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Romans 13:1-7 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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I do hope that you have a copy of God's Word with you this morning. Please join me in it in Romans chapter 13.
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Our text for today is Romans chapter 13 verses 1 through 7.
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Before we take a look at today's text, a very good morning to you all.
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If I've yet to say hi to you, I'm very glad to be back with you, and I'm very thankful for our church.
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I am grateful for our church for at least three reasons.
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First, I'm thankful for church leadership that cares about my spiritual and physical well-being.
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Truly, the men that God is leading this church are a blessing to you as well as to myself.
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Secondly, I'm thankful for a church that is willing to let me be cared for,
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that allow me to be absent for a month and to ask how my time away was and how I am.
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I'm just warmed by all of your appreciation and gratefulness for my time away this morning.
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Please know that that time was well spent and I'm doing quite well.
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Thirdly, Sam and I took the boys for a teaching opportunity to a local megachurch last week,
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and I am thankful for a church that does not desire to be entertained to death
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and will not allow for God's Word to be neglected when we are gathered together.
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In a single verse of many of the songs that we've sung together this morning,
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there's more truth, substantive truth, than we experienced in our entire time at that church.
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And so I'm glad that some of the things that they did,
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I would shudder to try, as I think you all would throw me out the window if I did.
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So I'm glad for that.
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I am in no way tempted to entertain you,
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and I think this is good for all of our souls.
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If I ever have reason to doubt the power of the gospel or the goodness of God,
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I only need to stop and think about his manifold grace in the life of this church,
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and my faith is refreshed.
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So thank you. Keep it up.
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And now as we turn our attention to the first seven verses of chapter 13,
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we find a timely text for a season of political unrest.
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I imagine that if you have no concern about the state of politics in our country,
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then you are paying no attention whatsoever to all that has been happening.
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Maybe that's a wonderful state of bliss.
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These seven verses are good for us for today,
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but beyond the providential timing of their assignment to this morning,
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we will do well to think about their placement in Paul's letter to the Roman believers.
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Many commentators suggest this passage is disjointed from Paul's exhortations in chapter 12.
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I even read a suggestion in my study of it that it was imported from elsewhere and brought into this book.
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But this is not so.
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In Romans chapter 12, verse 1 and 2, Paul wrote this,
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I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, right,
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in light of everything that he has presented to be true of the gospel so far,
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he says, by the mercies of God, which is the summary of those first 11 chapters,
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to present your bodies as a living sacrifice.
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And we talked about how this was whole self-sacrifice that Paul is referring to here.
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Every ounce of who you are presented as a living sacrifice,
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holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
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Verse 2, he says,
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Do not be conformed to this world,
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but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
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that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,
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what is good and acceptable and perfect.
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And we talked about how Paul's not here meaning that if you will transform your mind,
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that you will be able to discern the unknown will of God.
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But he's going to go on to tell us what that will of God is.
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So he encourages at the outset of chapter 12 that our whole selves are to be given to God.
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And then the structure of the following chapters is chiastic.
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If you're not familiar with this term,
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it means that the text mirrors on top of itself.
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There's many chiastic structures found in the Bible,
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and they are very cool.
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So I want to draw your attention just briefly to this one.
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After verse 2 of chapter 12,
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we see in verses 3 through 8 a summary of humble service.
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Like how should our lives look in service to the church
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using our various gifts in the way they were designed to be used.
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And then in verses 9 through 16,
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he talks about love in the life of the church.
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So you've got A, chapter 12, verses 3 through 8.
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B, verses 9 through 16.
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C, how it is that we're meant to relate with the world.
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Verses 17 through 21.
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And then it follows, if we're to relate to the world in this way,
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how it is that we're to relate with the political authorities of this world.
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So you see the C prime, the reflective part of that part found in verses 17 through 21.
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And then you continue on in chapter 13, verses 8 through 10.
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And again, love in the church, right?
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Corresponding to verses 9 through 16 of chapter 12.
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And then all of chapter 14, again being about humble service.
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Now I'm looking at all this typed out,
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and I know that your mind is probably going, okay.
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The point is that there's a chiastic structure here.
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Paul has an ordered, divinely inspired plan,
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and we ought to give care as we consider it in the coming weeks.
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Part of giving our whole selves in devotion to our merciful God
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is living under the authority that he has established
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in the home, at work, in church,
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and yes, even as citizens of the place that God has placed us.
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So, without further ado, let's take a look at today's text.
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It is a joy, beloved, to remind you that this is God's word to us,
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written for his glory and our good,
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and we would all do well to listen to it
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in order to believe its promises and to obey its commands.
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Romans 13, beginning in verse 1.
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Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.
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For there is no authority except from God,
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and those that exist have been instituted by God.
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Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed,
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and those who resist will incur judgment.
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For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.
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Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority?
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Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval.
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For he is God's servant for your good.
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But if you do wrong, be afraid,
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for he does not bear the sword in vain.
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For he is the servant of God,
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an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
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Therefore, one must be in subjection,
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not only to avoid God's wrath,
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but also for the sake of conscience.
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For because of this, you also pay taxes,
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for the authorities are ministers of God,
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attending to this very thing.
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Pay to all what is owed to them,
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taxes to whom taxes are owed,
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revenue to whom revenue is owed,
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respect to whom respect is owed,
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honor to whom honor is owed.
