Thank you for listening to Servants for Christ. In all that we do, in all that we say, we want to give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for tuning us in as we get into the wonderful Word of God. For the next few minutes, let's take the beautiful Word of God and share it with each and every one of you as we have a sense of anticipation to take the Word of God and to listen to its truth for each and every one. Amen, thank you for tuning this in. I'm Darrell Bailey, Service for Christ. As here this morning, our message that the Lord's laid on our heart is preaching politics instead of the kingdom. In recent years, the church has found itself at a crossroads where the lines between politics and faith have become blurred. Many believers have become more known for their political affiliations than for their allegiance to Christ. And this trend has not only divided congregations, but it has also compromised the integrity of the gospel message. Here this morning, we look at the dangers of preaching politics instead of thy kingdom come, the word of God and how that we can refocus our hearts and minds on our true calling as followers of Jesus Christ. Imagine walking in a quiet restaurant, expecting a peaceful meal only to be bombarded by political debates or attending a ball game where instead of enjoying the sport, whatever that might be, you're interrupted by political commercials. Just as these scenarios feel out of place, so does entering a church and hearing political endorsements or condemnations from the pulpit. There's a lot of communities today that when they get up, all they do is bombard you with political this and political endorsements or condemnations from that pulpit. You come to church to hear about Jesus, to be edified and encouraged in your faith, not to witness some kind of political rally. And so we look at the politicizing of the gospel that can lead to divisions within the church and dilute the transformative power of Christ's message. And so, What happens when politics seep into our sacred spaces? How do we navigate the fallout? How do we reach those who have offended or disillusioned? How do we bring them back? Because so many today are leaving the church and they're tired of hearing about the Republicans and the Democrats. They're tired of hearing about a Camilla or a Trump. They just want to hear the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. And so, Let's get into the Word of God. And as we do, may we take our Bibles and just a few, we'll preach and get into the Word of God. But we'll read the Word of God out of Matthew 6, verse 33 in just a moment, amen. But first, let's open up with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we come before you seeking your guidance as we look at the intersection of politics and the gospel. Help us to understand how to uphold your truth while navigating the complexities of political influences. Grant us wisdom and clarity, Father. and Lord of heart for unity as we explore how to keep the message of the gospel pure and effective, that we ask all of this in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. I'm glad that when we look at the word of God, How do we bring people back when politics seep into our sacred spaces and the consequences that can be so profound and far-reaching? The church is meant to be a place of unity and spiritual growth and refuge, and it can become a battleground where political differences create division hurt and disillusionment. And so, how do we navigate the fallout? How do we reach those who have been offended or disillusioned? How do we bring them back? Well, first of all, we try to acknowledge the hurt and navigating and the disillusionment of all of the political divisions that have been caused within the churches across America. We recognize that many of the emerging politics and faith have been very painful. And whether they're felt pressured, judged, or alienated, their feelings are valid in the body of Christ that we must be sensitive to those experiences. And so, even as myself, I extend those genuine policies, especially sometimes when we get riled up about how that we see current things happening. And sometimes we pick on the White House. Sometimes we say the wrong things instead of sticking to the gospel. Thy kingdom come itself. And so through sermon, social media, and personal interactions that extend, I send it out myself, my personal apology. That noting that of all the things that are happening from the pulpit, People need to be hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ more than your political views, more than your political side, and more of whoever. Of course, many of us think today that those candidates that are going to be elected in November is going to be the greatest hope in America. You're being lied to. The greatest hope for America in the future will be our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He's the one that's in control. And whether and whoever, no matter who wins, Jesus, our Lord and Savior, is still in control. And so, we look at the political arguments where we've lost sight of our primary mission, preaching Christ and having a love for the community. And so the church needs to refocus its efforts on the preaching of the gospel, emphasizing the teachings of Jesus rather than political analogies. And the message of salvation, the message of love, the message of forgiveness, the message of hope must take center stage at all costs. And when our focus shifts back to Christ, we remind everyone that our ultimate allegiance is not to a political party, but to the kingdom of God, thy kingdom be done. And so I'm glad that with open and honest dialogue within the church, I'm glad that people can share their experiences, their concern, their perspective without fear of judgment. This can be done through all of our body of Christ and one-on-one as we look at the understanding and the reconciliation that may not always agree on political matters, but we can still respect and love one another. And so I'm glad that when it comes to preaching politics instead of the kingdom, that there's a lot of work that we need to do. And so, we look and realize that as a church, we must commit to unity, understanding that our strength lies in our ability to come together despite our differences. Oh, they show up for Sunday school and all you do is politicize the gospel. You bring politics into everything instead of talking about