SERMON: TO CHOOSE A KING, PART 1

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to 1 Samuel 8:1-5

 

1 Samuel 8:1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

 

4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”

 

-- One of the toughest tasks a church will ever face is choosing a new pastor to lead their congregation – it is a difficult and an arduous task

-- I heard about this church that was having to do just that – to replace their pastor who had served there for decades – as you can imagine, the congregation and the Pastoral Selection Committee were in turmoil over having to do so

-- after watching one good applicant after the other be rejected by the committee because of some minor fault – real or imagined – one member of the committee finally lost his patience – he stood up and read a letter to the committee that he said he had received from another applicant, and wanted their thoughts

 

 -- “Gentlemen,” he read – “Understanding that your pulpit is vacant, I would like to apply for the position -- I have many qualifications – I have been a preacher with much success for numerous years – and I have also had some success as a writer -- Some say I’m a good organizer -- and I have been a leader most places I’ve been.

            -- “However, I am over 50 years of age and have never preached in one place for more than three years -- In some places where I have served, I have left town after my work and ministry caused riots and disturbances -- I must admit I have been in jail three or four times, but not because of any real wrongdoing.

-- “My health is not too good, though I still manage to accomplish a great deal -- The churches I have preached in have been small, though located in several large cities.

            -- “On another note, I have generally not gotten along well with religious leaders in the towns where I have preached -- In fact, some have threatened me, and a few have even attacked me physically – Finally, I am not too good at keeping records – for instance, I have been known to forget whom I have baptized.

            -- “However, if you can use me and feel that God has called me to serve your congregation, I promise to do my best for you.”

 

-- When he finished reading the letter, the member turned to the committee and said, “Well, what do you think? Shall we call him?”

            -- the other committee members were aghast – after having rejected other, more worthy candidates, why would they even consider a sickly, absent-minded, ex-jailbird trouble-maker? – was the committee member crazy?

– who was this pastor anyway? – who would even consider sending such a resume to their church and expect anyone to consider them capable and worthy of leading their congregation?

-- the committee member who had read the letter looked at each of the other members of the committee and said, “It’s signed, ‘The Apostle Paul.’”

 

 

II.  The Institution of Governments

            -- while we’re not facing the situation of having to replace a pastor – at least, I hope not – we are rapidly coming to the close of this federal election season, where we will be deciding which of the candidates running for president and the other offices is the one that we feel is the most worthy of being selected to lead us in the future

-- as contentious and as polarizing as this election has been, it is still a fact that we are blessed in the United States because we have the ability to freely choose who will lead us – each of us, individually, has the opportunity to express our opinion and to cast our vote on the candidate that we feel is the best for the country – and I don’t think we should take that for granted

-- if you stop for a moment and just think about it, you’ll quickly recognize that this right to choose our leader is something that very few other countries or civilizations throughout the history of this world have been able to do – even today, free and fair elections of political leaders is not available to all – so, this opportunity – this freedom – this blessing that we have – should be recognized as such – it is a very sacred and precious responsibility that God has granted us

            -- so, leading up to the election on November 5^th, my plans are to share a few messages about this responsibility that God has given us so that we might consider how we should vote and evaluate prospective leaders with a Kingdom perspective and not from a worldly perspective

 

            -- as I tried to point out in the opening illustration, sometimes we evaluate and select leaders based on man’s principles and ideals rather than on God’s principles and ideals

            -- and that’s not a condemnation on anyone or any party – it’s simply a fact – it’s a tendency that all of us have because we tend to make decisions and choices in life based on the here-and-now without considering the eternal and spiritual ramifications – and as we go through these messages, you’ll see this tendency to make decisions based on short-term situations repeated time and time again from those who went before us – and I hope that we can do better

 

            -- to lay the foundation for these messages, we need to understand the governmental institutions that God has established for us here on earth, because God’s government is beyond that of just nations, but encompasses all realms of our lives

            -- when looking at the governmental institutions and authorities that God has established, we can say they fall into four general realms:

 

            1.  Self-government:  By this I mean that God has given us independence and free will to make decisions about our lives and what we will do. 