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Now, in order to avoid chasing every possible rabbit this morning,
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we will begin with a simple three-point exegesis of the text,
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which will be as follows.
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Number one, a command to obey.
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Number two, a caution against rebellion.
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Number three, a contribution.
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For the work.
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Now, after this straightforward consideration,
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I intend to ask some contextual questions
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and issue answers from this text,
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and more broadly from elsewhere in the Bible.
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So we're going to just simply go through the text itself,
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and then we're going to ask some slightly larger questions as well.
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So hang in with me as we do that.
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So number one, a command to obey.
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And you see this there at the very beginning of the chapter,
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verse one,
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let every person be subject to the governing authorities,
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for there is no authority except from God,
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and those that exist have been instituted by God.
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Paul tells us, simply,
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that we are to obey the governing authorities of our political system,
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because that authority has been set in place by God himself.
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You may recall that I taught a series on authority in recent months
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and summarized the overarching teaching of the Bible with eight biblical assertions.
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I'm going to give them to you really quickly in brief,
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but hopefully this will be a reminder to you as we think about submission to authority.
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Number one, God's authority is innate.
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That means it belongs to him because he is, in fact, God.
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Nobody granted it to him.
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He is in authority because he is God.
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And because of that, that authority is final.
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It's the absolute authority.
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God's authority is innate and it is final.
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Number two, God's authority is necessarily good because he is good.
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We have no reason to question the way that God has ordered the universe
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because God is a good God.
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Number three, humankind has an authority problem.
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It began in the garden, continues to this day.
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Paul is here addressing it in these following verses.
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We tend to not want to be told what to do.
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Number four, we are delegated authority that always has limits
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and is always subservient to the one who delegated it, right?
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That is God who has that innate and final authority.
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He's put boundaries on the authority that he has granted to various roles in our world.
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Number five, when a person or institution takes up a responsibility not granted to them
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or exercises an authority granted to them in a way not granted to them,
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it is at best ineffective.
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It is at worst abusive.
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So we are meant to take up authority that's been granted in the way that it's been granted.
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Otherwise, it goes horribly awry.
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Number six, the aim of exercising authority and submission to God's good authority
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is for the sake of protecting the vulnerable, strengthening our communities,
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and promoting human flourishing,
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which is borrowed from a book by a man named Jonathan Lehman called Authority.
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So again, it's for the sake of protecting the vulnerable,
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strengthening our communities, and promoting human flourishing.
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Number seven, God delegates his authority through three institutions and six positions.
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And we talked about those at length across that time.
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I'm going to spare you those details this morning.
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For our purposes, know that one of the three institutions is the government,
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which is what we are considering today.
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And lastly, within these three institutions and six positions,
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there is granted two types of authority.
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We talked about the authority of counsel or persuasion,
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the power to convince somebody to do something.
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It's what we're doing here and now.
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I hope to convince you by the power of the Spirit
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that what Paul is exhorting us to is good and proper,
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and we should obey it.
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And also, the authority of command or coercion,
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the power to make someone do something by force,
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which is the type of authority that the government possesses, right?
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Yielding that sword mentioned in the text.
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So generally, Paul says, chapter 13 and verse 1,
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we are to recognize the governing authorities as being from God,
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and therefore, we are to obey them.
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I know that when we read a text like this,
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we immediately want to arrive at the exceptions.
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We are, after all, citizens of a country born not so long ago
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from casting off government authority.
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That's kind of who we are as Americans,
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no longer British anymore.
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However, we recently celebrated Independence Day,
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a yearly recognition that we were unwilling to live
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under the tyranny of King George
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and still today won't stand for tyranny.
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I'm not saying any of this is bad, right?
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But it's kind of part of who we are.
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We read a text like this and we want to go,
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yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, but...
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But note that you generally,
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willingly subject yourself to the governing authorities
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in your daily living.
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We are generally productive citizens,
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obeying traffic laws,
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keeping our licenses and insurance current,
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paying our property taxes,
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pulling permits for septic system installs,
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not dumping trash in the river, etc.
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There are laws that we obey.
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Whether or not we entirely agree with them,
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we still submit to that authority
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because we recognize that it's an authority.
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And if we do well,
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we recognize that it's an authority
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given by God.
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We generally find great accord
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with the rule of law
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and agree mostly with the laws of our land.
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That said, we don't always agree, do we?
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Until recently,
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a Supreme Court decision
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known as Roe v. Wade
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functionally served as the law of the land
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that permitted abortion,
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like the murder of unborn children.
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Christians rightly despised
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and despised that decision
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and sought to see justice done.
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Not through vigilantism,
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but through political process.
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We praise God
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for that decision's overturning
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and recognize that it is the starting point
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for much more work
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to defend the most vulnerable
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of our country's citizens.
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So, we took up there
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as Christian people.
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We didn't become vigilantes.
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We weren't those that
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bombed abortion clinics,
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but rather we submitted ourselves
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to the authority
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and cried,
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this is wrong
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and must be fixed.
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Praise God,
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we are in the process of that
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even now.
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The point I am making
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is that we ought not be quick
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to the American impulse
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to arrive at the exceptions,
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but rather to accept
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the general exhortation.
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Don't forget
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that this letter's original audience
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were Roman citizens.
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It is most likely
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that Paul wrote this letter
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in A.D. 57,
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a time at which
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the citizenry of Rome
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was already persecuting Christians
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with no protection
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from the pantheonic Roman leadership.
