Contend for Right Government

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Good morning, CCW.

Religion and politics.

Two things we're never supposed to talk about.

I talk about religion every week of my life.

And today we're going to mix in politics.

And so if you would turn your Bibles to Romans chapter 13 as we're going to talk about contending for right government.

Romans 13 · chapter mention

I hope that you felt compelled by God as a Christian as we've walked through these areas that as a church we feel the need to stand.

And I certainly have in my studies, and I pray that today, through God's grace, we'll be challenged.

In Romans chapter 13, we're going to be looking at the first point this morning is this.

Romans 13 · chapter mention

It's our submissive obligation.

So let's look at the scripture there, verses 1 through 4.

It says, Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.

Do you want to be unafraid of the authority?

Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same, for he is God's minister to you for good.

But if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is God's minister and avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

Pray with me.

Father, we pray that you would help enlighten our understanding today.

Lord, let your word do its work.

God, I pray for each and every person here, God, that we would have an understanding of our role as Christians, as citizens of the United States of America, God, as human beings in the race of humans that you've put us in.

And God, that you would help us here.

Lord, I know that if Satan could have us divided in every way, Lord, he would.

And we pray that you would just help us to be united where we can, and God, always be united in pursuit of you.

Lord, I pray that your blessing would fall on your word and your work today.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Letter A is this the authority of God.

So I want us to see who has the right to have authority and give authority.

And in Matthew 28, 18, Jesus made this statement: all authority has been given to me.

All.

The Greek for all, all.

Authority has been given to me.

And that word authority is the same word often used for power and exuesa.

So where do we find that kind of authority?

And further, later down the road, Jesus was performing some miracles and he was asked this question in Matthew 21, 23.

You can look it up.

By what authority are you doing these things?

And is he teaching?

They looked at that authority and they wondered, what is this exoesa?

What is this authority?

I um botched up a wedding part one time, and uh it was time for the husband and bride to kiss and then to announce them as husband and wife.

And I said, by the power vested in me, you may kiss your bride.

And you're supposed to say, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.

I gave them the power to kiss.

It was not my authority, and they did kiss.

But I heard about that, and uh there was another wedding that I did, and under my ordination, I made an assumption wrongfully that that covered me in all 50 of the United States.

That was not the case, and I found that out too late because I married a couple and they were on their honeymoon, and I come to find out by the eyes of the law, they were not married because the power was not vested in me in Virginia.

In Virginia, you have to, no matter where you've been ordained, you have to go and you have to sign and pay a fee to be a minister of any wedding.

So I assured them, but under God's eyes it was okay.

Uh but that power was wrongly vested.

So when I think about authority, who has the power to give authority?

And to understand authority, because it says, let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, there is no authority except from what?

You have to trace origins to find authority.

And I think Genesis 1:1 will get you to the very right place.

Genesis 1:1

We could stop right there because it says, in the beginning, God.

The king of the universe was found in the beginning.

And all that's even outside of the universe, things we don't understand.

But what about our government?

In 1787, the United States formed its constitution, we the people.

And Protestants had ran and left under uh England because of religious tyranny and other things, but the oppression of Catholicism and the papal authority caused them to want that freedom.

And the United States was rooted under that Constitution in the pursuit for the expression of free worship of God.

And since 1787, we have had some presidents that have been good, and we've had some presidents that have been bad.

I was thinking through this and studying.

In Israel, from 910 BC to 722 BC, which is nearly 200 years, hear this.

Every single king was an evil king.

Let me put that in perspective.

That is like from 1824 to 2024.

Every president we would have had being an evil president.

Can you imagine that?

So God, who is outside of time in his authority, is working all things towards the end of an age that we are currently in, and there is no authority, according to Scripture here in Romans 13, 2, there is no authority except God permits that authority.

I want you to know these are men.

Some are evil, some are good, but no plan is outside of the authority of Almighty God.

There is only one true king, church, and the rest are pawns.