Jesus. Oh me, I admit that I have had times that I have done that and I sincerely apologize for that. That Jesus has prayed for the unity of his followers, knowing that a united church would be a powerful witness to the world. Our unity doesn't mean uniformality in thought, but it does mean a shared commitment to loving God, loving each other, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. And so, I'm glad by taking these steps that we can begin to heal the wounds that have been inflicted by the politicization of the church. That we can reach out to those that have been hurt with God's help. We can bring them back into the fold where we can find peace and purpose and belonging in the body of Christ. How can we make the right priorities and stay focused for the kingdom of God? How do we address the politicizing of the gospel, maintaining its integrity while engaging with the broader cultural, political landscape? It's all about... the priority of the kingdom. In Matthew 6, verse 33, the Bible says, but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. I'm glad that when we look at this scripture, we're looking at understanding the gospel's true nature, the gospel's core message, and that is that the gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ, his death, resurrection, and the offer of salvation to all. And so when we look and we begin to realize that through this, amen, that God can do some great things. We believe, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15, verses three and four, that Paul stated, for what I received I passed on to you as of first importance, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. And I'm glad that the gospel's essence is about salvation. and reconciliation with God, not political ideologies. And so, we see that not only of the gospel's core message, but also the danger of adding that political agenda, of adding political agendas to the gospel can compromise its purity. Galatians chapter 1, verses 6 and 7 warns, and it says that, I am astonished that you're so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel, which is really no gospel at all. When political agendas overshadow the gospel, it becomes a different gospel, losing its power, losing its purpose. And so the gospel's role in promoting justice and righteousness is while the gospel itself is not political, it does promote justice and it does promote righteousness. And so Micah 6, 8 says that the act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God, the teaching of Jesus that challenges us to live justly and compassionately, but this should not be conflated with our partisan politic. And so we see that there's the priority of the kingdom that we read in Matthew 6, verse 33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his rights, and all these things shall be added unto you. And so the priority of the kingdom is to remind believers that their primary focus should always be on pursuing God's will, his kingdom, his righteousness, rather than getting entangled in the temporal and divisive realm of politics. The distraction of all of the earthly politics throughout the world explains the political issues, but it can become distractions that divert our attention away from the true mission of the church, advancing God's kingdom and I'm glad that when we look at Matthew 633 that sermon urges all of us to realign our priorities and ensure that our spiritual pursuits are not overshadowed by political agendas, amen, but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. The danger of divided allegiances is here that we see that when Christians prioritize political affiliations or national interests over their commitment to God, they risk losing sight of the kingdom's principles. The sermon that we see today that is being preached behind the pulpit that it should challenge the congregation, amen, to be able to evaluate whether their loyalties are truly aligned with God's purposes or if they've been compromised by political ideologies. And so there's a call for true discipleship, amen, for all of us, amen, by using Matthew 6.33. I'm glad that it reinforces the message that the kingdom of God should be the ultimate priority for every believer. It serves as a call to put God's will above all else and to ensure that our involvement in earthly matters, including politics, does not overshadow our primary mission of seeking and advancing His kingdom, amen. And so, C.S. Lewis warned in Mere Christianity that when we put secondary things first, we lose both the primary and the secondary things. And when we prioritize politics over the kingdom, we lose sight of God's righteousness. And so, there's that distraction of earthly politics, the danger of divided allegiances, amen, that we go through. The call to true discipleship, amen, is one of the things that we should have, amen. And so I thank God that as we go through, we ought to be able to have the gospel's role in promoting justice and righteousness, amen. And so we look, secondly, that how do we address, how do we address the politicizing of the gospel maintaining its integrity while engaging with a broader cultural and political landscape. I thank God, not only is it the priority of the kingdom of Matthew 6, verse 33, but it's the peril of political idolatry. Because I'm glad that when we navigate the politicizing of the gospel, not only understanding the gospel's true nature, but when we navigate the politicizing of the gospel, we can maintain the focus on Christ, amen. And I'm glad that in Exodus chapter 20, verses 3, 4, and 5, the Bible says, Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water underneath the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them. I wonder how many people have made a god out of Trump. or how many people have made a god out of Biden or have made a god out of Obama or the Clintons or any other political figure for that matter that they idolize those figures and they put them above all else because when we look at what we're trying to do in Exodus chapter 20 It's the highlight of the dangers of allowing politics to take the place of preeminence in our lives, a position that should be reserved for God alone. And so, each and every one of us, when we look and realize that we're to have no other gods before us, amen, No graven image or no likeness of anything aid man. We got to maintain the focus on Christ. And to prevent the gospel from being politicized, we must