October 5, 2024 • 53 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Michael Berry Show.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Pastor Gary Hamrick is the senior pastor of Cornerstone Chapel,
a non denominational church in Leesburg, Virginia. He is known
for his very straightforward, direct, Bible centered preaching style. He
(00:25):
has a big following both locally there in Virginia and
online around the world. He tries to take the Bible
and the Word and take it out to the world.
He doesn't want it to be inaccessible. Tries to connect
on cultural and political issues. He doesn't believe the church
(00:50):
should just be within the four walls of the church.
He wants Christians to engage in the world. A lot
of Christians, hopefully not you, but plenty of them go
to church on Sunday and they're real pious, and then
they leave church and they don't want to have to
talk about politics because politics is controversial. Well yeah, Israelis
(01:13):
don't want to have to deal with Hamas either. But
when they show up to kill you, at some point,
you've got to confront your enemy, don't you. So this
is his election day sermon, and I think especially for
(01:34):
Christians of conviction and faith, I think some of you
are going to get a lot out of this his
name is Gary Hamric. He's the senior pastor of Cornerstone Chapel.
If you enjoy this podcast, share it with one person.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Well, welcome to corner Stunschapel, Welcome to our online viewers
as well, and welcome today to Election Sermon twenty twenty four.
Who's ready for this? So it has been said that
if you don't want to ruin a good dinner party,
then don't talk about faith or politics. Well, today I'm
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about ready to ruin a good dinner party because we're
going to talk about both today in the House of
the Lord. Now, if you're new to Cornerstone, let me
explain what's going on and why today is different from
most Sundays. In two thousand and eight, I was asked
by David Barton, an historian and the founder of Wall Builders,
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whether or not I ever preached election sermons. I said, David,
I don't even know what an election sermon is, and
he pointed out two resources to me that I have here.
It's a two volume set entitled Political Sermons of the
American Founding Era seventeen thirty to eighteen oh five. These
are sermons the pastors preached over these many decades, during
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the period prior to the Revolutionary War and subsequent to
the Revolutionary War, because pastors understood their duty to stand
in the pulpit and to take God's word as the
lens through which we evaluate everything, and the pastors would
speak out about the issues of the day, the policies
of the day, the politicians of the day, and even
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the candidates running for office. They were unashamed in their pulpits.
That two volume set records many of those sermons. And yes,
even during the colonial period there was voting in America.
In fact, we have the privilege of living here in
the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the Virginia General Assembly is
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the oldest continuous lawmaking body in the Western Hemisphere, established
July thirtieth, sixteen nineteen. So we have a great heritage
here in Virginia of voting. We have a great heritage
here in Virginia and in other states of pastors proclaiming
God's were as the standard by which we evaluate all
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the issues of the day. And so the church has
always played, historically, at least in our country, a critical
role in speaking out about faith and politics and how
faith should shape our politics. Now some of you might say, well,
what about the separation of church and state? Pastor g
(04:24):
and shouldn't churches stay out of politics? Well, that phrase
separation of church and state is not found anywhere in
our founding documents, not the Declaration of Independence, not the
Bill of Rights, not the Constitution. Where did it come from?
Why are people throwing that phrase around so much these days?
In eighteen oh two, when Thomas Jefferson was President of
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the United States, he received a request to answer a
question concerning religious freedom that was posed to him by
the Baptist Convention in Danbury, Connecticut. In a personal letter,
not some executive order. Jefferson in eighteen o two wrote
to the Danbury Baptist and he explained the importance of
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the First Amendment to protect religious liberties. And in that
letter in eighteen o two, he did write about building
a wall of separation between church and state, But the
intent behind the letter was to help the Baptist understand
that government intrusion was limited by the First Amendment and
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that they had religious freedom to exercise freely without religious intrusion.
And so therefore the First Amendment is given to us
in part to keep the government out of the business
of the church, not the church out of the business
of government. But over the years, for since Prase, separation
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of church and state in that personal letter has been
used to remove God from the public square and to
remove church from government influence. And it has also intimidated
a lot of pastors from addressing things that are referred
to as political in the pulpit. And if that didn't
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intimidate passors, then the nineteen fifty four Johnson Amendment did.
In nineteen fifty four, Congress approved an amendment by then
Senator Lyndon Johnson to prohibit five oh one c three
organizations which include charities and churches, from engaging in any
quote political campaign activity under the threat of losing their
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tax exempt status. By the way, receiving election registration to
vote and recruiting election officers as we're doing today is
perfectly legalists not a violation at all of this particular law.
But the nineteen fifty four Johnson Amendment did again intimidate
pastors from speaking out for fear of losing their tax
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exempt status. Let me just say a couple of things
about this. Number One, I appreciate that having tax exempt
status is a nice benefit from the government, But if I,
as a pastor, don't say to you what I'm confident
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God wants me to say, for fear of losing our
tax exemption, then I am bowing to government instead of God.
And I can't do that. But let me hasten to
also say that if you're giving to the church is
only to get a tax right off instead of giving
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to the Lord, then your giving is bowing to government
instead of God. Thanks to one of our elders here
at Cornerstone and a constitutional attorney who was arguing before
the US Supreme Court on several occasions. Thanks to Mike Ferris,
the Johnson Amendment is currently being challenged in US District
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Court in the Eastern District of Texas because it prohibits
free speech, and our church is listed in that filing
as a witness in this case because last year, three
years after my twenty twenty election sermon, the Irs came
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after us threatening to remove our tax exem status because
of that sermon. Now, thankfully, with the help of our
lawyer friends at Alliance Defending Freedom, we were able to
retain our tax exem status. I don't know for how long, friends,
and I do pray that the court throws the Johnson
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Amendment on the ash heap of history where it belongs.
So since two thousand and eight and every four years since,
around a presidential election cycle, I have simply revived an
old tradition here in America by bringing to you today
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an election sermon and to encourage you to vote. To
vote according to your personal consciences and biblical values. You see,
that's all I really need to do, is to say,
please vote according to your personal consciences and Biblical values.
I don't need to tell you who to vote for,
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because I have done my best to be faithful in
this pulpit, week after week after week, to speak about
the current issues of our day through the lens of
the Bible, so that you will be equipped to know
who to vote for or who not to vote for,
based on whether that candidate's policies more closely aligns with
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Biblical values or not. So if I've done my job
consistently over the years, you should already know I don't
need to stand up here and say vote for a
particular candidate, because you hopefully have been equipped enough to
understand what Scripture says and to have your god given
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sanctified consciences guide you in this very important decision, and
it should be based on their policies, if hopefully they
have told us what their policies actually are. And by
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the way, by the way, please save the emails accusing
me of being political today, because I'm not being political.
I'm just being biblical in today's teaching. To see the
fact of this that the culture has hijacked the narrative
on social and moral issues that the Bible has already addressed,
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and then the culture has twisted those things, distorted and
perverted those social and moral issues into political issues and
then told pastors like me and Christians like you to
stop being so political. Well, I have news for our culture.
God had to say on all these subjects long before
there was even a word political. God in the Bible
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speaks about life, national borders, immigration, economic prosperity, biological sex, marriage,
parental authority, Israel, even the environment. It's all in the Bible.
God had the first word long before anybody, and so
it's important to understand we're just talking about the biblical issues,
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and we're looking at what is happening in our culture
and especially on the presidential election level, and saying who
most closely aligns with the things that the Bible talks about.
And if Christians would come together and vote their values,
we can change America. We can change America, and we
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can change America not because we believe in Christian nationalism.
That is a disparaging term that the left has thrown
at the Church because they're accusing us of trying to
turn America into a theocracy. I have no illusions. We
will not be a theocracy until Jesus comes again, and
I pray he would come quickly. That's when we will
really be a theocracy in the world. But I say
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that we can change America just because we as Christians
love God and love our country. What's wrong with that.
We love God, we love our country, We hold our Bibles,
we understand the importance of religious freedom and the values
that the Bible speaks about. Because Psalm thirty three twelve
is true. Is the nation who's God is the Lord.
That's what we want for our country. And so now
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that you can see where all this is going today,
all that was just an introduction, free of charge. I'm
going to pray in a minute, and it will give
any of you cover if you want to slip out
while I'm praying because you feel too uncomfortable with all
of this. Listen, you came in freely, and freely you
can go no judgment. All I would ask is that
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if you remain, you stay courteous in God's house. This
is not a place for you to protest or a
time to disrupt the service so that you can get
your two minutes of fame. I know the saying really
is fifteen minutes of fame, but I guarantee you it
will only take two minutes for our security to show
you a Bible study at loud and detention cent And
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let me say this too, You're free to disagree with
anything I have to say today. You're free to disagree,
and you're still welcome to be here. We don't practice
the cancel culture the way the world does. They have
intolerant tolerance to people who have a different view. Okay,
you can have a different view from what I'm about
to say today, and you're still welcome here as long
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as you are not divisive and you strive for unity
and harmony in the body of Christ. Frankly, I will
probably offend just about everybody at some point today in
something that I'm going to be saying here, but I'm
going to do my best to speak the truth and
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to please an audience of one and his name is Jesus. Amen.
