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Christ and Patriotism · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High, to declare
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! your steadfast love in the morning and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the
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lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work. At
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the works of your hands I sing for joy. How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very
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deep. The stupid man cannot know, the fool cannot understand this, that though the wicked
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sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever. But
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you, O Lord, are on high forever. For behold, your enemies, O Lord, for behold, your enemies
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shall perish. All evildoers shall be scattered. But you have exalted my horn like that of the
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wild ox. You have poured over me fresh oil. My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies.
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My ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants. The righteous flourish like the palm tree and
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grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord. They flourish in the
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courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age. They are ever full of sap and green.
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To declare that the Lord is upright. He is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in him.
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I pray this morning that all of us are the righteous like a palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
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This morning I have the privilege to carry on Christ and Culture, our sermon series.
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This morning our topic is patriotism. Close to the 4th of July. Seems pretty relevant.
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As I've looked around and I've tried to study this week, it's been clear to me that my generation
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and younger doesn't really get it. We miss the mark when it comes to patriotism.
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What I see from my vantage point is that there's either two ends of the spectrum and it's either
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one or two choices. On one choice it's care too little. The 4th of July is just a vacation.
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It's a holiday. It's a necessary evil to be an American citizen.
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And then the other extreme that I see as our choice for my generation is the care too much.
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It's us versus them. It's the Rocky IV movie. The U.S. boxer versus the Russian boxer.
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It's we're the greatest and everybody else is not. Both are wrong.
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And this morning I want to try to bring us to the middle.
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Kind of guide us, hopefully, to where we have a proper perspective of patriotism.
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A proper view of where we live and hopefully bring glory to God in it.
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And as we leave, bring glory to God in our lives celebrating and practicing patriotism.
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So, this morning I'm going to walk carefully and cautiously through this topic.
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Hopefully to help my generation to celebrate the generations before me who pretty much got it right as a majority.
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So, hopefully to answer the question this morning through this is how we as Christians,
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as gospel-centered Christians, those who love Jesus, whose life has been changed by the gospel,
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who try to live out the gospel to the world around us,
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how we are to live with a proper perspective and how we can show that gospel,
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even in the arena of patriotism and celebrating whatever country we live in,
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whether that's the United States, New Zealand, Madagascar, whatever that may be.
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So, to do so this morning, I want to discuss a problem.
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A problem that rears its ugly head concerning patriotism,
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that comes out really quick when thinking and talking about patriotism.
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I want to give the solution for the problem,
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and I want to give some practical ways we can live.
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practical ways that we can have that proper perspective of honoring God with our lives.
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So, turn with me to Matthew 22.
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We'll walk through this text.
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I'll read it, we'll pray, and then we'll walk through this text,
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and hopefully we'll unfold the problem and then work from there.
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In Matthew 22, starting in verse 15,
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we have a pretty popular and famous set of scriptures.
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They read, verse 15,
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Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle Him in His words.
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And they sent their disciples to Him,
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along with the Herodians, saying,
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Teacher, we know that You are true,
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and that You teach the way of God truthfully,
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and You do not care about anyone's opinion,
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for You are not swayed by appearances.
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Tell us then,
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what you think.
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Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
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But Jesus, aware of their malice, said,
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Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?
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Show me the coin for the tax.
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And they brought Him a denarius.
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And Jesus said to them,
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Whose likeness and inscription is this?
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They said, Caesar.
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Then He said to them,
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Therefore, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's,
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and to God the things that are God's.
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When they heard it, they marveled,
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and they left Him and went away.
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Pray with me.
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Gracious Heavenly Father, I ask that You would be gracious to us now,
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that You would speak through me,
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that I would decrease and that You would increase here this morning.
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That the words that will be spoken will be Your words to us,
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not my opinions,
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that it will be rooted in Your Scripture and Your Word.
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God, I pray that Your Spirit would minister,
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show us our need for You.
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Show us how we can live according to Your Word.
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And if You would enable us to do what You've commanded,
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that we can do nothing apart from You.
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We need You this morning.
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Be gracious to us, O God, in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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So let's just walk through this text for a few minutes,
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and then we'll kind of unfold from there.
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So, the story is that the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus in tricking Him
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and asking Him a question about paying taxes.
