What My President Needs From Me
11/9/2008
Tim Franklin
Introduction:
- 1 Tim 2:1-2 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
- We made a choice on Tuesday and I want to respond today regarding that choice.
- America has revealed what is in her heart. Jesus said, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speak. The mouth of this nation has spoken.
- We chose a king rather than God’s Kingdom I Sam. 8.
- We chose economic influence rather than Biblical influence.
- Prophet Chuck Pierce, “How we vote will be how we will be visited.”
- We refused to repent of our political leanings and rather than choosing God’s Kingdom priorities, as a nation we chose economic values over Kingdom values.” Remember Prophets Pierces’ words “How we vote will be how we are visited.” This did not happen just because of last Tuesday. This choice in American began several decades ago.
- You received an email from me on Wednesday that was meant to encourage you, lift you up and help you refocus. And I want you to experience those things, but, I do not want you to think for a moment that the little mantra, “God is on the throne, His word endures forever, and lets rejoice for history has been made by electing an African American to office,” makes everything o.k. in Wonderland!
- We need to answer two things today so we move ahead in accuracy:
- Where are we now? and
- How do I accurately respond to my president elect?
1. Where are we now--Assessing Where We Are
A. To assess means: To determine the value, significance, or extent of; appraise, to make a sober estimate of. Let me try to help us get our bearings this morning.
i. Everything I have preached the last four weeks is still Very True. I would revisit those messages and let it get deep inside you. You have not seen the last of them, for they will come to pass. And they will influence your lives.
ii. We began by looking at Prov 29:2 “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
B. Our covenant alignments or how we align ourselves with God reveals our future.
i. A nation cannot kill 50 million babies and expect God to look the other way.
ii. George Washington frequently asserted that religion (Christianity) helped promote virtue, order, and social stability. Look at our nation as we took prayer out of school, Bible out of school and the mention of God out of school. Teen pregnancy increased, drug use increased, alcoholism increased, gang activity increased. We replaced God in schools of higher learning with the lofty ideals of human reasoning. We took the 10 commandments out of courtrooms and lost the ability to judge righteously. Our jails are full and our churches are empty! Corruption abounds and character is not found! Our kids are on the street because there is no home to go home to!
a. Noah Webster: “If a republican government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness it must be because the citizens neglect the Divine commands and elect bad men to make and administer the laws.” Original Intent by David Barton. p. 343
iii. The position of our President elect.
a. God clearly warns us in His Word what happens to a nation and a people when they choose a homosexual lifestyle. We have a president elect that has clearly stated his choice and support of that lifestyle therefore abandoning the blessing of God.
b. God clearly warns us in His Word what happens to a nation that chooses to embrace death rather than life. We have president elect that has clearly stated his position regarding favor of abortion, euthanasia etc therefore abandoning the blessing of God.
c. God clearly warns us in His Word what happens to a nation and a people when they choose to redefine marriage. Again, we have a president elect that has clearly stated his position by not standing for traditional definition of marriage as that between one man and one woman. As a nation we put on blinders concerning Barak Obama's background, associations, beliefs and practices. And in doing so we took another step away from God and His plans for America, and another step toward judgment. Please believe me when I say I am not here to vent anger or stir fear. Racism is not even in the equation. My heart is grieved not over who our nation chose but what we chose in light of God’s Word.
d. With House and Senate majorities that reflect those same views, there will be catastrophic setbacks for our nation that will far outweigh the ungodly choices this nation has made to date. Unless the church falls to its knees and seriously appeals to the higher court of heaven.
C. The pattern of doing evil—Part 2 of Righteousness Exalts a nation.
i. Men forget God.
ii. Men serve other Gods
iii. Their enemies are strengthened
iv. God delivers them to their enemies. (Judg 2:14; Judg 3:8; Judg 4:2; Judg 10:7)
v. God gives us the desire of our heart and our heart as a nation was revealed this past Tuesday. That greatly stirs the fear of the Lord in me! As a nation we have chosen Gods judgment as a church we must appeal to Gods mercy. We are in a historical gap of monumental proportions right now.
a. It is not a call to fear it is a call to intimacy with God.
b. It is not a call to fear it is a call to intercession with Jesus the Bridegroom.
c. It is not a call to fear it is a call to interdependence with the Holy Spirit.
d. the Lord will take us to the wilderness in this season to cause our desires to be separated from what we hear the Lord say and how we interpret it. The word of the Lord to us in the Body of Christ was to vote righteously. It was not to vote our desires, whatever the candidate. Today we are learning how to discern and follow what the Lord is saying without our own emotional 'spin.' Keep standing and praying as we enter this new season."
