Voting - Why Bother?

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See Thomas for today's message will 2020 has been a roller coaster ride year has been opened down in so many different ways were seen so many things that we have never seen before and it was like to use money in that way and that our presidential election. The 2020 presidential election. As of today November 4 when we are recording this message. Their use. No winter outcome is still yet to be determined. There things out there being said it could take days or it could take even weeks before we know and so again things are are wild and crazy right now when it comes to the election, but we are going to talk today about when it comes to Christians again what the perspective should be. My name is Brian Thomas, and I am so honored and delighted that you are joining me today are being joined by my lovely wife and cohosts Denita Thomas and so again we're going to talk about the election, the after math of the leg of the election and we're focusing, of course, a lot of people on the presidential election.

But there are so many other offices that are are are being determined right now, and in some still again, have not the calls not been made, but a lot of people are focusing on the presidential election and even though that as of today we we don't know the outcome of the presidential election.

By the time the show airs your hearing it over the radio on November 7, there may be an outcome at this point, but either way it goes. There will be about half the people who were going to say they're happy there satisfied or pleased then about half of the country is going to be disappointed and upset so you may be asking yourself the question, if you on that side that it did not go the way or if it does not go the way you want it.

You may be saying, why bother.

What's the point in even voting because you say it never goes away. I wanted to go so Denita is there a need to even bother with voting. Of course, it is because even as Christians.

Now that's our way of exemplifying on the gospel of Jesus Christ as a way of sharing the gospel and making sure that we put the word of God and put God out front by expressing our faith through how we vote. So it is very very important so we, as Christians, we should bother every year, though, through surveys, they find that there are millions of self professing Christians who do not bother to vote.

They do not get involved with the elections. They say politics is not of the kingdom of God and they feel like they just don't need to to to get into it and then there are those who do. Maybe reluctantly but they say will it doesn't go the Christians way anyway. We'll talk today about why Christians should bother because of the fact that we as believers in Christ, we are supposed to be with the Bible calls watchmen back in the Bible days the cities were fortified. They had walls around them and on these walls. There was a person who was assigned to stay and watch and the reason he did so was because he was looking out for enemies from the attack of enemies and if he sold something out there. He was to warn the people so and these were these were huge walls and some of the cities had walls that were big enough to actually ride a horse horse and chariot on it so these were were huge walls and there was again someone who's assigned to be a watchman and the Bible gives Texan warrior talks about the nature of this watchman and how we as believers also supposed to be watchman in a metaphorical sense. Now today in our society. We've advanced where we have radars so radars are watchman when when we are thinking about a enemy attack or for that matter. They always watching, so they detect something on the horizon radar will pick it up. But in those days they did not have radar.

So we as Christians are to be like the watchman that they had in the Bible days so I want to draw your attention to Ezekiel chapter 33.

Let's look at verse one through nine. Again the word of the Lord came to me saying Son of Man speak to the children of your people and say to them when I bring the sword upon the land and the people of the land take a man from the territory and make him their watchman when he sees the sword coming upon the land if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his head.

He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning his blood shall be upon himself, but he who takes warning will save his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet in the people are not worn and the sword comes and takes any person from among them. He is taken away in his iniquity but his blood, I will require your at the watchman's hand so limbs that right there. So what the Bible is telling us here is that we are to be watchman so how this relates to voting is that when we go to vote. That is the same way as being a watchman right when we go to cast their vote. We are standing for biblical values.

So what that means is we are making the determination that we are casting this vote for the same purpose of saying we are standing for biblical values when it comes to the word of God and is things do not go the way we wanted to go. Our hands are are not going to be guilty. We've done our part so so what you say to the person out there though that says well you know it. It seems like even though I do my part steel you know nothing, nothing goes the way in which I wanted to go. It doesn't seem to be going the way of the Christian well as ambassadors I know in second Corinthians 5 verse 20 were called Christ's ambassadors, and so we are making an appeal to people that they need to come back to God and through our policies and things that are in place or that a legislator or someone may want to take a policy or something like that.