So so with that, let's pray together, Father in heaven.
We thank you for this beautiful day that you've given us.
We gather here in your house. We open up your word.
We want to understand our world and our culture through
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the lens of the Bible. We have two candidates running
for president. We have Kamala Harris, we have Donald Trump.
We have a lot of elections in other offices that
are also on the ballot. And we just pray for wisdom,
and we pray God for your mercy, and we pray
God for your guidance, and we pray God, as Daniel
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two to two says, you raise up kings and you
depose them. And we trust your righteous hand to be
involved in this whole process to guide us, to help us.
And we thank you Lord for the freedom that we
enjoy of living in the greatest country on earth, in
the United States of America. And we give you the
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praise and the glory and the honor. Together in Jesus' name,
and everybody said Amen. I'm going to read five verses
out of the Book of Ezekiel. If you have your bibles,
if you would turn to the Book of Ezekiel, chapter
thirty three. Ezekiel is not quite in the middle of
your Bible. It's about two thirds in the Book of
Ezekiel from chapter thirty three. You can listen if you
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don't have a Bible. I'm just going to read the
first five verses Ezekiel, chapter thirty three. Verse one, Again,
the word of the Lord came to me, saying, son
of Man, speak to the children of your people, and
say to them, when I bring the sword upon a land,
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and the people of the land, take a man from
their territory and make him their watchmen. When he sees
the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the
trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound
of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the
sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be
on his own head. Verse five. He heard the sound
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of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood
shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning shall
save his life. This is a reference in ancient Israel
to how they would select one individual to be upon
the city walls to watch out for any approaching enemy
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or any potential attack against that walled city. And if
the watchman saw such impending disaster coming or some threat
on its way, the watchmen would blow a trumpet. Then
it was up to the people whether they're going to
heed the sound of the warning or not. And if
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they would heed the sound of the warning, then they
would save their lives. If they just decided, oh well,
no big deal, then their life might very well be
required of them, and the watchmen would not be responsible
because he at least did his part to sound a trumpet.
And kind of that ancient parallel, I hope to serve
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as like a watchman today sounding a trumpet, and then
you have to decide what you do with all of that.
And the reason I think it's important to sound the
trumpet is because the freedoms that we have enjoyed and
the country that we love are in jeopardy. And I
say that not as hyperbole. I say that based on
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reality because of the way that our country and our
culture has been trending over the past few years, really
even the past few decades. Of course, I am proud
to be an American. I believe in America's America's exceptionalism,
but I, like many of you, are concerned for her future.
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And I need to say this at the onset of
this study. Together, do not look to a person to
save us. Do not look to a person to save us.
Our faith is not in a political hero. Our faith
is in the Savior. His name is Jesus. He is
our only hope for America. Jesus is our only hope
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for America. But until he comes again, he has charged
us with being his ambassadors in this world, to represent him,
and He's charged us to be like salt and light,
Salt to be sprinkled upon a decaying culture as a preservative,
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as an antiseptic, and light to shine the truth into
a dark world. To that end, we have a moral
obligation to represent Christ as ambassadors and to be salt
and light in this world, reflecting Him well. And so
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political engagement is one way, one way to be ambassadors
and to be salt in light in the world. And
by political engagement I mean advocating for policies that promote righteousness,
voting for candidates who most closely represent our biblical values,
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praying for our elected leaders and holding them accountable and
even running for elected office. If Christians do not stay
politically engaged, guess what will fill the vacuum every evil,
demonic practice. Good government cannot save us, but bad government
can destroy us. And so the question I want to
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challenge us with as we approach this presidential election is this,
what can we do to advance the Kingdom of God
for the glory of God and to stem the tide
of evil in our land until Jesus comes. That's the
question I want to challenge us with. Affecting public policy
and staying politically engaged is something you see throughout the Bible.
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You look in the Old Testament, look at the prophets
of old like Moses, Elijah, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah. They all
spoke truth to power, They all confronted kings, they all
influenced national laws, and they also influenced social conscience. In
the New Testament, you see John the Baptist. He wasn't
afraid to confront King Herod, the most politically powerful person
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in that area at the time. Jesus even weighed in
on the topic of taxes. He didn't stay disengaged, and
when he stood before Pontius Pilot, the governor of Judea
at that time, before he was crucified, he said, everyone
on the side of truth listens to me. He was
okay speaking truth to power. He was okay speaking about
things that would otherwise be labeled today as political. And
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so I want to share three things with us that
I believe will help us advance the Kingdom of God
for the glory of God, to stem the tide of
evil in our land until Jesus comes. And here's the
first one. If you're taking notes, we got to get this. Friends,
God uses flaweds people. God uses flawed, sinful people. One
of my biggest concerns this election cycle is the Christian
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who wants to do the right thing but can't vote
for a Canada who doesn't have the total package. And
I hear Christians talk like this. I hear them say
things like, I don't like a few things about this
person's personality or a couple of their positions, but I
can't vote for the other Canada because they're they're they're
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too far from my biblical values. And so I'll just
sit it out, or I'll vote for a write in,
which is a vote for nobody, nobody. This is a
binary election. That's it, and listen. I understand elections are
serious things with serious consequences, but please please tell me
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what other decisions do you make in your life that
must meet one hunt hundred percent of the criteria? What
other decisions do you really say if it doesn't have
one hundred percent, I'm not doing this. I suspect that
everybody here attends Cornerstone, but we don't meet one hundred
percent of what you would like. Like some of you are, like,
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really love the worship, the preaching guys a little, you know,
but I still come because I love the worship. Or
the other one I hear is you know, worship's too loud.
Don't really like it, it sounds too rock and roll. I'll
come twenty minutes late because I like the guy who preaches.
I've heard you, I know, or I got to wear
my earplugs. I don't really like, you know, how loud
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the worship is. But they do have good children's ministry.
Or they're not quite as charismatic as I might like,
but they have good youth ministry. Or I wish they'd
emphasize missions more. But they do have a good Women's Ministry. Listen,
you don't make a decision based on one hundred percent.
You make a decision based on does this in the
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majority sense seem to fit and does it make sense
for you? Nothing is one hundred percent based on certain criteria.
Are you married? Are you married? You listen to me.
You did not choose that spouse because they met one
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hundred percent of everything. You love them and you're like,
this is the best of any other choices, and don't
some of you look at me. I'm like, no, that
isn't true. I'm married her because she meets one hundred
percent of my criteria. Yes, she does. Pastrog she makes
one hundred percent of my criteria. Well, guarantee you don't.
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Guarantee you don't. She's gotten snoring and fungus toenails. That
was not part of the original deal. So listen. There's
no perfect spouse, there's no perfect church, there's no perfec,
there's no perfect job, there's no perfect neighborhood, and Jesus
is not on the ballot. There is no perfect candidate.
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Get over looking for the most perfect person. But you
had better vote for the better choice, not a perfect choice.
Proverbs fourteen thirty four says righteousness exalts in nation, but
sin is a reproach to any people. Every candidate is
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a flawed, sinful human being, including Kamala Harris, including Donald Trump.
And I think personally that evangelicals have for too long
looked for the candidate based on likability and how strong
their faith was in Jesus. And if those things don't
line up, then they're not good enough for me to
vote for, because I need to vote for a good person,
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because good people promote good policies right, not always, not always,
are always more important than personalities because personalities come and go,
but policies will live long after them. A nation will
not thrive because of the righteousness of the leader, but
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because the leader promotes righteous policies. And that's a big difference,
because here's the reality. When you read your Bibles. The
reality is that there were some righteous leaders who did
unrighteous things, and there were some unrighteous leaders who did
righteous things, and God used them both. God used them both.
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What mattered most was the righteous thing the king did,
not the righteousness of the king. Per se, God used
both the righteous leaders and the unrighteous leaders. In the Bible.
David was a righteous leader. He was a man after
God's own heart, but he committed adultery, and he counted
the fighting men, which incurred the wrath of God as
judgment upon the nation. Though he was a righteous king
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after God's heart, God used David. God used Hezekiah. Hezekiah
was also a righteous king, but Hezekiah had terrible foreign
policy that also incurred the wrath of God as a
national judgment. He was a righteous king, but God used
him even though he did an unrighteous thing. Look at Samson.
Samson was a righteous judge who had a weakness for women,
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and God still used him for the benefit of the nation.
And Samson ends up in Hebrews eleven as part of
the Hebrew Hall of Faith. Now listen, I'm not making
excuses for their bad behavior or their sin. They all
paid consequences for their sin. My point is that God
uses flawed people to promote good policies for a nation.
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You see it all through the Bible. And God used
unrighteous people too for the same reason. You look at
King Nebeknzar in your bibles, King of Babylon, King Cyrus
in your Bible, King of Persia. Those two guys were
pagan as pagan comes, and you had God put it
on their hearts to do righteous things for Israel and
for the Jewish people. And for that reason, they were
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unrighteous kings that God used because of their righteous policies
that promoted good for the benefit of the nation. Please
stop looking at the person and look at their policies.
