The Danger of Bounty

The Danger of Bounty
Deut. 8:1-11

I think we are all familiar with the stories of children born into vast wealth, and more often than not, these are sad stories – just do some research on Christiana Onassis and you’ll see what I mean. As the sole inheritor of the Aristotle Onassis shipping fortune, she died when she was 38 years old after years of excessive living and drug abuse.

Another particularly sad story is the story of Huntington Hartford. The fortune he inherited was from the A & P Grocery Store chain. At one time, A & P was the Wal Mart of the world – it was the world’s largest grocer and second only to General Motors in sales of goods. Since it was money he inherited and not money he had worked hard for, he blew through multiple millions of dollars and died as an alcoholic drug addict living in squalor in Greenwich Village. You can read his life story in the book Squandered Fortune, written by Lisa Gubernick.

We could go on and on with examples like this, but the biblical principle these stories illustrate concerns the danger of bounty. When you have a lot of something, there are some very specific dangers you have to be on the lookout for that you don’t have to be concerned about in other circumstances. For instance, if you are snorkeling in the ocean, do you have to be on the lookout for deer ticks? No. When you come out and dry off, you don’t examine yourself minutely to make sure there aren’t any crawling around on you. Why not? Because Lyme Disease is not a danger associated with snorkeling. It is a danger associated with hunting and hiking, but not snorkeling. In the same way, there are some dangers specifically associated with bounty.

We see this in Deut. 8. As I think about the nation of Israel and how God blessed them when they went into the land He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – I see some parallels with how God has blessed us today. Last Sunday we heard many testimonies about how much God has blessed us with. We live in a land of bounty, and there is a warning in this passage that is very pertinent to us today.

"All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your forefathers. 2 "And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 "And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD. 4 "Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. 5 "Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. 6 "Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.
7 "For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 9 a land where you shall eat food without scarcity, in which you shall not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 "When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you (this was last Sunday’s service). 11 (Here is this Sunday’s message) "Beware lest you forget the LORD your God.

Bounty, as wonderful as it is and as much as we enjoy it, is very fertile ground for breeding all kinds of unbiblical attitudes. There are multiple passages in the Bible we could appeal to to show this truth, but think about Jesus’ teaching that it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. Why would He say that? Because bounty (in this instance, a bounty of money) has a tendency to breed all kinds of bad behavior, and this morning I want to share four of them with you.

First of all, bounty can foster a sense of autonomy – Mt. 6:11 “give us this day our daily bread.” Jesus’ point in this statement is that we need God’s direct involvement in our lives for our physical sustenance on a daily basis. When we have a lot – whether it is health, or food, or clothing, or money, or friends, or work, or property - we tend to forget our total dependence on God. We start to become autonomous – we get these feelings of independence.

We know we need Him in a general sense, in the large scheme of things, but not on a daily basis. I had a man in my church one time who never came to prayer meeting – until he was diagnosed with cancer. He had a hectic work schedule as a state inspector and on Wednesday nights at 7:00 he always had something more important to do – until he was diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly he discovered that he did have time for prayer meeting and that corporate prayer by the body of Christ was important. What was going on in his life? Bounty fosters a sense of autonomy. And when God took away his bountiful health he woke up to his need of God’s daily sustenance. I can’t tell you how many men I’ve know who have suddenly gotten serious about the Lord after their wives have walked out on them. What was going on? When they had a bountiful marriage they didn’t need God quite as desperately as they did when the marriage started to unravel.

So the first danger we need to be on the lookout for is that bounty fosters a sense of autonomy. The second danger we need to be aware of is that bounty can foster a sense of ingratitude.

Bounty can foster a sense of ingratitude – In Phil. 4:11 - 13, Paul alerts us to a very important lesson when he says, “I have learned how to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

When we have a lot we tend to think that our bounty is normal, and we get unhappy with less. Why do so many newly married couples get so deeply into debt? Because they think that the standard of living their parents have achieved is the norm. And because they think it is the norm, they get dissatisfied with what they have. But instead of saving to acquire what they want, they go into debt to get it. What is happening is that the bounty they grew up in makes them ungrateful for the little bit they do have.

I can remember being at a church dinner and watching a child fuss with his mother because he didn’t want to eat his applesauce. He wanted to throw his plate out and go get a new bowl of applesauce because some gravy had gotten into the applesauce on his plate. What was going on here? Bounty can foster a sense of ingratitude.

Several years ago our family was going through a very difficult time financially, and we were literally down to our last few dollars. Because of this we were taking some pretty drastic steps to cut our living expenses and were by no means living the American Dream. During this time my brother and his family came to visit us, and they wanted to go to the city and do some sightseeing. That evening, they took us out to dinner at the Olive Garden, and I can’t even begin to tell you what a treat that was for us after a year of marginal living. Also at the restaurant that evening was a group of young people all dressed up and enjoying themselves because they were
going to a show on Broadway. When I was done with my meal, I went to the restroom and had to walk through their area of the restraint. The wait staff was clearing their tables and as I walked past the large plastic tubs of dirty dishes, I saw multiple plates of untouched meals and many plates with only a few bites taken out of them. It just about sent me through the roof. Why was there so much waste? Because of the bounty these children had been living with. Bounty fosters a sense of ingratitude. Why did I have such a negative response? Because of the lack of bounty I had been living with. If those children had lived through a war or the Great Depression, their plates probably would have been licked clean.

When someone leaves the church because the pastor preaches too long, or they get overlooked after doing something special for the church, or they have a conflict with a Sunday School teacher, or because a Deacon reprimands their child, what is going on? The bounty of churches in a single county has bred a spirit of ingratitude in the body of Christ.

If you don’t like this church, go to Pastor Quick’s church in South Cairo, Will Balta’s in South Westerlo, Pastor Green’s in Westerlo, Greenville Christian Church, First Baptist in Catskill.

If you were a member of an underground house church in North Korea, and the Sunday School teacher was dry, and uninspiring, and always seemed to focus on the same few topics, how quickly do you think you would leave that church and find another one? You probably wouldn’t! North Korea doesn’t have bountiful churches, and the parishioners are grateful for what they have. Bounty had a tendency to foster a sense of ingratitude.

So the second danger of bounty we need to be aware of is that of ingratitude. The third danger I want to share with you is that of focusing on the temporal. Not only can bounty cause us to be autonomous and ungrateful, it can cause us to lose our focus on the eternal and become preoccupied with the temporal.
Bounty can foster a sense of the temporal – In Luke 12, Jesus tells a story about a rich farmer who had a very productive year, so he tore down his existing barns and built bigger ones to hold all his produce. He calculated that he had enough produce for many years to come, so he sat back to take it easy for a while, and in verse 20 Jesus said, “You fool, this night your soul is required of you, and who will own what you have prepared?” When we have a lot, we tend to forget about eternity. Our stuff tends to become the focus of our lives.

When we are living in bounty, it is imperative that we remember what John teaches us in 1 John 2:17. “The world is passing away as well as its strong attractions, but the one who does the will of God will abide forever.” John is referring to what Peter elaborates on in 2 Peter 3:10-12. “But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. 11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 12 looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames.”

Here is a very good exercise to do every once in a while. I want you to envision your most treasured physical asset – maybe it is your car, your house, your savings account, your photo albums – your most treasured physical asset. Not your spouse, or your family, or something like that. Do you have that in your mind? Now, picture that thing as a pile of ashes. That is the reality of our situation! That Honda Odyssey, with heated leather seats and a GPS is one day going to be a lump of molten metal. All those silver coins that you have been accumulating and stashing away to carry you when the economy crashes is one day going to be a pool of liquid silver.

This is why Jesus tells us not to lay up treasures here on earth. In Mt. 6:19-21 He says, “Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Bounty has a tendency to foster a preoccupation with the temporal,

So as we are considering the dangers associated with bounty, we have looked at autonomy, ingratitude, and a preoccupation with the temporal. The final danger we need to be aware of is that bounty can foster a sense of spiritual myopia. Myopia is the term given to defective vision. It’s when you can’t see an object clearly, and bounty has a tendency to cause myopia, not in the physical sense but in the spiritual sense.

