Our Fundamental Responsibility to the Government

Good evening again to you from the Auditorium of Beacon Baptist Church. I'm Pastor Carnes and here to conduct a live stream service. Let me extend my appreciation to our Beacon family for your faithfulness to the ministry and the ministry of the word. I appreciate your diligence and your faithfulness to tune in to our live stream. It's certainly not what we prefer, but it is what we are doing to comply with the governor's restrictions and to safeguard you during these days of COVID.

And we will continue this until we see some changes in the restrictions and see some improvement with the spread of the virus. So I know you're praying about that. I know you're praying about the national and state and local elections that will take place on Tuesday of this coming week. Let's see, we learned this morning that Brooke Foust was in a serious car accident and is in Moses' cone.

Please pray for her. There were two deaths mentioned this morning. The family of John Johnson both died this past week. And we learned this afternoon that Ben Vestal has been called away to glory. Ben had suffered with MS for about 11 years and then come down with cancer in December. And his battle with cancer is now over. We're asking you to pray for Scott Hazelep as he's recovering from hernia surgery this past week. Drew Guthrie as she is facing some serious matters in her battle with cancer.

John Spencer is having knee replacement surgery tomorrow. And I thank you for praying for Josh and Maddie Butcher who were married on yesterday. What I intend to do this evening is to pray here in a moment.

But let me tell you, after I pray, I want to show an 11-minute video from the ministry of Tom and Connie Chapman in Chile. There have been missionaries there for years. We've supported them for quite a while. If you're a regular Beacon, you know that November is missions month. And it is our custom to have missionaries in reporting on their work. Not many, but usually a good number are home on furlough. And we're able to arrange their furlough schedules to coincide with our November missions emphasis. And on consecutive Sunday nights, we would have missionaries in reporting on their work.

But because of COVID, we're not able to do that this year. So this is the best we can do to replace that is to bring some updates to refocus our thoughts and intentions on various places that we are invested in the world. In the work of missions and in the country of Chile, which is in South America. If you can think of South America on the western border of South America in the southern part, running north to south is the country of Chile. It's a narrow country. Argentina, a much larger country to the east of that.

But their focus is in Antofagasta, Chile. So when I get done praying here, we'll queue up this video and show that to you for your information. Before I pray, let me read some words of a hymn. It's entitled, If My People's Hearts Are Humbled.

And the text is taken from 2 Chronicles 7 and verse 14. If my people's hearts are humbled, if they pray and seek my face, if they turn away from evil, I will not withhold my grace. I will hear their prayers from heaven, I will pardon every sin. If my people's hearts are humbled, I will surely heal their land. Then my eyes will see their sorrow, then my ears will hear their plea. If my people's hearts are humbled, I will set their nation free. If my people's hearts are humbled, if they pray and seek my face, if they turn away from evil, I will not withhold my grace.

Shall we pray? Father, we thank you for the fact that you are a God of grace, a God of great grace. You are magnanimous in the dispensing of your grace. And we rejoice that you have made us recipients of your redeeming, saving, keeping grace. And Lord, we would bring our nation before you this evening. We would pray, our God, that you would have mercy upon this land, that you would turn the hearts of our leaders toward you, that we would see and witness and behold a revival that would sweep from coast to coast and would not leave out any demographic, would not leave out any person. Lord, we acknowledge that we are a wicked, wicked nation.

There are sins that are atrocious that have been committed and committed with a high hand in defiance of you, in rebellion toward your authority. And Lord, we believe that the hope of our country and of this United States of America does not rest in elections, does not rest in political activism, but rests in the transformation and the change of the human heart. And Lord, we pray that we would again see a visitation from heaven that would sweep many into the kingdom of God. Lord, please lead and direct and guide in these upcoming elections at every level, both local, state and national. And we're thankful this evening that you have ordained all who will sit in places of authority, whether it be local, state or federal government. Lord, that really is the only way we can pillow our head at night, knowing that you are sovereign over these matters. So, Lord, we commit these things to you.

We've mentioned a number of needs. We're saddened, Lord. Concerning the death of Ben Vestal, we rejoice with him. We're thankful for him and yet there is a measure of sorrow in the hearts of those who know him and love him.

