Christian Citizenship for the Lord's Sake: Part 2

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Worship Before the Throne of God: Part 3

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2 of Christian Citizenship for the Lord's Sake, for the
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Lord's Sake. And if you missed last Lord's Day on what we touched on, we touched on a lot of scriptures.
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And I'm going to recap a little bit there, so then we're going to pick up the last two points of what
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Peter is telling us through the Holy Spirit. So we're looking at Christian Citizenship for the
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Lord's Sake, Part 2. And what a blessing it is that the Lord's met with us three years now.
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And He's been so faithful. He has so much for us. We just need to continue to be faithful to Him and just keep going forward.
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Don't turn to the left, don't turn to the right. Stay on the right old paths. And He'll lead us all the way.
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Amen. Our Savior leads us all the way. God leads His dear children along.
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So in saying that, please open your Bibles with me as we continue our study in the book of 1
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Peter Chapter 2. Wonderful book, isn't it? Wonderful study. Please look with me to verse 13 -17.
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We're reading verse 13 -17. This particular section, by the way, Peter speaks about the believer's submission to the government.
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Our submission to the government. As a matter of fact, the rest of the book of 1
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Peter speaks about submission. And we'll be looking at that. Submission is really the key word here.
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As we looked at last week, it's a military word. It's a very important word to understand, isn't it?
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But here in verse 13 -17, it's about submission to government, human institutions.
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So hear the word of the living God. The Apostle Peter, God inspired him.
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Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as one in authority, or to governors as sent by Him for the punishment of evil doers, and to the praise of those who do right.
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That's a key verse, isn't it? For such is the will of God, that's key, that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
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Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond slaves of God.
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Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the
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King. Amen. May God richly bless the reading of His holy word to our hearts this morning.
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Let's seek the Lord in prayer now as we continue to worship Him in this hour of our study in the word of God, as we come to His word to hear
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Him speak to us. Let's bow. Father in Heaven, we're so thankful that You are our
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Heavenly Father. We just want to pause and thank You for that. Our hearts cry,
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Abba Father, Abba Father, Father, Father, Daddy.
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No disrespect to that. You are our Heavenly Father in Heaven.
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Lord, we thank You. And we thank You for Your eternal word that abides forever.
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Actually, the psalmist said, Thy word, O Lord, is forever settled in Heaven.
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It's settled. It's already settled, whether we believe it or not. Lord, help us to believe it.
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Lord, give us grace to lay hold of it. Lay hold of us. And we would ask, Lord, that You would speak to our hearts this morning through Your holy word.
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Lord, Your word is everything. It sanctifies us, it purifies us, it cleanses us. It's like a hammer.
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It's like a fire. O Father, may it do its work upon us. Lord, we need
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Your blessed Spirit, the Holy Spirit, to be our teacher, showing the things of Christ to us this morning.
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So, Lord, I pray, sanctify us wholly to Yourself, that we may truly honor
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You and obey Your blessed word.
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Change our hearts, O God, is our prayer. Change our hearts, O God, and may not one of us leave this place today the same way we came.
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Lord, we would ask this in the name of Your wonderful and beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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All for Your glory. All for Your glory. Amen and amen. Thank you.
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Well, last Lord's Day, we looked at the purpose of human government. That was the first point we looked at, the purpose of human government according to the word of God, which the government should promote justice and peace.
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And that is its purpose. Justice and peace. God loves justice. And God loves peace.
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God is a God of justice. And God is a God of peace. And the government is to uphold the law and order by maintaining a reasonable national defense.
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We looked at that. Verse 14 actually says, And to governors as sent by Him for the punishment of evildoers and to the praise of those who do right.
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Keep in mind what the Apostle Paul says, and I don't believe it would be wrong to repeat this.
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Matter of fact, I think we need to hear it often, more and more. Romans chapter 13, verse 1 through 5, we looked at.
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The Apostle Paul says this, Every person is to be in subjection, that's submission, to the governing authorities.
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For there is no authority except from God. And those which exist are established by God.
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So God establishes it, right? Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God.
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And they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
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For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil.
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And then he gives a question. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.
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And I love what he says here. Keep this word in mind, the word it. I just noticed this when
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I was going over this this morning. He says this in the next verse.
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He doesn't speak of who, but it. In other words, he's speaking of the office.
