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Voddie Baucham - Politics and Biblical Authority Part 3 On Exercise of Authority · Voddie Baucham Sermons

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  Speaker 1: As we continue in Romans chapter 13, look at these
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  Speaker 1: first seven verses. We've come to verses three and four.
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  Speaker 1: We looked at an overview really of the very idea
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  Speaker 1: of politics and how we approach politics and how we
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  Speaker 1: engage politics and how we think about politics. We looked
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  Speaker 1: at some of the presuppositions that we have inherited from
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  Speaker 1: our culture and from our past. And then the next segment,
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  Speaker 1: we looked at our submission to authority in those first
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  Speaker 1: two verses, recognizing that all authority comes from God, that
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  Speaker 1: our submission to authority is always by proxy as we
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  Speaker 1: submit to those human authorities that God has placed in
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  Speaker 1: our life as our submission to him. And that because
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  Speaker 1: of that rebellion against those authorities is rebellion against God,
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  Speaker 1: how our submission to authority is absolute but limited, and
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  Speaker 1: that there are times when we cannot obey an authority
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  Speaker 1: who requires what God forbids or forbids what God requires.
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  Speaker 1: And during those times, our response is to appeal to
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  Speaker 1: authority when necessary and And should the opportunity arise to
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  Speaker 1: confront authority. And as a last resort, to defy authority.
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  Speaker 1: All the while in all of those phases, recognizing that
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  Speaker 1: it may cost us the loss of property, liberty, or life.
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  Speaker 1: But that God is still indeed in control. This week
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  Speaker 1: we turn the corner and we look at the exercise
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  Speaker 1: of authority. Authority. In verses 3 and 4. This is
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  Speaker 1: often overlooked in Romans chapter 13. Again, the usual way
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  Speaker 1: that Romans chapter 13 is discussed among Christians in our
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  Speaker 1: culture is basically Romans 13. Close your mouth and submit.
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  Speaker 1: That's all that's there in Romans chapter 13. Close your
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  Speaker 1: mouth and submit. Whatever the government does is right. And
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  Speaker 1: that's government. We're church. You know, they have nothing to
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  Speaker 1: do with us. We have nothing to do with them.
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  Speaker 1: We're not political, so on and so forth, so just
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  Speaker 1: be quiet and submit. But in verses 3 and 4,
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  Speaker 1: God has much to say about the exercise of authority.
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  Speaker 1: God gives us clear instructions as to what those in
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  Speaker 1: authority are required to do. How those in authority are
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  Speaker 1: required to exercise their authority. And because of this, These
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  Speaker 1: two verses dispel many myths that exist about politics and
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  Speaker 1: the Christian. The first myth is this. It dispels the
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  Speaker 1: myth of political nihilism. The idea that politics don't matter, unimportant.
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  Speaker 1: It's just all terrible anyway. It's all corrupted anyway. This
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  Speaker 1: dispels that myth because right here in God's Word, right
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  Speaker 1: here in the New Testament magnum opus on justification and sanctification,
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  Speaker 1: the Apostle Paul takes the time to discuss the issue
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  Speaker 1: of politics and government. So he dispels that. It does matter.
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  Speaker 1: It also dispels the myth of political Pelagianism. Political Pelagianism
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  Speaker 1: is a term that I like to use to sort
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  Speaker 1: of categorize those people who believe, you know, like Pelagius.
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  Speaker 1: Pelagian heresy was basically that man was somewhat corrupted by
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  Speaker 1: the fall, but not completely corrupted by the fall. And
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  Speaker 1: because of that, he could reason his way to God.
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  Speaker 1: And there are many people who call themselves Calvinists, but
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  Speaker 1: when it comes to politics, they're Pelagian because they believe
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  Speaker 1: that corrupt man doesn't need the Bible in order to
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  Speaker 1: govern rightly. that we Christians just need to leave them
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  Speaker 1: alone and they'll figure it out. That's political Pelagianism. We
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  Speaker 1: have the Word of God, but the Word of God
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  Speaker 1: doesn't say anything to the subject. They don't need the
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  Speaker 1: Word of God on the subject. They're outside of the
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  Speaker 1: realm of God's authority. Let them go out there and
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  Speaker 1: do politics because you can do politics without the Word
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  Speaker 1: of God. That's political Pelagianism. Paul dispels that myth here
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  Speaker 1: in this text because he speaks clearly to what the
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  Speaker 1: responsibility is of those who govern. It also dispels the
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  Speaker 1: myth of political syncretism. Political syncretism happens when we try
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  Speaker 1: to sort of merge and enmesh the worship of God
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  Speaker 1: and the service of the state, all sort of rolled
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  Speaker 1: up into one as though there are no distinctions whatsoever
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  Speaker 1: between There are distinctions. And this makes that clear, that
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  Speaker 1: those distinctions exist. And it also dispels the myth of
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  Speaker 1: the poisonous combination of these things. Think about this. Conservative
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  Speaker 1: Bible-believing Christians who believe that the Bible is the Word
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  Speaker 1: of God who believe that Christ is King of kings
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  Speaker 1: and Lord of lords. It's ironic that people would use
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  Speaker 1: that phrase and then say that Jesus has nothing to
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  Speaker 1: do with politics. You know who kings are? You know
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  Speaker 1: who lords are? They're political figures. He's the King of kings.
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  Speaker 1: He's the Lord of lords. We believe that wholeheartedly, that
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  Speaker 1: the Bible is true. It is the Word of God.