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In just a few short years,
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in A.D. 64,
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the Roman authorities
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would begin
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the state-sponsored
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systematic persecution
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of Christians.
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Yet,
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Paul's inspired pen
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writes,
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We are not exceptional
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in the history of the world.
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Like,
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we have some
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particular oppression
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that shouldn't make this text
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ring true
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for us.
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Think about
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first century
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and second
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and third
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and fourth century
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Christians.
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Think about Christians
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in our world today
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that take up a text
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like this
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and read,
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Let every person
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be subject
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to the governing authorities,
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for there is no authority
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except from God,
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and those that exist
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have been instituted
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by God.
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So we have a command
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to obey.
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Secondly,
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Paul gives us
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a caution
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against
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rebellion.
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This is found
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in verses
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2-5.
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Therefore,
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these authorities
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have been having
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instituted by God
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at the end of verse 1.
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Therefore,
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whoever resists
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the authorities
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resists what God
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has appointed,
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and those who resist
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will incur judgment.
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He has such a confidence
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in God's sovereign working
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that these people
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in these positions
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were placed there
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by God.
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Generally speaking,
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if we resist them,
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then we are
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resisting
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God
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himself.
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For rulers
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are not a terror
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to good conduct
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but to bad.
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Would you have no fear
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of the one
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who is in authority?
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Do you want to not fear them?
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Well, then
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do what is good
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and you will receive
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his approval.
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For he is God's servant
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for your good.
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But if you do wrong,
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be afraid,
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for he does not bear
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the sword in vain,
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for he is the servant
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of God
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and avenger
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who carries out
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God's wrath
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on the wrongdoer.
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Therefore,
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one must be
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in subjection
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not only to avoid
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God's wrath
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but also
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for the sake
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of conscience.
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Paul tells us
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in these verses
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generally,
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if you rebel
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against the
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governing authorities,
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then you rebel
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against God
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himself
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and will incur
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the temporal
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wrath of God
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in the consequences
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rendered
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for your rebellion.
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If you break
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a traffic law,
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you may find yourself
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paying a hefty fine
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is a simple
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and relatively
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benign example.
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If you disregard
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those authorities,
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you are going to
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have some trouble
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people.
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The giving of law
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and the enforcement
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of it
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is a mercy
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to people.
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Generally speaking,
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it's a mercy
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to people.
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The consequences
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given for breaking
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the Mosaic law
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had five
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expressed
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purposes.
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If you'd like to
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know references
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for these,
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I'll be happy
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to send them
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to you.
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first,
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they served,
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again,
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these are the
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consequences
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for breaking
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the Mosaic law,
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this is in
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God's theocracy,
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they were a matter
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of justice,
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setting right
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a wrong
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in due proportion.
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Somebody commits
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a wrong against you,
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they deserve
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some consequence
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for that action.
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They served
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as a deterrent
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to further crime.
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People who
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witnessed that
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there were
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consequences to
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actions were
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less likely
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to commit
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those crimes.
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They were a
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leveler of
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impartiality.
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God's law was
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very careful
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to say that
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no one was
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above the rule
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of this law.
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fourthly,
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they were meant
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to be a
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swift matter
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of order
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that civility
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would be
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maintained
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in a society.
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Fifth,
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they were a
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way of
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pardon,
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restoration,
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once the
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penalty was
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paid for a
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crime committed,
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a way for a
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person to be
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restored meaningfully
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to a community.
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Our system
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does not
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function
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perfectly.
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I will not
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make a claim
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to that.
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I am sure
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that we can
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all share a
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story of
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mishandled
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justice,
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but the
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governing
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authorities get
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it right
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more times
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than not.
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There is
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justice
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administered at
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the hands
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of governing
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authorities.
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We ought to
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all be glad
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of the
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difficult work
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that does
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get done
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right.
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It just
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doesn't get
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shared on
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social media.
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Robert
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Haldane
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in an
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exposition
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of Romans
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wrote this,
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the institution
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of civil
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government
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is a
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dispensation
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of mercy
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and its
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existence
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is so
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indispensable
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that the
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moment it
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ceases under
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one form,
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it reestablishes
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itself in
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another.
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So just as
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an example,
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in quote for
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a second,
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when all the
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crazy stuff was
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going on in
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Seattle and
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they took
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over blocks
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and they
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were being
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anarchists,
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they formed
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a government
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within the
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first week
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of doing
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that.
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It was a
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failed experiment
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altogether,
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but they
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very quickly
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formed
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government
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because they
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saw what
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happened when
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there was no
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rule at
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all.
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Back to the
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quote.
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The world
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ever since
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the fall
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when the
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dominion of
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one part
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of the
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human race
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over another
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was immediately
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introduced
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has been in
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such a state
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of corruption
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and deprivity
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that without
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the powerful
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obstacle presented
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by civil
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government to
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the selfish
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and malignant
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passions of
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men,
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it would be
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better to
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live among
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the beasts
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of the forest
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than in
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human society.
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We need
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restraining
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grace in
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our lives.
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As soon as
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its restraints
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are removed,
22:01
man shows
22:02
himself in
22:03
his real
22:03
character.
22:04
When there
22:05
was no king
22:05
in Israel
22:06
and everyone
22:07
did that which
22:07
was right in
22:08
his own eyes,
22:09
we see in
22:09
the last three
22:10
chapters of
22:11
the book of
22:11
Judges what
22:12
were the
22:13
dreadful
22:13
consequences.
