speaker 1: Here's what I do when I'm having an interpersonal conflict with somebody.
Speaker 1: I feel like this helps with political matters.
Speaker 1: When I'm having an interpersonal conflict, one of the things I've got to do.
Speaker 1: I'm very close to a lot of people in church.
Speaker 1: You might not know this, but the devil goes to church and sometimes he accuses staff members to one another and pastors to congregants and that kind of thing.
Speaker 1: Accusation flies across.
Speaker 1: And one of the things you got to do, if you're going to buck up and kind of deal with those appropriately, is you have to begin to doubt that, suspect that and say I'm going to find something good about them though.
Speaker 1: Okay, you're saying that this is what they're doing and this is why they're doing it.
Speaker 1: But what about this, this and this?
Speaker 1: Because they do this right and I watched them do that and that was awesome, and then they did this.
Speaker 1: Here's going to fry some brains right now.
Speaker 1: Why don't you go look up some of the things that the politician you don't like, look up some of the good things that they did and see if you can stand it.
Speaker 1: And if you can't stand it, precious, that means something's wrong with your heart.
Speaker 1: Because, dude, no one's actually Satan.
Speaker 1: Okay, they still bear the image of God.
Speaker 1: There's still something that they're doing right, even if they're 98% evil.
Speaker 1: Find the 2%, just for the health of your own soul and talk about it.
Speaker 1: Let's get back to dignity.
Speaker 1: Let's not believe the caricatures that we hear about people.
Speaker 1: Dude, if you don't know everything about the people around you and you're not qualified to judge them, what makes you think you're qualified to judge someone you will never even come into contact with?
Speaker 1: You only see in little sound bites and snapshots?
Speaker 1: I mean, is it realistic that you can just know everything about them?
Speaker 1: Here's what we do.
Speaker 1: Instead, we focus on the things that make for the building up of our fellowship, the things that unify us, and even when you find that you've got other folks at church that believe differently than you, what do you do?
Speaker 1: I mean, dude, you focus on the 98% that we agree about and celebrate all that Jesus is doing, instead of what the devil's trying to do.
Speaker 1: Come on somebody.
Speaker 1: Here's number two Christians are to seek the well-being of their temporary home.
Speaker 1: Christians are to seek the well-being of their temporary home.
Speaker 1: The Jewish people were carried off into Babylon exile in the Old Testament, and they were tempted Like probably you and I would be tempted.
Speaker 1: They were tempted to be like okay, the prophet Jeremiah told us we're only supposed to be here 70 years.
Speaker 1: I'll tell you what?
Speaker 1: Let's hunker down, let's keep to ourselves.
Speaker 1: Let's just try to not interact with the rest of the world.
Speaker 1: There's no purpose in learning the culture around here, because we're going back to our own land someday.
Speaker 1: Let's just stick by ourselves.
Speaker 1: And Jeremiah steps in speaking for God.
Speaker 1: He says this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles whom I've sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
Speaker 1: Build houses and live in them and plant gardens and eat their produce.
Speaker 1: I'm going to do verse six in a different translation Marry and have children.
Speaker 1: Then find spouses for them so they may have many grandchildren.
Speaker 1: Multiply, do not dwindle away and grow in numbers there and do not decrease.
Speaker 1: Seek the prosperity of the city where I've sent you into exile and pray to the Lord in its behalf, for in its prosperity will be your prosperity.
Speaker 1: I know that some might be like what is the point of even engaging in any of this at all?
Speaker 1: Here's the point.
Speaker 1: You and I are kind of in an exile, but God has exiled us here and he says bless the land, because the land will bless you back.
Speaker 1: Be a blessing to these people, be a sign and a wonder.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you feel like you're an alien here.
Speaker 1: Good, go into the land and don't become like them, but do enough good among them that they bless God that you were even there.
Speaker 1: Because, why?
Speaker 1: Because you're going to have kids and grandkids and grandkids Down through the decades.
Speaker 1: There's people that come after you that have to do with what that are going to be affected by what you didn't do right now or what you did do right now.
Speaker 1: You get to have a hand in how their reality is.
Speaker 1: I mean, just think about this.
Speaker 1: There are people right now that are super dead.
Speaker 1: They're super dead, but they pushed for there to never be slavery in America again.
Speaker 1: They're dead now, but they used their time while they were here.