Bounty can foster a sense of myopia – In Rev. 3:17 we read about a group of believers in a church in Laodicea, and God’s assessment of them is this. “'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing (do you see their bounty?)," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” Do you see the connection there? What kind of people are blind to their real condition? The rich, the wealthy, and the self-sufficient. When we have a lot we tend to be blinded to the reality of our condition.

We have talked before about the truth that all is not well in the church in America! Last summer I spoke to you about the matter of discipleship and I gave you the startling statistics about the condition of Evangelicalism, and it isn’t a pretty picture. Yet if you were to interview the average Evangelical this morning after he has attended his church, he would tell you that everything is going great. Why? Because of this truth – bounty fosters a sense of myopia.

I want to close this morning with a question. Why is it that the only place where the church is exploding with new converts is in countries where Christianity is illegal? Because of these truths about bounty. Bounty is very fertile soil for all kinds of bad behavior: autonomy, ingratitude, a preoccupation with the temporal, and spiritual myopia. Is there a solution? God has blessed us tremendously, how do we deal with our bounty?

1. Acknowledge its source – 1 Cor. 4:7 – What do you have that you did not receive?
2. Spread it around – 2 Cor. 9:7 – God loves generosity!
3. Strive for balance – Prov. 30:7-9 – Excess in either direction has its dangers.
4. Hold on to what you have very loosely – Job 1:21

As we come to the Lord’s table, I want us to appreciate the example of Jesus who left the bounty of heaven for our sake. He gave up the riches of heaven and became poor for us. Aren’t you glad that His bounty didn’t have the negative impact on him that it usually has on us?

The Separation of Church and State

I‟d like to start my talk on the separation of church and state with a little survey. When you hear that phrase, how is it usually used? Do you hear it in the context of keeping religious expression out of the public square – or do you hear it in the context of keeping the government from passing legislation that would force religious expression on American citizens?

I can‟t recall hearing this phrase used in any way other than in the context of keeping morality and religious expression out of civic matters. For instance,

 You can‟t pray in school today because of “the separation of church and state.”

 You can‟t have a statue of the 10 commandments in a courthouse in Alabama because of “the separation of church and state.”

 You can‟t have a nativity scene on the courthouse lawn in many communities because of “the separation of church and state.”

 You can‟t have a Christmas concert in the school, it has to be a Holiday Concert – because of the separation of church and state.

To say that this phrase is greatly misunderstood is quite an understatement, so in our talk tonight I want to show you where this idea came from, emphasize where it did not come from, what freedom of religion means, what freedom of religion does not mean, and then we‟ll end by looking at early American history to see how our founding fathers felt about it all. Sound like a plan?

Where did this concept of separation of church and state come from? Most people think it is found in the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States. That is incorrect. The way the first amendment reads is, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .” How many of you heard the phrase “separation of church and state” in that sentence?

Here is something we need to understand with great clarity. This phrase, “the separation of church and state” is not found in one single governing document of the United States! It isn‟t found in the Constitution, or the First Amendment, or the Declaration of Independence, or any other official document pertinent to the founding of our Country.

As I said, most Americans believe that it is actually taken from our constitution. Listen to this very sad conversation between the Christian historian David Barton, and a U.S. Congressman who was an accomplished attorney. They were discussing the importance of basic religious values in society, and the Congressman said, “We know these values are important; it‟s unfortunate that we can‟t do anything to promote them.” Barton responded, “Why not?” The Congressman replied, “We just can‟t.” Barton persisted, “Why not?” The Congressman answered, “Because of „separation of church and state.‟” Barton responded, “Separation of church and state? What about it?” He replied, “It‟s in the Constitution – the Constitution won‟t permit us to have religious values in public arenas.” Barton said, “That phrase is not in the Constitution!” Forcefully, the Congressman countered, “Yes it is!” “No it isn‟t!” “Yes it is!” They went back and forth until Barton produced a copy of the Constitution and asked, “Would you please find that phrase for me?” He replied triumphantly, “I‟d be happy to.” He immediately went to the First Amendment, read it – and became very embarrassed. He said, “I can‟t believe this! In law school they always taught us that‟s what the First Amendment said!” Amazed, Barton said, “You‟ve never read the Constitution for yourself?” He replied, “We were never required to read it in law school.” This is a pretty sad commentary on our law schools, and I‟m afraid that this particular Congressman who had never read the Constitution is not an exception to the rule.

So where does this phrase come from? To answer this question, we have to go back to the 1500‟s. On October 31, 1517, the Catholic Church was rocked by what is called today the Protestant Reformation. Three monks – Martin Luther in Germany, Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland, and John Calvin from France – all broke with the Roman Catholic Church over issues like the authority of the Pope, the use of indulgences, and what they determined to be irreparable corruption.

There was another group of men at the same time, not quite as well known, who believed Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli didn‟t go far enough in their reform efforts. One of the primary issues at stake for these men was the relationship between the church and the state. In the 1500‟s, Catholicism made the state subservient to the church (cf. how the Pope crowned kings, Henry VIII), and Protestantism (Luther, Calvin, et al.) made the church and the state co-equal. This is why the king of the country was also the head of the church. This is why when a baby was baptized, that act made him not only a member of the National church, but also a citizen of the country.

Well, there was a group of men who strongly opposed this idea of the church and the state being so closely aligned. Men like Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, Balthasar Hubmaier, Jacob Hutter (Hutterites), Jacob Ammann (the Amish), and Menno Simmons (Mennonites). These men and those who followed their teachings were know as Anabaptists.

The Anabaptists understood with great clarity that even though God and State were closely connected and even intertwined to a great degree, there was a very clear boundary that the state could not step over. Cf. story of Jesus and the poll tax. These Anabaptist paid very dearly for their insistence on this matter because their actions and beliefs were considered treason. Yet it this insistence on the clear boundary between the church and state that has marked Baptist thought for the last 500 years, which is why on Oct. 7, 1801, The Danbury Baptist Association of Danbury, CT, sent a letter to President Thomas Jefferson expressing their concern about this matter.

The essence of their concern was this. These Baptist pastors felt that freedom of religion was an inalienable right, it had been given to them by God, not granted to them by the state. And there is a big difference between those two concepts. They were concerned that since freedom of religion was mentioned in the First Amendment of the Constitution (“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .”), that people would erroneously conclude that it was a freedom granted by the Government, and not by God. And if the Government can give us something, it can also take it away. They wanted Jefferson to clarify that freedom of religion was not something that the state could grant or suspend – it was an inalienable right.

Jefferson replied to this letter on Jan. 1, 1802 and said, “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, . . . I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should „make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,‟ thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.”

Three things to remember about this: First - this phrase, “a wall of separation between Church and State” is a phrase taken from Thomas Jefferson‟s personal correspondence to a group of Baptist pastors, not some kind of official statement. Secondly, Jefferson was simply reaffirming that the U.S. Government has no right to establish a religion for the entire nation (like the church of England of that day, or the church of Scotland of that day, etc.), or to involve itself in religious disputes, as did the European states. The “wall of separation” was for the purpose of keeping the state out of religious matters (the presence of Christ in communion). To quote him, “religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God.” The third thing to take from Jefferson‟s statement is that he was not saying, nor does the First Amendment advocate that religious matters or expressions have no place in the public square or in government. Yes, he mentions a wall between the two institutions, but that wall only stops influence in one direction! From state to church, not from church to state.

How do we know this? Because of our history and architecture. Listen to these quotes and facts that demonstrate how closely intertwined religious expression and public life was in the early days of our country. If you have ever wondered how our founding fathers felt about religious expression, here it is.

John Adams, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson on June 28, 1813 said, “The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were . . . the general principles of Christianity.” Works, Vol. X p. 45

On Oct. 11, 1789, John Adams in a speech to a group of officers in the Massachusetts Militia said, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Works, Vol. IX p. 229

Robert Winthrop, a Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1840‟s said, “Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them or by a power without them, either by the Word of God or by the strong arm of man, either by the Bible or by the bayonet.”

In George Washington‟s Farewell Address, he said, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness – these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them.”

