Well, today as we come to the Word of God, we're looking back to something we skipped
over from Titus chapter 3 verse 1.
And we're going to tackle this difficult subject of how we, as followers of Jesus, should relate
to the government.
We're in Titus chapter 3 verse 1 and Jesus is speaking through the Apostle Paul to Titus
and he says this, remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient.
Second, we have this tendency to disobey.
We have this tendency to break the law or at least to want to, to go against the rules.
We inherited this from Adam and it's so deeply embedded in us that even today, whenever a
new law is made that in any way restricts our freedom, there's that little voice inside
of us that just hates it.
Don't tell me what to do.
And we're tempted.
What would happen if I just don't do it?
Why is it that the forbidden is so alluring?
The answer, according to the Bible, is because it's forbidden and we are rebels by nature.
And so when we come to these instructions that are given to us in Titus chapter 3 verse 1,
we're naturally disinclined to accept them.
Don't tell me this, Pastor Josh.
I'm not listening.
I don't want to be accountable to this.
But these are the very words of King Jesus to us.
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities.
To be obedient.
Do you feel the dislike for these words rising in your heart already?
Do you feel the inner lawyer emerging with a yes, but?
Yes, but?
Do you feel the inner weasel inside of you squirming to get away from the clear and obvious meaning
of these words?
He can't seriously mean that as a Christian, I must obey the government.
But what about?
But what if?
Can you feel the excuses rising to the surface?
There are a good many Christians who claim to stand on the word of God
and believe that every word of this Bible is inspired by God.
But when it comes to this verse and others like it,
it's as if they've made a few changes here.
Added a few exception clauses to the end.
Or for some, it's as if they've just stroked the phrase right out of their Bibles.
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities.
To be obedient.
And we make all kinds of excuses.
Maybe these instructions aren't for me.
Well, who are these instructions for?
As I pointed out a few weeks back,
these instructions are for all Christians, all believers.
That's who Paul is referring to when he says,
remind them.
Remind the people.
If we look back up just a few verses before this to chapter 2, verse 14,
he was saying,
Jesus Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness.
And he's just flowing right on.
So Titus, teach these things to them,
the redeemed of Jesus that are there on the island of Crete.
Who should be subject to rulers and authorities and be obedient to them?
Not only them, but also us.
All Christians.
All of us who have been redeemed by Christ and belong to him should be subject to rulers and authorities.
Excuse number two.
Maybe submit just means to kind of, you know, have a submissive attitude.
Well, let's look at what all Christians are to do here.
There are two infinitive verbs given.
And I'm going to put the most literal, hyper-literal translation on screen
so you can see the original word order here.
This is the original word order in the Greek language.
Remind them to rulers and authorities to submit, to obey.
This word order helps us see that both submit and obey are meant to be taken together here.
They are both together.
What we are to do to rulers and authorities.
All Christians are to submit and to obey.
These words kind of explain each other.
They're almost like the left and the right of a stereo speaker coming at you.
And they help us know a little bit of these two words, what each other means.
What does he mean by be subject or submit?
He means to be obedient to.
In other words, he's not just telling us to have a submissive attitude,
but to actually obey rulers and authorities.
And what does it mean to obey someone?
I'm going to open this one up to the kids.
What does it mean to obey your parents' kids?
To do what they say.
So then what does it mean to obey the government?
To do what they say.
It's that simple.
Great.
So we've got the who and we've got the what so far.
All Christians, all followers of Jesus are to submit, are to obey.
Excuse number three.
Well, who are these rulers and authorities anyway?
How can we submit to them if we don't even know what they are?
Rulers and authorities.
Why do you think Paul uses two words here to describe who we're to submit to today?
I think it's the stereo thing again.
It's the left and the right speakers.
Parallel words that help convey that this is a general command about how we're to treat various authority figures that we may have in our various situations.
He could have simply said, remind the people to be subject to the emperor.
Or he could have said, remind the people to be subject to your city mayor or your town magistrate.
But it's not just one particular person that he has in mind here.
It's not just one type of ruler or authority figure that he has in mind.
It's rulers, authorities, plural.
Rulers and authorities, plural.
This conveys that this is a general command about how we are to treat any of the various authority figures that we may have in our location.
Paul could have even listed out all the possible positions that he knew about on the island of Crete here where Titus is.