            -- several years ago, I had a coworker who was being pressed into making a decision at work – he was being told what he had to do – the direction that our leadership wanted him to go – and he didn’t feel this was the best course of action

            -- I talked with him at length about this and I said, “I don’t see where you have another choice – you’re going to have to do what they’re telling you to do – there’s no other way out” – to which he replied, “There’s always a choice – sometimes, that choice means walking away to keep your integrity”

            -- he made a good point – we always have a choice – God has given us self-government in the form of free will – and we have the ability to make whatever choices we want, for good or bad

            -- when God made Adam and put him in the Garden of Eden, God told Adam that he was free to eat from all the trees in the garden except for one – he was not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – and Adam had a choice – he could obey God or he could disobey God – the decision was totally up to him because God had gifted man with free will and self-government

            -- we have choices and decisions that we have to make every single day of our lives -- God shows us in His word what He wants us to do – He shows us the better way – the Holy Spirit guides us in our lives and leads us to the place where we can make the right decision and the right choice – at the same time, our flesh and this world and Satan offer alternative choices

– but ultimately, it is up to us – we have free will – we have self-government – ultimately, it is our decision -- we make the choice – but we have to live with the consequences of that choice, whatever it is

            -- so, self-government is the first governmental institution established

 

            2.  Family Government – after granting us self-government, God next established the family as a primary governmental institution in our lives, with Adam and Eve forming the first family government in history

            -- God’s plan was for the family to function as a single unit with an established governmental hierarchy that was to be replicated throughout earth – God was to be the head of the family, with the husband taking the role of God’s representative and leader to ensure the family was protected, preserved, and functioned in accordance with God’s word and God’s commands

            -- in that role, the husband was to be the leader of the family, with the wife under him, and the children under both of them – functioning as a unit, the family was to represent God’s presence in the world, as they related to one another similar to how the Trinity relates to itself

 

            3.  The third type of governmental institution created by God was Church Government – The establishment of order within the religious community, with individuals and families coming together under the authority of spiritual leaders anointed by God

-- with Jesus as the head of the church, these spiritual leaders govern matters that apply to the church and church members – and the church is supposed to act as the body of Christ, spreading the message and the love of Christ with all

-- when a church functions as God intended, God’s Spirit permeates the church and society, affecting culture through their morality and spirituality – seasoning society and the surrounding culture as salt in the world  

 

4.  The last type of governmental institution created by God is Civil Government – what we typically think of when we hear the word “government” – civil government is the government of nations and states – the governing authorities from presidents and kings down to governors and mayors

-- we’ll look more at this in a week or so, but according to Romans 13, the Apostle Paul taught that civil government is the governmental institution that God created and put into place to create and maintain righteous and just environments in which freedom can flourish without interference with the other institutions of self, family and church

-- Paul makes it clear that a properly functioning civil government – established and operating under God -- “is [designed] to promote the conditions for the well-being of the citizenry for good, while protecting the citizenry against the proliferation of evil” (Evans). 

-- As Tony Evans points out, this means that politics and civil government should be fundamentally ethical enterprises operated based on what is right and what is wrong – as such, Christian voting should be considered, first and foremost, a spiritual issue. 

-- In other words, when we are given the opportunity to select our leaders – to have a say in who is appointed to serve over us – then we should make our choices and base our votes on spiritual principles and precepts, with the person we select and nominate for political office being someone who will conform to God’s ideal, not man’s ideal.

 

-- however, like I alluded to earlier, the problem is that we rarely select candidates it may  on these Godly principles – our decisions – our choices in who to vote for -- are influenced by other factors, including economic, cultural, and social factors – and, to be honest, we  tend to select candidates based on what they look like, what political party they belong to more, and whether we think they will benefit us personally more than any other factor

-- because of this, we do not look at all the candidates equally and evaluate them based on their policies, their character, their integrity and their moral stances – but we allow our preconceived notions and biases affect our choice, which has led us to vote for candidates that would not be acceptable to God

 

-- as one writer put it, “selecting government leaders has very serious ramifications. When selecting government leaders to oversee the largest business in the US and the most powerful nation in the world, please keep in mind the following:

 

It is not a popularity contest!

It is not a beauty contest!

It is not like choosing a favorite movie star!

It is not like choosing a favorite ball team!

It is not about picking a celebrity!

It is not about a candidate’s eloquence in speech!

It is not about who will give you the most benefits!

It is not about your personal preferences!

