Latest / INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living / How to Be a Godly Rebel │ Msg 3244

Transcript

How to Be a Godly Rebel │ Msg 3244 · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

0:01
Speaker 1: This morning, we will change our pattern from what we
0:04
Speaker 1: normally follow, and we will have the prayer before the
0:09
Speaker 1: reading of the scriptures. And even before that, I want
0:13
Speaker 1: to acknowledge in light of this special day, all who
0:17
Speaker 1: have served our country as we just sang on the sea,
0:23
Speaker 1: in the air, or on the land. That would be
0:25
Speaker 1: all the branches of the military service, including Merchant Marines.
0:29
Speaker 1: It would include all of you who served, perhaps not
0:33
Speaker 1: in an American uniform, but for one of our allies
0:37
Speaker 1: in years past. If this happens to be you, I
0:41
Speaker 1: would like you to stand and remain standing following the
0:47
Speaker 1: applause that will come for a time of prayer. And
0:50
Speaker 1: then following that, we'll read the scriptures and then we
0:55
Speaker 1: will receive the offering. Now, you men and women who've served,
0:59
Speaker 1: To keep our country free, please stand, and we want
1:02
Speaker 1: to thank you for your service. Following the prayer, please
1:35
Speaker 1: remain standing and we'll ask others of you to stand
1:38
Speaker 1: for the reading of scripture. But for now, let's pray.
1:50
Speaker 1: Thank you, Father, for your good hand upon us as
1:52
Speaker 1: a land. At times when we stood strong and could
1:57
Speaker 1: say that we deserve that, but more often than not,
2:01
Speaker 1: when we have been weak and lacking in the moral
2:07
Speaker 1: fiber that makes a nation great, you have still poured
2:11
Speaker 1: out your grace upon us. Thank you for your favor.
2:17
Speaker 1: How we thank you and honor these who stand today,
2:21
Speaker 1: who have spent their years helping while wearing the uniform
2:30
Speaker 1: and believing in the cause that transcended even their own
2:35
Speaker 1: safety or the pleasure and security of home. For those
2:42
Speaker 1: especially who fought in difficult battles, who stayed in dark
2:47
Speaker 1: and dreary and difficult times when the hours were dangerous
2:53
Speaker 1: and the enemy was near. We who stand and sit
2:59
Speaker 1: in this room today thank you for those who now
3:02
Speaker 1: serve but are unable to be here. Some of them
3:08
Speaker 1: in those places where the war has come up close
3:13
Speaker 1: and personal. Watch over them. Take care of them. The
3:20
Speaker 1: arms of their family and loved ones ache for them.
3:24
Speaker 1: We pray for their safe return. We remember also those
3:31
Speaker 1: who make difficult decisions in commanding the troops, those of
3:36
Speaker 1: the past who today are seen as heroes, and those
3:41
Speaker 1: today who are viewed by a number in our land
3:48
Speaker 1: with questionable attitudes, we pray you would nevertheless hold them strong,
3:56
Speaker 1: keep them safe, use their strategy and their intelligence and
4:03
Speaker 1: their decisions for the betterment of this country and for
4:09
Speaker 1: the greater good of those who fight. Our Father, we
4:14
Speaker 1: also acknowledge that you are a God of great grace
4:20
Speaker 1: over us at all times. When we were founded as
4:25
Speaker 1: a country, you were there. When we fought with ourselves
4:30
Speaker 1: in a time of that great war, you were there.
4:35
Speaker 1: When we defended ourselves from enemies against us on both
4:38
Speaker 1: sides of the oceans. When we were in places that
4:42
Speaker 1: were unpopular, you were there. No one knew it more
4:47
Speaker 1: than those in uniform. And we do thank you for
4:51
Speaker 1: the sense of your presence. You have been our shepherd.
4:57
Speaker 1: And we have not wanted. Now, Father, we commit to
5:02
Speaker 1: you the future of our land and ask you to
5:04
Speaker 1: guide us unerringly as we together serve you faithfully. And
5:15
Speaker 1: we pray that you will be honored in our future
5:19
Speaker 1: even more than you have in our past. Now that
5:23
Speaker 1: we grow older and realize the value of character. Find
5:27
Speaker 1: that in us, our Father. We give you thanks for
5:31
Speaker 1: your word. We give you thanks for your church. We
5:34
Speaker 1: give you thanks for the work of ministry as it
5:37
Speaker 1: goes on around the globe. Honor it and bless it
5:40
Speaker 1: and use it. We ask in the name of Christ,
5:44
Speaker 1: our Savior. And everyone said, Amen. May we all stand
5:50
Speaker 1: together for the reading of God's word followed by the offering.
5:55
Speaker 1: May we give attention. Romans 13 verses 1 through 7.
6:01
Speaker 1: Every person is to be in subjection to the governing
6:04
Speaker 1: authorities for there is no authority except from God and
6:10
Speaker 1: those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists
6:16
Speaker 1: authority has opposed the ordinance of God and they who
6:21
Speaker 1: have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are
6:27
Speaker 1: not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil.
6:34
Speaker 1: Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do
6:37
Speaker 1: what is good, and you will have praise from the same.
6:41
Speaker 1: For it is a minister of God to you for good.
6:46
Speaker 1: But if you do what is evil, be afraid. For
6:50
Speaker 1: it does not bear the sword for nothing. For it
6:54
Speaker 1: is a minister of God, an avenger, who brings wrath
6:59
Speaker 1: on the one who practices evil. Therefore, it is necessary
7:03
Speaker 1: to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but
7:07
Speaker 1: also for conscience' sake. For because of this, you also
7:12
Speaker 1: pay taxes for rulers or servants of God, devoting themselves
7:18
Speaker 1: to this very thing. Render to all what is due
7:21
Speaker 1: them tax. to whom tax is due, custom to whom custom,
7:28
Speaker 1: fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. May God
7:37
Speaker 1: add his blessing to the reading and the living out
7:39
Speaker 1: of his word, and may his blessing rest upon our gifts,
7:42
Speaker 1: which we give to him in the name of Christ.