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  Speaker 1: And at the same time, we believe either in political nihilism,
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  Speaker 1: that that stuff over there is corrupt, it doesn't matter,
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  Speaker 1: can't get any better. Or, you know, somehow political Pelagianism,
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  Speaker 1: they'll figure it out without the Word of God. And
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  Speaker 1: then on the other hand, there are people who have
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  Speaker 1: corrupt doctrine, who do not believe the Bible is the
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  Speaker 1: Word of God, who are governed by other philosophies and theologies,
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  Speaker 1: who are allowed to run rampant and promote their theology
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  Speaker 1: as the one that teaches the magistrate how to govern.
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  Speaker 1: God help us. God help us. So what does that
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  Speaker 1: look like? You know, we have a perfect example of that.
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  Speaker 1: There is right now. And this is a controversial thing,
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  Speaker 1: and I think it's so funny. This is a controversial
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  Speaker 1: thing among Christians. Right now we got, you know, there's
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  Speaker 1: a monument. in Washington, D.C., to a pastor that nobody
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  Speaker 1: thinks of as a pastor. Why? Because he's part of
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  Speaker 1: the political syncretism movement, combining the pulpit and politics in
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  Speaker 1: such a way that he is known not for his preaching,
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  Speaker 1: but for his I Have a Dream speech. Isn't it
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  Speaker 1: amazing that in a country where today, if someone who
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  Speaker 1: believes the Bible gets involved in some of these issues,
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  Speaker 1: the immediate response is, you need to be quiet and
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  Speaker 1: go back where you came from, but there's a monument
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  Speaker 1: to a pastor in D.C. Why? Because he wasn't about
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  Speaker 1: the gospel. That's why. He's a political figure. That's why.
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  Speaker 1: And the legacy that he has left is the legacy
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  Speaker 1: of the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world
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  Speaker 1: who hold the title reverend over black people's heads so
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  Speaker 1: that they can be trusted religious figures and do things
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  Speaker 1: politically that run completely counter to the gospel. Yes, that
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  Speaker 1: just happened. But that's what happens. And all of a
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  Speaker 1: sudden it's like, you know, there's political syncretism and we
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  Speaker 1: got to, you know, that's what they're doing over there.
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  Speaker 1: We got to stay over here. We can't speak to
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  Speaker 1: that issue. And now we have an entire legacy. By
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  Speaker 1: the way, why do I bring this up? Because I
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  Speaker 1: just want to, you know, be messy and say stuff
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  Speaker 1: that's controversial. No, I want you to watch this very carefully.
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  Speaker 1: What was the essence of Dr. King's theology and political philosophy?
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  Speaker 1: It was black liberation theology, which is rooted in in Marxism. Now,
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  Speaker 1: black liberation theology rooted in Marxism led to the growth
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  Speaker 1: of his movement and the growth of these men who
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  Speaker 1: call themselves pastors only so they can hold sway in
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  Speaker 1: the black political community. Why is that significant? Well, one
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  Speaker 1: of the sons of that movement is a pastor by
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  Speaker 1: the name of Jeremiah Wright. Jeremiah Wright stands in the
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  Speaker 1: tradition of Martin Luther King, black liberation theology, an open
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  Speaker 1: Marxist who discipled a man for 20 years who is
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  Speaker 1: now our president, who is currently operating in accordance with
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  Speaker 1: black liberation theology and Marxism, exercising his theology and his
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  Speaker 1: faith in the office of the president. While conservative Christians say,
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  Speaker 1: it's not a place for us. Let's marinate on that
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  Speaker 1: for a moment. This text also helps us understand the
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  Speaker 1: limits of of governmental jurisdiction. There are limits of governmental jurisdiction.
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  Speaker 1: We've said this before, but it bears repeating. The home
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  Speaker 1: bears the rod of correction. The church wields the keys
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  Speaker 1: to the kingdom. The state wields the sword. Those are
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  Speaker 1: jurisdictions that God has ordained and that must be respected.
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  Speaker 1: And as we've said before, here's what we can't do.
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  Speaker 1: We can't say that on the one hand, we have,
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  Speaker 1: you know, the home and its jurisdiction that is checked
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  Speaker 1: by outside jurisdictions, which both the church and the state
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  Speaker 1: check the jurisdiction of the home. So if within the home...
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  Speaker 1: That jurisdiction is being abused. There's a parent abusing a
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  Speaker 1: child or a child abusing a parent who's later on
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  Speaker 1: in life or whatever. If that's happening, then the state
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  Speaker 1: comes in and exercises its authority against that individual who's
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  Speaker 1: abusing their jurisdiction. Or if that's happening and the church
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  Speaker 1: sees that abuse of jurisdiction, then the church comes in
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  Speaker 1: and responds. and disciplines an individual for the usurpation of
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  Speaker 1: that jurisdiction. If the state is doing something, if the church,
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  Speaker 1: for example, is doing something that's out of line and
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  Speaker 1: is running up against the laws of the state, then
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  Speaker 1: the state comes in and says, no, you can't do this.
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  Speaker 1: But there are Christians who think it's fine for the
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  Speaker 1: jurisdiction of the home and the jurisdiction of the church
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  Speaker 1: to be checked when they're out of whack, who would
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  Speaker 1: argue that there's no one who's supposed to check the
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  Speaker 1: jurisdiction of the state. That dog won't hunt. God did
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  Speaker 1: not make two institutions with limited jurisdiction and one that
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  Speaker 1: could do whatever it pleased. It's not what he created.