It is not about your ancestral family loyalties!”¹

 

            -- but, regardless of the warnings, making decisions and choosing leaders based on factors such as these is our natural tendency -- We all do it – because of who we are – a fallen people living in a fallen world -- it is how we naturally respond – and it has always been like that, from the very beginning of time, as Adam and Eve’s choice to disobey God has clearly shown

            -- rather than choosing God and God’s ways, we usually tend to choose our own way – and that’s true whether we are talking about politics or anything else in our lives

            -- we see that in these verses here in 1 Samuel 8:1-5 – like I pointed out last week, up until this point in time, the people of Israel were governed by judges – men and women that God called and anointed to lead the people for a particular time and for a particular reason

            -- while all the judges accomplished God’s will for them and the nation of Israel at that moment, some judges continued to follow God and God’s commands throughout their period of rule while others began to make selfish decisions and did not continue to follow God, to their detriment

            -- the prophet Samuel was the last judge that God called to lead the people, and Samuel did a very good job fulfilling God’s call and leading the people to follow God – however, as Samuel grew older and realized he could no longer lead the people as he had earlier, he appointed his own sons as judges, apparently without first consulting with God

 

            -- look at verse 1

 

1 Samuel 8:1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

 

 

            -- Samuel’s sons did not follow after their father – they were not godly men, but used their new positions as judges for personal gain – they were dishonest and accepted bribes and perverted justice – doing the very things that were detestable in the eyes of God

            -- remember the old adage, “Power corrupts” – and we see that here with the two sons of Samuel, who did not follow God but the ways of the world

 

            -- verse 4

 

1 Samuel 8:4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead[b] us, such as all the other nations have.”

 

            -- so, the elders of Israel complained to Samuel about his sons – about their immoral and corrupt behavior – and demanded a change in government

            -- but rather than appealing to God to raise up a new judge for them, the elders of Israel clamored for an earthly king – God had called the people of Israel and set them apart as different from the rest of the people of the world – they were to be His chosen people – under His leadership – following His law – but they looked around them and saw that all the other nations had kings – and, rejecting God and His leadership, they petitioned Samuel to appoint a king to govern them

            -- just like I was saying, when it comes to choosing leaders, a lot of the time we allow the examples we see around us and the messages we hear from the world lead us to make ungodly choices – and this is what happened in Israel at the end of Samuel’s service as judge

 

            -- verse 6

 

1 Samuel 8:6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

 

            -- this time, Samuel to God and asked God what to do – if he had only done that before choosing to appoint his two sons as judges, things might have been different for the nation of Israel – but Samuel failed in this aspect, and now this request for a king had been brought up to him

            -- God responded by letting Samuel know that the choice the people had made was not a rejection of Samuel, but a rejection of God Himself – they were refusing to follow God as their King, just as they had done throughout their history as a nation – and so, God was going to take His hand off the nation and allow them to choose their own way, suffering the consequences of their actions

            -- but, God said, before I do so, warn the people again of the dangers of an earthly king and what he will do to them as he reigns over them

 

            -- verse 10

 

1 Samuel 8:10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

 

            -- God knew what would happen once the people looked to man for leadership over Him – He knew that power would corrupt and that some of the kings would be selfish and evil and harm the people, even though some would be good and godly and seek to follow Him

            -- it’s that way with all who seek to lead and govern others, especially those who seek leadership positions not because of a desire to serve, but out of a desire for power and personal gain – that is why the term “politician” is so derogatory in our culture today

-- I read the story about a minister and his wife who were worried about the future of their 18-year-old son since he showed no interest in anything – because of that, they decided to test him to see what he might do in the future

-- They put a Bible, a $20 bill and a quart of whiskey on the table for him to see – they reasoned that if the boy chose the Bible, he might be a minister like his father -- If he chose the money, he might be a banker or a businessman -- If he took the whiskey, he might end up as a drunkard.

-- The parents called him into the room and asked him to make a choice -- He looked over the temptation carefully -- Finally, he stuck the $20 bill into his pocket, put the Bible under one arm, the bottle under the other and left the room -- The minister cried, “Good heavens! It’s worse than we thought -- he’s going to be a politician!”