7:45
Speaker 1: You may be seated. For the next few minutes, I
7:52
Speaker 1: want you to imagine yourself struggling through three different dilemmas.
7:59
Speaker 1: They occur at three different historic periods of time. The
8:04
Speaker 1: details are different, the geography is different, but the dilemmas
8:09
Speaker 1: are similar. We began in 1760. You're an Englishman or woman,
8:18
Speaker 1: you have been raised You have been educated in London.
8:23
Speaker 1: Your family is there and has been there for generations.
8:28
Speaker 1: You submit to the crown. You love the king. You
8:31
Speaker 1: honor him and the authority of the English government. You're
8:36
Speaker 1: now in business, having taken the business from your father,
8:42
Speaker 1: who took it from his father. It's been in the
8:45
Speaker 1: family for decades. Successful and adventuresome, you think about your
8:52
Speaker 1: future as you read the papers and as you hear
8:56
Speaker 1: about this new land across the Atlantic. You're attracted to
9:03
Speaker 1: the risk and the possibilities of life in New England.
9:10
Speaker 1: And your family decides that you and they will go
9:14
Speaker 1: together and you will you will open a branch of
9:17
Speaker 1: the business over in one of those colonies in what
9:21
Speaker 1: has now come to be known as America. So you
9:26
Speaker 1: take the ship and you are there and you establish
9:29
Speaker 1: your business and yet it isn't too many years before
9:33
Speaker 1: the talk of revolution is sweeping across the land. You
9:39
Speaker 1: are struggling now because you are an Englishman and you.
9:45
Speaker 1: Paying your taxes to the land of England. But now
9:49
Speaker 1: the talk around you among Americans is that they're too
9:54
Speaker 1: steep and they're unfair. Taxation without representation. And before long,
10:01
Speaker 1: there was an all-out revolutionary war. What do you do?
10:08
Speaker 1: Your heart is in your homeland, your motherland. But your
10:12
Speaker 1: life and presence and business is now in this land.
10:16
Speaker 2: Do you stay?
10:18
Speaker 1: Do you stay? Do you take sides with the English?
10:22
Speaker 1: Do you fight the people of your birth? It's a
10:29
Speaker 1: real dilemma. And the fire is fueled by the government.
10:33
Speaker 1: Do you become a minute man? Or do you sort
10:38
Speaker 1: of take a passive position and stay removed from it
10:42
Speaker 1: as best you can? Travel ahead 100 years. The year
10:47
Speaker 1: is now 1860. You own a plantation in southern Alabama.
10:54
Speaker 1: The plantation is some 10 to 12,000 acres of cotton.
10:59
Speaker 1: And the slaves work the crops. Because of the slaves,
11:04
Speaker 1: you're able to turn a profit, a massive profit, year
11:07
Speaker 1: after year. But you've just come to Christ. And you
11:14
Speaker 1: struggle because your pastor, also a man of courage, is
11:19
Speaker 1: preaching against slavery, knowing it's wrong, and finding justification for
11:27
Speaker 1: doing so from the scriptures. The problem you wrestle with
11:33
Speaker 1: is exacerbated on the 4th of March, 1861, when the
11:37
Speaker 1: new president is inaugurated. And within a matter of weeks,
11:41
Speaker 1: there is an all-out war between the states. What do
11:47
Speaker 1: you do? Do you release your slaves and abandon the plantation,
11:55
Speaker 1: move north and fight for the Union Army, or do
11:59
Speaker 1: you stay in the South and go against your conscience?
12:06
Speaker 1: The third dilemma does not get any easier. The year
12:08
Speaker 1: is 1939. You're a German Christian. You live in Berlin.
12:18
Speaker 1: The government of your homeland has now been taken over
12:21
Speaker 1: by a dictator who's gone mad with prejudice. And you're
12:28
Speaker 1: here in this land as a business person and you
12:31
Speaker 1: have many Jews as friends. Some are strangely removed from
12:37
Speaker 1: their homes and taken away on trains, never to be
12:43
Speaker 1: seen again. And the longer you're in your land, the
12:48
Speaker 1: more you read about the violent anti-Semitic policies of the Fuhrer.
12:56
Speaker 1: And your allegiance cannot be to him. He stands against
12:59
Speaker 1: everything you hold dear, but he does represent the government.
13:08
Speaker 1: You happen to have a friend who is a spy
13:11
Speaker 1: and has told you secretly that he has a way
13:13
Speaker 1: of getting you and your family out. away from Germany
13:17
Speaker 1: and into Switzerland in the dark of night. If you're
13:21
Speaker 1: willing to leave everything and go now, now. Do you
13:28
Speaker 1: abandon your Jewish friends, giving them no longer any refuge
13:33
Speaker 1: or place to hide, to escape for the safety of
13:39
Speaker 1: your life and your families, or do you stay to
13:43
Speaker 1: the end? It is interesting when we think about governmental
13:54
Speaker 1: matters and we add to the governmental matters, dilemmas that
14:03
Speaker 1: address our own convictions. And when government turns against the
14:10
Speaker 1: things that we hold dear, we wrestle with this matter
14:18
Speaker 1: of loyalty. And for this reason, we're grateful that we
14:25
Speaker 1: have a section of scripture like Romans 13, verses 1
14:31
Speaker 1: to 7, that talks about the citizen and government. Now,
14:39
Speaker 1: some of you may be smiling, thinking, well, it must
14:41
Speaker 1: have been easy for Paul to write about governmental matters.