Some of you say, well, I can't vote for the
Orange man. The Orange man's a bully, he sends out
mean tweets, and I don't like the guy in a
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terrible personality. Or on the other hand, you're like, I
can't vote for her. She's a cacklin hen. She'd always
has cackling about stuff. She repeats the same dumb phrases
about unburdened by what has been. And people make it
about the two of their personalities. Let me tell you something,
on a personal level, I'd rather have a mean orange
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man who gave us three Supreme Court justices to overturn
Roe v. Wade than a joyful hen who believes in
killing babies in the ninth one. So we have to
stop focusing on who's a good candidate, because Jesus said
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in Luke eighteen nineteen, no one is good except God.
So there is no good candidate, there is no righteous person.
But God can still use the righteous and the unrighteous
to accomplish his good purposes, which leads me to the
second point number two vote policies over personalities. I'm going
to share with you seven, and you know I could
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have chosen different ones. This is not, as you know,
the only list he could come up with. But I
have chosen seven top policies with biblical support that I
think are worth considering in this year's election, in no
particular order. Here's the first one. Judges Isaiah one twenty
six says. God says, I will restore your judges as
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at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward,
you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.
What is God saying there? He's saying, when you choose
right judges, they will bring righteousness to the land by
virtue of their decisions. It is important that we have
good judges, and don't underestimate the importance of the President
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of the United States in selecting federal judges. In Donald
Trump's single term, he appointed two hundred and twenty six
federal judges. That is an amazing number proportionally more than
any of his predecessors who had two terms. Again, Donald
Trump appointed two hundred and twenty six federal judges. Obama
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in his two terms appointed three hundred and twenty. George W.
Bush in his two terms three twenty two, Bill Clinton
in his three two terms three sixty seven. So proportionally
Trump comes in two hundred twenty six. I mean, federal
judges is an important aspect of who is president of
the United slate dates and when it comes to the
nation's thirteen federal appeals courts, which have final word on
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most legal appeals around the country. Trump appointed, get this,
fifty four federal appellate judges in his single term. You
know how many Obama appointed in his two terms fifty five.
So it is important that you consider when you're electing someone,
what's the ramification on judges who will get appointed. And obviously,
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of course that also includes Supreme Court justices. They play
a huge role in the future of our nation in
terms of judging and ruling in righteousness. And so ask
yourselves what I'm not asking for a verbal response. I'm
just saying, these are the things we need to consider
going into to vote, which candidate will appoint the best
judges and justices. Number two, we have to consider border
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security these days, and let me tell you God's in
favor of borders. Just in case you don't know, this
is Acts seventeen twenty six. And God has made from
one blood every nation of men to dwell on the
face of the earth, and has determined their pre appointed
times and the boundaries of their dwellings. God's not a
post of boundaries or borders. In fact, when he divides
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up the land of Israel between the twelve tribes of Israel,
he gives land allotments according to particular boundaries and borders.
And if God is in favor of boundaries and borders,
then surely he's in favor of defending those defined borders.
So national defense is an important thing. At the same time,
know the heart of God, He's also favorable toward the
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alien and Zechariah seven ten, it says, do not oppress
the widow or the fatherless, the alien, or the poor.
We should take care of the widow, the fatherless, the alien,
and the poor. But when it comes to immigration, there
is a right way and a legal way for aliens
to come into our country. There's a right way, there's
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a legal way. I know many people who were not
born in the United States who have immigrated to the
United States. Praise God, we should be pro immigration. But
I know many people who have done it the legal way,
the hard way. It's taken them years, years to get
their American citizenship. All the while, there are millions, how
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many now twenty million who have been streaming across the
southern border into our country, getting free hotels, free cell phones,
free college education. And why ultimately, because some people think
it'll develop into a voting block at the expense of
our national security. I have a personal friend who this
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is first ten information, who was down at the border
last year. He said, Gary, I saw on the other
side of the border pulling up several coach buses. And
you know who got off. Every single person in those
several coach buses was a young military age male from
China coming right into our country. Where's the borders are?
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Where's the borders are? So ask yourselves the question which
candidate will best protect our national security? Number three, I
think the subject of Israel is important. Genesis twelve three,
God says clearly, I will bless those who bless Israel,
and I will curse him who curses Israel, and then you,
all the families of the years shall be blessed. I
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don't think it's appropriate to support every policy of every
foreign nation. I'm sure every foreign nation doesn't support ours.
I don't support our own, you know. So I'm not
saying that carte blanche everything Israel does is right. But
what I do know is God says we better be
Israel's ally, because He will bless those who bless Israel,
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and God will curse those who curse Israel. And we
cannot have our politicians cozying up to the enemies of Israel.
There must not be daylight between the United States and
Israel in terms of our support. We have to stop
criticizing the Prime Minister of Israel. That man is in
the most difficult position I could possibly imagine someone to
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be in, and he's under tremendous pressure and scrutiny. When
Benjamin Natanyahu came and addressed a joint session of Congress
on July the twenty fifth, twenty twenty four, I think
it was a disgrace that Vice President Harris, as President
of the Senate, was not sitting behind him on the Daias,
but in all fairness, Senator JD. Vance was out campaigning
(35:33):
and he wasn't there either. The United States must show
its unwavering support for the nation of Israel because the
threat against Israel is great from Hamas Hasbolah the proxies
of Iran, and we must be putting pressure on Iran
and stop unfreezing their assets and doing all we can
(35:53):
to show our unwavering support for Israel. Because he who
blesses Israel will be blessed, and whoever curses Israel will
be first. And you need to ask yourself which candidate
will best support the nation of Israel. Number four. Religious
liberty is important, especially to us. There are six hundred
and thirteen laws in the Old Testament when you count
(36:16):
them all, and God summarizes the most important in ten
of them that are found in Exodus chapter twenty. The
first of the ten commandments is what we call the
conscience clause. It's Exodus twenty, verse three, you shall have
no other gods before me. Why is this a conscience clause?
Because it means that if my allegiance is supremely to God,
there are no other gods, nothing else, and no one
(36:37):
else I worship above God. Then that means I should
not be required to bow down to or submit to
anything or anyone that conflicts or competes with my loyalty
and allegiance to the Supreme God of Heaven. So this
is why we call it the conscience clause. We need
to start to ask ourselves in this election, who will
(36:59):
defend a Mayoramerican's conscience, particularly on the level of religious freedom.
It means that doctors who object to performing abortions on
religious grounds won't be forced to. It means that cake
makers and graphic designers and photographers who object to providing
their services on religious grounds won't be forced to. It
(37:19):
means that companies that object to providing abortifacient drugs as
part of their health care program won't be forced to.
It means that Christians who object to taking a vax
on religious grounds won't lose their jobs. So ask yourselves
which candidate is going to preserve religious liberties and America's
conscience Because we only have one supreme God that we
(37:43):
should bow down to. Number five the issue of biological sex.
God makes it clear in Genesis one twenty seven God
created man in his own image and the image of God.
He created him male and female, He created them. God
assigns biological sex in the womb. We don't get to
(38:03):
decide if we want to be a different gender and
to support that, legitimize it, or celebrate that is contributing
to mental illness instead of helping people to realize the
beautiful design that God created them to be. And that's
what we should be about. Booker T. Washington said, quote
(38:29):
A lie doesn't become truth, wrong doesn't become right, and
evil doesn't become good just because it's accepted by a
majority end quote. Fourteen states currently have what are called
transgender health care shield laws. Among them, Minnesota Governor Tim
Waltz signed legislation last year making Minnesota a trans refuge state.
(38:51):
Listen to this. If a minor child has been unable
to obtain gender affirming care because one or both parents object,
the Minnesota law allows courts to have quote temporary emergency
jurisdiction over the child. Governor walt signed that into law.
(39:14):
They're coming after your children and all. This gender confusion
has led to biological boys competing in girls' sports, using girls' restrooms,
and denying girls their fundamental protection and the title nine
rights that they deserve. So which candidate will best protect
(39:36):
God's design of biological sex? Number six Family. This is
out of Psalm one twenty seven to three. Behold, children
are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the
womb is a reward. I don't need to tell you.
We've all seen parental rights have been incrementally stripped. We've
(39:56):
had to fight for parental rights and are being targeted
by progressive evil agendas. That's not an overstatement. That is happening.
We have to fight for our children. God has designed
the family, and he has entrusted children to our care.
They don't belong to the state. They belong to God,
(40:17):
and God has entrusted them to us. So we better
manage what he is entrusted well and realize that if
government tries to intrude in the family, it's a violation
of what God's design is intended. Children are heritage from
the Lord. They are fruit of the womb from him.