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  Speaker 1: The jurisdiction of the state has limits and must be
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  Speaker 1: checked as well. Thirdly, We also see the limits of
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  Speaker 1: governmental influence. The limits of governmental influence. And here's where
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  Speaker 1: political syncretism goes wrong. The government is not responsible for
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  Speaker 1: the Great Commission. The government is not the place where
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  Speaker 1: we fulfill the Great Commission. By the way, neither is
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  Speaker 1: the home. The Great Commission is the commission of the church. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: but I thought in my home I was supposed to. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: you are. But you do that under the jurisdiction of
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  Speaker 1: the church as a member of the church. You don't
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  Speaker 1: do that independently of the church. The Great Commission is
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  Speaker 1: given to the church. It's not given to the state.
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  Speaker 1: So when we try to use the state in order
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  Speaker 1: to expand the kingdom of God, we have erred. We've erred.
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  Speaker 1: When we try to exercise our authority, let's say we
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  Speaker 1: become a member of the government or whatever, and we're
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  Speaker 1: exercising government authority, and we try to use our authority
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  Speaker 1: in a great commission kind of way and use our
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  Speaker 1: office in order to expand the kingdom of God as
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  Speaker 1: an officer of the state, we're out of line. We're
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  Speaker 1: out of line. Do I as an individual proclaim the
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  Speaker 1: gospel regardless of which one of those offices I hold? Yes.
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  Speaker 1: But I don't use my office for that cause. So
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  Speaker 1: if your goal is the advance of the gospel, there's
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  Speaker 1: a place for that. It's called the church. Well, what
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  Speaker 1: am I doing then as a Christian with my life
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  Speaker 1: if I'm serving in one of these offices? Great commandment.
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  Speaker 1: You're doing good to your fellow man because he's made
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  Speaker 1: in the image of God. So if you desire to
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  Speaker 1: serve your fellow man because he's made in the image
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  Speaker 1: of God, and you want to benefit him because he's
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  Speaker 1: made in the image of God, the exercise of political
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  Speaker 1: authority may be a wonderful place for you to go
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  Speaker 1: and do that. God bless you. Get after it. Do it,
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  Speaker 1: and do it extremely well. Do it better than anybody else.
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  Speaker 1: But what does it look like when you do it?
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  Speaker 1: That's where Paul informs us in verses 3 and 4.
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  Speaker 1: Let's go back again to verse 1. Let every person
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  Speaker 1: be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no
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  Speaker 1: authority except from God, and those that exist have been
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  Speaker 1: instituted by God. Therefore, because these authorities come from God,
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  Speaker 1: because they've been instituted by God, therefore... Whoever resists the
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  Speaker 1: authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist
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  Speaker 1: will incur judgment. Now, again, he's talking about temporal judgment here,
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  Speaker 1: not eschatological judgment. He's talking about temporal judgment. Now, that
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  Speaker 1: temporal judgment is sort of a foreshadowing and a picture
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  Speaker 1: of the idea of eschatological judgment, but it's not the same.
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  Speaker 1: Verse 3, 4, rulers are not... rulers are not paul's
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  Speaker 1: making a statement about what rulers are and what rulers
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  Speaker 1: are not the bible takes speaks to what rulers are
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  Speaker 1: supposed to do and what they're supposed to be not
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  Speaker 1: just in theocratic israel paul is not speaking to a
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  Speaker 1: theocracy here rulers are not a terror to good conscience
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  Speaker 1: but to bad would you have no fear of the
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  Speaker 1: one who is in authority then do what is good
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  Speaker 1: and you will receive his approval for he is God's
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  Speaker 1: servant for your good. Folks, he's talking about Rome. What
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  Speaker 1: are you talking about, Paul? Are you talking about some
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  Speaker 1: theoretical government in the future? that exists, you know, based
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  Speaker 1: on biblical principles and biblical foundations. Is that what this is, Paul?
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  Speaker 1: Are you talking about a government that we establish someday
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  Speaker 1: as Christians somewhere in the world? Certainly that's what you're
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  Speaker 1: talking about. No, Paul's talking about right now, right here, everywhere.
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  Speaker 1: The Roman government. Paul knows nothing of America. Amen. He
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  Speaker 1: knows nothing of America. By the way, John knew nothing
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  Speaker 1: of America. All these people want to go to Revelation
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  Speaker 1: and find America. This is not the new Jerusalem. This
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  Speaker 1: place is going to burn. Amen. It's going to burn.
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  Speaker 1: This is not the be-all, the end-all, folks. Paul's talking
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  Speaker 1: about Rome. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for
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  Speaker 1: he does not bear the sword in vain. For he
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  Speaker 1: is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out
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  Speaker 1: God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Wow! Therefore, one must be
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  Speaker 1: in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath, but also
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  Speaker 1: for the sake of conscience. For because of this, you
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  Speaker 1: also pay taxes on for authorities or ministers of God
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  Speaker 1: attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is
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  Speaker 1: owed to them, taxes to whom tax are owed, revenue
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  Speaker 1: to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed,
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  Speaker 1: honor to whom honor is owed. So in this even
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  Speaker 1: we see the universality of governmental responsibility before God. Paul
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  Speaker 1: is not saying in the event that there's ever a
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  Speaker 1: Christian government, this is how government officials are supposed to
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  Speaker 1: conduct themselves. Paul is speaking in universal terms about every
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  Speaker 1: person everywhere in every time in history who has ever
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  Speaker 1: or will ever hold an office of authority in any
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  Speaker 1: governmental structure. Let's be clear about that, okay? Let's be
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  Speaker 1: clear about that. By the way, this is an important point.