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The Pharisees had, no matter what question they asked,
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they had an ulterior motive,
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and that motive was to trap Jesus.
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Let it be certain that the Pharisees hated Jesus.
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That they did not believe that Jesus was God.
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They wanted Him arrested.
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They wanted Him out of the picture.
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They wanted Him removed.
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So what they do is they approach Jesus
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with a little bit of flattery.
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Teacher, we know that You are true
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and teach the way of God truthfully.
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You do not care about anyone's opinion.
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They were more or less showed respect.
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Didn't really give them a proper respect.
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Maybe they were more polite than even respectful.
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And whether they believed it or not,
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what they said was true.
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It was completely true about Jesus.
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Jesus does speak truth.
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He is truth.
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He does teach the way of God.
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And He does not care about anyone's opinion.
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His integrity is not swayed.
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He does not compromise that integrity
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for the sake of what others might think.
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He says it like it is.
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So we come to this point where they get to Him.
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They flatter Him, so to speak.
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And they ask Him the question,
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is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
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Is it lawful to pay taxes?
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And this tax they're talking about
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is called the pull tax.
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This tax was given by Rome
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to all non-Roman citizens
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for living on Roman soil.
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And to be honest,
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it's not an unreasonable tax.
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It was about a day's wage.
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It wasn't horrible.
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And they were required to pay it
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because they were on Roman soil.
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In our history, Independence Day,
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we fought against a similar tax
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in our history.
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So we can kind of relate here a little bit.
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So they ask Him about this tax.
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And Jesus, showing the sovereignty of God,
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showing His all-knowing that He is God,
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He was aware of their malice.
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And He says to them,
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why put me to the test, you hypocrites?
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Show me the coin of the tax.
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And the question I had when reading through this
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and studying it,
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why does He call them hypocrites?
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It seems kind of harsh.
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Let's flip over to chapter 23
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and He says it like seven times to them.
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Seven more times to the Pharisees and Sadducees.
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But why here?
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Well, they're saying one thing
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but really wanting something else
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or doing something else.
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So you and I tend to be hypocrites
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at some point in our lives.
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We say one thing and do another.
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As Jerry would say,
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and I think he said a couple weeks ago,
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here in the South, we tend to lie.
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Yeah, come on over for dinner.
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Just show up whenever.
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We really don't mean that.
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Call us ahead of time.
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Let us know when you're coming.
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But we're polite here in the South.
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He calls them out as they are.
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Hypocrites.
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Show me the coin for the tax.
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And they brought him a denarius,
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a day's wage, a day's labor.
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And see, on one side of this denarius,
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this coin, is a portrait of Tiberius Caesar,
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who is the Caesar, the emperor.
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And in Latin, it says,
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son of the divine Augustus.
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And you flip it over.
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On the other side,
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there's a portrait of a Roman goddess of peace
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called Pax.
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And there, it says in Latin,
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high priest.
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Now, none of that is really important
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for this sermon,
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except the fact that to an Orthodox Jew,
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the coin itself would be blasphemous.
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The coin itself would be a violation
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of the second commandment.
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Because terms like the divine Augustus
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and high priest are in direct...
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Yeah, can't think of the word.
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It's against, we'll just say against,
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God and the second commandment
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of not having, making idols,
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not having any other gods
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before the one true God.
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So, so here we have
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one of the most famous verses,
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and I didn't realize
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it was one of the most famous verses.
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It's, everybody,
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look it up in Google,
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and they'll tell you
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it's one of the most famous verses.
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Verse 21 of Matthew 22.
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Therefore, render to Caesar
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the things that are Caesar's,
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and to God the things that are God's.
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Now, I hear a news radio host
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quite often use this term.
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It's talking about government
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and separating,
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and people use this term,
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this verse,
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to separate or defend
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the separation of church and state.
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So, you start thinking in that way,
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you can kind of figure out
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that it's a fairly popular verse.
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Well, the way that Jesus answers them,
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you see in verse 22
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how they marveled at His answer.
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His answer was to pay back,
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which is Caesar's,
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to give Caesar the tax,
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and to pay back what is God's.
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So what Jesus does
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is He walks the line
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and He gives both parties
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what they want.
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He gives the Pharisees
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what they want,
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give to God what is God's,
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and He gives the Herodians
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what they want,
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pay the tax.
