[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia. It is our prayer that you will be blessed by the preaching of God's Word. Romans chapter 13 verses 1 through 5. We're going to read that together as we've been going through the book of Romans.
[0:12] And we say this often, that if we allow the Bible to divide out what we study, we sometimes come upon subjects that we naturally wouldn't go to. And I probably naturally wouldn't go to talking about our responsibility towards the government.
[0:26] Because it's not necessarily fun. Because it simply boils down to submit and pay taxes. And there isn't a whole lot said there that seems very fun. But any time that we're in obedience to Christ, there's something for us.
[0:38] And it is good for us. And we will look at that. And we're looking at Romans chapter 13 verses 1 through 5. I'll give you a little bit of context. And then we will pray together. Romans 13 verse number 1.
[0:51] Let every soul. Will you say that with me? Let every soul. Which includes you and I and everyone that will ever be born or has been born. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.
[1:03] For there is no power but of God. The powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resistes the power, resistes the ordinance of God. And that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
[1:16] For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good. And thou shalt have praise of the same. For he is the minister of God to thee for good.
[1:28] But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid. For he beareth not the sword in vain. For he is the minister of God. A revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
[1:40] Wherefore you must needs be subject not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. If you'll remember when we were finishing Romans chapter number 12, it spoke primarily about the Christian's responsibility to fellow believers and then to one another in society.
[1:55] But then in chapter number 13, there's no gap here. There's no separation between that relationship and the next one he talks about. And it's our responsibility to the government or to the civil government and those in authority above us.
[2:09] And there's no separation in between the sacred and the secular divide in this regard. If there's a verse that pulls these two chapters together, it'd be Romans 12, 8 where it tells us that we should live peaceably with all men.
[2:21] And it's prescribing to us how we can go about living peaceably with all men. And we'll see that here. You'll notice in chapter number 13 that there's no asterisks. At least in the Bible that I have here, there's no asterisks.
[2:33] There's no you get out of this. There's no asterisk by every soul that tells you that you have an exemption from it. And then there's not even an exemption that says that if you're under some kind of monarchy or a totalitarian regime or any kind of government, there's no asterisk that you follow to the bottom of your Bible and says the government has to meet this criteria.
[2:52] And if they meet this criteria, then you must become subject unto them. We'll see here that the Apostle Paul and others said there came to a point where the government says, I know what you're saying, but I have another king that I must obey.
[3:06] But here in this statement it says we must obey the government in areas that don't contradict God. And I want to remind you that this book here, that it transcends time and geography.
[3:18] We have missionaries all around the world that are teaching through the book of Romans together. Maybe not this Sunday, but at a certain point we study together. Our Bible programs often connect and we get to see their notes.
[3:30] Travis Snow in London has taught this and he'll teach it again. Others will teach it in communist China. And all around the world will be taught because we as believers can live victoriously in a democracy, a constitutional monarchy, or anything that is thrown at us.
[3:47] And we're here there. And as I say, we see no asterisk today and that we're told to be subject to those that are in authority to us. In the area of context, we know here Rome was an imperial capital, the seat of the empire's civil government.
[4:01] As residents in Rome, Paul's initial readers would be aware of the glory of the city. And they also would know of the atrocities that Nero has done and will continue. Remember, it was Roman soldiers that put Jesus to death.
[4:14] Man did not take Christ's life from it, but he volunteered it. But it was the instrument of these Roman soldiers that was used. It will also be underneath their hand that soon Paul will lose his head to, that he will be executed.
[4:27] And they were advanced civilization, but many times very cruel. And it was the Romans who executed Jesus, as I said, and one day would execute Paul. While the Roman local church was predominantly Gentile, there had also been Jewish members in there.
[4:41] Remember, after the cross, the resurrection, the church was there, brought together Jews and Gentiles. If you read in the Bible, you'll see many signs that said that Jewish people oftentimes had problems with their government.
[4:54] In Acts chapter number 5, there's a man that said that he gathered up 400 people there to riot against this great rebellion named Thedias. And then after that, there's another man named Judas that did the same thing.
