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[0:00] Then we're going to sing again and then read another two short passages. First of all, in Proverbs, the book of Proverbs, chapter 8. It's on page 641 in the ESV Bible, Proverbs chapter 8. I'm going to read from verse 10.

[0:26] Take my instruction instead of silver and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than jewels and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

[0:38] I, wisdom, dwell with prudence and I find knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil, pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

[0:49] I have counsel and sound wisdom. I have insight. I have strength. By me, kings reign. And rulers decree what is just. By me, princes rule and nobles all who govern justly.

[1:05] I love those who love me and those who seek me diligently find me. Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.

[1:18] I walk in the way of righteousness and the paths of justice, granting an inheritance to those who love me and filling their treasuries. And then in the New Testament, the gospel according to Mark.

[1:32] Mark chapter 12 and verse 13. The gospel of Mark and chapter 12 and verse 13. And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians to trap him in his talk.

[1:55] And they came and said to him, Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?

[2:08] Should we pay them or should we not? But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it. And they brought one.

[2:20] And he said to them, Whose likeness and inscription is this? They said to him, Caesar's. Jesus said to them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.

[2:35] And they marveled at him. Amen. And we ask God's blessing upon the reading of his word. We're going to turn now to Psalm 24 on page 230.

[2:53] Page number 230. And it's Psalm number 24. We're going to sing the first five stanzas. The earth belongs unto the Lord and all that it contains. The world that is inhabited and all that there remains.

[3:06] For the foundations thereof he on the seas did lay, and he hath it established upon the floods to stay. Page number 230. We're going to sing from the beginning to verse five.

[3:17] Verse five stanzas. We're going to stand to sing. The earth belongs unto the Lord and all that it contains.

[3:33] The world that is inhabited, and all of there remains.

[3:45] For the nations there all, beyond the seas been laid, And he hath in his salvation upon the floods to stay.

[4:08] O is the man that shall ascend into the hill of God, For who within his holy face shall have a firm of hope, Whose hands are clean, whose heart is pure, and unto vanity, Who hath not lifted up his soul, nor sworn deceitfully.

[4:54] He from eternal shall receive the blessing him upon, And righteous next in from the call of his salvation.

[5:24] Let's turn now to Paul's letter to the Romans and chapter 13. Romans chapter 13, and that's on page 1142.

[5:45] And then we're going to read from the beginning to verse 7, And then we're going to read 1 Peter chapter 2. But first of all, Romans 13 and verse 1.

[5:58] Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, For there's no authority except from God. And those that exist have been instituted by God.

[6:08] Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed. And those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.

[6:20] Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval. For he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid.

[6:31] For he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore, one must be in subjection.

[6:42] Not only to avoid God's wrath, but also for the sake of conscience. For the same reason, you also pay taxes for the authorities and ministers of God. Attending to this very same thing.

[6:54] Pay to all what is owed to them. Taxes to whom taxes are owed. Revenue to whom revenue is owed. Respect to whom respect is owed. Honor to whom honor is owed.

[7:08] And then we're going to turn together to the first letter of Peter. And chapter 2. This is our last reading.

[7:19] And verse 13.

[7:34] Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor, a supreme, or to governors, sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

[7:46] For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

[8:00] Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect. Not only to the good and gentle, but also to the unjust.

[8:10] For this is a gracious thing. When mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it? When you sin and are beaten for it, you endure.

[8:22] But if when you do good and suffer for it, you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

[8:37] Yes, he committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

[8:51] He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.

[9:07] Amen. Amen. And once again, we ask that God will bless his own word to it, and he'll implant it in our hearts, and that we will hear it in faith as the word of God.

[9:19] We're going to once again join together in prayer. Our Father in heaven, we want to come to you, Lord, confessing our own sinfulness, and confessing our own weaknesses, and confessing our own faithlessness in prayer.

[9:35] Because often we decline to pray, or we're hesitant to pray because we somehow believe that it's impossible for God to hear us because of who we are and because of how little we are and how ordinary we are.

[9:55] Yet, Lord, that is the great, great wonder of the gospel, that Jesus came amongst ordinary people. And he called fishermen to himself, people who were shepherds and people who were tax collectors and sinners.

[10:11] That is who we are, Lord, people who have no standing in this world. And as far as the world is concerned, we have no fame, and we have no reason for anyone to have heard of us.

[10:27] And yet, Lord, you know every single one of us. You know the sparrow that falls on the ground. And you are able, Lord, to hear our prayer because you are a gracious God, a God who listens to the prayer of his people.

[10:44] So forgive us, Lord, for our prayerlessness, and bring us confidently and boldly into your presence, not because of what we have done, but because of what Jesus has done.

[10:54] And because of that, we can pray for the rest of the world and for the situations in the world that we know about and others that we don't know about. And once again, Lord, we pray for the areas of the world, Lord, where there is trouble and where the gospel is being preached for the first time.

[11:14] And perhaps your people are experiencing terrible persecution. We pray for Nigeria at this moment in time. Lord, we want to remember the troubles, the attacks that are being made, often on Christian villages and towns and churches.

[11:32] And we ask, Lord, for the strengthening of your people there. Lord, we know nothing of the violence that they experience in these places. Ordinary Christians like ourselves.

[11:43] And we pray, Lord, for the families who have lost loved ones. We remember all these girls who were kidnapped recently. And we pray for their safe release.

[11:55] And we pray for their families, Lord. We cannot imagine what it must be like to go through what they are going through. And we ask, Lord, for a safe release. We pray that you'll keep them safe.

[12:05] And somehow, because we know that many of them are Christians and come from Christian homes, we pray that you'll bless their witness. Our Father in heaven, who knows what will take place, even amongst your suffering people.

[12:20] Our Father in heaven, we pray for a world that is full of suffering. And give us to remember that. And give us to remember how relatively well off we are and how comfortable we are.

[12:31] And yet, Lord, the gospel seems to be making so little progress. Perhaps because of that fact alone that we have everything that we need. And that we don't see our sense of need.

