Alan Cairns emphasizes the importance of biblical truth in navigating political issues and voting responsibly as Christians.
This sermon emphasizes the importance of discerning between different sins and understanding that while all sin is damnable, not all sin is equal. It encourages believers to engage in the political process with a discerning eye, recognizing the threats to Christian morality and the right of Christianity to exist in society. The message underscores the need for God's people to stand against anti-Christian ideologies and to make informed decisions based on God's truth.
Full Transcript
Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? Amen. Thank you very much.
You may be seated. Before we turn to God's Word, a little comment. It's always dangerous for me to make little comments, because they can become big comments.
One of the abominations of modern society is the facility with which every nutcase in the world can send you an e-mail. E-mail's a wonderful thing if it's used for my purpose. If it's not, I must say, I could... Was it Al Gore said he invented the Internet? Well, let's shoot him.
That's a joke, by the way. I'm not calling for violence. That's all just a joke.
Don't want the FBI or whoever it is coming looking for me. But you'll know that in two days you have an election. We get criticism.
One dear lady who cloaked her lies in very nice language, saying, you're one of my favorite preachers, quite obvious from what she wrote, I don't think she'd ever heard me in her life, but this was a form letter to every preacher she could write to, you're one of my favorite preachers, you're wonderful, blah, blah, blah, but you're now a rascal. And the rascality is that we're not really here to tell you who to vote for, when it comes to election day, and that means we're controlled by the government. We give you a tax receipt, so therefore we're in the government's back pocket.
I can't criticize Nancy Pelosi. I can't talk about abortion. I can't blast the sodomite industry.
That's why I say, I don't think she ever listened to me, because I think that anybody who has listened to me over a period of time would know that other than Ms. Pelosi, whom I had never heard of until fairly recent times, I don't really think she's quite from Pickens or Greer, so she's not really in my area to know all that much about. I think I have fairly rigorously covered all those things. The point I'm making is this.
We don't endorse candidates. In fact, we have a rule here that if a candidate came before an election, we don't even recognize him from the pulpit. We're not in the business of playing politics.
However, I would say that if people come to this church, and they hear what is preached, and they believe what is preached, and they don't know how to vote on election day on the issues that are before them, then either they're deaf or I'm dumb, because I think an instructed people will know where the Word of God commands them to take a stand when our state is deciding whether to state it constitutionally that marriage is what God said it is between a man and a woman, and not between two perverts, then I don't think you need me to tell you this is where you should place an X or not. I would simply say something else to you. There's a great deal of concern among people who want the best for their nation, not only in America, but in Ulster, in England, anywhere where you've got God's people and they want the best for their nation, you sort of get fed up with politicians, and you get fed up with big-time leaders, and you get let down in them.
And I know that there's a great deal of discontent, and people say, a plague in all their houses, let them all go. There's none of them worth anything. I must say I have a great deal of sympathy with that, that it seems to me that there's an awful lot of people who want you to put them in there to line their pockets, and, well, we're not getting into that.
But you know, there's sin and sin. The Bible does teach that all sin is damnable, but the Bible also teaches that all sin is not equal. I want you to think that through.
And as you pray for your nation, and I would hope engage yourself in the process of your nation in the days to come, and I say your nation because I'm still British, and I can't vote in American elections. I'm just free to criticize everybody and say I had nothing to do with it. But as you would engage in that process, I would hope that you would recognize that there are rascals of every party, but there are people who are dedicated to the eradication of every vestige and semblance of Christian morality and decency, and indeed the very right of Christianity to exist or have a voice in the marketplace of ideas.
And I would pray that God's people, while they may find that the alternative is not the archangel or the best, they would really be able to put their finger on that which is not only something they don't like, but it is something that is fundamentally anti-Christian in the worst sense of the word. We don't tell people how to vote. That's not our job.
We're here to tell you God's truth. And if you can't make the decisions of life when you've got a handle on God's truth, as they say, either you're deaf or I'm dumb, and I've not put it the other way around, I'm feeling somewhere in that. So to the people out there who want you to believe and want me to believe that as a preacher I deny God because I allow our treasurer to give you a tax receipt and because I'm in Nancy Pelosi's back pocket, I just say, waken up and come to reality.
Sermon Outline
-
I
- Introduction to the sermon and context
- Discussion on the dangers of modern communication
- The role of the church in political discourse
-
II
- Clarification on political endorsements
- Importance of biblical principles in voting
- The responsibility of the congregation in elections
-
III
- The nature of sin and its implications
- Call to engage in the political process
- Recognition of anti-Christian sentiments in politics
-
IV
- Encouragement to discern moral issues
- The church's mission to convey God's truth
- Final thoughts on the preacher's role in society
Key Quotes
“We're not in the business of playing politics.” — Alan Cairns
“An instructed people will know where the Word of God commands them to take a stand.” — Alan Cairns
“If you can't make the decisions of life when you've got a handle on God's truth, either you're deaf or I'm dumb.” — Alan Cairns
Application Points
- Engage with political issues by understanding biblical truths.
- Recognize the importance of moral discernment in voting.
- Stay informed and critical of the political landscape while upholding Christian values.
