Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / Flattery, Human Government, and Our Duty | Mark 12:13-17 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

Transcript

Flattery, Human Government, and Our Duty | Mark 12:13-17 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

• 0:05
  Please, if you have a Bible with you, meet me in Mark chapter 12
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  and let's go together to verse 13.
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  Mark 12/13 reads, and they sent to him some of the Pharisees and
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  some of the Herodians to trap him in his talk, and they came
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  and said to him, Teacher, we know that you are true and do
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  not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by
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  appearances, but truly teach the way of God.
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  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
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  Should we pay them or should we not?
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  But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, why put me to the
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  test? Bring me a denarius, and let me
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  look at it. And they brought one.
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  And he said to them, whose likeness and inscription is
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  this? They said to him, Caesar's.
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  Jesus said to them, Render to Caesar the things that are
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  Caesar's, and to God the things that are gods.
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  And they marveled at him. Lord, it's our prayer that we
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  too would marvel at your word. Bless the reading and the
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  proclamation of it, and bless our hearts in receiving it.
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  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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  I believe it's important that you and I view the opening verse
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  of this section of scripture with the preceding one, one that
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  we covered together a couple of weeks ago.
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  Look at Mark 12/12 with me once more.
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  It says here and they were seeking to arrest him, but fear
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  the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable
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  against them. So they left him and went away.
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  So they left him and went away. Here you have the religious
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  leaders retreating after sensing the piercing parable of Jesus
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  Christ that was targeted towards them.
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  But what we have here when they left him and went away, was not
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  a permanent retirement of their crafty ways.
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  All it really was is a withdrawal to return to the
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  drawing board. And here we find them again.
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  And this repeated sequence of onslaughts that came to Christ
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  reminds us of the relentless aggression of the ultimate
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  adversary of Christ, who is also your enemy and mine.
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  Revelation 12/9 calls him the great dragon, the ancient
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  serpent, the devil, and Satan. Do you remember how Luke
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  concludes the failed attempts of Satan in trying to tempt the
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  Lord Jesus Christ in the wilderness?
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  Let me remind you of an important verse that really
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  indicates to us the reality of his ways and how he will relate
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  to us And Luke 413. You don't have to turn there,
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  just give your attention to it. It says there and when the devil
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  had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an
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  opportune time. The devil walked away from
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  Christ until an opportune time. Notice that his withdrawal was
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  not indefinite. His return would be certain.
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  This is your daily reminder that spiritual warfare is a guarantee
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  for the Christian. It is an unending cycle of the
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  believers experience to go to war.
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  Yes, with the flesh, but also to the one who tempts the flesh and
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  presents opportunities for the flesh.
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  And some days are more intense than others.
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  But the attempts and the plots of the evil one are to be
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  expected when throughout your whole life, throughout the span
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  of your existence and your journey here on earth.
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  And what's also important to remember is that the schemes of
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  Satan, though they are certain both him and those who do his
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  bidding, do not always bring the same weapons to the table.
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  And that is exactly what you and I see in our main text today.
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  And the benefit of the text that we just read and that we're
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  going to explore together is not just that you and I are going to
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  be enthralled by the infinite wisdom of Jesus Christ, but you
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  and I are also going to learn how we can avoid the traps of
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  Satan who seeks to undermine your testimony as a follower of
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  Christ. And so as we come here, we have
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  to see again that this is really the theme of this chapter or the
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  section of this chapter. Look again at Mark 12/13.
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  And they sent to him some of the Pharisees, of some of the
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  Herodians to trap him in his talk.
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  You know, that word trapped in the Greek is the only word in
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  all of the New Testament. No other word shares the same
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  word. And it really explains and
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  denotes the concept of pursuing, hunting, and apprehending an
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  animal. It's aggressive, it's vicious,
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  it's merciless. And it's supposed to indicate to
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  us that the invisible enemy through visible means, is a
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  pursuer. A pursuer of the truth, a
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  pursuer of those who hold and live the truth, not to receive
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  the truth, but to try to destroy and muddy and undermine it.
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  So let your faith arise as we come to this text and believe
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  that it promises us the necessary insights to further
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  equip and complete you as a man and woman of God.
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  So what do we have here? Well, this time around we have
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  this interesting alliance. Verse 13 tells us that it was
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  the Pharisees and the Herodians who partnered together to come
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  to Christ and try to trap him. Now it's not just going to be
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  them. For the rest of this chapter,
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  look at your Bibles once more. Look at verse 18 of chapter 12.
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  After the Herodians and the Pharisees.
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  It's going to be who and Sadducees came to him who say
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  that there is no resurrection and they asked him a question
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  saying. Then after the Sadducees, you
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  Scroll down to verse 28 and what do you see?
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  And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with
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  one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him
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  which commandment is the most important of all.