14:46
Speaker 1: I mean, he lived back in that pristine first century.
14:50
Speaker 1: Don't tell anybody you're thinking that if you're thinking that.
14:54
Speaker 1: just do the math and check the emperor. Nero reigned 54,
15:02
Speaker 1: AD 54 to 68. Paul wrote Romans around 58, right
15:08
Speaker 1: in the heart of the Nero reign over the Roman Empire.
15:13
Speaker 1: And matters were getting only worse. It wasn't bad at first,
15:16
Speaker 1: but they were only eroding. And it wasn't but a
15:19
Speaker 1: matter of time before the bodies of Christians would light
15:24
Speaker 1: would be the torches lighting the arenas. So Paul writes
15:31
Speaker 1: with an understanding, and at the same time, may I
15:34
Speaker 1: help you understand that Romans 13 is not a passage
15:39
Speaker 1: of scripture that addresses what happens when government goes wrong.
15:44
Speaker 1: It's a passage that addresses what happens when Christians become
15:49
Speaker 1: wrong kinds of citizens. You have to go to other
15:54
Speaker 1: sections of scriptures such as Acts chapter 4, Acts chapter 5,
15:58
Speaker 1: 1 Peter chapter 2, where you would read of government
16:02
Speaker 1: gone bad. So Paul is not writing about a rebellious government.
16:07
Speaker 1: He's writing to rebellious citizens or to those who have
16:12
Speaker 1: become simply passive, which brings up the subject of two
16:17
Speaker 1: popular extremes. Let me address that first. The first extreme
16:22
Speaker 1: for Christians regarding government has to do with an inappropriate
16:27
Speaker 1: independence from the government. In my 45 years of ministering
16:33
Speaker 1: in independent churches, I've noticed that we draw independent people.
16:39
Speaker 1: And independent people are often to the extreme when it
16:42
Speaker 1: comes to the matter of the federal government. I understand.
16:49
Speaker 1: I have come across animosity in churches, even an anti-government attitude,
16:55
Speaker 1: a virtual disregard for the established authorities. Some kind of,
17:01
Speaker 1: even in places, some militant stance against government. And you
17:06
Speaker 1: know there are pockets of people like that around our
17:09
Speaker 1: United States of America. Unwise, inappropriate. Now the other extreme
17:18
Speaker 1: is the extreme of what I would call uninvolved indifference
17:23
Speaker 1: toward the government. This is the Christian who says, I'm
17:27
Speaker 1: a citizen of heaven. Christ is coming soon. Remember the
17:34
Speaker 1: importance of separation of church and state. One of our
17:37
Speaker 1: favorite lines. Why bother? Who cares? Sort of like the
17:45
Speaker 1: fourth-grade boy that keeps saying to his mother, why bathe?
17:49
Speaker 1: You just get dirty all over again. What does it matter?
17:54
Speaker 1: And if you're a citizen in a government that's going wrong,
17:57
Speaker 1: why is it so corrupt? Why even bother to pray?
18:01
Speaker 1: It's all going to get burnt up anyway. It's a
18:04
Speaker 1: bad extreme. And I sigh deep within when I meet
18:08
Speaker 1: individuals who even come near that, as if voting doesn't matter.
18:15
Speaker 1: as if people who fill the offices of our government
18:19
Speaker 1: aren't important, when in fact they're the ones that legislate
18:24
Speaker 1: those bills and those laws that affect our lives. So
18:32
Speaker 1: we really need to understand that Romans 13, while it
18:35
Speaker 1: does not address a rebellious government, it is addressing the
18:40
Speaker 1: role of the citizen, the Christian citizen, who happens to
18:43
Speaker 1: find himself in a government of any kind. That's why
18:47
Speaker 1: I call this message how to be a godly rebel,
18:50
Speaker 1: for there are times, and we'll get to that, when
18:53
Speaker 1: rebellion is appropriate, when standing against government decisions is right,
18:59
Speaker 1: and we have scriptural proof for that. Now, we need
19:02
Speaker 1: to stay balanced. I appreciate the words of Donald Barnhouse,
19:06
Speaker 1: who wrote a number of years ago these words. A Christian...
19:11
Speaker 1: is subject to a government that maintains law and order.
19:16
Speaker 1: This chapter contains no rules for the believer to follow
19:19
Speaker 1: in case the government persecutes the Christian faith. Another omission
19:24
Speaker 1: is counsel as to what should be the believer's attitude
19:27
Speaker 1: if his government commits moral wrong. The teaching concerning the
19:33
Speaker 1: believer's allegiance in case of civil war, revolution, or rebellion
19:38
Speaker 1: must be found elsewhere. In Romans 13.1, Paul states the
19:44
Speaker 1: believer's duty to government when it functions properly. Within the framework,
19:51
Speaker 1: of law. No Christian is to be a law unto
19:55
Speaker 1: himself or herself. No individual is exempt from the duties
20:02
Speaker 1: of citizenship. Here we have a section of scripture where
20:08
Speaker 1: Paul addresses the importance of our being law-abiding citizens, of
20:14
Speaker 1: our being good neighbors, people who stop at red lights,
20:21
Speaker 1: people who don't make their own traffic laws, people who
20:25
Speaker 1: do not invade the privacy and property of others, people
20:30
Speaker 1: who respect others, who pay their taxes, who do what
20:36
Speaker 1: is responsible for us to do lest we become a
20:42
Speaker 1: country that is governed by gangland living, where the survival
20:49
Speaker 1: of the fittest becomes the motto of life. Government is
20:56
Speaker 1: on our side in matters pertaining to law and order,
21:02
Speaker 1: And we are to be good citizens that obey its rules. Now,
21:08
Speaker 1: an essential reminder is set forth in verse 1. Every
21:11
Speaker 1: person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. Now,
21:16
Speaker 1: before I go any further, do you qualify as a
21:20
Speaker 1: part of every person? Just answer for yourself, okay? Because
21:26
Speaker 1: I know some of you are saying, Chuck, if you
21:28
Speaker 1: knew what I've been through... you're on every person, okay?