[12:44] Our Father in heaven, we pray that you will work in the gospel. And we pray, Lord, for where we are this evening. We pray for our part of the world. A world that is self-satisfied.

[12:55] A world that has become secular. And has turned its face away from you. We ask, Lord. We plead with you that you will send your spirit. And touch the hearts of many, many people.

[13:10] Our Father, we pray for our own country, Lord. We pray for Scotland at this time. We think, O Lord, of the aftermath of Thursday's referendum. And it would be so wrong of us to ignore the enormity of that day.

[13:27] And it would be so wrong of us to imagine that you have no interest in who we are and what we are as a country. We ask, Lord, for...

[13:37] We pray for peace. We pray for harmony. We pray, O Lord, that men and women will accept the decision that was made on Thursday peacefully.

[13:50] And for the good of society. We pray, Lord, for your people that you will give us to be an example that demonstrates once again that our citizenship is not in this world.

[14:06] It is in heaven. And there are, whilst these questions are of enormous political importance, yet there is another question and other questions that are even more important.

[14:17] And, Lord, give us, Lord, never to think that the answer to our basic problems lie in a political process or system or party. And keep us and forgive us where we have put too much effort into thinking that way and taking our eyes away from you, Lord.

[14:33] Because only when you change our hearts can there be real benefit. Because the real question of man's sinfulness is only answered in the gospel.

[14:45] So, Lord, our Father in heaven, we pray that you will give wisdom to those who lead us. And we pray that for the future, which is so uncertain.

[14:57] And we ask, Lord, that you will raise up men and women who will lead in not just with sense or logic, but with an eye to doing what is right in this world.

[15:12] Our Father in heaven, we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. We're going to sing now in Psalm 8. It's the traditional version of the Psalm.

[15:23] It's on, not Psalm 8, it's Psalm 72. I'm reading the wrong Psalm. Psalm 72. It's on page 92 in Psalms. We're going to sing from the beginning to the verse of March 7.

[15:36] That's the first four stanza. Psalm 72. Sing Psalms. It's a long-meter version. Endow the King with justice, Lord. The Royal Son with righteousness. Your people, your afflicted ones.

[15:48] He'll judge with truth and uprightness. Psalm 72, the first four verses, 1 to 7. We're going to stand to sing. And though the King with justice, Lord. And though the King with justice, Lord.

[16:04] The Royal Son with righteousness. The rich and Arduino. Hallelujah.

[16:15] And though the King with justice. It's the King with justice. Music withоже Sky. In touch with truth and uprightness.

[16:29] The mountains will bring peace to them. The hills, the fruit of righteousness.

[16:45] He will defend and save the poor. And crush all those who they will press.

[17:03] As one that sun and moon endure. So will he live, I'm without end.

[17:20] He'll be like showers on the earth. Like rains that from old fields he sends.

[17:36] The righteous death will blossom forth. Through earth is never a seed ring.

[17:52] Until the moon no longer shines. Peace in abundance will remain.

[18:08] Amen. Let's turn together to Romans chapter 13. And reading at the beginning of the chapter once again.

[18:22] Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God. And those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists what God has appointed.

[18:36] And those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good. And you will receive his approval.

[18:48] For he is God's servant for your good. For if you do wrong be afraid. For he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God. An avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

[19:02] Therefore one must be in subjection. Not only to avoid God's wrath. But also for the sake of conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes. For the authorities are ministers of God.

[19:14] Attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them. Taxes to whom taxes are owed. Revenue to whom revenue is owed. Respect to whom respect is owed. Honor to whom honor.

[19:25] Is owed. I promised. A couple of weeks ago. That the Sunday after the referendum.

[19:38] That I would offer some kind of biblical comment. On. Government. And if ever there was.

[19:49] A day when it's appropriate to do so. It's a day when. We have just taken. A very enormous decision. A very enormous decision. In deciding. 55 to 45.

[20:00] To remain. Part of the United Kingdom. Whatever you think of that. Whether you're rejoicing this evening. Or whether you are. Miserable this evening.

[20:12] That is not for me. It is not for me. To comment on. The rightness. Or wrongness. Or. Of such a decision. And I. Said. At the time. That it would be quite wrong.

[20:23] To take my own political view. Into the pulpit. I. Have a political view. Just. I'm sure. As a vast majority. Of everyone here. Has. A view.

[20:33] But it would be quite wrong. To take it. Into the pulpit. That's not. Why we exist. As a church. We exist. For the gospel. And.

[20:44] It's wrong. To take our eyes. Away. From Christ. From the gospel. To. And. To divert. Our attention. To something else. And that's not.

[20:54] What I'm doing. This evening. Some people. Of course. They claim. They make out. That. This has nothing to do. With politics. That the gospel. The bible.

[21:05] Has nothing to do. With politics. In fact. Perhaps. Some of you. Are quite irritated. That I might be taking a break. From. Our studies in David. To. To turn our attention. To this matter.

[21:18] Some Christians. Have. Claimed. That because. Their citizenship. Is in heaven. And because. Jesus kingdom. Is not. Of this world. That they have. Absolutely.

[21:29] Nothing to do. With politics. And they will take. Nothing to do. With the political process. They won't even vote. That's a very small. Minority. Of Christians. Who hold. To that view.

[21:40] And it's certainly. Not a view. That I can find. Any evidence for. In the bible. Quite the reverse. All the indications. Are. That there. Is a very strong.

[21:50] Connection. Between. The Christian faith. Or the bible. And. Politics. Government. The rule. Of law.

[22:01] And order. When Jesus said. When he was asked. Should we pay taxes. To Caesar. You remember what his answer was. We just read it. He said.

[22:12] Render to Caesar. What is Caesar's. And give to God. What is God's. God's. Now. Just because. He said. Give to God.

[22:22] What is God's. Doesn't mean. That we are not. To give to Caesar. What is Caesar's. That was. A command. From the Lord. Jesus Christ.