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  So really it's this series of interrogation from different
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  parties that all have one thing in common.
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  They hate Jesus Christ. And in a few weeks, you and I
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  are going to consider the prophetic significance of how
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  even this series of questioning fulfills something about Jesus
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  from the Old Testament. But we'll do that when we get
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  there. But for now, you have this
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  unlikely coalition, the Pharisees and the Herodians.
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  You remember who the Pharisees were right?
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  They were the religious elite, but they believed something
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  about their current situation as a nation.
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  The Pharisees believed that Israel and the Jews deserve
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  their independence. They're under Roman occupation.
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  The Pharisees did not like that. They believe that the Jews
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  should receive their own land, their own government, a
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  government that was ruled by the law of God.
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  So they grudgingly went along with what the Romans demanded of
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  them. But if they can have their
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  freedom overnight, they would have it.
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  On the other hand, you have the Herodians, who are not a
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  religious group as much as they were a political group.
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  And the Herodians, according to their name, pledged their
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  allegiance to the Herodian dynasty.
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  And they ultimately submitted and praised and even defended
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  the Roman Empire. And there is no room in their
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  belief system for the law of God to be implemented.
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  So the two most unlikely groups, one was extremely religious and
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  the other one was extremely secular, are now working
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  together again. We see it back in Mark chapter
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  3, verse 6, But here they are once more.
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  Why? Because they found commonality
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  in Christ being their enemy. The feverish popularity of Jesus
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  was not just a threat to the counterfeit spiritual entity of
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  his time. Now you have even the political
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  powers who are a little worried, because recent news in town is
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  that the the streets were being filled with the praises of this
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  Jesus, this rabbi from Nazareth being a king, fulfilling
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  prophecy, being the expectant deliverer of the people.
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  And the last thing that Herod and the last thing that the
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  Herodians wanted was a revolution.
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  A revolution that would invite the higher leadership of Rome to
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  come into that land with disciplinary force.
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  And this is now a concern for the Herodians, not just for the
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  Pharisees. And so they conjure up a plan
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  and they work together and they have this fresh new strategy.
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  They want to trap him. And there's not just one trap.
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  I argue that there are two traps in one verse, and the same traps
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  that these enemies of Christ try to use to trip Christ with are
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  traps that you and I have to be mindful of.
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  And in this brief time, before we break bread together, I want
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  to present those two traps that you and I as Christians should
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  be careful of And, and they're not really touched on as much,
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  but they're traps nonetheless. The first trap that I want you
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  to pay attention to is the trap of flattery.
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  The trap of flattery. That's a trap.
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  That's a trap. Look at verse 14 again.
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  Look at the language that they praised Jesus with before they
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  asked him this question and they came and said to him.
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  Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about
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  anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances, but
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  truly teach the way of God. This is nothing short of a slimy
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  attempt to stroke someone's ego. And the idea behind this is that
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  by boosting Christ up so much, it would excite him.
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  It would excite him to live up to their praises and answer them
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  in the way that they desired. Because they're trying to fish
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  for something out of Christ. They want Christ to say
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  something bold, confrontational, more importantly, controversial.
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  And that's in the question that they're about to ask.
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  And so they think by priming up Jesus with these tributes, it
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  will disarm him, it will affect his judgment, and he will again
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  give in to the admiration and say what exactly they want him
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  to say to his own harm. Here's the thing, flattery
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  doesn't work with Jesus Christ. It doesn't.
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  You know who it does work with though?
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  People, including believers in Jesus Christ.
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  What is flattery? Flattery is the use of excessive
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  compliments as a means to accomplish a selfish goal.
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  Flattery is insincere praise. It is a manipulation tactic
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  under the guise of encouragement.
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  On the other hand, a genuine, heartfelt commendation is meant
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  to purely benefit the one who is receiving it.
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  But that's not what flattery does.
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  Flattery seeks to receive a benefit for yourself in giving
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  that commendation. So if you want to know the
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  difference between genuine encouragement and praise to
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  another and flattery, it is the motivation for the admiration
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  that is being shared. Why are you sharing that?
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  Why are you saying those things to such a person?
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  Why are you complimenting them? And this idea of flattery is
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  dangerous. It's dangerous because it preys
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  on the pride or the insecurities of another.
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  And the result of that is that it skews their perception.
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  It skews their perception of themselves, of another person,
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  or of a decision that they need to make.
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  And that's why in Proverbs 29 verse five, we are told a man
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  who flatters his neighbor sets up a net for his feet.
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  It's a trap. It's deception, It's a trick.
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  And it's something that you and I have to ask God.
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  Discernment for. Beware of the flatterer.
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  Beware of what you do with the praise of people, even if it's
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  genuine praise. You and I are warned about what
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  we should do with that, but especially words of endearment
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  that have a different motive behind it.