What are we to do then, Pastor, with this institution of government?

What do we do?

Well, Paul said there, let every soul be subject to the authority.

Letter B is this what is the advisement of God?

Therefore, whoever resists the authority, resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.

Do you want to be unafraid of the authority?

Do it is good, and you'll have the praise from the same.

For he is God's minister for good, but if evil be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain.

Couple of things here.

First, resistance of ordinances, or resistance of law of the land will biblically bring judgment.

Rebelling against authority and the law is rebelling against what God has instituted.

So we are to do what is right.

Paul said in another passage, I have been permitted, I have the ability to do all things.

He said, I can, I can, I have the free will to choose anything, right?

But not all things are expedient.

I have the free will to choose.

I have the choice to do anything.

I can speed in my car in any state.

And my resistance to that law has allowed me the opportunity to give government, local authorities a lot of financial contributions.

I love to support many states and have.

I thought about laws of states.

Some of these are cute and silly, but and I listen, I've these are from the internet, but I've seen them for a lot of years.

So I'm not gonna say that they're gospel, but here's some interesting state laws.

In Florida, it is illegal to fish while driving across a bridge.

Good, good law, right?

If these are true and accurate, then it means somebody tried it.

In Arizona, it is illegal for a donkey to sleep in a bathtub.

I don't know why.

In Louisiana, it is illegal to send somebody a surprise pizza.

Have you ever been on the other end of surprise prank food?

Okay.

Here's a good one.

In North Carolina, a game of bingo may not go for more than five hours because some guy just came off a nine-hour bingo bender.

Right?

Like, where did this come from?

And in Alabama.

And I promise you, we're checking.

In Alabama, it is illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church.

So everyone here with a mustache on the way out, guys, we're gonna check them, okay?

So laws, right?

The laws.

And it's not, the Bible is not without law.

The Ten Commandments were given to Moses, and the law has been established since nearly the beginning of time, and the law points to our inability to fulfill the requirements of it.

The law points to our inabilities, it points to our need of a savior.

Well, at verse 4 is where we could get a little bit hung up.

He says, For he is God's minister to you for good.

We say, Well, Pastor, what if government does not seem very much like those statements?

What do I do then?

Well, I don't think Paul can be taken to mean that all Herods and all Neroes and all Domitians are under the same category, or all dictators, that God is responsible for their behaviors or that their authority is in no circumstance to be resisted.

I believe he's stating the divine ideal, right, that we not resist, but the divine ideal is to be subject to the laws of the land.

But there are times in Scripture in which civil disobedience is considered.

We obey our laws submissively in every circumstance, even when we don't like laws, unless a law requires a Christian to disobey their God.

Let me explain.

Jesus had multiple dealings with Pharisees, and I think we can take something from the examples that he shared.

One of those dealings with Pharisees was over their moral view of the law, Matthew 23, 23.

He said, You pay tithe, and by the way, tithe is necessary in the New Testament.

Pastor Danny used to say, put 10% of all of your income into one jar for your tithe.

Put 10% of all of your income into a jar for taxes, and put 10% into a jar for savings.

He added that later.

Okay.

And you live off of 70% of what God has given you.

Every Christian should be giving.

Now hear me, you're a steward of God's gifts.

And the Bible says that God blesses a cheerful giver.

My wife and I have been giving and tithing to the Lord and above tithes our entire marriage.

And God has blessed, just like he says in his book.

And I don't have an understanding of why a person wouldn't want to help their local church or missions or local organizations in that way.

Bible says, where your heart is, there will your treasure be.

Well, Jesus is talking to them and starting with tithe.

He said, You tithe, but he says, you ignore mercy, faith, and justice.

So you may, let me break it down.

You may give a large offering today, but if you're not merciful, where are your priorities?

When it comes to government, some people are looking at important matters and making other matters lesser things and more important things than fundamental things.

Like, you know, we would acknowledge and say, yeah, jaywalking and littering is against the law and they're illegal, and we should not do them.