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And that's what we are to respect. Notice what he says. For it is a minister of God. It is a minister of God to you for good.
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But if you do what is evil, be afraid. For it does not bear the sword for nothing.
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Then again, for it is a minister of God. And an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
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Therefore, it is necessary to be in subjection. Not only because of wrath.
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There's another good reason. But also for conscience sake. For conscience sake.
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Well, that's a good reminder, isn't it? About the authority. What's it saying? So basically, all the powers that exist.
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The authorities that exist. And the human realm are designed by God.
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God has ordered that authority. Whether the people that's in authority are good or rotten.
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Which we know that that happens a lot, don't we? There's scoundrels that go in there. There's corrupt people.
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But yet, we are to respect that office. Because of God. Because of God.
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That's what we must keep in mind. And how did Peter put it?
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So the command really is very simple. Submit yourselves. Submit yourselves.
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For whose sake? For the Lord's sake. It's for the Lord's sake. So we've got to keep that in mind.
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So the purpose of human government should always promote justice and peace. And we looked at that.
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So the question arises. What if the government fails in promoting justice and peace?
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That's a good question. And righteousness. Well, we definitely see that in our day, don't we?
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We don't see justice. We don't see peace. We don't see tranquility. As it should be.
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I believe, now, in what I see through the word of God. We are to, as Christians, to be the example.
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We are to be the example of submission. We are to be the primary example for good godly behavior.
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But I will go one step further and give you what the word of God says, which is much better. Because what
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John Bunyan says, what God says is best. Always best. Whether all men do not believe it,
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God's word is best. You'll hear me say that a lot. I believe 1
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Timothy, 1 Timothy chapter 2, we looked at this. Verse 1 through 4 is a good answer to that question
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I gave. I believe prayer has power. And in prayer, the power of prayer, because it's not prayer itself, it's the powers in God.
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And we connect with God. So, I believe going to God in prayer, and that's what the apostle
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Paul says, through the spirit of God. In 1 Timothy chapter 2, look at verse 1 through 4.
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We looked at this last week, but I want to recap this. It's a good answer to that question, if we have a corrupt government, isn't it?
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Paul says, first of all, first of all, then I urge that entreaties, now what's that word entreaties mean?
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It means to lack. It means to deprive, be deprived. It means to be without.
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What's he saying? In other words, this kind of praying, or this kind of prayer, occurs because of a great need.
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There's a great need. Entreaties. The need is there.
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It's urgency. And we should be always praying with urgency. There's a great need.
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Isn't there a great need in America? That God's people will pray, and intercede.
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The lost is in the world, and that's the kind of world we live in.
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They're lost, and they have a great need for salvation. Believers in Jesus Christ should always be asking
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God to meet that great need. Entreaties. Entreaties. Notice what he says.
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Entreaties. Prayers. Now, that word entreaties, and again, there's some translations, you may have the translation that says supplications.
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Supplications. That's a good word. That word basically means crying out.
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Strongly crying out. Jesus says He will listen to His elect, those who cry out day and night.
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Day and night. That's a great word. Entreaties, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings.
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And thanksgiving. What do you give thanks? What do you give thanks to God? We never ever should go to God in prayer without giving thanks.
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Giving thanks to God, because there's always something to be thankful for. As a matter of fact, the very breath in our body is something to give
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God thanks for, as Brother Keith said this morning. Thanksgivings. There's much to give thanks for.
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Be made on behalf of all men. All men. You know what he's saying? Listen to what he says.
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Be made on behalf of all men. That's an intercessor. That is an intercessor. I heard
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Leonard Ravenhill say this. You know, evangelism is going to eventually cease. That's going to come to an end.
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Preaching will come to an end. One day. But God uses preaching, because it's
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His method that He has ordained to reach the lost in the world. But I love what Ravenhill says, but prayer goes on to eternity.
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It goes on and on, because it's worship, it's infinite, and when you are praying, it is a...
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He said it's the greatest ministry that you can have, is the ministry of intercessory prayer.
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I agree with that. Pray. Speak much with God.
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Verse 2, For kings, that means presidents too, kings and all who are in authority, all those in authority, judges, governors, administrators, commissioners, all those who have authority.