On the very first day after George Washington became the commander in chief of the American forces in the Revolutionary war, he issued this order: “The General most earnestly requires and expects a due observance of those articles of war established for the government of the army, which forbid profane cursing, swearing, and drunkenness. And in like manner he requires and expects of all officers and soldiers, not engaged in actual duty, a punctual attendance on Divine service, to implore the blessing of Heaven upon the means used for our safety and defense.”

Thomas Jefferson - “In our village of Charlottesville, there is a good degree of religion, with a small spice only of fanaticism. We have four sects, but without either church or meeting-house. The court-house is the common temple, one Sunday in the month to each. Here, Episcopalian and Presbyterian, Methodist and Baptist, meet together, joining in hymning their Maker, listen with attention and devotion to each others‟ preachers, and all mix in society with perfect harmony.”

As you walk up the steps to the building which houses the U..S Supreme Court you can see near the top of the building a row of the world's law givers and each one is facing one in the middle who is facing forward with a full frontal view ... It is Moses and he is holding the Ten Commandments! As you enter the Supreme Court courtroom, the two huge oak doors have the Ten Commandments engraved on each lower portion of each door. As you sit inside the courtroom, you can see the wall, right above where the Supreme Court Judges sit, a display of the Ten Commandments! There are Bible verses etched in stone all over the Federal Buildings and Monuments in Washington , D.C.

James Madison, the fourth president, known as 'The Father of Our Constitution' made the following statement: “We have staked the whole of all our political Institutions upon the capacity of mankind for Self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to The Ten Commandments of God.”

So what has happened over the last 100 years is that there has been an evolution of thought in our country. It has been fueled by an activist Supreme Court, and public opinion has swung from “government not being able to establish a national religion,” to “government not permitting religious expression in the civic arena.” As Dave Barton says, “The result is that the First Amendment is now used to prohibit the very religious activities that the Founders themselves once encouraged under the same Amendment.”

Alexis de Tocqueville was a French jurist who visited the US in 1831, and he was so impressed with what he saw that he went home and wrote one of the best studies of American culture and Constitutional system that had been published up to that point. His book was called Democracy in America, and listen to his first impression of our country in the early 1800‟s. “On my arrival in the United States the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention; and the longer I stayed there, the more I perceived the great political consequences resulting from this new state of things.”

He goes on to say, “Religion in America takes no direct part in the government of society, but it must be regarded as the first of their political institutions . . . . I do not know whether all Americans have a sincere faith in their religion – for who can search the human heart? – but I am certain that they hold it to be indispensable to the maintenance of republican institutions. This opinion is not peculiar to a class of citizens or to a party, but it belongs to the whole nation and to every rank of society.”

“I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

Let me close with another quote, similar to de Tocqueville‟s, also by a famous person, but with a very different slant. “America is like a healthy body, and its resistance is threefold: its patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within.” Guess who said it? Joseph Stalin! It behooves us as patriots to be aware of the enemy‟s agenda. And this misapplication of the first amendment to our Constitution is not coincidental – it is part of a deliberate plan to weaken and eventually destroy our great country.

For a list of the resources I consulted for this presentation, please email me and I’ll get them for you.

Leveraging Your Parentage

Biblical Principles that affect the Christian Citizen
Principle # 3 – “Leveraging Your Parentage”
Isa. 44, 2 Chron. 7:13-14

I want us to turn to Isa. 44 this morning as we continue with our series on the role of the follower of Christ in the political process. For the past couple of weeks we have been looking at some broad principles that have particular application to our situation, primarily the principle of righteous rule and the principle of active involvement. The point I have been trying to drive home is that we are privileged to live in the United States of America where we have a say in who govern us. This is highly unusual in the history of humanity. Peter and Paul did not have that privilege! The “state” they had to be in submission to was put into place and ruled by force. The subjects had no voice in the process, unlike us. As I put in your bulletin insert, good stewardship demands that we are actively involved in the political process.

The next principle I want us to look at is going to take a few minutes to develop, but if you will stay with me I think I can demonstrate its validity. I’m calling it “leveraging your parentage,” and I want to introduce it to you by sharing a conversation I had with Daniel about a week ago. He told me it was common knowledge among the Mayfield children that if one of the boys asked me for something, I would many times say “no;” yet if one of the girls asked me for the same thing, I’d often say “yes.” So the boy’s way of handling their perceived favoritism was to ask their sisters to talk to me whenever they wanted something. I’m not going to take the time to share with you my response to the allegation, but I do want to call your attention to the phenomenon that was taking place. The boys were using the special relationship a father has with his daughters to accomplish their objectives. In the business realm, that is called “leveraging.”

“Leveraging” is one of those fad words that you see so often, and it is taken from the concept of a lever. Levers are incredibly useful tools and have been used for centuries to make man’s work easier. Historians believe that the Egyptians used levers to move stones that weighed up to 100 tons. Archimedes was the one who said, “Give me a place to stand, and I shall move the earth with a lever.” And so leveraging is when you use something you have for maximum advantage, it almost has the idea of exploiting, but without the negative connotations.

The point I want to drive home to you this morning is that we need to take advantage of our relationship with God as we think about the role of the follower of Christ in the political arena. We need to leverage our relationship with God to bring America back to its founder’s intent. Let me share with you three propositions that will develop this, and then I’ll end with a current example of how this worked in California.

First of all, God is sovereign and has a plan He is implementing in the political realm. He even uses unregenerate people to accomplish His will. Look with me at Isa. 44:24, and the example of a pagan, Persian king by the name of Cyrus.

24 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, "I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself, and spreading out the earth all alone, 25 causing the omens of boasters to fail, making fools out of diviners, causing wise men to draw back, and turning their knowledge into foolishness, 26 confirming the word of His servant, and performing the purpose of His messengers. It is I who says of Jerusalem, 'She shall be inhabited!' And of the cities of Judah, 'They shall be built.' And I will raise up her ruins again. 27 "It is I who says to the depth of the sea, 'Be dried up!' And I will make your rivers dry. 28 "It is I who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.' And he declares of Jerusalem, 'She will be built,' And of the temple, 'Your foundation will be laid.'" 45:1 Thus says the LORD to Cyrus His anointed, Whom I have taken by the right hand, To subdue nations before him, And to loose the loins of kings; To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: 2 "I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze, and cut through their iron bars. 3 "And I will give you the treasures of darkness, And hidden wealth of secret places, In order that you may know that it is I, The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. 4 "For the sake of Jacob My servant, And Israel My chosen one, I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor Though you have not known Me. 5 "I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; 6 That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other, 7 The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.

This passage absolutely drips with references to God’s sovereign power, at least 15. And what is of particular importance to us is that God’s sovereignty extends into the political realm. We usually think of God’s sovereignty in matters like salvation and creation – you know, these things that are really important and have such long-term consequences – but it obviously doesn’t stop there as we see in this passage. And two times God states that He was using Cyrus to carry out His plan, even though Cyrus didn’t know God. What this means for you and me is that God is involved in political matters, and sometimes He even uses unredeemed men to bring about His plan.

Now the second proposition I want to share with you is that as God’s children, we can influence God’s plan. Let me show you quickly four passages that teach this truth, and we’ll start with a familiar passage in 2 Chron. 7.

2 Chron. 7:13-14 "If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain [God’s sovereignty], or if I command the locust to devour the land [God’s sovereignty], or if I send pestilence among My people [God’s sovereignty],14 and My people [here we see the idea of God’s children] who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” As God’s children, we can influence God’s works!

James 5:16-18 “The effective prayer of a righteous man [here we see the idea of the special relationship with God] can accomplish much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain [Who is in charge of whether or not it rains?]; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the sky poured rain, and the earth produced its fruit. As God’s children, we can influence God’s works!

Joel 2:12-14 – "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping, and mourning; 13 and rend your heart and not your garments." Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, And relenting of evil. 14 Who knows whether He will not turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him, Even a grain offering and a libation For the LORD your God?

Jonah 3:4-10 – Then Jonah began to go through the city one day's walk; and he cried out and said, "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown." [God’s sovereign plan being announced by Jonah] 5 Then the people of Nineveh believed in God [now they are God’s children]; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. 6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and it said, "In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. 8 "But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands.9 "Who knows, God may turn and relent, and withdraw His burning anger so that we shall not perish?" 10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.”