And some people, Pastor, I religiously do not jaywalk.

When I get to that sign, I stop.

And that is correct.

But if you saw someone like that and they're not moved to help widows, here's the parallel Jesus is pulling.

You're religiously following a set of rules, but your your priorities.

You may say, I would never, ever, ever, ever, litter.

But you're a racist.

Your priorities here.

Jesus said to the Pharisees, your priorities are erect.

He said, You're giving literally, look, you're giving 10% of dill.

Can you imagine if I sat here and started divvying out 10% of what's in this?

He said, You're giving 10% of your human.

This it says this in scripture, you're giving 10%.

If I just started divvying out your percent, but you're not caring for people in need.

So there's a problem here in our priorities.

Sometimes Jesus, in the New Testament, broke Old Testament law.

Jesus was found in a position where a leper came to him, and Jesus touched a leper.

And Old Testament law said no man could touch a leper because, and I don't think the reason for the law was inaccurate.

They didn't want disease to be passed from person to person, and so you were not supposed to touch a leprous person.

The law required that you don't touch that disease to keep it from spreading.

But Jesus was showing that greater than the law was Jesus.

Greater than the law was Jesus' touch.

So Jesus, conversely, he can touch a leper, and instead of the disease outbreaking, Jesus can touch the leper and the cure can outbreak.

And so Jesus was showing that as people, instead of programs and law in this situation, there may be coming a day, church, when government and authority may want to shut down the doors of CCW.

And upon the heart on the back of what we started as a country, the right to assemble for worship is contend worthy.

In Acts, let me take you there.

Turn your Bibles to Acts chapter 4.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

And the authorities were catching this and trying to figure out how to contain it, stop it, and how they could continue in their power.

Acts 4, 13 through 20.

It says, Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled.

They realized that they had been with Jesus.

And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could not say anything against.

But when they had commanded them to go outside of the council, they conferred amongst themselves, saying, What shall we do to these men?

For indeed a notable miracle has been done.

Through them, it is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem.

We can't deny it.

But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them that from now on they speak to man, and that from now on they did not speak to man this name.

So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all, nor teach in the name of Jesus.

Listen to this.

But Peter and John answered and said to them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.

For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

He said, This is in us, and we must.

Well, turn over to Acts chapter 5.

Acts 5 · chapter mention

Look at verse 26 or 32.

It continues.

Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people lest they should be stoned.

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council.

And the high priest asked them, saying, Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name?

And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine and intend to bring this man's blood on us.

But Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than man.

The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.

Him God has exalted to his right hand to be prince and savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

And we are witnesses to these things.

And so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those whom obey.

He said, We are witnesses of God's work, and we are called to obey God.

When civil authorities ask a Christian to disobey God, the right manner is to obey God.

This is what the disciples taught.

Well, how do we go about this?

I want to let you know, lastly in Acts, Acts chapter 20.

Acts 20 · chapter mention

Understand that when we do what is right by Christian conviction, not political conviction, by Christian conviction, when we do what is right in the face of a twisted society.

Now there's Christians in politics and there's not Christians in politics.

And so when we go about this, we do it in the right manner.

We're never hateful, we're never rude, we're never obstinate.

Always our approach is with love and respect of someone's position.

But this is what we can expect.

Look at what Paul said in Acts 20, 22 through 24.

Paul said, And see now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that the chains and tribulations await me.

But none of these things move me, nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry which I receive from the Lord Jesus Christ to testify of the gospel of grace.

Understanding this, that what I'm saying, if a person stands against civil authority for a Christian liberty, there is great chance for persecution.

I want to tell you, we get a little tied up in this earth and world, and here's where our problem lies as a Christian.

We don't like the word persecution.

We don't like the word tribulation, we don't like the idea of it.

And we say we stand for what is true and what is right.

As long as I don't have to deal with this, but in Matthew, he said, blessed are the persecuted.