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  Because, you see, flattery is not just a potential weapon from
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  a sneaky neighbor. Here's what most people miss,
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  and this is where it relates to the body of Jesus Christ.
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  You ready? Flattery is also a
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  characteristic of a false teacher.
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  Flattery is a strong indication of someone who is dangerous even
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  in their teaching. You know, spiritual wolves are
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  are are rarely mean people. They often come off very kind,
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  very respectful, very charming, very winsome.
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  And what false teachers will often do is disarm undiscerning
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  individuals by using endearing and enticing words that are
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  personal oftentimes. And here's why they do it.
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  They reel you in with it, they keep you with it, and at some
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  point in the mix, they inject their poison into your belief
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  system. All it takes is for some people
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  to let their guard down is for another person to just be really
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  nice to them. Being nice is good, but being
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  nice is also a cloak for those who are not good.
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  And sometimes flattery manifests itself from the standpoint of a
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  false teacher in the form of prophecy, where somebody will
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  come with an apparent spiritual gift and will tell you things
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  about you or tell you things about your future that are good,
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  are good to hear. And it's really a way to have
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  access into your trust, access into your heart to win your
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  support. And that is the beginning of
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  many dangerous things. Here's a scriptural proof of the
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  correlation between flattery and a false teacher.
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  Turn with me to Romans 16 and verse 17, just in case you don't
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  believe me. Romans 16 and verse 17.
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  I don't ask for many things in life, but if I can ask for one
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  thing, is for you to continue to do what you do with those Bibles
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  every Sunday. Bring those Bibles to church.
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  It just flutters my heart every time I hear the Bible being
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  open. Romans 16, verse 17.
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  I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause
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  divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that
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  you have been taught. Avoid them, for such persons do
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  not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own appetites.
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  And by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the
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  naive. There it is.
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  Flattery is primarily a trap for the theological and emotionally
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  unstable, and it often is a bait that causes one to surrender
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  their discernment, their judgement, to the applause and
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  the adoration of others. I can tell you stories that I'll
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  spare you of, of people that I've come into contact with,
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  nobody that you know. So don't worry.
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  Many, many years ago when I first got saved and they were
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  flatters. And thank God for a good
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  spiritual leadership that discovered that these flatterers
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  that were infiltrating churches had a history of going to other
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  churches and stealing people's money and breaking up
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  relationships and introducing false teaching.
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  It is real. But the trap of flattery is not
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  just something that you and I must be mindful of as an outside
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  external thing. The trap of flattery is a
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  dangerous thing in another way. It is something that you and I
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  as Christians should be aware of, and something that you and I
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  should be mindful of not committing ourselves.
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  So it's both ways, receiving that flattery and giving it.
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  So turn your Bibles with me, the first Thessalonians, and look at
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  Chapter 2. The Apostle Paul is speaking to
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  this group of believers in what is believed to be his first
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  epistle, First Thessalonians, chapter 2, and look at verse 5.
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  For we never we never came with words of flattery, as you know,
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  nor the pretext for greed. God is witness, Nor did we see
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  glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we
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  could have made demands as apostles of Christ.
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  Here's what Paul's doing. He's making a defense of the
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  integrity of his preaching ministry.
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  And in that defense he declares with a clear conscience 3
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  things. Three things that as a minister
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  he did not do. And these are three things that
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  are true servant of God, especially in the place of
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  proclaiming the word and teaching the word.
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  These are three things that are true men of God will not do.
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  What's the first thing it says here in verse five?
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  We didn't use words of flattery. We didn't.
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  We we didn't flatter people. No, no, no, no, no.
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  Here's the second thing, he says.
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  Nor were the pretext for greed. We did not use preaching as a
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  cloak for us to covet and to satisfy our greed.
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  In other words, we didn't use ministry as an opportunity to
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  get rich, to be successful, to fill our pockets.
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  No way. And then lastly, this is
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  probably the most difficult one in verse six.
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  Nor did we seek glory from people.
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  We didn't use Ministry as an opportunity for us to feel
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  better about ourselves, to sense a purpose in our lives, a
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  meaning in our lives. We didn't fish for people to
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  love us and to get a following. No, no, no.
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  We didn't flatter people. We didn't use ministry to get
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  money from people and we didn't even use Ministry to get praises
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  from people. And the first thing, as you know
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  is the words of flattery. And note, this is more than just
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  him saying I didn't come to you showering you with compliments,
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  coming off in a nice way so that I can gain your appreciation or
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  your support. It's more than that.
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  There's a subtle form of flattery that ministers
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  especially may be committing and not even realizing it.