Are you starting to see that God’s children, because of their special relationship with Him, can actually influence His plan? Here are four passages that all teach this truth.

The final proposition I want to share with you answers the question, “How do we actually influence God’s plan? As we were reading through the four passages a minute ago, I’m sure you probably picked up on this, but let’s hit them again quickly.

First of all comes confession and cleansing, as we saw in the 2 Chron. passage. “If my people, who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” What does this concept sound like that we talked about recently? This is the essence of the entire series on idols of the heart. The Bible teaches that if we hold on to iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us, so it is imperative that we start with humbling ourselves and cleansing ourselves.

The second part of influencing God’s plan involves prayer. We saw this in the James 5 passage where Elijah was actually able to influence God’s use of the water cycle. Closely associated with prayer is the third element, that of fasting. To see the impact fasting has, I want us to turn to Mt. 17.

14 And when they came to the multitude, a man came up to Him, falling on his knees before Him, and saying, 15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic, and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 "And I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him." 17 And Jesus answered and said, "O unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me." 18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" 20 And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you. 21 "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

This story teaches us that there are some issues we are faced with that are so large, that the only way to handle them is through fasting. These disciples had apparently cast demons out of people before, but when they came to this particular one, their normal mode of operation didn’t work.

So when it comes to leveraging your relationship with God, we see from Scripture that God has a plan He is implementing in the political realm, and that if we cleanse ourselves and fast and pray, we can actually have an impact on what God is doing.

In closing, I want to share with you real life example of how all this works together. What I have shared with you this morning is not theoretical. Remember my point: we need to take advantage of our relationship with God as His children, especially in the political arena. Or as I put it in my title, we need to learn how to leverage our parentage. And we see an amazing example of how this works in the passing of proposition 8 in California back in Nov. of 2008. Formally known as the California Marriage Protection Act, it stipulated that only “marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” When that was passed, it was a huge blow to the homosexual agenda of legitimatizing homosexual marriages, and the irony of this being passed in California is mind boggling! California! You could see something like this happening in North Dakota, or Wisconsin – but California?

How in the world did prop. 8 get passed? Significantly, the movement was spearheaded by Rev. Jim Garlow, pastor of the Skyline Wesleyan Church, in San Diego, CA. That in itself is a beautiful illustration of the point made last Sunday when we were talking about the role of the church in the political process. Dr. Garlow’s strategy was thoroughly biblical and involved a balanced use of human activity and divine activity. From the human perspective, thousands of people worked very, very hard. 25,000 people went door to door in California with their information, and ultimately organized 100,000 volunteers by Election Day. They raised over 67 million dollars to finance the push. On top of this, there were multiple webinars, satellite simulcasts and phone banks – all getting people educated. It is a perfect example of man doing his part to bring about God’s plan.

The other dimension of the strategy fits in with what I am talking about this morning. To begin with, a large number of people committed to a 40 day fast ending on election day. Three days before election day, 33,000 people attended a 12 hour prayer meeting, from 10 AM to 10 PM, in Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. I wish you all could have been at Legislative Day last year to hear Dr. Garlow’s personal account of walking through his church and hearing youth groups travailing in prayer during hours-long prayer meetings.

Something we need to keep in mind is that the sovereign creator and sustainer of this incredible universe is your papa! The Aramaic word is Abba. Jesus gives us some insight into the heart of our Father in Luke 11 when He says, 9 "And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. 10 "For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened. 11 "Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? 12 "Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? 13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"

Voter Information for New York Christians

Important Items of Information:

1. If you are not registered to vote, you are a poor steward of one of the greatest privileges God has entrusted to you. Meditate on Luke 12:48 and see how it applies to the political process here in America. This Friday, Nov. 8, is the last day you can register to vote.

You can register by going to www.nycf.info. On the left side of the page, you will see an icon that says “register to vote.” Click on that icon, fill out the form, print it off, and put it in the mail tomorrow, Monday, Oct. 4, 2010!

2. It is vital that you vote intelligently. To help you with this, there is a great web page at www.politics1.com/ny.htm Every person running for office in New York State is listed, and most of them have a link to their web page.

There are big differences between Chuck Schumer, Jay Townsend, and Gary Berntsen. You get to vote between them (and some others) for that Senate seat. Your quality of life is on the line!

There are big differences between Andrew Cuomo, Carl Paladino, and Kristin Davis. You get to vote between them (and some others) for who will be our next Governor. Again, your quality of life is on the line!

There are big differences between Kirsten Gillibrand, Joe DioGuardi, and David Malpass. You get to vote between them and others for that Senate seat. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, your quality of life is on the line.

God’s grace has been poured out on us here in America by giving us a say in who rules us. Don’t squander that privilege!

The Principle of Active Involvement

Biblical Principles that Affect the Christian Citizen
“The Principle of Active Involvement”
Rom. 13:1-7

This morning we are going to continue with our series on the role of the follower of Christ in the political process. The last time we looked at this we considered the principle of righteous rulers. We were focusing on the truth expressed in Prov. 28:12 – “When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.” Or as it is expressed in 28:16, “A leader who is a great oppressor lacks understanding, but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.” The principle involved here is that when ethical, just, fair, honest men of integrity come to power, good things happen. The populace rejoices. But when unethical, unfair, unjust, deceitful, selfish men come to power, the people under them suffer. This is one of the principles that God has built into His universe. Our founding fathers referred to these principles as natural law. The point for us was that we are privileged in our country to have a say in who rules us. So we need to be educated and involved in the political process and do our part to have righteous rulers.

The principle I want us to consider this morning is active involvement. To help us get going with this, I want to put the principle to you in the form of a question. “What level of involvement should the gathered church have in the affairs of the state?” And make sure you understand the significance of th e term “gathered church.” I‟m not speaking today of “the church” in the sense of individual believers, but “the church gathered,” a group of followers of Christ. There is a big difference in the two concepts. Right now, we are “the gathered church,” but when we leave this building later, “the church” will be disbursing. So the question is, “What level of involvement should the gathered church have in the affairs of the state?”

As we think about this, I want you to know that if I had asked this question 200 years ago, or probably even 100 years ago, both “the gathered church” and political leaders in general would have answer very differently from what would be expressed this morning. Over the last 100 years there has been an evolution of thought concerning this matter about the level of involvement the church should have in the affairs of the state. We‟ll discuss how that happened later in this message, but for now I want us to consider two points. First of all, we are going toanswer this question from a biblical perspective. Then we are going to consider it from a historical perspective.

I. Biblical Perspective

A. Rom. 13:1-7 “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities (when Paul was writing this – around A.D. 58 – who was his „governing authority‟?). For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil. 5 Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience ' sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

We are starting with this passage because it sets the stage for the entire question. If you want to know how involved we should be in the affairs of the state, Paul lays out for us four important points. 1) Government has its origin with God – v. 1, 4, and 6. This is huge. As we are going to see in the next passage, the state has a very broad realm and a lot of power, but we must never forget that the state derives its authority from and has its origins in God. As much as I admire Abraham Lincoln, he was inaccurate when he finished the Gettysburg Address by making reference to a government “of the people (source), by (personnel) the people, and for (purpose) the people.” 2) Resisting the state is a serious breach – it is tantamount to resisting God himself and will bring punishment on the violator – v. 2. The word translated as “resists” means to set oneself against, to withstand, or oppose. We do this at great personal risk. When Herod and Nero were on the throne, the N.T. authors never encouraged people to go underground and joint the resistance. 3) The state is commissioned by God to punish evil and reward good – vv. 3-4. This is why it behooves us to be good, law abiding citizens. 4) There are two motives for being in submission to our Government – fear and love – v. 5. Fear of punishment by the state and love for God as a follower of Christ.

This is our foundational passage for answering the question of how involved we should be, and what I want you to take from this passage of scripture is that the things of God and the things of state are very intermingled! This is why for hundreds of years the European model has been that the head of the state was also the head of the church. Who is the head of the church of England? The Queen! The Archbishop of Canterbury is the religious head of the church, but the Queen is the “Supreme Governor of the Church of England.”

