Four Myths Americans Believe About Politics

The hope of the gospel unites the most unlikely of people from all tribes, tongs, nations, and even political parties, as members of Christ's eternal kingdom.

We can declare that even in moments of great division Jesus retains the power to heal and restore and offer an eternal good to see everybody this night and weekends when we believe you're the senators and nobody ought to ever worship alone and so I whether you're here at one of our four campuses that we are meeting together and on Thursday nights, or whether you are part of a holy gathering or whether you do find yourself alone this weekend and you are stare in front of computer screens want you to know that in a very real way, we really are together how we come together to build each other up and Sue speak to one another and sing one another and encourage each other and so adjustments so incredibly encouraging for us to be able to brief gather in some new ways. We've been gathering the whole time. I just and in homes but to take this next step. So I decided to be here, aren't you guys I know I talk with people. The other campuses I think you guys are excited to hear Capitol Hill's are very excited, so wherever you are if you are excited to be here to say amen amen are there your homes are just urges me to we are in a series called flags in this series I'm trying to persuade you to rally behind a different flag this November in ancient Israel.

The Israelites called God.

I explained this last weekend they called God Jehovah nisi, which translates literally as the Lord is my flag. The Lord is the banner that I marched behind as Christians we live as strangers and exiles in this country, which means that we belong to it.

That means that we participate in, and things like politics and things like business, it is our home in one sense, as we often say, good politics is simply a way of loving your neighbor, but the primary flag that we are to rally behind is not Republican or Democrat or libertarian Marine party or Constitution party or independent or anything else we might think the certain candidates or even certain party a certain political party does a better job in certain situations, but ultimately we are not the party of the donkey or the elephant. We are the people of the Lamb. John 18 if you got your Bible and I hope that you brought your Bible want to show you another place in Scripture were Jesus taught this leading up to Jesus's trial and crucifixion. When the soldiers came to take Jesus present on the garden of Gethsemane. The apostle Peter pulls out his sword and he tries to take off one of the soldiers heads. Now, thankfully, he missed, though he ended up slicing off that soldier's ear and it falls to the ground and then in what is perhaps one of my favorite moments in the life of Jesus. Jesus very patiently reaches down, he picks up the guys here out of the dirt and he reattached it to the soldiers at bottling. You have to wonder what that experience is like for that soldier right I'm you come there to arrest this guy, but he just picked up your bloodied ear off of the ground and re-attached it about you that I feel like that would make me lose some of my motivation for arresting him and pulling him into trial. Jesus then turns to Peter and Marie for just a moment in the book of Matthew. I'll catch up to you in the book of John in just a minute Peter. I looked at Peter he says Peter put your sword back in its place because all who take out the sword of the parish by the sword. Peter, do you think that I cannot call my father nearly fell like an easier sword you feel like others can call on God right now and he would provide me here and now with more than 12 legions of angels. This kingdom that I am bringing Peter depend on you bringing it in by force nor is this kingdom going to be sustained by your sword later that night, Jesus is going to stand before Pilate, who is the Roman governor in charge and Pilate asked him directly, or you the King of the Jews, the speaking, of course, politically, to which Jesus was bonds now. John 18 verse 30 verse 36 my kingdom is not of this world, he said, my kingdom were actually out this world, my servants would fight, but as it is, my kingdom is not even from here the Savior that we hope in the Savior that we adore the Savior to whom we pledge our first allegiance did not bring a kingdom that would operate by the same rules as earthly kingdoms do not means that political weaponry and military weaponry would be of little value in sustaining or advancing this kingdom. So using those two stories.

Let me address for myths that Americans believe about politics, these are mess. I will tell you that is believed that are believed as much inside the church as they are outside the church in their midst that makes seasons like the one that we are in are about to go through.

They make them feel very dark and very hopeless for most of us what were feeling going into this season is anxiety, cynicism, despair in my right as that's what most people be about what some of us feel going into this I will tell you it's because we believe these for myths. Myth number one that I want to give to you. One is that politics are of first importance about the way these things are so ingrained in us and I should have you say each one of them were to say them together.