[22:33] We are to render. To Caesar. What is Caesar's. God's. And so. That's a command. That is. Born out. In the chapter. That we've just. Read.

[22:43] On the chapter. I'd like us to look at. This evening. Where Paul says. Let every person. Be subject. To the governing authorities. Now. If there's no connection. Between the Christian faith. And the government.

[22:54] Then. Why is he writing that? And why is first Peter. Chapter two. Why is Peter. Making a point. Of reinforcing. To the Christians. To whom he was writing. Their relations.

[23:05] Their positive. Relationship. To government. Now. The astonishing. Thing. Here. Is that. The government.

[23:15] Of Jesus. Time. Was. Was not sympathetic. To the gospel. It was not sympathetic. To him. And it certainly. Wasn't sympathetic. To the law. Of God.

[23:26] They were a pagan. Government. They were often. A ruthless. Government. They weren't. Elected. By the people. And they often. Committed. Crimes. Against.

[23:37] The people. You remember. When Jesus said. In Luke. Again. In Luke's gospel. Chapter 13. I think it was. Where he talked about. Pilate. Mixing the blood.

[23:47] Of the Galileans. With their sacrifices. That was what we call. An atrocity. Something that was. An outrage. Where the government. Had abused. And.

[23:58] Murdered. People. At their own whim. And yet. Jesus said. Render to Caesar. What is Caesar's.

[24:09] And Paul. Likewise. The government. Was the same. It was the Roman Empire. And anyone. Who's read anything. About the Roman Empire. Knows. That they could be pretty. They could be pretty.

[24:20] Ruthless. They weren't. Elected. Into place. It was a tyranny. And they could. Deal with people. With gross. Injustice. And yet.

[24:31] Here's what. Paul says. You would expect. Paul to say. Especially. In times. Of persecution. When the Roman Empire. Turned against Christians. And threw them. To the lions.

[24:42] And to the gladiators. You would expect. Paul to say. Look. Take every opportunity. To undermine. And to subvert. Their authority. Get away. With what you can. Do what you can.

[24:54] To rebel. Against them. Don't recognize. Their authority. But that's not. What he says. He says. The very opposite. He says.

[25:05] Let every person. Be subject. To the governing. Authorities. For there. Is no authority. That is. Except from God. And those that exist. Have been instituted.

[25:15] By God. Therefore. Whoever resists. The authority. Resists. What God. Has appointed. Now that is. An astonishing. Statement. You would expect. That statement.

[25:26] If it was. Way back. In the old days. In the old testament. When the kings ruled. In righteousness. In the days of King David. Where David. Had been. Appointed. By God. To be the king.

[25:37] Over his people. Then you would expect. The prophets. To say to the people. Everyone must be subject. To the authority. Of King David. Because his authority. Comes from God.

[25:47] But here is Paul. In entirely. The opposite. Circumstances. When it's a pagan government. And he is saying. Be subject to. The governor. Governing. Authorities.

[25:59] Well why is that? What is Paul's. Reasoning. And what is. Biblical. Reasoning. For authority. Somebody asked me. During the course. Of a conversation. One of the many. Conversations.

[26:10] That I've. Had. Over the past. And I'm sure. The vast majority. Of you also. Have. Have been. In endless. Numbers. Of conversations. Over the referendum. And I too. With people I know.

[26:20] And my family. And all the rest. And somebody asked me. I suppose. They were just trying to be mischievous. Why have government. In the first place. Why is there government. I suppose. It sounds a stupid question.

[26:31] Sounds an obvious question. But actually. That's where it all begins. Isn't it? That's where. The whole subject. Of authority. And government. It all. Goes all.

[26:41] Goes back to. Well. Why do we? What is. Authority. What is government? Is it something. That we've invented. Something that's. Evolved. In the history. Of mankind.

[26:51] Or is there some. Other origin. To government. Well. I would suggest. To you. That that's as good. A place. To start. As any. What is authority?

[27:05] Authority. Is. The right. To determine. Something. And if you. Ask. The ultimate. Question. Then the ultimate.

[27:15] Answer. Answer. Is. That ultimate. Authority. Belongs. To God. He alone. Has the. Right. To determine. Whatever.

[27:26] He wishes. Because. As God. What he wishes. And what he wills. Is always right. No one can question. His mind. Or his command. And the. The very first.

[27:37] Recorded. Stated words. Of God. And creation. Are. The. Ultimate. Example. Of. God's.

[27:48] Authority. Let. There. Be. Light. He said. And. There. Was. Light. So. Not only. Did he have the. Authority. To command.

[27:59] Light. To shine. In the darkness. But. That authority. That power. Meant. That the very command. Was. Its. Its. Own. Enforcer. Let. There. Be light.

[28:09] And. There. Was. Light. So. Nature. Itself. Whatever. Nature. Means. Existence. Itself. Is. Subject. To. The. Overarching. Eternal.

[28:21] Authority. Of. God. And. When. He. Created. Humankind. And. Adam. And. Eve. He. Created. Them. To. Have. Dominion.

[28:32] Over. The. World. So. Dominion. That. Ability. And. That. Right. To. Manage. The. World. Around. Them. Was. Part. And. Parcel. Of. What.

[28:42] Adam. And. Eve. Were. And. Of. Course. If. They. Had. Remained. In. A. Perfect. Condition. Without. Having. Fallen. Then. Authority. Would. Be. Very. Much. Easier. Than. It. Is.

[28:53] Today. It. Would. Be. Obvious. There. Would. Hardly. Be. Any. Need. For. For. Command. And. Obedience. As. Such. As. We. Know. Them. Because. Everything. Would.

[29:03] Have. Come. So. Natural. Everyone. Would. Have. Only. Done. What. Is. Natural. And. Right. But. Nevertheless. In. A. Perfect. World. There. Still. Was. That.

[29:14] Managerial. Responsibility. In. Adam. And. Eve. To. Have. Dominion. Over. The. He.

[29:26] Has. Invested. Authority. Even. In. A. Fallen. World. We. Know. What. Happened. In. The. Garden. Of. Eden. That. Adam. And. Eve. They. Chose. To. Ignore. The. Express. Command.