So, if the biblical teaching is that the church and the state are so closely related that resisting the church is tantamount to resisting God, why did our Baptistic forefathers endure martyrdom for holding to a separation between the church and state? Why do we have in America this concept of separation between the church and state? It‟s because of the teaching in Mt. 22.

B. Matt. 22:15-22 “Then the Pharisees went and counseled together how they might trap Him in what He said. 16 And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. 17 "Tell us therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?" 18 But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, "Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? 19 "Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax." And they brought Him a denarius. 20 And He said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" 21 They said to Him, "Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's." 22 And hearing this, they marveled, and leaving Him, they went away.

What bearing does this passage have on the question at hand (what level of involvement should the gathered church have in the affairs of the state)? Note these several points. 1) As followers of Christ, we exist in two clearly delineated spheres – God and state. Certain things are in God‟s realm, and certain things are in the state‟s realm. While these two spheres overlap in some areas (our first point), there are other areas where they don‟t overlap. God is God, and the state is not! And what this means is that any time the state encroaches on God, we side with God. This is a vital, critical distinction. 2) There is no incompatibility between giving your money to a godless state and maintaining your right relationship with God. I point this out because there is the thought in the church that since our state uses our taxes for godless enterprises, we shouldn‟t pay our taxes because that makes us participants in their wickedness. That isn‟t true according to this passage because Jesus said to give to Caesar what belonged to him, and if you think our government is corrupt, compare it to Herod‟s and Caesar‟s!

What this passage tells us about the question at hand is that even though church and state are very intertwined (as we saw from the last passage), there are very clearly marked boundaries between these two entities. If you want to know how this works in practical terms, read the story in Acts 5 about when the state ordered Peter and the Apostles to stop preaching.

C. 1 Tim. 2:1-4 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

This passage teaches us several things. 1) The church is commanded to pray for its governmental leaders. One of the things that really bugged me about the Bush presidency is that as soon as he was elected, a national Presidential Prayer Team was assembled to pray for him every day. When somebody placed the fliers advertising this in the church foyer, I started asking people, “Where was this Presidential Prayer Team for the last 8 years when Clinton was our President?” The command is to pray for your governmental leaders, not to pray for the governmental leaders you happen to agree with. 2) There is a direct connection between obedience to this principle and my quality of life. Do you see that? Paul tells Timothy that we should pray for those in authority over us so that we can “lead a quiet and tranquil life.” Quietness and tranquility in the social realm are very conducive to godliness and dignity.

What this passage tells us about our topic is that there is a correlation between the amount of involvement we have in government and the kind of lives we get to lead. I believe that the more proactive the church is in being involved in the affairs of state, the more freedoms and prosperity we can enjoy. We can prove this historically. There is a reason why America exploded with freedom, technology, and wealth in its first 200 years of existence, and it is tied to the involvement of the church in the affairs of the state!

D. Matt. 5:38-41 “You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 "But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 "And if anyone wants to sue you, and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. 41 "And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two.

Now at first glance, these verses may seem like they don‟t have any bearing on the question at hand, but if we look at it a little deeper we‟ll see the relevance. The general point Jesus is making is that we need to maintain an attitude of love toward our enemies instead of an attitude of vengeance or retaliation. The “eye for an eye” “tooth for a tooth” concept, even though its origins were in the Mosaic Law, by the time it got to Jesus‟ day, was a perversion of the limits God had built into the Mosaic Law. The purpose behind lex talionis (law of retaliation) was to discourage private retaliation and let public justice rule. Its purpose was not to establish some kind of tit-for-tat justice system.

The teaching of Jesus is that we demonstrate love for our enemies by repaying their evil with good as Paul tells us to do in Romans 12, not insisting on the OT standard of the eye for an eye. And then, to illustrate what this new standard looks like, Jesus give three illustrations of what this concept looks like in real life – in physical assault (v. 39), in judicial assault (v. 40), and in political oppression (v. 41). In the days of Jesus, military personnel had the authority to make any civilian drop what he was doing and carry the soldier‟s load for one mile. This was something the Romans adopted from the Babylonians and Persians as well – forced conscription of civilian labor or animals. And I want you to put yourself in the sandals of these Jewish people who were living under the occupying force of the despised Roman army.

Here you are working in your field, minding your own business, and a Roman soldier comes along, yanks you out of your field, and makes you carry his pack for a mile. You know you have just lost at least an hour of your day, maybe more, and you are assisting a hated symbol of your oppressive, foreign government. He knows you despise him, just like all the previous Jewish men he has made to carry his pack, and when you get to the end of the mile, instead of dropping his pack and turning around to go back, you say, “Would you mind if I carried your pack another mile?” How do you suppose he will react?

After he picks his jaw up off the ground, I can envision him saying something like, “A couple of days ago another guy did this, and he said he was a follower of Christ. Are you one of those followers of Christ as well?” And there is the opportunity to tell him about the difference Christ has made in your life as you spend the next half hour with him carrying his pack another mile.

The reason I‟m drawing our attention to this passage is because the difference that being a follower of Christ makes on us should have a profound impact on our involvement in the affairs of state. Peter makes the very same point in his first letter. Christians should be the best citizens! In fact, a constitutional republic, like ours, can‟t operate if it isn‟t fueled by moral people! This is something we‟ll look at next week, but certain types of governments work only when godliness is prevalent.

So to summarize what we have looked at this morning, we are considering the principle of active involvement. The question that helps us see this best is, “What level of involvement should the church have in the affairs of the state?” And the answer we see from the biblical record is that as followers of Christ, the church should have a very high level of involvement. It is natural and normal for us to do this, and what we are going to see next week is that historically, our founding fathers held tenaciously to these truths:

1. Government is ordained of God.
2. The church and the state have clearly delineated roles.
3. There is a direct connection between our quality of life and our political involvement.
4. Our relationship with Christ compels us to high level of involvement.

Biblical Principles that Affect the Christian Citizen
“The Principle of Active Involvement” – Part 2
Mt. 22:29

This morning we are going to finish the message I started last week when I was sharing with you the principle of active involvement. We are in a series of messages where I am answering the question, “What is the role of the follower of Christ in the political process?” And as we saw last week, government is ordained of God (Rom. 13), the church and the state are considerably intertwined yet they have clearly delineated roles (Mt. 22), there is a direct connection between our quality of life and our political involvement (1 Tim.2), and finally that our relationship with Christ compels us to higher level of involvement (Mt. 5). That is the biblical perspective that should motivate us to a high level of involvement in the affairs of the state.

I told you in the introduction last week that we‟d be looking at this matter of active involvement from two different perspectives – the biblical perspective and the historical perspective. Last week‟s message was the biblical part, so this morning we are going to look at the historical part. I want us to start by looking at this passage in Mt. 22:29. The Bible has a lot to say about the connection between ignorance and consequence. Ignorance can get you into trouble very quickly.

It pays to be educated (and I‟m not talking about formal education here), and in Mt. 22:29 Jesus condemns the Pharisees by saying, “you are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures.” In other words, their ignorance of the scriptures led to serious consequences concerning issues of eternal importance. We see another example of this connection between ignorance and consequence in Hosea 4:6. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Do you see the connection between ignorance and consequence?
Now, as we think about this matter of how involved we should be in the political process, there is a particular piece of ignorance, or we could call it a lack of knowledge, that is prevalent in our country and even in Christian circles that I want to clear up for us this morning. It has to do with the misconception about the “separation of church and state.” How many of you have ever heard that phrase used in connection with morality being kept out of civic matters? In other words, you can‟t pray in school because of “the separation of church and state.” You can‟t have
a copy of the 10 commandments on government property because of “the separation of church and state.” You can‟t have a nativity scene on the public library lawn because of “the separation of church and state.” We could go on ad infinitum ad nauseum. Most people base this thinking on the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .”