Speaker 1: They pushed.
Speaker 1: There are people that are super dead now that made sure they pushed so that everyone had the right to vote.
Speaker 1: They pushed so that no one could legitimately be discriminated against ever again.
Speaker 1: They pushed even as late as the 90s, so that those with disabilities could not be discriminated against.
Speaker 1: They were here and they did the thing they were supposed to do.
Speaker 1: So the decades after them currently benefit from all that.
Speaker 1: Well, don't you want the decades after you to benefit from the fact that you were here?
Speaker 1: Why not just let it get better, instead of saying well, because you're not only saying to hell with this planet right now, you're saying to hell with my posterity later they weren't going to be worth it for me to do anything about it.
Speaker 1: I know you don't want to say that, though I know that you're not saying that.
Speaker 1: And so what we got to do is fight for the prosperity or the shalom that's the word here the peace of the land that we're in, and we got to seek it.
Speaker 1: Seek the prosperity of that city or that nation, seek it and seek.
Speaker 1: There's kind of two ways to do that.
Speaker 1: One is you seek to understand it, you seek greater understanding, and some of us, maybe a great step of humility would just be to say I feel like I know a lot about my own political views, but maybe I don't know enough about the other side.
Speaker 1: Maybe humility would be for me to seek to understand, to always be growing, to not say I've arrived but to say still got a few breaths left, let's learn some things and see how I can even out my own personality.
Speaker 1: So there's just a seeking that is seeking to not stay just the old curmudgeon that I'm becoming.
Speaker 1: But there's also another one, and it's the work part.
Speaker 1: Seek the prosperity.
Speaker 1: That means whatever you can do to help help.
Speaker 1: And this is a little thing, guys, and you've heard this your whole lives but I mean, it is a little thing If you're able to vote.
Speaker 1: Vote because it's a thing.
Speaker 1: It's a thing that matters and you want to be able to say to your posterity later on you were worth it to me.
Speaker 1: I tried to do something for you that I thought was good.
Speaker 1: Grow in numbers there and do not decrease.
Speaker 1: I really think most of the time Jesus would say don't opt out guys.
Speaker 1: Don't opt out of the land that I put you in.
Speaker 1: You can make it better, but you've got to go after it.
Speaker 1: For the decades that are going to follow you.
Speaker 1: You can renew your mind, you can keep growing and keep making things better.
Speaker 1: Now some are going to say but Carter, what if?
Speaker 1: Okay, what if there's actually good things?
Speaker 1: I want to happen?
Speaker 1: But the person that would usher that in is super mean, sometimes funny, sometimes a bully, sometimes yelling.
Speaker 1: People just don't necessarily like the person that would bring about some of these positive changes.
Speaker 1: I feel conflicted about that.
Speaker 1: What should I do?
Speaker 1: I hear that man.
Speaker 1: It can be confusing when we see character that is not necessarily representative of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1: Here's what I would encourage you, what I feel like is a good biblical idea.
Speaker 1: Here's what I would encourage you, what I feel like is a good biblical idea Policy over personality.
Speaker 1: Policy over personality, because here's why I don't get to vote for the person I would pick and you don't either.
Speaker 1: Have you noticed that, like it doesn't matter what you wish, I wish different things too.
Speaker 1: I wish Craig Rochelle could be president of the United States.
Speaker 1: I'd totally vote for him.
Speaker 1: He'd be my pick for sure, like I'd pick him.
Speaker 1: Here's the problem he's not running.
Speaker 1: So it doesn't matter that I would pick him.
Speaker 1: I only get the choices God has given me.
Speaker 1: Are these two?
Speaker 1: That's what I get?
Speaker 1: I can look at those and say, okay, I may not like either of their personalities, but what are their policies going to do, meaning, what's the outcomes they're likely to bring about?
Speaker 1: Because they're also going to die, but their policies are still going to be here.
Speaker 1: In fact, they might die pretty soon, but their policies are still going to be here.
Speaker 1: And so this is where policy over personality, if you're a psychopath, but you can still do the job and get done the things that I believe God would want done, then I'm going to throw my weight behind that.
Speaker 1: I'm not endorsing you, I'm not endorsing a human.
Speaker 1: I'm endorsing a policy.
Speaker 1: I'm endorsing the certain kinds of laws that I think will help future generations.