He could have said, be subject and obedient to your mayor, to your law enforcement officers, to the judges, to your regional governor, and to your emperor.
But then what if he had missed one in a particular town where they have another name for something?
You've got to know that those Christians would be saying, oh, well, look, I don't have to submit to my local leader
because it only says these ones.
And so rulers and authorities, plural.
It's a general whom that lets us know that this applies to all kinds of authorities that we may find ourselves under,
not just those of a certain type.
So let's put this all together.
The who, the what, and the to whom.
Jesus Christ, speaking through the Apostle Paul, is commanding Titus to remind the Christians,
all the Christians on the island of Crete, to be subject to and obey the rulers and authorities.
And at this point, it's worth thinking about what that meant to them back then.
Who were the rulers and authorities of these people in this time when this was written?
Well, Crete had a good number of cities and towns on this island.
And even though the islanders had a reputation of being lawless, of lying, cheating, stealing,
they did have government.
They did have local leaders and rulers.
They had people in positions of authority.
They likely had some kind of ruling council or judge or magistrate or mayor or governor
in each of the cities and towns on the island.
And then on top of that, there would have been the provincial governor.
Crete was under the rule of the Roman Empire.
And the whole island, plus a little bit in North Africa, were part of one province.
And so they would have had their own provincial governor.
If you think back to the land of Israel, during the time when Jesus walked the earth,
there was the Roman governor Pilate, who Jesus stood before.
Pilate was the governor of that whole province of Judea.
And here on Crete, they had a similar kind of role, a similar position.
A guy who ruled and had authority over the happenings of all the islanders.
And then, of course, over the whole Roman Empire, there was the emperor.
And in these days, the emperor was a dictator.
At this point in Roman history, the imperial cult was in full swing,
meaning that the emperor was deified.
And he was worshipped as a god.
So this is the historical and cultural situation of the Christians on the island of Crete.
And it's to these rulers and authorities that Jesus commands Titus
to remind the Christians to be subject to them and to obey them.
As Christians, Jesus wanted his followers to submit themselves to the rulers
and authorities of their day and to be obedient to them.
That's the who, the what, and the to whom of this instruction.
And it's important to notice.
Let's look at the whole first two verses here of chapter 3.
Is there a when?
Is there an if?
Is there an except?
Except.
Be subject to rulers and authorities.
Be obedient to them.
When?
If?
Except.
But.
However.
Unless.
No.
Now there is a biblical exception to this command.
But it's occasional enough.
It's rare enough that the general command to submit to
and to obey the governing authorities can be stated without the exception.
Paul didn't feel the need to mention the exception here.
In other words, the normal Christian life is to be one lived in submission
to human rulers and authorities.
The normal Christian life is to be one lived in obedience to human government.
And the exception, we're going to talk about it,
it's rare enough that it didn't need to be included
in Christ's general instructions about how his people should live.
Generally, they're to be peaceable.
They're to be considerate.
They're to slander no one.
They're always to be gentle toward everyone.
They're to be ready to do whatever is good.
They're to be subject to rulers and authorities
and obedient to them.
And yet, many Christians today do not hear these words.
They struggle to acknowledge this simple instruction from Jesus.
Instead of listening to it and accepting it,
we're tempted to go straight to the exception
and then from there to pile on a whole bunch more exceptions
and sometimes open that up so wide
that what's left of this straightforward and clear instruction
becomes absolutely irrelevant and meaningless to us.
Because we are sinners by nature,
we want to do what we want to do.
And who are you to tell me what to do?
And so we explain away, we diminish, we minimize these words.
And in so doing, we dishonor the Lord.
When it comes to rulers, authorities, government,
the law of our land,
this passage is telling us that as Christians,
we should be known generally as law-abiding citizens.
Not as rebels, not as protesters,
not as people who are always looking to subvert
or to undermine or sneak around the law.
We're to be known as people who,
regardless of what the culture is doing,
people who actually obey the law.
Now, we're going to look at some more exceptions,
some more excuses that Christians raise here
that are unbiblical.
But first, I want you to see just how clear this matter is
from a few other places in the Bible.
And we're going to stick with the New Testament,
even though you could see it in the Old Testament as well.
The first passage we'll look at is
what the Apostle Peter wrote in his letter.