And man, we glaze over that verse and we read the rest of the blessings.

But I want you to know, biblically speaking, some of the greatest times in America's history has not been because economics or finance were flourishing, but in times of persecution where we banded together as a brotherhood, our eyes are so stuck on economics that we can't see the right to stand for the right things.

Let's keep going.

Number two, it is our stewardship obligation.

Go back to Romans.

It says, For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing.

Render therefore to all their due taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

So, Pastor, I don't know we're gonna talk about taxes today.

We are all stewards of an amount, church.

Whatever you have, you're a steward.

You are a funnel of an amount that God has decided.

There's a parable of talents that we see this sum.

We've got 10, some got eight, some five.

And so we go through that parable and we understand God, remember the excellent.

We said is his authority.

God gives an amount and God gives power and God opens door and he gives.

I've been talking to my kids about this a lot lately.

God has given us all a platform.

Where you're at today in your work, that's your platform.

You have a circle in that platform.

Your circle is all the people around that platform, that and your family.

God has given you that.

And in the middle of that platform, in the middle of that circle, he has given you a spiritual gift.

You use your spiritual gift in the platform.

So whatever it is you do, God's given you, whether it's encouragement or hospitality or mercy, God's given you a gift.

And in your platform, you are a light in all of those people within that.

And you're a steward of it.

The gift he's given you are a steward of your time, your talents, and your treasure, and how you use them things.

And by the way, this is what I know about people.

We do exactly what we plan to do.

I'm not saying extenuating circumstances don't come up, but we do what we plan to do and we do what we like to do.

And you are the steward of those things: time, talent, and treasure.

So we have an obligation of part of that to give to our local authorities, to our economy for taxation.

And I want to remind you in Deuteronomy 8.18, it says this it is He, God, who gives the ability.

That word is koak, and it means strength.

He gives the ability for thee to get wealth.

It is God who gives that power.

God gives those abilities.

And so, letter A, I want you to see this.

Honor your economic part.

Turn over to Matthew 22.

I know there's a lot of scriptures here, but I want you to see the biblical examples.

Matthew 22.

See, the Pharisees, they were constantly trying to entangle Jesus.

They were trying to get him in a conversation and get him to say the wrong thing.

And so they thought, under the idea of economy, we've got him.

Matthew 22.

Look at verse 17 through 21.

It says this.

Tell us therefore, what do you think?

Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?

You look up at verse 15, it says, The Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle him.

Is it lawful to pay these taxes to Caesar or not?

But Jesus perceived their wickedness, verse 18, and said, Why do you test me?

Oh, you hypocrites.

Show me the tax money.

So they brought him a denarius, and he said to them, Whose image and inscription is this?

They said to him, Caesar's.

And he said to them, Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God.

Look at this.

When they heard these words, they marveled.

You might hear that and you go, huh?

Almost sounds like background noise.

You've heard it before.

He says, Give Caesar what is Caesar, and to God what is God's.

Well, what does that mean?

We're gonna break it down for a moment.

But render to all that are due, he says.

It said that Paul said, render the customs that are due.

I had to look this up, but in 1861, the United States began what was called a flat tax, 3%, because of the Civil War that was taking place.

And taxes have been on debate ever since.

I think we can agree though, I think that we can come together and agree that a society can benefit from good taxation, which includes fairness and transparency and equality.

Taxes are the largest source of funds for most of the United States.

We benefit from things like public services of government and national security.

And with our country at the helm of this, since 1890, the United States has been the number one economy in all the world.

Okay?

I looked at the number we produced in gross domestic product like$28.

something trillion dollars last year.

How does that happen?

Hard work, ingenuity, and the divine coac, the divine power of God, the Bible says, Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.

My concern are we still in a nation whose God is predominantly the Lord.

See, the Pharisees plotted to entangle Jesus in this encounter over this coin to put Jesus between them and the Roman government.

Jewish people saw that the Roman emperor looked at himself to a as a sort of a god.