[29:37] Of. God. The. Wonder. Of. The. Gospel. Is. That. God. Did. Not. Leave. The. World. To. Destroy. Itself. As. A. Result. And. As. A. Consequence. Of. Sin. But. He. He.

[29:48] Continued. To. Communicate. With. The. World. And. That. Structure. Of. Authority. Is. Part. And. Parcel. It.

[29:58] Remains. Part. And. Parcel. Of. What. Humankind. Is. And. It. Remains. Even. In. A. Fallen. State. An. Indication.

[30:09] That. Whilst. We. Have. We. Have. Spoiled. The. Image. Of. God. Within. Us. That. Image. Still. Remains. And. Is. Still. Recognizable.

[30:21] There. Are. So. Much. There. Are. So. Many. Things. I. Could. Say. About. This. I. Could. Say. That. That. The. Basic. Building.

[30:31] Block. Of. Government. Lies. Within. The. Family. And. That's. Why. Those. Who. Constructed. The. Catechism. They. Recognize. This. If. You. Remember. Those.

[30:45] Of. You. Who. Learned. Your. Catechisms. As. A. Child. You. Will. Know. That. There's. A. Connection. Between. Honoring. Your. Father. And. Mother. And. Honoring. The. Powers. That. Be.

[30:55] Those. Who. Are. In. Government. Quite. Rightly. So. Because. The. Building. Block. The. Basis. Of. Society. Is. The. Family. And. It. Was. In. A. In.

[31:15] A. Sinful. World. And. So. That. Is. The. Reason. Why. Paul. Says. There. Is. No. Authority. Except. From. God. And.

[31:28] Those. That. Exist. Have. Been. Instituted. By. God. He's. Not. Saying. That. Every. Person. In. Power. Is. A. Good. Person. He's.

[31:40] Not. Saying. That. Every. Government. Is. A. Good. Government. God. Is. Not. Endorsing. The. Way. In. Which. The. Roman. Empire. Wields. Its. Power. God. Is. Not.

[31:50] Saying. That. Everything. That. The. Roman. Empire. Does. Or. The. Caesars. Or. The. Or. The. Soldiers. Or. Those. Who. Were. Senators. Or. Those. Who. Were. Governors. At. The. Time. That. They. Were. Always. Good. People.

[32:00] And. Everything. That. They. Did. Was. Good. What. He. Is. Is. That. They. Are. Accountable. To. God. For. Every. Decision. And. Every. Action. That. They. Took. That. A. Very. Solemn. Thought. Because.

[32:10] The. Same. Thing. Holds. True. Today. If. You. Are. In. Any. Position. Of. Authority. That. Authority. Has. Been. Invested. In. You. Delegated. By. God. Himself. And. You. Are.

[32:20] Accountable. To. God. For. The. Way. In. Which. You. Manage. Even. As. An. Employer. If. Someone. Else. Is. Working. For. You. And. The. Old. Testament. Prophets. Have. A.

[32:30] Lot. To. Say. About. The. Way. In. Which. You. Deal. With. Your. Employees. The. Fairness. And. The. Justice. And. The. Rightness. With. Which. You. Treat. Them. And. Pay. Them. And.

[32:41] Give. Them. Good. Working. Conditions. Fair. Reasonable. Working. Conditions. All. Of. That. Is. Tied. Up. In. What. God. Has. Invested. And. Delegated.

[32:52] To. Human. Beings. As. And. You. Have. To. Remember. Of. Course. That. The. Very. People. That. You. Are. Dealing. With. Christians.

[33:08] That. Is. What. We. Recognize. And. Acknowledge. First. And. Foremost. And. Everyone. Needs. To. Be. And. Where. Christians. Have. Failed. To. Do. That. In. The. Past. Shame. On. Them. I.

[33:22] Think. I. Told. You. That. I. Went. To. See. The. The. Movie. Twelve. Years. A. Slave. Some. Months. Ago. It's. Awful. Awful. Portrayal.

[33:33] Of. A. True. Story. Of. A. Person. Who. Was. Kidnapped. And. Held. As. A. Slave. One. Of. The. Most. The. Most. Awful. Things. About. It. And. It. Was. True. Was. The. Fact. That. The. Slave.

[33:43] Owners. Would. Read. The. Bible. While. Treating. Their. Slaves. With. The. Atmost. Cruelty. They. Would. Every. Day. Read.

[33:53] The. Bible. And. Somehow. Justify. Inhumanity. To. Mankind. Under. The. Guise. Of. The. Bible. The. Bible. Has. Nothing. To.

[34:03] Do. With. Inhumanity. And. It. Never. Endorses. Or. Justifies. Cruel. Treatment. Or. Unfair. Treatment. Or. Unjust. Treatment. And.

[34:14] So. Therefore. Christian. Witness. Must. Take. Into. Account. The. Recognition. That. Human. Beings. Are. Made. In. The. Image. Of. God. And.

[34:24] So. Today. God. Is. Not. Endorsing. Any. Political. Party. And. That. Is. Why. You. Get. Christians. Who. Who. Are. Affiliated. Or. Who. Support. Or. Who.

[34:34] Vote. For. Various. Different. Parties. Because. They. Happen. To. Hold. To. Various. Different. Opinions. That. Doesn't. Mean. To. Say. That. That. That. One. Party. Is. More. Right.

[34:44] Than. Another. It's. It's. Simply. A. Matter. Of. Of. What. Kind. Of. Policies. That. You. Happen. To. Believe. Ought. To. Be. Implemented.

[34:55] In. The. Country. In. Which. We. Live. It. Doesn't. Mean. That. We. Cannot. Claim. That. God. Is. A. Tory. Or. God. Is. A. Communist. Or. A. Socialist. Or. A.

[35:05] Nationalist. Or. A. Green. We. Cannot. Claim. That. But. What. We. Can. Say. With. Certainty. Is. That. There. Is. No. Authority. Except. From. God. And.

