Finding Peace in God's Sovereignty During Turmoil

1. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready for Tuesday to come and go, primarily so my phone quits blowing up with text messages and spam calls. Well, it was already doing that before the election. And that maybe my mailbox, when I forget to get mail out one day, won't be stuffed filled with 20 different types of communications about the election. We're in that season. We're seeing commercials come about. We're hearing them on the radio. We're seeing them when we watch TV. Even if we stream, we're still not immune. In fact, we're probably more immune because they don't have enough commercials, so they repeat the same political ad that you just got through watching. Right?" [00:29:16] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "The first way that we can respond is this. We can remember who actually is in charge. Right? I got three scriptures. We're going to cover them real quick. Psalms 22 and verses 27 and 28. All of them are in charge. All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. And all the families of the nations will bow down before Him. For dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations. Right?" [00:31:54] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "Remember who is in charge. The Lord has dominion over earth and heaven. Right? It will be one day that everyone, all families of all nations, it says, It doesn't just say those in America who are Christian, right? It doesn't say just those throughout the world who believe in Jesus. All families of all nations will bow down before the Lord, right? And so, who's in charge? It's the Lord. It's Jesus who has dominion over the world." [00:32:45] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "Make no bones about it that our Lord and Savior has dominion over the world, over the earth, and dominion over heaven, over the heavens. Right? To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His love. He's also the Savior of the world. Not just holds in dominion. Not just in charge. He is our Savior. And we have life. We have access to the Father because of what He did for us on the cross. And that access comes through faith in Him." [00:35:21] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "party over another it's not one person over another it's not these groups that tell you this is the way it is Jesus Christ so what should we think about earthly authorities that's the next question I want us to look briefly in the Romans we'll look at chapter 13 verse 1 let everyone be subject to the governing authorities and I want to pause there and take you to the next phrase for there is no authority except that which God has established friends as you look around this world think of any leader in any country only God has allowed that individual to be there now we don't understand that how could God allow that individual to be there how could God allow that individual to God allow some of the leaders in the past how can he allow certain leaders in certain parts of the world and yet he allows it because everything in this world is about our relationship with God our relationship with each other how we treat one another how we respond in hard situations and the reality goes back to the first point to remember who's in charge when the world's in chaos when we have these leaders that do bad things when we have leaders that we feel might be just pure evil right the reality is God is still in charge right and so let everyone be subject to the authority the earthly authority because that's where you live right now we could I could give a history lesson I know some of you're thinking well America wouldn't be here if we were subject to authority because we rebel if you want a history lesson I I've got a couple hours, right? But you've got to look a little bit deeper than that. Who were the leaders that decided to rebel against England? Be subject to those who are in authority around you, right?" [00:36:14] (129 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6. "And so we've got to remember, remember, don't lose your mind. No matter what happens on Tuesday, we're called to be a part of the land that we're a part of. subject to the authorities at every level the president uh the congress the senate the local leadership right uh the third point that god wants us to reflect on today uh is how do we respond to the authorities what can we do with the authorities how do we live out our faith uh and for there we turn to first timothy chapter two verses one to two and hear these words i urge you then first of all that petitions prayers intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people you see the word highlighted prayers right as a christian people we're to pray day in and day out for everybody in authority right we're going to get to that verse in a minute well we'll go for kings and all those in authority, right? We're to pray daily and not just ask God to intercede and God to change, transform that. We're not called just to do that. We're called to give thanksgiving." [00:39:30] (84 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7. "And we need to ask God to intercede however things turn out. Amen? Prayer. So important. Why prayer? How much more, Jesus said, how much more power will God give the Holy Spirit to... To those who ask. It is so easy to complain. It's so easy to gossip. So easy to talk about somebody. And so if we don't like the outcome, it is so easy to open our mouth and complain. And yet we have a say. Jesus said, how much more power will God give the Holy Spirit? That's in Luke 11, verse 13. To those who ask. And so may we throw up our petition. May we ask for intercession on whoever is elected on Tuesday. Friends, as we approach this season, as we've heard about it ad nauseum, as it impacts all of us to some degree or another, don't lose your mind." [00:41:18] (66 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8. "Remember who's really in charge. Remember how we should view governing authorities. And remember what our responsibility is. Our responsibility is, with them, to pray. And look at the second part of that, verse 2, that we may live, or verse 2, yeah, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. Think about that. Psychological, American Psychological Association did their survey. Thousands across the nation. Ultimate time of stress, worry, anxiety, fear for the nation, for whoever, whoever's elected president. If we pray for the kings and those in authority, what's the promise?" [00:42:32] (47 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


9. "in God's Word. We will live in peace and quiet, and we'll find strength to live in godliness and holiness. Godliness and holiness is just mirroring Jesus Christ, essentially, right? Patterning our lives after His Word, living according to His Word, seeking to love others as He loved us, to love our neighbor as ourself, to draw close to God each and every day through reading the Bible, through walking with Him and talking with Him in prayer. And so may we commit our lives to that. I want to remind you one final thing, and then we're going to come to this table today." [00:43:12] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


10. "Don't take it personally on flesh and blood. Yeah, we have to look at the flesh. We have to deal with the flesh. But there... There are spiritual forces in this world that want to steal, kill, and destroy the family. Believe it. Work relationships, other relationships, and certainly it carries to this election season. Remember, friends, our battle's not flesh and blood. Right? It is spiritual in nature." [00:49:05] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)