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  By modifying and shaping the truth to be less convicting and
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  more if not completely commending, you can flatter
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  people in your preaching if you're thinking, well, is that
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  really what he's saying? It is Because look what he says
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  right before verse five. Look at the context in verse
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  four, First Thessalonians. 24. But just as we've been approved
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  by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak not to
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  please men, but to please God, who tests our hearts.
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  Then he says, we didn't come to you with words of flattery.
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  It is it possible for someone who preaches the Word of God to
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  flatter people while preaching? Yes, absolutely.
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  And here's how that looks, where there's an intentional effort to
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  avoid any possible offense, to try to not get people to be
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  convicted, to try to get people to be upset.
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  And why would a preacher do that?
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  Well, I can tell you at least one of many reasons.
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  They don't want to lose the supporters in the church.
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  They don't want to lose the money coming in.
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  They don't want to offend. Even if they might know of the
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  things that are being done in that place that offend God, they
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  rather flatter and tiptoe around these things that would cut the
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  heart, Paul says. You're not going to find that in
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  my ministry. I did not flatter I When I
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  preach, I primarily have one audience in mind and that's God.
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  I preach to please God first, and that's what he's getting at
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  here. I didn't tailor my message
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  because of any insecurity of mine, and that's what he wants
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  us to know for the true minister today.
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  And if you're not a preacher, this still applies because there
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  will be times where you and I with the truth have to avoid the
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  temptation of giving into flattery and instead giving it
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  the way Jesus did, though it would be laced with love.
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  May God, the Holy Spirit help us be like the Lord Jesus In what?
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  In discerning what people say to us, but also and never utilizing
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  flattery for whatever our motivation might be.
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  But to do everything with the constant sense that we want to
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  1st Honor God the trap of flattery.
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  But that's not the only trap. Let's come back to mark chapter
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  12 together and let's look at verse 14 for the second trap in
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  verse 14 again. And they came and said to him,
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  Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about
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  anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances, but
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  truly teach the way of God. Here's the second trap.
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  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?
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  What a timely word, huh? Or not.
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  Should we pay them or should we not?
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  The second trap, though it is very unique to Christ's
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  situation, universally applies if we dig deeper.
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  The second trap that you and I have to be mindful of as
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  Christians is the trap of a faulty view of human government.
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  The trap of a faulty view of human government.
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  What kind of quandary are they trying to place Christ in right
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  right here With this question, it's very easy to understand
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  because if Jesus here answers this in any way in the minds of
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  these men, it's a lose lose situation.
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  It's almost like the best equation that they came up with,
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  because no matter how Jesus answers, he's going to get in
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  trouble with one party. So if the Lord Jesus says yes,
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  we must pay our taxes to Caesar, then he might be assaulting what
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  is commonly held in the Jewish community as the sovereignty of
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  God being the right to rule over the people, not Rome.
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  And so the Pharisees would love for Jesus to say yes, so that
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  they can use that as ammunition to diminish his popularity among
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  the Jews. Look at this rabbi.
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  You guys think that he's this and that, but do you realize
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  that he actually supports the Roman Empire?
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  But if he says no, we shall not pay taxes to Caesar, and if he
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  might even follow it up with God is the one who truly rules and
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  reigns over this land, over this people, Then the Herodians are
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  right there, ready to take that confession and race to the
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  authorities, to have Jesus arrested and potentially put on
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  trial. This is inescapable, almost from
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  a human standpoint. This is something that might
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  actually work. And although you and I are on
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  the edge of our seats to discover how Christ's wisdom is
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  going to manifest at this moment, you and I also have to
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  pause and remember that what Jesus will answer is imperative
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  for you and I as well. It's absolutely vital what
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  Christ is about to say here, Because you see, the problem of
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  human government isn't just limited to this situation.
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  It is something. Listen.
• 24:30
  It is something believers need to get right even today, or else
• 24:36
  we will find ourselves in a different kind of trap.
• 24:40
  Jesus trap here is different than you and I, but the theme
• 24:42
  and the subject here is still a trap.
• 24:45
  A trap that will create a wrong way of thinking which will
• 24:49
  impact your testimony in mind before a watching world.
• 24:53
  And a trap that, if we give in to, will grieve God, who longs
• 24:57
  for every facet of our lives, every lane, to be dedicated to
• 25:01
  reflecting and glorifying Him, even the way you operate in this
• 25:06
  Pagan society with unbelieving rulers.
• 25:09
  And I'll tell you why this is needed today, because for the
• 25:15
  first time in America, the first time ever, we are seeing a
• 25:20
  dramatic and blatant shift away from cultural Christianity.