We want to make sure that those things are biblical that their godly we are making an appeal to people you know so that they can have things in place that are godly and so we speak for Christ when we make that appeal and we plead his word by going and acting and voting for things that would be is closely related to the Bible as possible. And you know we are obligated to warn unbelievers not just not just going and doing our vote but also encouraging people to vote according to the word of God and so that's our way of warning are sounding the alarm about certain policies that may not be right or or you know China and help them to do their due diligence and really filter things through the word of God and so we have a lot of ways to act as ambassadors through voting so that people can can make sure that they do things in a way that are godly so you go back to Ezekiel 33 and a sliver seven so you Son of Man I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel, therefore you shall hear a word from her mouth and warned them for me when I say to the wicked O wicked man, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way that we could man shall die in his iniquity but his blood, I will require your at your hand. Nevertheless, if you warn the wicked to turn from his way. He does not turn from his way.

He shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul so that is why we should bother the calls again.

There are some people, the Bible says they're not going to turn to God they're going to stay in their wicked ways, but at least you have delivered your soul. You can say I made an attempt I tried and I was talking to a friend of mine and he was saying that he knew of Amanda did not trust any of the political parties. This is the New World order is coming anyway so why bother. Then we know the Bible says the New World order is coming that we know that for certain. The Bible tells us by way of the Antichrist.

The day is coming, in which there will be a one world system that we also referred to as the New World order so we know was coming but what I share with him. I said will imagine that you are an engineer for a damn company, you know, a dam safety engineer and your boss have told you this this dam that is used to to hold that water for the sake of energy you been told that there's an earthquake that is taken place. The dam has suffered great damage and is going to breach at some point the dam is going to break. He says he doesn't know is going to be next week. Maybe the next month might be five years from now. 10 years from now what is going to happen. So as an engineer do you take the approach that will is going to burst anyway. Why bother.

Now you don't do that.

No, that is light is almost like you're saying get thrown in the towel. You don't really care about how that outcome whenever it does happen impacts the people who are, you know there at the time who could be harmed by an and that's one thing that I think about is that when we go to though what we do as Christians in the decisions that we make impact other people right and so if we're going allow certain things to her policies to be put in place that are harmful to our Christian brothers and sisters and even to the unbelievers. They were not doing our part were not doing what we're supposed to be doing because we're supposed to be as ambassadors were supposed to be helping to build the kingdom of God. So it is our responsibility to let people know about things to use the gifts that we have, because God has gifted us with the Holy Spirit that indwells us. And so our Holy Spirit that is in us has a certain role that he plays. He restrains evil, he guides people into truth and you know people need truth went in and we have to share it and we are able to exemplify through how we approach things and if we just go and say well whatever or don't bother or is no need to say anything is almost like your your hopeless and as Christians we are to have a hopeful tone about everything and what you're describing. That doesn't exemplify that all right because you know as is engineer that downstream their lives. 2 million people, and your approach is going to be if you want to be a concerned person that you want to get the word out to warn those people downstream this dam is going to break at some point you need to get the higher ground. You want to be feverishly feverishly trying to get people to to get out of the way to escape, but if you take the approach of a will was going to happen anyway. So why bother. No.

If you see that damn leaking. You're going to go and patch it up to try to hold that you try to hold back that down from bursting as long as you can. And so we as Christians go to vote. That is what we're doing when we cast a vote. We're trying to hold back that damn as long as possible and is not so the people can escape. A flood is going to come by a dam breach but is so the people can come to Jesus Christ to get to know him because again we do know the Bible says a new world order is coming.

The antichrist is coming. Jesus Christ is come in again and we want as many people as possible to be saved before that time come in the longer we can hold back the dam to the wickedness that is trying to go forward, the better it's going to be for those out there who don't yet know Christ and that is why it is so important that we keep fighting. Keep pushing again just just keep that in your mind that you're trying to keep the damper break until all those people downstream all 2 million people will go to safety. And you know there won't be some hard idiots out there that one of these on the site and all the dam is been there all my life is my one break and they're not going anywhere, but for those who wield it is your job to to to try to do what you can to get those people say and that is why was we go back to Ezekiel, in which he said that if you go ahead and do your part.

God is not going to hold you responsible but if you just like the dam engineer. If you decide not to try to warn the people of you decide not to try to repair it.

God is going to hold you responsible for those people's death. I am just like the engineer was given a certain amount of knowledge you responsible for the knowledge that you have just like you responsible for the knowledge you have about the word of God. You have a responsibility to share it in first Corinthians 2 verse 12 it says, and we have received God's spirit, not the world's spirit so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us and so what is talking about here is that God has shared his knowledge and an eternal gift with us through the Holy Spirit. He shares things he gives us wisdom through his word.