So this person hears along well and all the men I want you guys to say the myth and all the ladies I want you to just correct them by saying that the myth is all the guys you ready were delivered to read the map and that all the ladies you come right after and you can say that's a myth ready guys, I really do myth. I read the myth politics is of first importance, there you go today.

They told him explain what I said that night. This is a little bit of a repeat from last week someone be brief on this one but I do want to cover it again because this really is the crux of what Jesus say politics are important, but they are not issues of first importance and that is because the solutions that we need human race needed were not primarily political solutions. They were part solutions. Thus, Jesus did not come first offering politics became first preaching heart change.

I hope you realize that that approach was unique among all the religious leaders that had come before an order once again after Moses his ministry, for example, had a political dimension to it.

We got the tour of the first five books of the Old Testament and its meticulous social and legal codes Mohammed who founded Islam. His leadership was almost almost entirely was primarily political.

You rode in on a white horse, and he conquered cities in the left wants and I'm reading a book right now and Confucius in an Buddha and even their religious forms were largely political. Jesus was one of the only religious leaders who avoided that we saw last week that when when when Jesus was presented with particular social justice questions.

He responded to one of them a second man who appointed me as a judge or arbiter over you, did he say that I asked you because he was incapable of getting an opinion.

No money. Certainly he was capable. He was the son of God.

He was wiser than any of us knew that his task was different. God had not appointed him.

The father had not appointed him to play that role is role was to preach the gospel to people on both sides of that issue is further evidence of data pointed out that there were all kinds of social and political reforms are needed in the first century world and back arguably there were more needed in their world that then we have in ours. As many as ours needs, yet you do not see the apostles prescribing political solutions to really any of them and it's not because they were smart enough to think of answers now know about you but I for one would have loved. I would love to read a letter from the apostle Paul, outlining his plan reforms for the Roman Empire. Paul was certainly capable of that kind of analysis but in an act of incredible self-discipline. Paul chose not to wade into those waters so that he could preach the gospel to all of course this is very very important. The gospel that Jesus and the apostles preached that gospel would plant the seeds that would ultimately lead to all of the societal reforms believing the gospel almost always has political ramifications. But the point was that the church as an organization we said in the apostles as its representatives. They kept itself focused on preaching the gospel and proclaiming those things that Jesus explicitly commanded where you have a verse in a direct line to the application. We talked about the difference last weekend of the church different for the churches organization and the church's organism as an organism.

Most of you are a part of the church as the organism you infiltrate every dimension of society and whatever dimension of society. You go into you take God's wisdom in this in his shalom and said that it ended that dimension. That's politics as an organization. However, the church as organization limits its platform focusing on proclaiming the gospel making disciples. The two roles are complementary but they are not identical, and because of that Jesus had a way of bringing into close community people from different political persuasions and you 19 them in a more pressing because we talked before about Simon the zealot and Matthew the tax collector when Matthew list out the 12 disciples he puts their names. He attach those two descriptions to him. I would tax collector and any attached zealot to sign, not usual couple things.

One, they were divided on what to do with what was arguably the most progress pressing political question of the day and that is what to do about Roman occupation one side the tax collectors.

A polite, well for the time there. The God appointed authority. We desire to cooperate with results like nope they're a bunch of imperialistic store land are thieves and rapist and we ought to get swords out. We are fighting right that tells you they were divided on that.

It tells you. Secondly, this is a really important part of who they were a major part of who they were, because you would choose that to identify the so and so the Republican so-and-so the Democrat. This is who they were. Both of them brought their perspective on the team and I am sure they had some really incendiary discussions around the campfire right I am back.

I my my feelings.

Jesus probably made them together whenever they you would go off and I'm sure we Jesus to our room assignments.

Simon was like you gotta be kidding me. Not that pink hearted commie Matthew and Matthew was like no, not that maggot hat where knuckle dragging the end of all Simon and you pass by their tent late at night and had her fingers up in each other's faces and maybe going, but here's the point. The unity they found in Jesus superseded that difference and they would end up loving each other enough to die for each other and the cause that they rally behind superseded those agendas.

Jesus would not let tax collector politics or zealot politics define his group of disciples.

Their mission was more essential. The gospel flag flew higher as a pastor as a pastor who works in the church as organization.

