Election Day Sermon, Applying Biblical Principles to Government, Pastor Bryan Longworth, Covenant Tabernacle

We read this morning from Psalm 33 about how Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and that nations are not protected by the multitude of their army or the power of their military force but there protected based on the protection of God God's sovereignty and that is most often based on whether that nation is obeying God's word or violating God's word.
In Proverbs 14:34 we read, “righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people” and in Proverbs 28:12, we learn, “When the righteous rejoice, there is great glory; But when the wicked arise, men hide themselves.” (Ref. vs. 28) (NKJV)
With something so important as the course of a nation, the course of a state, the course of a County, the course of a city, with something this large at stake, you would think that God's people would show up. You would thing that God's people would study to know the issues and would go out and exercise their right to vote. I believe that we have a responsibility to vote for godly men to rule over us. There are over 65 million evangelical Christians, yet in any given election only half or maybe less vote! In fact many Christians aren't even registered to vote. It's amazing when you look at the differences in some of the political races and the margin versus the amount of Christians not even registered to vote in those states. Here in the state of Florida, over 600,000 evangelical Christians are not registered to vote. That’s almost enough people to get the Florida ProLife Personhood Amendment on the ballot. We’re going to go to them so that we can register them so that they can sign the person had the Florida ProLife Personhood Amendment.
It is important that we realize it is important whether a nation obeys God or not. The people that we elect to rule over us hold important positions of power. We need to vote based on biblical issues based on their positions and we need to vote that way as opposed to voting for our pocketbook which sometimes happens.
Christians did come out strongly in 2008 but they voted for what they thought was hope and change a boy we sure have gotten some change, but we need some hope, and we actually need more change to return back to the founding principles
William Penn said, “Governments, like clocks, go from the motion men give them; and as governments are made and moved by men, so by them they are ruined too. Wherefore governments rather depend upon men than men upon governments. Let men be good and the government cannot be bad. . . . But if men be bad, let the government be never so good, they will endeavor to warp and spoil it to their turn. . . .[T]hough good laws do well, good men do better; for good laws may want [lack] good men and be abolished or invaded by ill men; but good men will never want good laws nor suffer [allow] ill ones.”
[William Penn quoted from: Thomas Clarkson, Memoirs of the Private and Public Life of William Penn (London: Richard Taylor and Co., 1813) Vol. I, p.303.]
Matthias Burnett instructed his congregation, “Consider well the important trust . . . which God . . . [has] put into your hands. . . . To God and posterity you are accountable for [your rights and your rulers]. . . . Let not your children have reason to curse you for giving up those rights and prostrating those institutions which your fathers delivered to you. . . . [L]ook well to the characters and qualifications of those you elect and raise to office and places of trust. . . . Think not that your interests will be safe in the hands of the weak and ignorant; or faithfully managed by the impious, the dissolute and the immoral. Think not that men who acknowledge not the providence of God nor regard His laws will be uncorrupt in office, firm in defense of the righteous cause against the oppressor, or resolutly oppose the torrent of iniquity. . . . Watch over your liberties and privileges - civil and religious - with a careful eye.”
[Matthias Burnett, Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Norwalk, An Election Sermon, Preached at Hartford, on the Day of the Anniversary Election, May 12, 1803 (Hartford: Printed by Hudson & Goodwin, 1803), pp. 27-28.]
Charles Finney warned, “[T]he time has come that Christians must vote for honest men and take consistent ground in politics or the Lord will curse them. . . . Christians have been exceedingly guilty in this matter. But the time has come when they must act differently. . . . Christians seem to act as if they thought God did not see what they do in politics. But I tell you He does see it - and He will bless or curse this nation according to the course they [Christians] take [in politics].”
[Charles G. Finney, Lectures on Revivals of Religion (New York: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1868), Lecture XV, pp. 281-282.]
As we look at this election season and as we look at the presidential preference primary that is coming up for the Republican Party this Tuesday, if you are registered Republican and haven’t voted yet, I encourage you to go out and vote and let your voice be heard. We’re going to look at some of biblical issues surrounding this campaign and look at the various candidates and see how they match up to God's word , the Bible, because we do have a responsibility to vote for men that would uphold righteousness. We’re going to examine where the candidates stand on key issues such as: whether the candidates fear God and are just, whether they will defend the sanctity of human life, whether they will defend traditional marriage and the family, and whether they support limited or expansive government.
As Christians, we have an obligation to vote for godly men to represent us; however, electing the right man as president will not redeem America. To turn things around, we need to turn back to God with all of our heart, all or our soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength. We need to look into the perfect law of liberty (the Bible), examine our lives, families, churches, cities, states, and nation in light of God’s word, and where needed, we need to amend our ways. We need to humble ourselves, and pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked way so that our God can hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land. (2 Chronicles 7:13-14.)