So we have this knowledge of him as we grow in Christ we get to know him and we are responsible for sharing that with people and just like the engineer if he holds that knowledge to himself. He's accountable for all those lives that may be impacted. When that dam does break and so just like that engineer we have the knowledge of the wonderful things that God has given us so is our responsibility to make sure that this wisdom that we get from the holy word is shared with everyone and we can do that through voting through evangelizing, through counsel, and and all those things and so we are responsible for the net because what we did was we impact lines and hopefully we use that to guide people to Jesus Christ.

So if you just now joining us. We are discussing the wild and wacky roller coaster of the 2020 election that is taken place were discussing why it's so important that as Christians, regardless of the outcome want to take a short break, don't go away you are tuned into God first. You're listening to Brian only got more wine please visit God.org library.

There you will find articles and downloads on various topics such as salvation, marriage lesson is just the also sign up for our monthly newsletter and visit our website God back to God first. Tom is doing fine. My wife and we are discussing elections and why it is important that we as Christians vote why we should bother voting. If you want to listen to this message again in its entirety or any other messages to visit our website God first.org this GLD number one ST.org you can also write us at God first Bible Fellowship, PO Box 266, Knightdale, NC 27545. All right now before the break as you were talking about the fact that when we have the knowledge that God is given as we are to share it not just keep it to ourselves and it had me thinking about.

I hear accusations from people who save those of us who believe in the pre-tribulation rapture that we say Jesus Christ is going to come and take us out the church before the tribulation. They say that we have this attitude that will Christ is coming back again so there's no need to bother doing anything.

Everything is going to be going downhill.

We want to be taken away. So, so why bother. So it ties right into voting because I have the urgency when I know that Jesus Christ could come at any moment. I'm not going to just sit on my hands and say well he's coming back some not want to vote not want to evangelize my want to help anybody.

I'm going to be out here I'm good. No, I want to help others because I want as many as possible to go to be a waiver.

Jesus Christ right in and as you are reading from Ezekiel 33 on the four I was thinking about as were voting and were voting for certain policies.

I look at it as these are like not just policies but they also ideologies and a lot of the ideologies out there today. They applaud San they may cause people to sin, or they may keep may keep people from God.

A lot of them are anti-God. And so aware of voting you know his heart and out her Christians say I'm a political we are put away our political we are part of this thing well on this earth and these policies that are anti-God caused us to have to be involved. We have to be involved in politics and I think about second Corinthians 10 verses four through five and it reads we use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons to not down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God we capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ so these ungodly things at ease, anti-God policies and ideologies and philosophies of whatever those are. Those are the obstacles that are keeping people from knowing God there there causing people to turn away from God there causing people to be canna aggressive towards Christians and and everything is so these are things that were going in voting, so these NSI responsibility. This says we capture their rebellious thoughts and we teach them to obey Christ we can teach people about the word of God and how we live, how we live includes how we vote and so on those things in them. So the word of God is telling us because in Ezekiel 33 verse seven is given us the command or the assignment to sound the alarm. So the question is are you being obedient and sounding the alarm and helping to capture these rebellious thoughts and teaching them about Christ through how you live, which includes how you vote, you know exactly you're supposed to sound the alarm. We are to want to help our fellow brothers and sisters, and one thing that makes me think about a lot of people have an attitude of when it comes to Roe versus Wade that we cannot defeated. I lost courage. I haven't haven't lost the ideal of the gold that that it can happen.

And imagine that you go and vote. And let's say that your vote is this the deciding vote that led to a certain Supreme Court justice being appointed and that led to the overturn of Roe versus Wade and imagine if there was a child that was scheduled to be aborted. But before he could happen. The law was overturn and then the time comes when you die, you go to heaven and Jesus presents to you the person's life that you saved. Imagine how that would feel because of the fact that you took the approach of I am going to go out and vote. I'm going to do my part, I want to do what I can in order to help the unborn out there and that is why it is so important that like you say you sound the alarm you want to do everything you can so that you won't be healed, guiltless, or so that you will so that you will be guiltless and you know we think about that with the watchmen on the wall there were watchmen that actually fall asleep and there were times in which cities got attacked because the watchmen got bored got tired, he said, well, nothing is going to happen.