I do not talk about many of my political views met is not because I do not have and is not because I don't think they are very very good. Once it's that my calling is different and I know that if I discussed these things from the pulpit. I know that what I say will be interpreted as representing the authority of this church even if I give all kinds of disclaimers about these being only my own personal views and what would happen is that the summit church would get identified by my politics and that would keep me from being able to preach the gospel to all of the people in the Triangle, which is neither red nor blue, purple like I told you there there there there are some things we gotta be clear about this. I want to make sure I'm saying that that the wrongness of discrimination that the wickedness of injustice. The wickedness of abortion until John might be wrong and some of my dotted line opinions about example you last week was a war in Iraq might be wrong. My perspective on global warming. I might be wrong in my opinion on nationalized healthcare but friends I am not wrong about the gospel and I do not want to let my opinions on any of his former things keep people from hearing me on the latter. So the first myth is that politics are a first importance for not only has our nation as a whole bought into this myth. The church is bought into it to Annette so by the fact that functionally we care more about how our neighbor votes and where they spend eternity want to show I get more angry emails about politics from both sides and all other issues put together. I wish I get a good angry email about how we ought to double our missionary force might just use curse words in them bother me, just wait and tell me why were not doing a good job as well. We I get angry emails about how you plan more churches are raising more volunteers to help care for single mom to protect the unborn to recruit more mentors for the prison ministry, but sadly most angry emails I get are about me not saying I'm not for the right things about the race in November they they gotta talk about this issue more that issue less, let me ask you to consider what you will buy your neighbor's house and they got that annoying sign in that yard promoting the wrong candidate is your first instinct. How could they be so dumb they look like nice people. They look like they that they can put words together make a sentence. What's wrong with and thinking about how you might possibly slip into the house at night.

Never slip into the yard and not destroy the Psalm without them knowing that your first thought is your first thought. I wonder if they know Jesus and praying for them.

Mr. most of us can't be close to somebody who doesn't share political views.

I ended up as a sought study that showed that almost 70% of Americans. I don't have any close friends, no close friends differently from them. That is because for us.

Politics are of first importance is the first myth so there's like a myth politics are of no importance to some ladies and what you say to myth the gentleman you get the correct them okay only time that you can actually do this. Okay wives I need you to give a little indulgence. Your husband is let them do it just as much a day ladies you say the map say, I was confident this time right you minimum down this road before I yeah imagine the first myth some Christians at the board politics altogether.

That's all right either because like I said good politics is way of loving our neighbor. The gospel has political implications God has called his people to be salt and light in all spheres of society and to bring his shalom. The word means peace into every dimension. The earth is the Lord's and all the fullness thereof the sea is his cremated and his hands formed the dry land. There is not one square inch of the entire cosmos which Jesus does not emphatically declare my Christians as members of the church's organism that means they seek to apply the Christian worldview and all the spheres of society that applies. By the way, to more than just advocating for the sanctity of life and marriage as important as those things are back on think you can make a pretty compelling argument that the greatest social benefits. The Christian worldview has bestowed on the world arts teaching for the respect for individual liberty and freedom of conscience, the dignity and equality of all people the importance of the rule of law, the insistence that all people ought to be equal before the law teaching the inherently corrupting power of authority and thus the need for checks and balances those things were largely unheard of before Christiansen and in some cases Jews introduce them. As it is a fascinating book called the poverty of nations is cowritten by a Christian economist and a Christian theologian demonstrates a certain kinds of governments create poverty because they come from a flawed view of man to understand how economies thrive. They they demonstrate with evidence and facts you would understand how God made people may show that the government that operate according to a biblical view of man end up seeing the greatest economic flourish.

We realize that these things always have applications and that's what you do. The freedoms that we have today came from Christians who got involved in politics so we cannot sit idly by and say politics is, no matter they do. We need to urge people you to apply God's wisdom to all of creation business economics care for the poor education as our second myth is that politics are of no importance, and they are that's what for some of the two tells us pray for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life.

Pray for them.

By the way, it stands to reason that Paul commanded us to pray, we who have experienced an answer to that prayer, which is we are able to worship freely, that we ought to advocate for the preservation of those rights is what you see Paul by the way, use any any chance he gets. Before Roman governor almost 1 of things he always is. Jesus saves you submittals but is preferred for each go back and look at acts 1621 2223 2426 you'll see him doing that and all the shops.

