Romans 13:1-7

I do hope that you have a copy of God's Word with you this morning. Please join me in it in Romans chapter 13.

Romans 13 · chapter mention

Our text for today is Romans chapter 13 verses 1 through 7.

Romans 13:1–7

Before we take a look at today's text, a very good morning to you all.

If I've yet to say hi to you, I'm very glad to be back with you, and I'm very thankful for our church.

I am grateful for our church for at least three reasons.

First, I'm thankful for church leadership that cares about my spiritual and physical well-being.

Truly, the men that God is leading this church are a blessing to you as well as to myself.

Secondly, I'm thankful for a church that is willing to let me be cared for,

that allow me to be absent for a month and to ask how my time away was and how I am.

I'm just warmed by all of your appreciation and gratefulness for my time away this morning.

Please know that that time was well spent and I'm doing quite well.

Thirdly, Sam and I took the boys for a teaching opportunity to a local megachurch last week,

and I am thankful for a church that does not desire to be entertained to death

and will not allow for God's Word to be neglected when we are gathered together.

In a single verse of many of the songs that we've sung together this morning,

there's more truth, substantive truth, than we experienced in our entire time at that church.

And so I'm glad that some of the things that they did,

I would shudder to try, as I think you all would throw me out the window if I did.

So I'm glad for that.

I am in no way tempted to entertain you,

and I think this is good for all of our souls.

If I ever have reason to doubt the power of the gospel or the goodness of God,

I only need to stop and think about his manifold grace in the life of this church,

and my faith is refreshed.

So thank you. Keep it up.

And now as we turn our attention to the first seven verses of chapter 13,

we find a timely text for a season of political unrest.

I imagine that if you have no concern about the state of politics in our country,

then you are paying no attention whatsoever to all that has been happening.

Maybe that's a wonderful state of bliss.

These seven verses are good for us for today,

but beyond the providential timing of their assignment to this morning,

we will do well to think about their placement in Paul's letter to the Roman believers.

Many commentators suggest this passage is disjointed from Paul's exhortations in chapter 12.

I even read a suggestion in my study of it that it was imported from elsewhere and brought into this book.

But this is not so.

In Romans chapter 12, verse 1 and 2, Paul wrote this,

Romans 12:1

I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, right,

in light of everything that he has presented to be true of the gospel so far,

he says, by the mercies of God, which is the summary of those first 11 chapters,

to present your bodies as a living sacrifice.

And we talked about how this was whole self-sacrifice that Paul is referring to here.

Every ounce of who you are presented as a living sacrifice,

holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Verse 2, he says,

Do not be conformed to this world,

but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,

that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,

what is good and acceptable and perfect.

And we talked about how Paul's not here meaning that if you will transform your mind,

that you will be able to discern the unknown will of God.

But he's going to go on to tell us what that will of God is.

So he encourages at the outset of chapter 12 that our whole selves are to be given to God.

And then the structure of the following chapters is chiastic.

If you're not familiar with this term,

it means that the text mirrors on top of itself.

There's many chiastic structures found in the Bible,

and they are very cool.

So I want to draw your attention just briefly to this one.

After verse 2 of chapter 12,

we see in verses 3 through 8 a summary of humble service.

Like how should our lives look in service to the church

using our various gifts in the way they were designed to be used.

And then in verses 9 through 16,

he talks about love in the life of the church.

So you've got A, chapter 12, verses 3 through 8.

B, verses 9 through 16.

C, how it is that we're meant to relate with the world.

Verses 17 through 21.

And then it follows, if we're to relate to the world in this way,

how it is that we're to relate with the political authorities of this world.

So you see the C prime, the reflective part of that part found in verses 17 through 21.

And then you continue on in chapter 13, verses 8 through 10.

And again, love in the church, right?

Corresponding to verses 9 through 16 of chapter 12.

And then all of chapter 14, again being about humble service.

Now I'm looking at all this typed out,

and I know that your mind is probably going, okay.

The point is that there's a chiastic structure here.

Paul has an ordered, divinely inspired plan,

and we ought to give care as we consider it in the coming weeks.

