Latest / Providence Baptist Church - Sermons / Romans 13:1-7

Transcript

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

0:00
I've heard of your Bibles through Romans 13.
0:07
I'm going to apologize right now because I have some sinus stuff going on.
0:12
! It's really messed my throat up.
0:13
So the college students who heard me on Thursday night, they're probably like,
0:17
Oh no, listening to this for another hour.
0:21
So I apologize, but I trust that God will work despite of my voice.
0:27
But just join me in prayer real fast.
0:29
Father, I'm just thankful to be with your people this morning.
0:34
Thank you for your word and how it ministers to our souls.
0:39
Show us how important it is that we learn how to relate to our authorities in a manner that glorifies you.
0:48
And Lord, this is written for our good and you have great purpose and reason, Lord.
0:54
So help me just be able to communicate what's true.
0:59
And Lord, what's not really my own opinion, Lord, but just to focus on what your word says.
1:05
And for you to receive the glory this morning.
1:08
In Christ's name, amen.
1:11
Well, we're in Romans 13 now.
1:14
And for those of you who have been following along in Romans, these latter chapters of Romans are focused mainly toward the practical outworking of the gospel in our lives.
1:27
He spent a huge number of chapters covering biblical doctrine on salvation, the gospel, the sinfulness of man, the grace of God, justification by faith in Christ.
1:39
And now, like in response to that, how does that look like in our lives?
1:45
And so that's kind of where we're going today.
1:47
It's where we were last week.
1:49
We talked about letting love be genuine and the outworking of love in our lives to others.
1:55
And now we come to the topic of government.
1:58
But before we get going, I just want to say that my goal this morning is not to give a situational ethics course on government.
2:10
Like if this happens, how do we respond in any little small particular way?
2:15
But more or less just about the overall biblical teaching about what government is.
2:19
We do have like more specifics about that in ethics and how we respond when government does this or government does that.
2:28
Those kind of ideas, but really not the goal this morning.
2:33
And also to remember that like government is going to be a gift to us.
2:41
It is a gift from the Lord.
2:43
We're going to look at that this morning.
2:44
But I only have two questions this morning to kind of split this text up, verses 1 through 7.
2:54
But underneath those, we have some sub points, if you want to call them that, as answering those questions.
3:01
But just getting into it, the first question is, what is the divine purpose of government?
3:08
What is the divine purpose of government?
3:11
And we see this in verses 1 through 4.
3:14
Let every person be subject to governing authorities.
3:18
For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
3:24
Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
3:31
For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.
3:35
When you have no fear of the one who is in authority, then do what is good, and you will receive his approval.
3:42
For he is God's servant for your good.
3:44
But if you do wrong, be afraid.
3:47
For he does not bear the sword in vain.
3:50
For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
3:56
So, verses 1 through 4 kind of give us a place to kind of say this is what God's divine purpose for government is.
4:06
So, the little sub points under this.
4:10
The first one, the sub point under this is government is by divine decree.
4:15
And we see this in verse 1.
4:19
No authority except from God.
4:21
And those that exist have been instituted by God.
4:24
So, all human governments, regardless of their form, have been ordained by God.
4:30
And he's ordained them ultimately for the good of all societies.
4:34
And to protect them, to serve their good.
4:39
And, but they're all, regardless of what government in history, ones today, ones that will be eventually.
4:46
We need to understand that like all of them, regardless of how evil they may be,
4:51
are still under the sovereign control of God.
4:54
Still under the providence of God.
4:56
And he uses them for his own means.
4:59
Even, it's kind of the mystery of how God's sovereignty works.
5:03
He even allows the actions of evil men to play right into his plan every time.
5:11
And learning that whatever we intend for evil, God intends for good.
5:17
And there's nothing that we can do.
5:19
The cross being the ultimate example of that.
5:21
When evil men crucified the Son of God, it actually played into God's plan in destroying evil.
5:28
And so like God has a plan A, there's no plan B.
5:32
He's working it all out.
5:34
And he uses governments to achieve that.
5:37
And turning the book of Daniel real fast.
5:40
I'm just going to show you two passages in Daniel.
5:43
But Daniel was an amazing book to go to in relation to how we should live in government.
5:49
And he himself saw many kingdoms come and go.
5:55
Many empires rise and fall in his own life.
5:58
And even foresaw the future.
6:01
But Daniel chapter 2, go there first.
6:04
Daniel chapter 2 verse 20.
6:05
So we're going to learn here that God sovereignly works in and through both good and evil governments to accomplish his purposes.
6:18
Things don't just happen.
6:20
So Daniel 2 verse 20.
6:22
Daniel answered and said,
6:24
Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.
6:30
He changes times and seasons.
6:32
He removes kings and setups kings.
6:35
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
6:40
He reveals the deep and hidden things.
6:42
He knows what is in the darkness and the light that dwells with him.
6:46
So, one example.
6:49
We'll flip over just two chapters to Daniel 4 real fast.
6:54
And this is a confession of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
7:00
And who himself was a very powerful ruler over men.
7:07
And he had great wealth and great power.
7:09
And God ended up humbling him through a series of events.
7:13
And to kind of show him that he really didn't have any power in and of himself.
7:17
That it was all granted by God.
7:19
And so Nebuchadnezzar, in verse 34, if you go to verse 34, says,
7:25
At the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven.
7:32
And my reason returned to me.
7:34
And I blessed the Most High and praised and honored him who lives forever.
7:38
For his dominion is an everlasting dominion.
7:41
And his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
7:45
All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing.
7:48
And he does according to his will among the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth.
7:54
And no one can stay his hand or say to him,
7:57
What have you done?
8:00
And that's a picture of, like, unrivaled sovereignty.
8:03
God himself, you know, we talk about the kingdom of God.
8:09
And we tend to think as Westerners, as Americans, that democracy is the best form of government on the planet.
8:17
That can be argued in a lot of ways.
8:20
I would say that it's probably one of the best in the broken, sinful world we live in.
8:25
But the majority can be wrong, as we've learned throughout history and other things.
8:33
But the kingdom of God, not our democracy, is a monarchy.
8:38
But not even just a monarchy, but an absolute monarchy, where he rules over all things.
8:44
And we would have reason to fear if he was an unjust and harsh and not a good God.
8:50
But he's perfect in all his ways.
8:52
So regardless of those who are in governing positions today and in the past,
8:58
God has used them for his own purposes to play right into what his ultimate plan is.
9:04
Both good and evil governments.
9:07
And there's a verse in Proverbs 21 that you can just write down if you don't want to turn there.
9:11
Proverbs 21, verse 1.
9:13
It says,
9:14
The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord.
9:19
And he turns it wherever he will.
9:22
This idea that God even can control the kings of the earth to accomplish what he wants.
9:28
So, but here's what we see in Scripture.
9:32
God can grant good authorities as a blessing to people.
9:35
But he also can grant and allow evil wars to be over people as a means of judgment.
9:41
And an example of this is when both Israel and Judah, the northern, southern kingdoms that were split,
9:51
were in rebellion against God and had a lot of sinful things going on.