And the same, Lord, for Gary Hendricks and John Johnson. We thank you for these men who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, who are, even as we speak, in your presence. To indeed be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Draw near to their families and minister your peace and your comfort. Console them with these heavenly realities. Grant them an increased measure of faith to lay hold of the promises that you have made to all those who trust in your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you that that faith that lays hold of Christ secures everlasting life, eternal life.

And not life that's eternal because it begins after one dies on this earth, but it's eternal, it's everlasting from the very moment it is given to us as a gift from you. Lord, we pray this evening for Brooke Faust. We pray that you'd have mercy on her, that you'd help the doctors to accurately assess her injuries and bring healing and restoration to her. We commit John Spencer and his knee replacement surgery that's scheduled for tomorrow that it would go well. We pray for Scott Hazeleb and ask for his speedy recovery. We commit Drew Guthrie to you and ask that you draw near to her and encourage her heart. Help her, Lord, to endure this trial and to persevere and to trust you in the midst of these challenging times. Lord, we're burdened over the COVID that has engulfed the world, really.

It's changed life as we know it in our own country, in our families, in our churches. We pray for your preservation of our lives and ask you to bring an end to this disease, that you would speed the production of a vaccine that would inoculate against it. Father, thank you that we can trust you in all of these things. We thank you, Father, for Tom and Connie Chapman and for their lives, for the years that they've invested in the country of Chile. Help them, Father, to know fruitfulness in these days. Give them increased opportunities for the gospel's sake. Help them not to become weary in well-doing. Again, we thank you for their faithfulness over many, many years. Bless Beacon Baptist Church and its partnership with these dear folks. And as we hear and consider this 11-minute video update, help us to engage our hearts and minds in what you are doing in that country. Again, we commit these things to you with joy and confidence, knowing that the God who sits enthroned in the heavens is mindful of us, that his ears are not heavy, that he cannot hear, and his arm is not short, that he cannot save. We thank you that you have received our prayers because we bring them to you in faith, and we bring them to you through the merits of your dear son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Amen. Buenos dias, saludos to Chile. Good morning. Greetings from Chile. We are glad for this opportunity to share some things with you. In fact, this is a first for us.

We've been in Chile 29 years, and this is the first time we've done a video, so I'm sure it will be very professional. We want to thank the Lord for his safety during this time of COVID. When our friend Pato was exposed to the disease and then was in our house, and then we found out about it, we were quite concerned. But the Lord has protected us all through this time, and we're very thankful for that.

We want to thank you folks, too, for your faithfulness and praying for us all these years and your faithful monthly gifts that have helped to keep us on the field. Now Connie's going to say a few words about our wonderful quarantine here. Yes, our city is on pretty much of a lockdown right now.

Stores are closed except for grocery stores and drugstores and anything that is absolutely essential. But the virus kind of took a slow start here in Chile at first, but then the last few months it's just taken off and been very strong. We've had a lot of deaths and a lot of people with the virus, and so the country is trying to take preventative measures.

And of course, just like most of you probably still have to wear masks, you go into the store and get your temperature taken and your hands sprayed, and then a lot of places you have to step on a mat that sanitizes your shoes. And so anyway, but we make it. I still get a permission, which we can get two permissions each week, and I still get my permission and go out and do my shopping, so I thank the Lord for protecting me through all of that. But just like all of you, we're having to adjust to these times, but at the same time we've seen a lot of blessings even through all of this. The Lord is continually working in our hearts and helping us to feel the need to witness. We are still praying about going up to an area three or four miles north of us to start a new work in an area that's one of the newer sections of the city, and there's no gospel witness that we're aware of there. But a couple years ago, the Lord began to burden my heart that you need to witness to your neighbors and the community that you live in.

And I fought it for a while, and finally the burden got so heavy, I said, okay, Lord, what do you want me to do? So anyway, it was Christmas time in 2018, and so we composed a letter, and with Connie's help, even though she was not well, she fixed the envelopes for us, and we went out and we gave out some 350 gospel messages to all of our neighbors and the businesses in the area, along with a gospel tract. Then later in the summer, which is January and February here, the Lord burdened me that we needed to get into the homes of the folks that we knew by name. This was not an easy task, especially for an introvert like me, but the Lord gave us grace. We were able to do that and have, as a result of that, have made deeper friendships. But during this time of the virus, it's been difficult, of course, to interact with anybody, but the Lord has given me a couple of opportunities to witness. When our good friend Pato died a month ago, his boys that were up here asked if I would do the funeral.