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And He does it without
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angering either side,
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without making Himself guilty
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according to the Pharisees.
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So,
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there's kind of the story.
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You may have been familiar
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with that story,
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maybe not,
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and I helped you out
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a little bit.
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But here's the not-so-obvious problem.
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The problem here is
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giving what is God's
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to government
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or country.
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Giving what is God's
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to government or country.
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Now,
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let me unpack this
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just a little bit more.
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And hopefully,
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it will become
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a little clearer to you.
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So we have two groups.
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We have the Pharisees
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and we have the Herodians.
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Now,
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the Pharisees,
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familiar,
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if you know anything
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about the Gospels,
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the four Gospels
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in the Bible,
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you know about the Pharisees.
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They're very conservative,
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religious people.
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They tithe their spices.
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Conservative.
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I mean,
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they are just,
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they're all about
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following the Mosaic law.
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And they resented
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paying taxes to Rome.
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They felt like
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paying the tax to Rome
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was infringement
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on Jewish law.
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Paying taxes to Rome
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contradicted their
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devotion to God.
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So now we've got to
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pay it to Rome,
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but my devotion is to God
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following His law,
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so how do I do this?
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Now,
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the Herodians,
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on the other hand,
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is a small group
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of Jewish people
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who are loyal
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to Herod's family.
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So everything
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that Herod's family
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had
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was by
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the Roman Empire.
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He was put in
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place
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to rule
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over the province
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for Rome,
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by Rome.
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So the Herodians
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support
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the tax.
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They felt like
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it was an appropriate
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way to fulfill
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their responsibilities
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as good citizens.
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The Herodians,
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they looked to Rome
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to provide for them,
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to keep them safe,
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to protect them,
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and even to bless them.
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Their faith
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was not in God,
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but in country.
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Rome.
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So here's what
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each group
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would say.
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The Pharisees
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would say,
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tax is an abomination
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to the law
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and to God.
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Rome
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is anti-God,
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so we must
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avoid paying
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the tax
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to prove
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our godliness.
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The Herodians
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would say,
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the tax
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is our obligation
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because we need
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Rome.
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Rome
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will take care
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of us.
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Rome
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is God.
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The Pharisees
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lived
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godly lives.
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They lived
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a specific way
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to earn
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their salvation
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or to attempt
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to earn
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their salvation.
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salvation,
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even if that
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meant not
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paying taxes.
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Now,
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I'm not saying
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the Pharisees
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didn't pay taxes,
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but they certainly
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did not want
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to pay taxes.
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The Herodians,
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their salvation
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came through
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paying the right
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people
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and letting
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them be
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their provider,
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their god,
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so to speak.
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So what we have
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here is we have
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the conservative
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Pharisees
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who are stealing
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the worship
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from God
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to themselves
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because they're
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earning their
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salvation.
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They're attempting
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to live a certain
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way to earn
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God's favor.
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And then you have
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big government
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Herodians
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who are stealing
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the worship
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from God
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to their government.
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Does this sound
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familiar?
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Conservative
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and big government?
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The problem
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is giving
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what is God's
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to self
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or to government.
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A worship issue.
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An idolatry issue.
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See, we can
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easily look
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to government
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to provide
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physically.
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But sometimes
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that turns
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into spiritually
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as well.
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We look to
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government
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to provide
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spiritually
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to take care
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of us,
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to be our
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answer,
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to be our
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savior sometimes.
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Now we
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may not be
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anyone in this
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room,
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may be all
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of us in this
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room,
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but we certainly
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know someone
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who looks at
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government as
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their savior.
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savior.
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See, we
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elevate this
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nation as
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some savior
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nation.
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Thank God
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for this
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nation.
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Thank God
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for our
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freedoms that
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we have.
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Romans 13
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tells us that
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God has placed
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the government
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in the places
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that they are
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over us
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for our
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good.
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We live
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in a great
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country,
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an amazing
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country,
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but God
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is a global
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God.
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God is not
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an American
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God.
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We have to
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get that
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right.
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So as we
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celebrate,
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remember God
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is a global
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God.
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And now,
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here in 2012,
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we've got an
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election year,
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and we're
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hearing,
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and I hear
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it, I hear
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usually from
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people who
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call in on
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the radio
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shows, not
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the hosts,
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although some
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are a little
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out there.