Here is something I want you to understand with great clarity. This phrase, “the separation of church and state” is not found in one single governing document of the United States! Most Americans believe that it is actually taken from our constitution. Listen to this very sad conversation between David Barton and a U.S. Congressman who was an accomplished attorney. They were discussing the importance of basic religious values in society, and the Congressman said, “We know these values are important; it‟s unfortunate that we can‟t do anything to promote them.” Surprised, Dave Barton queried, “Why not?” He replied, “We just can‟t.” Barton persisted, “Why not?” The Congressman answered, “Because of „separation of church and state.‟” Barton responded, “Separation of church and state? What about it?” He replied, “It‟s in the Constitution – the Constitution won‟t permit us to have religious values in public arenas.” Barton said, “That phrase is not in the Constitution!” Forcefully, the Congressman countered, “Yes it is!” “No it isn‟t!” “Yes it is!” They went back and forth until Barton produced a copy of the Constitution and asked, “Would you please find that phrase for me?” He replied triumphantly, “I‟d be happy to.” He immediately went to the First Amendment, read it – and became very embarrassed. He said, “I can‟t believe this! In law school they always taught us that‟s what the First Amendment said!” Amazed, Barton said, “You‟ve never read the Constitution for yourself?” He replied, “We were never required to read it in law school.”

This is a pretty sad commentary on our law schools, and I‟m afraid that this particular Congressman who had never read the Constitution is not an exception to the rule. And to help us out here at Cornerstone, there are copies of the Constitution on the information table in the foyer. Get one, read it, and be familiar with it. The words “separation,” “church,” and “state” are not found in the Constitution, or the First Amendment, or any other official document pertinent to the founding of our Country.

So where does this phrase come from? As I shared with you last Sunday, our 16th century Anabaptist forefathers had a very clear understanding of the Scriptures we appealed to last week. They understood with great clarity that even though God and State were closely connected and even intertwined to a great degree, there was a very clear boundary that the state could not step over. These Anabaptist paid very dearly for their insistence on this matter because their actions and beliefs were considered treason. Yet this insistence has marked Baptist thought for the last 500 years, which is why on Oct. 7, 1801, The Danbury Baptist Association of Danbury, CT, sent a letter to President Thomas Jefferson expressing their concern about this matter. The essence of their concern was this. They felt that freedom of religion was an inalienable right, it had been given to them by God, not granted to them by the state. And there is a big difference between those two concepts. They were concerned that since freedom of religion was mentioned in the First Amendment of the Constitution (“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .”), that people would erroneously conclude that it was a freedom granted by the Constitution and not God.

Jefferson replied to this letter on Jan. 1, 1802 and said, “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, . . . I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should „make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,‟ thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.”

This phrase, “a wall of separation between Church and State” is a phrase taken from Thomas Jefferson‟s personal correspondence to a group of Baptist pastors, not some kind of official statement. But even if it were an official statement, even if it were in the Constitution, what would Jefferson be saying? He would be saying that the U.S. Government has no right to establish a religion for the entire nation – like the church of England, or the church of Scotland, etc. He would not be saying, nor does the First Amendment advocate that religious matters have no place in government.

So what has happened over the last 100 years is that there has been an evolution of thought in our country. Fueled by an activist Supreme Court, public opinion has swung from “government not being able to establish a national religion,” to “government not permitting religious expression in the civic arena.” As Dave Barton says, “The result is that the First Amendment is now used to prohibit the very religious activities that the Founders themselves once encouraged under the same Amendment.” Not only is this a sad commentary on our nation, it is also a sad commentary on the church because by and large, the church has bought into this thinking which is completely against each of the principles of active involvement.

Let‟s take a few minutes now and look at some historical illustrations of how actively involved the church was in the political process in the early days of our country. I want to do this two ways. First of all, we are going to look at some testimonies from our founding fathers, and then I will show you an example of exactly how integrated church and state was in the early days of our country.

II. Historical Perspective

A. Testimony of the founding fathers

1. John Adams, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson on June28, 1813 said, “The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were . . . the general principles of Christianity.” Works, Vol. X p. 45

2. On Oct. 11, 1789,John Adams in a speech to a group of officers in the Massachusetts Militia said, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Works, Vol. IX p. 229

3. Robert Winthrop, a Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1840‟s said, “Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them or by a power without them, either by the Word of God or by the strong arm of man, either by the Bible or by the bayonet.”

4. In George Washington‟s Farewell Address, he said, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness – these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them.”

5. On the very first day after George Washington became the commander in chief of the American forces in the Revolutionary war, he issued this order: “The General most earnestly requires and expects a due observance of those articles of war established for the government of the army, which forbid profane cursing, swearing, and drunkenness. And in like manner he requires and expects of all officers and soldiers, not engaged in actual duty, a punctual attendance on Divine service, to implore the blessing of Heaven upon the means used for our safety and defense.”

B. Example of churches meeting in court houses

For Americans today, the idea of a church being able to use a tax-supported governmental building for their worship services sound unbelievable, since we have heard so much about this “wall of separation between church and state.” But in the minds of our founding fathers, there was no objection to this idea. Understanding the importance of morality to a stable society, they encouraged it!

Listen to this testimony from Thomas Jefferson concerning the town of Charlottesville, VA. “In our village of Charlottesville, there is a good degree of religion, with a small spice only of fanaticism. We have four sects, but without either church or meeting-house. The court-house is the common temple, one Sunday in the month to each. Here, Episcopalian and Presbyterian, Methodist and Baptist, meet together, joining in hymning their Maker, listen with attention and devotion to each others‟ preachers, and all mix in society with perfect harmony.”

I believe we have seen with great clarity, from both a biblical and an historical perspective, that Christians should have a high level of involvement in the political process. Our nation became what it did because of the level of involvement of Christians, and we have become what we are today because of the level of involvement of Christians as well! It is high time for followers of Christ to reengage the political process and wield its influence.

Alexis de Tocqueville was a French jurist who visited the US in 1831, and he was so impressed with what he saw that he went home and wrote one of the best studies of
American culture and Constitutional system that had been published up to that point. His book was called Democracy in America, and listen to his first impression of our country in the early 1800‟s. “On my arrival in the United States the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention; and the longer I stayed there, the more I perceived the great political consequences resulting from this new state of things.” That is what I have been trying to say for these last two weeks. It is the principle of active involvement. He goes on to say, “Religion in America takes no direct part in the government of society, but it must be regarded as the first of their political institutions . . . . I do not know whether all Americans have a sincere faith in their religion – for who can search the human heart? – but I am certain that they hold it to be indispensable to the maintenance of republican institutions. This opinion is not peculiar to a class of citizens or to a party, but it belongs to the whole nation and to every rank of society.”

In Ps. 33:12 we read the truth that “blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” That should serve as a motivation for us to not only be godly but also to seek to exert a godly influence in our culture. But it is also a warning that if America does not stay blessed, it will be because we did not stay involved! De Tocqueville‟s most famous statement serves as a very appropriate parting thought: “I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

Biblical Principles That Affect the Christian Citizen

I’d like you to turn in your Bibles this morning to Prov. 28:12. Last week we were in Deut. 28 and I brought you a message titled “The Benefits of Principled Living.” We saw that principles are divine in origin – principles don’t come into existence by a majority vote, and you can’t rescind them if you get enough signatures on a ballot. God created this universe with certain principle designed to govern it (economic, political, agricultural, spiritual, social, familial, civil, biological, physical), and to the extent we follow those principles, we will benefit from them. But the converse of that is true as well. To the extent we violate God’s principles, we will suffer.

I then gave you an extended illustration of how we see this being played out on a daily basis in our country in the abortion breast cancer connection. The reason there is a connection between abortion and breast cancer is because abortion violates one of the principles that God established to rule His universe, and that is human life is precious. How many of you knew that human life is so precious that even animals that kill a human are under the death penalty? Read Gen. 9:1-6 this afternoon and see if that isn’t what God is saying. The reason human life is precious is because humans are created in the image of God. That fetus bears the image of God, and to terminate the life of the fetus is tantamount to an attack on God Himself – and God doesn’t take that lightly. The message of Deut. 28 is that to the extent we violate God’s principles, we will suffer, and to the extent we honor God’s principles, we will be blessed.

Now before we leave this and get into today’s message, there are two very important clarifications I need to make. First of all, I don’t want anyone to make the logical mistake that every woman you know who has had breast cancer has also had an abortion. There is a connection, but there is not a one-to-one correlation. For instance, do we know that there is a connection between driving while intoxicated and wrecking your car? Yes. There is irrefutable evidence that if you drive while intoxicated there is a higher incidence of accidents. But do we immediately assume that everyone who has a car wreck was intoxicated? Not at all. There is an connection, but there is not a one-to-one correlation. That is the way I want you to view this abortion breast cancer link.