9:55
And God constantly kept calling them back to repentance.
9:58
It's like, repent, come back, do not do this, or I'll have to judge you.
10:03
And they continued to resist God.
10:05
And so eventually God sent prophets to them.
10:10
One of them he sent was Amos.
10:12
Turn to Amos chapter 2.
10:16
I only have a few places for you to look this morning.
10:19
But look at Amos chapter 2.
10:21
But God called out Israel and Judah for a lot of things.
10:29
Social injustice, corruption like in the judicial system kind of thing,
10:35
gluttonous living, and religious hypocrisy.
10:38
It sounds a lot like where our country could be going in a lot of ways.
10:43
And in a lot of ways it's already arrived.
10:45
So this is what happened.
10:49
God sent Amos to the northern kingdom of Israel to call them back
10:56
and basically to say God's done with you guys.
11:00
Like he's had it.
11:02
Like you guys have been in rebellion for far too long
11:05
and you've ignored all his calls to repent.
11:09
And this is what he says.
11:10
Look at verse 4, chapter 2.
11:13
Thus says the Lord,
11:16
For three transgressions of Judah and for four,
11:19
I will not revoke the punishment
11:21
because they have rejected the law of the Lord
11:24
and have not kept the statues,
11:27
but their lives have led them astray,
11:30
those after which their fathers walked.
11:33
So I will send fire upon Judah
11:35
and devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.
11:40
And this is God saying,
11:41
my response to this is going to be judgment, discipline.
11:46
And flip over to chapter 3 real fast in Amos.
11:49
I'll read just one verse out of this.
11:52
But we have to understand that this is the same God who's alive and at work today.
11:58
The God of the Old Testament was not a different God than we have today.
12:01
And when some calamity happens,
12:06
regardless of whatever it is,
12:08
when some tragedy happens in the government or in a nation,
12:12
it's not just randomly happening.
12:15
God is at work.
12:17
He is the one who's allowing things to happen
12:19
and bringing them about himself as a means to call people to repentance,
12:23
to show them that their life is fleeting
12:26
and they need to repent and believe the gospel,
12:28
which was Jesus' response to what people asked him in the gospels.
12:34
So look at verse,
12:36
sorry, look at verse 6,
12:41
I believe.
12:42
Yeah, verse 6.
12:43
It says,
12:45
Is a trumpet blown in a city and the people were not afraid?
12:50
Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has done it?
12:55
You know,
12:56
and so we see that God even judges nations
12:59
by allowing them to be ruled over wicked men.
13:03
And in this case, it was Assyria.
13:05
God had like protected Israel from Assyria
13:08
and like said, you know,
13:10
come back to me, repent.
13:12
And they refused.
13:13
It was like blatantly refused them,
13:16
but acted like they still belonged to them,
13:18
like gave God a lot of lip service,
13:20
but their hearts were far from him.
13:22
So what he did to judge them and to discipline them
13:24
was to remove his hand of protection
13:26
and to allow Assyria to pretty much destroy
13:30
the northern kingdom of Israel.
13:33
And so that's just an example,
13:37
a example of how God uses even evil men
13:41
to accomplish his purpose.
13:43
And so that's sub-point number one
13:46
is that government is under divine decree.
13:52
So the second sub-point
13:53
is that government is a restraint
13:57
on the depravity of man
13:59
or the sinfulness of man.
14:01
Government is a divine restraint
14:03
on the depravity of man.
14:05
I'm going to go back to Romans 13 again.
14:11
Back to Romans 13,
14:13
look at verse 2.
14:14
It says,
14:18
Therefore, whoever resists the authorities
14:22
resists what God has appointed,
14:24
and those who resist will incur judgment.
14:28
For the rulers are not a terror to good conduct,
14:30
but to bad.
14:32
Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority?
14:35
And then jump over to verse 4,
14:36
the second part of verse 4.
14:38
But if you do wrong,
14:40
be afraid,
14:41
for he does not bear the sword in vain,
14:44
for he is a servant of God,
14:45
an avenger,
14:46
who carries out God's wrath
14:48
on the wrongdoer.
14:51
So we've got to understand that,
14:52
you know,
14:54
if there's anything
14:55
that really is,
14:56
that we don't really need to prove
14:58
or really search for much evidence,
14:59
it's so funny that,
15:02
like when you're sharing the gospel
15:03
with somebody,
15:04
that, like they often have a hard time
15:06
understanding this,
15:07
when there's so much evidence of this
15:09
surrounding us every day.
15:11
But we don't need a lot of evidence
15:13
to prove that
15:14
we live in like a very
15:15
corrupt world,
15:18
very fallen,
15:18
very broken,
15:19
very sinful world.
15:21
And
15:21
government is a divine restraint
15:24
against the sinfulness of man.
15:27
Martin Luther said,
15:28
government is a sign
15:30
of divine grace,
15:32
of the mercy of God,
15:34
who has no pleasure
15:35
in murdering,
15:36
killing,
15:36
and strangling.
15:37
If God left all things
15:39
to which they would,
15:41
as he has among other nations
15:43
without good government,
15:44
we should quickly dispatch
15:46
one another
15:46
out of this world.
15:48
And
15:49
remember that government
15:51
was not an institution
15:53
in the pre-fall
15:54
sinless world.
15:56
You know that?
15:57
Like you remember
15:57
the story.
15:59
There was no need for it.
16:00
If man
16:01
was inherently good,
16:04
selfless,
16:04
humble,
16:05
always seeking the good
16:06
of his fellow man,
16:08
we wouldn't really
16:08
need much government
16:10
at all.
16:11
But
16:11
this is not the case.
16:12
Humans are not that way.
16:13
We're all the exact opposite.
16:15
We're
16:15
we have
16:17
original sin,
16:18
we are selfish,
16:19
and we always
16:20
look out for number one.
16:22
And
16:22
that's not
16:23
a
16:24
good combination
16:25
for people living
16:26
in harmony
16:26
with one another.
16:28
So
16:28
government is
16:29
a restraint
16:30
on the rebellion
16:31
of man.
16:33
And
16:33
without which
16:34
we would have
16:35
no peace,
16:35
no stability,
16:37
chaos,
16:38
anarchy
16:38
would pretty much
16:39
rule.
16:40
And we can see that
16:41
in different nations
16:42
throughout the world
16:44
where there's no
16:45
real stable government
16:46
and how people
16:46
just kind of do
16:47
whatever they want
16:49
and no one's
16:50
safe,
16:51
there's no peace
16:51
and protection
16:53
for people at all.
16:54
And even
16:55
little moments,
16:57
little windows,
16:58
places that we can
16:59
look in
16:59
in our own country
17:01
when we see
17:02
like a national,
17:04
like a disaster
17:05
hit,
17:05
like Katrina,
17:06
and they would say
17:07
that so many people
17:08
were just running
17:08
around rampant,
17:09
stealing things,
17:11
shooting at
17:11
helicopters flying by,
17:13
where there's not
17:14
like a lot of
17:15
law enforcement.