[5:09] In Deuteronomy 17 verse 15, something that they were holding on to still in the New Testament, they were told in Deuteronomy 17 verse 15, Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose.
[5:23] One from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee. Thou mayest not set a stranger over thee which is not thy brother. So we see signs here in the Bible that the Jewish people did not like to be ruled by Gentile people or people that weren't their brothers.
[5:38] They were holding on to what they were given when they had a theocracy. But then they wanted a king. Remember, they asked for a king and then they got a king and the rules had changed. And now when this book is written to the book of Romans, the church here, they don't have that same promise given to them.
[5:53] They can't say that they're not going to allow somebody who's not a brother to rule over them, but they're told to subject themselves to authority. And it would be our desire that every leader above us would be a born-again believer that would understand and believe the word as we do.
[6:07] And that would be our prayer during election time that a person like that would be elected if they're running. And then if somebody like that isn't elected, then it would be our prayer for their soul that they would accept Jesus for their sake and also for the sake of the government.
[6:21] But we're told when that doesn't happen that we still must subject to the authority that has been placed over us. Jesus illustrates this in John chapter number 19 verses 10 and 11.
[6:33] You remember that as a story there with Pilate. Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee and power to release thee? Jesus answered that thou couldest have no power at all against me except it were given thee from above.
[6:49] Therefore he that delivered me unto thee has the greater sin. So Pilate there was going to send Jesus there and going to farther along the trial. And he said, I just want you to know that you have no power unless I give it to you.
[7:03] You know, there's no source of power outside of our God. And those that have it, it said that it was ordained of God and set aside for them. It was against our will and it was against our thoughts, but it wasn't against the thoughts and the will of God.
[7:19] And that's what he was reminding Pilate of. He says, the power you have and the power that any of us will have. And as parents, any power we would have were given of God to be stewards because we don't generate power.
[7:30] The power that you would have at your workplace, none of it comes to you by your own good works or in of yourself. But it would come from God and we'd be told to be good stewards of it.
[7:41] So here Jesus is going to demonstrate ultimate submission to ultimate evil for the greatest good. Can you imagine anything more humbling or that we could see that would show more submission than God submitting himself to evil man?
[7:56] Can you see anything more evil than man taking God, the creation, and crucifying him? But out of that, can you imagine anything more wonderful than our sins would be paid for?
[8:08] Another time in Acts 17, 7, this is where a man named Jason, in their home it said, Jason had received these all due contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.
[8:22] Isn't it exciting that we know of another king? It says that yes, there is a king, but there's another person that our loyalties are to and they are greater. There's another king.
[8:32] And I'm glad that I've heard about the other king and that I get to tell other people about it. So as I mentioned before, there's three institutions that we could see in the Bible. In Genesis chapter number 2, he put together the institution of the marriage or also the institution of the home.
[8:47] He said they would come together for companionship, to love and to cherish one another for the raising of their children. And that was created there and it still exists today. It wasn't a man-made invention, but it was there by God that this would happen.
[9:01] That a man and one would come together and there would be a marriage. God created that. Acts chapter number 2, we learn of a new institution which would be the church. And he says, I've given you a task and I've given you a responsibility.
[9:12] I've given you resources to work together. And we work together here as the local church. Together, we've united together to serve one another and to serve this community. But then we get down to the government, which is established by God in all its forms for the punishment of those who do evil and for the protection of those who do good.
[9:31] And our responsibility is to submit and to pay our taxes. You know, the government's indispensable. That the moment that one form of it stops to exist, another one's going to come in.
[9:42] There's no country that if you were to make a chart and say, let's divide up the countries and let's make a chart that says there's a country that has no government. That's never going to happen. Somebody is always going to say they are in charge.
[9:54] If there's no takers in America, I'll raise my hand. I'll take charge. Or you would. But nobody's going to let it go without somebody leading and guiding and rising to the top. So it's indispensable.