• 25:26
  For the longest time, Christianity has been tolerated
• 25:28
  and even praised and even shared among those who don't really
• 25:31
  believe it. It was esteemed and held as a
• 25:34
  part of the fabric of the United States, and that is being
• 25:38
  dramatically altered. And you have Christians now who
• 25:43
  perceive that all of us can perceive that you don't have to
• 25:45
  be a prophet to see it, But at the same time, more than just
• 25:49
  perceiving it, you have genuine believers trying to navigate the
• 25:52
  way that they should respond. And what is my responsibility
• 25:56
  now? What should I do at this time,
• 25:59
  with all these laws and all this blatant rebellion and wickedness
• 26:03
  assaulting the very truth that you and I hold dear to?
• 26:08
  It's a slippery slope at this time, and I'm afraid that the
• 26:11
  growing temptation of Christians is to frame the perception of
• 26:15
  how they should practically live this out.
• 26:18
  Not from God's word, but out of anger, out of confusion, even in
• 26:25
  the flesh, in the spirit of rebellion.
• 26:30
  This is why you and I have to see this as a trap to avoid,
• 26:34
  because there's something at stake here.
• 26:36
  I'll tell you what's at stake about how you and I view human
• 26:38
  government. It's in First Peter 2, and I
• 26:41
  want you to read it with me. Beginning in verse 13, Peter by
• 26:51
  the Spirit builds on what the Lord Jesus says and what we're
• 26:54
  about to discover together in the closing part of this
• 26:56
  message. But I want to just show you a
• 26:59
  brief understanding of what's at stake if we don't take this
• 27:04
  seriously. First, Peter 213.
• 27:06
  Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,
• 27:12
  whether it be to the emperor as supreme or to governors as sent
• 27:16
  by him, to punish those who do evil and praise those who do
• 27:19
  good. Why?
• 27:20
  Why, Peter, Why should I do that?
• 27:22
  For this is the will of God one that you should just stop right
• 27:25
  there. It's the will of God.
• 27:29
  These authorities have been delegated by God.
• 27:32
  They've been placed by God. They they did not escape the
• 27:34
  sovereign will of God, for this is the will of God.
• 27:38
  Here it is that by doing good you should put to silence the
• 27:44
  ignorance of foolish people. In other words, there is
• 27:47
  constantly a people looking for reasons to criticize you as a
• 27:51
  Christian, to give reason for why they should not give to your
• 27:57
  gospel and obey it and submit to it.
• 28:01
  Including how the believer lives under, speaks about, relates to,
• 28:10
  and communicates about human government.
• 28:16
  And so we come back to Jesus words and we see what his answer
• 28:18
  was in verse 15 of Mark 12. But knowing their hypocrisy,
• 28:24
  isn't that a scary part of that verse?
• 28:28
  Jesus knows hypocrites. He knows when they're being
• 28:31
  hypocrites. Like you can't hide.
• 28:32
  You can. You can fool people.
• 28:33
  You can't fool Jesus Christ Jesus, knowing their hypocrisy,
• 28:40
  he said to them, Why put me to the test?
• 28:43
  Bring me Denarius and let me look at it.
• 28:45
  And they brought one. And he said to them, whose
• 28:48
  likeness and inscription is this?
• 28:54
  They said to him Caesar's. Jesus said to them, rendered to
• 29:01
  Caesar the things that are Caesar's.
• 29:03
  Let's stop there. Rendered to Caesar the things
• 29:06
  that are Caesar's. And then he goes on to say to
• 29:09
  God the things that are God's. Here's how Jesus is in that
• 29:12
  first part, giving his instruction, pay the tax, give
• 29:18
  the government what they're asking of you.
• 29:21
  Now, it's true that the Lord Jesus answer does not provide a
• 29:23
  full explanation of the obligation of a Christian
• 29:26
  concerning government. But it does undeniably define
• 29:29
  that there is an obligation that the Christian has.
• 29:33
  The believer does have an obligation.
• 29:34
  In this case, the obligation is to fulfill your duty to give
• 29:38
  back to the government the services that they give to you,
• 29:41
  no matter how you feel about the quality of their services.
• 29:45
  But what if and what about and what about?
• 29:50
  When I get it, I can feel it and most of those objections and
• 29:57
  those concerns are answered in the second part of Jesus's
• 30:00
  reply. And to God, the things that are
• 30:03
  God's. There is a multi layered meaning
• 30:08
  to Jesus. As simple as it is the
• 30:10
  statement, it is absolutely profound.
• 30:12
  So let's look at them 1 by 1 the immediate implication of Jesus
• 30:15
  saying give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and God what
• 30:18
  belongs to God. Is this that you and I must
• 30:20
  submit to all governing authorities.
• 30:23
  But ultimate loyalty belongs to a loftier authority.
• 30:29
  He who receives all things and all things are subject to him.
