Romans 13:1-4 "God and Government" - The Men's Bible Study with Steven J. Lawson

[Music] all right guys here we are man this is awesome I've been missing heaven this room filled and for those of you who are joining us by way of livestream I wish you could see but the iconic herbs house is actually pretty full right now with mostly men so it's good to see you here and I'm excited for our study today blessings to you so I'm gonna start with a word of Prayer we're gonna dive right in and Kent's good to have you here so all right pick up order all right let's pray father as we come now to look into your word we ask that your Holy Spirit would be our primary teacher and that he would open our eyes to see the truth of your word so we ask for your grace as we meet bless these men immeasurably give them the mind of Christ begin with me pray this in Jesus name Amen all right men take your Bible turn with me to the book of Romans and while you're turning to the book of Romans only because for a bunch of you it's been a while since we've been together we're in Romans 13 let me just begin by reminding you about the book of Romans I think it is arguably the most important book in the entire Bible if you only had one book the case could be made and has been made by countless theologians and scholars it would be the book of Romans so what we are studying is not something that's peripheral it's it's something that's primary in your Bible there are 21 epistles and every one of your Bibles whatever your translation is the first epistle is Romans and there's a reason for that it's not the first epistle that was written it's the sixth epistle that was written it's v that was written by the Apostle Paul yet and every one of our Bibles Romans is teed up in the premier position why is that because everyone recognizes that it's the most important if you're wondering the sequence of how the epistles in the New Testament were written the first to be written was James then Galatians then 1st Thessalonians then 2nd Thessalonians then first Corinthians then 2nd Corinthians and then 6th is the book of Romans yet it's always in the leadoff position but here's why everything once you put down Romans everything else just hangs around Romans Romans is like the hub of the wheel this the center of the wheel and every other epistle are like spokes coming out from the book of Romans if you understand Romans you understand theology you understand sound doctrine so what we're looking at is a very important book in the Bible arguably the most important book in the Bible so we're in Romans chapter 13 and it's almost like every section that we come to in the book of Romans I could begin with this sentence this is the most important section in the Bible on whatever this doctrine is whatever this truth is so as we've come to Romans chapter 13 here's my sentence this is the most important section in the Bible on the role of government and the relationship of the Christian to government and whatever other cross-references we would go to they're all really like legs holding up the table the table is Romans 13 1 through 6 1 through 7 so with all this going on in the world right now there could not be a more timely moment for us to study these verses so I want to begin by reading we're gonna look at the first four verses I'm gonna go ahead and read let's say through verse five I don't think we'll get that far but beginning in verse one let me just set this in front of your eyes again every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities and just so you'll know I'm reading from the new American Standard for there is no authority except from God and those which exist are established by God therefore whoever resists Authority as a opposed the ordinance of God and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves for rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior but for evil do you want to have no fear of Authority do what's good and you will have praise from the same for it is a minister of God to you for good but if you do what is evil be afraid for it does not bear the sword for nothing for it is a minister of God and a vendor who brings wrath on the one who practices evil therefore it is necessary to be in subjection not only because of wrath but also for conscience sake let's just stop right there we're often told not to mix politics and religion right well that's exactly what Paul's doing he is mixing politics and religion and specifically God and government and there's no firewall here between God and government as Paul writes this here is how a Christian is to function in society as a law-abiding citizen now this says nothing about the form of government what this is addressing is how you and I as Christians are to walk in a manner worthy of our calling in relationship to the governing authorities over us whatever is the form of government and whoever is in those offices as I said this is certainly a hot topic for today as we have been confined by the government to our houses employment has been shut down for the most part and we really have been put in a very difficult position this is our first time really to come back together to meet because of what the government has dictated so we're gonna walk through this but before I do let's just set the historical context as Paul writes these words let us remember to whom he is writing this and where they are they are not in the buckle of the Bible Belt he is writing to the believers in Rome who