[10:05] It's going to happen. As it's built into us as people to understand this idea of marriage and homes we form together even though it's taught differently around the world. It's built into us to know that.
[10:16] As the word of God would teach us what the church is, the same with government. It's going to be there in one form or another. And due to the fall of man, we need a system in place to restrain, slow down, and prevent evil men from hurting one another and the innocent.
[10:33] And each one that we are told to do right regardless of how the others will do in its institution. You may ask, what about the cruel ones? What about the unjust ones? Can I tell you that none of those, even though the government was established by God, none of those are a reflection on God's nature.
[10:48] Any more than cruel abuses in marriage or problems in the church can change the character of God. Divorce may destroy a marriage. Apostasy and false teaching may come into the church.
[11:00] And the church may disband and go their separate way. But it doesn't still change that what God made was good and it was wonderful. And these abuses in no sense diminish the truth that these institutions are ordained by God.
[11:13] Men abuse all of God's gifts, every single one of them, including government. It says in verse number two, as if it wasn't strong enough that we're told to subject ourselves and be in submission to those that rule.
[11:27] Then it says, it goes on to call them ministers of God. Whosoever therefore resists the power, resists the ordinance of God, and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
[11:38] That's a good term, isn't it, for you? When you're there and you're waiting for the police officer, he's pulled you over and he's doing whatever they do that makes you sweat there just a little bit longer.
[11:49] I think they just set a timer, don't they? Just leave you in your car a little bit. I don't get tickets, but you know, my friends tell me about this thing. Students in the training center tell me about it on a weekly basis. And as they're waiting there, it says that they're ministers of God.
[12:01] Because you know they're coming with authority. You know, you put me in a pair of overalls or a pair of anything and I'm not too intimidating. But if you put me in what they get to wear when they come to your door, and you put that gun on their side and all those things, there's a reverence there that you might not have had when you were driving a little bit too fast.
[12:19] But you're having it right now on the side of the road. That they're told that they're ministers of God, that they're executing, and they're doing something, and that they were just the middle man here, what was happening. These men are chosen or allowed into power by God.
[12:32] We find numerous verses in the Bible that tell us this, but Daniel 4, 17, it says, This matter is by decree of the watchers and the man by the word of the holy ones, to intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.
[12:49] That God allows this, so law and its representatives are of God, and our search are entitled to honor and obedience from Christians. Being a believer affects every relationship that we have.
[13:03] It affects the way we have marriages. It affects the way that we work with co-workers. It affects the way that we raise our children, and it affects the way that we view in our relationship with the government. As a church, as the saints of God, we're in submission to many people.
[13:17] One being the fire marshal. He loves to execute the fact that he is a minister of God around here, and we just have to say, Yes, sir, and then we can go. Then there's steps that we can take that we can look at the law, because in America, we have that opportunity that we get to read the laws that they're executing, and we can show them that.
[13:38] But in the areas of discernment, they get to decide, and they say, I see it differently, and we have to say, Yes, sir, and we have to go about our way. But in most countries, they don't even have that opportunity to go and look at the law that is being given.
[13:50] Well, I won't say in most, but I'll say in many countries there that every man is law to himself as it goes about. As parents, we better show our children how to submit to authority. Authority is a hard thing to teach the children.
[14:02] One, because they're so bent against it. They are not too happy about the idea. I've been explaining to the Thatcher for many years now, going on five years, and he has come up with many other scenarios of how things should work.
[14:14] Maybe that he should get to be in charge. And they've asked me, and I'm sure your kids may have asked you before, Why do you get to be in charge? Why do you always get to make the decisions?
[14:25] And I'll tell them, I didn't make it up, but I sure do like it. And it's only fair that I would get to be that person now, because I've played your job for many years. And so they may not like it. But you know, as parents, you think about this, and as leaders, and as teachers, and all over the places you go, we have an opportunity to model submission to authority.
[14:45] Because they have this idea that we're not in submission to anybody, right? If you're a boss, you're in a place of management at your work, and many people look at you and they say, Nobody tells you what to do. And you say, if only that was true.