He said,
Dear friends,
I urge you as foreigners and exiles
to abstain from sinful desires
which wage war against your soul.
Live such good lives among the pagans
that though they accuse you of doing wrong,
they may see your good deeds
and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Submit yourself for the Lord's sake
to every human authority,
whether to the emperor
as the supreme authority
or to governors
who are sent by him
to punish those who do wrong
and to commend those who do right.
For it is God's will
that by doing good
you should silence
the ignorant talk
of foolish people.
Live as free people,
but do not use your freedom
as a cover-up for evil.
Live as God's slaves.
Show proper respect to everyone.
Love the family of believers.
Fear God.
Honor the emperor.
So Peter commanded the believers
that were scattered throughout
the Roman provinces of Pontus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia,
Bithynia
to submit themselves
to every human authority.
Even the highest human authority
on earth at the time,
which was the king
of the Roman Empire himself,
the emperor.
And to the governors
that he sent out
to each of those provinces.
Jesus wants his people
to submit to human authorities
and government
and to be obedient to them.
In Paul's letter to the Romans,
this is probably the longest passage
on the subject.
This is what he wrote
to the church in Rome.
He said,
Let everyone be subject
to the governing authorities.
For there is no authority
except that which God
has established.
The authorities that exist
have been established by God.
Consequently,
whoever rebels against
the authority
is rebelling against
what God has instituted.
And those who do so
will bring judgment
on themselves.
For rulers hold no terror
for those who do right,
but for those who do wrong.
Do you want to be free
from fear
of the one in authority?
Then do what is right
and you will be commended.
For the one in authority
is God's servant
for your good.
But if you do wrong,
be afraid.
For rulers do not bear the sword
for no reason.
They are God's servants.
agents of wrath
to bring punishment
on the wrongdoer.
Therefore,
it is necessary
to submit to the authorities
not only because
of possible punishment,
but also as a matter
of conscience.
This is also
why you pay taxes.
For the authorities
are God's servants
who give their full time
to governing.
Give to everyone
what you owe them.
If you owe taxes,
pay taxes.
If revenue,
then revenue.
If respect,
then respect.
If honor,
then honor.
Now,
I'm not going to bring out
all the details
of this passage
or switch the sermon
over to this passage,
but it's pretty clear
and straightforward.
Human authority,
human government
is a thing
that God himself
established
and ordained.
He wants there to be
human government
and authority.
And yes,
even in a fallen world,
even in a sinful world,
he wants it.
Human government
achieves
God's good purposes.
Some of his good purposes
for governing authorities
are to keep human evil
in check.
To see that wrongdoers
are punished.
To see that tax revenues
are used
for the benefit
of a society.
three times,
Paul says
that the one
in authority
is God's servant.
Which means
that they do things
for God.
And specifically
in verse 4,
he says,
the one in authority
is God's servant
for your good.
For your good.
That's you,
the Christians in Rome
who he's writing to.
For your good.
For your benefit.
Maybe the first
yeah but
is rising up here.
What about
when the person
in authority
is corrupt?
Here's another excuse
that we make.
Another unbiblical
exception
that we add
into the word of God.
Let everyone
be subject
to the governing authorities
except
when those authorities
are corrupt
or immoral
or ungodly.
Is that what it says
in any of these
three passages?
Not in Titus,
not in 1 Peter,
not here in Romans 13.
Listen,
if a certain
morality
or integrity
or character
of the ruler
is required,
surely
Paul would have
said so here.
I mean,
Paul's writing
to Christians
in Rome.
Think of this.
This is the city
of Rome.
This is the very
heart of the Roman Empire.
Who's in charge here?
It was the Roman
Emperor himself.
A man who
in the tradition
of Caesar Augustus
claimed to be a god
and worthy of worship.
None of the emperors
up until this point
had been morally
virtuous
or men of integrity
or men of godly character.
In many cases,
they were brutal men.
Some of them
were responsible
for persecuting
and even killing
Christians.
Look at what happened
with Pilate
and Jesus.
Pilate handed Jesus
over to be crucified
after declaring
three times,
I find no basis
for a charge
against him.
What kind of justice
is that?
That's corrupt.
Jesus' point here
is not that
every human authority
that's good
is established
by God,
but that every
human authority,
period,
is established
by God
and serves
his good purposes.