Part of giving our whole selves in devotion to our merciful God

is living under the authority that he has established

in the home, at work, in church,

and yes, even as citizens of the place that God has placed us.

So, without further ado, let's take a look at today's text.

It is a joy, beloved, to remind you that this is God's word to us,

written for his glory and our good,

and we would all do well to listen to it

in order to believe its promises and to obey its commands.

Romans 13, beginning in verse 1.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.

For there is no authority except from God,

and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed,

and those who resist will incur judgment.

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.

Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority?

Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval.

For he is God's servant for your good.

But if you do wrong, be afraid,

for he does not bear the sword in vain.

For he is the servant of God,

an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

Therefore, one must be in subjection,

not only to avoid God's wrath,

but also for the sake of conscience.

For because of this, you also pay taxes,

for the authorities are ministers of God,

attending to this very thing.

Pay to all what is owed to them,

taxes to whom taxes are owed,

revenue to whom revenue is owed,

respect to whom respect is owed,

honor to whom honor is owed.

Now, in order to avoid chasing every possible rabbit this morning,

we will begin with a simple three-point exegesis of the text,

which will be as follows.

Number one, a command to obey.

Number two, a caution against rebellion.

Number three, a contribution.

For the work.

Now, after this straightforward consideration,

I intend to ask some contextual questions

and issue answers from this text,

and more broadly from elsewhere in the Bible.

So we're going to just simply go through the text itself,

and then we're going to ask some slightly larger questions as well.

So hang in with me as we do that.

So number one, a command to obey.

And you see this there at the very beginning of the chapter,

verse one,

let every person be subject to the governing authorities,

for there is no authority except from God,

and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Paul tells us, simply,

that we are to obey the governing authorities of our political system,

because that authority has been set in place by God himself.

You may recall that I taught a series on authority in recent months

and summarized the overarching teaching of the Bible with eight biblical assertions.

I'm going to give them to you really quickly in brief,

but hopefully this will be a reminder to you as we think about submission to authority.

Number one, God's authority is innate.

That means it belongs to him because he is, in fact, God.

Nobody granted it to him.

He is in authority because he is God.

And because of that, that authority is final.

It's the absolute authority.

God's authority is innate and it is final.

Number two, God's authority is necessarily good because he is good.

We have no reason to question the way that God has ordered the universe

because God is a good God.

Number three, humankind has an authority problem.

It began in the garden, continues to this day.

Paul is here addressing it in these following verses.

We tend to not want to be told what to do.

Number four, we are delegated authority that always has limits

and is always subservient to the one who delegated it, right?

That is God who has that innate and final authority.

He's put boundaries on the authority that he has granted to various roles in our world.

Number five, when a person or institution takes up a responsibility not granted to them

or exercises an authority granted to them in a way not granted to them,

it is at best ineffective.

It is at worst abusive.

So we are meant to take up authority that's been granted in the way that it's been granted.

Otherwise, it goes horribly awry.

Number six, the aim of exercising authority and submission to God's good authority

is for the sake of protecting the vulnerable, strengthening our communities,

and promoting human flourishing,

which is borrowed from a book by a man named Jonathan Lehman called Authority.

So again, it's for the sake of protecting the vulnerable,

strengthening our communities, and promoting human flourishing.

Number seven, God delegates his authority through three institutions and six positions.

And we talked about those at length across that time.

I'm going to spare you those details this morning.

For our purposes, know that one of the three institutions is the government,

which is what we are considering today.

And lastly, within these three institutions and six positions,

there is granted two types of authority.

We talked about the authority of counsel or persuasion,

the power to convince somebody to do something.

It's what we're doing here and now.

I hope to convince you by the power of the Spirit

that what Paul is exhorting us to is good and proper,

and we should obey it.

And also, the authority of command or coercion,

the power to make someone do something by force,

which is the type of authority that the government possesses, right?

Yielding that sword mentioned in the text.

So generally, Paul says, chapter 13 and verse 1,

we are to recognize the governing authorities as being from God,

and therefore, we are to obey them.

I know that when we read a text like this,

we immediately want to arrive at the exceptions.