17:18
People left
17:18
to their own
17:19
devices will always
17:21
go the other way.
17:22
And chaos
17:24
and anarchy
17:25
would be the result.
17:26
And as someone
17:28
who really loves
17:29
to study empires
17:31
of the past,
17:32
like I can tell you
17:32
like that's just true,
17:33
like it's the same
17:34
story over and over.
17:36
And so,
17:38
you might not agree
17:39
with this,
17:40
it could be argued
17:41
that an imperfect
17:43
order is better
17:45
than no order
17:46
at all
17:46
in a lot of
17:47
situations.
17:49
But government
17:50
is a mercy
17:51
from God
17:51
to keep order
17:52
and to rule
17:53
over the
17:53
sinfulness of man.
17:55
I have a,
17:57
I started trying
17:57
to paraphrase this
17:58
in my own words,
17:59
but as when you're
18:00
writing a paper,
18:01
if you really can't
18:01
do that that well,
18:02
you should just
18:03
state what's there.
18:04
And this is just
18:05
a quote by a guy
18:07
named Robert Hadlin
18:07
on government.
18:09
He said,
18:09
the institution
18:10
of civil government
18:12
is a dispensation
18:13
of mercy.
18:14
And it exists
18:15
and its existence
18:16
is so indispensable
18:18
that the moment
18:19
it sees under one
18:20
form,
18:21
it reestablishes
18:22
itself in another.
18:24
The world,
18:25
ever since the fall,
18:26
when the dominion
18:27
of one part
18:28
of the human race
18:29
was over another,
18:30
immediately introduced,
18:32
that's in Genesis 3,
18:34
if you want to know
18:34
Genesis 3,
18:35
16,
18:36
has been in such
18:37
a state of corruption
18:38
and depravity
18:39
that without
18:40
the powerful obstacle
18:41
presented by government
18:43
to the selfish passions
18:45
of men,
18:46
it would be better
18:47
to live among
18:47
the beasts of the forest
18:48
than in human society.
18:50
So he's saying
18:51
like in a pre-fall condition,
18:53
without government,
18:54
we might as well
18:54
go out and live
18:55
in the woods.
18:56
Some of us
18:56
would rather do that anyway.
18:58
But it says,
19:00
as soon as its restraints
19:01
are removed,
19:02
man shows himself
19:04
in his real character
19:05
when there was
19:06
no king in Israel
19:07
and every man did
19:09
what was right
19:10
in his own eyes.
19:11
We see the last
19:11
three chapters
19:12
of the book of Judges
19:14
which were
19:15
the dreadful consequences
19:16
when everyone just did
19:17
what was right
19:17
in their own eyes
19:18
and there was no ruler
19:20
over them.
19:21
So,
19:22
and as it says
19:23
in our text,
19:23
back in Romans,
19:25
it says that they
19:26
wield the power
19:26
of the sword.
19:28
What does that mean?
19:29
It means they have
19:30
weapons.
19:31
It means that
19:32
they have,
19:33
if you take away
19:34
the sword
19:34
from the government,
19:35
they don't have
19:36
any authority
19:36
at all.
19:37
They can't make you
19:38
do anything.
19:39
They can't control
19:40
sinful men
19:41
or protect
19:42
those who are
19:43
law-abiding citizens
19:44
without the sword.
19:47
And so,
19:48
going on,
19:49
like,
19:50
it says that the
19:51
governing authorities
19:52
are God's servants
19:53
carrying out
19:54
his judgment
19:55
and his wrath
19:56
against the evil
19:56
actions of man.
19:58
and if we look
20:00
on and,
20:01
no,
20:02
don't turn here,
20:03
but I was going
20:03
to say,
20:04
I'll read this to you
20:04
from 1 Peter
20:05
chapter 4,
20:07
verse 15.
20:08
Let no one
20:09
suffer as a murderer
20:28
trouble with the government.
20:29
Let it be for something
20:30
righteous,
20:31
not for doing evil,
20:32
not for,
20:33
like,
20:33
attacking,
20:35
trying to rebel
20:35
against the government
20:36
in some sinful way.
20:39
He's like,
20:39
don't be in trouble
20:41
by that,
20:41
but a major difference
20:43
between Romans
20:44
and 1 Peter
20:45
is that when the book
20:46
of Romans was written
20:47
historically,
20:49
the persecution
20:51
from the empire
20:52
had not really
20:52
started yet,
20:54
officially,
20:54
and it came
20:57
probably the second time
20:58
Paul came to Rome
20:59
and,
21:00
but around 1 Peter
21:02
it was already happening,
21:04
so Peter's like saying,
21:06
in these cases,
21:07
you know,
21:07
do not suffer
21:09
for doing evil,
21:10
like,
21:10
if you're going to suffer,
21:11
suffer for the cause
21:12
of Christ,
21:13
in the name of Christ,
21:14
for loving people
21:16
and for laying down
21:17
your life for people,
21:18
like,
21:18
suffer in that way,
21:20
so,
21:20
you know,
21:22
we don't really,
21:23
like I said,
21:23
this isn't going to be
21:24
a situational ethics
21:25
mourning,
21:27
but,
21:27
but also,
21:29
the power of the sword
21:30
refers to war,
21:31
the state has a right
21:32
to defend itself,
21:34
but also refers to
21:36
the idea of capital punishment,
21:37
which you can read about
21:38
in Genesis 9,
21:40
5 through 6,
21:41
if you want a basis
21:42
for why God commands that,
21:44
and it's a large deterrent
21:47
for people to do evil,
21:48
it doesn't deter everybody,
21:49
but it is a deterrent,
21:51
and in the,
21:52
the means of exercising
21:54
that authority
21:55
are important,
21:57
and even though
21:58
sometimes innocent people
22:00
suffer,
22:01
and may be falsely accused,
22:04
the overall institution
22:05
is more important
22:06
than,
22:07
than doing away with it,
22:09
and so we look at,
22:11
that'll bring us
22:12
to the next thing,
22:13
which these kind of
22:14
go hand in hand,
22:15
but government resists
22:16
to,
22:17
to keep in check
22:19
the sinful actions
22:20
of man,
22:21
but also on the other hand,
22:23
this is the last sub point
22:25
under this question,
22:26
government
22:26
is a divine means
22:28
to promote good,
22:30
if you look at
22:31
verses 3 and 4
22:33
back in Romans 13,
22:35
for the rulers
22:36
are not a terror
22:37
to good conduct,
22:38
but to bad,
22:39
would you have no fear
22:40
of the one
22:41
who is in authority,
22:42
then do what is good,
22:44
and you will receive
22:44
his approval,
22:46
for he is God's servant
22:47
for your good,
22:49
that's what he,
22:49
what he says,
22:51
so as a general rule,
22:53
as a general rule,
22:55
the peaceful,
22:56
law-abiding citizen
22:57
should have no reason
22:59
to fear the government,
23:01
and it exists
23:03
as the deterrent
23:04
for evil
23:04
and the promotion
23:05
of what is good,
23:06
seeking,
23:07
seeking the good of,
23:08
and welfare
23:09
of that nation
23:10
is what a government
23:11
exists for,
23:12
it doesn't always do that,
23:14
but it does
23:14
in a large way,
23:15
and like we got
23:17
to remember that
23:18
no government system
23:20
is going to be perfect
23:21
because it's made up
23:22
of sinful men,
23:24
and just like the church
23:25
is not perfect
23:26
because though we are
23:27
born again,
23:29
we still sin,
23:29
we're made up of people
23:31
that have a lot
23:32
of issues,
23:33
and so,
23:34
but we would have,
23:36
I'll read you
23:37
this little statement
23:38
that I think sums up
23:39
these two points
23:40
in the old
23:42
Westminster confession
23:43
from the 1600s,
23:45
God,
23:46
the supreme
23:47
Lord and King
23:48
of all the world,
23:50
has ordained
23:50
civil magistrates
23:51
to be under him
23:52
over the people
23:54
for his own glory
23:55
and the public good,
23:56
and to this end
23:57
he has armed them
23:58
with the power
23:59
of the sword
24:00
for the defense
24:01
and the encouragement
24:02
of them that are good
24:03
and for the punishment
24:05
of those who do evil.
