today I want to speak to you not about the latest political Scandal the trending news or even the impending election no today I want to speak to you about something far more enduring and Urgent the coming Judgment of God I realize that might seem almost out of place in today's world a world where every headline every conversation and even every friendship seems wrapped up in politics but this message this warning is precisely what we need in times like these we need to remember the reality of God's coming judgment which is certain and unchanging no matter
the distractions of this world I'll be honest with you in these past weeks I felt myself growing detached from this world from all its noise from the clamor of opinions and arguments I found a new longing rising up in me a longing for something deeper something Eternal I'm not standing here to tell you not to vote please go out and exercise your right to vote but I'm here to tell you that there is something far more significant than this election there's something much greater than our Earthly allegiances and that something is the state of your
soul from the announcement of JD Vance to that of Tim wall it is therefore my honor to nominate Ohio Senator J D Vance for the office of Vice President of the United States of America so Pennsylvania I'm here today because I found such a [Music] leader Governor Tim Walt of the great state of Minnesota everything is dominated by this election every movement or statement by Donald Trump or kamla Harris is analyzed and reanalyzed for example Elon musk's endorsement of Donald Trump and Trump's appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast quickly went viral meanwhile a steady stream
of A-list celebrities endorse kamla Harris we're bomb barded with each endorsement from Beyonce to Leonardo DiCaprio creating a Non-Stop flow of information that fills our feeds and conversations let me emphasize this point the Republican Party the Democratic party none of them know you personally they do not know your heart your struggles your family or your story yet people are building their entire identities around them pledging their allegiance to people who couldn't care less about them people pour their lives into political parties and candidates who will not fulfill their deepest needs and cannot offer the peace
or purpose they seek politics has become a God in our society it has slipped into places it does not belong into our relationships our families even into the body of Christ I have seen people who have lost friends lifelong friendships because of their political beliefs I have witnessed families torn apart because one family member votes one way while another votes differently I've even seen marriages unravel over political differences I ask you what does it say about the state of our hearts when we're willing to sacrifice relationships even family on the altar of political allegiance a
video recently went viral of a young woman having an emotional breakdown down because her father was voting for Donald Trump this was not just a difference of opinion this young woman felt as if her father's Choice was a betrayal of her very identity my friends this is what happens when politics takes over the heart it fills a space that was meant for God Alone we are seeing politics replace faith for many people it's not just an interest it has become their purpose their reason their source of of belonging people today are shaping their entire identity
around politics they declare I am a Republican or I am a Democrat as if this is the truest most foundational part of who they are you see people with homemade signs declaring support for their political party let's call a spade a spade for many politics has become a form of religion while it may not be that way for everyone let's take an honest objective look at our nation can we deny that for some politics has taken on the devotion and intensity once reserved for religion they hold these labels tightly proclaiming them as Badges of Honor
investing them with all the intensity of religious devotion but we are called to so much more than this our identity our worth our calling is not found in any party any platform or any political leader it is found in Christ alone he is our true foundation I want to remind you today of a simple yet profound truth Jesus knows your name he knows your heart your every thought your every worry and your every Joy he knows where you are how old you are and how much time you've spent he knows what happened to you who
walked out and left you who betrayed you who lied and talked about you and who rejected you he knows where you are in life he knows about your bills about what you didn't receive that you should have received he knows your name and he knows your children he knows you better than you know yourself no political leader can say that no candidate has the ability to know you individually but Jesus does I do not even want to say Jesus knows each of us and he cares for us deeply this needs to be specific Jesus knows
you individually in your situation he knows you in a world that often feels indifferent where people are valued based on their usefulness or votes there is one who values you for who you are first John 4:19 we love him because he first loved us for he first loved you the problem is you do not fully understand the love God has for you a sinner God knows everything about you he knows the real you not the church version of you not the polished version you present to others but the true you the you with secret struggles