We are, after all, citizens of a country born not so long ago

from casting off government authority.

That's kind of who we are as Americans,

no longer British anymore.

However, we recently celebrated Independence Day,

a yearly recognition that we were unwilling to live

under the tyranny of King George

and still today won't stand for tyranny.

I'm not saying any of this is bad, right?

But it's kind of part of who we are.

We read a text like this and we want to go,

yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, but...

But note that you generally,

willingly subject yourself to the governing authorities

in your daily living.

We are generally productive citizens,

obeying traffic laws,

keeping our licenses and insurance current,

paying our property taxes,

pulling permits for septic system installs,

not dumping trash in the river, etc.

There are laws that we obey.

Whether or not we entirely agree with them,

we still submit to that authority

because we recognize that it's an authority.

And if we do well,

we recognize that it's an authority

given by God.

We generally find great accord

with the rule of law

and agree mostly with the laws of our land.

That said, we don't always agree, do we?

Until recently,

a Supreme Court decision

known as Roe v. Wade

functionally served as the law of the land

that permitted abortion,

like the murder of unborn children.

Christians rightly despised

and despised that decision

and sought to see justice done.

Not through vigilantism,

but through political process.

We praise God

for that decision's overturning

and recognize that it is the starting point

for much more work

to defend the most vulnerable

of our country's citizens.

So, we took up there

as Christian people.

We didn't become vigilantes.

We weren't those that

bombed abortion clinics,

but rather we submitted ourselves

to the authority

and cried,

this is wrong

and must be fixed.

Praise God,

we are in the process of that

even now.

The point I am making

is that we ought not be quick

to the American impulse

to arrive at the exceptions,

but rather to accept

the general exhortation.

Don't forget

that this letter's original audience

were Roman citizens.

It is most likely

that Paul wrote this letter

in A.D. 57,

a time at which

the citizenry of Rome

was already persecuting Christians

with no protection

from the pantheonic Roman leadership.

In just a few short years,

in A.D. 64,

the Roman authorities

would begin

the state-sponsored

systematic persecution

of Christians.

Yet,

Paul's inspired pen

writes,

We are not exceptional

in the history of the world.

Like,

we have some

particular oppression

that shouldn't make this text

ring true

for us.

Think about

first century

and second

and third

and fourth century

Christians.

Think about Christians

in our world today

that take up a text

like this

and read,

Let every person

be subject

to the governing authorities,

for there is no authority

except from God,

and those that exist

have been instituted

by God.

So we have a command

to obey.

Secondly,

Paul gives us

a caution

against

rebellion.

This is found

in verses

2-5.

Therefore,

these authorities

have been having

instituted by God

at the end of verse 1.

Therefore,

whoever resists

the authorities

resists what God

has appointed,

and those who resist

will incur judgment.

He has such a confidence

in God's sovereign working

that these people

in these positions

were placed there

by God.

Generally speaking,

if we resist them,

then we are

resisting

God

himself.

For rulers

are not a terror

to good conduct

but to bad.

Would you have no fear

of the one

who is in authority?

Do you want to not fear them?

Well, then

do what is good

and you will receive

his approval.

For he is God's servant

for your good.

But if you do wrong,

be afraid,

for he does not bear

the sword in vain,

for he is the servant

of God

and avenger

who carries out

God's wrath

on the wrongdoer.

Therefore,

one must be

in subjection

not only to avoid

God's wrath

but also

for the sake

of conscience.

Paul tells us

in these verses

generally,

if you rebel

against the

governing authorities,

then you rebel

against God

himself

and will incur

the temporal

wrath of God

in the consequences

rendered

for your rebellion.

If you break

a traffic law,

you may find yourself

paying a hefty fine

is a simple

and relatively

benign example.

If you disregard

those authorities,

you are going to

have some trouble

people.

The giving of law

and the enforcement

of it

is a mercy

to people.

Generally speaking,

it's a mercy

to people.

The consequences

given for breaking

the Mosaic law

had five

expressed

purposes.