24:07
So,
24:09
they're to uphold justice,
24:10
they're to seek
24:12
the welfare
24:13
of their nation,
24:14
of their people,
24:15
and if they
24:16
abuse that authority,
24:18
God is very clear
24:19
that he will hold
24:20
them accountable
24:21
for that
24:21
and that he will judge
24:22
them if they abuse
24:23
that authority,
24:25
and that's why
24:26
we see,
24:27
like,
24:27
why nations
24:28
have destroyed
24:29
other nations,
24:30
you know,
24:31
like,
24:32
though God
24:32
used Assyria
24:33
to punish Israel
24:35
and to punish Judah,
24:37
like,
24:37
eventually,
24:39
I mean,
24:39
it seems like,
24:40
well,
24:40
God is on the side
24:41
of the Assyrians,
24:41
right?
24:42
No,
24:42
because eventually
24:43
God judged the Assyrians
24:44
with the Babylonians
24:45
and the Babylonians
24:47
with the Persians
24:47
and the Persians
24:48
with the Greeks
24:49
and so forth,
24:50
so God always
24:52
is going to punish
24:53
the men in government
24:55
who use their power
24:55
for evil,
24:56
always.
24:57
He's going to hold
24:58
them accountable
24:58
for that.
25:00
So,
25:00
this brings us
25:01
to the second question,
25:04
the other half
25:04
of this,
25:05
is,
25:07
how can we glorify
25:09
God
25:09
in our government
25:11
as believers?
25:12
How can we glorify
25:13
God
25:14
in our government?
25:15
And this is verses
25:16
5 through 7
25:17
in Romans.
25:18
Therefore,
25:20
one must be
25:20
in subjection,
25:22
not only
25:22
to avoid
25:23
God's wrath,
25:24
but also
25:25
for the sake
25:25
of conscience.
25:27
For because of this,
25:28
you also pay taxes,
25:30
for the authorities
25:31
are ministers
25:32
of God
25:33
attending
25:34
to this very thing.
25:36
Pay to all
25:37
what is owed
25:37
to them,
25:38
taxes to whom
25:39
taxes are owed,
25:41
revenue to whom
25:42
revenue is owed,
25:44
respect to whom
25:45
respect is owed,
25:46
and honor to him
25:46
honor is owed.
25:48
So,
25:49
he tells us
25:50
in this context
25:51
how we should
25:52
relate to the government,
25:53
and this would have
25:53
been a big question
25:54
to the church
25:56
in Rome.
25:56
How do we,
25:57
because they had
25:58
like the Roman
25:59
government
26:00
in their faith.
26:01
They had the senate
26:01
that was there,
26:02
they had the
26:04
Palatine Hill
26:04
where the emperor
26:05
lived,
26:06
and all these things.
26:08
They had to learn
26:08
how do we,
26:09
how do we actually
26:11
act within this
26:12
context
26:13
in regard
26:14
to our rulers,
26:15
and so
26:15
the practical
26:17
outworking of it,
26:18
and this is
26:19
sub-point number one.
26:22
Humbly submit
26:23
to the government.
26:25
Citizens
26:26
that are
26:27
under civil law
26:28
are to be
26:29
in submission
26:30
to their authorities,
26:30
even as
26:32
believers.
26:33
In the midst
26:33
of a lot
26:34
of people
26:35
under governments
26:36
who are
26:36
slandering the
26:38
government
26:38
and like
26:38
attacking the
26:39
government,
26:40
we're to place
26:40
ourselves in
26:41
humble submission
26:43
to the government.
26:45
And it's a
26:46
military term
26:47
there,
26:47
subjection,
26:48
to place
26:49
yourself
26:49
underneath the
26:50
command of
26:50
someone who
26:52
has a higher
26:52
rank than you
26:53
and to do
26:54
what they say
26:55
and to do it
26:56
willingly.
26:56
It kind of
26:56
carries a picture
26:57
of like a
26:58
willingness,
26:59
not being
27:00
forced to.
27:01
Because Paul
27:01
also says
27:02
in verse 5
27:04
there,
27:04
do it for
27:04
the sake
27:05
of conscience.
27:06
So if you
27:07
are in direct
27:08
rebellion against
27:09
the government,
27:10
your conscience
27:10
will condemn
27:11
you.
27:12
And it's
27:13
because
27:14
it's clearly
27:15
a command of
27:16
God that
27:17
you're not
27:17
to do that.
27:19
And so
27:19
I'll read you
27:20
from Titus
27:20
chapter 3,
27:22
or Titus 3,
27:23
chapter 3,
27:24
says,
27:26
remind them
27:27
to be submissive
27:28
to the rulers
27:29
and authorities,
27:30
to be obedient,
27:31
to be ready
27:32
for every good
27:33
work,
27:33
to speak evil
27:34
of no one,
27:35
to avoid
27:36
quarreling,
27:37
to be gentle,
27:38
and to show
27:39
perfect courtesy
27:40
towards all
27:41
people.
27:42
So,
27:43
this is
27:44
not
27:45
like debatable.
27:46
Like God
27:46
says,
27:47
be humbly
27:49
submitted to
27:49
your authorities.
27:51
So then the
27:51
question will
27:52
arise,
27:53
is there ever
27:54
a time that
27:55
we don't
27:55
obey the
27:56
authorities?
27:58
Like,
27:58
what if they're
27:58
asking us to
27:59
do something
28:00
that's like
28:00
really evil,
28:01
really simple?
28:02
What do we
28:02
do?
28:05
Well,
28:06
that doesn't
28:06
always play out
28:08
really pretty,
28:08
but here's
28:10
the deal.
28:11
We obey
28:12
the laws
28:13
and commandments
28:14
of our
28:14
authorities
28:14
as long as
28:16
they are not
28:17
in direct
28:18
opposition to
28:19
God's commands
28:20
and God's
28:21
laws.