Not perfectly,
of course,
but generally,
yes.
And so generally,
yes,
we are to submit
to and obey
the governing authorities
of our land.
I know that we tend
to want to run
to the exception here.
But before we run there,
let's consider,
let's think about
what points
in the story of God,
where in God's story
did he use flawed
and sinful human government
to protect
and even serve
his own good purposes?
Think about the many times
when the Apostle Paul
was being viciously attacked
by his Jewish opponents
in various cities
and towns.
How many times
was he rescued
from their grip
by civil servants,
magistrates,
local government officials,
Roman soldiers?
How many times
did Paul's jail cell
for the night
save his life
from those
who would have
murdered him
had he not been
locked up
and even protected
by the armed guard
outside the door?
And without Roman government,
would Paul's Roman citizenship
have done anything
for him?
On at least two occasions
we know of
in the scripture,
it was his protection,
it was his
get-out-of-jail-free card.
God used
the Roman government
and the judicial system
in Judea,
corrupt as it was,
to protect Paul
from the Jews
who were plotting
to kill him
in Jerusalem.
God used the government
to give Paul
a detachment
of 200 soldiers,
70 horsemen
and 200 spearmen
to safely lead him
out of Jerusalem
to another city.
And then on top of that,
Paul was given
trial after trial.
God used the government
to see that Jesus
was proclaimed
to all these people.
And then God used
the government,
the Roman law,
to see that Paul
was guaranteed
safe passage
to Rome.
And when he got
to Rome,
God used the government
to protect him
until the trial
so that he could
proclaim the gospel
without hindrance.
Now yes,
Christians were killed
by Roman emperors
and history has it
that Paul himself
was later executed
by a Roman emperor.
But that doesn't change
the straightforward command
that Christ has
for his people
in these passages.
Remind the people
to be subject
to rulers
and authorities,
to be obedient.
Look at Jesus'
own life and teaching.
Think about it.
What was he like
with respect
to the governing authorities?
Was he a rebel?
Was he an insurrectionist?
He was the rightful
king of Israel,
chosen by God himself,
and yet he did not
resist the governing
authorities.
In fact,
Peter says that
he's the example
to follow
when he describes
how it's commendable
to bear up
under unjust suffering.
They tried to trap
Jesus over the issue
of paying taxes.
Do you remember this?
Was Jesus loyal
to God
or to the imperial cult?
And what did Jesus say?
He said,
render to Caesar
what belongs to Caesar.
Pay your taxes.
On another occasion,
the temple tax collectors
came around
to collect
the temple tax,
and this is a tremendously
helpful passage
in Matthew chapter 17.
They came to get
some tax from Jesus,
and did Jesus
agree with the tax?
He has this little
conversation with Peter,
which basically
reveals that no,
he didn't think
that the tax was right.
He didn't agree with it.
It was ill-conceived.
But what did he say
to Peter at the end
of that little discussion?
Chapter 17,
verse 27.
He said,
but so that we may
not cause offense,
go to the lake
and throw out your line,
take the first fish
you catch,
open its mouth,
and you'll find
a four drachma coin.
Take it
and give it to them
for my tax
and yours.
Now we like to focus
on the miracle there,
and it's a wonderful miracle,
but let's notice today
the stuff around it.
What was Jesus'
response here?
So that we may not
cause offense,
pay the tax anyway.
This is another excuse
that we sometimes make,
another unbiblical
exception clause
that we add
to Christ's clear teaching
about submitting
to governing authorities.
We say,
well,
if the law is unjust,
or if the law is unfair,
or ill-conceived,
or just plain stupid,
then we don't need
to obey it.
But even Jesus himself
paid a tax
he deemed ill-conceived,
so that we may not
cause offense,
pay the tax.
We can disagree
with the laws,
Jesus did,
but we're not free
to just disobey them
just because we
disagree with them.
Another unbiblical
excuse that some make
a reason given
for why we don't need
to submit to
the governing authorities
is that as a Christian,
there's only one
who has authority
over me,
and it's Jesus.
He is the head
of the church.
There's only one Lord,
one King,
one head of the church,
and therefore the government
has no jurisdiction
over me.
But this is faulty logic.
Absolutely,
Christ is the head
of the church.
He is the Lord.
He is the King of Kings.