[35:15] Those. That. Exist. Have. Been. Instituted. By. God. Therefore. Whoever. Resists. The. Authority. Resists. What. God. Has. Adjusted. Hence.

[35:34] He. Says. That. Those. Who. Are. In. Power. Have. The. Right. To. Reasonably. Demand. Obedience. Because.

[35:44] Of. The. Authority. That. Has. Been. Vested. In. Them. Or. Delegated. In. Them. By. God. We. Have. To. Remember. That. It's. It's. A. Two-way. Thing. That. Law. And. Structure. Are.

[35:54] A. Two-way. Thing. It. Means. I. Cannot. Just. Do. Whatever. Comes. Into. My.

[36:05] Head. I. Can't. Walk. Into. A. Shop. And. Steal. Something. And. And. Walk. Away. With. It. Why? Because. It's. Not. Mine. But. Sinful. My. My. The. Sinful.

[36:15] Part. Of. Human. Being. That. Are. Pris. Human. Beings. Tonight. Who. Would. Be. Very. Happy. To. Do. Such. A. Thing. For. Them. Even. Although. It's. Sinful. The.

[36:25] Fact. That. They. Can. Be. Better. Off. By. Stealing. That's. What. Matters. To. Them. And. They. Only. Live. Once. And. They. Can. And. Sin. Within. Us. Tries. To. See. What. It. Can. Get. Away.

[36:35] With. Law. And. Order. Is. There. To. Make. Sure. That. That. Law.

[36:52] And. Order. Demands. That. That. If. Someone. Is. Suspected. Of. Committing. A. Crime. That. There. Is. A. Process. By. Which. That. Person. Is. Proved. Either.

[37:02] To. Be. Guilty. Or. Innocent. And. Justice. Demands. That. The. Innocent. Be. Set. Free. And. That. The. Guilty. Only. When. Proved. To. Be. Guilty. Then. That.

[37:12] Person. Should. Be. Punished. But. It. Demands. That. I. Uphold. Willingly. The. Law. And. As. A. Christian. I. Should.

[37:23] Want. To. Do. That. Because. Of. What. I'm. Recognizing. In. This. Chapter. And. From. The. Bible. And. Because. Of. My. Desire. To. Be. A. Witness. In. Doing. Good. In. The. World. After.

[37:33] All. What. Kind. Of. A. Witness. Is. It. If. I. Go. About. Flouting. The. Law. And. So. I. Won't. Use. My. Mobile. Phone. When. I'm. Driving. Even.

[37:44] Although. There. Are. Times. When. It. Rings. And. I. Think. And. I. Think. Nobody. Is. Around. Me. And. Nobody. Will. See. Me. No. That's. Not. The. Point. The. Point. Is. It's. Against. The.

[37:54] Law. And. We. As. Christians. To. Be. Amongst. The. First. To. Uphold. The. Law. Because. We. Recognize. Its. Place. Not. Because. We're. Trying.

[38:04] To. See. What. We. Can. Get. Away. With. That. Should. Never. Be. The. Intention. In. The. Christian. Heart. It. Should. Always. Be. A. Recognition. Of. Doing. What. Is. Right. So.

[38:14] We. Pay. Our. TV. Licenses. And. We. Pay. Our. Tax. Return. And. Our. Council. Tax. Even. Although. Sometimes. We. Think. That. We. Pay. Too. Much. And. It's. Unjust.

[38:24] And. The. Government. Should. Be. Going. After. The. Real. Mega. Millionaires. Of. This. World. Who. Are. In. Tax. Haven. Somewhere. And. Why. Should. I. Be. Paying. My. Tax. And. All. These. Questions. Come. Into. Well. That's. Got. Nothing. To. Do. With. Me.

[38:38] The. Government. Demands. That. I. Pay. My. Taxes. So. Therefore. I. Pay. My. Taxes. Because. I. Recognize. Its. Place.

[38:51] And. Of. Course. There. Are. Limits. To. That. Demand. What. Are. The. Limits. To. The. Demand. Of. The. Law. As. Far. As. Christians. Are. Concerned. Well. We. Are. To. Obey.

[39:01] The. Law. Unless. It. Demands. Something. That. God. Forbids. Remember. Shadroch. Meshach. And. Abednego. They.

[39:12] Were. Commanded. By. Kim. Nebuchadnezzar. To. Bow. Before. The. Statue. And. They. Refused. To. Do. So. The. Command. Was. Obey.

[39:28] And. So. Therefore. They. Had. To. Say. I'm. Sorry. With. All. Due. Respect. We. Cannot. Do. This. And. There. May. Very. Well. Be. Times.

[39:38] Particularly. In. A. Secular. Society. That. Is. No. Friend. Of. The. Gospel. In. A. Society. That. Is. Moving. Away. From. The. Place. Of.

[39:49] The. Bible. In. Society. It. May. Very. Well. Be. That. You. And. I. Could. Be. Confronted. With. Similar. Issues. Where. We're. Required. To. Do. Something. Which.

[39:59] God. Forbids. Or. Where. The. Law. Forbids. Something. That. God. Demands. Again. In. The. Book. Of. Daniel. Darius. Said. That. He. Forbad.

[40:10] Prayer. Well. That. Was. The. Question. As. Far. As. Daniel. Was. Concerned. Because. He. Had. To. Pray. Three. Times. A. Day. Opened. His. Windows. He. Wasn't. Going. To. Change. His. Routine.

[40:20] Just. Because. The. Law. Demanded. Because. It. Was. Demanded. Something. Something. That. Was. Against. What. God. Was. Requiring. There.

[40:30] Are. Countries. In. The. World. Today. That. Forbid. Gatherings. Like. This. What. It.

[40:45] It. A. Question. That. Thousands. Of. Christians. Have. To. Grapple. With. What. Would. We. Do. The. Way. We.

[40:55] Would. Go. We. Never. Even. Thought. About. Have. We. And. Yet. That's. What. Many. Christians. Have. To. Wrestle. With. And.