Speaker 1: Now, some of us I'm going to meddle for a second.
Speaker 1: Now you're my family, okay, so we're at the family dinner table, not picking on anybody.
Speaker 1: I'm just going to give you some thoughts because I think they're saved thoughts.
Speaker 1: There's a real thing that I think is, whether it's Trump or Harris, it's Trump derangement syndrome or Harris derangement syndrome, meaning it is so emotional that it can't quite think straight.
Speaker 1: You're so hating this person that you can't quite think straight.
Speaker 1: But I think there's another side to it and I think we need to look at it and we could call it Trump idolatry syndrome or Harris idolatry syndrome.
Speaker 1: Check it out.
Speaker 1: Do not trust in princes, do not trust in human beings.
Speaker 1: God is super clear about this in the Bible.
Speaker 1: Guys, idolatry is a real thing.
Speaker 1: Like okay, so be hopeful.
Speaker 1: I think they've got kind of the personality that might be able to do what I think needs to be done, but don't put saviorhood in anybody.
Speaker 1: Why?
Speaker 1: Because God is a jealous God and don't provoke him like that, okay, because they're not a God, no matter what they do.
Speaker 1: Even what they do, if they're going to do moral things, well, the morality existed before they ever got here.
Speaker 1: It's God's morality.
Speaker 1: He's the one who should get the credit for it and if it happens, god will help bring it about.
Speaker 1: So he should get the credit for it.
Speaker 1: Yes, god makes all kinds of different kinds of humans and I know sometimes someone feels like this is the right person for the right day.
Speaker 1: Great, say that, but check your heart and watch out for idolatry syndrome.
Speaker 1: There's only one, jesus, dude, and we'll all be better off if we just protect Jesus having the sole place in our hearts.
Speaker 1: About that, I thought more people would say amen at that.
Speaker 1: But it's all right, man, it's all right.
Speaker 1: Point being, policies are the long-term win, not liking the personality.
Speaker 1: I'll bet you there's all kinds of people that voted to get rid of slavery.
Speaker 1: If you actually met their personality, you'd be like I hate that dude.
Speaker 1: He's super like, he's super crass, he's super mean.
Speaker 1: I don't want.
Speaker 1: I'm glad he voted against that, but I don't want to be around him.
Speaker 1: Yeah well, just assume that's now too, then that's just fine.
Speaker 1: Let's look at the long-term win.
Speaker 1: Let me give you an illustration.
Speaker 1: Okay, here's what I see happening in the cultural milieu right now.
Speaker 1: There is a train that's going north and a train that's going south.
Speaker 1: You can call them Democratic and Republican.
Speaker 1: They're going north and south.
Speaker 1: They're going two very different directions.
Speaker 1: Don't put too much weight in the north or the south.
Speaker 1: They're just going different directions and the places they're going are very different places.
Speaker 1: They get to different places.
Speaker 1: Now the current presidential candidates are the conductors of each one of those trains, and people are so mad at those conductors that they're whipping tomatoes, they're graffiting all over the train and they're like I hate this person.
Speaker 1: Therefore, I'm just going to tell them to go to hell, even though I think some of their priorities and policies are pretty good.
Speaker 1: Even so, I hate them, and what you're missing is honey.
Speaker 1: What matters is where the train goes.
Speaker 1: It matters where the train goes.
Speaker 1: Dude, you're going to live where the train goes.
Speaker 1: So what you want to think about is not how much you hate so-and-so, think about where does their policies actually go?
Speaker 1: What does that lead to in our country?
Speaker 1: I'm going to pick the outcomes, not the stupid person.
Speaker 1: I want what is going to be true later on.
Speaker 1: So we imagine out, okay, given the policies that so-and-so and so-and-so are using, what is likely to be true or truer of the nation as we get further out.
Speaker 1: I want to submit to you that's a way, better way to think about it, dude.
Speaker 1: Get over them.
Speaker 1: The media is constantly trying to distract you with them.
Speaker 1: Forget about them.
Speaker 1: Where do their policies go?
Speaker 1: That's how you and I can do good.
Speaker 1: Do the policies you think are good?
Speaker 1: Now, of course, it's going to come up, okay, if you're a Christian, you got to think about this, because we're trying to grow in our thinking.