21:33
Speaker 1: You're there. This is talking to you. This is talking
21:37
Speaker 1: to me. Every person is to have a spirit of
21:42
Speaker 1: submission to governing authorities. Now, immediately we have to address
21:48
Speaker 1: the issue of resistance. I call verses 2 through 5
21:53
Speaker 1: inappropriate resistance. Let's look at those verses. Verse 1 continues,
22:00
Speaker 1: there is no authority except from God, and those which
22:05
Speaker 1: exist are established by God. Therefore, whoever resists authority has
22:13
Speaker 1: opposed the ordinance of God. Stop right there. The first
22:21
Speaker 1: reason for, in Paul's mind, is a theological reason. because
22:31
Speaker 1: God supports law and order. God has ordained government. It
22:38
Speaker 1: is called one of the divine institutions. Just as marriage,
22:43
Speaker 1: just as home and family, so government. God has ordained
22:49
Speaker 1: that there be the proper boundaries set and maintained by
22:55
Speaker 1: those governing the land. There to be fair, They're to
23:00
Speaker 1: be moral. They're to be upright, admittedly, but they are
23:04
Speaker 1: to be there. Apart from that, there is only anarchy.
23:09
Speaker 1: And if you wonder what that's like, check the last
23:11
Speaker 1: verse of the book of Judges, where everyone does what
23:14
Speaker 1: is right in his own eyes, and you will find
23:16
Speaker 1: the Jews at their lowest ebb in their history when
23:22
Speaker 1: anarchy reigns supreme. So there's a theological reason to obey authority,
23:30
Speaker 1: and that is because God has ordained the authority. There's
23:33
Speaker 1: an external reason as well. Verses 2 through 4. See
23:38
Speaker 1: the end of verse 2? They who have opposed will
23:42
Speaker 1: receive condemnation upon themselves. This external reason is because civil
23:48
Speaker 1: disobedience brings consequences. You disobey the government long enough and
23:56
Speaker 1: far enough, you will suffer The consequences. Let me read on.
24:02
Speaker 1: Rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior,
24:06
Speaker 1: but for evil. Do you want to have no fear
24:11
Speaker 1: of authority? Then do what is good. Obey the laws.
24:15
Speaker 1: Pay your taxes. Stop at red lights. Don't take advantage
24:20
Speaker 1: of your neighbor's property. Don't invade their privacy. Don't rob
24:25
Speaker 1: a bank. On and on the list could go. Don't
24:28
Speaker 1: do what is evil and you will have praise from
24:30
Speaker 1: the same. This authority is a minister of God to
24:35
Speaker 1: you for good if you do what is evil. However,
24:38
Speaker 1: look at this. Be afraid. I'm reminded of the colloquialism
24:41
Speaker 1: of today. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Why? Because it
24:46
Speaker 1: does not bear the sword for nothing. It is a
24:50
Speaker 1: minister of God and avenger who brings wrath on the
24:53
Speaker 1: one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be
24:57
Speaker 1: in subjection, not only because of wrath, but as we'll
25:01
Speaker 1: see in a moment because of conscience, but let's stay
25:03
Speaker 1: with the external before we go internal. There are consequences
25:09
Speaker 1: that occur when you ignore law and order. Now it
25:13
Speaker 1: may be as mild as the policeman standing by your
25:17
Speaker 1: open window, in the curb lane of traffic. And he
25:22
Speaker 1: says to you, this is a warning. Don't keep driving
25:29
Speaker 1: so fast. I'm just going to warn you. I dream
25:33
Speaker 1: of meeting policemen like that. And I think more often
25:39
Speaker 1: than not, that's what they do. But, you know, if
25:42
Speaker 1: you keep doing it, especially if you come across the
25:44
Speaker 1: same cop that has stopped you before. how does it read?
25:49
Speaker 1: He does not bear the sword for nothing. So there
25:53
Speaker 1: is a consequence to pay. In fact, it says later
25:56
Speaker 1: in verse 5 that it will bring wrath. The ultimate
26:00
Speaker 1: consequence is capital punishment. You take a life, you deserve
26:07
Speaker 1: to die. Your death is a just death if, in fact,
26:13
Speaker 1: you are guilty and you have been proven guilty, then
26:16
Speaker 1: the guilt... is to result in capital punishment. I know,
26:20
Speaker 1: I know, it's a debate. It's a debatable issue these days.
26:24
Speaker 1: I have good Christian friends who would not believe I'm
26:28
Speaker 1: saying this publicly. I don't believe they say what they
26:32
Speaker 1: say publicly, but we disagree at this point. We live
26:36
Speaker 1: in a day when the criminal is televised. I think
26:41
Speaker 1: we ought to televise capital punishment. If you want to
26:44
Speaker 1: televise the crime, Tel Aviv is the one who pays
26:48
Speaker 1: the ultimate price for taking another life. Please don't write me.
26:52
Speaker 1: I get enough mail as it is. That just happens
26:56
Speaker 1: to be a personal conviction of mine. Genesis chapter 9
27:00
Speaker 1: teaches it, and there's nowhere in the scripture that denies it.