keep our focus on Christ and His mission. Colossians 3-2 advises, set your minds on things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. And by prioritizing Christ's teaching and mission, we ensure that political debates do not distract from the central message of salvation and grace. So, not only do we maintain a focus on Christ, but we promote unity in the body of Christ. The church must promote unity despite political differences. I'm glad that I pastored for many years, and one of the things that I would always say on the sign, amen, is together we're becoming one. Because there's nothing that's more powerful than the unity of the church and the gospel message of salvation. We've got to promote unity in the body of Christ. And I'm glad Ephesians 4.3 urges that we make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace by focusing on what unites us, the message of Christ, that we can foster a sense of unity and avoid the divisions that arise from political disagreements. Amen. And so that's been going on for centuries, for centuries and years that people have already divided by political differences because of what we believe. But we've got to be able not only to remain focused on Christ and promote unity in the body of Christ, but engage politically without compromising the gospel. When we engage in political discourse, it's not inherently wrong, but it must be done in a way that respects the gospel's integrity. Because in Matthew 22, verse 21, that records Jesus saying, give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. We are called to fulfill our civic duties while keeping our ultimate allegiance to God's kingdom and ensuring that our political actions did not overshadow the gospel's message, J-Man. And so I'm glad that when we look at the temptation to exalt political leaders, it warns us that when we place undue trust or hope in a political leader or a movement, we're risking making them gods in our lives. And that can lead to a misplaced sense of security or salvation in our human institutions rather than in God. And so there's the consequences of misplaced worship. And there's a need for repentance and realignment that every one of us return to Christ-centered focus, warning that the political idolatry leads us away from the worship of God, just as the Israelites were called to an inclusive devotion to God, that believers today are called to realign their hearts and their minds to ensure that nothing including politics, takes precedence over their commitment to God. And so, I'm glad that when we look and realize of the temptation to exalt political leaders, the consequences of misplaced worship that comes onto the scene, and the need for repentance and realignment, amen. Christian author Max Licato reminds us that repentance is not just about turning away from sin, but turning back to God. We must realign our hearts and worship with God alone as our king. Amen. And so how do we make the right priorities and stay focused for the kingdom of God? How do we address the politicizing of the gospel, maintaining the integrity while engaging with a broader cultural and political landscape? Well, the first thing that we said was the priority of the gospel, amen, to be able to understand the gospel's true nature. We also talked about the peril of political identity in Exodus 20, verses 3, 4, and 5, that we navigate the politicizing of the gospel, amen, and we do it in the right manner. But thirdly, the unity of the body of Christ in John 13. Verses 34 and 35 where we look at how that we can respond to that political Polarizing with biblical wisdom made man because here in John chapter 13 verses 3 and 4 a new commandment I give unto you that you love one another as I've loved you that ye also love one another by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have loved one another for another, amen. And so I'm glad that we have a true disciple of Christ, that love that we show toward other believers. There's been times that it would get me so riled up that what I heard in a speech in the political arena would set me on fire. I would be fighting mad and ready to dish out something that I shouldn't be dishing out because I'm a minister, I'm a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and I should not let this thing push the buttons the way that it does. But when I see people get up and deliberately lie and don't even know what's going on in the world out there, they're in their own little world. I'm in danger because sometimes my anger gets out of hand. And so by us being able to look and realize that one of the greatest things that we can do is the unity of the body of Christ, amen. And so here, John chapter 13, verses 34 and 35, it is a call to the church of our primarily mission of reflecting Christ's love and unity to the world that challenges all congregations in America to rise above our political divisions and focus on the greater purpose of the church, being a unified witness to the love of Jesus. And by doing so, the church can avoid the pitfalls of political idolatry, instead of embodying the true message of the gospel, which transcends all earthly divisions out there today. And so, he says, the new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. And so, we gotta encourage a notice that the division that's caused by the political allegiances, amen. Encourage that critical thinking, that discernment that helps believers navigate political polarization wisely. The wisdom of Proverbs 2, 6 says, for the Lord gives wisdom from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. And so, we've gotta provide opportunities for believers to engage in that thoughtful reflection on the political issues through the lens of scripture that can prevent the gospel from being so politicized. And so we foster a culture of respectful dialogue, amen, because it's the witness of the love in a divided world that our love for one another is a powerful testimony. showing the world the true nature of Christ his followers. And then there's the command to love above all. Jesus commands us to love one another deeply with the political differences to reflect his love. And so, when we look at all of these things, the many that have left the church, the many that have lost faith because of the politicizing of the gospel, if you find yourself in all of this, that you've done these things, Can I challenge you? Because did you actually attend a church service where the