It was a major thing. Jeremiah 29 seven was Pastor Brian preaching on a few weeks ago tells us, he says, seek the peace and prosperity of the city which I carried you in exile pray the Lord for that city. Because if it prospers you to prosper city was Babylon. The epitome of evil is like you live in Babylon. I'm so wrong guys in the White House movies. They're making a bad you need to seek the prosperity of Babylon. That means working for justice advocating for equality in law helping promote good education and business security defense many other things, I seek peace in the city and that's getting involved in politics amid them once a politics refer to boards. Myth number two supposed fix of no importance. Number three is I see everything clearly okay, say, the myth, and the time you get to correct me.

Okay I'll say it and you say that's a myth right so I see everything clearly. Also, confident, talking to me but into each other you like right so is my feelings in the garden, Jesus said to Peter, those who live by the sword will die, but sort live by the sword will die by the sword.

The sword has a role in society by process out Romans 13. But the point is its use is limited and it will fail you eventually sword here would not just be limited to military power sword here if you understand what Jesus is saying is going to mean any earthly weaponry.

The sword of our intellect sort of rhetoric sort of our political perspective is limited and so ultimately it will fail as those who prosper by will die by. I am humbled when I realize were some of the greatest Christians have gotten politics wrong.

Several great British pastors that quote no wrong on the justice and helpfulness of British imperialism throughout the world.

Billy Graham right dear Billy Graham went on record late in the Vietnam War endorsing both the Vietnam War and the trustworthiness of Richard Nixon's Southern Baptist leader whose name you may not know his name is Debbie a crystal is kind of a godfather of what they call the conservative resurgence coming back to good theology in the southern Baptist convention. But he failed not only to support the cause of civil rights in the 1960s. He opposed it.

He said it was all Marxist in origin, even later. By the way, go on record saying I've never been so wrong in my entire life closure policy always looks so clear to us in the moment and it's okay. It's okay if we get stuff wrong sometimes were human but the point is we have no business tying the credibility of the church the things that we are neither called or competent to adjudicate last week I told you how a committee that I was a part of representing a bunch of churches was how we got the that the helpfulness of the Iraq war wrong. And here's another when it's even more some UX remember this one. The situation with the kid from Covington high school background January 2019.

Washington Post puts up a picture little video that yes but circulated a viscerally smug looking kid in a maggot hat stared down this native American look like he was grieving and it seemed like a perfect illustration of kind of white condescension so Lotta Christian leaders, including me, took the airwaves. This is not acceptable right.

It's an example of hate and bigotry that we need to eradicate in our country. One problem is one truth. Truth turned out to be the Pacific. It was not in his own business in a been provoked by the man he does family ended up with several million dollars in a settlement from the Washington Post on the news outlets is one large defamation cases on record.

I again want to tell you it's okay that we get things wrong.

We see through a glass darkly were limited sort of our intellect and perspective you get stuff wrong. But the point is, as a pastor or as a church I should not tie the church's reputation or the integrity of our message to an opinion. I am neither cold nor competent for my management to administer my calling is to preach the gospel. Yes, a priest justice. My calling is not to get overly encumbered in the political dimensions of earthly kingdoms I might be wrong on one of those referring to keep telling I'm not wrong about the gospel, I'm not wrong about the Bible not only let anything as important as those things are and want to get in the way of this use is most you don't work for the church.

You can before your in expressing your perspectives. I get that.

I encourage you that way, but you should write but as you do please don't let the smug and historically na�ve assumption that you see everything clearly make you look down and other believers received see things differently. By the way, even when you're positive that there will even when there's no doubt about it, I realize that it's still not a first-order issue usually was an assignment to sell it in Matthew the tax collector to get along. The Democrats and Republicans can get along here, these things should not cause division.

Myth number four.

My party is the party of God. So you say myth I get correct you okay you say send myth.the math you should believe that Jesus's kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. It follows that no earthly party is going to be his party either say that again Jesus kingdom is not an earthly kingdom.