which is where Caesar is and you know who the Caesar is at this moment it's a madman named Nero who would eventually burn the city and so this is an autocratic rule that is filled with political corruption that there is the tyranny of Caesar and the Senate and the Roman really military and the believers have zero influence they have zero clout with the government it's not like they can run a Christian for office and and he can you know be elected type of thing the believers are little more than an underprivileged oppressed minority they have no voice at any level of government they have no legal recourse for the in justices that they suffer and so how are these believers in Rome to respond to the dictatorial oppressive government in in Rome so let's just walk through these verses as you might imagine I have several headings okay number one I want you to see the requirement Paul gets right to the point there's no beating around the bush at the beginning of verse one he says every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities the word every leaps off the page there are no exceptions to this when he says person this is in contrast in the previous chapter he referred to the believers as Saints in verse 13 as the beloved in verse 19 you can see that across the page but here he says every person is literally the words for soul sookay so whether you're a believer or not a believer though he is addressing believers this is God's design for how a society and a culture is is to function so every person and this is certainly inclusive of believers and this starts with believers and he is addressing believers he says is to be in subjection to the governing authorities now let's talk about what the word subjection means first it's a compound word in the Greek Paul loves using compound words where two words are merged together and it's it's the main verb means to line up just just line up get in order and there's a prefix that means under and it the word literally means to line up under it's a military term where soldiers would line up under the commanding officer who is over them and and so you are to come in subjection under the officer who is over you who has total dictatorial authority to to direct you now we're not surprised to read this that we are to be in subjection even under unbelieving authorities all of the authorities were basically unbelievers as this is being written so that there's no there's no believer in the palace on the throne now the whole Christian life is a life of submission the entire Christian life is a life of subjection so we're not surprised to see this and I want to walk through just kind of a punch list with you just to remind you that the moment you came through the narrow gate and began to follow Jesus Christ the first step into the kingdom of God was a step of submission a step of submission to the lordship of Christ it's not something that would start five years later down the road you came under the authority of scripture did you not you came under the authority of God himself you are to be we are to be in submission one to another Ephesians five verse 21 Paul says be subject to one another so I am to be in submission to you and you are to be in submission to me as we consider the interests of one another as more important than our own Philippians 2 verse 3 wives are to be in submission to their husbands children are to be in submission to their parents slaves are to be in submission to their masters employees are to be in submission to their employers so we're not surprised when we we see being subjection to the governing authorities our entire Christian life is a life of submission in an Ephesians 6 earlier verses 15 through 18 we read that every single person on planet Earth is a slave you're either a slave to sin and you will obey sin as an unbeliever or you are a slave to righteousness and a slave to the lordship of Jesus Christ and he is your master and he is the governing power and authority in your life but no one is not in submission in the in the big picture sense you're there in submission to sin or you're in submission to Christ and earlier in Romans 8 and verse 7 unbelievers are characterized simply as those who are not in submission to God not in submission to the law of God that's every unbeliever so as we see this in verse 1 every person is to be in subjection our heads ought to be nodding up and down yes I agree my whole life is lived in submission he says here specifically to the governing authorities the word governing is another compound word and it just means higher rank those in rank over us and authorities here it's it's a Greek word we're very familiar with it when Jesus said all authority in heaven and earth has been given unto me Matthew 28:18 I'll never forget our cease parole helping define this word for me one timing conversation it's a Greek word exuse iya out of self is literally what authority means it's it's it's an authority that arises out of yourself and it is the freedom to act as you so desire it is Liberty to exercise power from within yourself Authority has been delegated to you and you are now free to act accordingly because you have authority over other people's lives and so God has entrusted delegated authority to the governing officials that are over us it would you and he want to live in a world where there was no authority where it was just everyone's in authority under themselves everyone's a vigilante group and and there is no Authority you you