28:22
And we
28:24
should refuse,
28:24
in fact,
28:25
to submit
28:25
to anything
28:26
that would
28:27
cause us to
28:27
sin against
28:28
God and
28:29
breaking His
28:30
commandments.
28:31
I'll give you
28:31
three examples
28:32
of this.
28:33
One was
28:34
in Exodus,
28:36
the Hebrew
28:36
midwives who
28:37
were told to
28:38
make sure that
28:39
the male
28:39
children were
28:41
killed.
28:43
It says this,
28:45
it says the
28:45
midwives,
28:47
well,
28:47
I mean,
28:48
back up,
28:48
Pharaoh commanded
28:49
them to do
28:50
this.
28:50
So their
28:51
governing authority
28:52
commanded the
28:53
midwives to
28:53
like play
28:54
into the
28:54
scheme to
28:55
kill all
28:56
the male
28:56
children.
28:58
It says,
28:58
but the
28:59
midwives feared
29:00
God and
29:01
did not do
29:02
as the
29:02
king of
29:03
Egypt
29:03
commanded,
29:04
but let
29:04
the male
29:05
children live.
29:07
That's
29:07
Exodus 1,
29:08
15-17.
29:10
Another
29:10
example is
29:12
Shadrach,
29:15
Meshach,
29:15
Abednego,
29:16
or you
29:17
want their
29:17
Hebrew names,
29:18
which are
29:19
much cooler.
29:19
Hananiah,
29:21
Mishael,
29:21
Azariah,
29:23
who were
29:24
exiles in
29:25
Babylon,
29:27
and they
29:29
convinced the
29:29
king,
29:31
Nebuchadnezzar,
29:31
to build
29:32
this big
29:34
statue of
29:35
himself.
29:37
His guys
29:38
convinced him
29:38
to do that.
29:40
And when the
29:40
music sounded,
29:41
you were to
29:41
bow down and
29:42
worship this
29:43
statue of the
29:45
king of
29:46
Babylon,
29:48
of Nebuchadnezzar,
29:49
and to
29:50
give your
29:51
worship and
29:51
your homage
29:52
to him.
29:53
So,
29:54
very symbolic,
29:55
yes.
29:56
A really
29:57
hard place,
29:58
but they
29:59
refused to
30:00
bow down
30:00
to that
30:02
image because
30:03
it was
30:03
idolatry.
30:04
It was
30:04
turning their
30:05
back on the
30:06
true and
30:06
living God.
30:07
That's found
30:08
in Daniel 3,
30:08
15-18.
30:10
Great story
30:11
there.
30:11
God ends
30:12
up delivering
30:13
them,
30:14
but they
30:14
just openly
30:15
defied Nebuchadnezzar,
30:17
but they
30:18
did it in
30:19
a very
30:19
humble way.
30:20
They did
30:20
it like,
30:21
we love
30:22
you,
30:22
but we're
30:22
not going
30:23
to do
30:23
that kind
30:23
of thing.
30:25
And a guy
30:25
ended up
30:26
delivering them
30:27
from the
30:28
hands of
30:28
Nebuchadnezzar.
30:29
But turn to
30:30
Acts 5 real
30:31
fast.
30:33
Acts 5,
30:34
verse 27.
30:36
Acts 5,
30:37
verse 27.
30:38
A third
30:38
example.
30:44
Acts 5,
30:45
verse 27.
30:45
And this
30:46
is when
30:47
Peter and
30:47
the apostles
30:48
were taken
30:48
before the
30:50
Jewish council
30:50
to be judged
30:51
for preaching
30:53
the gospel,
30:54
for telling
30:54
people about
30:55
Christ.
30:56
It says,
30:57
when they
30:57
had brought
30:58
them,
31:01
they stood
31:01
them before
31:02
the council.
31:03
The high
31:04
priest questioned
31:04
them,
31:05
saying,
31:06
we gave
31:06
you strict
31:07
orders not
31:08
to continue
31:09
teaching in
31:10
this name,
31:11
and yet
31:12
you have
31:12
filled
31:12
Jerusalem
31:13
with your
31:13
teaching,
31:14
intended to
31:15
bring this
31:16
man's blood
31:16
upon us.
31:18
Okay,
31:18
so we
31:19
told you
31:19
to shut
31:20
your mouth,
31:21
and you're
31:22
not shutting
31:22
your mouth
31:23
about Jesus.
31:24
Their
31:25
response,
31:26
but Peter
31:26
and the
31:26
other apostles
31:27
answered,
31:28
we must
31:28
obey God
31:29
rather than
31:30
men.
31:31
So,
31:32
ultimately,
31:32
our ultimate
31:33
citizenship
31:34
and our
31:35
ultimate kingdom
31:35
is the
31:36
kingdom of
31:36
God.
31:37
And as we
31:37
read earlier,
31:38
even he
31:39
rules over
31:40
the nations
31:40
and governments
31:41
of men,
31:42
even he does.
31:43
So,
31:44
which one
31:44
are we
31:44
going to
31:45
submit to?
31:46
Always the
31:46
law of
31:47
God,
31:47
as long
31:47
as it's
31:48
not in
31:48
contradiction
31:49
to what
31:51
the laws
31:51
of man
31:51
would say.
31:53
that's the
31:54
sub-point
31:55
number one,
31:55
humbly
31:55
submit to
31:57
the government.
31:59
And,
32:00
sub-point
32:00
number two,
32:02
back in our
32:02
text in
32:03
Romans,
32:04
pay taxes,
32:06
right?
32:07
For it
32:07
says,
32:09
for because of
32:09
this you pay
32:10
taxes for the
32:11
authorities or
32:11
ministers of
32:12
God,
32:12
attending to
32:13
this very
32:13
good.
32:14
And it
32:14
says to
32:14
give taxes
32:15
to them,
32:15
taxes to
32:16
their own,
32:16
honor to
32:16
honor his
32:17
own,
32:18
so forth.
32:19
And so,
32:20
we're
32:21
commanded in
32:21
scripture to
32:22
pay taxes to
32:23
our government.
32:25
And God
32:26
will hold
32:26
them accountable
32:27
again and
32:28
judge them
32:29
for how
32:29
they're using
32:30
that money.
32:31
If they're
32:31
doing it in
32:32
a sinful,
32:33
unlawful
32:33
way,
32:34
God will,
32:35
what goes
32:36
around comes
32:36
around.
32:37
They'll get
32:37
what's coming
32:39
to them if
32:39
they're abusing
32:40
that authority.
32:40
And so,
32:41
just because we
32:42
disagree with
32:43
the way that
32:43
some taxes are
32:45
being spent or
32:46
whatever,
32:47
it doesn't give
32:47
us the right to
32:48
refuse to pay
32:49
taxes.
32:50
Consider the
32:52
context in which
32:53
Romans is
32:53
written.