Well, he had asked for to be cremated, and I think all the COVID patients that die here are cremated anyway. So we went up to the cemetery, to the crematory, and I stepped inside of a little enclosure next to the casket, and the rest of the people were outside, and I thought I had 10 minutes. Well, after five minutes, the guy shut me down. So I had a five-minute opportunity, but we were able to get the clear gospel out to the people. And then later on, a neighbor of ours, a grandmother, I believe it was, that had been saved as a result of her granddaughter's testimony, she asked me if I'd come up and say some words to them. So I had a great opportunity to present the gospel clearly to that family that is a very, very worldly family. So we thank the Lord for those opportunities, and then Pato's three sons were here, ranging in age from late 30s to maybe early 50s, and they were here for quite a while, several weeks. And so we were interacting with them and had them over for Sunday meals two or three times, and the Lord just really opened up the door beautifully for gospel witness on several occasions, especially to one of the sons named Marcelo, who seems to be more open than any of them.

And so we praise the Lord for that. Now, Connie's going to mention some things about our church ministries. Well, just like your churches, you've had to go online to have the services, but we've done the same thing. Our pastor, Daniel Savatiera, projects the service on Facebook on Sundays, and then on Wednesday we use Zoom, so there is a little more interaction there. And the ladies' meetings have continued every two weeks. We do that on Saturday evening at 8 o'clock at night.

That's kind of an odd time maybe for people in the States, but it works when the ones with all the little children have to get their kids in bed first. So anyway, we do that, and also the pastor's wife has divided the ladies into groups of three, and we meet every week also to have our prayer time together, like on Zoom or Messenger or however the people can do it. And so it's actually brought many of the ladies closer to each other, and there's more interaction, there's more understanding of what we need to pray about.

And so it's been a good thing, even though we're very anxious to get back together and be able to actually hug each other and speak directly to each other face to face. But the Lord is working, and also I've been able to continue once a month with the other pastor's wives who are here in this city. We also meet on Saturday evening once a month, so we just praise the Lord for all of that that he's doing. We'd like to close with a very special blessing that has been unexpected, but what we have seen in our church here, since we can't gather, people helping one another in a very special way. And what it seems to me is that they're fulfilling one another's of the Scriptures, and of course we've had people out of work, the young man Richard, that he and his wife are wanting to help us get started when we're able, after this is over, to start a new work.

He can't work because he works with a builder, and it's not a company, it's just wherever they can get jobs, and so he's been totally without work all these weeks. And others have suffered economically, and there's just been a lot of interaction among people, even the poorest of the people concerned about helping others. And so that's been a great blessing, and then we didn't know it for a while, but a group of our folks, several of them are senior saints, and then a couple of younger ones have been praying online from nine to ten at night, I believe it is, four or five nights a week. And we found out when one of the elderly ladies called to see how we were doing and told us that they were praying for us. So that's been a great blessing to us, and just people encouraging each other.

If you have been unable to have services, you probably are experiencing the same thing, and we just praise the Lord for that. I want to share something that the pastor's wife said. Her name is Emily, she's Japanese, she grew up under Buddhism, knew nothing of the gospel, and then I believe to be with her mother, she went to church, and the first time she heard the gospel, she responded and got saved. And then she went to Bob Jones, and that's where our pastor Danielle met her, and now they're married and serving the Lord here. And not long ago, after seeing all this happening in our church, she said, now I understand what a church is.

And I thought that was so good. That's what a church really is, is loving each other, helping each other, encouraging one another, and I'm sure you probably experienced much of that yourself. So we just thank the Lord for that, thank the Lord for the opportunity to be here all these years, and pray that the Lord will continue to give us strength and health for a few more years so that we can see a new work begun in the near future. Thank you for loving us, thank you for praying and for giving all these years, and the Lord bless you.

Well, good. If you have your Bible, I'd like you to turn to Romans chapter 13. Romans chapter 13, and I want to read the first seven verses of Romans chapter 13. Paul is writing here, he says, Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.

Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore, you must be subject, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing.

Render, therefore, to all their due, taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs fear to whom fear, and honor to whom honor. Well, I do not need to tell you that there is a national election this coming Tuesday. It has captured the attention of our country. And there is a great amount of confidence that has been placed in government on both sides of the political aisle.

