The Christian and His Vote - Part IV Social Issues and Principles Selected Scriptures Presented Live on October 21, 2018 I. Introduction and review A. We have been seeking the answer to the question: How should a Christian vote? 1. We first concluded that he should always vote, never giving his vote away 2. And secondly, he must recognize that his vote is a stewardship from God 3. Finally, we came to see that he should judge a candidate not on his party, his name or his appearance, but on his position on certain key Biblical issues B. We have considered heretofore economic issues and governing issues C. And now we are considering a number of social issues and principles 1. Legal protection for the unborn 2. Legal protection for the elderly 3. Hetero-sexual, monogamous marriage as the standard for society 4. Parental authority over children 5. Recognition of the family unit as the basic building block of society 6. Public expressions of Christianity II. Legal protection for the elderly A. Leviticus 19:32 'You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD. Page 1 of 8
III. 1. There are some cultures where the elderly are respected and treated with kindness and gratitude 2. That is especially true in many Asian cultures 3. That is not so in our country 4. Consider for a moment the Affordable Care Act a. It has established committees to oversee the care that is provided b. Appearing to judge whether the care was proper and could the patient withstand it c. But it was designed to be a value determination also d. Is he or she worth healing 5. That should give each of us a sense of foreboding B. Pagan societies always seem to target very specific people groups 1. That is the ones who are the most vulnerable 2. And those are the unborn, infants, and the elderly 3. See Deuteronomy 28:49-50 The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand, 50 a nation of fierce countenance who will have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young. Hetero-sexual, monogamous marriage as the standard for society A. God s plan for marriage 1. Genesis 2:19-25 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. 22 The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." 24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. 2. 1 Corinthians 7:2-5 But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have Page 2 of 8
her own husband. 3 The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 3. There are a plethora of other descriptions that can be found in God s Word having to do with His view on marriage a. Consider the Song of Solomon b. Or the story of Ruth and Boaz 4. But that leads us to the second part of this question B. God s declaration that homosexuality is a sin 1. Sodom and Gomorrah [Gen 18 & 19] 2. Leviticus 20:13 'If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them. 3. Romans 1:26-28 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 4. 1 Timothy 1:8-10 But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers 10 and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, 5. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the Page 3 of 8
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. C. Is homosexuality unalterable, is it just the way they were born 1. The Scriptural answer is no, homosexuals are not born but are made 2. There are inherent in certain people the proclivity towards a certain sin a. Some people are predisposed to becoming alcoholics b. Some are predisposed to sexual addiction 3. Does that mean that they are guilt free when the indulge 4. Our government and its institutions, along with the news media and our educational system are seeking constitutional protection for homosexuals a. Homosexuals are being made a protected minority class in our nation b. How should the Christian respond to that? 5. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. a. Such were some of you b. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. c. Have you ever known a former Afro-American or a former Caucasian d. But have you known of a former drunkard or a former thief e. What about a former homosexual IV. Parental authority over children A. Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. 1. Both sides of the debate may agree with that pronouncement 2. But they would disagree as to who should be responsible for the training up 3. What does the Scripture say? Page 4 of 8
B. Psalm 78:1-4 Listen, O my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, 3 Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us. 4 We will not conceal them from their children, But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done. C. Ephesians 6:1-4 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3 SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH. 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. D. Those on the other side take this position: We have never invested as much in public education as we should have because we've always had kind of a private notion of children. Your kid is yours and totally your responsibility. We haven't had a very collective notion of these are our children. So part of it is we have to break through our kind of private idea that kids belong to their parents, or kids belong to their families, and recognize that kids belong to whole communities. [Melissa Harris Perry, MSNBC host www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3qtpdsqox0] E. Consider further what the Scriptures teach: 1. Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. 2. Matthew 15:4 For God said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,' and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.' F. Does the politician understand this principle? V. Recognition of the family unit as the basic building block of society A. The believer should know that the God given blueprint for the family structure and function is found in Eph. 5:20 6:4 B. The family is so important to God that many of the ten commandment were given with the design of protecting the family 1. Exodus 20:3-5 You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol... you shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those Page 5 of 8
who hate Me, a. Commandments one and two are designed to keep the family centered on their God b. And to protect them from the consequences of disobedience 2. Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. a. The fifth protects the relationship between children and their parents b. Why does God want us to honor our parents? (1) The stability of the community depends on the stability of the families that comprise it. (2) A person's response to government is derived from their response to the parent-child relationship. (3) The lessons and principles learned from honoring, respecting, and obeying parents will result in a society stable enough to promote development of the whole person. c. Life begins at home and wisdom should begin there too. (1) The home is the primary and most vital factor in a child's development into a mature and stable member of society. (2) Church and school only play secondary roles 3. Exodus 20:14 "You shall not commit adultery. a. The seventh directly protects the relationship between the father and the mother b. And seeks to keep the family intact 4. The remainder protect the integrity and support of the family, such as the tenth commandment C. So what are the parents to be about, and through them the family? 1. They are to be developing the leaders for the next generation, consider: 2. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. a. They are to train b. They are to demonstrate Page 6 of 8
(1) love (2) loyalty (3) honesty (4) prayer c. They foster protected growth and direction to the maturing process D. An easy way to conclude that God wants and designed the family unit to be foundation of society is to consider how strongly and persistently Satan seeks to destroy the family and to provide ungodly substitutes VI. A Final Thought A. Politics, government and voting seem to be a setting for a lot of behind the scenes maneuvering, hidden actions or inactions, and promises made or extracted in secret 1. Most who participate in those activities believe that no one will ever know 2. Who can know the thoughts and true intentions of a person s heart, they might say 3. But we know that is not true! Consider: B. Luke 8:16-17 Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. 17 For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 1. We should view this promise/warning with the view of what others, whom we consider to be nefarious, have done or are doing 2. But also we should consider what we have done and are planning to do Page 7 of 8
www.believersbibleclass.com & www.believersbibleclass.podbean.com 2018 Believer s Bible Class, & Douglas W. Brady Page 8 of 8