If you'd like to

know references

for these,

I'll be happy

to send them

to you.

first,

they served,

again,

these are the

consequences

for breaking

the Mosaic law,

this is in

God's theocracy,

they were a matter

of justice,

setting right

a wrong

in due proportion.

Somebody commits

a wrong against you,

they deserve

some consequence

for that action.

They served

as a deterrent

to further crime.

People who

witnessed that

there were

consequences to

actions were

less likely

to commit

those crimes.

They were a

leveler of

impartiality.

God's law was

very careful

to say that

no one was

above the rule

of this law.

fourthly,

they were meant

to be a

swift matter

of order

that civility

would be

maintained

in a society.

Fifth,

they were a

way of

pardon,

restoration,

once the

penalty was

paid for a

crime committed,

a way for a

person to be

restored meaningfully

to a community.

Our system

does not

function

perfectly.

I will not

make a claim

to that.

I am sure

that we can

all share a

story of

mishandled

justice,

but the

governing

authorities get

it right

more times

than not.

There is

justice

administered at

the hands

of governing

authorities.

We ought to

all be glad

of the

difficult work

that does

get done

right.

It just

doesn't get

shared on

social media.

Robert

Haldane

in an

exposition

of Romans

wrote this,

the institution

of civil

government

is a

dispensation

of mercy

and its

existence

is so

indispensable

that the

moment it

ceases under

one form,

it reestablishes

itself in

another.

So just as

an example,

in quote for

a second,

when all the

crazy stuff was

going on in

Seattle and

they took

over blocks

and they

were being

anarchists,

they formed

a government

within the

first week

of doing

that.

It was a

failed experiment

altogether,

but they

very quickly

formed

government

because they

saw what

happened when

there was no

rule at

all.

Back to the

quote.

The world

ever since

the fall

when the

dominion of

one part

of the

human race

over another

was immediately

introduced

has been in

such a state

of corruption

and deprivity

that without

the powerful

obstacle presented

by civil

government to

the selfish

and malignant

passions of

men,

it would be

better to

live among

the beasts

of the forest

than in

human society.

We need

restraining

grace in

our lives.

As soon as

its restraints

are removed,

man shows

himself in

his real

character.

When there

was no king

in Israel

and everyone

did that which

was right in

his own eyes,

we see in

the last three

chapters of

the book of

Judges what

were the

dreadful

consequences.

Mankind

cannot be

left in

its deprivity

to itself.

We need

God to be

merciful to

us, to

give us

governing

authorities,

and we

ought

generally to

obey those

authorities and

recognize them

as a gift

to our

flourishing

this side

of glory.

So that was

the simple

point number

two from

the text.

Thirdly,

and very

shortly,

a contribution

for the

work.

And we

see this

in verses

6 and

7.

John

MacArthur

made an

entire sermon

out of this

text, and I

just don't

want to talk

about taxes

that much.

There Paul

writes,

For because

of this you

also pay

taxes, for

the authorities

are ministers

of God

attending to

this very

thing.

Pay to

all who

is owed

to them,

taxes to

whom taxes

are owed,

revenue to

whom revenue

is owed,

respect to

whom respect

is owed,

honor to

whom honor

is owed.

Paul tells

us in the

last two

verses of

today's text

that because

governing

authorities are

instituted by

God, that it

is proper to

contribute to

the work

that they

do.

We'll have

to do so

with our

finances, and

we'll have

to do so

with our

attitudes.

We need to

respect those

positions of

authority,

whether we

particularly

respect the

person or

the work

being accomplished

within that

role itself.

I want to

read to

you an

anonymous

second-century

Christian's

letter where

he's describing

the activity of

his fellow

Christian followers.

Again, this is

second-century.

He writes

this,

Christians are

distinguished from

other men,

neither by

country nor

language,

nor the

customs which

they observe.

For they

neither inhabit

cities of

their own,

nor employ a

particular form

of speech,

nor lead a

life which is

marked out by

any singularity.

The course of

conduct which

they follow has

not been

devised by

any speculation

or deliberation

of inquisitive

men, nor do

they, like some,

proclaim themselves

the advocates of

any merely human

doctrines.