(40:38):
Number seven and I'll end with this one the topic
of life. In Acts three point fifteen, God has called
the author of life, and in Proverbs six seventeen it
says God hates hands, that shed innocent blood. So the
question is which candidate will best protect life. Now, this
(41:01):
is where some of you may not like to hear
what I have to say on this, but I gotta
say it anyway, because the truth of the matter is this,
we do not have a pro life candidate in this
race for president. We don't. Donald Trump has moved much
more in the center, much more left than what he
was in twenty sixteen and twenty twenty. He is now
(41:24):
going around advocating for a fifteen week ban on abortion.
In case people understand, because I think it's a misleading label.
I think it should be referred to as a fifteen
week allowance. Okay, The fifteen week ban that he's in
favor of means that you can have abortions through fifteen
weeks and then we shouldn't have anymore. All right, let
(41:48):
me quote to you CDC zone number. Are you ready
for this? Ninety five percent of all abortions in America
happened in the first fifteen weeks. When someone is going
around saying I'm for allowing abortions for fifteen weeks, you
are in effect saying I'm for killing babies. Just a
little bit less than the other person. OK. I gotta
(42:10):
say this. I gotta say this. Donald Trump, by his influence,
has stripped the Republican national platform of its language, the
strong language that used to support life in twenty sixteen
and in twenty twenty. The number of words and the
Republican platform protecting life in twenty sixteen and twenty twenty
(42:32):
thirteen hundred words, it's been pared down to in twenty
twenty four ninety words. The protection of life is not
there like it once was. And this is of great
concern to me. What is tragic in our nation right
now is that, in all truthfulness, the Republican Party today
(42:56):
in the area of abortion is what the Democrat Party
he was thirty years ago. Thirty years ago, Bill Clinton
was the one who said that abortion should be safe, legal,
and rare. That's basically what many in the Republican Party
are saying today. We've become the Democrat Party of thirty
years ago on this topic. Now, of course, the other
(43:21):
side is far worse. The other side is far worse.
The Democrat Party has gone even further left on abortion
and believes that it should be legal in all cases
up until the moment of delivery. This is Kamala Harris's
position advocating for no restrictions on abortion, celebrating murder and
then using as a campaign slogan it's just reproductive rights. No,
(43:46):
it's murdering babies. And in case you don't think she's
serious about it, why is it that it was allowed
outside the doors of the Democratic National Convention for there
to be a mobile abortion clinic aborting babies as they
were having their convention. If that does not speak to evil,
I don't know what does and how can someone vote
(44:08):
for that? That is what is being reflected by that party.
As my friend Seth Gruber said, those who murder the
unborn cannot be trusted to govern the born. My last
(44:31):
point is this number three. Voting is not just a right.
I'm convinced it's a duty. In Luke chapter twelve, Jesus
teaches a parable about two servants who work for the
same master. The master goes away and he entrusts his
work and his possessions to the servants. And when he
comes back, what does he find. Well, well, one he
(44:51):
calls an evil servant, because that one did not take
care of He was not a good steward of what
God had entrusted to him. But the other one he
calls a wise and faith full servant because he took
care of what the Master had entrusted to him. It's
a picture of Christ. Christ has gone away. He's the Master.
We are just serving him. And God entrusts a lot
(45:13):
to us. And one of the things he has entrusted
to us is the wonderful privilege as Americans of living
in the greatest and freest country in the world, the
United States of America. And He's entrusted this freedom to us.
And we know the saying freedom is never free, And
so what are we going to do with what He's
entrusted to us? Are we just going to sit it out?
Are we just going to say, well, let everybody else vote.
(45:35):
I don't like this, I don't like that, so I'm
just gonna sit it out. Listen. As disparaging as this sounds,
every election has been about the lesser of two evils,
the lesser of two evils. And we have to decide
what can we do to advance the Kingdom of God
for the glory of God and stem the tide of
evil in our land until Jesus comes. Because if we
(45:57):
do nothing, if we check out. If we remain silent,
evil will rush into the vacuum. That's why it is
an incumbent upon every single one of us to be
engaged in all of this. Yes, I know you might
have to hold your nose when you go to vote,
but the alternative is far worse. What will happen if
(46:17):
we don't stay engaged. Listen to me on this. There
are ninety million self identified evangelicals in America who are
eligible to vote. Ninety million. Of that ninety million, forty
million do not vote. And of that ninety million, fifteen
million are not even registered to vote. That's fifty five
(46:38):
million evangelical Christians who are saying I'll let evil take
over because I'm going to do nothing. That's a disgrace.
We have no one to blame except ourselves, and we
have wicked policies. Righteousness exalts nation. Sin is a reproach
to any people. When the righteous are in authority, the
people rejoice. When the wicked are in authority, the people grow.
(47:00):
I don't know about you. I'm tired of groaning. I
don't want to groan. So it's a duty. It's not
just to write and a privilege. It's a duty. We
can remain silent. God used I think a great person,
William Wilberforce. God used Wilberforce in British Parliament to effectively
(47:20):
outlaw slavery throughout the British colonies. It was his Christian
faith that moved him to take the lead on this.
And Wilberforce said, quote, let it not be said that
I was silent when they needed me. Now listen, I'll
wrap this up. I'll be honest with you, and maybe
you can tell through some of the things I've said.
(47:41):
I'm not an enthist. I am not an enthusiastic voter.
This year. I'm going to vote, but I'm not enthusiastic,
not as much as I was in twenty sixteen or
twenty twenty, not as much as I was the first
time I voted in nineteen eighty four to for Well.
Speaker 3 (47:59):
But but but it is our right and our duty
to vote.
Speaker 1 (48:11):
I will say this. I've never met Vice President Harris.
I have met Donald Trump twice. He is as raw
and unfiltered in person as he is in public. I
was sitting with a group of about ten pastors up
in New Jersey at his place in New Jersey, and
(48:40):
he was unfiltered, even in front of us and using
foul language. And I'm sitting there going we're pastors, and
he still doesn't even care enough to watch his mouth
around us. There are things I personally don't appreciate about him,
but his policies some of them. And so I think
(49:03):
of what Frederick Douglas once said, quote, I will unite
with anyone to do right and no one to do wrong.
I will unite with anyone to do right and no
one to do wrong. In World War Two, the United
States joined forces with a bad guy Stalin to defeat
a worse guy Hitler. And sometimes that's what we do.
(49:29):
We say, I don't particularly like this individual, don't even
agree with all their policies, but I got to fight
a greater evil, and so sometimes we do what we
need to do. Not because it's an enjoyable thing to do,
but it's the better of the choices. And I close
(49:50):
with this. In the nineteen forties, Adolf Hitler gathered all
the prominent clergy in Germany at his place in Berlin,
and he wanted to reassure them that he had their backs.
Churches in Germany were state subsidized, and Hitler said to
all these prominent clergy, He said, don't worry With me
(50:11):
in charge, I will take care of your subsidies. Your
churches would not be harmed. One of those clergy in
the room at that time, a great man of faith,
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, stepped up to confront Hitler, and when he did,
(50:33):
the other clergy took a step back. And Bonheffer said, Eh, Hitler,
we are not concerned for the church. For Jesus Christ
will take care of his church. We are concerned for
the soul of Germany. And Hitler said to him, Eir Bonheffer,
(50:53):
you do not need to worry about the soul of Germany.
I will take care of the soul of Germany. Friend's
government is not the answer for the soul of a nation.
Jesus is. And may God bring revival again to the
United States of America. He's our only hope. He's our
(51:24):
only hope.
Speaker 4 (51:28):
So so until Jesus comes, until Jesus comes, get out there,
vote be his ambassadors, be salt and light in this world,
and advance the.
Speaker 1 (51:47):
Kingdom of God for the glory of God, to stem
the tide of evil in our land. Until Jesus comes,
let your voices be heard, let your votes be counted,
and let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered,
and a math for the glory of God, for the
glory of God.
Speaker 2 (52:05):
If you like the Michael Berry Show and Podcast, please
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(52:26):
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(52:51):
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(53:13):
we take all the credit for ourselves. God bless the
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Speaker 2 (00:01):
Pastor Gary Hamrick is the senior pastor of Cornerstone Chapel,
a non denominational church in Leesburg, Virginia. He is known
for his very straightforward, direct, Bible centered preaching style. He
(00:25):
has a big following both locally there in Virginia and
online around the world. He tries to take the Bible
and the Word and take it out to the world.
He doesn't want it to be inaccessible. Tries to connect
on cultural and political issues. He doesn't believe the church
(00:50):
should just be within the four walls of the church.
He wants Christians to engage in the world. A lot
of Christians, hopefully not you, but plenty of them go
to church on Sunday and they're real pious, and then
they leave church and they don't want to have to
talk about politics because politics is controversial. Well yeah, Israelis
(01:13):
don't want to have to deal with Hamas either. But
when they show up to kill you, at some point,
you've got to confront your enemy, don't you. So this
is his election day sermon, and I think especially for
(01:34):
Christians of conviction and faith, I think some of you
are going to get a lot out of this his
name is Gary Hamric. He's the senior pastor of Cornerstone Chapel.