And so when the Jewish people saw him like that, they objected and hated to pay taxes.

They couldn't stand to pay those taxes.

And so they saw it as a sort of idolatry because he saw himself as sort of a god, and they hated the Roman tax.

One writer said this about Jesus' statement.

I don't want you to miss it.

That this is maybe the single most influential political statement in the history of time.

Render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God.

I had to do a lot of stuff.

Why would that be so influential?

Well, here's why.

This is what I believe.

Jesus is acknowledging the image of Caesar and Caesar's right to claim taxes on the image that was produced and was backed by the image on his coin.

The image was not a demand for worship, it was a demonstration of ownership.

Conversely, he said, and to God, looking, imagine him looking at them as he sees, and to God, that which is God.

We're carried on about this image on a coin, and he says, and render to God what is God's.

The image of God is stamped upon every human heart.

Genesis 1.27.

And God made man in the image of God.

And he said, Furthermore, yes, give to Caesar his taxation for his coin.

But Caesar belongs to God, and the Jews belong to God, and the Romans belong to God, and everything is God's.

My kids used to say, You can't play with that, that's mine.

And I look at them for a moment and say, What is yours?

That toy, that's mine.

You gave me that for my birthday.

That ain't yours.

That's mine.

No, it's mine.

You gave it to me.

Nothing is yours.

I gave you you.

You are mine.

That's my toy.

Jesus is saying, everything is mine.

Everything is God.

So what do we do with that?

Letter B, we honor our ecclesia practices.

Ecclesia because church didn't alliterate with economy.

Ecclesia is the word for church.

1 Timothy 3 15.

The church is the pillar and support of the truth.

It would be negligent of any church to be passive when the truth is at cost.

It is our stewardship as a church body.

It's our responsibility to support God's economy on planet earth.

It's our job to care for widows and orphans.

It's our job to care for the unborn.

It's our job to contend for biblical marriage, to support civil institutions and civil government and city councils and city superintendents and support our schools and taxation.

The church is the pillar and ground for the truth.

But I do like what my tax guy said to me.

He said, Rick, render to Caesar that which is Caesar's, but not a dollar more.

That's what he said to me.

He said, I would like it for you to be able to have the capability to send your money where you want it to go.

That's what my tax man said to me.

But we're to be good stewards of that which God has provided.

The third point this morning is this it's our spiritual obligation.

Verse 8 through 10.

What it says.

Owe no one anything except to love one another.

For he who loves another has fulfilled the law for the commandments, you should not commit adultery, you should not murder, you should not steal, you should not bear false witness, you should not covet, and there is any other commandment are all summed up in saying, namely, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Love does not harm to a neighbor.

Therefore, love is the fulfillment of law.

He says, Owe no one anything except to love.

Our spiritual obligation, for he who has love has fulfilled all of the law.

So we love.

We love one another.

We love our leaders.

You know what I have heard too little of in the past four years?

I've heard too little of people saying, I've got to pray for the salvation of people in Congress.

I've heard too little of that.

I've heard too little of people saying, you know what?

That has to be a hard job, and I want to get together and I want to lay hands and I want to pray.

That is what is needed.

We have to love those whom God has entrusted, not to fulfill our plans.

He's entrusted people to fulfill his plans.

And if you look back in Genesis, even when it looks evil, Joseph says, What men meant for evil, God meant for good.

God is going to fulfill his plan.

So what is our place in this?

Who are we in this?

Galatians chapter 5.

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

1 through 5.

Letter A is this we are a liberated people.

Christ came and died on the cross, and it liberated us as Christians.

So where does that put us?

Look at Galatians 5, 1 through 5.

By the way, you want to find out about freedom from law and freedom, just read the book of Galatians.

Galatians 5 says, stand fast, therefore, in the liberty by which Christ has made us free.

And don't be entangled again with a yoke of bondage, saying, You wouldn't be freed from slavery and run back to it.

Indeed, I Paul say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is debtor to keep the whole law.