• 30:36
  God Almighty, your highest submission, your your highest
• 30:40
  surrender is to a divine court. In other words, your submission
• 30:46
  to earthly government stands as long as such demands do not
• 30:49
  encourage you in any way to violate what God says in his
• 30:55
  divine law. Here's how that would work in
• 30:58
  this case. So historically speaking, most
• 31:01
  believe that the coin that Jesus pointed to in his explanation
• 31:04
  had this inscription on it. Tiberius Caesar, son of the
• 31:09
  divine Augustus. That's what would be inscribed
• 31:14
  on that coin. And so, as that coin is being
• 31:18
  held up and Jesus says, render to Caesar the things that are
• 31:22
  Caesar's, in other words, in a applicable way for us.
• 31:26
  It's if you're asking me to pay my taxes to fund the services
• 31:31
  that I benefit from, then I will do so peaceably.
• 31:33
  I will comply. But remember that inscription
• 31:37
  even at that time, Tiberiasis are the son of the divine
• 31:41
  Augustus. That's a claim to divinity.
• 31:45
  That is a ridiculous claim, and I know that our politicians have
• 31:51
  made crazy claims lately, and I have a feeling they're going to
• 31:53
  get worse. But nothing has reached this
• 31:55
  category yet of claiming divinity.
• 31:59
  You want me to pay my taxes? I'll pay my taxes.
• 32:03
  I'll render to Caesar the things that belongs to Caesar's.
• 32:07
  But if you're asking me to worship Caesar, that I will
• 32:11
  reject with absolute resistance. Why?
• 32:15
  Because my master told me to render unto God what belongs to
• 32:18
  God, and that's worship. And that's something that these
• 32:23
  believers would need to remember, because persecution is
• 32:26
  going to rise in a few years. With that very temptation, that
• 32:30
  very command from the government would be made, and they would
• 32:33
  make the choice to render unto God what belongs to God.
• 32:37
  So when the government interferes and meddles with the
• 32:40
  clear commands of Scripture concerning you and I as
• 32:43
  believers, you have every right to protest, resist, and at any
• 32:48
  cost obey God over man, rend unto Caesar the things that
• 32:52
  belongs to Caesar's, and as Peter said, do it for the Lord's
• 32:56
  sake, for the Lord's sake. In other words, don't view
• 33:01
  government as this one sphere here, and the church and God's
• 33:05
  word here. No.
• 33:06
  Understand that government is something again that God
• 33:09
  established, and that you were to view it through the lens of
• 33:13
  his word, and you were to seek the wisdom of God, to know how
• 33:16
  to relate to that. And it's not very difficult
• 33:20
  because you have everything you need to know about God and what
• 33:22
  he asks of you here. But there's something else here.
• 33:26
  There's a wider implication. Christ says render to seize the
• 33:30
  things that belong to Caesar, but he said something right
• 33:32
  before. Let's revisit it again in verse
• 33:34
  16. And they brought one and said to
• 33:37
  them, Whose likeness and inscription is this?
• 33:43
  Whose likeness and inscription is this?
• 33:47
  Does that language sound familiar?
• 33:50
  It should. And I have a feeling that there
• 33:53
  was a Hebrew scripture that flashed before the mind's eye of
• 33:56
  these Jewish listeners the very moment Jesus shared it.
• 34:00
  Genesis 126. You remember what saying what it
• 34:03
  says there. Then God said, let us make man
• 34:06
  in our image after our likeness. I'm sure I rung a bell.
• 34:15
  Jesus being very strategic with how he is saying this, whose
• 34:18
  likeness and inscription is this?
• 34:23
  And then he follows it up with Render unto Caesar what belongs
• 34:26
  to Caesar, and unto God what belongs to God.
• 34:30
  Do you see the connection that Jesus Christ is making by
• 34:33
  phrasing his question in this way?
• 34:36
  If this coin should be returned to Caesar because his image is
• 34:41
  on it, then the object that reflects God's image should also
• 34:46
  be returned to him. And what is the object of
• 34:49
  creation that bears the image of God?
• 34:53
  You. You give this to Caesar.
• 35:00
  His image is on it. But you forgot what image is on
• 35:04
  you. God's image is on you.
• 35:09
  So you have to understand how the Pharisees would have heard
• 35:12
  this and how the Herodians would have heard this.
• 35:14
  You see the Pharisees who were supposedly concerned about what
• 35:17
  responsibility we have to the Roman Empire.
• 35:19
  We're reserving something else of greater importance at this
• 35:23
  time themselves. Here they are talking about what
• 35:28
  should we give to Caesar? And here's God in Christ
• 35:31
  reminding them, hey, I know we have to talk about this and make
• 35:34
  this clear, but let's talk about something else that you're not
• 35:36
  giving, that you need to give. Render unto Caesar what belongs
• 35:39
  to Caesar, but render unto God what belongs to God what belongs
• 35:42
  to God. Your image is God's image.