would rather have bad Authority than have no authority because we need some we need structure or it would just be chaos there'd be no traffic lights there would be no there's just it be it be wild so let me give you two cross references at this point Titus 3 verse 1 I just want you to know this is not an independent teaching Titus 3 verse 1 remind them in other words keep telling the church this Titus there on the island of Crete remind them of this over and over and over don't tell them just once remind them to be to be subject to rulers comma to authorities comma to be obedient comma to be ready for every good deed so it is the performing of good deeds when we are subject to those who are in authority over us and those titles differ depending upon what nation you live in and what is the form of government now 1st Peter 2 verses 13 and 14 is the other important text that we need to to here Nero is still on the throne when Peter writes this and the persecution is about to bust loose if it has not already busted loose I mean it's the very year that Nero begins to just become a madman and and burns Rome and blames the Christians for it and the Christians will soon become the scum of the earth and their bodies will be used as as torches to light his his gardens so just to give you historical context so this is what Paul says to the believers and remember first Peter begins he's writing to those who are aliens who are scattered abroad Cappadocia of Athenian etc etc in other words he's writing this to believers who are run out of town and just scattered like tumbleweeds throughout the Roman Empire they can't even keep their houses and their jobs so this is what he says beginning in verse 13 he doesn't say you know get on a boat and go to Rome and pick at the Senate he doesn't say Lobby Caesar that it would have been laughable at that point submit yourselves for the lord's sake to every human institution whether to a king as the one in authority or to governor's as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers in the praise of those who do right so now will there be exceptions to this and the answer to that is yes because our highest allegiance is to the one who has all authority and there will be times when we will be forced to obey God and not men but it requires the wisdom of Solomon to know when and why to resist the authority just to give you a verse for that acts for 28 and 29 as Peter and John are standing before the Sanhedrin and the Sanhedrin say to Peter we gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in his name and yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us Peter and the Apostles answered we must obey God rather than men so there is a time and a place for civil disobedience but those hills that you die on must be carefully weighed out and and and and it becomes a gospel issue that you prevent us from preaching the gospel and expanding the work of the kingdom of God now let's move on to the second heading in Romans 13 we've seen the responsibility number two the reason why must we live in submission to the governing authorities so in the middle of verse one he says four and just to remind you that maybe Paul's most used word four introduces an explanation and so Paul is a master teacher and he's always using this word four in fact it's used five times in these four verses it's just a string of the word four four four let me explain why I'm saying this let me explain why I'm saying this let me explain why I'm saying this so here is the reason for there is no authority except from God so God is the only sovereign who answers to no one God is the supreme sovereign upon his throne and whatever authority there is on the earth whether it is to a father to a husband to an employer or government has come down from the sovereign throne of God above God has all authority and God delegates his authority to different institutions and in this case to the governing authorities and he says those which exists referring to the governing authorities are established by God and the word established is again a military term which means to to light to to line up like soldiers that the commanding officer would line up the soldiers as he wants them to be lined up to march into battle and this word established is used in the New Testament - to mean to ordain to a point to a sign to place and so all governing authorities are established by God now from we have to look at this from two perspectives there's a human perspective and then the divine perspective from a human perspective with our physical eyes we see that men are put into office by various human means we call this secondary causes one would be by popular vote and God works through means to accomplish his in as God is Lord over Providence Romans 8:28 God causes all things to work together for good he is the lord over Providence as our seaspar all would say there's no maverick molecules in the universe so sometimes from a human perspective they are put into office by a popular vote that's in a democracy sometimes they are born into and into office that's a monarchy sometimes they are put into office by force that's a coup I mean there's different ways from a human perspective someone finds themselves in office but this is saying from a divine perspective it is from God that is what we call a theocracy not a democracy but a theocracy a democracy is government by popular vote theocracy is government by one vote God's sovereign will by the invisible sovereign