I Can, you know, just relaxing. He will fall asleep, their people today as Christians that are fallen asleep and need to wake up and when I say wake up are not talking about the woke gospel not talking about being broke that social gospel movement, social justice, gospel movement know I'm talking about.

We need to wake up and stop sitting on our hands and get involved because your vote can make a difference yes and I like what you are saying a little while ago about how people say it will you use example of when you get to heaven, and I think that's the problem with people of their not eternal minded. They're not looking forward to eternity. How you know this is not our home, where foreigners on this earth in our eternal home is in heaven or in out with Jesus and I think when Nate when you think about your life just on this level on on earth. I think that limits you to understand your power the power you've been given as a Christian. The power of the Holy Spirit to be able to work through you and I think you limit you is almost like you given a limited tech limitation to what God is able to do because God can do anything he still rule over all and I'm I think people actually bind themselves and try to bind God by being so short minded and not being eternal minded because when you're not eternal minded you you shorten yourself of having the power to thwart any canna evil and evildoer their plans. You don't you have that hopeless attitude and and how can someone else look at you and say oh you know that whole Christian thing you know if they had lived there hopeless and all despondent like me, then why am I going to even go in no doing them and and you know believing what they believe in. So it's important for us to to show the power of Jesus Christ.

He puts it in you. The Holy Spirit is what's holding back the enemy and all of his authorities and you have the power to throw at any of these evil plans and ideologies in an policies and I just think a lot of people just are shortsighted and and don't realize how much power they have. Through Jesus Christ. Exactly. You're exactly right because again the things that are going on in the heavenly realms in the spiritual realm that that we cannot see their soul was there and there's so much power and imagine I want to use another analogy or another illustration about getting to heaven. Imagine you get to heaven and Jesus points to a child he says this was the one that would've had the cure for cancer but but this baby was aborted but had you voted in overturn abortion. This tall would've came into the world and so many people lives would've been save or imagine that you are single and you desire your a spouse in all your life you been living in you don't have a spouse and you feel lonely you feel empty. As a result of it. You have that craving and imagine getting to heaven and Jesus says this is the one right here.

That would've been your spouse had they been allowed to come into the world but were taken out through abortion. That is why people it is so important that again you vote you. We are supposed to. Again, not just look at an essay. The dam is going to break anyway and everything is going to come to pass.

We are to hold it back as long as we can to make a difference in people's lives.

So the meter for the last minute.

Can you just wrap up why it is that again as Christians wipe why people should should bother to vote. What will final words. Do you have I just say that God commands us. So if he's command and we need to do so.

He commands us to be watchmen. He commands us to to reach out and share the gospel of Jesus Christ and part of that is hope. Having hope and also part of that is understanding that he has given you the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome anything here on this earth and you need to tap into that power and you tap into that power by going to casting your ballot. According to the Bible and God is waiting as long as possible before he sends his son to get his bride, so that as many people can be saved as possible so we need to use the gifts that God has given us to help build the kingdom of God as long as we are here on this earth and I think people need to make sure that they focus on who God is, in his great power, like I said he is still ruler over all, no matter what happens, no matter what these results are and I think that's a great thing about it is that we know we are victorious, through Jesus Christ, no matter who is in the White House, so don't be despondent and and in despair. Just like in Jeremiah and Lamentations. He was depressed and recalling all the terrible things don't sit back recalling all the bad things at 2020 and all of those things. But what he did and Lamentations 3 verses 21 through 22. He set yet. I called this to mind and therefore I have hope because of the Lord is faithful love. We do not perish for his mercies never end. They are new every morning great is your faithfulness and focus on your hope in the power through Jesus Christ that you have and God's abilities and his wonders and how he is orchestrating the future we should be excited. We got a front row seat to see God plan out everything that needs to play out with prophecies in the word of God and so we can look at his truth and his faithfulness in keeping his promises so stand strong. Everything will be all right. Amen.

Well said, and I just want also say people we tend to focus on the presidential election. But remember, there are so many levels of authority. We have so many offices out there. Even if the president is not the one that you desire. There are senators there. There's the House of Representatives there's Congress there is the Senate. It is this so many levels in which your influence can be made so so again get out of.

Oh, don't be discouraged just because something did or did not go your way.

So on that note, we want to thank you for joining us this week. Please come back again to join us next week. Until then, remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, less God's great nation of Israel to the only wise God be glory through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.

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