If you enjoy this podcast, share it with one person.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Well, welcome to corner Stunschapel, Welcome to our online viewers
as well, and welcome today to Election Sermon twenty twenty four.
Who's ready for this? So it has been said that
if you don't want to ruin a good dinner party,
then don't talk about faith or politics. Well, today I'm
(02:11):
about ready to ruin a good dinner party because we're
going to talk about both today in the House of
the Lord. Now, if you're new to Cornerstone, let me
explain what's going on and why today is different from
most Sundays. In two thousand and eight, I was asked
by David Barton, an historian and the founder of Wall Builders,
(02:33):
whether or not I ever preached election sermons. I said, David,
I don't even know what an election sermon is, and
he pointed out two resources to me that I have here.
It's a two volume set entitled Political Sermons of the
American Founding Era seventeen thirty to eighteen oh five. These
are sermons the pastors preached over these many decades, during
(02:59):
the period prior to the Revolutionary War and subsequent to
the Revolutionary War, because pastors understood their duty to stand
in the pulpit and to take God's word as the
lens through which we evaluate everything, and the pastors would
speak out about the issues of the day, the policies
of the day, the politicians of the day, and even
(03:19):
the candidates running for office. They were unashamed in their pulpits.
That two volume set records many of those sermons. And yes,
even during the colonial period there was voting in America.
In fact, we have the privilege of living here in
the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the Virginia General Assembly is
(03:41):
the oldest continuous lawmaking body in the Western Hemisphere, established
July thirtieth, sixteen nineteen. So we have a great heritage
here in Virginia of voting. We have a great heritage
here in Virginia and in other states of pastors proclaiming
God's were as the standard by which we evaluate all
(04:03):
the issues of the day. And so the church has
always played, historically, at least in our country, a critical
role in speaking out about faith and politics and how
faith should shape our politics. Now some of you might say, well,
what about the separation of church and state? Pastor g
(04:24):
and shouldn't churches stay out of politics? Well, that phrase
separation of church and state is not found anywhere in
our founding documents, not the Declaration of Independence, not the
Bill of Rights, not the Constitution. Where did it come from?
Why are people throwing that phrase around so much these days?
In eighteen oh two, when Thomas Jefferson was President of
(04:46):
the United States, he received a request to answer a
question concerning religious freedom that was posed to him by
the Baptist Convention in Danbury, Connecticut. In a personal letter,
not some executive order. Jefferson in eighteen o two wrote
to the Danbury Baptist and he explained the importance of
(05:10):
the First Amendment to protect religious liberties. And in that
letter in eighteen o two, he did write about building
a wall of separation between church and state, But the
intent behind the letter was to help the Baptist understand
that government intrusion was limited by the First Amendment and
(05:32):
that they had religious freedom to exercise freely without religious intrusion.
And so therefore the First Amendment is given to us
in part to keep the government out of the business
of the church, not the church out of the business
of government. But over the years, for since Prase, separation
(06:01):
of church and state in that personal letter has been
used to remove God from the public square and to
remove church from government influence. And it has also intimidated
a lot of pastors from addressing things that are referred
to as political in the pulpit. And if that didn't
(06:24):
intimidate passors, then the nineteen fifty four Johnson Amendment did.
In nineteen fifty four, Congress approved an amendment by then
Senator Lyndon Johnson to prohibit five oh one c three
organizations which include charities and churches, from engaging in any
quote political campaign activity under the threat of losing their
(06:47):
tax exempt status. By the way, receiving election registration to
vote and recruiting election officers as we're doing today is
perfectly legalists not a violation at all of this particular law.
But the nineteen fifty four Johnson Amendment did again intimidate
pastors from speaking out for fear of losing their tax
(07:11):
exempt status. Let me just say a couple of things
about this. Number One, I appreciate that having tax exempt
status is a nice benefit from the government, But if I,
as a pastor, don't say to you what I'm confident
(07:32):
God wants me to say, for fear of losing our
tax exemption, then I am bowing to government instead of God.
And I can't do that. But let me hasten to
also say that if you're giving to the church is
only to get a tax right off instead of giving
(07:53):
to the Lord, then your giving is bowing to government
instead of God. Thanks to one of our elders here
at Cornerstone and a constitutional attorney who was arguing before
the US Supreme Court on several occasions. Thanks to Mike Ferris,
the Johnson Amendment is currently being challenged in US District
(08:14):
Court in the Eastern District of Texas because it prohibits
free speech, and our church is listed in that filing
as a witness in this case because last year, three
years after my twenty twenty election sermon, the Irs came
(08:34):
after us threatening to remove our tax exem status because
of that sermon. Now, thankfully, with the help of our
lawyer friends at Alliance Defending Freedom, we were able to
retain our tax exem status. I don't know for how long, friends,
and I do pray that the court throws the Johnson
(08:57):
Amendment on the ash heap of history where it belongs.
So since two thousand and eight and every four years since,
around a presidential election cycle, I have simply revived an
old tradition here in America by bringing to you today
(09:21):
an election sermon and to encourage you to vote. To
vote according to your personal consciences and biblical values. You see,
that's all I really need to do, is to say,
please vote according to your personal consciences and Biblical values.
I don't need to tell you who to vote for,
(09:41):
because I have done my best to be faithful in
this pulpit, week after week after week, to speak about
the current issues of our day through the lens of
the Bible, so that you will be equipped to know
who to vote for or who not to vote for,
based on whether that candidate's policies more closely aligns with
(10:06):
Biblical values or not. So if I've done my job
consistently over the years, you should already know I don't
need to stand up here and say vote for a
particular candidate, because you hopefully have been equipped enough to
understand what Scripture says and to have your god given
(10:26):
sanctified consciences guide you in this very important decision, and
it should be based on their policies, if hopefully they
have told us what their policies actually are. And by
(10:48):
the way, by the way, please save the emails accusing
me of being political today, because I'm not being political.
I'm just being biblical in today's teaching. To see the
fact of this that the culture has hijacked the narrative
on social and moral issues that the Bible has already addressed,
(11:12):
and then the culture has twisted those things, distorted and
perverted those social and moral issues into political issues and
then told pastors like me and Christians like you to
stop being so political. Well, I have news for our culture.
God had to say on all these subjects long before
there was even a word political. God in the Bible
(11:35):
speaks about life, national borders, immigration, economic prosperity, biological sex, marriage,
parental authority, Israel, even the environment. It's all in the Bible.
God had the first word long before anybody, and so
it's important to understand we're just talking about the biblical issues,
(11:56):
and we're looking at what is happening in our culture
and especially on the presidential election level, and saying who
most closely aligns with the things that the Bible talks about.
And if Christians would come together and vote their values,
we can change America. We can change America, and we
(12:19):
can change America not because we believe in Christian nationalism.
That is a disparaging term that the left has thrown
at the Church because they're accusing us of trying to
turn America into a theocracy. I have no illusions. We
will not be a theocracy until Jesus comes again, and
I pray he would come quickly. That's when we will
really be a theocracy in the world. But I say
(12:42):
that we can change America just because we as Christians
love God and love our country. What's wrong with that.
We love God, we love our country, We hold our Bibles,
we understand the importance of religious freedom and the values
that the Bible speaks about. Because Psalm thirty three twelve
is true. Is the nation who's God is the Lord.
That's what we want for our country. And so now
(13:07):
that you can see where all this is going today,
all that was just an introduction, free of charge. I'm
going to pray in a minute, and it will give
any of you cover if you want to slip out
while I'm praying because you feel too uncomfortable with all
of this. Listen, you came in freely, and freely you
can go no judgment. All I would ask is that
(13:29):
if you remain, you stay courteous in God's house. This
is not a place for you to protest or a
time to disrupt the service so that you can get
your two minutes of fame. I know the saying really
is fifteen minutes of fame, but I guarantee you it
will only take two minutes for our security to show
you a Bible study at loud and detention cent And
(13:57):
let me say this too, You're free to disagree with
anything I have to say today. You're free to disagree,
and you're still welcome to be here. We don't practice
the cancel culture the way the world does. They have
intolerant tolerance to people who have a different view. Okay,
you can have a different view from what I'm about
to say today, and you're still welcome here as long
(14:19):
as you are not divisive and you strive for unity
and harmony in the body of Christ. Frankly, I will
probably offend just about everybody at some point today in
something that I'm going to be saying here, but I'm
going to do my best to speak the truth and
(14:41):
to please an audience of one and his name is Jesus. Amen.
So so with that, let's pray together, Father in heaven.
We thank you for this beautiful day that you've given us.
We gather here in your house. We open up your word.
We want to understand our world and our culture through
(15:03):
the lens of the Bible. We have two candidates running
for president. We have Kamala Harris, we have Donald Trump.
We have a lot of elections in other offices that
are also on the ballot. And we just pray for wisdom,
and we pray God for your mercy, and we pray
God for your guidance, and we pray God, as Daniel
(15:26):
two to two says, you raise up kings and you
depose them. And we trust your righteous hand to be
involved in this whole process to guide us, to help us.