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Christians, we are to be praying for these people. And then he says this. Why? Why? For kings and all who are in authority, those in a high position, so that we may lead a tranquil, quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
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That word dignity is interesting. Seriousness. Seriousness. Verse 3,
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Paul says this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires some men.
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No. God desires all men to be saved. All men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.
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That's God's will of desire. Now a lot of Calvinists get stumped up right here.
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They get tripped up. But we believe in God's sovereignty and man's responsibility, don't we?
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It's one side of the coin to the other. And they run parallel to one another.
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Brother Keith, I like the way he put it. It runs parallel on the same tracks, going the same direction.
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God's will of desire. Let us never forget this, that God desires not some men to be saved, but He desires all men to be saved.
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And even though we do believe, according to what Jesus said, that few will make it, because many will go into the way of destruction.
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We know the truth. We know the end result of it. But never cast this aside, the whosoever will.
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Because God is interested in that whosoever will. All men, all men, the lost, to come to the knowledge of the truth.
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God desires, God does not delight in seeing the death of the wicked. Now let me mention something here, and this will help us get this very clear.
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You see, God desires that all men come to the knowledge of the truth.
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Not only the elect. Even though the elect will come. But God desires all men to come.
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Now why do I say this? We don't know who the elect are. Keep in mind, the secret things belong to God.
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The secret things belong to God. And that's the secret thing. That belongs to God and God alone, because He knows who the elect are.
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And we do not know who's going to be the elect until they respond. This is decreed by God in the election.
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It is secret. But it's known only to God. But there are some things that God has revealed to the sons of men.
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So what God has revealed to us, we're to take it and obey it. But to those things that are secret, that's
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God's. And I'm so thankful that God is God and there are secret things.
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He has revealed enough to us. We can't handle what we have.
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We can't handle what we have. Believers have no way of knowing who God's sheep are until they come to the kingdom.
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And that's the Holy Spirit that does that. It's not us anyway. We're just a means.
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We're just instruments. We're just dirt that has a great treasure within this dirt.
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So believers are to obey the Lord's great commission. And as I thought about what Jesus says, All authority is given unto me and heaven and earth.
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And He gives the commission. That great commission is going to all the world and what? Preach, proclaim the gospel to every creature.
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God desires all to hear the truth. And hear it. To preach the gospel to every creature.
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To proclaim it to every person. This is evangelistic. And by the way, this is exactly where Peter is going.
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Peter speaks in our text about godly living. Good deeds.
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Doing what is right. This is the will of God. Notice all the words that he speaks of. He's talking about the fruit of obedience.
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That's what he's talking about. Living a godly life. Showing forth good deeds. Doing what is right.
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This is all evangelistic. I love this. Don't you? It's evangelistic. I need this for my soul. I need to be more evangelistic.
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Not just in what I'm saying. But the way I live. The way I live.
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Because the watching world is looking at you and me. Just not. Because most of the time what we say they already know, folks.
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They've heard it somewhere down the pipe. They want to see the real deal. They want to see someone that's living a godly life.
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Now we know we're not perfect, right? But that's no excuse to sin. We practice godliness.
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We pursue peace with all men. And holiness without which no one will see the
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Lord. Well, Scripture says it. We are to be light and salt. That's what Jesus said.
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Before a dark and decaying world. But then also we looked at the meaning of submission.
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This was the second point we looked at. There's a meaning of submission. The basic meaning to submit to human government is to obey.
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And Christians are to obey the laws of the government. Unless.
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Parenthesis. Unless those laws force them to disobey God. We're going to look at that within this hour.
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So when the state or even the federal government commands that which
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God forbids or forbids that which God commands, we must obey God rather than men. Folks, I didn't come up with that.
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That's the word of God. And we're going to look at what the word of God has to say about that. Well, I'm a chapter and verse man.
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And I don't get that originally because Paul the apostle said, what does the Scripture say?
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And Jesus says, have you not read? So the book of Acts chapter 4. Go with me to the book of Acts chapter 4.
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I want you to look at this very quickly as we recap on this. Acts 4.
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I touched on it just a little bit last Lord's Day. But I want to emphasize this.
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Look at beginning with verse 13. I would like to read several verses here and see what happens to the apostles in the early church and how they were confronted with this.
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Verse 13 is, they observed the confidence of Peter and John. Now who's the they?
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The they are the Pharisees, the religious people of that day. They understood that they were uneducated and untrained men.