hand of God now this recognition of God putting people into office which is why we should be in submission to them was taught long ago in the Old Testament this is nothing new so I want you to turn back to the Book of Daniel the last of the five prophet books Daniel chapter 2 after Ezekiel before Hosea Daniel 2 no one may look at their table of contents right now ok Daniel chapter 2 and and and verse 21 I'll start reading in verse 20 Daniel said let the name of God be blessed for ever and ever for wisdom and power belonged to him now it's a powerful combination wisdom and power wisdom main God knows what is the perfect thing to do and power says he has the authority to execute his wisdom you could have wisdom without power that's no good you could have power of that wisdom that's no good wisdom and power together God alone has that so verse 21 it is he referring to God who changes the times and the epochs referring to different administration's referring to different empires different dynasties that that is God who is changing the political landscape behind the scene now notice the next line he God removes Kings and establishes Kings it is God who removes one from the throne and it is God who puts the other on the throne and knowledge to men of understanding so we see very clearly what Daniel and Daniel is saying this to Nebuchadnezzar he's not preaching to the choir he's saying this to to an unbeliever at this point now come to chapter 4 and as he is saying this to Nebuchadnezzar let me just remind you of this Nebuchadnezzar was an evil ruler and he is testifying to this evil ruler you are on the throne of Babylon by the sovereign hand of God God is the one who puts you on the throne and God is going to be the one to remove you from this throne when you come down it is all according to God now Daniel chapter 4 and verse 17 it is really second verse same as the first so we read in verse 17 this sentence is by the decree of the angelic Watchers and the decision is a command of the Holy Ones in order that the living may know that the Most High you know who that is that's God on the in the organizational chart of the universe there's only one who is most time he's at the top of the pyramid everyone in everything every person every event every circumstance every birth every death every everything is under the most high there's no one that he looks across at on the same level that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whom he wishes and sets it over the lowly lowliest of men so look at verse 32 come across the page verse 32 I'll start in verse 31 while the word was in the king's mouth a voice came from heaven saying King Nebuchadnezzar to you daz declared sovereignty has been removed from you and you will be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field you will be given grass to eat like cattle and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever he wishes now let me just keep reading here for a second immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled and he was driven away from mankind meaning he was jerked off his throne and sent out into the wilds and began eating grass like cattle he was reduced to living like an animal and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like Eagles feathers and his nails like birds claws but at the end of that period I Nebuchadnezzar raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me sin will always make you stupid reason now returns when he has God in right perspective he's finally been humbled and brought down and my reason returned to me and I blessed the most high and praised and honored him who lives forever now this is coming out of the mouth of Nebuchadnezzar this is not Daniel for his Dominion referring to God's sovereignty is an everlasting Dominion i've been removed from office god will never be removed from his throne there will never be an impeachment of god his sovereignty rules from age to age forever and ever it is God who removes men from Thrones it is God who puts men into power in his kingdom referring to God's kingdom endures from generation to generation all the inhabitants of the earth there's no exceptions to this account it is nothing even the nation's he will say it Isaiah 40 is like a speck of dust on the scales the nation's representing told millions of people what would one individual ruler be less than even a speck he does according to his will and the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and no one can ward off his hand or say to him what have you done no one can slap the hand of God and God have to withdraw his sovereign hand God does what He wills when He wills how He wills with whom He wills he is accountable to no one other than to himself and this is the God who rules and reigns in heaven this is why we are to be in submission to those who are in authority over us even to the Nebuchadnezzar's of this world now come to the new testament come to the Gospel of John John chapter 19 and verse 11 and we want to see that as we come to the new testament nothing has changed the kingdoms change the dynasty's changed the empires change it's no longer the Babylonian Empire now it's the Roman Empire Empire which has Israel in subjection under Pax Romana but in John chapter 19 and verse 11 Jesus is standing trial before Pilate and just to cut to the chase he says let me start in verse 10 so Pilate said to him you do not speak to me do you not know that I have authority to release you and I have