And we thank you Lord for the freedom that we
enjoy of living in the greatest country on earth, in
the United States of America. And we give you the
(15:48):
praise and the glory and the honor. Together in Jesus' name,
and everybody said Amen. I'm going to read five verses
out of the Book of Ezekiel. If you have your bibles,
if you would turn to the Book of Ezekiel, chapter
thirty three. Ezekiel is not quite in the middle of
your Bible. It's about two thirds in the Book of
Ezekiel from chapter thirty three. You can listen if you
(16:11):
don't have a Bible. I'm just going to read the
first five verses Ezekiel, chapter thirty three. Verse one, Again,
the word of the Lord came to me, saying, son
of Man, speak to the children of your people, and
say to them, when I bring the sword upon a land,
(16:32):
and the people of the land, take a man from
their territory and make him their watchmen. When he sees
the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the
trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound
of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the
sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be
on his own head. Verse five. He heard the sound
(16:56):
of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood
shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning shall
save his life. This is a reference in ancient Israel
to how they would select one individual to be upon
the city walls to watch out for any approaching enemy
(17:20):
or any potential attack against that walled city. And if
the watchman saw such impending disaster coming or some threat
on its way, the watchmen would blow a trumpet. Then
it was up to the people whether they're going to
heed the sound of the warning or not. And if
(17:40):
they would heed the sound of the warning, then they
would save their lives. If they just decided, oh well,
no big deal, then their life might very well be
required of them, and the watchmen would not be responsible
because he at least did his part to sound a trumpet.
And kind of that ancient parallel, I hope to serve
(18:02):
as like a watchman today sounding a trumpet, and then
you have to decide what you do with all of that.
And the reason I think it's important to sound the
trumpet is because the freedoms that we have enjoyed and
the country that we love are in jeopardy. And I
say that not as hyperbole. I say that based on
(18:23):
reality because of the way that our country and our
culture has been trending over the past few years, really
even the past few decades. Of course, I am proud
to be an American. I believe in America's America's exceptionalism,
but I, like many of you, are concerned for her future.
(18:44):
And I need to say this at the onset of
this study. Together, do not look to a person to
save us. Do not look to a person to save us.
Our faith is not in a political hero. Our faith
is in the Savior. His name is Jesus. He is
our only hope for America. Jesus is our only hope
(19:07):
for America. But until he comes again, he has charged
us with being his ambassadors in this world, to represent him,
and He's charged us to be like salt and light,
Salt to be sprinkled upon a decaying culture as a preservative,
(19:31):
as an antiseptic, and light to shine the truth into
a dark world. To that end, we have a moral
obligation to represent Christ as ambassadors and to be salt
and light in this world, reflecting Him well. And so
(19:52):
political engagement is one way, one way to be ambassadors
and to be salt in light in the world. And
by political engagement I mean advocating for policies that promote righteousness,
voting for candidates who most closely represent our biblical values,
(20:13):
praying for our elected leaders and holding them accountable and
even running for elected office. If Christians do not stay
politically engaged, guess what will fill the vacuum every evil,
demonic practice. Good government cannot save us, but bad government
can destroy us. And so the question I want to
(20:36):
challenge us with as we approach this presidential election is this,
what can we do to advance the Kingdom of God
for the glory of God and to stem the tide
of evil in our land until Jesus comes. That's the
question I want to challenge us with. Affecting public policy
and staying politically engaged is something you see throughout the Bible.
(21:00):
You look in the Old Testament, look at the prophets
of old like Moses, Elijah, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah. They all
spoke truth to power, They all confronted kings, they all
influenced national laws, and they also influenced social conscience. In
the New Testament, you see John the Baptist. He wasn't
afraid to confront King Herod, the most politically powerful person
(21:22):
in that area at the time. Jesus even weighed in
on the topic of taxes. He didn't stay disengaged, and
when he stood before Pontius Pilot, the governor of Judea
at that time, before he was crucified, he said, everyone
on the side of truth listens to me. He was
okay speaking truth to power. He was okay speaking about
things that would otherwise be labeled today as political. And
(21:46):
so I want to share three things with us that
I believe will help us advance the Kingdom of God
for the glory of God, to stem the tide of
evil in our land until Jesus comes. And here's the
first one. If you're taking notes, we got to get this. Friends,
God uses flaweds people. God uses flawed, sinful people. One
of my biggest concerns this election cycle is the Christian
(22:10):
who wants to do the right thing but can't vote
for a Canada who doesn't have the total package. And
I hear Christians talk like this. I hear them say
things like, I don't like a few things about this
person's personality or a couple of their positions, but I
can't vote for the other Canada because they're they're they're
(22:30):
too far from my biblical values. And so I'll just
sit it out, or I'll vote for a write in,
which is a vote for nobody, nobody. This is a
binary election. That's it, and listen. I understand elections are
serious things with serious consequences, but please please tell me
(22:54):
what other decisions do you make in your life that
must meet one hunt hundred percent of the criteria? What
other decisions do you really say if it doesn't have
one hundred percent, I'm not doing this. I suspect that
everybody here attends Cornerstone, but we don't meet one hundred
percent of what you would like. Like some of you are, like,
(23:15):
really love the worship, the preaching guys a little, you know,
but I still come because I love the worship. Or
the other one I hear is you know, worship's too loud.
Don't really like it, it sounds too rock and roll. I'll
come twenty minutes late because I like the guy who preaches.
I've heard you, I know, or I got to wear
my earplugs. I don't really like, you know, how loud
(23:35):
the worship is. But they do have good children's ministry.
Or they're not quite as charismatic as I might like,
but they have good youth ministry. Or I wish they'd
emphasize missions more. But they do have a good Women's Ministry. Listen,
you don't make a decision based on one hundred percent.
You make a decision based on does this in the
(23:56):
majority sense seem to fit and does it make sense
for you? Nothing is one hundred percent based on certain criteria.
Are you married? Are you married? You listen to me.
You did not choose that spouse because they met one
(24:19):
hundred percent of everything. You love them and you're like,
this is the best of any other choices, and don't
some of you look at me. I'm like, no, that
isn't true. I'm married her because she meets one hundred
percent of my criteria. Yes, she does. Pastrog she makes
one hundred percent of my criteria. Well, guarantee you don't.
(24:45):
Guarantee you don't. She's gotten snoring and fungus toenails. That
was not part of the original deal. So listen. There's
no perfect spouse, there's no perfect church, there's no perfec,
there's no perfect job, there's no perfect neighborhood, and Jesus
is not on the ballot. There is no perfect candidate.
(25:07):
Get over looking for the most perfect person. But you
had better vote for the better choice, not a perfect choice.
Proverbs fourteen thirty four says righteousness exalts in nation, but
sin is a reproach to any people. Every candidate is
(25:29):
a flawed, sinful human being, including Kamala Harris, including Donald Trump.
And I think personally that evangelicals have for too long
looked for the candidate based on likability and how strong
their faith was in Jesus. And if those things don't
line up, then they're not good enough for me to
vote for, because I need to vote for a good person,
(25:51):
because good people promote good policies right, not always, not always,
are always more important than personalities because personalities come and go,
but policies will live long after them. A nation will
not thrive because of the righteousness of the leader, but
(26:13):
because the leader promotes righteous policies. And that's a big difference,
because here's the reality. When you read your Bibles. The
reality is that there were some righteous leaders who did
unrighteous things, and there were some unrighteous leaders who did
righteous things, and God used them both. God used them both.
(26:35):
What mattered most was the righteous thing the king did,
not the righteousness of the king. Per se, God used
both the righteous leaders and the unrighteous leaders. In the Bible.
David was a righteous leader. He was a man after
God's own heart, but he committed adultery, and he counted
the fighting men, which incurred the wrath of God as
judgment upon the nation. Though he was a righteous king
(26:57):
after God's heart, God used David. God used Hezekiah. Hezekiah
was also a righteous king, but Hezekiah had terrible foreign
policy that also incurred the wrath of God as a
national judgment. He was a righteous king, but God used
him even though he did an unrighteous thing. Look at Samson.
Samson was a righteous judge who had a weakness for women,
(27:21):
and God still used him for the benefit of the nation.
And Samson ends up in Hebrews eleven as part of
the Hebrew Hall of Faith. Now listen, I'm not making
excuses for their bad behavior or their sin. They all
paid consequences for their sin. My point is that God
uses flawed people to promote good policies for a nation.
(27:42):
You see it all through the Bible. And God used
unrighteous people too for the same reason. You look at
King Nebeknzar in your bibles, King of Babylon, King Cyrus
in your Bible, King of Persia. Those two guys were
pagan as pagan comes, and you had God put it
on their hearts to do righteous things for Israel and
for the Jewish people. And for that reason, they were
(28:05):
unrighteous kings that God used because of their righteous policies
that promoted good for the benefit of the nation. Please
stop looking at the person and look at their policies.
