C240 11/6/60
© Project Winsome International, 2000

THE MAN ALL AMERICANS SHOULD VOTE FOR
Dr. John Allan Lavender
1 Tim. 2:5

You may not agree with everything I am going to say, but I'm sure there is one thing about which there can be no dispute. The world is in deep disorder The knowledge that mankind now has the capacity to incinerate millions of souls with a single bomb, and that these instruments of incredible disaster will soon be in the hands of moral pygmies who are hell-bent upon having their own way, or else, has given rise to a wave of near hysteria on the one hand, and an empty attitude of "What's the use?" on the other.

The latest cardiogram of humanity's spiritual heartbeat indicates that mankind has suffered a massive moral occlusion which threatens to do it in. So disturbing is the prognosis, many surgeons of statecraft are predicting the imminent demise of civilization, unless something drastic is done. They are calling for a swift injection of reason and sanity to restore the rhythm of humanity's heartbeat.

It is in such a situation and time as this that America finds herself in a position of world leadership. Resting on the shoulders of our great land is not only the safety and security of our own homes and children, but the welfare and well-being of literally billions of souls. We are no longer on our own. Whether we like it or not, destiny has thrown the mantle of responsibility around us, and we must wear it with wisdom, or perish.

This rapidly shrinking world of ours calls for a whole new concept of national purpose. No longer can we act from a base of self-interest, no matter how enlightened that self-interest may be. No longer can we live, and move, and have our being in a social and political vacuum. No longer can we think only of what is good for our "pet" special interest group.

The choices we make not only affect us, but every other living soul upon this planet. For that reason, it is desperately urgent, and incredibly important, that we have at the head of our nation a man who is big enough, strong enough, wise enough, and courageous enough to provide the kind of leadership behind which America can march with confidence. Is there such a man? I believe there is, and he is the subject of my sermon this morning.

My nominee for leader of America is a man who qualifies from every conceivable standpoint.

He Is a Man of Experience.
A man who has been more adequately prepared for leadership than any other candidate in history. A man who has lived under the fire of enemy assault. A man who knows whereof he speaks, because he is intimately acquainted with not only the problems confronting us, but the men behind those problems.

He Is a Man of Maturity.
A man who, under stress and pressure such as few men have faced, remained calm and serene. A man who is capable of taking the insults and slurs of an angry mob without batting an eye. And what is more important, without succumbing to the temptation to return insult for insult.

He Is a Man Who Will Not Lose His Head.
A man who might not act "first and fast," but will act wisely and well, because he is a man of maturity and inner strength.

My Nominee Will Move America Forward.
He knows where he is going and will not be thrown off course by the occasional set-backs which come to all people.

At a time like this we cannot afford to have someone at the helm of our nation who is fearful of our future. This is no time for any would-be leader to go about wringing his hands. The need of the hour is for someone who knows where he is going, and knows so well, he doesn't have to boast or brag about his ability to lead us further and faster than anyone else. He just leads! My nominee will also be best for America because --

He Has a Program of Civil Rights Which Makes Sense.
This is not just a plank in a political platform. His program is, and always has been, the basis of his everyday relationships with people. Cost what it will, he has not been guilty of straddling the fence on this, or any other pressing issue. He is a man of integrity and honor. A man who is deeply distressed by the inequities he sees in society.

He Is a Man Who Has a Sane Domestic Policy.
A policy which offers, not a hand-out, but a helping hand up. Having been raised in a humble home, he knows what it is to be poor. He knows what it is to struggle upward against the tide of difficulty and hardship. While he has demonstrated in both word and deed that he cares about the underprivileged and down-trodden, he will not destroy humanity's initiative by doing for people what they can and should do for themselves. The same can be said about --

The Wisdom of His Enlightened Foreign Policy.
My nominee will not make the mistake of trying to buy friends with money. He knows such a practice can never succeed. Nor does his concept of human brotherhood allow for any nation to exploit another nation for the sake of some personal advantage. Rather, he sees the weak and the strong, the rich and the poor, the literate and the illiterate, all working together as partners, each doing his or her fair share for the sake of the common good.

My Nominee Is a Man Who Knows Human Nature.
Therefore he is qualified to deal with Khrushchev. He has the insight to see that all of the fist pounding, desk-beating and bombastic ultimatums are simply expressions of inner unrest. Distress signals saying, "I wouldn't be this way, if I weren't so miserable inside." Because my nominee is an expert in human nature, he will be able to cope with Khrushchev, Castro, and any other dictator who would try to goad America into hasty, and therefore, foolish action by drenching her in psychotic insults.