But,

inhabiting

Greek as well

as barbarian

cities,

according as

the lot of

each of them

had determined,

and following

the customs

of the natives

in respect to

clothing, food,

and the rest of

their ordinary

conduct, they

display to

us their

wonderful and

confessively

striking method

of life.

They dwell in

their own

countries, but

simply as

sojourners.

As citizens,

they share in

all things with

others and yet

endure all

things as if

foreigners.

Every foreign

land is to

them as their

native country,

and every land

of their birth

as a land of

strangers.

They marry,

as do all

others.

They beget

children, but

they do not

destroy their

offspring.

They have a

common table,

but not a

common bed.

They are in

the flesh, but

they do not

live after the

flesh.

They pass their

days on earth,

but they are

citizens of

heaven.

They obey the

prescribed laws

and at the

same time

surpass the

laws by

their lives.

They love

all men and

are persecuted

by all.

They are

unknown and

condemned.

They are put

to death and

restored to

life.

They are

poor, yet

make many

rich.

They are

in lack

of all

things and

yet abound

in all.

They are

dishonored, yet

in their very

dishonor are

glorified.

They are

evil, spoken

of, and yet

are justified.

They are

reviled and

blessed.

They are

insulted and

replay the

insult with

honor.

They do

good, yet

are punished

as evildoers.

When punished,

they rejoice as

if quickened

into life.

They are

assailed by

the Jews as

foreigners and

are persecuted

by the Greeks,

yet those who

hate them are

unable to

assign any

reason for

their hatred.

I just would

ask the

question, generally

of American

Christianity, is

it defined in

that way?

And I think

sadly, it's

not.

May we be

people characterize

the way these

second century

Christians were

characterized.

So there's a

simple exegesis

of the text.

A command to

obey, a

caution against

rebellion, a

contribution for

the work.

Now, however,

I want to ask

two contextual

questions and

issue some

answers, at

least in part,

to those

questions.

questions.

The first is

simply this.

What part should

Christians play

in politics?

Do we have any

role to play at

all?

Should we

entirely remove

ourselves from

the process,

simply saying,

well, God's

going to do what

God's going to

do, so we

have no reason

to be involved

in it?

I say to you,

no, we have

our system is a

system by and

for the people

in its design,

so let's

participate

meaningfully

in it.

God has

granted us

such opportunity

to work

toward those

previously

mentioned goals

of protecting

the vulnerable,

strengthening our

communities, and

promoting human

flourishing as

we participate

in our

political process.

Politics are

downstream of

culture.

So let's be

those who have

and hold God's

truth, be

shapers of

culture and

the politics

that follow.

Let's not

leave our

pagan

neighbors to

themselves.

Let's be

involved.

We have the

opportunity to

do so, and

so we should

in some

specific ways.

Number one,

let us vote

for godly

leaders and

biblical

laws.

Your votes

have consequences.

We have

witnessed that

most readily

in these past

years.

Know what

is good

and true

and beautiful.

Have a

biblical worldview

and throw

your citizenship

at those

things on

the ballot.

We have a

limited amount

of political

influence, but

we do have

this ability,

each and

every one of

us who are

of age.

Know

biblical

justice and

support laws

consistent with

it.

Vote for

leaders that

have Bibles

in their

back pockets

and not

just special

interest

dollars.

Sadly,

there are

few and

far between,

it would

seem.

Perhaps

consider,

young people,

a life of

politics.

We need

good men

and women

to be

involved in

the political

process.

Remember that

there is no

authority except

from God,

and those

that exist

have been

instituted by

God, but

God uses

means to

accomplish

his ends.

And in our

political system,

that includes

your voice

and your

vote.

In our

context,

those means

are not

coups, we

hope, we

hope that's

not the way

political power

transitions in

our country,

but rather

ordered

processes,

and so we

should be

involved in

those processes.

Secondly,

specifically,

being involved

in politics,

given the

opportunity,

we should

warn leaders

that they

have been

appointed by

God, are

meant to

work for

the good

of their

citizenry,

by God's

standard, and

will be judged

for the way

they govern.