Speaker 1: Which policies is Jesus more likely to endorse?
Speaker 1: Now, that's a trembly thing to say, and yet we do have a lot of information about it, because it's in God's word.
Speaker 1: Jesus, I believe there are policies.
Speaker 1: I believe there's things Jesus would vote for today if he was walking around on the planet and he couldn't just I mean, he could just do that always, but if he wanted to vote, I think I know what he'd vote about.
Speaker 1: Now, you got to know this, in case you're maybe new to the Christian deal or something like that.
Speaker 1: Jesus likes you before you agree with him, okay.
Speaker 1: So there's no like you have to work into Jesus' favor by thinking everything Jesus thinks or thinking everything Christians think he thinks.
Speaker 1: There's no like, you don't need to get into that club.
Speaker 1: Okay, jesus just likes you the way you are, just fine.
Speaker 1: But as you and I grow, he's going to slowly try to synchronize our thinking to his word and his heart, because he knows what's best for humans and what's best for us.
Speaker 1: So I'm just going to make you, I'm going to make you, a case from God's word that I think is true.
Speaker 1: I'm not doing it because I want you, because I care about your political persuasion.
Speaker 1: I'm doing this because I care about you as a disciple and I want you to hear this because maybe you're not hearing it somewhere.
Speaker 1: I'm not hearing it many places.
Speaker 1: However, jesus would vote.
Speaker 1: He would vote for policies that, even where there's nuance, the policies themselves are still devoted to protecting unborn human life.
Speaker 1: I know that might be hard for some to hear, because you're thinking of, maybe, the times where well, what about this?
Speaker 1: It gets complicated?
Speaker 1: Okay, even given those times where it might be complicated and there might be conversations, nevertheless the policies that lead to less and less decreasing taking of unborn human life.
Speaker 1: Jesus is all in on those policies.
Speaker 1: Why?
Speaker 1: Because Psalm 139, 13 says for you created my inmost being.
Speaker 1: You knit me together in my mother's womb.
Speaker 1: Praise you because I'm fearfully and wonderfully made.
Speaker 1: Whether or not it's PC, I just need to tell you Jesus is all in on not having abortions.
Speaker 1: He's all in on it, like he's totally thumbs up on that.
Speaker 1: He wants those people to live and be a solution on planet earth and help other people get to heaven and then spend eternity in heaven together with him, forever.
Speaker 1: That's what he wants.
Speaker 1: Here's another thing I think he'd be all in on he would vote for policies that are concerned with protecting the weakest among us.
Speaker 1: So if there's policies that lead to children being taken advantage of or overlooked or being in trouble, okay.
Speaker 1: So, for instance, when guidelines are released in May of 2016, that, even though it might have been in some strange sense well-intentioned that anybody can just choose the bathroom, whatever bathroom they want to go in.
Speaker 1: So that means grown men with beards and their junk hanging out can go into a lady's bathroom and see a little girl.
Speaker 1: If that's the moral fortitude of the policies that you think are up for debate, I would suggest Jesus doesn't want those things to happen, or happen more.
Speaker 1: He doesn't want men to steal sports opportunities from women.
Speaker 1: I know it sounds political, but if none of the political stuff were happening, it would still be true.
Speaker 1: He still doesn't want that to happen.
Speaker 1: He likes his girls, he wants to protect their right to compete and he warns us, matthew 18, 5, if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.
Speaker 1: I believe and I'm going to say this because of the generation we're in I know there's a certain age where you're like, why is this even a thing?
Speaker 1: But there's another generation that is increasingly enamored with socialism.
Speaker 1: I just want to say some Bible things to you and you draw your own conclusions.
Speaker 1: Okay, I believe Jesus would vote for policies that equip people for more personal responsibility.
Speaker 1: It doesn't take away generosity and yet it forces people to have to engage their own personal responsibility and work ethic.
Speaker 1: Okay, first, second, thessalonians 3.10.
Speaker 1: For when we were with you, we gave you this rule the one who is unwilling to work shall not eat, proverbs 12.11.
Speaker 1: Those who work their land will have abundant food.
Speaker 1: But those who chase fantasies have no sense.
Speaker 1: God wants us to be ridiculously generous, guys, but he doesn't want the general ethos of the nation to be trending toward a place where people can just be okay with I just don't have to work and people are going to take care of me.