It follows that no earthly parties going to be his party either the left and right are both earthly partner parties and that means a break to get things wrong unless I'm not saying that both parties are equally right or equally wrong or there's never a wiser or more righteous choice. I'm just saying that earthly institutions are always shaped and always corrupted by sin both left and right have political idols date trend toward and we as the people of God should be in one sense, we ought to be above both sides above both parties. That means willing to affirm them where they get things right and critique them where they get things wrong and giving are sold to neither of them the wrong question to ask is whose side is gone on which party does God belong to what we ought to be asking is what does God say about this issue.

Tony Evans says it's a word like Joshua when he encounters the angel of the Lord's presence and he says to this angel argue for us or for enemies in the angel with the sword drawn, says neither. But as commander of the Army of the commander of the Army of the Lord.com Jesus did not come to take sides. Jesus came to take over my salvation does not come riding on the back of a donkey or an elephant.

He walks in his own 2 feet to listen slightly huge part of my job in this season is simply to undermine to undermine your confidence in both parties, both unearthly, but the really good stuff wrong own undermine your confidence in both of them and if I could be totally honest like him called undermine your confidence in America in general. America is an earthly kingdom is fallible and it is tainted with sin. Listen to so clear.

I'm a huge American family.

Okay, I grew up and remain very patriotic. I do not take the unique achievements of our Constitution for granted one single second.

But for me that love and appreciation turned into idolatry and as a young man asserted to invest all my hope and and so politics became a first order issued to me and that meant that I couldn't stomach other people who saw things differently from me when politics are a first-order issue, then you can't tolerate people who see things differently because you have to be agreed with her.) On first order issues. Otherwise, you can have fellowship and Jesus said to me, point out there sort my kingdom is not of this world and not build the kingdom here United States is not my kingdom, and it shouldn't be yours say that I frame breaks that huge change came over me knows that I'm not given up on America. I'm not down on America but I do not look at America as my ultimate home and I do not look at the United States of America is the world's primary health and because of that I can be unflinchingly honest about America's false both her past faults in the present fault. Yes, America has many great virtues begins while being transparent here. I get teary eyed. Even reading some of the old stories or remote great battles. I love patriotic songs, awkward and weird renter house in July for the love that holiday but also know that she has grievous sins, past and present because she was built by fallible, sinful people know our founding fathers were so screwed up that Jesus had to die to redeem direct insults.

That means that they yes they can make great contributions but it's an earthly king in the hope of this world is not found in the Stars & Stripes of our flag over this world is in the Stars & Stripes on our Savior. Redemption does not come from our Constitution redemption come from his resurrection. So now I'm seeking the kingdom and I hope you will too. That is not headquartered in Washington DC, I'm seeking one whose foundations cannot be shaken, whose builder and architect is God. Here was the great thing after ceasing to worship America. I was able to start loving her again only differently.

She let me know she let me down big. Some of you in the same spot let me down. I get the two candidates.

What happened to limit outright. Now I can see things differently. I can see things cry. Severally I can love her as my city. Even though she's not my ultimate home just run XL for a while. No party Scotch party, both earthly parties means brotherly get things wrong.

Different ones of us are going to think different positions should be prioritized. Some of you are going to say well because candidate one gets issues a D and E right that I should never him another severely disabled because candidate to gets BCF and G right. I should vote for him. You might agree with other Christians on every single issue, but you might rearrange the priority and you might have strong opinions about why your priority is the right one and you might be right. So that's where we ought to give each other space. We can agree on what the Bible says about issues even if our political calculus looks different in how we translate that into who we vote for. You should talk about it. By the way I want to be moms not the word on this your glottal lunch out a sitdown of coffee and talk about what you see things what you do because your approach might be wiser than somebody else's.

Or there's money wiser than yours, but it shouldn't be a source of division it's wooden should a bit of first century should be our century to go to return to where we first started what emotions are you feeling going into this election, anxiety, cynicism, despair not to imagine slip on MSNBC, Fox News, CNN to Minnesota take a promise to be filled with extremists.

I'm telling you, if you understand what Jesus said here to Pilate and you disabuse yourself of these myths.

Those emotions will be replaced by two different ones too much. Better once, hope and urgency hope for him to listen at the end.

And Jesus wants when Jesus went into this trial. There was only one vote that mattered.

