Are Nations Accountable to God? Our Vote and the Future of our Country

1 The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

² And he said:
“The Lord roars from Zion
and utters his voice from Jerusalem;
the pastures of the shepherds mourn,
and the top of Carmel withers.”

• Damascus (Syria) – vv. 3-5
• Gaza (Philistia) – vv. 6-8
• Tyre (Phoenicia) – vv. 9-10
• Edom – vv. 11-12
• Ammon – vv. 13-15
• Moab – 2:1-3

⁴ Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Judah,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they have rejected the law of the Lord,
and have not kept his statutes,
but their lies have led them astray,
those after which their fathers walked.
⁵ So I will send a fire upon Judah,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”
⁶ Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Israel,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they sell the righteous for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals—
⁷ those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth
and turn aside the way of the afflicted;
a man and his father go in to the same girl,
so that my holy name is profaned;
⁸ they lay themselves down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge,
and in the house of their God they drink
the wine of those who have been fined. (Amos 2:4-8)

1. God is over all nations.

God reigns over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne. (Psalm 47:8, ESV)

2. God will hold all nations .

3. God will nations that dishonor and disobey him.

4. God will nations that honor and obey him.

Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a reproach to any people. (Proverbs 14:34, ESV)

5. At his coming, Jesus will and over all nations.

¹¹ Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. ¹² His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. ¹³ He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. ¹⁵ From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. (Revelation 19:11-16, ESV)

“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,
and to God the things that are God’s.”
(Matthew 22:21b, ESV)

1. As Christian citizens, we can help determine the future of our country by biblical .

2. As we consider for whom we will vote, we should evaluate carefully and prayerfully:

(1) The Person – “Does this candidate have a track record of integrity and skill, character and competence?”

(2) Their Partners – “With whom does this candidate associate? Who are his supporters, allies, and closest confidants?”

(3) Their Party – “With which political party does this candidate identify, and what are the platform positions of that party?”

(4) Their – “What actions has this candidate taken or promised to take on a variety of public policy issues?”

(5) Their – “What is the judicial philosophy guiding the nominations this candidate will make or will vote to confirm to be judges and justices?”

3. As we consider for whom we will vote, we should be guided by four foundational biblical values that lead to human flourishing and God’s blessing on a nation:

(1) The value of human .

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
(Genesis 1:27, ESV)

We should vote to protect and defend innocent, human life – from the moment of conception to natural death.

(2) The value of .

3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:3-6, ESV)

We should vote to honor marriage as the union of one man and one woman in covenant commitment.

(3) The value of .

For freedom Christ has set us free (Galatians 5:1a, ESV)

We should vote to protect and defend religious liberty, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly.

(4) The value of and , and equal justice under law for all.

Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. (1 Peter 2:13-14, ESV)

We should vote to support law, order, and equal justice.