Some of you say, well, I can't vote for the
Orange man. The Orange man's a bully, he sends out
mean tweets, and I don't like the guy in a
(28:27):
terrible personality. Or on the other hand, you're like, I
can't vote for her. She's a cacklin hen. She'd always
has cackling about stuff. She repeats the same dumb phrases
about unburdened by what has been. And people make it
about the two of their personalities. Let me tell you something,
on a personal level, I'd rather have a mean orange
(28:47):
man who gave us three Supreme Court justices to overturn
Roe v. Wade than a joyful hen who believes in
killing babies in the ninth one. So we have to
stop focusing on who's a good candidate, because Jesus said
(29:09):
in Luke eighteen nineteen, no one is good except God.
So there is no good candidate, there is no righteous person.
But God can still use the righteous and the unrighteous
to accomplish his good purposes, which leads me to the
second point number two vote policies over personalities. I'm going
to share with you seven, and you know I could
(29:31):
have chosen different ones. This is not, as you know,
the only list he could come up with. But I
have chosen seven top policies with biblical support that I
think are worth considering in this year's election, in no
particular order. Here's the first one. Judges Isaiah one twenty
six says. God says, I will restore your judges as
(29:53):
at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward,
you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.
What is God saying there? He's saying, when you choose
right judges, they will bring righteousness to the land by
virtue of their decisions. It is important that we have
good judges, and don't underestimate the importance of the President
(30:18):
of the United States in selecting federal judges. In Donald
Trump's single term, he appointed two hundred and twenty six
federal judges. That is an amazing number proportionally more than
any of his predecessors who had two terms. Again, Donald
Trump appointed two hundred and twenty six federal judges. Obama
(30:41):
in his two terms appointed three hundred and twenty. George W.
Bush in his two terms three twenty two, Bill Clinton
in his three two terms three sixty seven. So proportionally
Trump comes in two hundred twenty six. I mean, federal
judges is an important aspect of who is president of
the United slate dates and when it comes to the
nation's thirteen federal appeals courts, which have final word on
(31:05):
most legal appeals around the country. Trump appointed, get this,
fifty four federal appellate judges in his single term. You
know how many Obama appointed in his two terms fifty five.
So it is important that you consider when you're electing someone,
what's the ramification on judges who will get appointed. And obviously,
(31:25):
of course that also includes Supreme Court justices. They play
a huge role in the future of our nation in
terms of judging and ruling in righteousness. And so ask
yourselves what I'm not asking for a verbal response. I'm
just saying, these are the things we need to consider
going into to vote, which candidate will appoint the best
judges and justices. Number two, we have to consider border
(31:50):
security these days, and let me tell you God's in
favor of borders. Just in case you don't know, this
is Acts seventeen twenty six. And God has made from
one blood every nation of men to dwell on the
face of the earth, and has determined their pre appointed
times and the boundaries of their dwellings. God's not a
post of boundaries or borders. In fact, when he divides
(32:10):
up the land of Israel between the twelve tribes of Israel,
he gives land allotments according to particular boundaries and borders.
And if God is in favor of boundaries and borders,
then surely he's in favor of defending those defined borders.
So national defense is an important thing. At the same time,
know the heart of God, He's also favorable toward the
(32:31):
alien and Zechariah seven ten, it says, do not oppress
the widow or the fatherless, the alien, or the poor.
We should take care of the widow, the fatherless, the alien,
and the poor. But when it comes to immigration, there
is a right way and a legal way for aliens
to come into our country. There's a right way, there's
(32:53):
a legal way. I know many people who were not
born in the United States who have immigrated to the
United States. Praise God, we should be pro immigration. But
I know many people who have done it the legal way,
the hard way. It's taken them years, years to get
their American citizenship. All the while, there are millions, how
(33:13):
many now twenty million who have been streaming across the
southern border into our country, getting free hotels, free cell phones,
free college education. And why ultimately, because some people think
it'll develop into a voting block at the expense of
our national security. I have a personal friend who this
(33:37):
is first ten information, who was down at the border
last year. He said, Gary, I saw on the other
side of the border pulling up several coach buses. And
you know who got off. Every single person in those
several coach buses was a young military age male from
China coming right into our country. Where's the borders are?
(34:03):
Where's the borders are? So ask yourselves the question which
candidate will best protect our national security? Number three, I
think the subject of Israel is important. Genesis twelve three,
God says clearly, I will bless those who bless Israel,
and I will curse him who curses Israel, and then you,
all the families of the years shall be blessed. I
(34:28):
don't think it's appropriate to support every policy of every
foreign nation. I'm sure every foreign nation doesn't support ours.
I don't support our own, you know. So I'm not
saying that carte blanche everything Israel does is right. But
what I do know is God says we better be
Israel's ally, because He will bless those who bless Israel,
(34:49):
and God will curse those who curse Israel. And we
cannot have our politicians cozying up to the enemies of Israel.
There must not be daylight between the United States and
Israel in terms of our support. We have to stop
criticizing the Prime Minister of Israel. That man is in
the most difficult position I could possibly imagine someone to
(35:09):
be in, and he's under tremendous pressure and scrutiny. When
Benjamin Natanyahu came and addressed a joint session of Congress
on July the twenty fifth, twenty twenty four, I think
it was a disgrace that Vice President Harris, as President
of the Senate, was not sitting behind him on the Daias,
but in all fairness, Senator JD. Vance was out campaigning
(35:33):
and he wasn't there either. The United States must show
its unwavering support for the nation of Israel because the
threat against Israel is great from Hamas Hasbolah the proxies
of Iran, and we must be putting pressure on Iran
and stop unfreezing their assets and doing all we can
(35:53):
to show our unwavering support for Israel. Because he who
blesses Israel will be blessed, and whoever curses Israel will
be first. And you need to ask yourself which candidate
will best support the nation of Israel. Number four. Religious
liberty is important, especially to us. There are six hundred
and thirteen laws in the Old Testament when you count
(36:16):
them all, and God summarizes the most important in ten
of them that are found in Exodus chapter twenty. The
first of the ten commandments is what we call the
conscience clause. It's Exodus twenty, verse three, you shall have
no other gods before me. Why is this a conscience clause?
Because it means that if my allegiance is supremely to God,
there are no other gods, nothing else, and no one
(36:37):
else I worship above God. Then that means I should
not be required to bow down to or submit to
anything or anyone that conflicts or competes with my loyalty
and allegiance to the Supreme God of Heaven. So this
is why we call it the conscience clause. We need
to start to ask ourselves in this election, who will
(36:59):
defend a Mayoramerican's conscience, particularly on the level of religious freedom.
It means that doctors who object to performing abortions on
religious grounds won't be forced to. It means that cake
makers and graphic designers and photographers who object to providing
their services on religious grounds won't be forced to. It
(37:19):
means that companies that object to providing abortifacient drugs as
part of their health care program won't be forced to.
It means that Christians who object to taking a vax
on religious grounds won't lose their jobs. So ask yourselves
which candidate is going to preserve religious liberties and America's
conscience Because we only have one supreme God that we
(37:43):
should bow down to. Number five the issue of biological sex.
God makes it clear in Genesis one twenty seven God
created man in his own image and the image of God.
He created him male and female, He created them. God
assigns biological sex in the womb. We don't get to
(38:03):
decide if we want to be a different gender and
to support that, legitimize it, or celebrate that is contributing
to mental illness instead of helping people to realize the
beautiful design that God created them to be. And that's
what we should be about. Booker T. Washington said, quote
(38:29):
A lie doesn't become truth, wrong doesn't become right, and
evil doesn't become good just because it's accepted by a
majority end quote. Fourteen states currently have what are called
transgender health care shield laws. Among them, Minnesota Governor Tim
Waltz signed legislation last year making Minnesota a trans refuge state.
(38:51):
Listen to this. If a minor child has been unable
to obtain gender affirming care because one or both parents object,
the Minnesota law allows courts to have quote temporary emergency
jurisdiction over the child. Governor walt signed that into law.
(39:14):
They're coming after your children and all. This gender confusion
has led to biological boys competing in girls' sports, using girls' restrooms,
and denying girls their fundamental protection and the title nine
rights that they deserve. So which candidate will best protect
(39:36):
God's design of biological sex? Number six Family. This is
out of Psalm one twenty seven to three. Behold, children
are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the
womb is a reward. I don't need to tell you.
We've all seen parental rights have been incrementally stripped. We've
(39:56):
had to fight for parental rights and are being targeted
by progressive evil agendas. That's not an overstatement. That is happening.
We have to fight for our children. God has designed
the family, and he has entrusted children to our care.
They don't belong to the state. They belong to God,
(40:17):
and God has entrusted them to us. So we better
manage what he is entrusted well and realize that if
government tries to intrude in the family, it's a violation
of what God's design is intended. Children are heritage from
the Lord. They are fruit of the womb from him.