27:03
Speaker 1: And I know there are rare, rare occasions where it
27:07
Speaker 1: has been unjust. Terribly, terribly unfortunate. But for the most part,
27:13
Speaker 1: when that kind of individual has gone through sufficient trials
27:17
Speaker 1: and is proven by the jury that there is guilt,
27:21
Speaker 1: then there must be that kind of consequence. That's the
27:24
Speaker 1: job of government. You and I couldn't do that or
27:27
Speaker 1: we would be a body of vigilantes. We would carry
27:31
Speaker 1: out our own vengeance, which is done in uncivilized places.
27:37
Speaker 1: But in a civil government where things are handled under control...
27:40
Speaker 1: There is restraint brought. I came across an interesting article
27:44
Speaker 1: in the Wall Street Journal several years ago titled The Gun.
27:50
Speaker 1: In it, Great Britain is mentioned. I quote, there has
27:53
Speaker 1: been a sharp rise in armed robberies and violent crime
27:58
Speaker 1: throughout Great Britain since 1965. That was when the death
28:04
Speaker 1: penalty was dropped and more criminals seemed to carry guns. now.
28:14
Speaker 1: I will not go further on that except to say
28:16
Speaker 1: that a reason that Paul uses, the external reason, is
28:22
Speaker 1: because civil disobedience will bring severe consequences. There's a third reason.
28:29
Speaker 1: It's an internal reason. See the end of verse 5,
28:32
Speaker 1: but also for conscience sake. The third reason Paul mentions
28:37
Speaker 1: this is Civil obedience relieves our conscience. Let's go back
28:43
Speaker 1: to my traffic example. You're driving 40 miles an hour.
28:47
Speaker 1: The speed limit is 45. And you're driving along at 40,
28:51
Speaker 1: and all of a sudden, some distance behind you is
28:54
Speaker 1: a white and black car that's got a light going around.
28:57
Speaker 1: You have no conscience to bother you. You look down,
29:00
Speaker 1: you're going, 40's not coming after me. And whoo, goes
29:04
Speaker 1: right by. Isn't that a great sound? Whoo, right on
29:07
Speaker 1: by you. Going to somebody else down there. Another one
29:12
Speaker 1: is when you get a letter from the Internal Revenue Service.
29:15
Speaker 1: The return address says Internal Revenue Service, Washington, D.C. You've
29:19
Speaker 1: paid your taxes. You're thinking, I've got no conscience to
29:23
Speaker 1: bother me. If you have evaded your taxes, you have
29:26
Speaker 1: every reason to be troubled. You may act calm, but
29:31
Speaker 1: down inside, you are stirring. You are troubled. You wonder
29:36
Speaker 1: if they caught you. It's the... factor. Some people handle
29:43
Speaker 1: the tax factor different ways. I came across a letter
29:46
Speaker 1: written to the Internal Revenue. Gentlemen, enclosed you will find
29:51
Speaker 1: a check for $ 150. I cheated on my income tax
29:56
Speaker 1: return last year and have not been able to sleep
30:00
Speaker 1: ever since. That's the conscience. Next sentence. If I still
30:04
Speaker 1: have trouble sleeping, I'll send you the rest. That's not
30:13
Speaker 1: what I'm getting at. My friend and mentor Ray Steadman
30:22
Speaker 1: writes about the time when he had to finally start
30:25
Speaker 1: paying income tax. Up until a period of time, he
30:28
Speaker 1: had not paid because he had not made enough. And
30:31
Speaker 1: finally they caught up with him and he said, my
30:33
Speaker 1: first letter that I wrote, I wrote with a bad attitude.
30:37
Speaker 1: I resented having to pay and I addressed it to
30:40
Speaker 1: the infernal revenue service. Says they never answered, but they
30:46
Speaker 1: did accept the money. Next year he had improved his
30:50
Speaker 1: attitude a bit and changed it to the eternal revenue service.
30:56
Speaker 1: He says, I have repented from all those sins and
30:58
Speaker 1: I now hope to pay my taxes cheerfully. There's a
31:05
Speaker 1: reason for paying taxes and you know them. You know them.
31:11
Speaker 1: We live in a land that is like no other
31:14
Speaker 1: land on the planet. I know that I'm prejudiced when
31:18
Speaker 1: I say that. And I have been in many other lands,
31:23
Speaker 1: but there's no feeling like the feeling of of returning
31:26
Speaker 1: home to these great United States. We pay taxes that
31:33
Speaker 1: handle our roads, that keep our parks beautiful, that guard
31:40
Speaker 1: us in the air and on the ocean, on the
31:43
Speaker 1: coastal side of our planet, of our continent, our nation.
31:49
Speaker 1: And we should. It is only right that we do that.
31:56
Speaker 1: And when you read through this section of scripture, you
31:59
Speaker 1: come to the importance of appropriate obedience. He says in
32:03
Speaker 1: verse 6, because of this, that is because of conscience,
32:08
Speaker 1: you also pay taxes. And then he says a word
32:12
Speaker 1: to those who work in government, those who are in
32:16
Speaker 1: places of governmental authority. He says to you who are
32:20
Speaker 1: in that category, you are servants of God. devoting yourselves
32:27
Speaker 1: to this very thing. Let me say a word to
32:32
Speaker 1: any government official. Never forget that your role is a
32:37
Speaker 1: servant role. When you forget that, you go too far.
32:43
Speaker 1: Your thinking turns and becomes questionable and sometimes absolutely wrong.
32:52
Speaker 1: without for a moment in any way encouraging any kind
32:56
Speaker 1: of tax evasion for that sinful. I would say that
33:01
Speaker 1: it is foolish to pay any tax that isn't appropriate,
33:06
Speaker 1: that isn't a part of your lifestyle and is due.