 

            -- God knew that – as we read in Psalm 139, God searches our hearts and He knows us – He knows our weaknesses – He knows our strengths – He knows what we are going to do – and God knew what would happen when the people of Israel chose a human to be their king

-- so, God puts the issue before the people once again, allowing them to make the choice on their own – to repent of their call for an earthly leader and to follow God as their King once again – or to press on and have an earthly king appointed for them

 

            -- verse 19

 

1 Samuel 8:19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

 

21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

 

Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”

 

            -- “No,” the people said.  “We want a king like all the other nations.” – and with that word, the die was cast – the choice was made – and God gave the people over to the desires of their hearts, along with the consequences that would come with that choice

            -- and we’ll talk more about that in the future, including the difference in how the people selected a leader versus how God selected a leader for the nation of Israel

 

III.  CLOSING

            -- let me close this by sharing with you a story about a politician who died and was met by St. Peter -- Peter said, “I was told to offer you something you are very familiar with. You will be allowed to choose where you will spend eternity; heaven or hell. You will spend a day in each place and then cast your vote.”

-- The politician took the elevator down and arrived in hell. As the doors opened, Satan met him with a warm handshake. Many politicians who had gone before him were there and greeted him. It was a place of incredible beauty and happiness. No one worked yet everyone had an abundance. Everyone enjoyed whatever relationship they chose. Everyone lived by their own rules and were outrageously happy. It was everything he had worked toward all of his political life. At the end of the day, he hated to leave!

-- but he took the elevator up and met St. Peter again. He said to Peter, “I would guess that in heaven I will have to live by God’s rules--His “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots.” -- Therefore, I’ve seen enough! I’ve made up my mind. I vote for hell – that’s where I want to spend eternity”

-- He entered the elevator again and pushed the down button. As the doors opened in hell, his eyes took in absolute devastation and ruin. People were starving and there was fighting everywhere. People were being tortured and crying out in torment at their pain and suffering

-- Satan approached him with a broad smile and said, “Welcome to Hell.”

-- The politician asked, “What happened? Why are things so different here now?”

-- Satan responded, “Yesterday we were campaigning -- today we have your vote.”

 

            -- and with that reminder of what happens when we put our faith and support solely in earthly politicians and politics, let us close with prayer and ask for God’s wisdom and guidance in the choices and decisions that face us this year

            -- let us pray

 

1 [https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/government-leadership-selection-dr-lewis-w-gregory-sermon-on-government-250966]

SERMON: STANDING OR SITTING?

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Romans 13:1-7

 

Romans 13:1 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. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 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. 4 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. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

 

6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 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.

 

            -- I heard a story one time of a little boy and his father who were on a long car trip -- the little boy was in the back seat, and he kept standing up -- his father kept telling him to sit down -- the little boy would sit down for a few seconds but then he'd stand back up -- this went on time and time again -- finally, the father said, "If you don't sit down, I'm going to stop this car and give you a spanking and make you sit down."  -- the little boy sat down and was quiet for a few minutes and then announced, "I may be sitting down, but I'm standing up in my heart."

 

            -- this little story encompasses the truth that Paul is teaching here in these verses – a passage that is very relevant to us today in the 21^st century, especially as we face such a monumental election in our country in just 9 days

            -- everything is all fine and good if our candidate wins – if the administration that we support is chosen by the people and the policies and the principles we stand for are put into effect in our country – but what happens if our candidate loses? – what happens if someone else is elected to lead us? – what then? – how are we to react to the authorities that are above us as God intends? – do we stand or do we sit?

            -- those are the questions that Paul is addressing in this passage

 

            -- as we look at this passage today, there are a couple of things that we need to keep in mind in order to properly interpret the text – first, remember the historical context and setting of this passage – Paul and the early Christians lived within the Roman empire, which was not always friendly towards Christians and others with contrary spiritual beliefs

            -- years before Paul wrote this, the Roman Emperor Claudius had expelled all the Jews out of Rome because of a dispute that arose between the traditional Jews and the Jews that followed Christ – Claudius did not distinguish between the two groups, and expelled all Jews – that was how Priscilla and Aquila found their way to Corinth, where they met the Apostle Paul

            -- at other times, the Jews and Christians had been actively persecuted by the Roman government – so, understand that when Paul is writing this, he is writing while living under the authority of a government that is either indifferent or hostile towards Christianity and Christians

-- so, in these verses, Paul gives practical instructions on how a believer should live under an unfriendly government – but, as we’ll see, he doesn’t address what we are to do if a government departs from the role God has given it and begins acting unjustly or immorally, as Germany did during the Nazi regime – for questions such as those, we will have to rely on the Spirit’s leading as we seek to follow God’s law and commands, including those here in these verses