D. The Blessing of God comes from walking in obedience and a life of faith based on that word.
i. As a nation we cannot live as we chose, free from God commands and expect Him to look away from our sin. That is deception at its greatest.
ii. Nor can we believe that what I am saying is mean spirited and judgmental to warn of such things. It is my responsibility as one who stands in the presence of God to give you His heart!
iii. Most of God’s judgment is simply the absence of God’s protection and provision from a people who have rejected his ways. That is why I feel that our choice as a nation will increase the absence of God from our lives as a nation. When God pulls back Satan comes and according to Jn 10:10 he will rob, kill and destroy.
iv. “For those, both within the Church and without, who voted money over morality-a potential raise or better health insurance over the life of a baby-there will be judgment. (The irony is that this decision to base one's vote on the hopes of a better economy won't produce the hoped for result anyway. The scriptures teach that it is righteousness which exalts a nation and that the nation is blessed whose God is the Lord.)” Apostle Dutch Sheets
v. What judgments can we expect?
a. More economic challenges
b. More violence in nation that is already seeing violence
c. More natural disasters
d. More terrorism as our enemies according to God’s Word will fear us less.
e. More Disease and death
f. And an increase in the downward moral spiral which results in more judgments.
g. We must be careful in our attempts to placate our feelings and calm our fears through religious phrases like "God is still on the throne" or "God has a plan". He was on His throne 35 years and 50 million babies ago. And He had a plan back then. The problem is, it was us. I understand our reasons for waving high the banner of God's sovereignty at times like these-it gives us hope. I will wave it, as well. But please be careful with this. Too much emphasis on God's sovereignty and we're worthless; too little and we're hopeless. – Dutch Sheets
E. That answers our first question; Where are we? Now lets answer the second and it is so critical!
2. What Does My President Need From Me?
A. He Needs Me To Pray
i. Pray: 1 Tim 2:1-2 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. NKJV “We are called to pray for all of those in authority, not just for those that we preferred to win an election. We are a "peculiar people," not a political caucus. We are a people who can steer the course of history with our prayers and acts of faith.” Chuck Pierce
ii. Pray for who you want to see Barack Obama become in Christ and not witch craft prayers. We need to get God’s heart for this man because the future of our nation is in the hands of a praying church. We must learn to govern through prayers, appeal to a higher court, and stay in the place of peace concerning the movements of God in the earth.
iii. God has His reasons for this man being in office. And God will use him.
iv. Our new President needs a praying church standing in the gap between God’s hand of judgment and His tender heart of mercy. If we get critical of him we will hinder our prayers. God is watching what His church will do while in this gap. His is going to continue to go in this direction—either slowly or quickly depending on the response of the Saints.
v. We must be like Ezekiel and stand in the gap and prophesy to the dead dry bones of this nation. You can do an assessment like I just did and die among the bones or you can do an assessment and see an ARMY! You see dry bones! I see an Army live! You see the hordes of hell like Elisha’s servant saw. I declare that there are more for us than against us. You have to see it before you can confess it. I hear the sound of the abundance of rain!
vi. I must be a watchman on the wall. Ez 3:17; 33:7
vii. President Elect Obama needs me like he needs his mechanic, his chef, his housemaid—they are nameless and faceless but they make it all come together! I am called to pray so that we can have 1 Tim 2:2 a quiet and peaceful life!
B. He Needs Me to Submit
i. Rom 13:1-7 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. (God did not choose Saul—he appointed Saul when Israel chose. Italics my words) 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 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. 4 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. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. NKJV
ii. 1 Peter 2:13-17 Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; 14 they are God's emissaries for keeping order. 15 It is God's will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you're a danger to society. 16 Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. 17 Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government. (THE MESSAGE)
iii. Daniel lived Submitted. Nehemiah lived submitted. Etc.
a. Our submission ends when we are asked to defy/break the laws of our King—Jesus.
b. Don’t forget that President Elect Obama is just one visitation away from becoming a radical reformer for Jesus Christ. Daniel and Nebuchnezzer.
(a) Prophetic Words Kim Clement
(i) See attachment to sermon notes from Elijah List—Kim Clement March 29,2008 Harrisburg PA.
c. Our fight is not against flesh and blood. Eph. 6; Danial 10:13 the angel helps Daniel.
iv. We must not get agitated by the spirit of the adversary.
a. To many people get agitated listening to talk radio. How can we pray when that happens?
b. To many get agitated at the action of the opposing views. How can we pray when that happens?
c. Righteous anger is one thing but it must go first to God in prayer to make sure it is sanctified.
C. He Needs Me to Honor the Office
i. Don’t belittle the office or the man who holds it. Jude 9-10 Not even the chief angel Michael did this. In his quarrel with the Devil, when they argued about who would have the body of Moses, Michael did not dare condemn the Devil with insulting words, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" TEV
ii. Barack is not my enemy –he is my president.
a. As the body of Christ we must bridal our tongues as James teaches, otherwise we set the whole course of our lives on fire.
b. This does not mean to remain silent and do nothing. We must learn to be assertive as citizens of the United States who are in this world but not of it. Our words, character and actions must reflect Christ.
D. He needs me to communicate
a. Good are made great as communication increase. Bad marriages get better as communication increase. Things do not change when we remain continually silent.
b. We must learn to let our congress know when they are opposing Biblical perspectives. And do not write religious letters that cannot be understood by people who do not know God.
c. Nehemiah honors the office. Neh 2:3 "May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?" NKJV
Conclusion:
· We stand in the gap today. We know where we are as a nation according to the Word of God. We know he must judge sin and we know His mercy endures forever.
· Our call is to be real believers who are realists with an eternal perspective. We have to know where we are and pray ‘like crazy’ calling those things that are not as though they were.
· Do not get into fear. Get into the place of intimacy with God and intercession for your president and president elect.
· Invitation to lost and those who are fearful.
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