The Election of All Elections

Given on
by
Given in
Downloads
Print
In our society, the President of the United States enters office only after being elected. What is an election and how does this principle apply to Christians?
UCG Sermon
chosen
elect
Stir up love and good works

Presenter's Notes

Coming up to today, I was torn between giving a message related to Halloween or related to the upcoming presidential election. Both topics are timely, both topics can provide us insight for comparing the ways of this world with God’s ways. And, let’s face it, both topics can be very, very SCARY.

Well, I decided to go with something related to the latter, hopefully for your encouragement.

“The Election of All Elections”

Here in the United States, the people of America who choose to will vote for their favorite candidate this Tuesday.

First, the public votes. In the US, we don't actually vote for the President, we vote for the members of the Electoral College. The popular vote will happen on November 6th this year

The electoral college is made up of selected voters in each state, the sum of which equals the number of representatives plus senators for each state, and these will vote on December 17th this year. This is when the next president is actually elected.

Then, on January 20th of 2013 the President-elect gets sworn in as President of the United States of America (if he’s not already president).

So, technically, we don't actually have a President-elect until December 17th. And then this person will not actually hold the office of President until January 20th, 2013, when sworn into office.

So, what does the term, “elect”, mean?

Webster’s

Adj.

  1. chosen; taken by preference from two or more.
  2. in theology, chosen by God for salvation and eternal life.
  3. chosen, but not yet inaugurated or invested with office; as, mayor-elect.

Did you know that you have already been elected to office?

1 Thessalonians 1: 2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 4 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.

Romans 11:7; Titus 1:1

Elect - 1588 eklektos ek-lek-tos' from 1586; select; by implication, favorite:--chosen, elect. see GREEK for 1586

But what should happen if, between election and inauguration, the president-elect should die or fail to qualify?

Section 3 of the 20th Amendment:

Section 3. If at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President-elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

Wikipedia

Orland Steen Loomis
Known for Elected Governor of Wisconsin, but died before taking office
Title     Governor-elect of Wisconsin

Orland Steen "Spike" Loomis (November 2, 1893 – December 7, 1942), after narrowly losing the 1940 election for Governor of Wisconsin as a Progressive, Loomis ran again in 1942, defeating the incumbent Governor Julius Heil. He died suddenly of a heart attack a month before he was to take office, and the Republican Lieutenant Governor Walter Samuel Goodland served all of Loomis's term as acting governor.

You and I need every tool available to us that reminds us of our integrated connection to the body of Christ, of our intimate, direct connection to God, and one of those things is to understand the meaning, as in present value, of our election.

It is important, however, to understand clearly that election is not the office or award.

Revelation 17: 12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

Chosen = 1588 eklektos ek-lek-tos' from 1586; select; by implication, favorite:--chosen, elect. see GREEK for 1586

Faithful = 4103 pistos pis-tos' from 3982; objectively, trustworthy; subjectively, trustful:--believe(-ing, -r), faithful(-ly), sure, true. see GREEK for 3982

2 Timothy 2: 8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained. 10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

“may obtain the salvation”

1 Peter 1: 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and a sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

2 Peter 1: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Election is a done deal that still requires the elected to live according to the expectations of the office to which is awaited inauguration.

Kelly M Irvin

Kelly Irvin, who attends in Northwest Arkansas, is a horticulturist by trade, and spent ten years in fruit and vegetable breeding research before becoming a stay-at-home dad who now owns and maintains a flower bulb nursery for retail sales. Mr. Irvin believes he expresses thoughts and ideas best through writing and is especially interested in using this resource of communication to share the value of God's way with others.

In 1987, Mr. Irvin received an Associate of Arts degree in Theology at Ambassador College in Big Sandy, TX, after which he went on to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture from Texas A&M University (1990). While serving full-time in vegetable breeding research at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, he then completed via the slow track a Master of Science degree in Horticulture (1999).