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We hear
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how things are
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going to be
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better when
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so-and-so
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is in
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office.
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How things
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are going to
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get so
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much better,
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and things
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are going to
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get taken
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care of,
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and we're
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not going
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to go down
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this road,
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or this
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road,
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or when
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so-and-so
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is elected.
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No.
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No, it's
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still going
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to be men,
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still going
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to be sinners,
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making mistakes,
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leading and
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trying to do
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the best that
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they can.
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And as
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Derek Webb
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said, we'll
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never have a
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savior on
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Capitol Hill.
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We won't.
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Our faith
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needs to be
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in something
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better,
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something
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greater,
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something
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higher.
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So the
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question,
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are you
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living for
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that moment
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when so-and-so,
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or when
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things will
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get better,
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or when
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we're not
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at war,
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or when
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will we
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be part
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of the
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answer,
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and not
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rob God
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of worship
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by building
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idols?
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See,
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Jesus is
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the answer.
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The gospel
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of Jesus
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Christ is
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the answer.
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The gospel
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transforms evil
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to good,
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death to
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life.
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So here's
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the solution.
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We see the
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problem,
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stealing worship
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that belongs
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to God,
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not giving
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God what
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is His,
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paying what
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is His.
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So the
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solution to
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the problem,
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So how
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do we
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live then
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through
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this?
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Turn to
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Jeremiah 29.
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Jeremiah 29.
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We'll start
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reading in
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verse 4.
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Jeremiah 29
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verse 4.
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It says,
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Thus says
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the Lord
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of hosts,
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the God
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of Israel,
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to all
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the exiles
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whom I
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have sent
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into exile
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from Jerusalem
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to Babylon.
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Build houses
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and live in
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them.
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Plant gardens
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and eat
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their produce.
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Take wives
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and have
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sons and
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daughters.
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Take wives
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for your
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sons and
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give your
20:12
daughters
20:12
in marriage
20:13
that they
20:14
may be
20:14
sons and
20:15
daughters.
20:16
Multiply
20:16
there and
20:17
do not
20:17
decrease,
20:19
but seek
20:19
the welfare
20:20
of the city
20:20
where I have
20:21
sent you
20:21
into exile
20:22
and pray
20:23
to the
20:23
Lord on
20:24
its behalf
20:24
for in
20:25
its welfare
20:25
you will
20:26
find your
20:26
welfare.
20:27
So,
20:30
God through
20:31
Jeremiah is
20:31
speaking to
20:32
Israel.
20:34
The nation
20:36
who is now
20:37
in exile
20:38
who have
20:38
been sent
20:39
out from
20:39
Jerusalem
20:40
to Babylon
20:40
they are
20:41
not in
20:42
their home.
20:43
They are
20:43
not in
20:43
the place
20:44
where they
20:44
want to
20:45
be.
20:46
They are
20:46
not in
20:47
the place
20:47
that they
20:48
know,
20:49
in the place
20:49
that they
20:50
feel like
20:50
they have
20:50
been
20:50
promised.
20:52
And God
20:53
tells them
20:53
to build
20:57
houses,
20:58
live in
20:59
them,
21:00
plant
21:00
gardens,
21:01
eat their
21:01
produce,
21:02
take wives,
21:03
have sons,
21:03
take wives
21:04
for your
21:04
sons,
21:05
give your
21:05
daughters away
21:06
in marriage,
21:08
for them to
21:10
bear sons
21:10
and daughters,
21:11
multiply there
21:12
and do not
21:13
decrease.
21:14
Note that
21:16
none of
21:16
these things
21:17
here in
21:17
this list
21:17
are revolutionary.
21:19
It doesn't
21:20
say take
21:20
up arms,
21:21
it doesn't
21:22
say fight,
21:23
it doesn't
21:23
say stop
21:24
paying taxes,
21:25
it doesn't
21:25
say avoid
21:27
the government,
21:28
it doesn't
21:28
say get
21:31
into politics,
21:31
it doesn't
21:31
say any
21:32
of that.
21:32
These aren't
21:32
revolutionary
21:33
things,
21:34
these are
21:34
pretty normal
21:35
things.
21:37
Build
21:37
house.
21:38
Plant
21:38
yourself
21:38
there in
21:39
exile.