[14:57] That the higher you go up in authority, the more people that tell you and influence what you do, and the more you're accountable to. And it is good for our children, the ones that came in here and sang, and those that live in our homes, to know that we too are people under submission.
[15:12] So where does the conviction come into my life when I think about that? I want to be very careful in the way that I speak about government in front of your teenagers when I'm with them. I want to be very careful in the way that I talk about the law and those that are in authority above me around my little children, because I am modeling for them.
[15:30] And why should rebellious people who have nobody, that we can't handle authority, ever expect that we'd have children and people that would follow after us, maybe at a workplace, that they should be happily in submission to what we would lead them to do.
[15:44] It is by God that obedience can and should be for His glory. Now, we don't talk much about politics here, which is a separate issue necessarily sometimes of government, but we don't talk about here, and it's not because we don't think it is a small matter.
[15:59] It is a very big deal, because it's directly connected to glory to God. You know, things seem like they're not a small deal if it doesn't matter, but we're just told in these verses that your submission to those people is submission to God, and submission to God is bringing Him glory, which is a pretty exciting thing to do, because we live for nothing else.
[16:18] You know, you go about your day, and you think, I haven't really done anything, but those daily decisions that you make to be in submission are saying yes to God. And I'm pretty excited about that, because it seems like it's only a lose-lose when you come into contact with a police officer, or in government, or in paperwork attacks, because it feels like you can only lose, but that's not the case at all, because when you do right accordingly to what's been given you to do, you bring glory to God, and there's nothing that can be done that is greater than that.
[16:47] You know why standing here and preaching is exciting? It's only if I get to do it if I'm being obedient to God in the way that He says to do it. You know why you should be excited about tomorrow as you go off to the workplace?
[16:58] Because you're being obedient to what He told you to do in providing for your family. All things of life that just seem very meaningless and temporary have great value when we see how it's directly connected to God.
[17:10] And He shows that to them. Psalms 51, it was taught to us on Thursday night, and often referenced, it says that I sinned against you and you alone. And when you think about that, you realize it's a heavy thing that is upon us.
[17:23] So we see here in the government, we see that the authority is given by God, but then we want to know what is the appointed purposes of it. That's what we're told in verses 2 through 5 here.
[17:35] We're told what our appointed purposes are. It says, And they shall resist, shall receive to themselves damnation. First of all, we see that it's protection for us. It says that it is for us that the government is set in place for us.
[17:49] It says for us there in verse number 2, that God is doing something good for us. Think about it. How safe did you feel last night when you went to sleep?
[18:00] How much order was there on the road today as you came here? Think about the freedom that we have this morning. None of you went down the road and was trying to lose anybody and came in a back way and snuck in the church.
[18:13] You came here freely. We've enjoyed so much freedom today and so much protection and God has allowed that to happen underneath the government that we have.
[18:23] And even in the worst governments, there are rules being followed that help keep some form of stability there. Paul took full advantage of this in Acts chapter number 21. There was one person that was happy to be a citizen of Rome and he brought it up often.
[18:37] They were about to do something to him. He said, Hey, by the way, I want you to check this out. Pulls his wallet out or whatever credentials he needed and he told them, I want you to know that there's protection provided for me. And in the early century and the first century of church, there was much protection that was enjoyed there as the gospel was spread.
[18:54] Even one time, Paul gets an office paid for by taxpayer money and he's sat there in a prison for a couple years and he does ministry. And what an incredible example. He said, You may define for me the conditions in which I serve God.
[19:06] You may tell me that I have to be in this place and you may have to tell me what I have to eat and you may have shackles on my feet and you may have guards around me. You can do all those things and I will say, Yes, sir, as long as you allow me to preach and teach the Bible, I will stay joyfully in submission to you.
[19:22] You set the conditions, but I'm going to tell you the cause in which I'm going to serve in life. So we have protection for us and we also have promotion of good. They are there to protect and to serve. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.
[19:36] For thou, then thou not be afraid of the power. Now, as I mentioned earlier, you get pulled over, which is such a great example, and you're wondering, typically when they ask you, Do you know why I pulled you over the day?