authority to crucify you jesus answered you would have no authority over me unless it had been given you from above for this reason he who delivered me to you has the greater sin Jesus as he is in subjection to the will of God the Father Jesus is in subjection to the governing authorities over him who will pronounce his capital punishment who will pronounce his crucifixion and Jesus clothing himself with humble obedience to the will of God says nothing to Pilate other than you would have no authority except it has come down from My Father it is God who gave the authority to Pilate to crucify the only perfect man who ever lived because God had a greater purpose God had a greater plan that's why God raised up Pilate like a puppet and put him onto the stage of human history to carry out the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God acts 2:23 now I've got one more come to Romans chapter 9 Romans chapter 9 which as you know is a chapter of hardball theology Romans chapter 9 and verse 17 you know we can begin in verse 15 for he says to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion verse 17 for the scriptures say to Pharaoh we were in her who Pharaoh was right he was the ruler Pharaoh as the title is the ruler over the Egyptian dynasty which was just a godless idolatrous pagan society for this purpose for the scripture says to Pharaoh for this very purpose oh so God had a purpose God has a secret will I raised you up to demonstrate my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth God had a purpose to put this reprobate Pharaoh on the throne of Egypt at this designed appointed time and God raised him up to use him to let Moses and his people go to travel to the promised land because God is so far out ahead of the parade this is just like one little link in the chain of history that God is fusing and fashioning together and this is just a rare moment where through the inspiration of Scripture the the veil is pulled back and we are allowed to see the invisible hand of God presiding over history and to see what God is doing but God is working through even evil rulers to bring about his sovereign purpose God has a plan that he is carrying out for his people and his people are to be in submission to the governing authorities God does not want a revolution God wants a Reformation God has a plan he doesn't want anarchy in the streets God is secretly carrying out history history is his story so this is not to say that many rulers have not misused their power and authority of course they have there have been many Nero's into missions many Hitler's and stahl many saddam hussein's an idiom mean and neither is this to say that that God is responsible for the evil they have committed but it is to say Genesis 50 verse 20 they meant it for evil God meant it for good it is to say that in the mystery of his sovereign province Providence God has purposes and plans that he is secretly carrying out now just one example we've been shut down we haven't been able to meet and we could have been angry and risen up and protest and been thrown in to jail or we could have started steadfast hope and sent out everyday Bible study I mean God has a plan and a purpose he closes one door he opens 10 doors God is always working both sides of the aisle to keep advancing the gospel and the kingdom of God in ways that we would have never imagined and even in the death of Stephen as Saul of Tarsus is standing there observing this and there everyone's putting their clothes at his feet so that they have unrestricted movement to pick up stones and stones Stephen to death it was a part of the plan to fulfill the Great Commission to flush the church out of Jerusalem it was the persecution that sent them out into the Roman Empire to take the gospel to Corinth to Ephesus to to Philadelphia to to Rome to all the different cities God had a plan even in the persecution to advance the gospel so again this is the reason God says every person should be in submission to the governing authorities don't mess up what I'm doing God has the plan and the purpose and we may not like it and there are a lot of things I don't like that are going on there are a lot of things you don't like that are going on but we have to play our position which is to be in submission to the governing authorities who are over us as we spread the gospel will there be a time in a place where we say we must obey God and not men yes hear me say that it's going to take the wisdom of Solomon to know where that line in the sand is and what those issues are and when you cross the line but we can't be trigger-happy also alright wait for it all right now I just yeah here we go number three I could only see number four in my notes Oh number three I thought Kent was hiding my notes again which he likes to do number three the resistance beginning of verse two what about those who refuse to submit to the governing authorities he says in verse two therefore whoever resists in the word this word resists has the same root word for to line up but it has the prefix anti like Antichrist anti God anti toss oh my whoever is against this lining up whoever resists Authority referring to governing authority has opposed meaning set yourself in opposition against the ordinance of God Wow we don't want to do that that's not a good move the ordinance of God the word ordinance here means the arrangement of God the institution of of God so what are you saying is you're actually resisting you're resisting what God