32:55
You know,
32:55
the Christians
32:56
there are
32:56
taxing so
32:57
Caesar can
32:58
throw people in
33:00
the amphitheaters
33:01
and watch them
33:01
die,
33:02
and paying
33:03
taxes so
33:04
Caesar can go
33:05
and conquer
33:05
more lands
33:06
for Rome.
33:06
So,
33:09
we see that.
33:10
Can you
33:10
imagine what
33:11
it would have
33:11
been like living
33:11
under the
33:12
Assyrians or
33:13
Babylonians?
33:14
If we think
33:14
our government
33:15
is bad,
33:15
like,
33:16
man,
33:17
just go and
33:17
read a little
33:18
bit,
33:18
read a book.
33:20
I'll recommend
33:21
some good history
33:21
books for you.
33:23
But,
33:23
like,
33:24
paying taxes
33:24
under those
33:25
empires,
33:26
far more
33:27
terrifying.
33:28
Far more
33:29
terrifying.
33:30
So,
33:31
if you don't
33:31
believe me,
33:31
let's just ask
33:32
Jesus himself,
33:33
so,
33:34
those of you
33:34
who have a
33:35
skewed view
33:37
of how to
33:38
read scripture
33:38
sometimes,
33:39
like,
33:40
Paul said
33:40
this,
33:40
but Jesus
33:41
said this,
33:42
kind of thing,
33:42
they say the
33:43
same things.
33:44
I'll read
33:44
something right
33:45
out of the
33:45
mouth of
33:46
Jesus.
33:46
They ask
33:46
him,
33:47
is it
33:47
unlawful to
33:48
pay taxes
33:49
to Caesar?
33:50
And,
33:51
he understands
33:52
that they're
33:52
trying to test
33:53
him and
33:53
cause them
33:54
hypocrites.
33:55
And then he
33:55
says,
33:56
throw me a
33:56
coin,
33:57
so they
33:57
give him
33:57
a denarii,
33:58
and he
33:58
says,
33:59
he says
33:59
on there,
34:00
like,
34:01
whose likeness
34:02
inscription is
34:03
on this
34:03
coin,
34:04
and they
34:04
say Caesar's,
34:05
then he
34:05
says,
34:07
alright,
34:08
then render
34:09
to Caesar
34:09
the things
34:10
that are
34:10
Caesar's,
34:11
and to
34:11
God the
34:12
things that
34:12
are God's.
34:13
Pay your
34:13
taxes to
34:14
Caesar,
34:14
and what's
34:15
owed to
34:15
God,
34:16
give to
34:16
God.
34:17
And so
34:17
Jesus himself
34:18
says to
34:19
submit in
34:20
the government
34:20
that way.
34:22
sub-point
34:23
number three
34:23
is,
34:26
use your
34:26
freedoms to
34:27
do good.
34:28
Use your
34:29
freedoms to
34:30
do good.
34:30
we live
34:32
in a
34:32
nation
34:33
where,
34:34
unlike any
34:35
other in
34:35
history,
34:36
we have
34:36
so many
34:36
rights that
34:37
have been
34:37
granted to
34:38
us by
34:39
government
34:40
and freedoms
34:41
that we
34:41
can operate
34:42
within.
34:43
So,
34:44
Christians should
34:45
seek the
34:45
good of
34:46
their nation
34:46
by operating
34:48
within their
34:48
legal boundaries
34:49
as citizens
34:50
granted to
34:51
them by the
34:52
government.
34:53
So,
34:53
we even see
34:54
this by
34:54
Paul.
34:55
He exercised
34:55
his rights
34:56
in a context
34:57
as a Roman
34:58
citizen in
34:58
many,
34:59
many different
34:59
cases.
35:00
He would
35:00
say,
35:00
hey,
35:00
I'm a
35:01
Roman
35:02
citizen,
35:02
the law
35:02
says this.
35:04
And they
35:05
would be
35:05
like,
35:05
you're right.
35:05
And they
35:06
would always
35:07
be used
35:07
for good.
35:09
And also,
35:10
to vote.
35:11
Like,
35:12
we've been
35:12
given a
35:13
chance to
35:13
vote against
35:14
things that
35:15
are evil
35:16
and vote
35:17
for things
35:17
that are
35:18
good.
35:19
Sometimes
35:19
there's,
35:21
it's the
35:21
less of two
35:21
evils in
35:22
some situations.
35:23
And I leave
35:24
that up to
35:24
your conscience
35:24
whether you
35:25
decide to
35:26
vote on
35:26
things like
35:27
that or not.
35:27
But,
35:29
at the end
35:30
of the day,
35:30
we have
35:31
the ability
35:32
to have
35:32
some influence
35:33
on our
35:34
government.
35:35
And also
35:36
the ability
35:37
to speak
35:37
out against
35:37
things that
35:39
are sinful
35:39
and unrighteous.
35:42
And,
35:42
but,
35:43
here's,
35:44
I don't want
35:44
to give you
35:44
a bad
35:45
impression.
35:46
I think
35:46
the way
35:48
that we're
35:48
going to
35:48
change the
35:48
nation as
35:49
believers
35:49
is not by
35:50
getting,
35:51
going and
35:51
picketing,
35:52
you know,
35:52
like,
35:53
no more,
35:53
whatever,
35:54
rah,
35:56
rah,
35:56
rah,
35:56
rah,
35:56
I don't
35:57
really think
35:58
that's going
35:58
to change
35:59
anything.
36:01
But,
36:01
there's ways
36:02
that we
36:03
can fight
36:04
for righteous
36:05
causes.
36:06
And we
36:07
have to
36:07
understand that
36:08
even when we
36:08
speak out
36:09
against things,
36:09
we have to
36:09
do it with
36:10
humility and
36:11
gentleness,
36:12
not,
36:13
you guys are
36:14
evil and,
36:14
you know,
36:15
whatever.
36:15
It's not a
36:16
picture of that.
36:17
And an
36:18
example,
36:19
I don't have
36:19
time to get
36:20
into this,
36:20
would be like
36:21
William
36:22
Wilberforce
36:23
in the
36:23
19th century
36:24
when he
36:25
was a
36:26
British MP
36:26
in the
36:27
House of
36:27
Commons and
36:28
God used
36:29
him at
36:31
times almost
36:31
single-handedly
36:32
over a huge
36:33
period of
36:34
time to
36:35
bring down
36:36
the slave
36:36
trade in
36:37
the British
36:37
Empire.
36:38
And even
36:39
when he was
36:39
in Parliament
36:40
arguing with
36:41
the other
36:42
guys in there
36:42
about slavery,
36:43
he had like
36:44
such a kind
36:46
and humble
36:47
spirit as he
36:47
did it.
36:48
He never
36:48
attacked them
36:49
personally.
36:50
They attacked
36:50
him personally
36:51
a lot.
36:52
And it's
36:53
just amazing
36:53
to go back
36:54
and read
36:54
how he
36:55
dealt with
36:56
those situations
36:57
in a way
36:57
that glorified
36:58
Christ.
36:59
And God
37:00
used him to
37:01
destroy slavery
37:03
in the British
37:04
Empire.