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These were simple men. They were fishermen, uneducated, untrained men. And these very self -righteous so -called theologians of that day, they were amazed, the
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Scripture says, and began to recognize them as they had been with Jesus. That really is all that matters.
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Have you been with Jesus? That's what really matters. These people were stuffed up with pride and lifted up on their pedestal, but yet they recognized that they were untrained, uneducated.
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They'd been with Jesus. Verse 14. And seeing the man who had been healed, there was a miracle that took place.
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You have to read previously before that. And there was a man that was healed standing with them. They had nothing to say in reply.
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But when they had ordered them to leave the council, they began to confer with one another saying,
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What shall we do with these men? Upsetting, the apple cart, aren't they? What shall we do with these men?
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For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem.
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And we cannot deny it. God did a miracle, right? And God did a miracle through these apostles.
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But so that it will not spread any further among the people. Listen to these self -righteous
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Pharisees. Let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.
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That's not going to go far with the apostles, right? Verse 18. And when they had summoned them.
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There was a summons here. This is the authority of that day. The kangaroo court, amen.
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And they commanded them. Note that. They commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
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Verse 19. But Peter and John answered and said to them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge.
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For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard. Now what a respectful reply.
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But notice how firm it is. It's respectful. They did nothing wrong.
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They said it respectfully. They basically said, Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge.
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In other words, we are not stopping. For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.
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And when they had threatened them further. Notice they threatened them. Let them go finding no basis on which to punish them on account of the people, because they were all glorifying
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God for what had happened. For the man was more than 40 years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.
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And there is an account right there that how the apostles dealt with the authority in their time.
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There is another one I would like for you to go to in the Old Testament. Daniel. Daniel chapter 6.
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We got a few in Daniel we are going to look at today. Don't you love the book of the prophet Daniel?
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We see the Hebrew children. We are going to get to that one later. But first we are going to look at Daniel chapter 6.
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Now I love this story. Daniel sets such a great example for all of us.
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He was such a godly man and God endued this man with such wisdom.
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He had such wisdom above everyone. He was above reproach, folks. This was a godly man.
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Now this text basically speaks of submission, showing respect to government, authority, and good deeds.
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Notice in verse... Let me just read the whole here. Verse 1 to 28.
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This is a lot of verses. But I want us to catch what is really being said. It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 sestraps over the kingdom.
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These were people, the officials, providential... They were administrators under the king.
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Darius, as appointed very closely to a commissioner, they were assistants to the king.
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That's sestraps. Over the kingdom that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom.
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And over them three commissioners, of whom Daniel was one, that these sestraps might be accountable to them and that the king might not suffer loss.
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Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and sestraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom.
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Because, you see, he was such a gifted man. God gifted this man because Daniel feared
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God. Now verse 4. Then the commissioners and the sestraps began trying to find a ground of accusation.
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They were trying to find something wrong against Daniel in regard to the government affairs. Notice this.
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The government affairs. But they could not... I'm sorry.
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They could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption inasmuch as he was faithful and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him.
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You know, the watching world then could not find nothing in Daniel. What a godly man. Then these men said, we will not find any ground of accusation against Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his
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God. In other words, this man is above reproach. This man lives such a holy and a godly upright life, a righteous life.
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They said, the only way we're going to be able to catch him off guard is do something to set him up.
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That's what they're thinking of here. We're going to set this man up. This is the wicked, isn't it? This is the wicked.
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They always look and try to find ways to set up the righteous so that they may fall.
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This is their idea. In verse 6, then these commissioners and sestraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows.
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King Darius. This is what they did. They come to the king. King Darius lived forever. All the commissioners and kingdoms and prefects and the sestraps and the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man beside you,
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O king, for 30 days shall be cast in the lion's den. Sounds like some politicians today, don't they?
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Just trying to come together and set things up against the righteous. In verse 8, now,
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O king, establish the injunction, sign the document so that it may not be changed according to the law of the
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Medes and the Persians which may not be revoked. In other words, there's no way it could be revoked unless King Darius signs it.
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So therefore, in verse 9, therefore, King Darius signed the document that is the injunction.
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They already had this thing drawn up and everything. So now, when Daniel knew that the document was signed, see,
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Daniel knew what was going on. This man had discernment. He entered his house, and notice this, now in the roof chamber, he had windows open toward Jerusalem.