[41:05] They. Know. That. Every. Time. They. Go. Out. The. Door. On. A. Sunday. They. Run. The. Risk. Of. Being. Arrested. And. Perhaps. Being. Abused. And. Tortured.

[41:16] And. Imprisoned. And. Sometimes. In. Some. Cases. In. Some. Countries. You. Are. Put. To. Death. If. You. A. Christian. How. Open. Would. You. Be. About.

[41:26] Your. Faith. If. You. Were. It. So. When. You. Put. It. Into. Perspective. Like. That. We. Really. I've. Got. A lot. To. Be. Thankful. For. Even. Although. There. Are. Questions. That. We. May. Feel.

[41:37] Happy. About. Or. Sad. About. After. Thursday. When. You. Think. About. The. Big. Picture. When. You. Think. About. What. Other. People. Have. To. Suffer. Really. Our. Questions.

[41:48] Are. Put. In. Their. Own. Place. Aren't. They. Of. Course. There. Are. Other. Questions. Like. When. Is. It. Necessary. To. Rebel. Is. There. Ever. A. Point.

[41:58] At. Which. It. Becomes. Right. For. A. Society. To. Rebel. Against. A. Government. And. Of. Of. The. Other. Question. That. People. Always. Ask. Is. What. Is. A. Just. War.

[42:09] All. These. Questions. Of. Of. Course. Are. Related. To. To. The. Question. Of. Government. And. Policy. And. Foreign. Policy. And. All. Of. These. Things. But.

[42:19] They. Are. What. I'm. Trying. To. Do. Tonight. Is. To. Prove. That. There. Is. A. Direct. Connection. Between. The. Bible. And. These. Connections. And. We. Have. Every. Right. To. Discuss. Them. In. A. Biblical. Context.

[42:30] What. Does. The. Bible. Say. Or. How. Can. We. Use. The. Principles. That. Are. That. We. Find. In. The. Bible. To. Justify. A. War. In. Certain. Circumstances. Or. Rebellion.

[42:40] Perhaps. In. Certain. Circumstances. But. I. Think. We're. There's. Not. Much. We're. Pretty. Far. Away. From. Anything. Like. That. This. Evening. But.

[42:52] Of. Course. In. Government. Under. Which. We. Operate. Allows.

[43:03] For. An. Enormous. Amount. Of. Freedom. It. Allows. For. Freedom. Of. Expression. And. Freedom. To. Complain. And. Freedom. To. Elect. Our. Representatives.

[43:14] And. Of. Course. I. Know. That. There's. The. Question. Of. What. Does. Representation. Mean. And. How. True. Is. Representation. And. All. Of. These. Kind. Of. Questions. And. Yet. We. Do. Live.

[43:24] In. A. Democratic. Part. Of. The. World. And. That's. Something. I. Think. That. We. Should. Be. Thankful. And. Grateful. To. The. Lord. For. So.

[43:36] Is. There. A. Biblical. Response. Then. In. Closing. To. Thursday's. Referendum. After. Having. Said. All. Of. These. Things. And. Having. Looked. Just. For. A. Little. While. At. This.

[43:46] Passage. Is. There. A. Biblical. Response. To. The. Referendum. Well. I. Want. To. Offer. One. Or. Two. Things. Just. Very. Briefly. In. Closing. First. Of. All. I.

[43:56] Want. To. Say. This. That. We. Should. Accept. The. Democratic. Decision. Which. Was. Made. Whatever. Way. That.

[44:07] We. Voted. On. Thursday. I. Said. When. I. Wrote. My. Piece. In. The. Newsletter. Last. Month. That. I.

[44:17] Would. Accept. The. Democratic. Decision. Of. Thursday's. Vote. Whatever. Way. It. Was. And. What. I'm. Saying. Tonight. I. Would. Have. Said.

[44:28] Whatever. The. Decision. Had. Been. What. I'm. Saying. Tonight. I. Say. Irrespective. Of. Whatever. The. Choice. Is. Or. Was. But.

[44:38] I. Think. It's. Incumbent. Upon. Us. As. God's. People. To. Accept. What. That. Decision. Was. Secondly. We. Should.

[44:48] Not. Allow. Ourselves. To. Become. Either. Triumphal. Or. Resentful. Triumphal. If. We. Agreed. With. The. Decision. Or. Resentful.

[44:59] If. We. Didn't. Agree. With. It. As. Christians. We. Believe. In. The. Believe. We. Haven't. Put. All. Our. Hopes. For. Everything. Into.

[45:10] A. System. Of. Government. If. You. Have. Then. You're. Very. Foolish. Because. A. System. Of. Government. Is. Only. A. System. Of. Government.

[45:21] We. Know. That. The. Needs. Of. Humankind. They. Run. Much. Deeper. Than. That. And. The. Question. The. Answer. To. The. Basic. Need. Of. Human. Human.

[45:31] Beings. Lies. Not. With. Whether. You're. A. Nationalist. Or. Whether. You're. A. Unionist. Or. Whether. You're. A. Tory. Or. A. Labour. Or. Whatever. It. Lies. Only. In. The. Gospel.

[45:42] But. We. Also. Know. That. God. Is. In. Command. And. He. Rules. And. We. Believe. In. His. Perfect. Providence. Whether. We. Agree. With. It. Or. Not. We're. Allowed. To. Disagree.

[45:53] Just. As. We're. Allowed. To. Agree. We. Have. Our. Own. Reasoning. Processes. And. Yet. We. Know. And. Isn't. It. Great. Tonight. To. Be. Able. To. To. Put. Our. Head.

[46:03] On. The. Pillow. And. Know. That. God. Is. In. Command. And. He's. In. We.

[46:19] Submit. To. The. Government. That. We. Have. Graciously. Patiently. And. Meekly. And. Humbly. We. Pay. Our. Taxes. That. Doesn't.

[46:29] Mean. That. By. That. We. Cannot. By. Due. Political. Process. Make. Representation. We're. Allowed. In. This. Country. To. To. Voice. Our. Objection. Just.