37:05
Eventually that
37:05
would spill
37:06
over into
37:06
America again
37:08
many years
37:09
later.
37:09
An example
37:10
of that today
37:10
is abortion.
37:11
We've been
37:12
talking about
37:12
that a lot
37:13
at Christ's
37:13
Family to
37:14
stand up for
37:15
the unborn.
37:17
So in all
37:18
these things,
37:19
we're to use
37:19
our freedoms
37:20
to do good,
37:21
but not
37:22
boast about
37:23
our freedoms
37:23
like we're
37:24
free and
37:24
we have a
37:25
right to be
37:26
a pain in
37:26
the neck.
37:27
No we're
37:27
not.
37:28
We have
37:29
freedom to
37:30
influence our
37:31
government and
37:32
our nation in
37:33
a humble way.
37:34
And to speak
37:35
about those
37:36
things with
37:37
them, to go
37:38
to our
37:39
congressmen, to
37:40
our senators,
37:41
whatever, and
37:42
try to influence
37:42
them for good.
37:44
So another
37:46
sub-point
37:46
underneath this
37:47
is to pray
37:48
for the
37:49
government.
37:51
Pray for
37:51
the government.
37:53
So instead
37:53
of slandering
37:54
and speaking
37:55
out against
37:56
and hatred
37:57
towards our
37:57
leaders, we're
37:59
to pray for
37:59
them.
38:00
That's what
38:00
the command
38:01
is.
38:02
1 Timothy
38:02
chapter 2
38:03
verse 1.
38:04
First of
38:05
all, then I
38:05
urge you that
38:07
supplications
38:08
and prayers,
38:09
intercessions,
38:10
and thanksgiving
38:11
be made for
38:11
all people.
38:13
So pray for
38:14
these people.
38:15
It says for
38:15
kings,
38:16
and all
38:17
those who
38:17
are in
38:17
high positions,
38:19
that they
38:19
may lead a
38:20
peaceful and
38:20
quiet life,
38:22
godly and
38:22
dignified in
38:23
every way.
38:24
That's 1
38:24
Timothy 2,
38:25
1 through
38:26
2.
38:27
So the
38:29
last point
38:30
here, the
38:31
last sub-point,
38:32
I think is
38:33
probably the
38:34
greatest influence
38:35
we can have
38:37
on the
38:37
government,
38:37
have on our
38:38
nation,
38:39
preaching the
38:40
gospel.
38:42
This is it,
38:44
preaching the
38:44
gospel.
38:45
realize that
38:47
the gospel is
38:48
what changes
38:48
societies.
38:50
The gospel is
38:51
what changes
38:51
societies,
38:52
always has.
38:54
Let me give you
38:54
an example.
38:55
When Christ
38:55
came into
38:56
the world,
38:57
he came into
38:59
a very, you
39:00
know, broken,
39:01
sinful world,
39:01
just like we
39:02
did.
39:03
Rome was the
39:04
existing ruler
39:05
and authority,
39:06
and slavery
39:08
was going on,
39:09
you know,
39:09
obviously,
39:10
in the Roman
39:11
Empire in a
39:12
legal way.
39:13
So all these
39:14
things, all
39:14
these things
39:15
that existed
39:17
when Christ
39:17
came into
39:18
this sinful
39:19
world,
39:20
what did he
39:20
do?
39:21
Did he, like,
39:21
take up a
39:22
picket sign
39:22
and start,
39:23
like, charging,
39:24
you know,
39:25
the Senate and
39:26
saying, you
39:27
know, hey,
39:27
stop slavery,
39:29
hey, you
39:30
know, like,
39:30
this needs to
39:31
stop these
39:31
unjust things
39:33
that you're
39:33
doing?
39:34
No.
39:37
But what
39:38
did he do?
39:39
He submitted
39:40
to all the
39:41
institutions,
39:42
even to the
39:42
Mosaic Law,
39:43
because at
39:44
that time,
39:45
the fullness
39:46
of it had not
39:46
come.
39:47
Like, he
39:47
hadn't died,
39:48
he hasn't
39:49
resurrected yet,
39:50
so he even
39:50
submitted himself
39:51
to that,
39:51
to the Roman
39:52
government,
39:54
political,
39:54
economic systems.
39:56
He submitted
39:56
to that,
39:57
but here's the
39:57
deal.
39:58
He stayed
39:58
focused on
39:59
his mission
40:00
while he was
40:01
here,
40:02
and his
40:02
mission was
40:03
not to
40:03
overturn
40:04
the Roman
40:04
government.
40:05
It took
40:06
his disciples
40:06
forever to
40:07
figure that
40:07
out, like,
40:08
not why I'm
40:09
here, guys.
40:12
And so,
40:13
so what if
40:13
the government
40:14
was replaced?
40:16
Okay?
40:17
We learn from
40:17
history that
40:18
if a bad
40:19
system can be
40:20
overturned or
40:21
overruled,
40:21
it usually can
40:22
be replaced
40:22
with another
40:23
bad system
40:23
right after
40:24
that.
40:25
So, is
40:25
that really
40:26
the answer
40:26
to the
40:27
problem?
40:28
No.
40:29
So, Christ
40:30
came to
40:31
focus on a
40:31
much bigger
40:32
problem,
40:32
on the
40:33
spiritual
40:33
bondage
40:34
of man,
40:35
to focus
40:35
on the
40:36
sinfulness
40:37
of man,
40:38
and he
40:38
understood
40:39
that the
40:40
power of
40:41
the gospel
40:41
changes people
40:42
from the
40:43
inside out,
40:45
and he
40:46
understood
40:46
that if
40:47
he could
40:48
work in
40:48
their hearts
40:48
and their
40:49
minds,
40:50
the sinful
40:50
systems of
40:51
men would
40:52
be destroyed.
40:53
Well, like,
40:53
renewed hearts
40:54
that love
40:55
God and want
40:55
to worship
40:57
God in
40:57
spirit and
40:58
truth,
40:58
the overflow
40:59
of that
41:00
would be
41:00
the destruction
41:00
of sinful
41:01
governments
41:02
and sinful
41:03
laws,
41:05
and he
41:06
knew that
41:06
the greater
41:07
included the
41:08
lesser there.
41:09
So, as
41:11
his followers,
41:12
we're to
41:12
unleash the
41:13
power of the
41:14
gospel in
41:14
all areas of
41:15
society,
41:17
wherever we
41:17
work, in
41:18
our homes,
41:19
in our
41:19
government,
41:20
whatever we
41:20
do, we're
41:21
to, like,
41:21
unleash the
41:22
power of the
41:22
gospel.
41:23
We shouldn't
41:24
expect sinful
41:25
men to, like,
41:26
always act in
41:27
accordance with
41:28
God's law.
41:28
The power of
41:29
the gospel is
41:30
the only thing
41:31
that can free
41:31
them and
41:32
actually change
41:33
those societies
41:34
is Christ.