There has been, I saw recently, over $14 billion spent in advertising and investing to promote two divergent and opposing ideologies, with both parties believing that they are the hope of America. Well, this passage tonight that we want to consider speaks to what our relationship should be to the government. God has not called us to political activism. God has made us ambassadors. God has made us kingdom agents to live in this world and to influence the culture around us for His glory and for His kingdom. And that our interest and our attention and our investment needs to be in God's kingdom.

I want you to listen to a post from Dr. Al Mohler, what he says about these matters. He says, Christians ought to express their political beliefs in the voting booth, and it is alright occasionally to support legitimate measures designed to correct a glaring social or political wrong. Complete non-involvement would be contrary to what God's word says about doing good in society. It would also display a lack of gratitude for whatever amount of religious freedom the government allows us to enjoy. Furthermore, such pious apathy toward government and politics would reveal a lack of appreciation for the many appropriate legal remedies believers in democracies have for maintaining or improving the civil order.

And then this word about balance. He says a certain amount of healthy and balanced concern with current trends in government and the community is acceptable as long as we realize that such interest is not vital to our spiritual growth, our righteous testimony, or the advancement of the kingdom of Christ. Above all, the believer's political involvement should never displace the priority of preaching and teaching and investing in the gospel of Christ. So tonight I'd just like, in the moments we have, take a look at this passage, Romans chapter 13, and see what it says about our fundamental responsibility to the government. And then there are seven reasons to support what Paul says about what our responsibility is to the government.

So let's begin in verse 1. Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. That is our responsibility.

It's clear, it's set before us. Let every soul, not just some souls, but let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. This principle of subjection to human government applies to every believer in whatever part of the world and under whatever government one might find himself in.

Writing to believers who were scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Peter says this in his first epistle, chapter 2, verses 13 through 17. Submit yourselves, for the Lord's sake, to every human institution, whether to a king, as the one in authority, or to governors, as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God, that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond slaves of God. Honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. Believers, Christians, are to be model citizens, known as law-abiding, not rabble-rousers, obedient rather than rebellious, respectful of governing authorities, not demeaning. We must speak against sin, against injustice, against immorality and ungodliness, with courage and fearlessness, but we must do it within the framework of civil law with respect for civil authorities.

So this charge, let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. Be in subjection, comes from that Greek word, hupoutaso. It's a military term. It speaks of what a soldier does in ranking himself under a superior officer. The verb here is a passive imperative.

So there are two things here. It's an imperative, that is, it's a command. Here is a principle that is a command. It's not a suggestion, it's not an option, it's what God has commanded of us. But secondly, the believer is to willingly place himself under the governing authorities, whoever they may be. That's the idea of passiveness. We are to assume that place, take our place and subject ourselves to those in government. Paul gives no qualification or condition. Every civil authority, every governing authority is to be submitted to.

And I've talked to people and they say, well, in a perfect environment, in an idealistic way, I can understand that. Well listen, Paul wrote this in the time the Roman government was ruling the land and it was anything but a democracy. It was a difficult government.

It was a dictatorship. And Paul is writing to believers in churches, in the church of Rome, and what he says to them applies to us. So we have no justification for saying, well, because the government is this, the government is that, they require this, they require that, I am not going to submit myself. Well, the command is let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. So regardless of the failures of government, and many governments are immoral, unjust, ungodly, Christians are to pray and live peaceful lives that influence the world by godly, selfless living.

We don't make our impact by protesting and marching in the streets and holding placards. No, that's not what God has called us to. We are to be in submission to the governing authorities. And then what follows this command, let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, what follows is seven reasons why Christians, believers, are to submit themselves to the government. So let's walk through these seven reasons. Notice it says, again, let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, four.

And here is the cue that we're going to get some reasons why we're to do this. Four, there is no authority except from God. And the authorities that exist are appointed by God. So the number one reason that we're to submit ourselves to the governing authorities is that the government is by divine decree. The government that we live under is there by divine decree. It's ordained by God. It's ordained by God for the benefit of society and the people in that society. And like marriage, marriage is a universal institution of God, government is one of those foundational institutions that God has ordained. No human government at any time in history, at any place on earth, among any people on earth, at any level of society has ever existed or will exist apart from the sovereign authority of God.