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  Speaker 1: You'll see the importance of it later, but first let
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  Speaker 1: me demonstrate the point. The apostle does not say, The
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  Speaker 1: Christian ruler is a servant of God for your good.
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  Speaker 1: He's speaking about any ruler. He is here giving instruction
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  Speaker 1: to those who would rule. Now, as I say this, again,
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  Speaker 1: our tendency is to think, you know, yeah, but that's,
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  Speaker 1: isn't that really just what we believe? That's what people
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  Speaker 1: believe all over the world. Even the radical secularist of
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  Speaker 1: our day believe the same thing in fact let me
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  Speaker 1: read some excerpts for you this is from a speech
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  Speaker 1: on october 1st by our president and listen to this
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  Speaker 1: and as you listen to this here's what i want
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  Speaker 1: you to keep in mind so-called secularists want us to
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  Speaker 1: believe that what they want is the separation of church
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  Speaker 1: and state what they want is religion out of politics
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  Speaker 1: what they believe is that you cannot legislate morality That's
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  Speaker 1: their argument. And again, remember we've already defined those terms.
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  Speaker 1: If you mean by you cannot legislate morality, you cannot
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  Speaker 1: make a law that will make people moral, yes. If
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  Speaker 1: you mean by you cannot legislate morality, that you cannot
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  Speaker 1: make laws that are moral, no. Morality is the only
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  Speaker 1: thing you can legislate. Everything that we legislate is morality.
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  Speaker 1: You cannot divorce morality from politics. You cannot divorce religion
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  Speaker 1: from politics. Now listen to this in light of that.
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  Speaker 1: He is speaking to the human rights campaigns. one of
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  Speaker 1: the largest homosexual advocacy groups in the world every single
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  Speaker 1: american gay straight lesbian bisexual transgender every single american deserves
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  Speaker 1: to be treated equally in the eyes of the law
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  Speaker 1: and in the eyes of our society that's morality by
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  Speaker 1: the way it's also religion that's a religious conviction of
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  Speaker 1: his He goes on, but we can be proud of
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  Speaker 1: the progress we've made these past two and a half years.
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  Speaker 1: Think about it. Two years ago, I stood at this
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  Speaker 1: podium in this room before you, before many of you,
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  Speaker 1: and I made a pledge. I said I would never
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  Speaker 1: counsel patience, that I wasn't, that it wasn't right to
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  Speaker 1: tell you to be patient any more than it was
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  Speaker 1: right for others to tell African Americans to be patient
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  Speaker 1: in the fight for equal rights a half a century ago.
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  Speaker 1: We are going to succeed in We are going to
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  Speaker 1: build a more perfect union. So let's see what happened.
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  Speaker 1: I met with Judy Shepard. I promised her that we
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  Speaker 1: would pass a hate crimes bill named for her son, Matthew.
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  Speaker 1: And with the help of my dear friend, Ted Kennedy,
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  Speaker 1: we got it done. Many question whether we succeed in
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  Speaker 1: repealing don't ask, don't tell. And yes, it took two
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  Speaker 1: years to get the repeal through Congress. We had to
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  Speaker 1: hold the coalition together. We had to keep up the pressure.
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  Speaker 1: We took flak from all over the place. It says
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  Speaker 1: we got it done all around the world. You've got
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  Speaker 1: gays and lesbians who are serving. And the only difference
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  Speaker 1: is now they can put a family photo up. No
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  Speaker 1: one has to live and serve the country they love
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  Speaker 1: in secret. I vowed to keep up the fight against
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  Speaker 1: the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. There's a bill to
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  Speaker 1: repeal this discriminatory law in Congress, and I want to
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  Speaker 1: see it passed. But until we reach that day, my
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  Speaker 1: administration is no longer defending DOMA in the courts. I
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  Speaker 1: believe the law runs counter to the Constitution, and it's
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  Speaker 1: time for it to end once and for all. Let
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  Speaker 1: me go down to the end. Ultimately, these debates we're
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  Speaker 1: having are about more than just politics. They're about more
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  Speaker 1: than the polls and the pundits and who's up and
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  Speaker 1: who's down. This is a contest of values. That's what's
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  Speaker 1: at stake. This is a fundamental debate about who we
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  Speaker 1: are as a nation. There's a final paragraph, and then
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  Speaker 1: he says, thank you very much, everybody. God loves. Bless you.
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  Speaker 1: That's theology. Black liberation theology. That's morals. What's right. What's true.
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  Speaker 1: What's fair. It always has been. And it always will.
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  Speaker 1: will be. It is not possible to govern apart from theology, religion, morality,
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  Speaker 1: and ethics. Politics don't exist out there in a vacuum
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  Speaker 1: that somehow fails to encompass who we are as moral
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: and ethical and religious people. It does not. God knows that.
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: That's why here in these two verses, Paul expressly tells
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: those who govern, here's what your job is before God. Yeah,
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: but that's only if they're Christians, right? In the Old Testament,
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: God spoke to the issue of unjust scales, not just
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: among his people, but against all people. when it comes
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: to the failure to honor God listen to this Daniel
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: chapter 5 you remember Belshazzar is the king and he
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: goes and he having a wild night in the castle
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: and he says go bring me all that stuff that
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: we took out of Israel out of their temple go
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: bring me that stuff And they're drinking out of goblets
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: and they're carousing with all of these things. And listen
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: to what he says. And then all of a sudden
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: a hand appears and some handwriting appears on the wall.