33:13
Speaker 1: You as a government official are not there to be
33:17
Speaker 1: a prima donna. You were there to serve your God
33:21
Speaker 1: and to serve your constituency. We had a judge sitting
33:27
Speaker 1: in our second morning worship service that heard this message earlier.
33:32
Speaker 1: He thanked me afterwards. He didn't stay. He left. He said,
33:36
Speaker 1: I appreciate your words. I appreciate your warning. I appreciate
33:41
Speaker 1: your stance. And my words had to do with the citizens,
33:46
Speaker 1: we who are not a part of the city or
33:49
Speaker 1: state or national government. We have a responsibility, and it
33:53
Speaker 1: happens regularly. We are to be informed of those running
33:58
Speaker 1: for office. We are to vote. Don't worry, Stonbriar Community
34:04
Speaker 1: Church is not going to become a local precinct headquarters.
34:09
Speaker 1: You'll never be given a flyer, even told who's running.
34:13
Speaker 1: Though we're often encouraged to tell you of those in
34:17
Speaker 1: our congregation who are running, we've chosen not to mention
34:20
Speaker 1: any of them. Lest it began a precedent we can't
34:25
Speaker 1: stop or change. I expect you to be informed and
34:29
Speaker 1: I expect you to vote. Now admittedly all of us
34:32
Speaker 1: have failed to do so. I say to my own
34:36
Speaker 1: embarrassment there are times I simply didn't get to the
34:40
Speaker 1: voting booth. It always bothers me. Because that is my
34:45
Speaker 1: only way as a citizen to have some say in
34:48
Speaker 1: the ones who will be in places of authority where
34:51
Speaker 1: I will never be. And so we are to be
34:56
Speaker 1: grateful citizens. We are to be discerning. We are to
34:59
Speaker 1: be respectful. We are to be obedient. And we are
35:02
Speaker 1: to be careful in how we rear our children that
35:05
Speaker 1: they understand this. By the way, you might wonder, what's
35:09
Speaker 1: the big deal of Paul bringing all of this up?
35:12
Speaker 1: Listen to the words of one writer. In Paul's case,
35:16
Speaker 1: there was one immediate cause of his stressing civil obedience.
35:22
Speaker 1: The Jews were notoriously rebellious. Palestine, especially Galilee, was constantly
35:31
Speaker 1: seething with insurrection. Above all, there were the zealots. They
35:38
Speaker 1: were convinced there was no king for the Jews but God.
35:45
Speaker 1: and that no tribute must be paid to anyone except
35:49
Speaker 1: to God. Nor were they content with anything like a
35:53
Speaker 1: passive resistance. They believed God would not be helping them
35:58
Speaker 1: unless they embarked on violent action to help themselves. Their
36:03
Speaker 1: aim was to make any civil government impossible. They were
36:08
Speaker 1: known as the dagger bearers. They were fanatical nationalists sworn
36:16
Speaker 1: to terrorist methods. Not only did they use terrorism towards
36:22
Speaker 1: the Roman government, they also wrecked the houses and burned
36:26
Speaker 1: the crops and assassinated the families of their own fellow
36:31
Speaker 1: Jews who paid tribute to the Roman government. So we're
36:36
Speaker 1: not the first rebels to come along. Paul writes to
36:39
Speaker 1: his kinsmen saying, Because of this, verse 6, you also
36:46
Speaker 1: pay taxes. In fact, look at verse 7. Render to
36:50
Speaker 1: all what is due them. Tax, custom, fear, and honor.
37:01
Speaker 1: What's the difference? Tax, obviously, would be property taxes, school taxes,
37:07
Speaker 1: road taxes, taxes that are required of us as citizens.
37:13
Speaker 1: expected of us for the pleasure of living in this land.
37:18
Speaker 1: Customs would have to do with imports and exports. We
37:22
Speaker 1: don't work our way around paying that. We pay that,
37:26
Speaker 1: understanding that the custom is due. Fear has to do
37:32
Speaker 1: with respect for those who are in authority, and honor
37:36
Speaker 1: has to do with giving them proper esteem and worth
37:40
Speaker 1: and allegiance. The command does not say render to all regardless.
37:47
Speaker 1: See what it says? Render to all what is due them.
37:54
Speaker 1: You know what we've learned, Cynthia and I have learned
37:56
Speaker 1: in our years on this earth? We have learned that
37:59
Speaker 1: we need counsel from individuals who make it a part
38:04
Speaker 1: of their practice to give us counsel on how to
38:07
Speaker 1: handle financial matters as it relates to taxes. And we
38:13
Speaker 1: are adamant with those that we hire to help us
38:17
Speaker 1: that they do so absolutely according to the law. That
38:22
Speaker 1: gives us a clear conscience. It keeps us from fearing
38:25
Speaker 1: that we have done wrong and we've hidden it. And
38:29
Speaker 1: those we hire to assist us are, I sometimes call
38:34
Speaker 1: them legalists, but it's a compliment because they're doing what's right.
38:38
Speaker 1: even though I don't necessarily like it. I haven't said
38:41
Speaker 1: a lot about liking it. I've said we are to
38:43
Speaker 1: do it because it's expected of us. That's what I
38:47
Speaker 1: want to get across. There's an overriding principle. We Christians
38:51
Speaker 1: are not only to obey our God, we are to
38:55
Speaker 1: be good citizens in our land. Models of such. And
39:03
Speaker 1: to teach our children the same. Barnhouse, again, I quote, writes,
39:06
Speaker 1: I buy gasoline... and pay its taxes, thankful for the
39:10
Speaker 1: fine roads over which I drive. I enjoy the beauty
39:14
Speaker 1: of a national park paid for by our taxes. I
39:18
Speaker 1: see lighthouses or the trail of a jet plane, and
39:22
Speaker 1: I'm grateful for the forces that guard our coasts and
39:26
Speaker 1: defend our skies. Therefore, as good citizens, we are to
39:33
Speaker 1: render what is due, and in the process, we are
39:37
Speaker 1: not to grouse about it, knowing that the blessings are
39:42
Speaker 1: ours in abundance. Now, let me put it all together
39:46
Speaker 1: in a personal way, in sort of a short and
39:48
Speaker 1: sweet manner. First of all, obeying God is always right.