22:16
Mankind
22:17
cannot be
22:18
left in
22:19
its deprivity
22:20
to itself.
22:21
We need
22:22
God to be
22:23
merciful to
22:23
us, to
22:24
give us
22:24
governing
22:25
authorities,
22:26
and we
22:27
ought
22:27
generally to
22:29
obey those
22:30
authorities and
22:30
recognize them
22:31
as a gift
22:32
to our
22:33
flourishing
22:33
this side
22:35
of glory.
22:37
So that was
22:38
the simple
22:38
point number
22:39
two from
22:40
the text.
22:41
Thirdly,
22:42
and very
22:43
shortly,
22:44
a contribution
22:45
for the
22:46
work.
22:46
And we
22:46
see this
22:46
in verses
22:47
6 and
22:49
7.
22:51
John
22:51
MacArthur
22:52
made an
22:52
entire sermon
22:53
out of this
22:53
text, and I
22:53
just don't
22:54
want to talk
22:54
about taxes
22:55
that much.
22:57
There Paul
22:58
writes,
22:58
For because
22:58
of this you
22:59
also pay
23:00
taxes, for
23:00
the authorities
23:01
are ministers
23:01
of God
23:02
attending to
23:03
this very
23:03
thing.
23:04
Pay to
23:04
all who
23:05
is owed
23:05
to them,
23:05
taxes to
23:06
whom taxes
23:06
are owed,
23:07
revenue to
23:07
whom revenue
23:08
is owed,
23:09
respect to
23:09
whom respect
23:10
is owed,
23:11
honor to
23:11
whom honor
23:12
is owed.
23:13
Paul tells
23:15
us in the
23:15
last two
23:15
verses of
23:17
today's text
23:17
that because
23:18
governing
23:19
authorities are
23:20
instituted by
23:21
God, that it
23:22
is proper to
23:23
contribute to
23:24
the work
23:25
that they
23:26
do.
23:27
We'll have
23:27
to do so
23:27
with our
23:28
finances, and
23:29
we'll have
23:30
to do so
23:31
with our
23:32
attitudes.
23:33
We need to
23:33
respect those
23:34
positions of
23:35
authority,
23:36
whether we
23:36
particularly
23:37
respect the
23:38
person or
23:39
the work
23:39
being accomplished
23:40
within that
23:41
role itself.
23:43
I want to
23:44
read to
23:44
you an
23:45
anonymous
23:46
second-century
23:47
Christian's
23:47
letter where
23:49
he's describing
23:50
the activity of
23:51
his fellow
23:51
Christian followers.
23:53
Again, this is
23:54
second-century.
23:56
He writes
23:57
this,
23:58
Christians are
23:59
distinguished from
24:00
other men,
24:01
neither by
24:02
country nor
24:03
language,
24:04
nor the
24:04
customs which
24:05
they observe.
24:06
For they
24:07
neither inhabit
24:07
cities of
24:08
their own,
24:09
nor employ a
24:09
particular form
24:10
of speech,
24:11
nor lead a
24:11
life which is
24:12
marked out by
24:12
any singularity.
24:15
The course of
24:16
conduct which
24:16
they follow has
24:17
not been
24:17
devised by
24:18
any speculation
24:19
or deliberation
24:21
of inquisitive
24:21
men, nor do
24:22
they, like some,
24:23
proclaim themselves
24:24
the advocates of
24:25
any merely human
24:26
doctrines.
24:28
But,
24:29
inhabiting
24:30
Greek as well
24:31
as barbarian
24:32
cities,
24:33
according as
24:33
the lot of
24:34
each of them
24:34
had determined,
24:36
and following
24:36
the customs
24:37
of the natives
24:38
in respect to
24:39
clothing, food,
24:40
and the rest of
24:40
their ordinary
24:41
conduct, they
24:42
display to
24:43
us their
24:43
wonderful and
24:44
confessively
24:45
striking method
24:46
of life.
24:48
They dwell in
24:49
their own
24:50
countries, but
24:51
simply as
24:51
sojourners.
24:53
As citizens,
24:54
they share in
24:54
all things with
24:55
others and yet
24:56
endure all
24:57
things as if
24:57
foreigners.
24:59
Every foreign
25:00
land is to
25:00
them as their
25:01
native country,
25:02
and every land
25:03
of their birth
25:03
as a land of
25:04
strangers.
25:06
They marry,
25:07
as do all
25:07
others.
25:08
They beget
25:09
children, but
25:10
they do not
25:10
destroy their
25:10
offspring.
25:12
They have a
25:12
common table,
25:14
but not a
25:14
common bed.
25:15
They are in
25:16
the flesh, but
25:17
they do not
25:18
live after the
25:18
flesh.
25:19
They pass their
25:20
days on earth,
25:21
but they are
25:21
citizens of
25:22
heaven.
25:23
They obey the
25:24
prescribed laws
25:25
and at the
25:25
same time
25:26
surpass the
25:26
laws by
25:27
their lives.
25:29
They love
25:30
all men and
25:31
are persecuted
25:31
by all.
25:33
They are
25:33
unknown and
25:34
condemned.
25:35
They are put
25:35
to death and
25:37
restored to
25:37
life.
25:38
They are
25:39
poor, yet
25:40
make many
25:40
rich.
25:41
They are
25:41
in lack
25:41
of all
25:42
things and
25:42
yet abound
25:43
in all.