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You know why he opened his windows toward Jerusalem. He prayed constantly, and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his
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God as he had been doing previously. This was his practice. Three times a day, he was weeping because of Jerusalem, his people in rubble, and as they were dispersed in Babylonian captivity.
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Now, notice in verse 11, these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his
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God. They snuck in. Notice what it says in verse 12, Then they approached and spoke before the king about the king's injunction.
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Did you not sign an injunction that any man who makes a petition to any god or man besides you,
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O king, for 30 days is to be cast into the lion's den? Is this not what you signed?
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See, this is all a setup. It's all a trap. The king replied, Well, the statement's true, according to the law of the
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Medes and the Persians, which may not be revoked. And he said, Yes, I did. So, here's a trap that's taken place.
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Verse 13, Then they answered and spoke before the king, Daniel, who is the one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you.
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Notice what they're lying. It's not true, of course, but Daniel is faithful to his
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God, right? So they're saying, Yeah, he pays no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps making his petitions three times a day.
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He does it three times a day. Then, as soon as the king heard this statement, he was deeply distressed and set his mind on delivering
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Daniel, and even until sunset, he kept exerting himself to rescue him. See, now, the king did not approve of this, and he hasn't quite seen it yet at this point of the text that he's been set up, but he will.
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Notice this in verse 15. Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king,
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Recognize, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and the Persians that no injunction or statute which the king establishes may be changed.
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In other words, you can't revoke it. You can't change it. So in verse 16, Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lion's den.
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Wow. The king spoke and said to Daniel, Your God, whom you constantly serve,
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Wait, listen to that. A watching king, pagan king, knows this man constantly serves his
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God. Constantly. What a word. Serve, will himself deliver you.
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Now, he's saying, Okay, this God that you pray to, your God, whom you constantly serve, will himself deliver you.
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So in verse 17, A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring.
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He had to do that. That's the way the kings did. And with the signet ring of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel.
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So he couldn't get Daniel out of this. Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night fasting.
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This is a pagan man now. Listen to this. He was fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him, and his sleep fled from him.
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He didn't sleep all night. No entertainment that night. He did nothing but fast.
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He didn't eat. He fasted. Then the king arose at dawn. Now the night's gone.
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He rises up at dawn, the break of the day, and went in haste to the lion's den.
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You can just see him running. Verse 20, And when he had come near to the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice.
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The king spoke and said to Daniel, Daniel, servant of the living God, has your
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God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions? You know, just hearing
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Daniel's voice, I'm sure it caused rejoicing in this king. Then Daniel spoke to the king,
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O king, live forever. My God, send his angel and shut the lion's mouth.
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You know, spiritually speaking, that's what God's going to do. He's going to shut the mouths of ignorant and foolish men.
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Right? He knows how. God can shut the mouths of lions that are ready to tear the righteous apart.
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And here is an example right here. And they have, and he says, and they have not harmed me inasmuch as I was found innocent before him.
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And also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime. That was Daniel's testimony.
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Notice that Daniel first said, I'm innocent before God. Then before you, king.
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So that king was second place to God. And then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den.
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So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him because he had trusted in his
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God. The king then gave orders and they brought those men who had maliciously accused
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Daniel and they cast them and their children and their wives into the lion's den.
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Boy, they paid a heavy price, didn't they? And they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
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Wow. Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, the nations, and men, every language, who were living in the land, in all the land.
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May your peace abound. Now listen how God's glorified in this. Listen to this. Verse 26,
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And I make a decree, he made a decree, that all the dominion of the kingdom of men are to fear and tremble before the
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God of Daniel. Hallelujah. For he is the living God and enduring forever.
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And his kingdom is the one which will not be destroyed. And his dominion will be forever.
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Look at how God was praised and glorified in that. He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth and who has also delivered
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Daniel from the power of the lions. And verse 28, And so this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the
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Persian. Wow. Now, you're talking about a great witness and even though this was the government official setting a trap against the righteous
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Daniel, Daniel trusted in his God. Folks, we may come to that place one day.
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You know, it's coming. And we may be thrown into prison for God's sake and for Jesus' sake.
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But we need to trust God. Always trust God. Know that God is there.
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He is our God that we serve constantly. Amen. Well, let's go on.