And he has told us
through his apostles
to obey human government.
If you think that there's
only one authority over you,
and that's Jesus,
you're living in a Christian fantasy.
Jesus is the ultimate authority,
yes,
but if you are a child,
he commands you
to obey your parents,
to submit to their authority.
If you're a bondservant,
he expects you to fulfill
your contractual obligations
to your master
and submit to him
as one under authority.
If you're a wife,
he commands you
to submit to your husband
as the head of your home,
just as Christ
is the head of the church.
And no matter who you are,
if you're a Christian,
Christ commands you
to submit to your leaders
in the church.
Hebrews chapter 13,
verse 17.
And no matter who you are,
if you're a Christian,
he commands you
to submit to the rulers
and authorities of the land,
just as we've seen
in every one
of these passages.
And so saying,
I don't have to submit
to the government
or obey the law
because Christ
is the head of the church
is just faulty logic.
It's totally unbiblical.
Another unbiblical excuse
that we sometimes make,
we should only submit
to the law
if the law
is constitutional.
This is a devious
and clever sounding excuse
that we sometimes
come up with.
Essentially,
it's argued that
the law that's being
put in place,
well,
it's not a good law.
It's a bad law
because it goes against
the Charter of Rights
and Freedoms,
the Canadian Charter
of Rights and Freedoms.
And I think there's
a certain appeal
to this line of thinking.
Many will say,
well,
by disobeying this new law,
I mean,
I'm actually doing good.
I'm standing up
for the Charter
of Rights and Freedoms.
This is like
a righteous thing
that I'm doing,
protesting this
by disobeying it,
by breaking it.
It's going to help
expose just how bad
a law it is,
how unconstitutional
it is.
But this is another failure
to submit to the clear,
straightforward command
of Christ
to submit to authorities.
And to see this,
I think we need to just
take this passage
and apply it
to our own context today.
Who is the ruler
of Canada
that we have to submit to?
Anyone brave enough to...
We're so confused
about our own government.
It's so complex.
But how can we be obedient
to this command
if we don't even understand
how our own government works?
Admittedly,
we do have a complicated
form of government
in Canada.
The Prime Minister
is not the ruler
of Canada.
He's a member
of Parliament.
who represents
his riding.
And he is the head
of the government,
but he has limited power
as such,
except in the case
of emergencies.
So this is your opportunity
to breathe a sigh of relief.
You do not have to do
whatever the Prime Minister
says.
Technically speaking,
the ruler of our land
is King Charles.
We are a constitutional monarchy.
Pretty soon,
it will be his face
that you'll see
on all the coins
in Canada.
But as most of us know,
the role of the Governor General
on behalf of the King
or Queen in Canada
is largely symbolic today.
And so who
or what
holds authority
over the citizens
of our nation?
Any guesses?
In Canada,
we are a people
ruled by law.
The law
is that
highest authority
in our land.
And the government
of the day
only has authority
over us
to the extent
that the law says.
Now,
the members of Parliament
who are representatives,
they do have the power
to make laws
and to change laws
if they hold
a majority of the seats
in the House of Commons
and if the bill
makes it through the Senate.
We're not just
a constitutional monarchy,
we're also
a parliamentary democracy.
So at the end of the day,
it's not the Prime Minister
that we must submit to.
He's not a dictator
or ruler.
He has limited power
and is himself
under the law.
How does this apply?
We're not being called
to submit to
person,
a person,
so much as to
a body of laws
that have been established
by people
in our nation
over the years.
What is it
that the police officers
enforce?
Is it the Constitution?
The Charter of Rights
and Freedoms?
It's the law.
That's what the police
officers enforce.
That's what they're
supposed to enforce.
What is it
that the judges
go by
to give their verdict
or to sentence
a criminal?
It's the law.
The law of the land
is the thing of authority
which we are under
here in Canada
and since it is
we're to submit
to the law
and obey the law
of our nation.
And here's where
the excuse
that I just mentioned
before unravels a bit.
The Canadian Charter
of Rights and Freedoms,
I mean,
it does not have
that same authoritative
position in our country
that the law does.
The Charter of Rights
and Freedoms
is a guiding document.
It's a thing
that was agreed on
in Canadian history
for the making of laws.