And God cast it when he raised Jesus from the dead. When your candidate gets resurrected from the dead, you win.

Our kingdom wins and that is not contingent on what happens or does not happen in November. That's not to say it's not only rough and rocky is not safe either hurt sometimes to get not down for 10 to get discouraging our country to make wrong turns to choose bad leaders. My friend, Jesus still with a few years ago I went to him watch a movie with a couple of our black pastors. It was moved to Crete for Rocky Balboa trains up Apollo Creed son who's played by Michael B. Jordan, the box showing that that that I went to literally everybody in the theater was African-American, except for me and Curtis and Emmett till he was the single greatest movie watching experience of my entire life, you would have thought that we were in an actual live site. People were cheering and groaning like it was happening in real time hundred one summary Creed and that like that like the last scene there. We get not down, slow Monique, you got a slow Mo it's quiet somebody hits the matting hears body to bounce off the mat was totally quite the theater and the woman behind Neil's thoughts.

Jesus helped him help them. She stands up.

She's like helping Lord help baby get up.

It was so much fun. It was your thing thereby in the theater. We all knew he was good with Michael's one guy whose name was on the title of the movie yet. We could still enter into the pain and disappointment of the moment because we knew it was gonna win at the end because we knew and when the and we could sit through the disappointment of the whole movie because we knew what the end it was gonna be hope that's all we should fill politics that we might get punch from time to time when I get not down on Tony as we can look ahead already and see Jesus name. Inventories of the end. His kingdom is not dependent. I pertaining to get elected.

One time when God said you come out of the grace cast one down there was so cynicism we cannot hope to set of despair. We should have urgency to see people need Jesus that the other day them out of their Democrats or Republicans or other independent or greater constitutional or libertarian only matters if they know Jesus dawdle know where everything is headed in a world I really don't think you look like an first week of November leveled over there in January, work culture or society is going to see.

I know what Jesus is going to surely talk about politics talk about it.

But here's our main talking point. But Democrats and Republicans need Jesus and the ultimate salvation that we are looking for is not found an office in Washington salvation were looking for was hung on the cross outside of Jerusalem. Yeah, let's talk about the economy, but our main message is that both the rich and the poor need Jesus else talk about race but our main message is that people of every race need Jesus and Jesus came to make one equal unified family of brothers and sisters. Out of all of us.

And yeah, let's even talk about coping.

Let's make clear that whether we ever get a vaccine are not all good.eventually we all need Jesus. The subject matter Jesus matters most of all, Jehovah nisi is my flag is my victory is yours is yours because that's the king you should give your life to that flag flying from the castle of your one in this is just a sprain together with a leg up on screen here. First Timothy 224 verse right there you see in pray for kings and all who are in high positions. We may lead a peaceful quiet life. He desires all people to be saved come to the knowledge of the truth and in the days when he cares most about what you do is I know it's this thing I want you to get you the groups but the spouse or family certainly can pray there just take a few moments here and pray for president but for future president prefer governor election.

Pray for local elections, mayors, senators, pray for these guys really kiss men women right because God tells us he commands us to do this was last time you prayed for the candidate of the other party to get saved and come to the knowledge of not honor what you post on Facebook.

You're not obeying the Bible you pray for these guys pray for them which pray for his next Supreme Court justice the goblet when somebody would protect freedom.

The rights of the innocent deliver us from this scourge of abortion would uphold peace in our country should take a moment to pray for that, close us in prayer right now by your hands there with you and your homework. One of our campuses. The person beside you if there your family will got our country needs Jesus yet. We want you to help guide the selection so that peace is upheld and freedom is preserved and that the economy would be stimulated so that people could have provisions for the families for to be generous.

Most of all, pray for awakening in the United States are breaking for awakening here in the Triangle got a friend of Donald Trump and Mike pence, Joe Biden, Harris River Cal Cunningham and Tom Tillis Riverdance force Roy Cooper got in the myriad numbers of local elections. I pray God that she would give leaders would uphold justice and peace.

Pray that if any others that I just named don't yet know you a Savior and many of them do not pray God should lead them to the knowledge of the truth. Give them a penance let them have a moment like Paul had on the Damascus road and let them encounter in each country and each church we needed awakening as we are headed to the grace we pray in Jesus name