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This is a wonderful text. And I love that. I had to bring that out. I know it was a little lengthy, but I believe it bears speaking up.
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So the submission means showing respect to government, but first respect to God, fear God, and authorities with positive good deeds.
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Daniel was that a good example. The third point I'd like to bring to our attention is the reason for submission to government.
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The reason. And that reason is for the Lord's sake. It's for the Lord's sake. Always for the
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Lord's sake. We've got to keep that in mind. There are at least two ideas I'd like to bring out here in this phrase.
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For the Lord's sake. The first is being, since God ordains all civil government, by submitting to that government, we submit to God.
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We're obeying God. Because it's in His Word, right? And this is under God. And that's actually when we do submit for the
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Lord's sake, we're submitting to God. And what a testimony this is to the watching world.
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You know, plainly stated in Romans 13 verse 1 and 2, we already looked at. Daniel, let me read a few verses from Daniel.
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I've been eating up Daniel this week. It's been really wonderful. Daniel 2 .21. You could turn there if you like.
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I've got a few verses to give, but I love this verse from Daniel 2 .21. Here's another reason we submit to government.
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It is He, speaking of God, who changes the times and the epochs.
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He removes kings and establishes kings. In other words,
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He sets them up. He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding.
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So God is the sovereign Lord, isn't He? He's the one that changes the times and the epochs, the seasons.
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He removes kings and He establishes kings. God's sovereign. He's over all, isn't
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He? He allows even the wicked to do their thing. He allows the devil to do his thing.
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God is over all things. He never makes a mistake. We need to realize this.
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God has all things under control. When are we going to lay hold of this? That God is all -wise, ever -present, and all -powerful.
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And really, if we can trust in this God, He will always, always be faithful to what
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He says. Daniel 4 .17 is another great verse. Scripture says this.
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This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers. That's an interesting term. The angelic watchers.
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And the decision is a command of the holy ones. Even the angels is under God's authority.
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In order that the living may know that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whom
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He wishes and sets over it the lowest of men. Isn't it wonderful you read these verses that God is sovereign over everything?
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Absolutely everything. He's the one that's in charge. So evil, we see evil making its way in and we see sometimes there's evil overpowering us but we know that God is over all.
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Nothing is going to overpower God. God is sovereign over all the affairs of man.
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That's Scripture. Even God directs the pagan kings. Let's keep this in mind.
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The pagan kings, the presidents, according to his sovereign purposes. He even serves a purpose even for the pagan kings.
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Look at Pharaoh. Pharaoh is a good example to this. The Scripture says at times that Pharaoh hardened his heart and then at times it says
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God hardened his heart. You see both right together. But the hardness of heart was taking place.
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And then you read in the book of Acts that God even raised up Pharaoh that what he was doing in the end would glorify
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God. It's there in Scripture. Here's another good one. Proverbs 21 .1
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is a great one. I think Brother Keith, you reminded me of this one this past week. I appreciate that. The king's heart is channels of water in the hand of the
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Lord. The heart of the king is in the channels. Listen to this.
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It's like channels of water in the hand of the Lord. And it says he turns it wherever he wishes it.
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God does this. Now that's the heart. Isaiah.
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Go with me to Isaiah 45. Now we're going to really get into some deep waters. Isaiah really takes us into the deep oceans.
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Of course all of the Word of God is like that. But primarily Isaiah is really very, very deep.
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Chapter 45. I want to read just a few verses here. Isaiah 45.
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You might notice right here how God uses Cyrus. Thus says the Lord. Don't you love that?
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Thus says the Lord to Cyrus his anointed, whom I have taken by the right hand to subdue nations before him and to loose the loins of kings, to open doors before him so that the gates will not be shut.
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I will go before you and make the rough places smooth. I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through the iron bars.
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I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places so that you may know that it is
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I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. For the sake of Jacob, my servant, and Israel, my chosen one,
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I have also called you by your name. I have given you a title of honor though you have not known me.
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I am the Lord and there is no other. Besides me there is no God. I will gird you though you have not known me.
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That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides me.
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I am the Lord and there is no other. The one forming light and creating darkness, causing well -being and creating calamity.
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I am the Lord who does all these. Now is that wonderful to just pause a moment and just say,
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Selah, I worship you, O God, for your greatness and your glory and your sovereignty that He's in control.