We should be

a voice in

the public

sphere if we

have the

opportunity to

speak to

elected officials.

We should be

saying to them,

there is a

standard by

which you

are meant

to govern.

I wonder how

many opportunities

to clearly

present the

gospel to

governing

authorities have

been missed

for the sake

of political

expedience or

guised civility.

We do well

to be prophetic

voices, to

engage politically

as Christians

first,

concerned about

those eternal

things most,

and then as

Americans

second.

Thirdly,

trust the

Lord of

politics and

be charitable.

Trust the

Lord of

politics.

Nothing is

outside of

His control.

Regardless of

the results of

any given

election,

Christians should

be confidently

settled of

all people.

We should be

the most

confident of

all people

because we

know that

our Savior

will never

occupy the

Oval Office,

but presently

occupies the

throne of

heaven and

reigns over

all.

Undoubtedly.

Beloved, our

ultimate citizenship

is with Him.

If you have

turned from

your sin and

placed saving

faith in the

accomplished work

of Christ for

you, then you

ought to be

immovable.

Your confidence

should be

unshakable.

The author of

Hebrews writes

chapter 13

and verse 14,

For here we

have no

lasting city,

but wishes

will not be

thwarted, and

although His

providence can

at times be

strange to us,

His sovereign

goodness never

fails to

accomplish all

that He

purposes.

Set your

confidence beyond

this world.

Fix it

heavenward and

rest.

Again, I'm

not saying

don't be

involved, but

in the midst

of our

involvement,

and after

our involvement

has passed,

we ought to

be a people

so confident

in who our

God is and

what He has

promised to

accomplish on

our behalf and

in the world,

that we are not

given to fits

like the world

around us is.

people with

unshakable confidence

in God's

providence

find it

easy,

hear me,

people with

unshakable

confidence in

God's

providence

find it

easy to be

charitable

towards those

who disagree

with them.

If someone

doesn't think

the way you

think,

vote the

way you

vote.

If you're

confident in

God's

sovereign

goodness,

you still

may want to

convince them

otherwise,

but the

world does

not rise and

fall in your

ability to

convince them

otherwise.

Even in

matters of

politics,

we can be

charitable if

we're confident

in who our

God is.

God is

the world

is not

falling apart

outside of

God's

control.

No matter

how dire

it may

seem at

times,

God has

not given

up his

sovereignty

to anybody.

Charles

Spurgeon

once said,

this is the

quotation on

the back of

your bulletin,

in a quote

often wrongly

applied politically,

he says

this,

I do not

know which

I should

prefer to

see one

of my dear

Christian

brethren fall

into doctrinal

error or

into an

unchristian

spirit.

I would

prefer neither

for I think

this is a

safe rule of

two evils

choose

neither.

We can be

doctrinally

consistent,

politically

wise,

and still

be charitable

towards others

because we're

confident in

God's

providential

work.

second

question

and final

question,

when is

it by

our God

to rebel

against

governing

authorities?

When is

it faithful

to rebel

against

governing

authorities?

Now,

Paul doesn't

give us any

space for

that in

today's

text,

but he's

speaking

generally,

I believe.

Surely

governing

authorities

err at

times,

correct?

They do,

many times

they do.

At those

times,

that authority

sets itself

against the

commands of

God.

We see the

case of this

all around

us.

In Psalm

Psalms 2:1–3

chapter 2,

verses 1

through 3,

the psalmist

writes,

why do the

nations

rage and

the

people's

plot

in vain?

The kings

of the

earth set

themselves

and the

rulers take

counsel

together

against the

Lord,

that's God

the Father,

and against

his

anointed,

that's God

the Christ,

saying,

let us

burst their

bonds apart

and cast

away their

cords

from us.

You can

see here

in this

psalm that

it perhaps

is normative

that governing

authorities want

to reject

God himself.

What are we

to do,

God's people,

when this

is the

case?

Rebel.

That's what

we're to do.

We're to rebel

against that

kind of stand

against God

because we

stand with

the innate

and final

authority.

We can

observe an

example of

this in

the life

of the

apostles in

Acts 5

27-29.

I want you

to note

the issue

that they

stand for.