God sovereignly created and absolutely controls the universe with no exceptions and no limitations. So God has decreed the institution of human government. That's reason number one. Reason number two that we're to submit to the governing authorities is that resistance to government is rebellion. And not just rebellion, but it is rebellion against God.

Verse two, therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. So reason number two is that resistance to government is rebellion against God. And here's the logic here. The logic, the logical ramification is very simple.

Because civil government is an institution of God, to rebel against government is to rebel against the God who has established it. That makes sense, that's logical. So there is a second reason.

And I think many times we forget that, we miss that. We extract God out of the equation. We see such injustice, we see things that are so wrong, and it's hard for us to get our minds around the fact that despite that, God has ordained government. Reason number three, those who resist government will be punished. Notice again, verse two, therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. Now Paul is making a general statement here. He's not speaking about God's direct judgment on those who have opposed civil authorities and the government, but rather the condemnation men suffer from the government itself is punishment for the crime. So what I think Paul is saying is not that God is going to punish, but there will be the repercussions of failing to submit to the government and it will be a judgment. There are laws that we have to obey, and if we don't do that, we're going to suffer the consequences.

There will be judgment. As simple as wearing a seat belt, and I hear people grumble and say, well no one should have to, no, I shouldn't have to be bound by what someone tells me I've got to wear a seat belt, if I don't want to wear a seat belt. It is a law. It is a law.

Failing to wear a seat belt is a violation of the law. It's amazing how these little simple things can reveal the rebellion in our hearts and our failure to do what this text is commanding of us, to submit to the governing authorities. Reason number four, government serves to restrain evil. Government serves to restrain evil. Verse three, for rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. We're to submit because God has ordained it as a means of restraining evil, and you say, well, have you been watching the news lately?

Well, I have. Yes, there are things that need improved and reformed and changed, and I understand that, but this text is telling us that government has got a responsibility to restrain evil. Now again, Paul was obviously speaking in general terms. He himself had suffered a great deal at the hands of rulers who abused him for no other reason than the fact that he was a follower of Jesus Christ.

He was dealt with a major amount of injustice, not because he had done wrong, but because of his upright and good behavior. Here's a reason for us to submit to the governing authorities, because government, as it is to function as God designed it, serves to restrain evil. Some say, well, I don't see that happening. I see just the opposite.

Well, listen to me. As troubled as you may be about some of the things you are seeing on your television screen, you do not want to trade that for no government, no police. It wouldn't be safe to live.

It would be tyranny beyond your wildest imagination. So, we're thankful for law enforcement. We're thankful for those who are in a place of authority to restrain evil.

Reason number five. These are reasons that the Bible gives us here in Romans chapter 13 for submitting ourselves to the governing authorities. Number five, government serves to promote good. Government serves to promote good. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same.

For He is God's minister to you for good. Government serves to promote good. God intends for civil government to promote public good. And again, generally speaking, peaceful and law-abiding citizens have been favorably treated by the government. And there are exceptions.

We know that. But by and large, there is peace. There is good that comes from living in submission to the governing authorities. Now, it's not wrong for believers to look to the government for protection of life and property. Paul took advantage of his Roman citizenship. Do you recall when he was being unjustly accused of civil unrest and crimes? He used the government. He made appeals to the government as a citizen that he might bring his case before Caesar.

And because, well, let me say this. I found this very, very helpful and insightful. Robert Haldane in his Romans commentary has this to say at this point.

Listen carefully. He says, the institution of civil government is a dispensation of mercy. And its existence is so indispensable that the moment it ceases under one form, it reestablishes itself in another. The world, ever since the fall, when the dominion of one part of the human race over another was immediately introduced, has been in such a state of corruption and depravity that without the powerful obstacle presented by civil government to the selfish and malignant passions of men, it would be better to live among the beasts of the forest than in human society.

As soon as its restraints are removed, man shows himself in his real character. When there was no king in Israel, and every man did that which was right in his own eyes, we see in the last three chapters of the book of Judges what were the dreadful consequences. What have we seen play out in major cities in our country when rioters were looting the stores and breaking out store windows? They were doing that because they had no fear of the government. They didn't believe that they were going to be held accountable.

And you see the depravity of the human heart. No, we need government. Government serves to promote good and to restrain evil. Reason number six. These are the reasons that we ought to submit to the governing authorities.

