Faith, Politics, and the Power of the Gospel
Summary
In our discussion today, we explored the complex relationship between faith and politics, emphasizing the primary role of the church in preaching the gospel rather than engaging in political discourse. The transformative power of the gospel is unparalleled, and it is through the renewal of minds by Jesus Christ that true change occurs. While politics can influence society, it is the gospel that changes hearts and lives. We must remember that our ultimate allegiance is to the kingdom of God, not earthly kingdoms.
The church has a prophetic role to play, as seen in the examples of the Old Testament prophets and John the Baptist, who spoke truth to power. However, this does not mean the church should become a political entity. Instead, it should provide a Christian worldview that helps believers navigate the ethical issues of the day. The church must call the state to fulfill its God-given role of protecting and maintaining the sanctity of human life, without attempting to convert the state through political means.
We also discussed the importance of civil obedience and the conditions under which civil disobedience is justified. Christians are called to be the most loyal citizens, obeying authorities unless they command something contrary to God's law. This principle was exemplified by the early church and remains relevant today.
Revival, we noted, is not something that can be scheduled or manufactured. It is a sovereign work of God, often beginning with earnest prayer and a desire to see God's glory demonstrated. Historical revivals have shown that when God's people humble themselves and seek His face, He moves in powerful ways.
Finally, we addressed the assurance of salvation, emphasizing that it is the work of the Holy Spirit that convinces us of our standing in Christ. The evidence of a transformed life, as outlined in 1 John, provides external confirmation of this inward reality. True assurance comes from understanding the gospel, seeing its fruit in our lives, and trusting in the promises of God.
Key Takeaways:
- The church's primary mission is to preach the gospel, not politics. While political issues may intersect with biblical ethics, the transformative power of the gospel is what truly changes lives and societies. Our focus should remain on the kingdom of God rather than earthly kingdoms. [00:58]
- The church has a prophetic role to speak truth to power, as seen in the examples of biblical prophets. However, this role should not overshadow the church's primary mission of preaching the Word and providing a Christian worldview to its congregation. [02:21]
- Civil obedience is the norm for Christians, with civil disobedience justified only when authorities command actions contrary to God's law. This principle ensures that Christians remain loyal citizens while prioritizing obedience to God. [11:25]
- Revival is a sovereign work of God that cannot be scheduled or manufactured. It often begins with earnest prayer and a desire to see God's glory demonstrated, as seen in historical revivals. [17:36]
- Assurance of salvation is rooted in the work of the Holy Spirit and the evidence of a transformed life. Understanding the gospel, seeing its fruit in our lives, and trusting in God's promises provide true assurance. [44:24]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:25] - Politics and the Pulpit
[00:58] - The Power of the Gospel
[01:41] - Trust in God, Not Princes
[02:21] - Prophetic Criticism
[03:34] - The Church's Role in Society
[04:02] - Accountability of the State
[06:53] - Civil Disobedience
[07:23] - The Power of Preaching
[08:30] - Sovereignty and Authority
[10:03] - Addressing National Events
[11:25] - Principles of Civil Obedience
[17:36] - The Nature of Revival
[21:26] - Preparing Children for College
[25:42] - Discerning a Call to Ministry
[30:54] - Standing Firm on Traditions
[33:25] - Interpreting Scripture
[44:24] - Assurance of Salvation
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
2. 1 Peter 2:13-17 - "Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right."
3. 1 John 5:13 - "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."
