SERMON NOTES

Who Gets Your Vote? The Ballot and the Throne

It is an interesting week to be living in South Africa. Everywhere you turn, people are talking about elections, leadership, political parties, promises, and the future of the country. Depending on which WhatsApp group you belong to, you may already have been thoroughly saved, sanctified, and delivered from a few family members — because apparently, the closer we get to an election, the more anointed everyone becomes at explaining why everyone else is wrong.

But here is the question worth sitting with this week: what if the most important question is not only who gets your vote, but who has your heart?

There is a difference between choosing a leader for a season and choosing a King for your life. And that distinction is exactly where this conversation needs to begin.

The Church Has a Voice

There has long been an idea that the Church and politics should never be mentioned in the same room — as if raising anything political in a church context crosses some invisible spiritual boundary. And the concern behind that instinct is understandable. We have seen how politics divides families, friendships, and communities. We know how quickly conversations become arguments and how quickly people stop seeing a person and start seeing only the party they support.

But there is an important distinction to be made. The Church should never become a political party. That does not mean the Church should become silent about the world.

We are not called to be a campaign headquarters. We are called to be the people of God — and the people of God have a voice. A voice when we speak about integrity, justice, righteousness, compassion, and the value of human life. A voice when we pray for our nation and stand for what is right. A voice when we remind people that there is a Kingdom greater than any earthly government. The Church was never called to simply watch the world deteriorate and say, well, at least we didn’t get involved. We are called to be salt and light.

And let this be equally clear: there is no perfect political party. There is only One who is perfect. His name is Jesus — the King who never abuses His authority, the Leader who never makes a mistake, the Saviour who never breaks His promises. His character is not shaped by public opinion. His authority does not depend on election results. And His Kingdom will never be voted out of power.

We can pray for whoever leads our nation while remaining completely convinced about who leads our lives.

This Is Not the First Time

This is not the first time God’s people have had to figure out how to live faithfully under a political system they did not choose. Daniel’s story begins precisely there.

Daniel 1 describes a young man who did not wake up one morning and decide he wanted to move to Babylon. He didn’t choose Nebuchadnezzar. He didn’t get to review the policies and decide which ones he preferred. He simply found himself living under a ruler and within a system entirely outside his control. Babylon had its own culture, its own values, its own gods, and its own understanding of power. And now Daniel had to figure out how to remain faithful to the God of Israel while living in that kingdom.

The questions he faced are not so different from ours. How do you remain faithful to God when the world around you doesn’t share your convictions? How do you live with hope when the political landscape feels uncertain? How do you engage with society without allowing society to redefine who you are?

The Ballot Is Temporary. The Throne Is Eternal.

In Daniel 2:20–22, from within Babylon, under a king of enormous military and political power, Daniel speaks these words: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings.”

Nebuchadnezzar had a throne in Babylon. But God had authority over the times and seasons, over the rise and fall of kings, and over the unfolding of history itself. Daniel understood clearly: the king of Babylon was not the King of the universe.

Every election season carries a certain urgency. The advertisements get louder, the promises get bigger, the debates get more heated. And elections do matter — leadership matters, and the decisions made by those in authority have real consequences for real people. We should take that seriously. But understand this: God is God before the election, during the election, and after the election. Whatever the results, the throne of heaven will not be left vacant. An election can change the leadership around you without changing the Lord above you.

When your confidence is anchored in the eternal King, you can be concerned without being consumed. You can be informed without being intimidated.

Living in Babylon Without Becoming Babylon

Daniel’s story goes further. Babylon was not only interested in where these young men lived — it wanted to influence how they thought, what they valued, and who they became. They were given new names, new education, a new cultural identity. The system was actively working to reshape them from the inside.

But Daniel 1:8 records a quiet, decisive moment: “Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself.” He could serve in Babylon without allowing Babylon to become his god. He could learn within the system without surrendering his soul to it.

That is a word for an election season. Don’t let political allegiance become so powerful that you excuse in your own camp what you condemn in someone else’s. Integrity is not integrity if it only applies to the people you disagree with. We can serve our communities, pursue justice, contribute to the wellbeing of our nation, and respect authority while holding leaders accountable — but we must never surrender our worship, our integrity, or our identity to an earthly power. You can live in Babylon without letting Babylon live in you.

The King You Need Is Not on the Ballot

When Jesus stood before Pilate, He stood before a man who represented the full political and military weight of Rome. Pilate had authority over the proceedings. Caesar had an empire. And yet standing in that courtroom was the One through whom all things were created.

Jesus told Pilate in John 18:36: “My kingdom is not of this world.” He was not another candidate campaigning for a temporary position. He had come to do what no earthly ruler ever could — to deal with the problem beneath all our other problems.

Governments can make laws, but they cannot make a sinful heart righteous. Policies can shape society, but they cannot purchase our salvation. No election can accomplish what Jesus accomplished at the cross. We need leaders who act with integrity, we need justice, we need accountability, we need people who will serve our communities faithfully. But above all, we need Jesus.

It is possible to spend so much time debating who should lead the nation that you never get around to surrendering your own life to the One who is King.

So pray for your leaders. Participate responsibly. Stand for justice, truth, and compassion. Be salt and light wherever God has placed you. And let your peace not be determined by the headlines, your hope not defined by election results, and your faith not shaken by the circumstances around you.

The ballot is temporary. The throne is eternal. And Jesus Christ is still King.