41:35
And as
41:36
people were
41:37
changed and
41:38
they love
41:38
God, they
41:39
also will
41:40
value their
41:40
fellow man
41:41
even more as
41:42
a result of
41:43
that.
41:44
And so, we
41:44
see that, you
41:46
know, I
41:48
guess Britain is
41:49
another example
41:50
to use of
41:50
that with what
41:52
Wilberforce was
41:52
doing, okay?
41:53
He was fighting
41:54
to end the
41:55
slave trade.
41:56
There were a
41:57
lot of
41:57
people,
41:57
who were
41:58
saying we
41:58
need to
41:59
just overthrow
42:00
the government,
42:01
overthrow
42:01
parliament,
42:02
overthrow the
42:03
king.
42:03
They did it
42:04
in France,
42:05
and France
42:06
was still
42:06
going chaotic
42:07
at the time,
42:08
wasn't really
42:08
a good model
42:09
to follow.
42:11
And so,
42:12
but he refused.
42:13
He was like,
42:14
no, like,
42:14
if we're going
42:14
to change
42:15
society, we're
42:16
going to do
42:16
it, like,
42:17
in a godly,
42:18
law-abiding
42:18
way with
42:19
humble submission
42:20
to our leaders.
42:21
And it
42:21
did.
42:22
Like, it
42:22
happened.
42:23
It took time,
42:24
but that society
42:25
was changed,
42:25
and slavery was
42:27
brought down
42:28
as a result.
42:29
Turn to 1 Peter 2,
42:30
and this is where
42:30
we're going to end.
42:32
1 Peter 2.
42:39
The gospel will
42:40
change hearts,
42:41
change minds,
42:42
and thus will
42:43
destroy the evil
42:44
actions of man.
42:45
1 Peter 2,
42:51
verse 13,
42:53
to kind of add
42:54
to what Paul
42:54
is saying,
42:56
Peter says
42:56
the same stuff
42:57
here.
42:58
Be subject
42:59
for the Lord's
43:01
sake
43:02
to every human
43:03
institution,
43:05
whether it be
43:05
to the emperor
43:06
as supreme,
43:08
or to governors
43:09
as sent by him
43:10
to punish those
43:11
who do evil,
43:12
and to the praise
43:13
of those who do
43:14
good.
43:15
For this is
43:16
the will of God,
43:17
that by doing
43:17
good you should
43:18
put to silence
43:19
the ignorance
43:20
of foolish people.
43:22
Live as people
43:23
who are free,
43:25
right?
43:26
It's us,
43:27
not using your
43:27
freedom as a
43:29
cover-up for evil,
43:30
but living as
43:30
servants of God.
43:32
Honor everyone,
43:33
love the brotherhood,
43:35
fear God,
43:37
honor the emperor.
43:38
I mean,
43:38
this is all
43:39
just very clear.
43:40
These aren't
43:41
negotiable things,
43:42
but as we draw
43:44
near to Christ
43:44
and the power
43:45
of the gospel
43:45
changes us,
43:47
the power of the
43:47
gospel changes
43:48
the lives of
43:49
people around us.
43:50
That's how
43:50
societies are
43:51
changed.
43:53
In other words,
43:54
we can't fix our
43:56
nation with a
43:56
bunch of,
43:57
at the end of
43:59
the day,
44:00
rules and laws
44:01
that are thrown
44:02
at them.
44:02
We have to
44:02
change people
44:03
for societies
44:05
to be changed
44:06
for the glory
44:06
of God.
44:08
So let me just
44:09
pray for us
44:09
and continue.
44:16
Father, I just
44:18
admit that this
44:20
is a hard
44:21
subject in
44:23
God.
44:25
I'm afraid that
44:27
even as believers
44:28
we can come
44:28
across very
44:30
simplistic and
44:32
very naive
44:34
about the
44:35
realities of a
44:35
sinful world
44:36
around us.
44:37
God, I know
44:39
that in
44:39
governments
44:40
today,
44:41
there's so
44:44
many hard
44:45
decisions that
44:46
have to be
44:46
made.
44:48
And sometimes
44:48
it really isn't
44:49
a choice of
44:49
good versus
44:51
evil.
44:52
It's almost
44:52
like what's
44:53
the lesser
44:53
of two evils.
44:55
They have
44:55
hard positions
44:57
that they are
44:57
in.
44:58
And Lord,
44:59
it's hard to
45:00
know what to
45:01
do.
45:01
So I pray
45:02
that you
45:03
would work
45:03
in them
45:04
and that
45:06
you would
45:06
work in
45:08
President Obama,
45:09
you work in
45:10
the House
45:10
and the
45:11
Senate and
45:12
the judicial
45:14
system.
45:15
Lord, I
45:17
pray that
45:18
you would
45:21
raise up
45:21
both
45:22
golly men
45:23
and women
45:24
to have
45:24
an influence
45:26
on the
45:26
government
45:27
for your
45:28
glory.
45:28
And as
45:29
citizens,
45:30
we would
45:30
glorify you
45:32
in how we
45:32
conduct our
45:33
lives under
45:33
the government
45:34
just as
45:35
law-abiding
45:36
citizens,
45:37
those who
45:38
pay taxes,
45:38
those who
45:39
don't slander
45:40
out hatred
45:41
against the
45:42
government.
45:43
But Lord,
45:44
for those who
45:45
are quick to
45:45
pray for the
45:46
government
45:47
and quick to
45:49
speak the
45:50
words of life,
45:51
the gospel to
45:52
the lost world
45:53
that surrounds
45:54
us.
45:56
And Lord,
45:57
just help us
45:58
to be humbled
45:58
by that,
45:59
that a lot
46:00
of us live
46:01
in a
46:03
simple world
46:04
and live
46:06
by simple
46:06
rules because
46:07
our world
46:07
is simple.
46:09
But Lord,
46:10
we often fail
46:11
to realize
46:11
that government
46:12
is an
46:14
instrument you
46:14
use to
46:14
protect that
46:15
world for
46:16
us.
46:16
And we're
46:17
just naive
46:18
about so
46:18
many things.
46:19
Lord,
46:19
just work in
46:20
the hearts
46:21
of our
46:21
leaders.
46:23
But above
46:23
all, we
46:24
give you
46:24
praise and
46:26
just thanksgiving
46:28
that one day
46:29
all governments
46:30
will be brought
46:31
under the
46:31
supreme rule
46:32
of Christ
46:33
and his
46:34
kingdom will
46:35
endure for
46:35
all generations
46:36
and from
46:38
everlasting to
46:39
everlasting we'll
46:40
have a king
46:41
that is worthy
46:42
to be praised,
46:43
worthy to be
46:43
loved and
46:45
followed for
46:46
all eternity.
46:47
And that's
46:48
where we're
46:48
going, Lord.
46:49
So until then,
46:50
help us to
46:50
know how to
46:50
live in this
46:52
life in ways
46:52
that glorify
46:53
you.
46:55
In Christ's
46:56
name,
46:56
Amen.
47:00
Amen.
47:00
Amen.
47:01
Thank you.