39:55
Speaker 1: There's no exception. God says it, we do it. His
39:59
Speaker 1: word teaches it. We do a careful study so that
40:02
Speaker 1: we are interpreting it correctly. We obey it. Our allegiance
40:06
Speaker 1: to him is total, not partial. And it is ultimate.
40:13
Speaker 1: Always right to obey God. Second, obeying government is usually
40:20
Speaker 1: the right thing to do. When it is the wrong
40:23
Speaker 1: thing to do is when government requires of us to
40:26
Speaker 1: go against our conscience or to go against our God.
40:33
Speaker 1: We are moving rapidly toward that time. These are treacherous
40:40
Speaker 1: days in which we live. In no way do I
40:44
Speaker 1: mean to sound like an alarmist when I say that
40:47
Speaker 1: in my simple lifetime, I have watched the eroding of
40:52
Speaker 1: many of the things that once made our country great.
40:57
Speaker 1: And it breaks my heart. And I believe, if not
41:01
Speaker 1: my children, I believe my grandchildren will live to see
41:04
Speaker 1: the day when active resistance will be essential for there
41:10
Speaker 1: to be the maintenance of Christian principles. We have now
41:15
Speaker 1: come to a place where it's considered an infringement if
41:19
Speaker 1: we display a cross. Or of all things, something not
41:24
Speaker 1: even in scripture, a Christmas tree in some places. It's laughable.
41:31
Speaker 1: Some places you can't speak the name of Christ because
41:35
Speaker 1: it isn't politically correct. We have already had taken away
41:42
Speaker 1: from us public prayer. And the church is one of
41:46
Speaker 1: the few large gatherings where prayer can be made without
41:50
Speaker 1: any fear of government intervention. We may be facing a
41:57
Speaker 1: dark future, even in that level. There comes a time
42:03
Speaker 1: in every life when it is right to rebel. That
42:09
Speaker 1: is when government attempts to silence our message. or attempts
42:15
Speaker 1: to force us to be tolerant of things that we
42:18
Speaker 1: know to be morally wrong, according to the scriptures. To
42:26
Speaker 1: bow before that is to bow before a tyrannical government
42:30
Speaker 1: that has overstepped its bounds. And I warn all of
42:34
Speaker 1: us against that. I remember growing up, my dad saying
42:37
Speaker 1: to us kids, I want you to stand alone, children.
42:41
Speaker 1: I want you to stand alone. He had already done that.
42:43
Speaker 1: in a particular thing at his work, and he was
42:45
Speaker 1: exercised over. He said, I don't care if everybody else
42:49
Speaker 1: at school does so-and-so. I want you to stand for
42:52
Speaker 1: what's right. If you don't, I'll wear you out. Remember that.
42:56
Speaker 1: It was the wear you out part that concerned me
42:58
Speaker 1: more than the standing alone. I just kind of grew
43:00
Speaker 1: up with that. And here I find myself saying more
43:05
Speaker 1: often than not to my grandchildren, stand for what's right.
43:09
Speaker 1: Do what's right. I know it isn't popular. I know
43:12
Speaker 1: you're going to be misunderstood. You'll always be grateful you
43:16
Speaker 1: did what is right. May I name a few godly rebels?
43:23
Speaker 1: Brother Andrew, who for decades has been smuggling Bibles into
43:30
Speaker 1: countries illegally. An attorney friend of ours who's on the
43:36
Speaker 1: board of Brother Andrew's ministry said, Called us back. I
43:40
Speaker 1: think it was the late seventies, early eighties. And he said,
43:43
Speaker 1: I'd like you to pray for me. I'm leaving and
43:46
Speaker 1: I may not be back. It's a man with four children.
43:51
Speaker 1: He said, we're going to be taking a Bibles into China.
43:53
Speaker 1: And he says, we're going across the border. And he said,
43:57
Speaker 1: they're hidden. If they find them, who knows what will happen? Well,
44:02
Speaker 1: they didn't find him. And thousands got ahold of them
44:06
Speaker 1: and have come to Christ. The story is marvelous. Another
44:12
Speaker 1: would be Papa Ten Boom and his daughters, Corrie and Betsy, remember?
44:18
Speaker 1: Who hid the Jews. They were Dutch, but they loved
44:22
Speaker 1: the Jews. And they knew they were being persecuted. And
44:26
Speaker 1: they paid for it with their lives. Corrie lived through
44:29
Speaker 1: the horrors of the concentration camp and told her story
44:32
Speaker 1: till her death. A story of courage. Heroism. Don't know
44:38
Speaker 1: anything about his spiritual life, but I know what he
44:40
Speaker 1: did was morally right. Oscar Schindler. Remember Schindler's List? Had
44:45
Speaker 1: the guts, the courage to stand alone even in the
44:48
Speaker 1: face of the Nazi government. Protecting Jews, giving them work
44:54
Speaker 1: and watching over their safety. How about Dietrich Bonhoeffer? The
45:00
Speaker 1: Lutheran pastor who was told to stay silent. Because Hitler
45:04
Speaker 1: was after him, or his henchmen were, and he didn't
45:07
Speaker 1: stay silent, and he wound up in the concentration camp.