It sets out
an agreement
on what are
the core values
and freedoms
we believe
that all should have
in Canada.
However,
the Charter itself
is not the law.
It's more of
a value statement.
Even in the Charter itself,
rights and freedoms
are guaranteed,
but even the Charter
recognizes that
rights and freedoms
cannot be absolute
in a democracy.
And there are instances
where governments
must put laws in place
that limit
people's freedoms
in order to protect
the lives and security
and freedoms of others.
So the Charter
is just a guiding document.
If the government
of the day
brings in a new law
that in our judgment
goes against the Charter
and infringes
upon our freedoms,
that's not an excuse
for us to just
break that law
because the Charter
is not the law.
The law is the law.
And we must obey the law
because it's the
authoritative thing
in our land.
The police enforce
the law,
not the Charter.
The judges render
verdicts based on the law.
And yes,
they can consult
the Charter
and they do
and sometimes
they overturn the law.
They change the law.
But in our system,
that's the role
of the judges
to do that,
not our role.
And so it doesn't hold
that we are honoring
Christ's command
when we break the law
because we deem it
unconstitutional.
It's not our place
in our system of government
to judge whether laws
are unconstitutional
or not.
That's the role of judges.
Now I know that
all of this may sound
a little abstract,
to think of submitting
to the law.
He says,
remind the people
to be subject
to rulers
and authorities,
to be obedient.
But we should remember
that the law
does empower
certain people
to do certain things
like law enforcement
officers
or tax collection
agents,
judges,
ministers.
So in some cases,
obeying the law
does mean
obeying the person
who wields
the authority
of the law.
It's not entirely
impersonal
and abstract,
but on the whole,
we need to know
that here in Canada,
the supreme authority
is the law.
We also need to know
that there are
three levels of law,
three levels of government
in Canada.
There's the federal law,
the laws of the nation,
there are the provincial laws,
the stuff that we
have to abide by
here in Saskatchewan,
and then there are
the municipal laws,
the things in the town
or in the city
where you live
here in Davidson.
The bylaws.
And all of these
are included
by this command
to be subject
to rulers
and authorities,
whether it's
speed limits,
town bylaws,
building codes,
parking laws.
There's only one
exception in the Bible.
One situation
in which we may
disobey
rulers and authorities,
or in our case,
break the law.
And that's when
the law of our land
says that we should
do something
that is clearly
prohibited
by God
in His word.
Or,
the converse,
when the law
prohibits us
from doing something
that God has
clearly commanded us
to do
in His word.
That's the only
exception in the Bible.
Shadrach,
Meshach,
and Abednego,
they disobeyed
King Nebuchadnezzar
when he commanded
them to worship
his idol.
Why?
Because God
had clearly said,
you shall have
no other gods
before me
and you shall not
bow down
to a graven image.
That's the first
of the Ten Commandments.
And God
vindicated them
and saved them
in that moment.
Daniel defied
King Darius
when Darius
decreed that
no one should pray
to anyone
other than him.
Why?
Because God
has commanded us
to pray to him.
And so Daniel
defied him
and God
saved him
from the mouth
of the lions
and vindicated him.
The apostles
were commanded
by the religious
leaders of the Jews
not to speak
anymore
in the name of Jesus
in the book of Acts
chapter 4.
But Jesus
had commanded them
speak in my name
go make disciples
of me
all through the nations
preach the gospel.
And so they had to say
to the religious leaders
which is right
in God's eyes
to listen to you
or to him.
You be the judges.
As for us
we can't help
speaking about
what we have
seen
and heard.
So
there is a time
for civil disobedience.
There is a time
to break the law
but it is only
in the case
where there is
a direct conflict
between being
obedient
to what God
has clearly
commanded
and what human
authority
has commanded.
And thankfully
in our day
these situations
are relatively
rare
and occasional.
That might
change
in the near future
here
but I want to
encourage us
to stick to
the word of God.
Sometimes
another excuse
we make
we say
well I just
feel like
the Lord
would have
me do this.
I don't need
to do this.
I don't need
to obey the law.
Don't
go by your
feelings
Christian.
I've known
lots of good
mature
Bible believing
Christians
over the years
who said
the Lord
told me
only to find
out
later
that actually
they were just
kind of hearing
their own fears
their own thoughts
their own anxieties
or reasons.