You've become estranged from Christ.

You who attempt to be justified by law, you've fallen from grace.

For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working through love.

What is all that meaning?

Well, 1400 years from the Old Testament law, Jesus Christ is hung on a tree.

In Galatians, it says that cursed is anyone who is hung on a tree.

And what it is saying, he came and he took my curse on a tree.

We all deserve to not be liberated, but Jesus took our sentence, and in the opposite, me and you have been freed.

And he said, with your liberation, because you have been freed, you can love.

He says, So because you have freedom, because Jesus took our curse, we are obligated to love.

Now, what does tie up with circumcision, uncircumcision?

Here it is.

If you accept a behavior or a system or laws as ultimate, this is what he is saying to the Galatians.

If you accept any of this as ultimate and you have to practice it, then you have to accept all of it and be perfect to get to heaven.

Everything, all of the ceremonies, all of the laws, burnt offerings, grain, sin, peace, guilt offerings.

And Paul said, don't get entangled in that yoke.

He said, Jesus has come to liberate.

And so because he's come to liberate, then we love.

We can love people that we don't get along with.

We can love people that we don't like.

We can love our neighbor.

Christians have been freed to love.

In verse 13 of Galatians 5, there it says, For you have been called to liberty, only don't use your liberty as a reason to fulfill your flesh.

And he says after that, all of the law in verse 14, all of the law is fulfilled in this, love your neighbor.

And so we can get a lot of fleshless in this debate.

And in 37 days, there can get a lot of fleshless and frustration and debate over different things.

And I want to tell you what Jesus said through Paul is we have been freed.

So love.

So love.

Well, how do we show that kind of love?

I want you to think about some things.

You are first aligned with Jesus Christ.

You're not first aligned with a politician or a party.

As a Christian citizen today, you are first aligned with Jesus Christ.

And in November, the United States is going to elect a person.

And I want to tell you about this person.

That person is not going to save the world.

That person is not going to save the United States.

Whoever governs the United States is going to be a sinner and will have all kinds of sinful people in their ear.

Yet they're going to be given authority from God for this place and this time in human history.

So what do I do, Pastor?

Well, we pray for better and we hope for better.

And I pray, I promise, I want to see a revival of God and believe in it.

I believe we can see a time and a season where people have come to Christ, where lost people are saved, where people are confessing sin.

And I pray for a time and a season like this.

So as a citizen, as a Christian, I've got a responsibility to vote and to vote like Jesus Christ.

When you look at issues, what does the Bible say?

And what has the voting record of candidates proven?

You need to think about things.

You need to study this.

Don't go on that day in 37 days and show up ignorant as a Christian.

Views on life and immigration and equality, not discounting gender modifications.

You need to look at economy and views of government control and religious rights.

Not based on party, but based on Christian conviction.

Your right and responsibility is to vote.

And I want to say this again, whether in revival or in trial.

Both could be imminent.

But I want to tell you this: Proverbs 21:1 is a promise.

Proverbs 21:1

No matter what is to come, we know that.

So our part is to use our liberty to love.

I've said this before, but Billy Graham gave this quote, and Billy Graham, the greatest evangelist in the generation, was asked, how from Truman to Trump could he be the political advisor with all of these presidents and be by their side in prayer and through different circumstances.

And Billy Graham eloquently said, My job is to love.

Our job is to love, church.

Letter B.

So tell me, Pastor, sum that up.

What are we to do?

Letter B.

We are a lighthouse to people.

We're to be a lighthouse to people, a city on a hill.

And hear me, I we very well could see much trial and much conflict in our lifetime.

And through the pages of scripture and through what we see, how God judges things, I'm not sure it's not a guarantee.

I would love to first see revival.

But whether in revival or in trial, we got a chance in a world that is hazy and full of debate and just in search of truth to be a light when it's so dark.

Well, how do I do that, Pastor?

I think Mark 8 sums this up in a great way, why we're here and what we can look to.