 

            -- the second thing we need to know is that when Paul wrote this letter, Nero was emperor of Rome and he had allowed the Jews to return to the city – and while he was not actively persecuting the Christians systematically at this point, his government could not be considered friendly towards the Christians – and the fact that he was a Gentile caused enormous problems for the Jewish Christians

            -- as Wuest explained in his commentary, “The Jews of the Roman empire were notoriously bad citizens.” – this was because of Deuteronomy 17:15, which reads, “"You may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother".”

-- because of this, many Jews and Jewish Christians believed that acknowledging a Gentile ruler was sinful – this was the same reason that led the Pharisees to question Jesus, “Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”

-- in light of Claudius’ earlier ejection of the Jews and Christians from Rome, Paul may have been concerned to make sure that the Christians in the city did not apply this verse in such a way that their actions would be considered anarchy or rebellion, which could increase persecution of the faithful in Rome – he wants to make sure these Christians understand their relations and obligations to government – the point that Paul is making, in the words of the commentator Denney, is that “Law and its representatives are of God, and as such are entitled to all honor and obedience from Christians.”

            -- so, it is a fine line that we tread as Christians and members of God’s Kingdom living in a secular world – it is the line between submission and obedience to authority and submission and obedience to God’s word

            -- in an ideal situation, those two should align – but, as we know, they rarely do – and so we have this tension in our lives that is made evident in this passage -- we read here we are to live in submission to the authorities above us to the point where they follow God’s plan for their appointment as our leaders and only disobey if their demands and laws are contrary to God’s word

            -- that point is not always clear – and it can be difficult to determine how to live in such a situation – we must trust in the Spirit and follow His leading while we try to fulfill the commands of God, including those in this chapter

            -- so, let’s look now at this passage and see what we can learn about the authorities that God has placed above us and how God intends for us to live in submission and obedience to their leadership

 

II.  Scripture Lesson – Romans 13:1-7

            -- verse 1

 

Romans 13:1 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.

 

            -- in the verse right before this one, we read, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” – and then Paul tells us here, “everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities” – putting those verses together, in context, leads us to see Paul’s reasoning on submission to the authorities in place above us

            -- the issue he had been addressing in Romans 12 was how to live with those who are opposed to you – how to live with those who act unjustly and unfairly to you – who persecute you – who hurt you

            -- and he reminds us of the way of the Lord – the command of the Lord – to love – to love our neighbors – to love our friends and family – and to love our enemies

            -- it is through loving like this that we overcome evil – because the good that pours out through our love touches hearts and lives and can melt the hardest heart

            -- most people are not brought to Christ and do not become Christians through reason or argument – most people come to Christ because of love – because someone loved them in the name of Jesus and through that love, they came to know the saving grace of the Lord

-- so, it is no stretch to say that Christians are made through love – for it’s God’s love that changes a person, even the most evil person in the land

            -- and that’s the basis for Paul’s argument and instruction in regards to relating to authorities here in Romans 13

            -- he tells us here in verse 1 that everyone – including the Jewish Christians who were hostile to Gentile leadership – everyone was to submit themselves to the governing authorities

            -- submission is an act of love – remember that love is a verb – love is action – love is what we do – and submitting to authorities is an act of love if done for the right reasons – in this case, as a response to those in authority over us or as a counter to evil or hatred directed against us

            -- also, remember that submission is an act of faith – it is trusting that God will direct our lives and accomplish His will, regardless of the actions of the authorities above us – whether we are talking about governments or churches – our bosses – or our family structure

            -- so, by submitting to the authorities over us, we are showing them the love of Christ – we are showing them the goodness of the gospel, which can overcome any evil in our lives

            -- that is the first reason we submit to the governing authorities

 

            -- the other reason Paul says we are to submit to the governing authorities is because these authorities have been established and put into place by God Himself

            -- it is a reminder that God is sovereign and that He uses people and places and things in the world today to accomplish His will and purpose – to that end, He puts people and governments into place to serve as authorities over us to accomplish His will

– God is ultimately in charge of everything that happens in our lives – nothing happens in our lives that God has not allowed – that is not to say that everything that happens is good, but God allows these things to happen and turns them for our good