21:41
Have a
21:41
family,
21:42
have babies,
21:44
get your
21:44
babies married,
21:46
have more
21:46
babies,
21:48
plant gardens,
21:49
grow,
21:50
invest in
21:51
where you
21:51
are.
21:55
Look out
21:56
for the
21:56
welfare,
21:56
the peace
21:57
of the
21:58
city.
22:00
Not to
22:00
look for
22:01
what you
22:01
can get
22:02
from the
22:02
city,
22:02
but what
22:03
you can
22:04
do for
22:05
the city.
22:05
As John
22:06
F.
22:06
Kennedy
22:06
says in
22:07
his speech,
22:08
ask not
22:09
what your
22:09
country can
22:09
do for
22:10
you,
22:10
but ask
22:10
what you
22:11
can do
22:11
for your
22:12
country.
22:13
That whole
22:13
idea,
22:15
a selfless
22:16
citizenship,
22:18
a selfless
22:19
lifestyle that
22:21
is formed
22:22
and shaped
22:22
by the
22:23
gospel,
22:23
by Jesus
22:24
living in
22:25
us and
22:25
out of
22:26
us.
22:28
So the
22:29
question is,
22:29
what if
22:30
every
22:30
Christian,
22:32
instead of
22:33
looking for
22:34
the answer
22:34
in government,
22:36
would live
22:37
looking out
22:38
for the
22:38
welfare of
22:39
the city,
22:40
would live
22:41
looking out
22:41
for what
22:42
is good
22:43
for the
22:43
city,
22:44
whether it's
22:44
this list
22:45
or even
22:46
some other
22:47
list that
22:47
we make
22:48
that is
22:49
positive,
22:50
that is
22:50
good for
22:51
the city.
22:52
in every
22:53
city across
22:54
the globe,
22:55
what if
22:56
that happened?
22:59
A global
23:01
movement of
23:02
the kingdom
23:02
would occur.
23:04
God's
23:05
kingdom would
23:05
grow globally
23:06
and the
23:07
global God
23:07
would get
23:08
all the
23:08
glory.
23:12
So looking
23:13
for the
23:13
welfare of
23:14
the city
23:14
as U.S.
23:16
citizens
23:16
celebrating
23:17
this nation,
23:19
how do we
23:19
look for the
23:20
welfare of the
23:21
city?
23:21
What are
23:22
the practical
23:23
things that
23:23
we can do?
23:24
Well, a
23:24
couple of
23:25
them are
23:25
here in
23:26
these verses.
23:32
But seek
23:33
the welfare
23:34
of the city
23:34
where I have
23:35
sent you
23:35
into exile
23:36
and pray
23:37
to the
23:38
Lord on
23:39
its behalf.
23:41
For in
23:41
its welfare
23:42
you will
23:42
find your
23:43
welfare.
23:44
For in
23:45
the city's
23:46
welfare you
23:47
will find
23:47
your welfare.
23:48
In the
23:48
country's
23:49
welfare you
23:49
will find
23:50
your
23:50
welfare.
23:50
In the
23:51
government's
23:52
welfare you
23:52
will find
23:52
your
23:53
welfare.
23:54
So pray
23:55
for the
23:56
city,
23:57
the country,
23:58
your government,
23:58
the leadership.
23:59
That's one
24:00
practical way
24:01
that we
24:01
can help
24:03
shape through
24:04
the gospel.
24:07
Looking out
24:08
for the
24:08
welfare of
24:08
the city.
24:11
Another one
24:11
is get
24:12
involved.
24:14
Get involved.
24:15
people out.
24:16
You can't
24:17
live the
24:17
gospel out
24:18
in any
24:19
arena to
24:20
be seen
24:21
when people
24:22
aren't there
24:22
to see you.
24:24
If people
24:25
aren't there
24:26
to see you,
24:26
then what's
24:26
the point
24:27
of trying
24:27
to live
24:27
it out?
24:31
Get involved
24:32
with people.
24:33
Get involved
24:33
in events
24:36
and things
24:36
that are
24:37
happening
24:37
around you
24:38
in the
24:38
city.
24:38
Looking out
24:39
for the
24:39
welfare of
24:40
the city.