25:44
They are
25:45
dishonored, yet
25:46
in their very
25:46
dishonor are
25:48
glorified.
25:49
They are
25:50
evil, spoken
25:51
of, and yet
25:52
are justified.
25:53
They are
25:53
reviled and
25:55
blessed.
25:56
They are
25:56
insulted and
25:57
replay the
25:57
insult with
25:58
honor.
25:59
They do
25:59
good, yet
26:01
are punished
26:01
as evildoers.
26:03
When punished,
26:04
they rejoice as
26:06
if quickened
26:06
into life.
26:07
They are
26:08
assailed by
26:08
the Jews as
26:09
foreigners and
26:10
are persecuted
26:10
by the Greeks,
26:12
yet those who
26:12
hate them are
26:13
unable to
26:14
assign any
26:15
reason for
26:17
their hatred.
26:19
I just would
26:20
ask the
26:20
question, generally
26:22
of American
26:23
Christianity, is
26:24
it defined in
26:25
that way?
26:27
And I think
26:27
sadly, it's
26:29
not.
26:30
May we be
26:31
people characterize
26:33
the way these
26:34
second century
26:35
Christians were
26:37
characterized.
26:39
So there's a
26:40
simple exegesis
26:42
of the text.
26:43
A command to
26:43
obey, a
26:45
caution against
26:45
rebellion, a
26:47
contribution for
26:49
the work.
26:50
Now, however,
26:53
I want to ask
26:53
two contextual
26:55
questions and
26:56
issue some
26:58
answers, at
26:58
least in part,
26:59
to those
26:59
questions.
27:01
questions.
27:02
The first is
27:03
simply this.
27:05
What part should
27:07
Christians play
27:07
in politics?
27:09
Do we have any
27:10
role to play at
27:10
all?
27:11
Should we
27:11
entirely remove
27:12
ourselves from
27:13
the process,
27:14
simply saying,
27:15
well, God's
27:16
going to do what
27:16
God's going to
27:16
do, so we
27:17
have no reason
27:18
to be involved
27:19
in it?
27:20
I say to you,
27:21
no, we have
27:22
our system is a
27:23
system by and
27:25
for the people
27:25
in its design,
27:27
so let's
27:27
participate
27:28
meaningfully
27:29
in it.
27:32
God has
27:32
granted us
27:32
such opportunity
27:33
to work
27:34
toward those
27:35
previously
27:37
mentioned goals
27:39
of protecting
27:40
the vulnerable,
27:41
strengthening our
27:41
communities, and
27:42
promoting human
27:43
flourishing as
27:44
we participate
27:45
in our
27:46
political process.
27:48
Politics are
27:50
downstream of
27:51
culture.
27:53
So let's be
27:53
those who have
27:54
and hold God's
27:55
truth, be
27:56
shapers of
27:57
culture and
27:58
the politics
28:00
that follow.
28:02
Let's not
28:03
leave our
28:03
pagan
28:04
neighbors to
28:06
themselves.
28:06
Let's be
28:07
involved.
28:08
We have the
28:08
opportunity to
28:09
do so, and
28:11
so we should
28:11
in some
28:13
specific ways.
28:14
Number one,
28:16
let us vote
28:17
for godly
28:18
leaders and
28:19
biblical
28:20
laws.
28:22
Your votes
28:23
have consequences.
28:25
We have
28:25
witnessed that
28:26
most readily
28:27
in these past
28:28
years.
28:29
Know what
28:30
is good
28:31
and true
28:32
and beautiful.
28:34
Have a
28:34
biblical worldview
28:35
and throw
28:36
your citizenship
28:37
at those
28:38
things on
28:39
the ballot.
28:40
We have a
28:41
limited amount
28:42
of political
28:42
influence, but
28:43
we do have
28:43
this ability,
28:45
each and
28:46
every one of
28:46
us who are
28:47
of age.
28:49
Know
28:49
biblical
28:50
justice and
28:50
support laws
28:51
consistent with
28:53
it.
28:54
Vote for
28:55
leaders that
28:55
have Bibles
28:56
in their
28:56
back pockets
28:57
and not
28:58
just special
28:58
interest
28:59
dollars.
29:01
Sadly,
29:02
there are
29:02
few and
29:03
far between,
29:04
it would
29:04
seem.
29:06
Perhaps
29:06
consider,
29:06
young people,
29:07
a life of
29:08
politics.
29:09
We need
29:09
good men
29:11
and women
29:11
to be
29:11
involved in
29:12
the political
29:13
process.
29:15
Remember that
29:15
there is no
29:16
authority except
29:17
from God,
29:18
and those
29:19
that exist
29:19
have been
29:19
instituted by
29:20
God, but
29:22
God uses
29:23
means to
29:24
accomplish
29:24
his ends.
29:26
And in our
29:27
political system,
29:27
that includes
29:28
your voice
29:29
and your
29:30
vote.
29:31
In our
29:32
context,
29:33
those means
29:33
are not
29:34
coups, we
29:35
hope, we
29:36
hope that's
29:37
not the way
29:37
political power
29:38
transitions in
29:39
our country,
29:40
but rather
29:41
ordered
29:42
processes,
29:43
and so we
29:44
should be
29:44
involved in
29:45
those processes.