[19:47] You normally know pretty quickly why you got pulled over. But sometimes you could be sitting there and you may not have any idea, but you're wondering, I might have my brake lights, were they working?
[19:58] Is my tag light out? Did I miss something? Something that I did not see. But there's occasionally, you can get pulled over and you feel, I'm feeling pretty good. I think I did everything okay.
[20:09] And there's a peace that is brought there. And there's a promotion. Could you imagine how fast he would go if it wasn't for men like Jonathan Clapp that you had to keep looking over your shoulder and the rear view mirror for?
[20:20] So many things that would be abused if it wasn't for that. You know, Brother O'Malley talked about Aldi the other day and how you have to pay a quarter for a shopping cart.
[20:32] And I thought that was a pretty good deal if you get to buy a shopping cart for a quarter. I think that's a pretty fantastic deal if you ask me. But can you imagine that there's just places out there that are just, they allow you to take shopping carts, come and go, and it's free and anybody could steal it and people like you and I can use it because those things haven't been stolen because the police aren't here and those that would steal have decided they won't because there's something in place to hold them back.
[20:58] And if you go about your day, you realize that we have so many wonderful freedoms that are because of the promotion of doing right versus evil. It's a praise unto them that do well. 1 Peter 2.14 Or unto the governors as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and the praise of them that do well.
[21:18] And that should be the type of people we are. We should be good citizens that do well. The punishment of bad. As I said, so we have the promotion of good, the protection for us, and the punishment of bad.
[21:29] As we know in Genesis chapter number 9 and verse number 6 here, it says, Whosoever sheddeth man's blood, and the key words you need to see here, it says, By man shall his blood be shed for in the image of God made he man.
[21:43] We see here that the punishment of bad was given over to man. He says, If you take a life, you're going to lose a life and I'm giving that over to man, which we see here is a power that now they govern something and they oversee it and so they can punish bad, protect us that are doing good and promote good.
[22:03] To break the laws to receive damnation. They're people that carry the sword. This isn't an eternal damnation that sends you to hell for not receiving Jesus Christ, but this is the wrath that they would have that they get to carry the sword.
[22:17] That they are people that have power and when you break their laws that you will receive their wrath and you've been warned of God that this will happen and there comes times that they receive the wrath and they know that it's coming.
[22:29] I was studying a little bit here and I learned that we didn't have prisons in America until about 1790. People would be put in stocks in front of people at times or there would be things that would be shown or England decided they'd send their people to Australia send them on a little vacation but here in America it was in 1790 that we saw they put in prisons but they called them penitentiaries.
[22:51] Have you ever thought about what that word means? Penitentiary the first part of being penitent meaning that it was a place set aside that helped people be sorrowful and repent of their sins.
[23:03] And so when it was implemented it was saying we're going to help people recognize that what they're doing is wrong and sinful and God gave them that ability. Jesus had to remind Peter of this in Matthew chapter number 26.
[23:15] He pulls out his sword and he goes to take an ear off or he goes to do there and he goes to probably do much more as he swings that Peter says put that away don't you know if you live by that sword you're going to die by the sword and he's just echoing what's already been taught in the Bible is that if you shed blood then your blood will be shed.
[23:34] Then we'll ask in 25 7-11 Paul here says that if he did what you said then I deserve to die. So there's Paul and he says verse 8 while he answered for himself neither against the law of the Jews or neither against the temple nor against Caesar for I have offended any at all.
[23:51] Then verse 11 nor if I be an offender or have committed anything worthy of death I refuse not to die. Paul says I know how the law works and he says if I broke the laws that you're saying that I broke and if I deserve to die I'm not going to fight you because I'm a person that's in submission to it because he saw that they had a responsibility.
[24:09] So we see that there's an authority given by God to the government and then we find here that not only is it given to them but there's an appointed purpose that he gave it. Now what is our appropriate response to them and it is to be in subjection.