24:40
I used
24:43
to think
24:44
that Christians,
24:46
you couldn't
24:46
be a Christian
24:47
and a
24:47
politician.
24:49
And some
24:50
of you
24:50
might be
24:51
shaking your
24:51
head and
24:51
saying,
24:52
yeah,
24:53
they're all
24:53
crooked,
24:53
they're all
24:54
liars.
24:57
That is a
24:57
small view
24:58
of God.
25:01
That is a
25:02
small view
25:02
of God,
25:03
and I've
25:03
been convicted
25:04
of that.
25:05
Because if
25:06
God hasn't
25:09
called you
25:09
into politics,
25:10
or God
25:11
has called
25:11
you into
25:12
politics,
25:12
He's going
25:12
to enable
25:13
you to do
25:14
it to the
25:14
glory of
25:15
Him and
25:16
not to you.
25:17
He's going
25:17
to enable
25:18
you to do
25:18
it.
25:20
Let us
25:21
not have a
25:21
small view
25:22
of God
25:22
when it
25:24
comes to
25:24
even as
25:25
simple as
25:26
politics.
25:28
If God
25:29
calls you,
25:30
do it.
25:32
Another
25:33
practical
25:34
way to
25:36
look out
25:36
for the
25:36
welfare of
25:37
the city
25:37
and country
25:38
is on
25:40
events and
25:40
holidays like
25:42
Wednesday,
25:43
the 4th of
25:43
July.
25:44
Honor the
25:45
men and
25:46
the women,
25:46
the veterans
25:47
who have
25:47
fought,
25:48
who some
25:49
have died.
25:50
We have a
25:51
couple veterans
25:51
in this room,
25:52
at least one I
25:53
know of.
25:54
And then
25:54
families who are
25:55
represented with
25:56
veterans,
25:56
and guys who are
25:57
serving even
25:58
now.
25:59
Celebrate these
26:00
guys for giving
26:01
up their lives
26:02
and their
26:02
freedom so that
26:04
we can have
26:04
freedom.
26:05
them.
26:05
I'm pretty
26:06
sure that
26:06
being in the
26:07
army or
26:07
any of the
26:08
armed services
26:09
is not as
26:10
much of a
26:11
joy as me
26:12
doing whatever
26:13
I want,
26:13
whenever I
26:14
want to.
26:15
Let's just be
26:16
honest,
26:16
that these
26:16
guys give
26:17
it up for
26:19
us.
26:19
So we honor
26:20
these guys.
26:21
We honor the
26:22
veterans.
26:22
We celebrate
26:23
the sacrifice
26:24
that they have
26:24
made.
26:26
Abraham Lincoln
26:27
said,
26:28
I like to see
26:29
a man proud
26:31
of the place
26:32
in which he
26:32
lives.
26:33
I like to
26:35
see a man
26:35
live so that
26:36
his place
26:37
will be proud
26:38
of him.
26:40
That is
26:41
looking out
26:42
for the
26:42
wealth for
26:42
the city.
26:43
That is
26:44
living the
26:44
gospel out.
26:46
That is
26:46
being a man
26:48
who lives
26:49
for the city
26:50
and not
26:50
against the
26:51
city.
26:51
Who lives
26:52
for the
26:52
government
26:52
and not
26:53
against the
26:53
government.
26:54
A man who
26:55
makes an
26:56
impact for
26:56
the kingdom.
26:58
Whether that's
26:59
what Abraham
26:59
Lincoln had in
27:00
mind or not,
27:01
I don't know,
27:02
but what he
27:03
is saying
27:03
certainly can
27:05
be applied.
27:07
See,
27:08
patriotism is
27:08
not foundationally
27:10
evil or bad.
27:13
It's when we
27:14
elevate
27:14
country above
27:16
God.
27:17
When we
27:18
elevate
27:18
government
27:19
above God,
27:21
it becomes a
27:22
worship issue.
27:24
And when we
27:27
elevate country,
27:28
when we elevate
27:29
city,
27:29
when we elevate
27:30
government,
27:31
government,
27:32
why in the
27:33
world would
27:33
we leave?
27:35
Why would we
27:36
leave this
27:37
place when we're
27:38
worshiping where
27:38
we are,
27:39
who we have
27:40
above us?
27:42
Why would we
27:42
go anywhere
27:43
else?