• 35:44
  You must give yourself to God. And these Pharisees were
• 35:48
  rejecting that principle because they were not giving themselves
• 35:51
  to the Son of God. So he cuts through that.
• 35:56
  Now what about the Herodians? You have the Herodians who were
• 35:59
  completely caught up in politics.
• 36:03
  They had this view of the Herodian dynasty, almost as
• 36:07
  though they were a messianic kind of figure, and their whole
• 36:12
  world view was wrapped up in the temporal, in the worldliness of
• 36:16
  things. And here's Jesus reminding them,
• 36:19
  even through that statement, you Herodians, you fell short of
• 36:24
  giving unto God what belongs to him, which is your heart and
• 36:27
  your ultimate obedience. Is it not true that we have
• 36:30
  people today that view government, that view politics,
• 36:33
  that view elections as though there is no other hope?
• 36:39
  Have you met those kind of Christians?
• 36:41
  They're experts in politics, but they're babes in Christ.
• 36:44
  When it comes to the things of God, give unto Caesar what
• 36:49
  belongs to Caesar. His image is on it.
• 36:51
  Give it to him whose image is on you?
• 36:54
  God. So give yourself to God.
• 36:57
  Did you do that? Yet?
• 37:00
  You're not a lone wolf. You're not an accident.
• 37:03
  You didn't just appear. You're not the byproduct of the
• 37:06
  love between your father and your mother.
• 37:09
  You are created in the image of God, and as precious as that is,
• 37:14
  and as wonderful as that is, that has implications of
• 37:18
  ownership. You don't belong to yourself.
• 37:23
  You belong to someone who made you and he is good and he is
• 37:26
  perfect. And in the same way that a
• 37:30
  person can refuse to pay taxes to Caesar, you have the ability
• 37:34
  to refuse to give yourself to God.
• 37:37
  And in the same way that a person who does so against a
• 37:40
  human government risk facing consequences for such
• 37:44
  resistance, there is a God in heaven who will call each of us
• 37:48
  into account for failing to acknowledge him as our rightful
• 37:52
  owner. Is it a mystery why?
• 37:58
  At the end of verse 17, it says, And they marveled at him,
• 38:04
  They're stunned. This is convicting.
• 38:09
  Yeah, give it to him. I'm not here to encourage a
• 38:11
  revolution. I'm not here being preoccupied
• 38:15
  with human government. You think.
• 38:18
  But brother, you don't understand.
• 38:20
  No, I actually do understand, because the same Jesus said
• 38:22
  render unto Caesar. What belongs to Caesar is saying
• 38:25
  that about the government, who in a few days is going to nail
• 38:27
  him on a cross. And so, for the Lord's sake,
• 38:34
  when it's difficult, whatever your situation might be that
• 38:38
  would encourage you to respond in the flesh instead of in the
• 38:40
  spirit, do it for the Lord's sake.
• 38:43
  Even with your taxes. I know who loves taxes, right?
• 38:48
  Even your time. It your money doesn't belong to
• 38:51
  you. Like, hey, you're traveling by
• 38:53
  in this life and you're not bringing anything with you.
• 38:56
  Nothing. Just pay your taxes.
• 38:59
  Honor God, live on, and trust that he's going to take care of
• 39:02
  you. OK, OK.
• 39:05
  Very simple. Just travel lightly in this
• 39:09
  world. Travel very lightly for the
• 39:12
  Lord's sake. For the Lord's sake.
• 39:15
  And when they begin to impose and infiltrate and attempt to
• 39:18
  act as the head of the church, No, no, no, no, no, no.
• 39:20
  We don't give in. We submit to Christ, and this is
• 39:24
  what his word says, and we pay whatever price we have to pay to
• 39:28
  honor God above man. They marveled at him.
• 39:34
  I wonder what that marveling did to them.
• 39:37
  I wonder for if a moment their icy hearts were thawed a little
• 39:42
  bit. You know, it's possible to
• 39:46
  marvel at Jesus, marvel at His word, be moved by what his word
• 39:51
  says. Marvel like, really be amazed
• 39:54
  and not be changed by Jesus. Can I show you how these men who
• 40:00
  marveled did not change? Can I show you how it's
• 40:04
  possible, even in a setting like this, to be moved but never
• 40:09
  transformed? If you are being moved, that's
• 40:13
  your opportunity to know transformation.
• 40:15
  But it's possible to marvel and your heart remain the same.
• 40:20
  Look at this and this is our final text before we end.
• 40:22
  Look at Luke 23, Matthew Mark Luke 23.
• 40:34
  Here's Jesus, precious Lord Jesus on trial verse one.
• 40:47
  Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before
• 40:50
  Pilate, and they began to accuse him, saying We found this man
• 40:54
  misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to
• 40:58
  Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ a king.