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Observation Questions:
1. According to the sermon, what is the primary mission of the church, and how does it relate to politics? [00:58]
2. How does the sermon describe the church's prophetic role in society, and what examples from the Bible are given to illustrate this role? [02:21]
3. What conditions are mentioned in the sermon under which civil disobedience is justified for Christians? [11:25]
4. How does the sermon define revival, and what historical examples are provided to illustrate this concept? [17:36]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the gospel has the power to transform lives and societies, beyond what politics can achieve? [00:58]
2. How does the sermon balance the church's role in speaking truth to power with its primary mission of preaching the gospel? [02:21]
3. What are the implications of civil obedience and disobedience for Christians living in a society that may not always align with biblical values? [11:25]
4. How does the sermon describe the assurance of salvation, and what role does the Holy Spirit play in this assurance? [44:24]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your own life: Are there areas where you have prioritized political discourse over the transformative power of the gospel? How can you refocus on the kingdom of God this week? [00:58]
2. Consider a current ethical issue in society. How can you apply a Christian worldview to navigate this issue, while maintaining the church's primary mission of preaching the gospel? [02:21]
3. Think about a time when you faced a conflict between obeying authorities and following God's law. How did you handle it, and what would you do differently now? [11:25]
4. Revival is described as a sovereign work of God. What steps can you take to earnestly pray for revival in your community, and how can you encourage others to join you in this prayer? [17:36]
5. Assurance of salvation is rooted in the work of the Holy Spirit. How can you cultivate a deeper understanding of the gospel and its fruit in your life to strengthen your assurance? [44:24]
6. Identify one way you can demonstrate civil obedience in your community while staying true to your faith. What challenges might you face, and how can you overcome them? [11:25]
7. Revival often begins with a desire to see God's glory demonstrated. What specific actions can you take this week to seek God's face and humble yourself before Him? [17:36]
Devotional
Day 1: The Gospel Transforms, Not Politics
The church's primary mission is to preach the gospel, not politics. While political issues may intersect with biblical ethics, the transformative power of the gospel is what truly changes lives and societies. Our focus should remain on the kingdom of God rather than earthly kingdoms. The gospel has the unique ability to renew minds and transform hearts, leading to genuine change that politics alone cannot achieve. As believers, our ultimate allegiance is to the kingdom of God, and we must prioritize this over any earthly political system. [00:58]
"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways can you prioritize the kingdom of God over political concerns in your daily life?
Day 2: Prophetic Voice Without Political Identity
The church has a prophetic role to speak truth to power, as seen in the examples of biblical prophets. However, this role should not overshadow the church's primary mission of preaching the Word and providing a Christian worldview to its congregation. The church is called to hold the state accountable to its God-given role, but it must do so without becoming a political entity itself. By maintaining its focus on the gospel, the church can effectively guide believers in navigating ethical issues without compromising its mission. [02:21]
"Thus says the Lord: 'Execute justice in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed, lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of your evil deeds.'" (Jeremiah 21:12, ESV)
Reflection: How can you use your voice to speak truth to power while maintaining your primary focus on the gospel?
Day 3: Obedience to God Above All
Civil obedience is the norm for Christians, with civil disobedience justified only when authorities command actions contrary to God's law. This principle ensures that Christians remain loyal citizens while prioritizing obedience to God. The early church exemplified this balance, demonstrating loyalty to earthly authorities while refusing to compromise their faith. Today, believers are called to navigate this tension with wisdom, ensuring that their ultimate allegiance is to God's commands. [11:25]
"But Peter and the apostles answered, 'We must obey God rather than men.'" (Acts 5:29, ESV)
Reflection: Is there an area in your life where you feel tension between obeying earthly authorities and God's commands? How can you seek God's wisdom in this situation?
Day 4: Revival Begins with Prayer
Revival is a sovereign work of God that cannot be scheduled or manufactured. It often begins with earnest prayer and a desire to see God's glory demonstrated, as seen in historical revivals. When God's people humble themselves and seek His face, He moves in powerful ways. Revival is not about human effort but about God's sovereign will and timing. Believers are encouraged to pray fervently for revival, trusting that God will move according to His perfect plan. [17:36]
"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 and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14, ESV)
Reflection: What specific area of your life or community do you feel led to pray for revival? How can you commit to praying for this regularly?
Day 5: Assurance Through the Spirit
Assurance of salvation is rooted in the work of the Holy Spirit and the evidence of a transformed life. Understanding the gospel, seeing its fruit in our lives, and trusting in God's promises provide true assurance. The Holy Spirit works within believers to confirm their standing in Christ, offering peace and confidence in their salvation. This assurance is not based on human effort but on the transformative work of the Spirit and the promises of God. [44:24]
"The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." (Romans 8:16-17, ESV)
Reflection: How can you recognize the evidence of the Holy Spirit's work in your life today? What steps can you take to deepen your trust in God's promises?