[46:39] As. We. Did. On. Several. Occasions. The. Most. Recent. Being. Of course. Our. Objection. To. Same. Sex. Marriage. And. Our. Political. Process. Allows. Us. To.

[46:49] Speak. Directly. To. Our. MP. Or. To. Our. MSP. Our. Presbytery. Here. In. Lewis. We. Invited. Our. MSP. To. Discuss. The.

[46:59] Issue. Of. Same. Sex. Marriage. With. Them. And. We. Had. A. Whole. Afternoon. Of. Discussion. Discussion. Didn't. Bear. Much. Fruit. Sadly. But. Nevertheless. We. Belong. To. A. Process. Where.

[47:10] We. Are. Allowed. To. Do. That. And. We. Are. We. Are. Allowed. To. Voice. Our. Objection. Or. Our. Concern. Or. Whatever. That. Concern. May. Be. And.

[47:20] We. Have. The. Option. Of. Of. Taking. Part. In. The. Political. Process. And. Then. Fourthly. We. Should. Encourage. Active.

[47:32] Participation. In. The. Political. Process. By. Christian. People. Jesus. Said. You. Are. The. Salt. Of. The. Earth. You. Are. The. Light. Of. The.

[47:43] World. One. Of. The. Most. Encouraging. Things. That. Have. Come. Out. Of. The. Last. Two. Weeks. Not. Just. Me. That. Saying. This. This. Has. Been. An.

[47:56] Interest. That. Had. Largely. Died. Because. Of. Cynicism. And. Apathy. As. God's. People. Don't. Let.

[48:06] Let. That. Die. Again. Because. We. Are. To. Be. In. The. World. Even. Although. We're. Not. Of. The. World. We. Are. To. Be. In. The. World. We. Are. To. Let. Our. Light. So. Shine. before.

[48:17] Men. That. Grew. Up. When. I. Grew. Up. There. Was.

[48:27] No. End. Of. Political. Discussion. But. That. Seemed. To. Have. Died. Down. Over. The. Past. Couple. Of. Decades. And. There. Seems. To. Have. Given. A. Way. To. Apathy. Amongst. I'm.

[48:37] Talking. Amongst. Christians. But. Now. There. Has. Been. A. Re-engagement. Particularly. Amongst. Young. People. Career.

[48:56] To. Put. Yourself. In. For. Politics. And. To. Become. Involved. In. The. Process. Who. Knows. How. God. Is. Going. To. Use. You. One. Day. There. Are. Christians. In. Various. Different. Parties.

[49:07] It's. Not. Easy. For. Them. In. Today's. World. But. Who. Knows. What. God. Is. Doing. In. Your. Life. We.

[49:17] Talk. About. The. Call. To. The. Ministry. But. That's. Not. The. Only. Calling. That. There. Is. Perhaps. God. Is. Calling. You. To. Another. Sphere. Of. Service. And. It. Could. Be. In. Public. Life.

[49:30] There. Plenty. Of. People. Here. Tonight. Who. Are. Counselors. Why? Because. We're. In. The. World. We're. The. Salt. Of. The. Earth. And. By. Being.

[49:48] Engaged. Like. Daniel. Was. And. Like. Joseph. Was. In. The. Old. Testament. The. Opportunities. Are. There. And.

[50:00] Lastly. I. Want. To. Say. That. First. Peter. Chapter. Two. And. Verse. Fifteen. Commands. Us. To. Do. Good. It. Says. This. Peter. Says. This. This. Is. The. Will. Of. God. That. By.

[50:10] Doing. Good. You. Should. Put. To. Silence. The. Ignorance. Of. Foolish. People. You. Know. For. Some. People. When. I. Say. Do. Good. You. Think. Ah. That's. A. Social. Gospel. We.

[50:20] Don't. Want. Anything. To. Do. With. A. Social. Gospel. The. Gospel. Is. Only. About. Jesus. And. Jesus. Alone. I. Know. That. And. Yet. The. Bible. It.

[50:31] Connects. The. You.

[50:43] Read it for yourself. Genesis. Chapter. Eighteen. Verse. Nineteen. This. Is. What. He. Said. He. Said. That. Abraham. His. Command. To. Abraham. Was. To. Teach. His. Children. Listen. To. This. To.

[50:54] Do. To. Do. Righteousness. And. Justice. Now. The. Most. Extraordinary. Thing. About. That. Command. Was. This.

[51:05] That. He. Was. To. Live. Like. That. In. Door. To. Him. He.

[51:16] Was. In. Canaan. There. Were. No. Christians. In. Canaan. There. Was. Nobody. That. Recognized. Their. Worship. God. In. Canaan. And. Some. Of. Them. Lived. A. Very. Dark. And. Godless. Life. And.

[51:28] Yet. This. Was. The. Character. Of. The. Life. That. Abraham. And. His. Children. Had. To. Live. He. Was. To. Do. Righteousness. And. Justice. I. Want. To. Ask. You. Tonight. Do. You. Do.

[51:39] Righteousness. And. Justice. It's. Not. Just. About. Coming. To. Church. It's. About. The. Way. You. Live. And. The. Way. You. Engage. With. Other.

[51:49] People. And. The. Contribution. The. Positive. Contribution. That. You. Make. For. The. Well. Being. Of. Society. It. Was. Always. Like. This. I. Had. A. Lecture. Last. Conference.

[51:59] I. Was. At. It. Was. Absolutely. Fascinating. And. This. This. Person. It. Was. Christopher. Wright. I. Don't. Know. If. You. If. You. Read. Any. Of. His. Books. Dr. Christopher. Wright. And. He. Gave. The. Most.

[52:10] Fascinating. Lecture. And. The. Lecture. Was. On. This. He. He. Went. Through. All. The. Way. Through. The. Bible. And. He. Insisted. That. It. Was. Always. God's. Plan. That. His. People. Live. A.

[52:21] Distinct. Life. In. Order. To. Impact. A. Dark. World. Around. Them.