with weaknesses the one who promised to never ever do that again yet still went ahead and did it God fornew you he knew you even before you were born your mother and father were not the first to see you God had already searched you and known you before there was awar when or why he chose you monitored your mother's pregnancy created and formed you he protected you in the womb as he said to Jeremiah before I formed you in the womb I knew you I ordained you and Sanctified you to be a prophet unto the
Nations you see our lives should be dedicated wholeheartedly to Jesus Christ Our loyalty our Allegiance should not be to any Earthly institution but to the one who has given us life to the one who died for us and rose again we are called to live for his glory not for the fleeting recognition or approval of men we are called to a higher purpose we are called to live for the glory of God let me tell you what a life surrendered to God looks like it's a life marked by humility it's a life where every beat
of our heart every breath we take is a declaration of our love and Devotion to him we are called to live with a humble Spirit a humble soul and a humble mind prostrating ourselves before God in reverence and awe when we truly live for him our lives are transformed no longer are we Bound by the limitations and labels of this world no longer are we swayed by its passing Trends and opinions instead we find a freedom and a joy that this world cannot offer as the Apostle Paul said then for to me to live is
Christ and to die is gain Paul understood that his life was not his own he understood that his true purpose was found not in his Earthly accomplishments his affiliations or his status but in his relationship with Jesus for Paul living was Christ and dying was gain because he knew that his life was rooted in something Eternal he knew that his Allegiance was to Christ alone and not to a president and not to a political party when I see people placing all their hope their energy and their loyalty into political parties it saddens me not because
being involved in politics is wrong but because they are seeking purpose in a place that will ultimately fail them political systems are created by man and as such they are flawed they will let us down leaders will disappoint US policies will change parties will shift and even the president elected soon will be out of office four years from now but God Remains the Same the more I pull away from this world the more I feel detached from the clamor and confusion of our times the clearer I see the goodness of God God is good friends
he is good even when the world is not he is faithful even when others are not he is constant unchanging and true and unlike the leaders of this world he knows you intimately he knows every detail of your life every concern every need he knows exactly what it takes for your body to function for your heart to keep beating for your soul to be at peace let's take a moment to Marvel at the goodness of God think about the intricacies of your own body every heartbeat every breath every cell God designed it all you didn't
create yourself and you don't sustain yourself God does he holds you together with his love his power and his wisdom he knows every part of you inside and out he knows you better than you know yourself and yet how often do we place our trust in people who don't even know our names no friends God is the one who keeps you alive day after day it's his hand that sustains you it's his love that holds you this is the God we serve a god of unparalleled goodness a God who sees you who knows you who
loves you beyond measure and in this season of political division and strife I urge you to remember his goodness remember his faithfulness remember that he alone deserves your highest devotion and Allegiance I want to finish today's message by being clear my goal is not to make you angry or to stir up resentment I am not here to antagonize anyone and I certainly don't want to drive a wedge between you and others I understand that politics is a divisive topic just the mere mention of the candidates be it Donald Trump or kamla Harris can cause people
to dig in to feel defensive to feel stirred up but my goal today is not to get you riled up my goal is to bring your attention to something far greater something more enduring than any political figure or ideology and that is this your life is a vapor James 4:14 puts it plainly whereas ye know not what shall be on the tomorrow for what is your life it is even a vapor that appear for a little time and then vanisheth away think about that for a moment your life my life it's as fleeting as a
puff of smoke a wisp of mist that appears for just a moment and then is gone it's a sobering thought isn't it in the grand scheme of things our lives are brief they are fragile and they pass by more quickly than we often realize if you're 60 years old you're already 3/4 of the way through an average lifespan think about how quickly those years have gone by for the for those who are 45 you're already halfway through and those years they've flown by too haven't they if you're 25 you might think you have all the