has put in place you you are resisting God's design and and and God's lining up of the pieces of the puzzle you're lining up against the the pieces on the chessboard as God is strategically making his moves to bring history to its appointed in you you're resisting God what God's doing so this leads forth to the retribution the end of verse 2 so what is the result of such resistance he says beginning in the middle of verse 2 and they referring to those who resist the ordinance of God and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves and the condemnation here means the punishment with which one is sentenced then you will suffer the condemnation for Nero are you willing to suffer unjustly but ultimately there will be condemnation from God because you are resisting God and he's saying you you have brought it on yourself you've done this to yourself patience is a fruit of the Spirit to bear up under unjust suffering Jesus bore up under unjust suffering now this leads to number 5 the rulers and I'm kind of speeding through here the rulers he says beginning in verse 3 for rulers and and obviously we know who that is that the magistrates the princes the commanders for rulers are not a cause for fear for good behavior in other words if you live according to the the laws then you should not fear now what creates the tension in the problem is when you live in a society that have laws that are unjust that's what creates the tension within us because it should be that if you have good behavior according to just laws you have no reason to fear you should fear he says in verse three for evil and evil is breaking the law and and doing that which is wicked he says do you want to have no fear question mark and the word fear here is a Greek word that comes in the English language as phobia I mean it's like a dread and a terror do you want to have no fear of authority referring to the governing authority it goes do what is right do what is respectable under the law you will have praise meaning from he says from the same meaning from the ruler for it referring to the governing authority is a minister of God now just remember who's on the throne Nero he's a reprobate yeah I mean he's not he's not a believer yet he is a minister of God he is serving the purposes of God the higher purposes of God and the word for minister here is the word that's translated deacon in first Timothy three I mean he's he's serving the purposes of God to you for good verse four but if you do what is evil be afraid for it does not bear the sword for nothing God has put the sword into the hands of the government and the sword was to be used for capital punishment and in I believe in the death penalty for certain capital offenses because I believe the Bible teaches it and it was certainly taught in the Old Testament and I think it carries over into the New Testament God has put into the hand of the governing official the sword not a toothbrush a sword not not a pipe cleaner not a q-tip not a feather a sword by which execution is carried out you don't even spank someone with a sword you kill them you put them to death with a sword I remember one time I was I was debating a Catholic priest in Little Rock over capital punishment at the Lions Club or wherever this was and and and the the priest he was just this peace Nick peace Nick priest said capital punishment does not restrain evil doers and I said oh yes it does they'll never commit evil again after they're put to death yeah it does Marvel support restraining evil there is no more evil that they will do and and there needs to be that fear of God there is no fear of God when you just go unlock all of the prisons in America and let murderers out I mean what fear of God is there for that if you get a free pass no or delay the execution ten years now there should be swift justice and it makes everybody sit up straight and and and obey the law so for it does not bear the sword for nothing for it is a minister or servant of God and Avenger that's a pretty strong word meaning one who carries out justice on behalf of God one who punishes evildoers who brings wrath that's God's wrath to bear on the one who practices evil well I've gone long enough on this I just wanted to get through verse four and there's now a hundred questions I know I've simply late I haven't done anything Paul has laid out for us the skeleton the challenge is putting the flesh and the muscle onto this skeleton but this is the framework so let me just open it up for us to start talk among ourselves let's start here can't if we can get the microphone back all right and I only want easy to answer questions okay dr. Lawson just out of curiosity how do we balance following the government and then hebrews 10:25 when do we know to trigger that we say enough is enough we want to continue to proclaim the gospel you know but we've been asked to shelter children when do you know to trigger it and then as an outgrowth of being sheltered in you have your people start being fearful apathetic about wanting to come back to church so you've got that to deal with yeah personally I think we're at at that point where we need to be need to be meeting for church in a public setting and if you're fearful then just stay at home if you're 65 or older and have a pre-existing condition then then I guess stay at home or our stand at the window or at the door but for everyone else I think we come back to church and we meet now each church has to make its own decision on that I'm