Speaker 1: That's not moral.
Speaker 1: That's not the Bible's view of morality.
Speaker 1: Jesus warns against excessive dependence on the state.
Speaker 1: We're talking about socialism.
Speaker 1: He warns against it.
Speaker 1: He says do not what we just said.
Speaker 1: Do not put your trust in Prince's Psalm 146.3, in human beings who cannot save.
Speaker 1: He loves generosity as long as it's voluntary, okay.
Speaker 1: So hey, why don't we just take care of everybody and make everybody pay for it?
Speaker 1: And some people make the case.
Speaker 1: Well, that's what happened in Acts chapter 2, isn't it?
Speaker 1: No, that's precisely not what happened in Acts chapter 2.
Speaker 1: Here's what happened in Acts, chapter 2.
Speaker 1: Everybody was in town for Pentecost and the Holy Spirit was was poured out and people didn't want to go home.
Speaker 1: And so, yeah, they began to sell their possessions and sell houses to take care of everybody and keep them there in this awesome revival that was happening.
Speaker 1: And first, it was a hundred percent voluntary, nobody made them do it.
Speaker 1: And second, then they all went home.
Speaker 1: It wasn't forever.
Speaker 1: It was during that moment when the Holy Spirit was being poured out.
Speaker 1: My point is, guys, even though there's a lot that sounds really compassionate and awesome about yeah, let's just, and other socialistic things like social security, I get it, man, I know all those nuances, but I'm trying to make a point here that, by and large, the Bible is against the ethos of let's just let some people just, we'll take care of them, we'll take care of them and all their things.
Speaker 1: God's word says don't do it.
Speaker 1: I've seen all of humanity, I know how this goes Don't do it.
Speaker 1: Here's one more.
Speaker 1: No one has this policy right now, but it seems to be talked about among a lot of people.
Speaker 1: I think Jesus, because he's so into wisdom if you read the book of Proverbs, jesus is so into wisdom.
Speaker 1: He would not vote for policies that are in any way threatening or diminishing to free speech.
Speaker 1: I just don't think he would do it.
Speaker 1: Why would I say that?
Speaker 1: Because of Proverbs 31.8, speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speaker 1: Speak up and judge fairly, defend the rights of the poor.
Speaker 1: My friends, there's a vein of ethos going through our country right now that would say we want to put a cap on what you can say and what you can't say.
Speaker 1: Historically, if you just study history, you know that's a really bad idea.
Speaker 1: Why?
Speaker 1: Because we have to be able to tell the truth, even if it sounds mean, even if some people are mean with it.
Speaker 1: We've got to be able to say this is wrong, dude.
Speaker 1: We've got to be able to be in the middle of a pandemic and say wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, are you sure?
Speaker 1: And say wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, are you sure?
Speaker 1: And not be ousted and not be canceled, not be kicked out.
Speaker 1: There's gotta be this constant thing where we can say stuff.
Speaker 1: Instead, what does Paul say?
Speaker 1: Speaking the truth and love.
Speaker 1: Ephesians 4, 15.
Speaker 1: We've gotta be able to speak the truth and love.
Speaker 1: I gotta be able to take issue with something and say this is wrong, even if the whole world is saying it's right.
Speaker 1: We've got to be able to say it's wrong.
Speaker 1: And if there's policies that are minimizing or taking away people's right to speak up for Jesus, I don't think Jesus would get behind that.
Speaker 1: Now you might disagree and I totally I celebrate.
Speaker 1: To be fair, you don't get to be up here and you don't get to be saying these.
Speaker 1: Maybe you could have your own video and put it on YouTube and you can say all the things.
Speaker 1: Here's where Carter's an idiot.
Speaker 1: You do that whole video.
Speaker 1: That's fine, but I think it's Christianly and I think it's good for my church to hear it.
Speaker 1: Here's the last one.
Speaker 1: Christians are to pray.
Speaker 1: Christians are to pray First of all, then.
Speaker 1: First of all, then, I exhort that all petitions and prayers, requests and thanksgiving be made for all men.
Speaker 1: That means all.
Speaker 1: That means local state authorities, that means global authorities, but that also means influencers.
Speaker 1: That means sports famous people, that means celebrity people on YouTube, everybody that has influence over anybody.