[24:24] If we look at the temperament of the different disciples you would see Peter he would be a person that is a very loud advocate. If you're in a room quiet and somebody says something he didn't like he would stand up.
[24:34] He would be the person that is spamming you with email all the time who is sharing things on your Facebook account who is always telling you he's advocating for something but he could not stay quiet about.
[24:45] Peter and John before the Sanhedrin in Acts 5 29 Peter and the other apostles answered and said we ought to obey God rather than man. In two cases here Christians are not required to obey if the government orders him to commit an act that would compromise his loyalty to Jesus Christ.
[25:03] No testament we saw it in the killing of the Hebrew male babies those midwives they said we're not doing that because that would be the disobey God. Bow to man we see that through the scriptures in Daniel that they were not going to do that or I'm not going to stop praying that because there is another king and his rules override any of those in any government we would have.
[25:26] Also Christians are not required to obey the government that restricts us from actions that would compromise our loyalty to Jesus Christ meaning they can't restrict us from preaching distributing Bibles printing the Bibles and getting those out.
[25:39] Peter in the garden here didn't care about the law so much but he did care about obeying the voice of God. When God through Jesus spoke to him and he said Peter put that away he didn't care so much about what the law said at that moment but he said I understand this is directly about you.
[25:58] He will teach this later believers must submit to civil authorities 1 Peter 2 13-17 can you imagine the illustrations that Peter would have when he teaches about that or how funny it is that Peter is teaching on this subject later because he would say let me illustrate this for you one day me and Jesus we were in a garden and a person did something I didn't like and I took my sword out to chop his head off that would be quite the illustration today I talk about getting speeding tickets but Peter had a very good illustration when he taught on this subject so we see Peter is telling us in subjection Paul a person that seemed so heavenly minded that he was a face to face confronter he would be Mr.
[26:37] World Evangelism he didn't seem to care about these temporary things but he tells us here in this portion of scripture Titus 3 1's put them in mind to be subject to principalities and the powers to obey magistrates to be ready and to every good work he is telling us in our minds we should be subject and show respect to them he didn't go about making excuses he did his task he enjoyed the protection provided and he worked within the confines given to him and when it came to an impasse he said I'll have to feel the wrath that they carry and he literally dies there you may say in here we may complain about the government and say you know the government has taken prayer out of school well you know they may have taken it out of school but we volunteered it maybe out of our home you may say that the Gideons aren't allowed in the school to give out Bibles no but you're still allowed to invite your neighbor kids over and hand them a Bible we're still able to go about our task and so we should be busy about it and the apostle Paul didn't go about making excuses saying that
[27:39] I'm not allowed to put the ten commandments in the courthouse he went around showing how the ten commandments showed people they were in need of a savior and we can still go about doing what we should do and we can still enjoy the freedoms and that is the best way to fight if you study history the things that Christians have always done that was most important had the greatest influence on their society was when we were faithful to do what we could do which was teach and preach the Bible to those around us Jesus is the ultimate example given here he paid the temple tax he advocated for a place for Rome and the tax thereby in Roman civil authority and you should know in the illustration of the coin he takes it there and so they said should we pay our taxes should we be involved in this and he takes the coin out and he shows it and he says whose face is this he says render on the Caesar what belongs to Caesar and render on the God what belongs to the God and as long as we can render on the Caesar what belongs to the Caesar and it does not come in direct conflict and rendering what belongs to the God then we should stay in subjection to it here and then we should also be prayerfully involved
[28:45] I exhort I exhort therefore that first of all supplications prayer intercessions and the giving of thanks be made for all men this is first Timothy two for kings and for all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life and all godliness for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior you know prayer is a wonderful way to test the heart if you're when we desire to see change when it comes to politics or in government a wonderful way to test our heart is to see if we're there's nothing that you will do of greater influence than praying to the God of heaven we see here an example in Romans 11 Paul here we don't see David in his prayers there in the precatory prayers where he says kill my enemies and remove the evil but we find here we see Paul who had been persecuted in Romans 11 9 and 10 here he prays for them and he says if God is working so much through their opposition verse 11 I say then have they stumbled that they shall fall
