Pastoral Evaluation of the 2022 Election

So, John, what happened last night in the election?

The Sovereignty of God Over Election Results

There are results that are still filtering in, but I think the most important thing for us to have at the top of all of this is the sovereignty of God. We can look at these and be discouraged, but we should not, we should never, because God has not lost control.

So, that being said, He is sovereign, absolutely rich, thank you for that. That being said, all of the projections, it really depended on which side of the television channels you listened to in anticipation.

On one side, there was an expectation that there would be this red wave, maybe a tsunami that would occur. And on the other side, there was a proclamation that because of Dobbs and because of the fear of Donald Trump, that there would be January 6th, all these dialogues that the Democrats were in great shape.

I think we know, when I left home to come here, if we're talking about national, you need 218 seats to hold a majority in the House. The Democrats had 172, and the Republicans had 200, with the remaining still yet to be determined.

The Senate, of course, 51 is the majority. The last I saw was 48 to 48, and there would be others that are still being decided. I don't think they had proclaimed John Fetterman having won at that time.

We're expecting that Georgia will go into another recount or a re-vote, because neither side will get 48, 50%. And from a more personal standpoint, the Mount Laurel School Board, the citizens of Mount Laurel elected three Democrats to join the board, and there were four to be chosen.

They did retain our current president, and she's a very strong conservative. So, again, how this will play out, God knows, but it was not a resounding victory and proclamation that we're going to stay conservative in our schools, so please, please be in prayer.

How the school boards will play out as the progressives start to approach a majority in our school boards.

Personally, John, have you received much opposition from a personal standpoint?

No, because at this point in time, this past year, there really were no progressive voices that spoke out, because there was a pretty strong conservative presence on the board. Praise God, amen. Do not know what that's going to look like in this coming year.

I pray for our children. I do, and thank you for serving, brother. So a few of my observations, one, I think the first impulse is to be discouraged, because there is so much hope that maybe the country is going to turn back towards more biblical ethics, and it didn't seem like that happened, but from the perspective of our church, I think we need to remember the providence of God, and be optimistic about this fact that it's very, very likely that the Republicans held the House.

Restraining the Progressive Agenda and Protecting the Church

Now that puts a restraint on the progressive agenda. There are a few things that I care about more than any other. One is the life of the unborn, and there was an agenda to introduce a national abortion codifying of Roe versus Wade.

It doesn't look like that can happen now. Praise God. Praise God. It doesn't look like it. It doesn't mean that it's impossible, but it's very unlikely that they can do that now. Also I think by having the House, it repudiates the extreme things that the left would want to do, as far as the lockdowns and things like that, it would be much less likely they could do that at a national level.

It seems like the whole BLM racial systemic injustice narrative kind of crumbled in a lot of ways. And that brings me to a second thing, and that is the elevation of Ron DeSantis. I think that was pretty clear.

The reason that his platform has grown so much is because so many conservative Christians, we had young families in this church with us that were just awesome young families that moved to Florida because they wanted red territory, right?

And it was so sad for us because that was a loss to us, but it strengthened Florida to the point where he won by 20 points. It was because he stood against the authoritarianism that would lock down businesses and churches and force injections and all of those kinds of things, and he stood against the woke narrative.

And so now you have a conservative stronghold there. But here's why from a field, I like to look at it from a theological spiritual level, not just the political. Although politics does matter for the church, but listen to this, recently Trump did another rally and I'm not bashing anybody because I was a Trump supporter, but he had a minister open for him in prayer a couple of days ago.

And who did he choose? But the arch heretic, Kenneth Copeland to be his. And so there's Trump standing by Copeland. Meanwhile, the same day or day after, Ron DeSantis chose one of our heroes of the faith named Tom Askell, who in Florida has been holding, he's Votie Bauckham's guy, the two of them run together.

So basically Tom Askell is part of this conservative group, the G3 network, and the guys who wrote the Dallas Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel, Votie Bauckham, his best friends, and he comes to Tom Askell's church in Florida to preach.

So I love that that's the kind of person that DeSantis is putting forward. And I think in the long term, that's better for conservatism and a true biblical Christian ethic than the alternative. So in the long run, I'm actually excited about what happened in Florida because he won by 20 points.

That's huge. That's like, that's an earthquake. They knew they couldn't screw that one up. Yeah, well, there's that factor too.

What's that? The Cary Lake win. Had not been proclaimed when I had left. It may have by now, but it was not yet two and a half hours ago. Yeah.