-- that is true also with governing authorities – so, sometimes God has godly rulers and godly governmental systems put into place to accomplish His will – but sometimes God has unbelievers or ungodly persons put into place as an agent of His will – such as the Egyptian Pharaoh or Saul, the first king of Israel that we looked at over the last couple of weeks

-- so, all authorities have been established by God – and we should submit to those authorities with love and respect for that reason

 

-- verse 2

 

Romans 13:2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

 

-- without a doubt, this is a difficult verse – on the surface, the instruction here in God’s word is clear – all authorities have been established by God, and we are not to rebel against the authorities since that would, in essence, be an act of rebelling against God

-- but most Christians and most commentators and scholars agree that the instructions that God gave Paul here are not black and white, but are more nuanced – but that introduces the tension I was talking about earlier

– do we continue to stand or do we sit? – do we do what an unjust and immoral government tells us to do or do we rebel?

-- this is a case where we must seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our particular circumstances

 

-- to give you an example from my own life, when I was first called into the ministry, I served as a local pastor under the United Methodist Church – under their authority – and, as a local pastor, I was limited in what I was authorized to do and in what I could not do

-- for instance, I could only offer the sacraments of communion and baptism in the local church setting – I could only conduct marriage ceremonies for people associated with my local church and in that community

-- and, as long as I was under their authority, I remained bound by that authority – I complied, even though I came to disagree with their understanding of the sacraments and when and where those could be administered

-- I was told I could not lead at a Walk to Emmaus or Chrysalis event because I was not authorized to lead the sacrament of communion in those settings – and I was told I could not offer communion or baptize people in our outreach to Kim’s employees and customers in Valdosta, because that was outside the local church

-- so, I had a choice to make – I could either follow their rules because I was under their authority or I could rebel and disobey them and do what I wanted to regardless of the consequence

-- after praying about this for some time, I continued to follow their rules while I was under the authority of the Methodist Church, but I started taking steps to separate myself from their authority – because I felt God was calling me to do something different, I separated from the Methodist Church and became an independent pastor, not bound to any denomination – and I administered the sacraments as I felt God had authorized

 

-- and while this was an enormous concern in my life, this situation I dealt with was really nothing major in terms of life – but when you are talking about resisting or rebelling against a governing authority that is commanding you to do that which God’s word calls unjust or ungodly, you can see the tension

-- do we follow the word of God here and not rebel against the authorities God has established over us? – or do we follow what we believe the word of God is telling us to do, even if that means rebelling?

-- these are the questions that Christians in Nazi Germany faced – and this is the situation that many in the world face on a daily basis

-- so what do we do? – what is our way forward if the election doesn’t go our way or our country goes down a path that seems contrary to God’s commands?

-- the problem is that God’s word is not clear – and we must depend on the leading of the Holy Spirit in order to discern God’s way

 

-- in the book of acts, we read about Peter and John being arrested by the Jewish leaders for preaching Christ -- hold your place here and follow along or listen as I read Acts 5:27-29

 

Acts 5:27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

 

29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!

 

-- I think Peter’s response back to the Jews is the key that we must have in order to under the instructions of Romans 13:1-2 – “We must obey God rather than men”

-- Christians are to submit to the authorities that God has established over us to the point where we are not required to obey if the government orders us to sin or compromise our loyalty to Jesus

-- in other words, we submit and obey the governmental authorities as best we can, until they tell us to disobey God or God’s commands – in that case, we are released from the command to obey the authorities because we must obey God rather than men

-- there are many examples of this in the Bible – think of Daniel continuing to pray to God in opposition to Darius’ decree that all men must pray only to him – or to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego going into the fiery furnace rather than bowing down to the golden image

-- in these cases, it is clear that we must obey God rather than men, even if that means the consequences of our actions are persecution, imprisonment, or worse

 

-- but keep in mind that what I am describing here are individual responses to ungodly commands – not the wholesale rebellion against God’s established authorities

-- remember, both Peter and Paul were imprisoned by Emperor Nero and eventually executed because of their faith in Christ, but neither advocated rebellion or the establishment of a new government

-- so, there is a difference between an individual response and an institutional response – rebellion against the authorities, especially in the form of a civil war or secession, needs to be something that is only undertaken in the most extreme situations and only if God directs