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: He said, go get me somebody who can interpret this.
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: There's nobody who can interpret this. The queen mother remembers Daniel.
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: Daniel's been off the scene for a while. He's an
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: old man now. Go get Daniel. Daniel comes in and
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: he interprets what's on the wall. What is it? Meany, meany,
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: tackle parson. You've been weighed and found wanting, he says.
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: But watch this. Watch what Daniel says. And you, his son,
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: Nebuchadnezzar's son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: knew all this, what God did with Nebuchadnezzar. But you
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven, and
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: the vessels of his house have been brought in before you.
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: And you and your lords, your wives, your concubines have
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: of silver and gold and of bronze and iron and
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know,
• 27:09
  Speaker 1: but the God in whose hand is your breath and
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: whose are all your ways you have not honored. He
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: says you're going to die because you as a king
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: have not honored God. But wait a minute. He's not
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: a Hebrew. Certainly God would not expect government officials who
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: do not openly identify with him to honor him. Listen
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: to me, folks. God is not running for God. He
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: does not need your vote to demand your allegiance. All
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: authority comes from God. Every king, every ruler will bow
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: before God. Oppression of the poor. Ezekiel 16 49 behold
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: this was the guilt of your sister Sodom not Israel
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: not Judah Sodom this was the guilt of your sister
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: Sodom she and her daughters had pride excess of food
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: and prosperous ease but did not aid the poor and
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: needy not they didn't come to me in faith They
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: didn't do what God requires of every person who governs.
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: In the New Testament, how can we read in Romans
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: chapter 2 that God will render to each one according
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: to his works and somehow believe that God is going
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: to judge all men according to the works that they
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: have done or have left undone, but somehow those who
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: govern are not going to be judged by the way
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: they governed. It just doesn't follow, folks. There is a
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: way that you must govern. So today, follow this. Number one,
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: God's going to hold those in power accountable for how
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: they serve Him through their office. Let me say that again.
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: God is going to hold those in power accountable for
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: how they serve Him in their office. Every man, every
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: woman who holds an office is going to be judged
• 29:33
  Speaker 1: by God according to whether or not what they do
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: looks like Romans 13, 3 and 4. Two, we know
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: what they need to know in order to serve appropriately.
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: We know what they need to know in order to
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: serve appropriately. Three, we want to be a blessing in
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: to those who lead us, and to those whom they lead,
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: especially since we are among those whom they lead. Amen?
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: Does this follow so far? Four, we want them to
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: be a blessing to us, which means, five, we must
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: tell them what we know. How can we not do that?
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: How can we sit here and go, oh, sheriff, God's
• 30:22
  Speaker 1: going to get you. Because you're not serving in accordance
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: with what God said. No, no, no, I'm not going
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: to tell you because you know you're the state, I'm
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: the church. I'm not going to tell you, but God's
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: going to get you. Folks, that's evil. It's evil, pure
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: and simple. How can I know what God requires of
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: those in leadership and not speak to that which God
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: requires of those in leadership? I cannot do that. It
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: makes absolutely no sense. And that's why political Pelagianism cannot
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: be the way we look at the world. We also
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: see here the exercise of governmental authority. Let's get here
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: more carefully. Government authority is service to God and one's
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: fellow men. Look at verse 3 and 4 again carefully.
• 31:13
  Speaker 1: For the rulers are not a terror to good conduct
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: but to bad. Would you have no fear of the
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: one who is in authority? Then do what is good
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: and you will receive his approval for he is God's
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be
• 31:32
  Speaker 1: afraid for he does not bear the sword in vain
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: for he is the servant of God, an avenger who
• 31:38
  Speaker 1: carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. He is God's servant.
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: He is servant of God. He carries out God's wrath.
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: And again, this is Rome, people. Those who serve in
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: a position of governmental authority are serving God. They can
• 32:01
  Speaker 1: serve Him well or they can serve Him poorly, but
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: their authority comes from God. They're serving God. Therefore, any
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: man seeking public office ought to seek to acknowledge God.
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: And anyone casting a vote for a man seeking public
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: office ought to inquire as to whether he acknowledges God
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: and don't vote for him if he doesn't. How could
• 32:32
  Speaker 1: you if you believe this? You know his job description.
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: How can you know the job description? God's servant, servant
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: of God, executing God's wrath. How can you know that
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: in his job description and not care what his theology is?
• 32:50
  Speaker 1: Not care if he acknowledges God. Not care if he
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: actually believes that his role is to be a servant
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: of Almighty God. These distinctions between what's good and what's
• 33:05
  Speaker 1: bad have to be made based on God's truth. So
• 33:09
  Speaker 1: you don't get to, you know, sort of pervert this.
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: Obama's not going to get to stand before God and say, listen, God,
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: I promoted homosexuality because that was my truth. Wrong answer.
• 33:29
  Speaker 1: God is the one who makes the determination between good
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: behavior and bad behavior, which means any man who would
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: seek to serve in public office, who is to serve God,
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: must not only acknowledge God, but must know what God
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: says about what's right and what's wrong. Listen to this.