29:46
Secondly,
29:49
specifically,
29:50
being involved
29:51
in politics,
29:53
given the
29:53
opportunity,
29:54
we should
29:54
warn leaders
29:55
that they
29:56
have been
29:57
appointed by
29:57
God, are
29:58
meant to
29:59
work for
29:59
the good
29:59
of their
30:00
citizenry,
30:01
by God's
30:02
standard, and
30:03
will be judged
30:04
for the way
30:04
they govern.
30:06
We should be
30:07
a voice in
30:07
the public
30:08
sphere if we
30:08
have the
30:09
opportunity to
30:10
speak to
30:11
elected officials.
30:12
We should be
30:12
saying to them,
30:13
there is a
30:13
standard by
30:14
which you
30:15
are meant
30:15
to govern.
30:18
I wonder how
30:18
many opportunities
30:19
to clearly
30:20
present the
30:20
gospel to
30:21
governing
30:21
authorities have
30:22
been missed
30:23
for the sake
30:23
of political
30:24
expedience or
30:25
guised civility.
30:27
We do well
30:29
to be prophetic
30:30
voices, to
30:31
engage politically
30:32
as Christians
30:33
first,
30:35
concerned about
30:36
those eternal
30:36
things most,
30:38
and then as
30:39
Americans
30:39
second.
30:42
Thirdly,
30:43
trust the
30:46
Lord of
30:47
politics and
30:49
be charitable.
30:50
Trust the
30:51
Lord of
30:52
politics.
30:52
Nothing is
30:53
outside of
30:53
His control.
30:56
Regardless of
30:57
the results of
30:58
any given
30:58
election,
31:00
Christians should
31:01
be confidently
31:02
settled of
31:03
all people.
31:04
We should be
31:04
the most
31:05
confident of
31:06
all people
31:06
because we
31:07
know that
31:08
our Savior
31:09
will never
31:09
occupy the
31:10
Oval Office,
31:11
but presently
31:13
occupies the
31:13
throne of
31:14
heaven and
31:15
reigns over
31:16
all.
31:18
Undoubtedly.
31:19
Beloved, our
31:20
ultimate citizenship
31:21
is with Him.
31:24
If you have
31:24
turned from
31:25
your sin and
31:26
placed saving
31:27
faith in the
31:27
accomplished work
31:28
of Christ for
31:29
you, then you
31:31
ought to be
31:31
immovable.
31:33
Your confidence
31:34
should be
31:35
unshakable.
31:37
The author of
31:38
Hebrews writes
31:38
chapter 13
31:39
and verse 14,
31:40
For here we
31:41
have no
31:42
lasting city,
31:44
but wishes
31:44
will not be
31:45
thwarted, and
31:46
although His
31:46
providence can
31:47
at times be
31:48
strange to us,
31:50
His sovereign
31:51
goodness never
31:53
fails to
31:53
accomplish all
31:54
that He
31:55
purposes.
31:57
Set your
31:58
confidence beyond
31:59
this world.
32:01
Fix it
32:02
heavenward and
32:04
rest.
32:06
Again, I'm
32:07
not saying
32:08
don't be
32:08
involved, but
32:10
in the midst
32:10
of our
32:10
involvement,
32:11
and after
32:12
our involvement
32:12
has passed,
32:13
we ought to
32:14
be a people
32:14
so confident
32:17
in who our
32:17
God is and
32:18
what He has
32:18
promised to
32:19
accomplish on
32:20
our behalf and
32:22
in the world,
32:22
that we are not
32:23
given to fits
32:25
like the world
32:26
around us is.
32:28
people with
32:32
unshakable confidence
32:33
in God's
32:34
providence
32:35
find it
32:36
easy,
32:37
hear me,
32:38
people with
32:39
unshakable
32:39
confidence in
32:41
God's
32:41
providence
32:42
find it
32:43
easy to be
32:44
charitable
32:45
towards those
32:46
who disagree
32:47
with them.
32:49
If someone
32:50
doesn't think
32:50
the way you
32:51
think,
32:52
vote the
32:52
way you
32:53
vote.
32:54
If you're
32:54
confident in
32:55
God's
32:55
sovereign
32:56
goodness,
32:57
you still
32:59
may want to
32:59
convince them
33:00
otherwise,
33:01
but the
33:02
world does
33:02
not rise and
33:03
fall in your
33:03
ability to
33:04
convince them
33:04
otherwise.
33:07
Even in
33:08
matters of
33:08
politics,
33:09
we can be
33:09
charitable if
33:10
we're confident
33:11
in who our
33:13
God is.
33:13
God is
33:15
the world
33:16
is not
33:17
falling apart
33:18
outside of
33:19
God's
33:19
control.
33:20
No matter
33:20
how dire
33:21
it may
33:21
seem at
33:22
times,
33:23
God has
33:23
not given
33:24
up his
33:25
sovereignty
33:26
to anybody.
33:29
Charles
33:30
Spurgeon
33:30
once said,
33:31
this is the
33:31
quotation on
33:32
the back of
33:33
your bulletin,
33:34
in a quote
33:35
often wrongly
33:36
applied politically,
33:38
he says
33:39
this,
33:39
I do not
33:40
know which
33:41
I should
33:41
prefer to
33:43
see one
33:43
of my dear
33:43
Christian
33:44
brethren fall
33:45
into doctrinal
33:45
error or
33:47
into an
33:48
unchristian
33:49
spirit.