-- my recommendation is that you do what God’s word says – submit to the governing authorities over you as best you can – and only refuse to obey those laws or commands that are in clear violation of God’s word

-- let’s move on

 

-- verse 3

Romans 13:3 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. 4 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. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

 

 

-- we read here that there is nothing to fear if we obey the governing authorities over us – and there is truth in that – whether we are talking about godly governments or ungodly governments

-- in some of the political rhetoric that we have heard this election season, some candidates have spoken favorably about the regimes of recognized dictators – that their communities are relatively safe and secure and have low crime – and that is true

-- crime doesn’t exist because the people are scared of disobeying the government – the consequences in these dictatorships are harsh and inspire compliance

-- that’s not to say that these governments are good – I’m certainly not saying that or advocating for them in any sense of the word – but I am saying they demonstrate what Paul is saying here

-- rulers – even ungodly rulers – hold no terror for those who do right – only for those who do wrong

-- and until you reach the point where you have to disobey the rulers to follow God’s law, you can live safe and secure in these circumstances

-- the early Christians lived under such hostile regimes, and were only persecuted when their faith required them to disobey the rules of the authorities – when they followed the basic rules of their society and government, the rulers did not harass them

-- it is always right for us to do good and to follow the law, unless those laws are specifically opposed to God’s commands

 

-- what we see in these verses is that Paul is giving us the broad reason why God established civil authorities over us in the first place -- he is giving us the general purpose and practice of government, which is to protect those who do right and to punish those who do wrong

-- the point that is being made here is that these civil governments are established by God for a reason – they exist as His servants to take care of the citizens under them – and the citizens have no fear of the rulers, so long as they follow his rules

-- when Governments function as they are supposed to, they protect law-abiding citizens and punish law-breakers

-- that’s why we can turn to civil authorities for protection and due process when we are wronged or when someone disobeys the civil law

-- Paul did this himself when he was unjustly beaten and imprisoned without a trial – he called on the authority of Rome to protect him – and the Roman soldiers put him under their care and protection from the Jews until he could stand trial

-- so, God established civil governing authorities over us to protect us and care for us and lead us

 

-- one more point here in this section – notice that we read that the governing authority is called “God’s servant” – in fact, several times in these verses we are told the ruling official is “God’s servant” – and that’s something that we need to remember

-- we have been told to submit to the rulers over us because God established them – they exist to serve God and administer His will and purpose

-- and while some of these people may be godly people and some may be ungodly people, God’s word demands submission and obedience unless we are commanded to break God’s law or we are commanded to do that which is immoral or unjust

-- Paul reiterates again here in verse 5 that we are to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment, but also because of conscience – it is what God commands

-- as part of that submission, we are to respect the authority that God has established over us – that doesn’t mean we have to like them or agree with them – but we have to submit to them and respect their position of authority because they have been established by God

 

            -- there have certainly been presidents and other elected officials in this country that I did not like or agree with – a lot of them I felt were immoral or unjust persons – or their policies or positions on issues were contrary to what I understood God’s word to be

            -- but still, I tried to submit to them and respect the position they were in – if a president that I did not vote for and whose policies I opposed showed up at work one day or in a meeting I was at, I would still give them the respect their position demanded because they had been established and put into place by God

            -- so, I believe God’s word is clear that we are not to denigrate or speak of these people in ungodly ways simply because we disagree with them or their policies – we can speak out against policies or laws without being disrespectful in our response – we do so at the ballot box or by contacting our elected officials and letting them know what we think about their policies or proposals

 

            -- I’m going to put this out here – for the last four years, people in this country – including many Christians – have used the phrase, “Let’s go, Brandon,” in their speech, on flags, on signs, and on t-shirts – we all know what that phrase means – and Christians have no business saying that about anyone – even a person that we disagree with politically – it is not right and it clearly goes against what God is telling us here in these verses

            -- the same is true for those who speak ill of another person without cause – who gossip or lie or spread rumors or hateful speech about others – especially those in positions of power or authority

-- we need to recognize the authorities put into place by God, we should respect their position – it is fair for us to judge their actions and to speak out against immoral or corrupt and ungodly actions – but we have crossed a line when we speak of an authority person – as Paul puts it here, “a servant of God” – in a disrespectful manner

 

-- and, just in case there are not any toes I haven’t stepped on yet, let’s go on to talk about taxes

-- verse 6

 

Romans 13:6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 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.