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: I've read from this statement before, from this document before,
• 34:07
  Speaker 1: the agreement of the settlers at Exeter in New Hampshire
• 34:10
  Speaker 1: in 1639. Listen to the oath of office for a
• 34:14
  Speaker 1: public official. You shall swear by the great and dreadful
• 34:20
  Speaker 1: name of the high God, maker and governor of heaven
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: and earth, and by the Lord Jesus Christ, the prince
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: of the kings and rulers of the earth, that in
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: his name and fear you will rule and govern his
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: people according to the righteous will of God, ministering justice
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: and judgment on the workers of iniquity and ministering due
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: encouragement and countenance to well-doers. Protecting of the people so
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: far as in you lieth by the help of God
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: from foreign annoyance and inward disturbance that they may live
• 34:54
  Speaker 1: a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: So God be helpful and gracious to you and yours
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: in Christ Jesus. Amen. That's the oath of office, folks.
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: Do you understand that you're a servant of God? You
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: must make a distinction between good conduct and bad conduct.
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: He has to. Because the Bible says he's supposed to
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: encourage good conduct and execute God's wrath upon bad conduct.
• 35:38
  Speaker 1: He has to make a distinction between good conduct and
• 35:40
  Speaker 1: bad conduct. By the way, our president does that in
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: his speech. Good conduct, open homosexuality in the military. Bad conduct,
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: don't ask, don't tell. Good conduct, don't have DOMA. Bad conduct,
• 36:07
  Speaker 1: stand for the defense of marriage. He's making a distinction
• 36:12
  Speaker 1: between good conduct and bad conduct. That's what all governors do.
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: And the reason that I want you to hear that,
• 36:18
  Speaker 1: the reason that I want to lift that for you
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: is because oftentimes when we get here and start making
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: these distinctions and say, this is what a governor is
• 36:24
  Speaker 1: supposed to do. This is what a person in power
• 36:26
  Speaker 1: is supposed to do. People sit back and they go, yeah, well,
• 36:29
  Speaker 1: you're a Christian. You're holding everybody to your standard. No,
• 36:31
  Speaker 1: I'm holding everybody to God's standard. But newsflash, this is
• 36:35
  Speaker 1: how people govern regardless of whether they've read Romans 13.
• 36:44
  Speaker 1: They make a distinction between what is good conduct and
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: what is bad conduct. One, not only must this distinction
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: be made based upon God's truth, but the person must
• 37:02
  Speaker 1: view himself as acting in God's authority when he does
• 37:08
  Speaker 1: what he does. He must praise and reward God good conduct.
• 37:16
  Speaker 1: And he must execute swift vengeance against bad conduct. By
• 37:25
  Speaker 1: the way, when you hear this, I want you to
• 37:28
  Speaker 1: know something. We are far less religious here than the
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: culture at large. I haven't said anything here about people's souls,
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: their salvation, and the governor's got to, you know, read this.
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: I haven't said anything here about that. Nothing here about that.
• 37:45
  Speaker 1: But just follow me for a moment. Because our culture
• 37:50
  Speaker 1: at large is very religious when it comes to these
• 37:52
  Speaker 1: matters and the execution of justice. In what way? Well,
• 37:57
  Speaker 1: social justice and wealth redistribution. What is that? That is
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: an attempt to to forcibly execute the laws of the
• 38:07
  Speaker 1: Old Testament as it relates to the way we treat
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: the poor. But they want God out of politics. Hate
• 38:19
  Speaker 1: crimes legislation. What is that? That is judging the intentions
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: of a man's heart based upon a distinction that you
• 38:27
  Speaker 1: can only make if you have a biblical framework. Hate crimes?
• 38:35
  Speaker 1: Hate is something that a person has in their heart. Rehabilitation.
• 38:44
  Speaker 1: Where does that come from? That's not Romans 13. The
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: Bible knows nothing of rehabilitation outside of regeneration. The Bible
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: knows restitution and vengeance. That's it. What's rehabilitation? We want
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: to make a man a new creature through the power
• 39:07
  Speaker 1: of the state. Criminal justice. What is criminal justice? Making
• 39:14
  Speaker 1: a man repay his debt to society on society's dime. Folks,
• 39:25
  Speaker 1: do you hear how religious all of that is? Romans
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: 13 says his job is really simple. Punitive, retributive justice.
• 39:46
  Speaker 1: First of all, avenging God and the godly. Secondly, protecting
• 39:53
  Speaker 1: the godly. Thirdly, striking fear in the hearts of the wicked.
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: Notice what he says, for rulers are not a terror
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no
• 40:06
  Speaker 1: fear of the one who is in authority? Later on,
• 40:10
  Speaker 1: but if you do wrong, be afraid. He's an avenger,
• 40:14
  Speaker 1: wrath of God, fear, terror. What is that? His job
• 40:19
  Speaker 1: is to strike fear in the hearts of the unrighteous.
• 40:24
  Speaker 1: And to remove threats when necessary. This goes all the
• 40:27
  Speaker 1: way back to Genesis 9. And for you and for
• 40:35
  Speaker 1: your lifeblood, I will require a reckoning. From every beast,
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: I will require it. And from man, from his fellow man,
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: I will require a reckoning for the life of a man.
• 40:46
  Speaker 1: Whoever sheds the blood of a man, by man shall
• 40:49
  Speaker 1: his blood be shed. For God made man in his
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: own image. The bearing of the sword goes all the
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: way back to Genesis chapter 9. You kill a man,
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: you die. Why? An acknowledgement of the fact that that
• 41:08
  Speaker 1: man is made in the image of God and you
• 41:10
  Speaker 1: have no right to take his life unless it is
• 41:14
  Speaker 1: for a cause that God has established. thus emphasizing the
• 41:21
  Speaker 1: value of human life. How long will you judge unjustly
• 41:29
  Speaker 1: and show partiality to the wicked? Give justice to the
• 41:32
  Speaker 1: weak and the fatherless. Maintain the right of the afflicted
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy. Deliver
• 41:39
  Speaker 1: them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82, 2-4.