The second clarification is that as terrible and brutal as abortion is, God’s mercy is infinitely larger and more capable for forgiveness and restoration. This is the thrust of Paul’s teaching in Rom. 5:20 when he says, “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” Do you see the proportionate nature of God’s grace? God’s grace is always more than enough to meet the need. What that means is that there is no sin beyond God’s capacity for forgiveness. The Bible teaches that “if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This verse teaches that God’s forgiveness is tied to two of his attributes, his faithfulness and justice. The faithfulness makes sense to us, but we don’t often think about forgiveness and justice in the same thought, do we? What do we usually equate justice with? Punishment, right. But this verse equates justice with forgiveness. In other words, if we were to confess a sin, and God refused to forgive us, He would be an unjust God. Well, abortion is one of the sins that this verse covers. So if abortion is a part of you past, there is a message of forgiveness and hope and healing in Christ.

So with that introduction to the concept and importance of God’s principles, I want us to turn our attention now to a series of principles that affect the Christian citizen. Remember, the theme of this series is the role of the follower of Christ in the political process. If you want to know what your role is, you have to know first of all what is important in the big scheme of things. In other words, you have to know what principles are at stake in the political process.
 If you want to know how to safely navigate the political process, you have to know first of all what is really important in the big scheme of things.
 If you want to have a positive impact on the political process, you have to know first of all what is really important in the big scheme of things.
 If you want to know which candidate is going to serve your interests the best, you have to know what he believes about the issues that are really important.

So what I want to do this morning and next Sunday as well is share with you a series of principles that have tremendous bearing on our country. The first one is found in Prov. 28:12, and I’m calling it the principle of righteous leadership.

I. The Principle of Righteous Leadership – Prov. 28:12, 29:2

“When the righteous (צַדִּיק - not “born again,” but just, or ethical in conduct and character) triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.”

“When the righteous increase, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, people groan.”

This is a principle that obviously has tremendous ramifications for our political situation, and when it is violated, the consequences are devastating. How many of you are familiar with the term “brain drain?” Brain drain is the term given to large-scale immigration of individuals who are academically, artistically, and technologically skilled. Brain drain is almost invariably the outworking of Prov. 28:12 – “when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.” Out of hundreds of possible illustrations, think for a moment about Ethiopia and some of the other African countries. Conservatively speaking, brain drain has cost the African continent over $4 billion a year! This is due to the flight of over 150,000 professionals, and the revenue they generate, annually. Ethiopia lost 75 per cent of its skilled workforce between 1980 and 1991. Guess why? Because of the rise of Communism under Mengistu. Hundreds of thousands of people were murdered without trial in the red terror, and all who could fled the country. This is why there are more Ethiopian doctors in Chicago today than there are in Ethiopia. “When the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.”

What does this principle (the principle of righteous leadership) mean for you and me as Christian citizens? It means we have a vested interest in the character of our elected officials. From our town officials, to our county officials, to our state officials, to our national officials, character counts! If there is a person running for office who is a local businessman, we need to investigate how he runs his business because how he runs his business is going to be how he runs his agency. We need to investigate his fidelity to his spouse because his fidelity or infidelity will be replicated in his political office. If he won’t honor commitments made to his spouse, do you think he will suddenly start honoring commitments made to his constituency? Character and ethical conduct are huge! You cannot separate political skill from personal character.

This principle is why it is right for people to be adamantly opposed to people like JFK, and Bill Clinton, and Eliot Spitzer serving as elected officials. And by the way, I think there is a difference between a man who succumbs to temptation and falls, but then confesses, repents, makes restitution and gets on with his life; and the man who is chronically unfaithful and lies and deceives and diminishes his guilt. But character is inextricably bound to political skill.

Most people know Samuel Adams only as a beer label, but listen to this quote: “Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt [this is last week’s principle – “the way of the transgressor is hard”. If you have a nation full of corrupt people, their lives will be difficult no matter how many wise laws and constitutions are passed.] He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man.” Let me repeat that so it sticks in our minds. “He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man.”

This sentiment was tenaciously held to by our founding fathers. They understood the principle of righteous leadership. They knew, based on their understanding of European and world history, that “when the wicked rule, men groan and go into hiding.” This is why they were adamant that men of noble character served in public office. For instance, they deliberately kept the salary of elected official very low so that greedy men would not be attracted to office. Greed is a character issue and our founding fathers believed that character was important. This is why George Washington refused a salary when he was the president – even though his plantation had been basically destroyed in the war and had not been built back to full production. He also refused a salary while serving as Commander-In-Chief of the armed forces during the Revolutionary War. This was the attitude of our country’s early public servants which is why our nation thrived under their leadership. “When the righteous triumph, there is great rejoicing, but when the wicked come to power, men go into hiding.”

Before I give you a series of practical steps to take in relation to this principle, let’s look at one more passage in Proverbs. Turn back one chapter to chapter 28 and look with me at verses 15 and 16. “Like a roaring lion and a rushing bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people.[How many historical illustrations could we come up with that demonstrate this truth?] A leader who is a great oppressor lacks understanding [this is a message all elected officials need to hear], but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days [cf. G. Washington not wanting to serve a second or third term].”

If you want to read a biblical example of how this works, read 2 Chron. 10:1-10 this afternoon. This is the account where King Rehoboam, upon ascending the throne of his father Solomon, rejected the advice of his elders and followed the advice of the young men he grew up with, and look at the consequences of his foolishness. He was a “great oppressor” [“my father disciplined you with whips, I will discipline you with scorpions”] which showed his “lack of understanding.” Rehoboam rejected sound principles because he was not a principled man, and he paid a high price for his foolishness.

What this means for you and me as citizens of the greatest nation this world has known, is that we have a huge privilege in being able to elect our leaders. We don’t live in a monarch like Israel did – we have a voice in who rules us. We don’t have a dictator who seized the Oval Office by armed revolution – we have a voice in who rules us. So let’s not forget this principle of righteous leadership.

Here are the three action steps we need to take if we are going to apply the principle we have studied this morning. Step #1 – get registered to vote if you aren’t already. How many of you heard the statistic Jason McGuire told us two weeks ago about church voting records? He said that in the last election, only 50% of the people in the church were registered to vote. That ain’t right! Or as my Southern friends say it, “dat’s just wroang.” Only half of all church members are registered to vote. It is a privilege to have a voice in the election of our officials, but if you aren’t registered, you have no say.

The second action step is to actually vote. Jason also told us that only half of the registered voters in the church actually voted! Again, that ain’t right! What that means is that out of all the possible voters in the church, only 25% of them actually made the effort to go out and vote in the last election. How can we have ethical, just rulers if only 25% of the church is voting? Again, it is a privilege to have a voice in the election of our officials, but if you aren’t actually going to the polls, you have no say.

The final step is to get to know the character of the candidates. Out of the three action steps, this one is the hardest. It isn’t hard work to get registered. It isn’t hard work to get out on election day, but it does take some effort to know the character of the candidates. The good news though is that there are lots of resources available that make the work easier. Voting records are online. You can just scan down the list of bills up for vote, see how they voted, and then draw conclusions about their character based on their voting record. There are organizations that are dedicated to voter education. And perhaps most importantly for us Christians, there are Christian Political Action Committees committed to educating Christian voters about where the various candidates stand. Next week I’ll try to have some links printed in the bulletin to show you where to go for information.

So, what is the role of the follower of Christ in the political process? His first role involves the principle of righteous leadership. “When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.” What are you doing as a follower of Christ to bring righteous leadership to our town, state, and country?

The Benefits of Principled Living

This morning we are going to be in Deuteronomy 28 where we are going to consider the fundamental principle that will serve as the theme for our study of the role of the follower of Christ in the political process. I hope you were blessed last Sunday by the ministry of Jason McGuire. He is a follower of Christ who has a vision for being involved in the political process. You heard it directly from his mouth that he wants to influence legislators and legislation for the glory of God. That is a great motto and certainly worthy of our imitation. If there is anything a Christian should aspire to, it is being influential. Not in a proud way, but in the biblical way of exerting an influence on those around you.