He is the Only One Who Really Sees the True Nature of Our Nation's Trouble.
That's why he is the only one who is qualified to lead her.

In his book Further Fables of Our Times, James Thurber, a rather prophetic humorist, tells the story of an old ostrich instructing a class of young ostriches in their own excellences. A skeptic ostrich named Oliver says, "Man can fly sitting down, and we can't fly at all." To which the old ostrich replies witheringly,
"Man is flying too fast for a world that is round. Soon he will catch up
with himself in a great rear-end collision, and man will never know that
what hit man from behind, was man."

Thurber is saying what my nominee has said in speech after speech. Man's real problem is man himself. Or to bring it closer to home, America's real problem is Americans who keep getting in their own way!
The basic trouble facing us is not economic, or military, or even political. It is spiritual. That's why my nominee has lifted his voice in a clarion call back to basic values, and to the poise and power found in them.

I am sure that by now you know who my nominee is. This morning I have not been speaking of Mr. Kennedy. Nor Mr. Nixon. My candidate for The Man All American's Should Vote For, is the One whom Martin Luther called --

The Man of God's Own Choosing! Jesus Christ.
No one can lead America to victory in the present world conflict except the Lord Jesus. No one has either the stature, experience, ability, vision or power to do it but him. The forces arrayed against us are too great. The pitfalls are too many. The possibilities too few, and if we place our hope in any other man, we are doomed to disillusionment and failure.

But -
if, as a nation, we crown Christ "King of Kings and Lord of Lords,"
if, in true repentance, we turn from our wicked ways and humble ourselves and pray,if, with an unsophisticated singleness of purpose, we make it our business to take care of God's business,
God will make it his business to take care of our business!

If America will give herself without reservation and restraint to the Lord Jesus Christ,if she, and that really means you and me, for U. S. spells us, if we will own Jesus as Savior, and honor him as Lord, then America will win! Not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Living God.

How Do We Elect the Man of God's Own Choosing?
How do we make Jesus Christ leader of America? We do it by electing him our leader. The problems of our nation are just my problems and your problems multiplied ten thousandfold. As long as we, as individuals, are content to remain on a low moral and spiritual plane, so will our land. But --

when "we, the people," commit ourselves wholeheartedly to Jesus Christ, and determine to go all out for him,
when we realize the chain of America's spiritual power will be no stronger than the weakest link in that chain, which may be us,
when we wake up to the fact that the best defense is a vital offense, and the only thing capable of stopping the march of atheistic Communism across the earth is an aggressive, determined, dedicated band of God-fearing, Bible-believing, Christ-honoring, Spirit-filled Christians,
when we are willing to let something happen in us and to us, which will move us off of dead center, spiritually speaking,
then, by the grace of God, he will begin to work through us, and we will become veritable islands of healing in a sin weary, sin weakened world.

There is an ancient proverb which says, "If you want a better city, clean up your own backyard."
I would paraphrase that to say, "If you want a stronger America, let Jesus come into your heart."

The answer to the major issues confronting us, lies in us minor actors who play out our roles on the stage of life. We will not have a better world tomorrow, unless we have a better people in the world today.

Which Brings the Choice down to Us.
I urge you to cast your vote for the Lord Jesus Christ. Make him the Lord and leader of your life. As you, and you, and you, and I link hands and hearts with consecrated Christians in other cities, towns, and hamlets across our nation, something redemptive will begin to happen in America.

The redemptive difference we make here, will, in time, spill over to the uttermost parts of the earth, and ultimately, "the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our God and of his Christ."

Need I Point Out the Urgency of Your Vote?
I'm thinking right now of a little boy who got up at seven every morning, by the striking of an old grandfather's clock. One morning the clock malfunctioned and struck one, two, three, four, five, six, seven . . . eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. The little boy jumped out of bed and ran down the hall yelling, "Get up, everybody! It's later than it's ever been!"

He was right, you know. If America does not come to her senses soon, if she does not get off her 'high horse" and down on her knees, if she does not stop fretting about what the world is coming to, and begins obeying the One who is coming to the world, it may be too late. What might have been her finest hour, may become her final hour!A group of mountain climbers were attempting to climb one of the Alps. Everything was going smoothly until they came to a sheer precipice. At that point the guide took out a rope, attached it to himself, and then attached it to each of the climbers. One of them was a novice, and asked, "What's this for?" To which the guide replied, "This is the cord which binds us together. If you fall, I fall. If I fall, you fall. And remember the law of the mountain, the rope is never cut!"

Christ is the cord which binds us together. When we fall, there is a sense in which his cause falls. And when he falls . . . but then . . . . . . . that's not possible!