not the the authority for everybody I do think this like let's just say out in California let's just say if if the governor out there yeah aren't you glad to live in the nation of Texas okay yeah where's the Boston Tea Party when we need it you know let's just say out in California let's say the governor says no churches may meet until next year which isn't beyond the realm of possibility but they open up sporting and heat they open up sporting events they open up shopping malls they open up concerts they open up marijuana stores they open up brothels they open up liquor stores they open up abortion clinics I go hey you you are now persecuting us you are singling us out we will meet now if there is an across the board that basically everyone is staying at home then I think there is a greater good for us to comply with that rather than to needlessly provoke this we are to adorn the gospel of Jesus Christ and part of that is our submission to those who are in authority but if if it gets to the point where everything is opened up except church then then I for me and in the scripture is obviously not black-and-white clear as to where this line is and it takes collective wisdom and it takes wisdom and it it takes patience I I would say you wait longer rather than you jump the gun on when that is and I think you need to be willing to suffer unjustly whatever those consequences are I I have no problem with a business owner of a small business saying I'm opening up but you need to be willing to go to jail you need to be willing to suffer the consequence without whining and complaining you did this because your conscience led you to do this now different people's conscience will be at different points on this so that that's that's the best answer I've got and it would be legalism for me to go I think beyond that and to begin to impose that on other people I think we all feel that the struggle and the tension of working this out and as you can probably imagine because I'm a conservative with the Bible I'm therefore conservative in economics and politics I mean it's a consistent worldview you can't be conservative in one and liberal and another that's incongruent so but having said that that's the best answer I've got yeah someone else number of questions and yet one of them yes is consistent uh-huh and the question is do we obey the Constitution if the governor and the authorities are not following the Constitution who do we obey Wow that's so easy I'm gonna let you answer that one Kent yeah I mean this I'm not really good in ethics they're seminary professors who teach ethics and and I'm not good in ethics that is a great question I'm going to say initially that you obey the governing authority who's over you it's his responsibility to follow the Constitution it's our responsibility to follow the governing authority the revolution in our country started the American Revolution yeah I think we were rebels I think we had no right to do what we did in the Boston Tea Party and I said earlier glibly you know we need another Boston Tea Party no that was an act of rebellion I don't think that that was the right step to take and so we rebelled against the King of England when we were under the king of England over a three pence tax and we will see in a couple of verses in Romans 13 it says to pay your taxes and so they chose not to note no taxation without representation well we get that now that we have a democracy set up and and all of that but at that time it was a monarchy so I think it was wrong and I remember the day in seminary when we discussed that and there's a great book published by PNR the author's last name is singer s ing er if you want to buy a book and read it in fact his daughter lives here in town it makes the case that the American Revolutionary War was was rebellious so I think and I'm a red-blooded American and I think much good has come from America but nevertheless that was the wrong way to get it started I don't see biblically how you can come up with another answer on that okay so we got three minutes anything else Oh Luke Luke from the owners box Luke going off that question on the Revolutionary War is there a reason then to go to war yeah would that just be more of a defensive reason to go to war versus there is a reason there is the doctrine of a just war and that is to protect innocent lives and if there is a threat to human life then the stronger army I think has every right to step in and to protect the taking of human life of the one who cannot protect themselves and you know we could we could have a three-part study on the doctrine of just war but just to cut to the bottom line yes I think that and I think we were right to try to put Hitler out of out of this world because he was an evil man who was persecuting Jews who could not defend themselves and so that was a just war and for the most part America has been a force for good in war to protect innocent lives I you know I can't go war by war and and I'm not a student of history to that point and and there may have been times that we stepped in too quickly that that's subject for debate but certainly there have been times when we have rightly and justly done so to protect the the slaughter of innocent lives yes sir yeah on abortion obviously abortion is a great evil is probably the evil of our day it probably rises to the highest level of evil there is no more unsafe place to be in America than in your mother's womb I think we can protest peaceably I think