• 41:04
  Did you see it? What were they saying?
• 41:08
  This Jesus is misleading our nation by saying we shouldn't
• 41:12
  pay taxes to Caesar. Is that what Jesus did?
• 41:16
  Has anybody ever taken your words and twisted them?
• 41:20
  Has anybody on your behalf said that you said something when you
• 41:23
  didn't say them? Welcome to the club.
• 41:25
  Club Jesus, the one in whom there was no deceit found in his
• 41:31
  mouth. People had the liberty and the
• 41:36
  venomous willingness to say Jesus, Jesus, me, OK, I make
• 41:43
  mistakes. I can say some things.
• 41:44
  I understand that I'm not the perfect communicator and that
• 41:47
  things can be mistranslated. But Jesus, Jesus said that we
• 41:52
  should not pay tribute to Caesar.
• 41:55
  Do you see how you can fellowship with Christ in all
• 41:57
  your afflictions? Even this if what?
• 42:03
  What would it take for you and I in that kind of a setting where
• 42:07
  in a trial where you would face horrific torture to not say
• 42:12
  you're a liar? Jesus doesn't go there.
• 42:19
  I'm just marveling at Jesus again.
• 42:21
  I'm sorry, I can't help it. I wasn't supposed to end this
• 42:23
  way. He's amazing.
• 42:28
  He's amazing. I want to be like Jesus, but I
• 42:31
  want to show this for this main purpose.
• 42:32
  Marveling at Jesus is not the same as giving your heart to
• 42:37
  Jesus. And I want you to give your
• 42:40
  heart to Jesus because the image of God is on you.
• 42:44
  And because of a fall, that image wasn't completely deleted.
• 42:49
  It was marred that that mirror that was supposed to perfectly
• 42:52
  reflect the glory of God through the mud of sin, was splashed all
• 42:56
  over it. But Christ comes into this world
• 42:58
  to rescue us, and with His blood to cleanse that and to restore
• 43:04
  that, and one day, fully in total glorification, renew that
• 43:11
  but you. In the same way you might be
• 43:13
  tempted to give that coin when you have the option to keep it
• 43:17
  to yourself. Give your heart to Him and let
• 43:21
  him renew you, forgive you, restore you, rejuvenate you,
• 43:25
  revive you, and bring you into a life that Jesus said is
• 43:29
  abundant. And today, as we break bread
• 43:33
  together, we are reminding ourselves that because of the
• 43:36
  body and blood of Jesus, we are forgiven.
• 43:39
  And no matter what we've done, even if we have cheated, even if
• 43:44
  we have loved money more than God, even if we have, unlike
• 43:48
  Jesus did things in the flesh and retaliated with vengeance,
• 43:55
  we are forgiven because of Jesus.
• 43:58
  And so in a moment here, we're going to sing as I invite the
• 44:01
  praise team to come up, to do just that, to reflect, to
• 44:05
  reflect on this truth of the cross.
• 44:14
  And as you're sitting there, just prepare your heart.
• 44:20
  Prepare your heart to partake of this wonderful ordinance.
• 44:26
  Ask God to cleanse you of anything that would grieve the
• 44:29
  Spirit. Ask God to instill in you a joy
• 44:33
  to not do this mechanically, but to do this with the celebration
• 44:39
  of your life. I've been forgiven by Christ.
• 44:42
  I'm redeemed by the Lord. I have no concern about my
• 44:45
  eternal standing before God because not because of me, but
• 44:48
  because of this, this body and this blood.
• 44:52
  I have total security that I'm saved.
• 44:55
  Lord, we thank you for this message, for instructing us
• 44:59
  about how we can be more like Christ, for reminding us, though
• 45:03
  in a brief way, how to avoid these traps, these minds that we
• 45:07
  might have not noticed before. Lord, in every area we want to
• 45:11
  glorify you, and every way we we live.
• 45:14
  We want to be able to reflect you and please you help us do
• 45:17
  that. But Lord, for this moment we ask
• 45:20
  that despite our poor performance or our weaknesses,
• 45:24
  we come to reflect on the fact that because you're strong,
• 45:28
  we're strong. Because you paid the price, our
• 45:30
  debt is cancelled. And so Lord, may may the joy of
• 45:34
  our hearts now be in the truth that you did everything and it
• 45:38
  is finished because of your life.
• 45:40
  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
• 45:43
  We're singing to remember that even on the night that Jesus was
• 45:46
  betrayed, he sang a hymn with his disciples.
• 45:49
  I don't care how you feel right now.
• 45:52
  The truth is good enough to let your heart soar.
• 45:56
  If Jesus could sing when he was about to be betrayed, you can
• 45:59
  sing despite your tribulation today.
• 46:02
  Can we do that to him? Yes.
• 46:03
  Let's stand and worship the Lord.