pastor exalted a political candidate or bashed another rather than preaching Jesus? Did you hear sermons where the Bible was used as a political weapon rather than a life-transforming holy book? then I apologize because of what you experienced was an exception to the rule. And from my interaction with pastors and leaders, I tell you, of all the majority of churches in America, they did not depart from their normal preaching during all of the things that have transpired during the pandemic, But most pastors remain focused on the gospel and not on politics. And I understand how it may have felt different with the behavior of many individual Christians on social media, given the impression that the church was deeply partisan. You see, there's a lot of misinformation that goes out across those social media networks. It was just the other day, somebody said Jimmy Carter died when he didn't die. And so the perception versus the reality. The truth is, with rare exceptions, if you've walked into most churches, evangelical churches, during the seasons of this time when election is coming up, maybe you've experienced church as usual. There may have been worship of Jesus and not of a president. There may have been a word of encouragement to pray for the elections or perhaps a nonpartisan voter guide in the foyer. I wonder, do you got banners outside your house, an area that says, Jesus Christ is Lord of all, or do you have a political candidate that you're giving a banner of praise and you made a God out of him instead of the God out of the one that we worship? It's possible that you judge your pastor or your local church by the actions of others. It's something that we've all done. You know, a pastor sometimes, if he don't preach politics, then that discourages somebody. If he does preach politics, then somebody will say he don't preach it enough. And so pastors get always the short end of the stick. I know. I've been a pastor for many years. I know what pastors go through and what kind of reputation. And so maybe your pastor didn't get overtly the political thing that you thought that he should. Maybe the church service seemed normal, but the conversations outside it didn't. Politics, politics, politics, day and night. And yes, you were judged harshly if you dared to deviate from the standard of talking points. And so, we've got to own our mistakes, and I'm guilty as charged. We didn't maybe get everything about the message that we should have got out because we got caught up in all of the politicizing instead of the gospel of the kingdom of God. And so, many out there have dishonored the Lord and they've also disrespected you. But please, don't write us all off or even worse, write off the Lord forever. We might've got caught up in the political spirit because we were passionate about the issues and the important issues, but still we crossed dangerous lines and we own our mistakes and we pledged to learn from them and we pledged to move forward. In the challenge of our times, imagine if we lived in the 1960s during the civil rights movement. One political leader advocated for desegregation and equal rights while another supported segregation and maintaining the status quo. it would have been impossible to separate politics from our faith because the fight for justice and equality was deeply rooted in biblical principles. Many of us would have been fervently engaged believing that standing against racial injustice was a moral imperative. Today, there's some folks that are out there that are more prejudiced uh... then people can't even imagine and i'm talking about of opposite races they're more prejudiced because of all these kind of ideologies politicizing that is taking place from the pulpit they're the best the worst enemies that have created all of this uh... uh... division and disunity across the land today and you'd better be careful what leaders that you're listening to behind the pulpit Our zeal for justice have led our political passions overshadow our commitment to the gospel. We've allowed our emotions and political alliances to take precedence, losing sight of the unifying message of Jesus Christ. Just as the church has struggled with division over issues like race, we've risked letting our political stances create deep rifts within the body of Christ. There's a call for unity. Where does that leave us today? How about we try to start over freshly and unite around Jesus and major on the majors and work on loving God, loving one another, loving our neighbors, and putting our political differences aside. Because as we all agree to have honest discussions with each other, refusing to easily offend each other, and sharing our perspectives with humility. Millions in our nations need the Lord, and we still have the answer in the gospel. Can we honor Jesus, whose last major prayer before his crucifixion was a prayer of unity? How would How would we have our ideal time to demonstrate the beauty of unity through diversity rather than the ugliness of division and strife? We need to show the world what the church is really supposed to be. It's about the kingdom of God. It's about the Lord, not the Savior Donald Trump of the Republicans or the Savior Kamala Harris of the Democrats. We've got to focus on preaching the kingdom of God, not the politics of men, because in the end, it is Jesus who saves. It's Jesus who transforms. It's Jesus who unites us all. And as I close out, The politicization of the gospel is a dangerous path that leads us, everyone, Americans, from our true calling as followers of Christians in Christ. When we allow politics to take precedence over our devotion to Jesus, we compromise our witness and divide the body of Christ. We are called to seek first the kingdom of God, avoid the idolatry of political leaders, and maintain the unity of the spirit through love. Let us repent. Let us repent. May we not allow politics to overshadow our faith and recommit ourselves to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father, we confess that we've allowed politics to distract us from your kingdom. Forgive us for any ways that we've compromised our witness and divided the body of Christ. Help us to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness. And may our love for one another be the testimony that draws others to you as we surrender all our earthly allegiances, and declare that you alone are our King, in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. you