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Wonderful passage, isn't it? On the sovereign rulership of Almighty God over the man, over the realm of mankind.
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Another one, if you go to chapter 46, just a couple of verses here, I can say so much more, but notice verse 10 and 11.
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Declaring the end from the beginning. Listen to that, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that have not been done, saying my purpose will be established and I will accomplish all my good pleasure.
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Folks, when God says that, it's going to happen. Verse 11, calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my purpose from a far country, truly
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I've spoken, truly I will bring it to pass, I have planned it, surely I will do it.
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That's the sovereign decree of our God. God's sovereign eternal decree.
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It will happen. When God says it, it will happen. Now, beloved, the apostle Peter, back to Peter, knew that his readers, including us as well, would have a difficult time of being submissive to pagan rulers.
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He knew that, didn't he? So he encourages us. He gives us a great word of encouragement.
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You think about the persecuted believers in that day. They must have had a difficult time knowing that they were aliens and strangers in a foreign land.
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They're being persecuted and they say, well, all of our submission is unto God. Now, rightly so, it is.
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But yet Peter says this. Now, he says, verse 16,
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Act as free men, act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering or cloak for evil.
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But use it as bond slaves of God. I love that. Bond slaves of God.
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Let's look at this a little bit. Beloved, you know, true freedom is living a righteous life, is living righteously and is in submission to God.
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Anything less means that we are enslaved to sin. And being a slave to sin is the worst tyrant.
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Believers should enjoy, we should enjoy our freedom in Jesus Christ, but never ever are we to put a veil or a cloak or a mask of freedom to cover what really is wicked.
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May God spare us of this. In other words, we are not to abuse the freedom that Jesus Christ has given us.
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You know, a lot of people, especially in the roof and worm camps, I hate to say this, but it's true.
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They preach so much on this Christian liberty and they use it sometimes as a cloak for them to sin behind the scene.
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May God spare us and forgive us for such things. God calls that hypocrisy.
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That's what it is. Christian freedom is never ever to be an excuse for self -indulgence or sin.
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Never. My antenna is always up when I start hearing somebody, especially, and it doesn't matter just in the reform camp, in other camps too, they will start talking about their
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Christian freedoms and their Christian liberties and it's always to walk the line.
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Walk the line. Friend, I don't want to walk the line. I want to stay way over here on the Lord's side and stay away from the line because the warnings are there that we can so easily fall because we're too weak.
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We don't play around with sin. We don't use our freedom to indulge in sins or make it an excuse.
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In other words, a license to sin. That's what they do. It uses a license to sin. May God help us.
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Next is Christians are to be identified. This is the second part I see here. Identify with God.
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We looked at this briefly as ambassadors and God's representatives. Our submission to government bears witness for God.
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For God. The very theme of our witness as aliens and strangers and pilgrims in the foreign land in this hostile, wicked world runs all the way through 1
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Peter 2 12 3. But it's implicit and like I said, all the rest of it is dealing with submission.
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But it's implicit in this section dealing with our responsibility as Christian citizens. And that's what he's talking about.
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Now, in speaking about the verse 16, act as free men, there's a few references
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I'd like for us to look at. 1 Corinthians chapter 7.
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1 Corinthians chapter 7 is a good one. Verse 22. Listen to what the
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Apostle Paul says. For he who is called in the
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Lord. That's key right there. Called. You're called in the Lord.
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That's our calling, isn't it? You know, Scripture says we're called in holiness.
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Who is the holy one? Holiness is not just rules and regulations, right?
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Every time I see Scripture that says of holiness, or called in holiness, we're called unto
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God because He is the holy one. So really, that's our calling, is holiness in the
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Lord. While a slave is the Lord's free man, likewise he who is called, again, again, the word called, while free is
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Christ's slave. In other words, what's he saying? You're free? Paul's basically saying to these people here at this time, you're free, but you're free to be the slave of Jesus Christ.
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Isn't that amazing? Your freedom is to be a slave to Christ. Now that's not oxymoron.
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Listen to what it says. A bond slave of Jesus Christ is at the lowest level of servitude. That's what it means.
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Our freedom is not to do what is wrong, but to do what is right. Before God.