 

-- Mark Twain once said, “The tax man will take every last thing from you, at least the taxidermist leaves the outer layer for people to admire.”

-- no one likes taxes – I know that we hear that one political party favors taxes over the other, but I guarantee you they don’t like paying taxes – they just like receiving taxes

-- no one likes to pay taxes – but God’s word says that we are to pay our taxes, because this is how his servants – the governing authorities – are able to take care of us and administer the government on His behalf

-- Jesus recognized the need for taxes to fund the civil authorities established by God – as He said in Mark 12:17 when asked if it was righteous to pay taxes, “Give to Caesar, what is Caesar’s and give to God, what is God’s”

-- God has ordained the collection and use of taxes by the civil authorities as a means to provide for citizens

 

-- now, we can certainly complain when taxes exceed what is fair and right – we can certainly vote our conscience and let our elected officials know when they are collecting more than they should or using our tax dollars unwisely – but God’s word requires us to pay tax when requested

-- I would say it is a necessary evil, but since it is God-ordained, I can’t say that – I can say that paying taxes – the fair and right amount of taxes – is something that God tells us to do in His word

-- so, Paul tells us here in verse 7 to give everyone what you owe them – if taxes, then pay taxes – if revenue, then pay the revenue – if respect, then give them respect – if honor, then give them honor

-- that is the way of God – that is the word of God – and that is His direction when it comes to dealing with the civil authorities that He has established and put in place over us

 

III.  Closing

-- let’s bring this to a close

-- In his book “Up with Authority,” Victor Lee Austin uses the analogy of an orchestra to explain why we need human authority.

-- Orchestras need conductors because the musicians don't have a single right answer to questions like, "What should we play at the concert?" or "What should we practice today?" or "How should we interpret this passage?"

-- Each musician might have a perfectly reasonable opinion, but their opinions will inevitably be different and will almost always be incompatible with one another. And it's no good for each musician to do what is right in his or her own ears.

-- An orchestra cannot function if the brass section insists on playing one musical piece while the strings play a completely different piece – there must be order -- If the orchestra is to perform coherently and make music rather than just noise, somebody has to have authority over the orchestra to decide what pieces should be played and when

            -- so, by submitting to the authority of a conductor, individual musicians attain musical expression they could never realize individually or even as a collection of free-wheeling players.

-- Authority is necessary for classical musicians to bring musical fulfillment to others.

-- In the words of Victor Lee Austin, the conductor's authority yields "a greater degree of human flourishing than we would have from the musicians separately or individually." [Source: Adapted from Peter J. Leithart, "Miracles of Authority," On the Square (2-10-12)]

 

-- What is true for orchestras is true for human life in general and especially when it comes to governing authorities

-- we cannot function without an authority in our lives – we just can’t – anarchy doesn’t work – and so God, in His infinite wisdom, established governing authorities over us to accomplish His will – to serve as His ministers of grace – and to protect and provide for us as we live in and under their authority

            -- as Christians, we have to understand God’s grace in the appointment of civil authorities over us, even if they belong to a different political party or have beliefs that we do not share

            -- regardless of who they are, we owe them our submission, respect, and obedience – at least until the point where their laws and demands run counter to God’s law

            -- as Jusin Martyr, one of the early church leaders wrote, "Everywhere, we, more readily than all men, endeavour to pay to those appointed by you the taxes, both ordinary and extraordinary, as we have been taught by Jesus. We worship only God, but in other things we will gladly serve you, acknowledging you as kings and rulers of men, and praying that, with your kingly power, you may be found to possess also sound judgment."

 

-- It was the consistent and official teaching of the Christian Church that obedience must be given to, and prayers made for, the civil power, even when the wielder of that civil power was someone like Claudius or Nero

 

-- thankfully, we live in a country where we have the opportunity to have a say in who we want to lead us – we are free to express our opinion on those who are running for office by voting for the person and the proposals that we feel most closely align with God’s word and our individual beliefs

-- but whether our candidate of choice is ultimately elected or not, we are still supposed to submit, respect, and obey whoever wins because God has allowed them to do so – so, as we approach the polls on November 5^th, remember that God is ultimately in control – and approach the ballot box in humility, with prayer, and with faith in God’s will and wisdom

-- let us pray