• 41:46
  Speaker 1: What about the influence of governing authorities? Here's where the
• 41:51
  Speaker 1: rubber sort of meets the road. If we understand that
• 41:55
  Speaker 1: this is what God has called these individuals to do,
• 42:00
  Speaker 1: to acknowledge God, to praise and reward the wicked, to
• 42:06
  Speaker 1: punish those who would do evil. If we understand that
• 42:10
  Speaker 1: this is what they are to be about, then what
• 42:15
  Speaker 1: does this mean for us in the exercise of governing authority?
• 42:21
  Speaker 1: several things one we've already alluded to you have the
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: privilege of being a part of a constitutional representative republic
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: it is your duty to know and exercise your rights
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: as a citizen you have to you have to know
• 42:43
  Speaker 1: and exercise your rights as a citizen why because knowing
• 42:46
  Speaker 1: and exercising your right as a citizen is your part
• 42:49
  Speaker 1: in participating in this process God says, this is what
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: a person in governing authority is supposed to be. And
• 42:59
  Speaker 1: for most of the people in the world and for
• 43:01
  Speaker 1: most of the history of the world, all people have
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: been able to do is just sit down and hope
• 43:07
  Speaker 1: that people did good by them. And if they didn't,
• 43:10
  Speaker 1: hope that they died. You and I have the privilege
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: of going to the ballot box. You and I have
• 43:18
  Speaker 1: the privilege of examining candidates and based upon Romans chapter
• 43:23
  Speaker 1: 13 and the duties of candidates and going to the
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: ballot box and leaving the ballot box with a clear
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: conscience because we cast our vote not based on who
• 43:32
  Speaker 1: we thought could win, but based on what their duty is.
• 43:44
  Speaker 1: Do you know why we don't get better candidates? Because
• 43:48
  Speaker 1: we don't demand it. Amen. Because we don't demand it.
• 44:00
  Speaker 1: Because we're pragmatists. And we don't stand for anything. We
• 44:05
  Speaker 1: don't take God at His word. Secondly, some of you
• 44:20
  Speaker 1: need to be involved in in the political process. Some
• 44:30
  Speaker 1: of you are very well qualified to do this on
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: behalf of your fellow citizens. And perhaps you ought to.
• 44:42
  Speaker 1: You know why we don't think like this anymore? Because
• 44:45
  Speaker 1: we have been trained to believe that the only thing
• 44:49
  Speaker 1: that matters is the big offices. Yes. Who's the president?
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: Who's the governor? I've said this before and I'll say
• 44:55
  Speaker 1: it again. It is far more important who your sheriff
• 44:59
  Speaker 1: is than who your president is. Why? Let me introduce
• 45:07
  Speaker 1: you to a little principle. Remember when I talked about
• 45:10
  Speaker 1: us as individuals submitting to authority? And remember what I said,
• 45:14
  Speaker 1: when authority gets out of whack, there's a way that
• 45:17
  Speaker 1: you address those grievances and respond to authority. Well, what
• 45:21
  Speaker 1: do you do? You appeal to authority, you confront authority,
• 45:23
  Speaker 1: and then if necessary, you defy authority. What happens if
• 45:28
  Speaker 1: you are a person in governing authority and there's a
• 45:31
  Speaker 1: despot in another position of authority? Then you have an
• 45:36
  Speaker 1: obligation to appeal to that authority and to confront that authority,
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: and maybe to oppose that authority. What does that look like? Well,
• 45:46
  Speaker 1: it could look like the federal government passing a law
• 45:54
  Speaker 1: telling your sheriff to go execute it and your sheriff saying,
• 45:58
  Speaker 1: that is immoral and I won't do it to these
• 46:01
  Speaker 1: people here locally who I know because it's not right.
• 46:07
  Speaker 1: You can't do that. But he's obligated to. Don't you
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: want to know that guy? Don't you want to be
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: careful when you elect that guy? Doesn't somebody in here
• 46:34
  Speaker 1: want to be that guy? Why not? Why not? You
• 46:52
  Speaker 1: may need to participate in that process. And one of
• 46:55
  Speaker 1: the reasons that we don't as Christians participate more fully
• 46:57
  Speaker 1: in that process is because of these myths that we've
• 47:01
  Speaker 1: come to believe. But here's what I cannot for the
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: life of me comprehend. How can we as Christians know
• 47:11
  Speaker 1: what is required of those who govern? Cry, moan, and
• 47:17
  Speaker 1: complain because they don't do it in a land where
• 47:24
  Speaker 1: you literally have the opportunity to, one, vote them out regularly, two,
• 47:31
  Speaker 1: run against them. Why? So that you can establish the
• 47:48
  Speaker 1: kingdom of God in America? No. So that you can
• 47:53
  Speaker 1: do good to your fellow man as a servant of
• 47:56
  Speaker 1: God in a sphere where he's given clear instructions about
• 48:02
  Speaker 1: how he's to be served. Two considerations before I close.