Quotes
Why settle for a lesser kingdom? The only power to change a life is the gospel of Jesus Christ. We all know stories about people whose worldview is changed after they've been transformed by the renewing of their minds, and the best person to do that is Jesus of Nazareth, not Limbaugh of West Palm Beach, who I love, who I love, and I listen to, or Hannity of New York, or Levin of Leesburg, Virginia, but, Jesus of Nazareth. He's the only one who can really transform. [00:58:37]
However – however – there is a dimension that we get from Scripture where the church is called not to be the state, but is to be involved from time to time in prophetic criticism. We see it in the case of the Old Testament prophets, where they had to – they had to criticize the king in the case of Naboth’s vineyard that was taken by Ahab and the prophet rebuked him. We see it in the beginning of New Testament when John the Baptist loses his head because he publicly criticizes the immorality of the king. [02:13:59]
And there’re times when the application of Scripture demands that we say something to our congregations. That our congregations might understand the ethical issues that’re involved in certain political environments. I’m the last guy that's involved in the political realm as you all know. But there are times, I mean, we have to say something about abortion. We have to say – call the state to be the state, that the state’s very raison d'être in the first place is to protect, sustain, and maintain the sanctity of human life. [03:26:70]
The disastrous thing that sometimes happens is when we make the responsibility of the ministers of God in the realm of politics the hermeneutic by which we expound Scripture. There are bound to be times, as R.C. has said, when simply in the course of feeding our people from the Word of God, the Word of God impinges not just on our church life, but on our life in the world. And it's appropriate then, I think, for the Scriptures to be expounded. [05:29:36]
The right context for civil disobedience is civil obedience. I'm not suggesting this questioner is coming from this point of view, but often that question is asked from a very different heart perspective, from the perspective of civil obedience, that as a Christian my responsibility and privilege is to yield to the powers that be. And I mean to do that because I want to yield to Jesus Christ. [13:16:48]
The early church was exceedingly scrupulous on this matter. Justin Martyr’s “Apologia” in the second century – an appeal to the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius – pointed to this exceptional level of civil obedience that the Christian community gave, except at those places where the government required the Christian to do something that God did not allow them to do. [11:13:54]
Revival is about His church not the world. You can go and apply mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a corpse, your technique may be perfect, but the guy is still going to be dead. So, if you go back and read the “History of Revivals in America” by J. Edwin Orr, a magnificent book – each of the three or four – if you want to count the one before 1776. The major one was 1857, I think – they all began in what he called a “Concert of Prayer.” [17:10:30]
Now, we all give lip service to prayer, and we've heard about prayer, and Jesus went away and prayed for extended periods of time, and if He needed to pray for extended periods of time considering who He was, and He – you’d have to say direct link He had with the Father, unique relationship, then why don’t we do more of that? You hear somebody who’s ill, and you'll hear someone else respond: “All I can do is pray,” as if it was a last resort and not a first resource. [17:46:11]
1 John also speaks of an external witness, that, there in 1 John, are eight or nine evidences of the new birth. This is not a multiple choice that three out of the nine would be seen in your life, but that across the board there would be a dramatic change, progressively, yet nevertheless decisively in a person's life. If anyone be in Christ, he’s a new creature. The old things passed away, behold new things have come. [45:14:94]
And of course, there is the confidence in the Word of God that says “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” and have I truly repented of my sins and believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ with an understanding that He died in the place of sinners and the finality of His death to be the perfect atonement for all who put their trust and faith in Him. [46:43:03]
So, I think that that is the foundation of how I can know – have the assurance of salvation. But last sentence, I do want to underscore that it's an inside work of the Holy Spirit of God in the heart. It doesn’t really, at the end of the day, matter if the evangelist signed the back of your Bible and you put the date in it. It doesn't really matter what mom and dad had to say. I mean, in your heart of hearts and in your soul of souls, does the Holy Spirit indwell me and does He persuade me that I belong to Christ? [47:44:86]
If we understand what happens in our salvation, you know that if you're unregenerate, you not only have no affection for the biblical Christ, but you can't possibly have any affection for the biblical Christ. So, if you have any real affection for the biblical Jesus, that is an indication that God the Holy Spirit has changed the disposition of your heart. And if you understand that only the Holy Spirit changes the disposition of the human heart – and He only does that in the case of the elect – and if you're a Calvinist, you have every – and you have a sound theology of salvation, then it’s easy to come to a clear, biblical understanding of the assurance of it. [49:50:58]
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