Speaker 1: God says pray for them, Give thanks for what they're doing right, pray that God opens their heart for kings and all somebody say, all all who are in authority, pray for them that they would be able to be open to the gospel of Jesus Christ, because God wants all men to be saved.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm kind of tripped out, dude.
Speaker 1: I'm not saying this is going to become anything.
Speaker 1: I'm looking and I'm seeing Russell Brand get saved and I'm like what is happening and I'm seeing Russell Brand get saved and I'm like what is happening, like his level of influence and how seemingly you know how he's been in his past, it's just like wow, and he and dude, like, so far I mean I don't know what will happen later you never know what people do someday but so far he's like fiery, like dude can preach and I'm like what I see people like Zachary Levi, he's Shazam dude and he's super like outspoken.
Speaker 1: Well, you know, he's in this interview and he's talking about well, you know, I needed to pray about it and really hear from God and once I heard from God, I just had courage to do it.
Speaker 1: And I'm like celebrities just never used to talk, like even when I was a kid, even when it was okay to talk about faith, mel Gibson, you didn't do it.
Speaker 1: Or Stephen Baldwin Now, all kinds of people it's just coming up man, even Tucker Carlson and I know that people got issues with him and I know that he may have issues with even pastors, I hear that.
Speaker 1: But he's also talking about getting waken up in the middle of the night by demons and I'm like what is happening right now?
Speaker 1: People that would never be open to this kind of thing are open, and why?
Speaker 1: Because I believe of prayer, because folks were praying.
Speaker 1: How many more folks with a lot of influence could you and I be praying for?
Speaker 1: What would happen over the next five years, over the next voting season?
Speaker 1: What would happen If we just continued to pray?
Speaker 1: How many more folks would be like you know, god's put them in.
Speaker 1: They were at evil cost before, but now they're in the right position.
Speaker 1: Now they know Christ, and now there's all kinds of people that suddenly are open and it's a whole different conversation what I want us to take away from this.
Speaker 1: I know you're going into a holiday season.
Speaker 1: I know you're going to see some people.
Speaker 1: I know you're going into this coming Tuesday and you're going to have feelings, and I'm not asking you to not have very provoked feelings about things, but I'm asking can we just reflect for a moment and say what if, as I interact with people, as I see old girl on TV, instead of being like venom in my throat, instead say I'm going to try to think of something good about her?
Speaker 1: Or if I see old boy, I'm going to try to think of something good about him.
Speaker 1: I'm going to try to be gracious with the people that I'm around.
Speaker 1: I'm maybe gonna turn off just only slander.
Speaker 1: Maybe, when I see my friend do something that in four years earlier I might've disowned them as a friend, now I might be more gracious toward them.
Speaker 1: Maybe I might just pray for them and say, god, would you just remove evil and put in good, would you remove lies and bring in truth?
Speaker 1: And I don't have to pull that off myself, I'm just going to ask God to do it.
Speaker 1: I'm going to be more prayerful about it.
Speaker 1: Guys, god wants us to leave our planet more blessed than we found it.
Speaker 1: It doesn't mean we can fix it, but it does mean we can slowly improve it over time if we take prayer and take action for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1: And can I just say the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Speaker 1: I love America, dude.
Speaker 1: I love my country.
Speaker 1: The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thing that is supposed to be in your heart, though.
Speaker 1: Let the gospel be preeminent.
Speaker 1: Put America right under it how about that?
Speaker 1: But let it be the first and foremost thing that you're aiming at.
Speaker 1: Hey, thank you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 1: If you don't have a home church and you're looking for a Bible preaching community that has its heart set on passionately knowing Jesus and being his witness in our generation.
Speaker 1: Check out FierceChurch.
Speaker 1: We'd love for you to join us, either digitally or in person.
Speaker 1: Also, if you're looking for leadership development related content, don't forget to check out the Fierce Leadership Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts from.
Speaker 1: Special thanks to those of you who give generously to support this ministry.
Speaker 1: It's because of you that this is possible.
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Speaker 1: Whatever challenges you're facing, I know you can make it.
Speaker 1: Don't give up.
Speaker 1: Hang on to Jesus.
Speaker 1: He won't let go of you.
Speaker 1: Jesus loves you so much and we love you.
Speaker 1: I hope someday we get to meet in person.
Speaker 1: Thanks again for listening.