[52:32] That. Is. Why. Jesus. Said. You. Are. The. Salt. Of. The. Earth. But. If. The. Salt. Has. Lost. Its. Flavor. Wherewith.

[52:43] Can. It. Be. Salted. Again. And. So. Let. Us. As. God's. People. Go. Out. To. Do. Good. For. His. Glory. To. Live. For. His. Glory. For. The. Well. Being.

[52:53] For. By. Doing. Good. Peter. Says. You. Will. Put. To. Silence. The. Ignorance. Of. Foolish. People. The. Answer. The.

[53:03] Real. Answer. Lies. In. Our. Hands. Doesn't. It. It. Doesn't. Lie. In. The. Hands. Of. People. Who. Put. Their. Faith. In. A. Political. Process. That's. Going. To. Come. To. Nothing. The. Real. Answer.

[53:14] Lies. In. The. Gospel. And. That's. Why. I. Want. To. End. This. Evening. Just. In. The. Last. Couple. Of. Minutes. I. I. Know. The. Time. Is. Gone. But. I. Do. Not. Want. To. Leave. This. Tonight. Without. Touching.

[53:24] On. The. Most. Important. Yes. No. Question. In. All. The. World. Far. Far. Far. More. Important. Than. Thursday's.

[53:34] Referendum. This. Is. The. Yes. No. Question. Do. You. Want.

[53:45] To. Follow. Jesus. As. Your. Lord. And. As. Your. Savior. Why. Is. That. So. Important. First. Of. All.

[53:55] Because. It. Is. God. That. Asks. The. Question. And. That. Question. Is. Not. Just. A. Question. It. Is. An. Invitation. The. Gospel.

[54:06] Is. About. His. Invitation. To. You. To. Follow. Jesus. Whoever. You. Are. Wherever. You. Live. However. Old. You. Are. Young.

[54:16] You. Are. Do. You. Want. To. Follow. Jesus. As. Your. Savior. Yes. Or. No. The. Second. Reason. It's. So. Important. Is. Because. It. Is. A. Life.

[54:27] Or. Death. Question. The. Wages. Of. Sin. Is. Death. Every. One. Of. Us. That's. Why. We. Say. Tonight. The. Political. Process. Is. Is. Not. The. Ultimate. Answer.

[54:37] The. Ultimate. Answer. To. My. Greatest. Need. Is. Jesus. Christ. Because. Without. Him. I. Die. The. Soul. That. Sins. It. Shall. Die. But.

[54:49] Jesus. Promises. That. If. We. Come. To. Faith. In. Him. We. Live. And. The. Life. That. He. Gives. Us. Is. Eternal. Life.

[55:00] Everlasting. Life. That. Extends. Beyond. This. World. Into. Heaven. Itself. The. Third. Reason. It's. So. Important. Is. Because. It's. A.

[55:10] Life. Transforming. Question. As. We. Answer. That. Question. Yes. Yes. There. Is. Only.

[55:20] One. Answer. Surely. Yes. I. Want. To. Follow. Jesus. Jesus. Promises. That. As. We. Take. Him.

[55:31] At. His. Word. And. As. We. Come. To. Faith. In. Him. He. Will. Change. Your. Life. He. Will. Give. You. A. New. Beginning. Taking.

[55:42] Away. And. Cleansing. You. From. All. Your. Sin. Because. He. Died. On. The. Cross. To. Give. Us. Forgiveness. And. A. New. Life. Altogether. Do.

[55:55] You. Tonight. Want. To. Follow. Jesus. Yes. Or. No. Let's.

[56:06] Bow. Our heads. In. Prayer. And. Father. In. Heaven. We. Ask. That. That. You. Will. Not. Only. Stimulate. Our. Minds. With. The. Questions. That. Arise.

[56:17] As. We. Look. At. Your. Word. And. Perhaps. The. Many. More. Questions. That. Have. Arisen. In. Our. Minds. Than. When. We. Came. In. Here. Lord. We. Give. Thanks. That.

[56:27] You. Have. Given. Us. Minds. And. Given. Us. Hearts. And. We. Pray. That. As. We. Wrestle. With. These. Issues. That. We. Will. That. We. Will. Make. Sure. That. We.

[56:37] Are. Followers. Of. Jesus. We. Ask. Oh. Lord. That. You. Will. Give. Us. That. Newness. Of. Life. That. Eternal. Life. That. You. Have. Promised. Through. Him. Lord. Work. Amongst. Us.

[56:47] This. Evening. And. Stimulate. Us. And. Challenge. Us. We. Pray. And. Encourage. Us. In. Our. Life. With. Jesus. To. To. Let. Our. Light. Shine. In. This. World. In.

[56:58] His. Name. Amen. We.

[57:10] We. Are. Going to. Close. By. Singing. In. Psalm. Number. Eight. It's a traditional version of the Psalms on 208. Page 208. I'm going to sing from verse 4 to verse 9.

[57:31] Page number 208. And it's Psalm number 8. Then say I what is man that he remembered is by thee. Or what the son of man that thou so kind to him shouldst be. For thou a little lower hast him than the angels made with glory and with dignity.

[57:44] Though crowned hast his head. From 4 to 9. And we'll stand to sing. And say I want his empathy.

[58:02] Remember his thy name. For what the son of man that thou so kind to him shouldst be.

[58:23] For thou a little lower hast him than the angels made.

[58:39] With glory and with dignity. With glory and with dignity. The crown it has his head.

[58:55] Of thy hands. Of thy hands. Of thy hands. Of thy hands. Of thy hands. Of thy hands. Of thy hands. That makes him lord. Of others.

[59:07] He eats his way. Of sheep and oxen. Yea, and bees.

[59:20] That in the field. That in the field. To stray. Of thy hands. You may lull you.

[59:43] Thank you. heaven, in all the earth, Lord, our Lord is thy name.

[59:59] Now may the grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion and fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest on and abide with each one of us, both now and always. Amen. Amen.