The title I have given this message is, “The Benefit of Principled Living.” Living according to principles as opposed to feelings, or polls, or your peers opinions is a discipline that will serve you well all your life. For example, a good principle to live by is to never spit into the wind. You usually only have to do that once to learn that that is a bad idea. Another good principle to live by is to make sure when you are using a hand saw, your first stroke should always be a pull, never a push. Similar to this is the principle that you should always use tools according to their design. Screw drivers are not designed to have their handles hammered, so don’t use them as a chisel.

These are all small principles and as such they have small consequences when they are violated. Breaking the handle of your screwdriver because you are pounding on it with a hammer really isn’t that big of a deal. Cutting your finger because you are using your saw the wrong way doesn’t amount to much in the grand scheme of things. But, the larger the principle, the larger the consequences of violating it. For instance:
 you can’t spend your way out of debt. That is a big principle of life! Another biggie is,
 you can’t have a high standard of living and high employment rates at the same time.
 You can’t hoard resources and generate wealth at the same time.
 The moral character of a leader affects his decision making ability – and consequently the quality of life of the follower.

These are huge principles and if you violate them, the consequences are staggering. This is why it makes sense to live according to principles. When we live principled lives, we trade short term pain for long term gain, which is why most people don’t live according to principles. The principled choice is almost always the more difficult of the two choices, but I assure you that principled living has great benefits.

Now, before we get into the passage I want us to look at, let me give you three important truths about principles. 1) Principles are divine in origin. God created this universe to operate by principles. I want to make sure everybody understands that this universe, and the inhabitants of this planet (both human and animal – cf. Gen. 9:5), are subject to the principles and laws God established at creation. 2) A principle does not become a principle because it won a majority vote. That is not how principles come into being. A principle does not cease being a principle if you get enough signatures on a petition to rescind it. Principles emanate from God and are reflections of His character. And 3), your relationship to God or lack of relationship to God does not determine whether or not these principles are binding on you or not. Every person on this planet is subject to God’s laws, regardless of his relationship to God.

So with this introduction to principles, let’s look at this passage in Deuteronomy and see the benefit of principled living. The passage we are going to be considering today is found in Deut. 28. We will be reading verses 1 – 20.

"And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.
2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.
3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock.
5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7 "The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
8 The LORD will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
9 The LORD will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in his ways.
10 And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.
11 And the LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.
12 The LORD will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
13 And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them,
14 and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
15 "But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.
16 Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field.
17 Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock.
19 Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
20 "The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds.

If I were to sum up these 20 verses, here is what God is saying. “If you will live according to the principles I have established to rule my universe, you will reap positive consequences. But if you defy my principles, you will pay a very heavy price for your foolishness.” Now I know that the immediate context of this passage is the nation of Israel and their obedience to the laws God gave to Moses. But when you think about it, the reason God’s moral law was binding on Israel is the same as the reason God’s universal laws are binding on all of creation. As the creator (and it doesn’t matter whether we are talking about the creation of Israel or the universe), it is His right to regulate His creation as He pleases. So make sure you remember the teaching of Deut. 28: “If you will live according to the principles I have established to rule my universe, you will reap positive consequences. But if you defy my principles, you will pay a very heavy price for your foolishness.”

Let me give you in the rest of our time this morning an illustration of this truth that God blesses obedience and punishes disobedience. Turn with me to Prov. 13:15 where we see a very general principle. Here we read that “Good understanding gives favor: but the way of transgressors is hard.” How many of you have learned that “the way of the transgressor is hard?” We usually discover this principle early on in life, don’t we? This same principle is expressed using different terms down in verse 21. “Adversity pursues sinners, but the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.” Look next with me at the book of Job. I want us to go to chapter 4:8-9 and see Job’s friend’s testimony. “As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. 9 By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of his anger they are consumed.” This matter of suffering some kind of adversity for violating an established guideline is a universal principle established by God. It did not become a principle by popular vote, and just because you don’t agree with it or believe it is binding on you doesn’t matter – the way of the transgressor is hard.

How many of you were aware that there has never been a civilization that has not been regulated by some code of justice. You can go to the most barbaric, uncivilized tribe in the world and find that they had a recognized set of guidelines (minimal as they may have been) that established boundaries for the tribe, or group, or nation. If you lived within those boundaries, it would go well with you. But if you go outside those boundaries, adversity will pursue you! Your way will be hard. And the reason we can find this phenomenon throughout human history is because the reward of good and the punishment of evil is one of God’s principles.

The Apostle Paul elaborates on this principle in Gal. 6:7-8. While you are turning there, I will tell you that the popular way of expressing this principle is to say, “What goes around comes around.” How many of you have ever heard that saying? Is it true? You better believe it is! Another popular way of expressing this principle is to say, “He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.” Paul’s way of expressing it is found here in Galatians 6 when he says in verse 7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

I like the way Paul states this because he starts with a warning about dismissing the truth of what he is about to say. If you think you can sow something and then get away with not reaping the consequences, you are delusional. If you think that “what goes around comes around” applies to everyone else except you, you are “deceived.” Why? Because God’s nature as a just God is on the line here, and He will not be mocked. So Paul starts with a word of caution about trying to dismiss this principle. He then goes on to narrow this principle down and tells us that there is a specific connection between the sowing and reaping. Let me develop this for just a minute.

How many of you are aware of the connection between abortion and breast cancer? The first time I heard about this was at a seminar about 10 years ago when a doctor who did extensive research into it gave a lecture explaining how it worked. He said that the single best thing a woman could do to protect herself against breast cancer was to have a full term pregnancy. This was discovered back in the 17th century when doctors started taking note of the high rate of breast cancer among nuns. So the medical community has known for a long time that there is a connection between childbearing (or the lack of childbearing) and breast cancer.1 But it is especially harmful to a woman’s body if she terminates her pregnancy. Here’s why.
When a woman conceives, her body immediately starts flooding her breasts with the hormone estradiol to get them ready for lactation. At 8 weeks, the level of estradiol is 500 times the level it was at conception. This hormone, which is a form of estrogen, causes the proliferation of both normal and precancerous cells, which is why her breasts start to swell. Now, at 8 months, a second process takes place called “differentiation.” Differentiation is the process of shaping these cells into milk producing tissue and it shuts off the cell multiplication process. If the fetus is aborted before differentiation, the woman is left with all these pre-cancerous cells – more than she had before she got pregnant. This is why there is such a high incidence of breast cancer in women who have had abortions. And interestingly enough, research has shown that most miscarriages do not raise the breast cancer risk. This is because the woman’s body knows there is a problem with the fetus so her body stops the production of the progesterone which is needed to maintain the pregnancy, as well as the estradiol, which prepares her for lactation.

The reason I’m giving you this illustration is because it shows two things. First of all, it shows in a general way that if you violate God’s laws, there are consequences. You cannot snuff out a human life and expect to merrily make your way down life’s path without any consequences. What goes around, comes around. You live by the sword, and you will die by the sword. But more precisely than this general application is the truth of what Paul says in Gal. 6. Is it a stretch to say that if a woman chooses to take the life of her child, that God will take away the very organ that was going to be used to sustain that child’s life?

Is it a stretch to say that because of the egregious nature of a woman terminating the life in her womb (the womb should be the safest place in the universe, and the mother should be the most ferocious protector of that life) that in God’s justice the most visible manifestation of her femininity will be affected?

The bottom line here is that one of the principles that God has established to rule His universe is that our actions carry very specific consequences. God blesses obedience and God disciplines disobedience. This is why it makes a lot of sense to live within the confines that God has established. There are benefits to principled living. God said it explicitly in Deut. 28, and we see it illustrated bountifully in life.

By way of conclusion, you are probably asking yourself what in the world this has to do with the role of the follower of Christ in the political process, and I have to ask you to be patient and let me build my foundation. I assure you that what we talked about this morning is relevant to our topic, but I have to lay out several planks to build on before we get into the specifics. So starting next Sunday I am going to give you a quick overview of some of the biblical principles our nation was built on.