There we

see,

when the

captain with

the officers

had brought

them,

this is the

apostles,

they set

them before

the council

and the

high priest

questioned

them,

saying,

we strictly

charge you

not to

teach in

this name,

the name

of Christ.

Yet here

you have

filled

Jerusalem

with your

teaching and

you intend

to bring

this man's

blood.

God upon

us.

So we

have

charged you

not to

preach the

gospel and

you did

it anyway.

These are

governing

authorities put

in place

by God.

What are

they to

do in

this

situation?

So

clearly,

they rebelled.

And Peter

defends that

action in

verse 29,

but Peter

and the

apostles

answered,

we must

obey God

rather than

men.

Now note

at the

core of

this,

the core

of what's

happening

here is

a rebellion

against

spiritual

matters.

You have

the example

of Paul

causing a

riot.

Paul doesn't

go into a

city in

order to

cause a

riot.

Paul goes

into a

city preaching

against the

idolatry there

and a

riot results.

Rather,

he sought to

be peaceable

as he went

about his

business.

Again,

from Spurgeon,

Spurgeon says,

there are

points of

inevitable

contact

between the

higher and

lower spheres.

Points where

politics persist

in coming into

collision with

our faith.

And there we

shall be

traitors both

to heaven

and earth

if we

consult our

comfort by

sinking into

the rear.

There are

times that

these things

are going to

run in

opposition to

one another

and we

are to be

those that

press forward.

We stand

with the

one who

has that

innate and

final authority.

Sometimes this

rebellion is

simple and

it's clear.

Still difficult,

still difficult

to stand in

the face of

opposition.

The sword is

the threat,

but simple

and clear,

sometimes it

is much

more complicated.

We found

this to be

true in the

recent past

as we

consider the

rules of

governing

authorities

concerning

our

gathering

as a

church.

Churches all

over the

nation had

to consider

this.

Were those

rules proper

for the

good of the

citizenry?

Or would

obeying them

find us

guilty of

neglecting to

meet together,

which we

are warned

against in

Hebrews

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10?

What do we

obey?

Are we meant

to subject

ourselves to

the governing

authorities in

this case,

or to not

neglect meeting

together?

Over here we

have these

two commands

given to

us, and

how this

question was

answered was

difficult to

ascertain, and

it developed

over time as

we had more

information

navigating that

particular

illness.

Difficult

sometimes to

sort through

the proper

thing to

do.

In

18th century

America,

pastors debated

the validity

of war against

the crown, and

whether the

American

experiment was

sanctioned by

God.

You can read

the writing that

went back and

forth between

the two.

I'm not much

of a student

of history.

I did

receive a

history minor.

It was kind

of a B

student history

minor, but

I've read some

of this writing.

It is interesting

to see the way

they debated

between the

two.

An argument

for justice,

an argument

to obey

these kinds

of commands

we find in

chapter 13.

I find myself

trying to live

in those days,

trying to walk

out the

arguments between

the two, and

I must say

that in the

early days, I

think I would

have been

aligned with

the crown.

I think the

taxation without

representation

argument was a

difficult one in

light of these

first seven

chapters.

But as the

British government

came into the

Americas and

seized land and

did unjust

things, I think

I would have

flipped on the

matter.

I think I

would have

finally said,

okay, now

justice must be

done.

They have

stepped too

far.

But there was

this debate

going on

amongst faithful

Christians trying

to figure out

how to navigate

such a time.

We must give

our whole selves

to God and

with humility,

prayerfully seek

his will in

these more

complicated matters.

All the time,

being patient

with one

another as we

await our

coming king.

I pray for us

that we would

be a people

different than

what we observe

out there,

right?

Distinguished by

our love for

one another,

confident in

who our God

is, right?

Characterized by

confidence in

the ultimate

authority,

our generally

good citizenship

that people

would look at

us and say,

they don't

think the way

I think and

act the way

I act,

but it's

difficult to

argue that

they're not

good for the

place in which

we live,

and that we

would also be

characterized by

our longing to

see all things

made new.

Let's pray

together to

that end.

Thank you.