we can pick it an abortion clinic I think you're wrong to to cross whatever the line is and I know if ministers who have crossed the picket line and who have met and who now cannot preach for the rest of their life because they've been arrested your primary purpose on earth was not to protest abortion your primary purpose on earth was to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to look at it from the big picture I believe every one of those aborted babies go to heaven you are to preach the gospel to adults who are going to hell and win them to Christ that does not excuse the the slaughter of innocent life in the womb but if you are if you are going to push that to the point that you are now arrested and there is a government restriction placed on you that you cannot preach and there are men like that in the United States I think you have violated your call as a preacher of the gospel just go down there and pick it then back and forth or do counseling but I would not I would not push beyond that and and I have people who want me to go you know down when I go to other cities and and come you know go with us and I said that's that's really not my calling I am called to do what what I am doing good for you and go do it and it is an atrocity yes sir but what about the authority that we're paying taxes and the taxes are used for abortion how do you answer that well yeah yeah no great question thank you thank you for that the way that we are to look at it I believe is this we are to pay our taxes to the government how they use that money is on them once I have given my money to them my hands are now free from the blood I have done what God has called me to do it now is incumbent upon those government officials and if they choose to fund Planned Parenthood there is so much blood on the hands of those politicians but once that money is out of my hands that I have no control over that all I can do is what I can do and that's all God expects is for me to do what I can do I can't do what the politician is supposed to do that blood is on their hands and by way of parallel it would be like if you're in a church and you don't agree with something that's going on in your church all you can do is what you can do would be to go to one of the elders and express your concern at that point the onus is on that elder you have done what God would require you to do I think we have violated Scripture by doing this we should not be doing this you're not responsible for leading the church any more then you're responsible to lead the nation all you're responsible to do is to do what God has put in front of you to do which would be to voice it to that elder or to voice it to that politician and yes I mean we can write in we can call we can mail we can protest peaceably we can do whatever but that onus is on them now and they're going to have so much to give an account for on the last day that is why in Romans 12 it's it which we just looked at but it says leave room for the wrath of God for it is written vengeance is mine I will repay and there are some who are unbelieving politicians and not to be put it in crafts terms but they're going to have hell to pay for on funding abortions and funding whatever else and hell is not the same for everyone there are places that are worse and hotter in hell than other places and it's all hell but false teachers and false prophets will receive a stricter condemnation and those who slaughter innocent life and a mother's room I can't imagine anything more gruesome and evil and devilish and demonic than abortion so just get out of the way and wail do you see when the tsunami of God's wrath hits that beach well men thank you Paul has certainly given us a lot to think about and I do not I'm just the messenger here and I don't have all the answers and how this all works out I really don't but this is the framework that we hang our thoughts on and we'll be here next Thursday morning and we've got more verses you know to look ahead on this isn't it amazing how relevant the Bible is and when I when I was a pastor and I'd preached first by verse through books in the Bible what one thing that just amazed me like I had no idea three years ago when I started preaching through that book that those Verte that these verses when it would intersect with this issue that would be going on in the country or in the life of the church and it was almost like I would almost think people are gonna think I've done this like a hit job but but you but you know we've been doing this for three years and it just like the timing of it here we are but it's amazing it speaks to the relevance of the Word of God and how it just speaks to the issues of the day men I love you I'm so thankful that you're here I'm just so grateful to finally I mean I love Kent to death but it's just been it's like been one-on-one basketball you know it's just good to play team sports yeah yeah it's just good to play team sports again so I'll close this in prayer father thank you for the wisdom that is contained in these verses we need more wisdom to know how to apply this in the situations that are before us thank you for saving our soul Lord from extreme darkness and bringing us into light in Jesus name Amen all right men next Thursday morning right here and I'm preaching [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: OnePassionMinistries

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Length: 71min 49sec (4309 seconds)

Published: Thu May 28 2020