33:50
I would
33:51
prefer neither
33:52
for I think
33:52
this is a
33:53
safe rule of
33:54
two evils
33:54
choose
33:56
neither.
33:57
We can be
33:58
doctrinally
33:59
consistent,
34:00
politically
34:01
wise,
34:03
and still
34:03
be charitable
34:05
towards others
34:06
because we're
34:08
confident in
34:10
God's
34:10
providential
34:11
work.
34:11
second
34:13
question
34:14
and final
34:14
question,
34:16
when is
34:16
it by
34:17
our God
34:18
to rebel
34:19
against
34:20
governing
34:21
authorities?
34:21
When is
34:22
it faithful
34:23
to rebel
34:24
against
34:25
governing
34:26
authorities?
34:26
Now,
34:27
Paul doesn't
34:27
give us any
34:28
space for
34:28
that in
34:28
today's
34:29
text,
34:30
but he's
34:30
speaking
34:31
generally,
34:32
I believe.
34:33
Surely
34:34
governing
34:34
authorities
34:35
err at
34:35
times,
34:37
correct?
34:38
They do,
34:39
many times
34:40
they do.
34:41
At those
34:42
times,
34:43
that authority
34:44
sets itself
34:45
against the
34:47
commands of
34:48
God.
34:48
We see the
34:49
case of this
34:50
all around
34:50
us.
34:51
In Psalm
34:52
chapter 2,
34:52
verses 1
34:53
through 3,
34:54
the psalmist
34:54
writes,
34:54
why do the
34:55
nations
34:56
rage and
34:57
the
34:57
people's
34:57
plot
34:58
in vain?
34:59
The kings
35:00
of the
35:00
earth set
35:01
themselves
35:01
and the
35:02
rulers take
35:02
counsel
35:03
together
35:03
against the
35:04
Lord,
35:05
that's God
35:05
the Father,
35:06
and against
35:06
his
35:06
anointed,
35:07
that's God
35:07
the Christ,
35:09
saying,
35:10
let us
35:10
burst their
35:11
bonds apart
35:12
and cast
35:12
away their
35:13
cords
35:14
from us.
35:15
You can
35:17
see here
35:18
in this
35:19
psalm that
35:19
it perhaps
35:20
is normative
35:21
that governing
35:23
authorities want
35:24
to reject
35:25
God himself.
35:27
What are we
35:27
to do,
35:29
God's people,
35:29
when this
35:30
is the
35:30
case?
35:32
Rebel.
35:33
That's what
35:34
we're to do.
35:35
We're to rebel
35:35
against that
35:36
kind of stand
35:37
against God
35:37
because we
35:38
stand with
35:39
the innate
35:39
and final
35:40
authority.
35:41
We can
35:43
observe an
35:43
example of
35:43
this in
35:44
the life
35:44
of the
35:45
apostles in
35:45
Acts 5
35:46
27-29.
35:47
I want you
35:48
to note
35:48
the issue
35:49
that they
35:50
stand for.
35:53
There we
35:53
see,
35:53
when the
35:54
captain with
35:55
the officers
35:55
had brought
35:56
them,
35:56
this is the
35:57
apostles,
35:57
they set
35:57
them before
35:58
the council
35:59
and the
35:59
high priest
36:00
questioned
36:00
them,
36:01
saying,
36:02
we strictly
36:02
charge you
36:03
not to
36:04
teach in
36:04
this name,
36:05
the name
36:05
of Christ.
36:06
Yet here
36:06
you have
36:07
filled
36:07
Jerusalem
36:08
with your
36:08
teaching and
36:09
you intend
36:09
to bring
36:10
this man's
36:10
blood.
36:11
God upon
36:12
us.
36:12
So we
36:13
have
36:13
charged you
36:13
not to
36:14
preach the
36:14
gospel and
36:15
you did
36:15
it anyway.
36:16
These are
36:17
governing
36:17
authorities put
36:18
in place
36:19
by God.
36:21
What are
36:21
they to
36:22
do in
36:22
this
36:23
situation?
36:25
So
36:25
clearly,
36:26
they rebelled.
36:28
And Peter
36:28
defends that
36:29
action in
36:30
verse 29,
36:31
but Peter
36:32
and the
36:33
apostles
36:33
answered,
36:34
we must
36:35
obey God
36:36
rather than
36:38
men.
36:40
Now note
36:40
at the
36:41
core of
36:41
this,
36:42
the core
36:43
of what's
36:43
happening
36:44
here is
36:45
a rebellion
36:46
against
36:47
spiritual
36:48
matters.
36:50
You have
36:51
the example
36:51
of Paul
36:53
causing a
36:53
riot.
36:54
Paul doesn't
36:55
go into a
36:56
city in
36:56
order to
36:56
cause a
36:57
riot.
36:58
Paul goes
36:58
into a
36:59
city preaching
36:59
against the
37:00
idolatry there
37:01
and a
37:02
riot results.
37:04
Rather,
37:05
he sought to
37:06
be peaceable
37:06
as he went
37:07
about his
37:08
business.
37:10
Again,
37:10
from Spurgeon,
37:11
Spurgeon says,
37:12
there are
37:12
points of
37:12
inevitable
37:13
contact
37:13
between the
37:14
higher and
37:15
lower spheres.
37:17
Points where
37:17
politics persist
37:18
in coming into
37:19
collision with
37:20
our faith.