A Window of Opportunity for the Church to Build and Make Disciples

So those are a couple of my observations. Anything else that you guys have seen or thought about in what happened last night? I wanted this quick little video to be an encouragement to the church because I think here's one thing that it says for us.

We have a green light for a number of years to go ahead and do what the Lord has been calling us to do. If we had lost the House and the Senate, we might say it's probably not wise to charge forward in building because the Equality Act that they tried to push through the House, they're going to be coming for our tax exemption.

Beto O 'Rourke, he said the first thing he would do is take away church tax exemptions. And he also had other things like that. He was repudiated. It seems like 1 Thessalonians 2 that the Holy Spirit through the church restrains the evil one until which time he's going to release the Antichrist, the abomination of desolation, the great apostasy.

Well, things seem well placed now for the restraint of evil. We don't need to see the government step in and establish a Christian nation. We want the government to do nothing except what they're constituted to do in Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2, to bear the sword against actual crime and injustice, to keep the peace that we could live peacefully in the land.

And we'll go about our business of making disciples. Well, I think that what's happened politically, if you would have told me this back in 2020, when things were going from bad to worse to terrible and unraveling right before our eyes, I would have rejoiced that we have this window of opportunity.

We have a window of opportunity politically, I think, to just go about what we're doing without worrying about the Equality Act. It got so close. Do you think about this? You had people who are authoritarian presidents, senators, and legislators.

They had all three branches. They had the Equality Act pass through the house. And just read on that what that would do to the churches. But it didn't pass because Joe Manchin wouldn't vote for it. We got this close to having a deal with that.

Yes, the Lord used a Democrat.

The many levels of danger of the Equality Act. Yes, what you talked about. But it would have made it mandatory for churches to equally hire women's, gays, lesbians, and all that other kind of stuff. Not only the tax exemption, but the very people that would be spiritually leading your church.

There would have been an infiltration. And churches would have to comply with bathroom laws. As Target allows men and women's bathrooms, churches would do that. Then you get the activist who wants to test that.

And now you're in a big lawsuit and all that. But by God's grace, we've been shielded from that. And listen, even if we weren't shielded, we're still going to do the Lord's will. But we're to pray, according to 1 Timothy 2, for rulers and those in authority, that it may go well with you, that you could live peacefully in the land.

You need to pray for your salvation. Right. Because Joe Biden's headed for hell whether he realizes it or not.

Yeah, you need to pray for his salvation.

No matter what happens, we cannot get discouraged. Yes. Because God does not lose an iota of his sovereignty.

Amen. And that's a big point and reason we wanted to record this. It almost felt like this deflating thing for people who wanted a red wave. Well, listen, we don't need a red wave to do the Lord's work.

And God has providentially designed how he'll restrain evil in the world. We pray for righteous rulers because wicked rulers are reproached to any people, the word of God says. So we should keep praying, but we should not be discouraged.

I think the Lord has graciously given us freedom in this country. And he's also given us the Supreme Court that's protecting our freedoms. Even if they tried the Equality Act, the oldest of the conservative justices is 74 years old.

So he's got many years left, Clarence Thomas, on the court. So the Lord has given us a window. And I think the point is, praise God that he has restrained evil and the machinations of these wicked rulers so that we are protected and we are free.

And now that whole Biden agenda, which included many wicked things, has been restrained. He's almost a lame duck if assuming that the House really does hold him in check.

Psalm 27, verse 1, the Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my light. Whom shall I dread? Yeah.

Righteousness Exalts a Nation

Any other thoughts on the election and how we should be thinking about it?

I just want to quote Proverbs 14, 34. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Okay, Matt, can I read Ecclesiastes 11? Yeah, yeah, please. You know what I'm talking about. Yeah, I know what you're going to read.

Yes, Ecclesiastes 11. Yeah. Ecclesiastes 10 or 11? I don't remember. I think it's 10.

I think it's 10, verse 1. 2, verse 2. I think it's 10, 2. This is funny. Yeah. You read my answer. Okay. Okay. A wise man's heart inclines him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left. Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.

Thank you, John, for ending on that note. So, I think we should be encouraged. The Lord is restraining the wickedness, and we can just continue to serve Him and build the church and keep pressing forward in times of need.

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Confidence in God’s Providence

Let me pray. So, Father, thank you, and we confess your providence over everything, your sovereignty. Lord, we will not be shaken. We will not be afraid, but rather, God, we will be encouraged to continue to go forth and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

You have promised to be with us always. So, we look to you, and we give you thanks and praise in Jesus' name. Amen.