27:47
It's a worship
27:48
issue,
27:48
and so we
27:49
wouldn't go to
27:50
the ends of
27:51
the earth,
27:51
I would say.
27:52
Logically,
27:53
that would be
27:53
my result of
27:55
thinking that
27:56
government is
27:57
God.
28:05
We cannot
28:06
be that way.
28:10
And let's
28:10
think about this
28:11
too.
28:11
Let's say that
28:12
we do go,
28:13
and our God
28:14
is country.
28:19
What are we
28:19
going to try to
28:20
convert them
28:20
to?
28:22
Us.
28:22
America,
28:24
U.S.,
28:25
God,
28:26
country,
28:27
be like us.
28:28
That's not
28:29
the gospel.
28:31
That's not
28:31
the gospel.
28:32
You don't
28:32
do that.
28:36
See,
28:36
our view
28:37
of our
28:37
God,
28:39
whatever that
28:40
is,
28:41
little g
28:41
God,
28:43
country,
28:44
government,
28:45
people,
28:47
will have an
28:47
impact on how
28:48
we live,
28:48
how we
28:49
decide to
28:51
and decisions
28:51
that we make.
28:52
or are
28:55
people going
28:56
to see
28:56
the God
28:58
of the
28:58
Bible?
28:59
Are they
28:59
going to
28:59
see Jesus
29:00
through our
29:00
life?
29:01
And are
29:02
we living
29:02
and elevating
29:03
God above
29:06
everything else?
29:08
1 Peter 2,
29:09
verse 9,
29:11
says that,
29:12
but you are a
29:13
chosen race,
29:15
a royal
29:16
priesthood,
29:17
a holy
29:18
nation,
29:19
a people for
29:20
his own
29:21
possession,
29:21
possession,
29:22
that you
29:22
may proclaim
29:24
the excellencies
29:25
of him
29:25
who called
29:26
you out
29:26
of darkness
29:27
into his
29:28
marvelous
29:29
light.
29:31
You are a
29:32
chosen race,
29:33
a royal
29:34
priesthood,
29:35
a holy
29:36
nation,
29:37
a people for
29:37
his own
29:38
possession.
29:39
Why?
29:40
That you
29:41
may proclaim
29:41
the excellencies
29:43
of him,
29:44
not where
29:46
you are,
29:47
not the
29:47
government of
29:48
Great Britain,
29:49
or the
29:49
government of
29:49
the United
29:50
States of
29:50
America,
29:51
or whatever,
29:54
the excellencies
29:54
of him who
29:56
called you out
29:56
of darkness
29:57
into his
29:57
marvelous light.
29:59
The gospel
30:00
shapes every
30:01
area of our
30:02
lives,
30:03
every bit
30:05
of our lives,
30:06
not just here
30:06
Sunday morning,
30:08
but every area.
30:09
So,
30:09
on Wednesday
30:10
evening,
30:11
we go to
30:12
fireworks,
30:13
let's celebrate
30:14
America
30:15
through the
30:16
gospel,
30:17
through what
30:17
God has
30:18
done in
30:18
our lives.
30:19
Let's show
30:19
people how
30:21
great he is.
30:22
Thank him for
30:23
living in such
30:23
a country where
30:24
we can stand
30:25
here, I can
30:25
stand here,
30:26
you can sit
30:27
here with
30:28
freedom to
30:29
do so.
30:31
Render to
30:32
Caesar that
30:33
which is
30:34
Caesar.
30:35
Pay the
30:35
taxes.
30:37
Pay the
30:37
government.
30:38
Follow the
30:38
laws.
30:39
Obey the
30:39
laws.
30:41
Don't cheat
30:41
on your
30:42
taxes.
30:43
Be honest.
30:45
Render to
30:46
God that
30:47
which is
30:48
God's.
30:49
And ultimately,
30:50
that's worship.
30:52
Ultimately,
30:52
that's elevating
30:53
him above
30:54
everything else.
30:55
So,
30:55
patriotism is
30:56
not evil.
30:58
We've got to
30:59
keep it in
30:59
line.
31:00
We've got to
31:01
keep it in
31:01
proper perspective.
31:04
Keep it
31:04
below
31:06
God of the
31:07
Bible.
31:08
Below
31:08
Jesus.
31:10
Let's pray
31:11
together.