If you're a Christian
and you're going
to break the law
it better be obvious
in the Bible
that the law
goes against
what the Lord
has commanded.
Otherwise
heed the warning
from Romans
chapter 13
verse 3
rulers hold
no terror
for those
who do right
but for those
who do wrong.
There's a better way
with the Lord's help
we just need
to simply listen
to this
straightforward
instruction
that he's
given us.
Be a law
abiding
Christian
in our land.
Do what's
right by the
Lord
and by the
law of the
land.
And I'm
just going to
I'm going to
end with two
examples
different examples.
If the government
passes a law
here in Saskatchewan
that all highway
speed limits
shall from now
on be reduced
to 90 kilometers
an hour
is that a stupid
law?
Maybe.
Is it fair?
Maybe not.
Does it
infringe on your
personal freedoms?
Yes.
Does it matter
if the government
who passes this
law is corrupt?
No.
Do you have to
like the law
or agree with it?
No.
Is there a place
in the Bible
where God
has commanded
us to drive
faster than 90
kilometers an hour
on a highway?
No.
What if your
wife's about
to give birth
in the car?
Doesn't matter.
Do you trust
the Lord?
Then you must
obey the law.
Jesus says
yes I want
my people
to submit
to rulers
and authorities
which in our
context means
to be law
abiding citizens.
Here's another
example the other
way.
On February 26
the government
of Canada
introduced the
Online Harms
Act.
And the main
purpose of this
act is to
make online
content providers
responsible to
moderate content
that's served
on their
platforms.
Now before you
throw the baby
out with the
bathwater consider
that one of the
things that this
act will do is
force online
content providers
to keep child
pornography off
of their
platforms even
if it's just
the users who
would upload
it.
That's a good
thing.
However
there's also
in all of this
an attempt being
made to
criminalize
hatred.
This bill would
amend the
Canadian Human
Rights Act to
define a new
discriminatory
practice of
communicating hate
speech online.
With a reporting
mechanism and
everything you see
something that you
think is hate you
can report that
online.
The problem is
with how this
new hate
offense is
defined.
As part of the
proposed amendments
hate speech would
be defined based on
Supreme Court of
Canada decisions.
The bill defines
hate speech as the
content of a
communication that
expresses detestation
of an individual or
group of individuals on
the basis of
prohibited grounds of
discrimination.
The grounds of
discrimination are
race, national or
ethnic origin, color,
religion, age, sex,
sexual orientation,
gender identity or
expression.
And some of you may
see where the
problem is here.
By this definition
God himself could be
accused of hate
speech because of
what he has said in
the Bible about
deviant sexual
behavior.
If this becomes
law in Canada it
would be illegal for
me to preach a
sermon on Leviticus
18.22 where God
says that homosexual
conduct is detestable.
And then to post
that sermon online as
I do all my other
sermons.
And so what should I
do in that situation?
When I come to that
passage in Leviticus
should I skip over it?
Should I be silent
about it?
Should I just not
upload it to the
internet just to stay
under the radar?
Has God given a
clear command that we
should preach his
word?
Second Timothy 4.2
says preach the
word.
Proclaim what God
has said to his
people.
So this is a case
where man's law
prohibits what God
himself has clearly
commanded.
Thankfully they
haven't made that
determination that the
Bible contains hate
speech yet.
But if this were to
happen I must obey
God and I must
disobey human
government.
These situations are
not always easy.
But may the Lord
find us faithful.
May he give us what
we need.
Let's ask for that
now.
Let's pray together.
Lord Jesus there are
two really challenging
things that we come to
from these words.
First there is how
you want us to
submit to the
government and obey
the government as
the ordinary course of
everyday life.
And that's hard.
So we pray and ask
for your help to be
willing to do it, to
be honest about it, and
to carry it out.
Second there may come
time where we do need
to disobey the
government to obey
you.
And that will be hard
as well.
And so we pray and ask
that you would give us
courage and wisdom and
a resolute conviction
that we are going to
follow you no matter
what.
Help us with these
things in the days
ahead.
Show us the areas in
our lives where we
have been failing and
give us power and joy
to submit ourselves to
you for the glory of
your son Jesus.
Amen.
Man shouldéfice
like you
learn the
people
drop in
your
record
and
we
share them
a
document
and
we
get
out.
Everybody