45:10
Speaker 1: And while he was in this camp, he continued to
45:13
Speaker 1: marshal the troops for the glory and the good of Christ.
45:16
Speaker 1: Hanged on the 9th of April, 1945, shortly before they
45:21
Speaker 1: were liberated. The SS troops wanted for sure to put
45:26
Speaker 1: him to death. They're heroes today. Maybe you've not heard
45:32
Speaker 1: of Pastor Martin Niemöller, was thrown into a Nazi prison
45:38
Speaker 1: for preaching the truth of the gospel. Another minister visited
45:42
Speaker 1: him and remarked that if he would keep silent about
45:45
Speaker 1: certain subjects and show respect for the Nazi government, he'd
45:49
Speaker 1: be set free. And so, continued the visitor, why are
45:54
Speaker 1: you in jail? To which Niemöller replied, why aren't you
45:59
Speaker 1: in jail? Isn't it amazing how safe we feel sitting
46:12
Speaker 1: in this place? We all are in a group. Well,
46:15
Speaker 1: maybe not everybody. Some of your faces say you don't agree,
46:19
Speaker 1: to which I reply, I don't care. And some of
46:24
Speaker 1: you are saying, in effect, by your silence, I agree.
46:27
Speaker 1: I just don't know that I'm ready to stand up
46:29
Speaker 1: publicly and say it. Someday you'll have to. Do it.
46:37
Speaker 1: Do it. No matter what it means. Today there will
46:45
Speaker 1: be people who will call you a fool. Tomorrow you'll
46:47
Speaker 1: be known as a hero. Do it. Do what's right.
46:55
Speaker 1: Don't hesitate. Speak the truth. Let's bow together. Some of
47:12
Speaker 1: you sit today with your children sitting near you. I
47:16
Speaker 1: always love seeing families together like that. I know your
47:22
Speaker 1: heart beats like mine does for your children, for many
47:26
Speaker 1: of you, your grandchildren. Nothing more precious to us than
47:31
Speaker 1: our families. We may live to see the day when
47:36
Speaker 1: the family will be separated along the lines of truth.
47:45
Speaker 1: May God help us all. It may sound awfully strong
47:51
Speaker 1: for you to hear these things, and perhaps it's because
47:54
Speaker 1: you've never known Christ. I wouldn't have the courage to
47:59
Speaker 1: say what I say if it weren't for him. I
48:03
Speaker 1: would care very much about how you feel or what
48:05
Speaker 1: your opinion is, and that could very easily shape my
48:09
Speaker 1: interpretation of Scripture. Then I'd be worthless as a minister
48:13
Speaker 1: of the gospel. just telling you what you want to hear.
48:19
Speaker 1: But if you've never trusted Jesus and you would like
48:21
Speaker 1: to know that kind of ability to discern right from wrong,
48:28
Speaker 1: and it starts with him, today is the day. Today
48:31
Speaker 1: is the day to give your life to him. We
48:36
Speaker 1: have a prayer room that we have established at our
48:39
Speaker 1: church that pulls people away from the traffic and the
48:42
Speaker 1: noise and the busyness when our meetings end. And there
48:46
Speaker 1: are soul care individuals in there that do just that.
48:49
Speaker 1: They care for your soul. They'll help you make this
48:52
Speaker 1: decision if you don't know how. They'll answer your questions
48:57
Speaker 1: if you're right now struggling with something that's keeping you awake.
49:09
Speaker 1: I don't know what the future holds, but I know this.
49:13
Speaker 1: I couldn't possibly face it without Christ. And neither dare you.
49:26
Speaker 1: There are days, our Father, it's almost as if we've
49:29
Speaker 1: seen the glory of the Lord tramping out His vengeance
49:35
Speaker 1: where the grapes of wrath are stored. Loose the fateful
49:40
Speaker 1: lightning of his terrible swift sword. His truth is marching on.
49:49
Speaker 1: Thank you for a body of people who will sit
49:51
Speaker 1: through a message like this. Thank you for the hungry
49:54
Speaker 1: heart of the believer who longs to do what's right.
49:59
Speaker 1: Thank you for the influence, the impact we can make
50:03
Speaker 1: in this wayward and eroding culture. Give us the courage
50:10
Speaker 1: to do what is right, regardless. Give dads the courage
50:15
Speaker 1: to train their children like my dad trained me. And
50:20
Speaker 1: moms the same. May we remember, Lord, that it is
50:24
Speaker 1: there our deepest roots for life are formed. And may
50:31
Speaker 1: it impact the schools our children and grandchildren attend. May
50:35
Speaker 1: it make a difference in In the companies where they work.
50:39
Speaker 1: God bless every strong hearted believer. In this secular world.
50:47
Speaker 1: Doing battle in the sidewalk jungles. Of commerce. Keep them strong.
50:57
Speaker 1: And wise. Courageous. And wherever possible appropriate. As they minister
51:07
Speaker 1: to those around them. Now to him who was able
51:11
Speaker 1: to guard us from stumbling. And to present us faultless
51:14
Speaker 1: before the presence of his glory. With exceeding joy. Great
51:18
Speaker 1: joy to the only wise God our Savior. Be glory
51:21
Speaker 1: and majesty. Dominion and power. Now and forever. And ever
51:25
Speaker 1: and ever. In the name of Jesus. Everybody said. Amen.
51:35
Speaker 2: The preceding message, How to Be a Godly Rebel, was
51:38
Speaker 2: copyrighted in 2007, 2010, and 2025, and the sound recording
51:44
Speaker 2: was copyrighted in 2025 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All
51:49
Speaker 2: rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial
51:53
Speaker 2: use is strictly prohibited.