[29:48] God forbid but rather through their fall salvation has come unto the Gentiles for to provoke them the jealousy now with the fall of them be the riches of the world and the diminishing of them the riches of Gentile how much more their fullness so what's being said here was that by the Jews rejecting the gospel it's now been given to the Gentile people and he's being persecuted by this group and he says if God is being glorified by their rejection and it's now being taken by the Gentiles then how much more if they were to receive the gospel how great would that be could you make that your prayer for our politicians and our representatives and for our president you say God you have given us so much freedom and we get to enjoy it so much we're church I guess to preach the gospel and come and go as we want and we not only get to do that but we get to send missionaries out with a blue passport we have so much freedom in so many countries but say God we can only imagine what it would be like if this person or that person was to put their faith and trust in you it wasn't of depression it wasn't of no hope but it was of great hope could you only imagine it was what we're seeing here in their prayers
[30:56] Paul prayed for those that were persecuted if God could work through their unbelief could you imagine what might happen through their belief and we must submit to the government and we must pray for them we must pray that the evil would be removed and this is way more effective than any Facebook post this is the difference between rebellion and prayer in prayer we recognize that God is in control and he can search our heart but many times in conversations online and offline we're not aware of his presence and we're not aware of the respect that we should be showing so prayer is a wonderful place to talk politics prayer is a wonderful place to talk about problems and the government because when you have that conversation with God you're very much mindful of where you should be in the equation and we should be careful in our motives we shouldn't get involved because we think it's the only thing that matters or it's the greatest contribution you think you can make to the world or we like to whine about things that we can't fix so we ignore the things that we could or we get involved because we love the intellectual superiority that we feel because we make good decisions and those that represent us we think make bad decisions we don't get involved because we hate authority and all forms of it we don't get involved because
[32:08] I tell you as the people of God we already have a camaraderie we already have a cause we already have something worth giving our lives for so if you're looking to fill that void in your life can I tell you don't go find that in politics or government but we've already been given a cause in which to be greatly involved in unbelieving historians say that Christians were viewed by a few things we were religiously fanatical we were unwavering in our beliefs we were foolishly believed in a resurrection we spoke about it often and we seemed uninterested in temporary condition of the world in comparison to the hope of an eternal reward can I tell you if you find yourself involved in those things if God would lead you in that direction let that be your testimony as well that no matter what you get most passionate about what you think makes the biggest impact in this world are those things and then lastly here we see we should do it with a deep seated honor not just in words but in our hearts because many of you may be like mean and you may not talk much about it good or and bad but we're told that being neutral isn't even where we're supposed to be but there should be a deep seated respect and honor curse not the king no not in thy thought and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber for a bird of the air shall carry the voice that which has wings shall tell the matter says if you speak about it privately somebody's going to know about it and as believers we ought to know that no matter what we say in whisper or in our hearts is being seen by our God we should honor all men love the brotherhood fear
[33:37] God and honor the king even in a pagan land we should seek the peace of the city we're told in Jeremiah and how do we seek the peace of the city as we go about enjoying the freedoms that we have and sharing the gospel on every opportunity we go about by showing love and respect and honor to those that are in authority and we must be reminded of the fact that we are on a mission let's look at Christ he came in to a very interesting world he came into a Roman Empire where slavery flourished slavery you'd understand there was three slaves to every free man Jesus came into a world dominated by slavery and by one man rule an absolute antithesis to what we want right now in our democracy which we believe to be so dear all the power of the state was in one man's hand but we find Jesus in submission to it in Luke chapter number two in verse 51 it said that he was subject to his parents and then he says he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject unto them but his mother kept all these sayings in his heart but later on we learn in the story that
[34:39] God would have him to go him God directing him as he would be growing in wisdom and say to a favor with God and man and as he's teaching there in the synagogue his parents find him and he says did you not know that I'll be about my father's business we should be people that are in submission and subjection to authority and only when it comes to a place that we can't be busy about our father's business would we separate and go and do something like that can you imagine there for a second how different this message would be in so many parts of the world how the application and I know the day you're thinking why would he choose a passage like this and can I tell you I didn't but why would God tell us about that one because we don't know what happens this is going to be true you can watch your Bible if you read through it many years you realize it doesn't change that this is still going to be true five elections from now and this is still going to be true regardless of what happens and so you can cast your vote and you should tell people if you like how you want to vote and why you want to vote that way but when it's all said and done at the end of the day that