37:21
And there we
37:22
shall be
37:22
traitors both
37:23
to heaven
37:23
and earth
37:24
if we
37:25
consult our
37:25
comfort by
37:27
sinking into
37:28
the rear.
37:29
There are
37:29
times that
37:30
these things
37:30
are going to
37:31
run in
37:31
opposition to
37:32
one another
37:32
and we
37:33
are to be
37:33
those that
37:33
press forward.
37:34
We stand
37:35
with the
37:36
one who
37:36
has that
37:37
innate and
37:38
final authority.
37:41
Sometimes this
37:42
rebellion is
37:44
simple and
37:45
it's clear.
37:47
Still difficult,
37:49
still difficult
37:50
to stand in
37:51
the face of
37:51
opposition.
37:53
The sword is
37:54
the threat,
37:55
but simple
37:56
and clear,
37:57
sometimes it
37:58
is much
37:59
more complicated.
38:01
We found
38:02
this to be
38:02
true in the
38:03
recent past
38:04
as we
38:05
consider the
38:05
rules of
38:06
governing
38:06
authorities
38:07
concerning
38:07
our
38:08
gathering
38:08
as a
38:09
church.
38:11
Churches all
38:11
over the
38:11
nation had
38:12
to consider
38:13
this.
38:14
Were those
38:14
rules proper
38:15
for the
38:15
good of the
38:16
citizenry?
38:17
Or would
38:17
obeying them
38:18
find us
38:18
guilty of
38:19
neglecting to
38:20
meet together,
38:21
which we
38:21
are warned
38:22
against in
38:22
Hebrews
38:23
chapter 10?
38:25
What do we
38:26
obey?
38:26
Are we meant
38:26
to subject
38:27
ourselves to
38:28
the governing
38:28
authorities in
38:29
this case,
38:29
or to not
38:30
neglect meeting
38:30
together?
38:31
Over here we
38:32
have these
38:32
two commands
38:33
given to
38:35
us, and
38:35
how this
38:36
question was
38:37
answered was
38:38
difficult to
38:39
ascertain, and
38:41
it developed
38:41
over time as
38:42
we had more
38:43
information
38:44
navigating that
38:45
particular
38:46
illness.
38:48
Difficult
38:48
sometimes to
38:49
sort through
38:50
the proper
38:51
thing to
38:52
do.
38:54
In
38:54
18th century
38:55
America,
38:56
pastors debated
38:57
the validity
38:58
of war against
38:59
the crown, and
39:01
whether the
39:02
American
39:02
experiment was
39:03
sanctioned by
39:04
God.
39:05
You can read
39:05
the writing that
39:06
went back and
39:07
forth between
39:08
the two.
39:10
I'm not much
39:11
of a student
39:11
of history.
39:12
I did
39:13
receive a
39:14
history minor.
39:15
It was kind
39:16
of a B
39:17
student history
39:18
minor, but
39:19
I've read some
39:20
of this writing.
39:21
It is interesting
39:22
to see the way
39:24
they debated
39:24
between the
39:25
two.
39:26
An argument
39:26
for justice,
39:29
an argument
39:29
to obey
39:30
these kinds
39:32
of commands
39:32
we find in
39:33
chapter 13.
39:35
I find myself
39:36
trying to live
39:37
in those days,
39:38
trying to walk
39:39
out the
39:40
arguments between
39:40
the two, and
39:41
I must say
39:42
that in the
39:43
early days, I
39:45
think I would
39:45
have been
39:46
aligned with
39:47
the crown.
39:48
I think the
39:48
taxation without
39:50
representation
39:50
argument was a
39:53
difficult one in
39:54
light of these
39:55
first seven
39:55
chapters.
39:58
But as the
39:58
British government
39:59
came into the
40:00
Americas and
40:01
seized land and
40:02
did unjust
40:03
things, I think
40:04
I would have
40:04
flipped on the
40:05
matter.
40:05
I think I
40:06
would have
40:06
finally said,
40:07
okay, now
40:07
justice must be
40:08
done.
40:08
They have
40:09
stepped too
40:09
far.
40:11
But there was
40:12
this debate
40:12
going on
40:13
amongst faithful
40:14
Christians trying
40:14
to figure out
40:15
how to navigate
40:16
such a time.
40:19
We must give
40:20
our whole selves
40:21
to God and
40:22
with humility,
40:24
prayerfully seek
40:25
his will in
40:26
these more
40:26
complicated matters.
40:28
All the time,
40:30
being patient
40:30
with one
40:31
another as we
40:33
await our
40:34
coming king.
40:36
I pray for us
40:38
that we would
40:39
be a people
40:40
different than
40:41
what we observe
40:42
out there,
40:43
right?
40:44
Distinguished by
40:45
our love for
40:46
one another,
40:47
confident in
40:48
who our God
40:48
is, right?
40:50
Characterized by
40:51
confidence in
40:52
the ultimate
40:53
authority,
40:53
our generally
40:54
good citizenship
40:55
that people
40:56
would look at
40:56
us and say,
40:57
they don't
40:58
think the way
40:59
I think and
41:00
act the way
41:00
I act,
41:01
but it's
41:01
difficult to
41:02
argue that
41:03
they're not
41:03
good for the
41:04
place in which
41:05
we live,
41:07
and that we
41:07
would also be
41:08
characterized by
41:09
our longing to
41:10
see all things
41:12
made new.
41:13
Let's pray
41:14
together to
41:14
that end.
41:15
Thank you.