Reason number six. Rules are empowered by God to inflict punishment for disobedience. Verse four. For he is God's minister to you for good, but if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is God's minister and avenger to exercise wrath on him who practices evil. There's the justification for prisons and prison sentences and for capital punishment. Government has this function in order to protect the good society, in order to promote a good society. Human government must punish evil.

And because the sword is an instrument of death, the weapons here symbolize the right of civil government to inflict punishment, including, ultimately, the death penalty for crimes that deserve it. We could spend a lot of time talking about the merits of this, but for sake of time and for our purposes tonight, I won't say anything more. We have one more reason that we want to set before you. Reasons, again, seven reasons that Paul gives us here in the Scriptures, why we are to submit to the governing authorities. Governments should be submitted to for conscience sake, conscience sake. Therefore, verse five, you must be subject, not only because of wrath, that is the fear of punishment for violating laws, but also for conscience sake. So here, we're to submit to the governing authorities, not only out of fear of punishment because of wrath, but also for our own conscience sake. We know, innately, we have a sense of right and wrong, and we don't want to violate our conscience, we want to live within the parameters of the law, and we want to do what God has commanded us to do. So as God's children, indwelt by His Spirit, we should realize with a measure of instinctively that disobedience of and disrespect for government is wrong.

It's wrong. And that obedience of and respect for it are right, whether we are personally protected or not. And again, I say, we do not want to exchange an inferior and a government that drastically needs reform for no government at all.

That would be absolutely destructive. So, I thought on the eve of a national election, not knowing how the election will go, and there are an awful lot of projections of what is going to take place in the days and weeks to come, that there's going to be uprisings, and there's going to be revolts, and there's going to be all kinds of chaos in our country. Let it not be said of Christians. We are to submit to the governing authorities. Our allegiance is to a higher authority. We are under King Jesus. We represent Him in His kingdom. Let's not dishonor His name. Let's not dishonor our testimony.

Let's respond well to whatever transpires this week and the weeks to come. And let's obey this text of Scripture. Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

That's a good verse to put to memory. And if you can settle in your own heart that issue, there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. God will appoint whom He wills on November the 2nd, regardless of what office you're concerned about.

Senate, Congress, local state, president. And it will help your anxiety level to decrease, because God knows far more than you know. He's wiser than you know.

He's considering far more things than you could ever consider. And whatever He's ordained, well, whatever my God ordains is right. We sing that song and reflect on that in our personal lives and the providence that's going on in our lives, but it is also true on a national level and in the context in which we're talking tonight. Whatever my God ordains is right. Regardless of whether your candidate is elected or whether he's not, whoever's there will be there because God appointed them to be there. And if we can settle the matter there, then we should be at peace with whatever transpires. I'm glad that God's in charge.

I'm glad that God's ordaining these things. I'm glad that it doesn't rest with the voters entirely. We have a responsibility. We're to cast our votes. And it is amazing that in these days of COVID that over 90 million people have already cast their vote, which is unprecedented. But it's because of the COVID circumstances and people's caution and concern.

So it's good to see people engaged in the process. Don't become so cynical and say, well, the choices are so bad, I'm just not going to vote. That's not, I don't think that that's God-honoring. We have a civil responsibility.

Be informed, know what the issues are, examine the candidates, and go and vote. That would be my charge to you. Listen to this hymn, praise the Lord, sing hallelujah. Praise the Lord, hallelujah, children of God's gracious choice. Let His praises rise as thunder, let the whole earth hear His voice. Till the song of His salvation makes His broken world rejoice.

Man's imprisoning night is shattered at the impact of His word. Light and life spring forth eternal where that mighty voice is heard. Let the powers of death and darkness own the triumph of their Lord. Praise the Lord until His glory floods the farthest realms of earth. Till from every tribe and nation souls rise up in glad rebirth. Haste the day of His appearing when His world shall own His worth.

And then the last stanza. Praise the Lord, sing hallelujah, sound His sovereign grace abroad. Till His word is loved and honored everywhere man's feet have trod.

Till His ransomed family gathers safely round the feet of God. Shall we pray? Father take Your word tonight and seal it to our hearts and instruct us and correct us and rebuke us and cause Your word to have its impact upon our lives. Lord we would ask for Your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. That that which You have ordained will indeed come to pass. Minister peace and comfort to us as we believe these things and embrace these things and live in the reality of these things. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. And Amen.