• 48:13
  Speaker 1: Because I cannot address Romans 13, and these issues without
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: addressing the two big questions. And the two big questions
• 48:22
  Speaker 1: are these. What about the Revolutionary War? And what about
• 48:28
  Speaker 1: the Civil War? Those are the two big questions. Now,
• 48:32
  Speaker 1: you get people on many sides of this, and you
• 48:35
  Speaker 1: get people on the side who will say, well, you know,
• 48:38
  Speaker 1: those wars were wrong because people rebelled against authorities. Let
• 48:45
  Speaker 1: me tell you that I believe that both of those
• 48:48
  Speaker 1: wars were right. Let me tell you why. Those 13
• 48:57
  Speaker 1: colonies were being governed lawfully by men who had been
• 49:03
  Speaker 1: given the authority to govern them lawfully. The men who
• 49:10
  Speaker 1: were duly elected and authorities in those 13 colonies believed
• 49:16
  Speaker 1: that there was a man in authority across the water
• 49:19
  Speaker 1: who was abusing his authority and they not as individual
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: christians who were avenging themselves you never avenge yourself remember
• 49:30
  Speaker 1: that you never avenge yourself however if you are a
• 49:35
  Speaker 1: person in governing authority you wield the sword in order
• 49:38
  Speaker 1: to protect people, even if you have to protect them
• 49:44
  Speaker 1: from another person who wields authority. The heads of those
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: 13 colonies got together and they voted and wrote up
• 49:56
  Speaker 1: a legal document. And in the legal document, they refer
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: to the fact that they had appealed to George and
• 50:05
  Speaker 1: confronted George, and now they were defying him. Did they
• 50:10
  Speaker 1: do it perfectly? Nope. No government ever has. And then
• 50:18
  Speaker 1: individual Christians had to choose. Which governing authority do I follow?
• 50:27
  Speaker 1: Some went to England to be under the authority of
• 50:30
  Speaker 1: King George because they believed he was right. Others stood
• 50:33
  Speaker 1: with the people who were their local governing authorities and
• 50:37
  Speaker 1: fought for independence. Those folks were well within their rights
• 50:44
  Speaker 1: to do that. What about the Civil War? Did the
• 50:50
  Speaker 1: southern states have the right to secede? Let me make
• 50:56
  Speaker 1: this very simple. Regardless of all of the things surrounding
• 51:00
  Speaker 1: the Civil War and what you believe about the Civil War,
• 51:02
  Speaker 1: what you've been taught, either accurately or inaccurately or whatever,
• 51:08
  Speaker 1: I can make this real simple for you without even
• 51:11
  Speaker 1: getting into all the hot-button topics. If the southern states
• 51:17
  Speaker 1: did not have the right to secede from the Union,
• 51:21
  Speaker 1: then the Declaration of Independence should have been burned and
• 51:24
  Speaker 1: thrown in the trash. Because this country was founded through secession.
• 51:31
  Speaker 1: The southern states merely did what their ancestors had demonstrated
• 51:36
  Speaker 1: to them was the proper thing to do when you
• 51:38
  Speaker 1: had that kind of disagreement. I don't care what position
• 51:43
  Speaker 1: you hold. On the war and its causes and all that.
• 51:47
  Speaker 1: And we could spend months talking about that. The bottom
• 51:50
  Speaker 1: line is, it is complete and utter hypocrisy to say
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: that the southern states did not have the right to secede.
• 52:01
  Speaker 1: Because the fact of the matter is, they had more
• 52:04
  Speaker 1: right to secede than America had to secede from England
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  Speaker 1: in the first place. Because they were seceding in a
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  Speaker 1: government that had been established based on a document of secession.
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  Speaker 1: And there were some Christian people who followed their leaders
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  Speaker 1: in Washington, D.C. and fought under their leaders in Washington, D.C.
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  Speaker 1: because they thought they were right and their consciences were
• 52:34
  Speaker 1: clear according to what they knew. And there were some
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  Speaker 1: people in southern states who fought under the leadership of
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  Speaker 1: their local leaders in their southern states because they thought
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  Speaker 1: that what their leaders were doing was right. Individual Christians
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  Speaker 1: taking up arms because they're fed up with the government? No.
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  Speaker 1: You never get to avenge yourself. People in authority who
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  Speaker 1: believe that they are protecting those under their authority From
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  Speaker 1: those who would abuse them, they're doing their duty. They're
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  Speaker 1: doing their duty. Which is why it is even more
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  Speaker 1: important that you know who these people are who are
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  Speaker 1: asking you to give your approval of them before they
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  Speaker 1: govern you. There's people all over this world who do
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  Speaker 1: not have the rights that you have. Who do not
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  Speaker 1: have the freedoms that you have. And they cannot comprehend
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  Speaker 1: why so few people in our country bother to even participate.
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  Speaker 1: I know why. Political nihilism. Political Pelagianism. We believe it
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  Speaker 1: doesn't matter, it doesn't make a difference. Or we believe
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  Speaker 1: that that's for them and they can figure it out
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  Speaker 1: on their own and they do not need the influence
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  Speaker 1: of those of us who know and serve God. Folks,
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  Speaker 1: nothing can be further from the truth. This stuff is
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  Speaker 1: of utmost importance. Is it our salvation? No, it is not. No,
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  Speaker 1: it is not. Is it tantamount to, you know, our
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  Speaker 1: role and responsibility in proclaiming and advancing the gospel of
• 54:54
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ? No, it is not. Not at all. But
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  Speaker 1: it is in Romans chapter 13. which is written after
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  Speaker 1: Romans chapters 1 through 11, which is an expression of
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  Speaker 1: how our lives are lived in light of the fact
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  Speaker 1: that we have been redeemed by Christ. We even look
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  Speaker 1: at government differently. We even exercise authority differently. This too
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  Speaker 1: is important. And this too is under the authority and
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  Speaker 1: clear instruction of Almighty God.