(40:38):
Number seven and I'll end with this one the topic
of life. In Acts three point fifteen, God has called
the author of life, and in Proverbs six seventeen it
says God hates hands, that shed innocent blood. So the
question is which candidate will best protect life. Now, this
(41:01):
is where some of you may not like to hear
what I have to say on this, but I gotta
say it anyway, because the truth of the matter is this,
we do not have a pro life candidate in this
race for president. We don't. Donald Trump has moved much
more in the center, much more left than what he
was in twenty sixteen and twenty twenty. He is now
(41:24):
going around advocating for a fifteen week ban on abortion.
In case people understand, because I think it's a misleading label.
I think it should be referred to as a fifteen
week allowance. Okay, The fifteen week ban that he's in
favor of means that you can have abortions through fifteen
weeks and then we shouldn't have anymore. All right, let
(41:48):
me quote to you CDC zone number. Are you ready
for this? Ninety five percent of all abortions in America
happened in the first fifteen weeks. When someone is going
around saying I'm for allowing abortions for fifteen weeks, you
are in effect saying I'm for killing babies. Just a
little bit less than the other person. OK. I gotta
(42:10):
say this. I gotta say this. Donald Trump, by his influence,
has stripped the Republican national platform of its language, the
strong language that used to support life in twenty sixteen
and in twenty twenty. The number of words and the
Republican platform protecting life in twenty sixteen and twenty twenty
(42:32):
thirteen hundred words, it's been pared down to in twenty
twenty four ninety words. The protection of life is not
there like it once was. And this is of great
concern to me. What is tragic in our nation right
now is that, in all truthfulness, the Republican Party today
(42:56):
in the area of abortion is what the Democrat Party
he was thirty years ago. Thirty years ago, Bill Clinton
was the one who said that abortion should be safe, legal,
and rare. That's basically what many in the Republican Party
are saying today. We've become the Democrat Party of thirty
years ago on this topic. Now, of course, the other
(43:21):
side is far worse. The other side is far worse.
The Democrat Party has gone even further left on abortion
and believes that it should be legal in all cases
up until the moment of delivery. This is Kamala Harris's
position advocating for no restrictions on abortion, celebrating murder and
then using as a campaign slogan it's just reproductive rights. No,
(43:46):
it's murdering babies. And in case you don't think she's
serious about it, why is it that it was allowed
outside the doors of the Democratic National Convention for there
to be a mobile abortion clinic aborting babies as they
were having their convention. If that does not speak to evil,
I don't know what does and how can someone vote
(44:08):
for that? That is what is being reflected by that party.
As my friend Seth Gruber said, those who murder the
unborn cannot be trusted to govern the born. My last
(44:31):
point is this number three. Voting is not just a right.
I'm convinced it's a duty. In Luke chapter twelve, Jesus
teaches a parable about two servants who work for the
same master. The master goes away and he entrusts his
work and his possessions to the servants. And when he
comes back, what does he find. Well, well, one he
(44:51):
calls an evil servant, because that one did not take
care of He was not a good steward of what
God had entrusted to him. But the other one he
calls a wise and faith full servant because he took
care of what the Master had entrusted to him. It's
a picture of Christ. Christ has gone away. He's the Master.
We are just serving him. And God entrusts a lot
(45:13):
to us. And one of the things he has entrusted
to us is the wonderful privilege as Americans of living
in the greatest and freest country in the world, the
United States of America. And He's entrusted this freedom to us.
And we know the saying freedom is never free, And
so what are we going to do with what He's
entrusted to us? Are we just going to sit it out?
Are we just going to say, well, let everybody else vote.
(45:35):
I don't like this, I don't like that, so I'm
just gonna sit it out. Listen. As disparaging as this sounds,
every election has been about the lesser of two evils,
the lesser of two evils. And we have to decide
what can we do to advance the Kingdom of God
for the glory of God and stem the tide of
evil in our land until Jesus comes. Because if we
(45:57):
do nothing, if we check out. If we remain silent,
evil will rush into the vacuum. That's why it is
an incumbent upon every single one of us to be
engaged in all of this. Yes, I know you might
have to hold your nose when you go to vote,
but the alternative is far worse. What will happen if
(46:17):
we don't stay engaged. Listen to me on this. There
are ninety million self identified evangelicals in America who are
eligible to vote. Ninety million. Of that ninety million, forty
million do not vote. And of that ninety million, fifteen
million are not even registered to vote. That's fifty five
(46:38):
million evangelical Christians who are saying I'll let evil take
over because I'm going to do nothing. That's a disgrace.
We have no one to blame except ourselves, and we
have wicked policies. Righteousness exalts nation. Sin is a reproach
to any people. When the righteous are in authority, the
people rejoice. When the wicked are in authority, the people grow.
(47:00):
I don't know about you. I'm tired of groaning. I
don't want to groan. So it's a duty. It's not
just to write and a privilege. It's a duty. We
can remain silent. God used I think a great person,
William Wilberforce. God used Wilberforce in British Parliament to effectively
(47:20):
outlaw slavery throughout the British colonies. It was his Christian
faith that moved him to take the lead on this.
And Wilberforce said, quote, let it not be said that
I was silent when they needed me. Now listen, I'll
wrap this up. I'll be honest with you, and maybe
you can tell through some of the things I've said.
(47:41):
I'm not an enthist. I am not an enthusiastic voter.
This year. I'm going to vote, but I'm not enthusiastic,
not as much as I was in twenty sixteen or
twenty twenty, not as much as I was the first
time I voted in nineteen eighty four to for Well.
Speaker 3 (47:59):
But but but it is our right and our duty
to vote.
Speaker 1 (48:11):
I will say this. I've never met Vice President Harris.
I have met Donald Trump twice. He is as raw
and unfiltered in person as he is in public. I
was sitting with a group of about ten pastors up
in New Jersey at his place in New Jersey, and
(48:40):
he was unfiltered, even in front of us and using
foul language. And I'm sitting there going we're pastors, and
he still doesn't even care enough to watch his mouth
around us. There are things I personally don't appreciate about him,
but his policies some of them. And so I think
(49:03):
of what Frederick Douglas once said, quote, I will unite
with anyone to do right and no one to do wrong.
I will unite with anyone to do right and no
one to do wrong. In World War Two, the United
States joined forces with a bad guy Stalin to defeat
a worse guy Hitler. And sometimes that's what we do.
(49:29):
We say, I don't particularly like this individual, don't even
agree with all their policies, but I got to fight
a greater evil, and so sometimes we do what we
need to do. Not because it's an enjoyable thing to do,
but it's the better of the choices. And I close
(49:50):
with this. In the nineteen forties, Adolf Hitler gathered all
the prominent clergy in Germany at his place in Berlin,
and he wanted to reassure them that he had their backs.
Churches in Germany were state subsidized, and Hitler said to
all these prominent clergy, He said, don't worry With me
(50:11):
in charge, I will take care of your subsidies. Your
churches would not be harmed. One of those clergy in
the room at that time, a great man of faith,
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, stepped up to confront Hitler, and when he did,
(50:33):
the other clergy took a step back. And Bonheffer said, Eh, Hitler,
we are not concerned for the church. For Jesus Christ
will take care of his church. We are concerned for
the soul of Germany. And Hitler said to him, Eir Bonheffer,
(50:53):
you do not need to worry about the soul of Germany.
I will take care of the soul of Germany. Friend's
government is not the answer for the soul of a nation.
Jesus is. And may God bring revival again to the
United States of America. He's our only hope. He's our
(51:24):
only hope.
Speaker 4 (51:28):
So so until Jesus comes, until Jesus comes, get out there,
vote be his ambassadors, be salt and light in this world,
and advance the.
Speaker 1 (51:47):
Kingdom of God for the glory of God, to stem
the tide of evil in our land. Until Jesus comes,
let your voices be heard, let your votes be counted,
and let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered,
and a math for the glory of God, for the
glory of God.
Speaker 2 (52:05):
If you like the Michael Berry Show and Podcast, please
tell one friend, and if you're so inclined, write a
nice review of our podcast. Comments, suggestions, questions, and interest
in being a corporate sponsor and partner can be communicated
directly to the show at our email address, Michael at
(52:26):
Michael Berryshow dot com, or simply by clicking on our website,
Michael Berryshow dot com. The Michael Berry Show and Podcast
is produced by Ramon Roeblis, The King of Ding. Executive
producer is Chad Knakanishi. Jim Mudd is the creative director.
(52:51):
Voices Jingles, Tomfoolery, and Shenanigans are provided by Chance McLain.
Director of Research is Sandy Peterson. Emily Bull is our
assistant listener and superfan. Contributions are appreciated and often incorporated
into our production. Where possible, we give credit. Where not,
(53:13):
we take all the credit for ourselves. God bless the
memory of Rush Limbaugh. Long live Elvis, be a simple
man like Leonard Skinnard told you, and God bless America. Finally,
if you know a veteran suffering from PTSD, call Camp
Hope at eight seven seven seven one seven PTSD and
(53:38):
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Cold Case Files: Miami
Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides.  Cold Case Files: Miami follows award‑winning radio host and City of Miami Police reserve officer  Enrique Santos as he partners with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, determined family members, and the advocates who spend their lives fighting for justice for the victims who can no longer fight for themselves.