[35:41] God has placed who he wants there and we are given what we want in our democracy and we must be people that are in submission to it so to the believer they we should be people that are seen in subjection to the government and if you let your kids know that and the people around you they shouldn't see an attitude that's against authority we should be praying for our officials don't be neutral on the subject see I'm just indifferent to it now we're told not to be indifferent to it we're told to honor the king and we're told to pray for these people we're told to pray for those in authority to us so maybe the day you'll go from being neutral to say I need to be more involved in praying we should obey the laws of land to teach others do the same we should see police officers judges and politicians as ministers of peace or when the day comes when we're restricted to do what we're called to do we must respectfully let them know that we will be about our father's business let us thank God that we do not live in that day yet let us thank him for the protection that is provided through us and through his ministers and if you're an unbeliever in here today can I tell you that there's government and there's institutions put in place to help teach you right from wrong and the government does a good job at letting you know that when you have transgressed their law it can be done by a minister of God coming to you and telling you've done that it can be done at the courthouse by a judge but there's places put in there that tell you that you have disobeyed the law and if you're in here today as a minister of God I can tell you that you have transgressed his holy law and as a minister of the gospel I can tell you that you need a good lawyer and not only do you need a good lawyer but you need somebody to pay your place take your place for you because the wrath that is coming is not imprisonment but it's eternal damnation and a lake of fire and this Bible and this church as an institution is busy about telling people like you today as unbelievers that not only do you have an advocate but you have somebody that has taken your place and so it's good that you're reminded the day that you are also a person under authority that he is the
[37:45] Lord of the universe and the day you should find yourself in submission to him and place your faith and trust in him and you should be thankful for anything that's put in place that would be a minister to let you know we need more than a lawyer you need to see that you need forgiveness and recognize Jesus to be the Lord of this universe and submit yourself to his leading through faith believing so can I just tell you here as we think about it maybe the day you've been neutral on the subject and you said I haven't very much cared about it that would be where I was at when I came to the scripture and I said God I want to be more involved in praying for these representatives often monthly on a Sunday night we will go upstairs and we'll pray for these people come there get the names know about them and know that teach your children that's your and authority if you have a bad attitude towards it you got to look at your attitude and compare it to your praying there's ways for you to be involved carefully and prayerfully we should be involved but there's ways to go about it and have honor and deep-seated respect in our hearts today and as we look at the word I would pray that we would be people that would be under authority to it and so you pray there in a moment the piano player will pray and you'll have an opportunity to pray in your seat and let him search your heart and know where you stand on this issue and our responsibility towards the government and maybe in here the day the conviction would come in and say you know what I have these freedoms and I know that most people don't but I haven't even been enjoying them to go about the father's business that I have no problem with it because I don't ever see if the government says don't do that I'll say no problem because I never planned on doing it anyway and make a decision that now in the freedoms that you have that you will go about doing right and when that freedom is taken away from us even if you will have the wrath of the sword come upon you you would decide that you would do right let's pray heavenly father I thank you so much for the verses that are given to us today the lesson that you have set aside to teach us today through your word I pray that you'll help us in here where I pray as fathers in here today we will be people that are under submission and we will see that we are under authority and help us as we try to help other people in lives see their need of being in submission help us first of all say we are as well be as good models to the generation that comes up Lord into little children I pray that we'll be more involved in praying and showing deep-seated respect and see how powerful prayer is this message was recorded at vision
[40:14] Baptist Church in Alfredo Georgia for more information log on to www.visionbaptist.com where you can find our service times location contact information and more audio and video recordings