“Essential Attitudes Prior to the Election”
Selected Scriptures
October 9, 2016
Wednesday afternoon I was flying home from the ACBC conference in Indianapolis. As I was going through security, the officer at the x-ray machine saw a newspaper with a headline about the previous night’s vice-presidential debate poking out of my computer bag. “Did you watch the debate last night?” he asked me. “No, I was at a conference and was unable to see it.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to say anything about either of the presidential candidates, but how did we end up with them? If even one of the vice-presidential candidates was running for President I could vote for him, but what did we do to deserve the two we have running for President?” And then he waved me through the metal detector without giving me a chance to respond.
I have heard and read statements similar to his in many different contexts — people who are frustrated, anxious, fearful, and angry about the process and the presidential candidates.
The question I want to ask this morning is, “How should the believer think about these things?” and specifically, “what kind of attitudes should he have as the election looms?” At least one attitude was implied in the last message in this series — a readiness to be submissive and obedient to the officials that are elected in four weeks.
We could talk about a number of biblical principles the believer should have: joy, contentment and peace, trust in God, thankfulness, and hope (confidence) in God. And we will address some of those in a future message, but this morning I want to address two attitudes: one attitude that primarily is related to you and your own heart, and a second that relates to our relationships in this church body.
What kind of attitudes should the believer cultivate prior to the election?
This morning, we will identify two essential attitudes to cultivate prior to the election:
- Preserve (and Train) Your Conscience
- Three possible ways to vote in the presidential election
- Apply the principles of the conscience in voting
- Protect Our Unity (Eph. 4:1-3)
- Lovingly endure with one another (vv. 1-2)
- Actively preserve our unity (v. 3)
Download the rest of this sermon on attitudes to cultivate in anticipation of the election.
The audio will be posted on the GBC website later today.
Words of Grace 