Mark 8, 34 through 36.

Jesus said to his disciples, if you're gonna follow me, this is what you gotta do.

Christian, hear me.

Don't just elevate or music this out.

If you're going to follow me, whoever desires to come after me, let him deny himself.

How do I love everybody?

I gotta deny this guy.

How do I love people that are hard, that are difficult, that I differ with?

Man, I gotta deny this person.

He says, deny myself, take up the cross and follow me.

And then he leaves with this.

What profit is there if a man gains this whole world and loses his soul?

What profit is there if we gain all of it?

Everything that this world, this economy, this life, if we gain everything in this, if we believe this is all, then that's it.

Then gain it all.

But I think we feel differently.

You see, he says, there's people that will try to gain the whole world and lose their soul.

But a Christian is an eternal citizen of another world.

Our citizenship is not stuck here.

So be a light, he says, so lay up for yourself treasures in heaven.

He says in another scripture, so set your mind on things above, not of this life.

Yes, trial can come or revival can come.

But he says, we have to be focused outside of here.

So what do we do and how can we help on this?

Verse 9, Paul said, We submit to government and then love your neighbor.

Paul's summary: submit and love.

Jesus was asked the greatest command in all of Scripture.

You know he said, Love God and love your neighbor.

He said, Love.

Paul said it further in 1 Timothy, something this is practical.

What can I actually do, Pastor?

How should I be?

As a Christian, what should I be doing?

1 Timothy 2, 1 through 3 goes through a list, and he says, We must be praying for every authority.

He says all kinds of prayers, all kinds of intercessions that we need to be praying and interceding and blessing those in authority.

We need to be praying for the salvation of lostness in our Congress, in our government.

So I'll write that down.

Pray for salvations, pray and intercede for those in authority.

Pray for revival in our nation.

We're to be a light by love.

I read this illustration this week.

There's a captain of a ship.

As he was driving through the night, he saw some faint lights off in the distance, and immediately he told his signalmen to send out a message, and the message was, Alter your course 10 degrees south.

Promptly a message was returned to him.

Alter your course 10 degrees north.

Captain was angered.

His command had been ignored, so he sent a second message.

He said, Alter your course 10 degrees south, I am the captain.

Soon another message was received.

Alter your course 10 degrees north, I am seaman third class.

Immediately the captain sent a third message, knowing the fear that it would evoke.

He said, Alter your course 10 degrees south, I am a battleship.

Then the reply came, Alter your course 10 degrees north, I am a lighthouse.

In the midst of a dark and foggy time for many people, all sorts of voices are shouting into the darkness what is right and what is good, telling people what to do and how to adjust their lives out of darkness.

But one voice, church, signals I am the way, the truth, and the life.

You are a lighthouse in a dark world.

So Matthew 5, 16, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Maybe you're here today and you are anxious about our country, anxious about the world, anxious about economy.

I want to end by having you stand.

And I want to remind you of one prophecy fulfilled and one prophecy not fulfilled.

I want y'all to bow with me, and I just want you to hear the words of these verses, and then we're gonna have a time of invitation.

One prophecy fulfilled, Isaiah 9, 6 and 7 said, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

This prophecy has been fulfilled, and Jesus came in a little town called Bethlehem.

He came and prophetically fulfilled many prophecies dying on a cross for you and for me.

But Isaiah said the government will be upon his shoulders, that Messiah.

One day to be fulfilled.

Revelation says, Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on him was called faithful and true.

And in righteousness he judges and makes wars.

His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns.

He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.

And the armies in heaven followed him, clothed in fine linen, white and clean on white horses.

And out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should strike the nations, and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron.

He himself treads the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

And he has his robe and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

He is coming again soon, church.

Amen.

And I want you to pray in 37 days.

I want you to be praying for them 37 days.

Pray for our country.

Pray for the hearts of lost people.

Pray for our state.

And use your Christian liberties to be a light.

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