time in the world but you're already a quarter of the way through your life and those 25 years they've come and gone in the blink of an eye this is the reality that James is trying to impress upon us life is brief and we do not know what tomorrow holds yet how often do we live as though we'll be here forever how often do we pour our energy our emotions our very identity into things that are ultimately just as temporary as we are consider this political parties Democrats Republicans these institutions were here long before any
of us arrived on the scene and they will be here long after we are gone candidates come and go movements rise and fall policies shift and evolve in the end these things are just as fleeting as we are they have a place and a purpose yes but they are not Eternal and they cannot offer us the kind of lasting peace joy and purpose that only comes from a relationship with God let's face the truth that we so often avoid we are all moving toward an end the years are ticking by and every one of us
will one day leave this Earth each of us will breathe our last breath and in that moment all the things that seemed so important to us here all the arguments the affiliations the opinions will fade away we won't be standing before God with our political badges or our personal accomplishments do you really think on Judgment Day all this circus show will matter what will matter is whether you have received the free gift of Salvation on Judgment Day you are not going to be standing there with other Democrats or Republicans we'll be standing before him as
individuals with nothing to hide behind but the truth of our relationship with him we are fragile beings and we often forget just how delicate we truly are yet there is one thing that always reminds me of our fragility epitaphs graveyards are filled with these inscriptions and every time I walk through one I take time to read them epitaphs are some of the most humbling things to read because they remind us how fleeting our lives are how much of a vapor we truly are I once read an Epitaph that said this graveyard will eventually go unvisited
it struck me deeply over time memories fade and those who once came to honor and remember the departed will eventually stop visiting as Generations pass the lives and stories of those buried here may be forgotten leaving the place silent and abandoned another Epitaph I saw brought me to tears it had just one word but it was the one word that mattered forgiven no political affiliation no titles just forgiven what a beautiful thing it is to have your sins forgiven for this believer in Jesus Christ forgiveness was all that [Music] mattered Psalm 321 blessed is the
one whose transgressions are forgiven whose sins are covered what truly matters is being forgiven not being a republican not being a Democrat but forgiven it had just one word but it was the one word that mattered forgiven we are fragile fragile beings the human body is soft and delicate and the older we get the more we realize this truth it's easy to feel Invincible When We're Young we think we have all the time in the world we think we can afford to spend our days chasing after temporary things devoting ourselves to people and causes that
in the end cannot save us but I urge you today don't waste your life on what won't last don't invest your heart your soul your very identity in things that are bound to pass away because here is the reality one day you will die and you will stand before God and none of these Earthly affiliations will matter your life is a vapor this isn't just a poetic phrase It's a spiritual reality every breath we take is a gift from God every heartbeat is a reminder that he sustains us but our time is limited and one
day our life here will come to an end we don't like to think about it we avoid it but ignoring the reality of our mortality doesn't change the fact that we're moving closer to it every single day when that moment comes what matter it won't be your political party it won't be the opinion of others it won't be any of the temporary things we cling to what will matter is whether you lived your life for Christ what will matter is whether you placed your trust your faith and your Allegiance in the only one who is
eternal so I urge you let go of the things that will not last let go of the arguments the divisions the bitterness let go of the things that consume you but in the end leave you empty instead turn your heart fully to Jesus invest in what is eternal let your identity your purpose your very life be rooted in him because in the end when everything else has faded away he is the only one who remains this is the sobering truth of James 4:14 it reminds us that our lives are not as long as we think
it reminds us that we cannot count on tomorrow and it calls us to live with purpose to live with urgency and to place our trust in the one who has conquered death and offers us eternal life let us not waste the time we have been given let us live each day as though it were our last not in fear but in faith let us live with our eyes fixed on the Eternal with hearts that are fully surrendered to God because at the end of the day it won't be the parties we belong to the causes
we championed or the opinions we held that matter it will be our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ our commitment to him and our obedience to his call remember your life is a vapor it appears for a moment and then it vanishes away use this Vapor this fleeting moment for God's glory live in such a way that when you stand before him you can say Lord I gave you everything my heart my life my devotion they were all yours [Music]