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For conscience. To have a clear conscience before the living God. You know,
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I like the way Moody said what real integrity is. Real integrity is what
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God sees you when He sees you in secret. When no one else sees. When you're behind the scene, no one else can see you, not even your wife, or your husband, or your brothers, your sisters, your closest friends.
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But God sees. That's integrity. That's integrity. Freedom to serve the living
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God. Romans 6 .22. Romans 6 .22 ties in right with this.
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But now, having been freed from sin and enslaved to God. Notice this. Now you're slaves to God.
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You're a slave to righteousness. Not to sin. He's liberated us from sin.
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Not to say we are sinless. But we practice not sinning. We're liberated from sin.
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You're a slave to God. You derive or have your benefit or fruit of resulting in sanctification.
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And the outcome is what? Eternal life. That's at the end. Now eternal life begins now, of course.
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But we're talking about the manifestation of it. But in the meantime, how do we really walk? In sanctification.
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Sanctification is just basically the word means to be set apart.
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You know, I am waiting to see more Christians come out of the woodwork to be set apart from the world.
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Amen. Starting with myself. But you know what I'm saying. Look at today.
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Everybody calls themselves Christians. But I don't see no separate being separate from the world. Scripture says, love not the world, neither the things in the world.
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If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. I didn't say that.
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God says it. Now if the church is married to the world, how can
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Christ be married to them? There has to be a divorce somewhere.
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Before there's a reconciliation. Oh my. That's another sermon. 1
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Corinthians 7. Let me go a little bit further. Verse 23. He says,
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For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freedman, likewise he who is called while free is
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Christ's slave. Then he goes on a little further. You were bought with a price. There it is right there.
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You're redeemed. You're a child of God. We are a child of God.
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We're not children of slaves to sin. Or children of darkness.
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We're children of light. We are different. Do not become slaves to men, he says.
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Brethren, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called.
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God has called us in holiness. So beloved, the most liberated person on the planet
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Earth today is the believer in Jesus Christ. I believe that. They know what true freedom is.
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And a follower of Christ who obeys the commandments of Christ, this follower of Christ is liberated from sin.
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Have you been liberated from sin? Now let me put a footnote here. Even though Paul is not approving of all slavery in this text, of course not.
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But he is teaching that a person who is a slave is still able to obey and honor the
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Lord Jesus Christ. Because you and I know that slavery was predominant in those times.
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And you know, look at Paul. He remained in chains constantly. He was bound to chains.
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Anybody said the word of God is not bound? Oh, don't you love Paul? Again, no man is freer than a born again child of God.
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No bondage is as terrible as that of sin. That's the worst bondage. You know, people out there practicing sin, and then there's sin, indulging in their sin.
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They think they're free. Folks, they're in chains. As we say so often, they kiss in the chains.
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They're in bondage. And they don't even see that they're in bondage. Something must wake them up.
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And only the power of the living God in His word and through His Spirit can awaken their soul.
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But He uses a means to an end for us to evangelize and reach out to them. One more. Go with me to Galatians chapter 5.
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This is a good one. Galatians 5, 13, and 14. Don't you love this?
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Apostle Paul. For you were called. There it is. Called to freedom.
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Called to freedom. In Jesus Christ. Brethren. Now he's speaking to the brethren. Only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh.
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But through love serve one another. That's why we are free. It's through love to serve one another.
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For the whole law is fulfilled in one word. In this statement. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
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Isn't that convicting? That convicts me. Every time I read that. My freedom is to love my neighbor as myself.
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Jesus loved his neighbor more than himself. Beloved, this is the ruling principle of the
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Christian life. Of the true Christian that's free. To love one another.
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To love one another. What does Peter say? Remember verse 16? Act as free men and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil.
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But use it as a bond slaves of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood.
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Fear God. Honor the king. Honor the king. Wow. Notice how
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Peter just sums it all up in verse 17. And he says it.
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It's very simple. Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
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Let's keep that in mind. That's a cluster of very simple realities. That's the citizenship theology, isn't it?
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That's evangelistic. It's four dimensions of life given in a quick, very simple summary.
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First of all, honor all men. Honor all men. What does that mean? Who are all men? All men.
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Not some men. All men. Right? That's a wide range.
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That's a wide range. Now let me comment on a few things here. This means to highly esteem all people respectfully.
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Regardless of people's creed, regardless of people's color, regardless of people's race, regardless of their background, we are to respect them.
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Why? Because they're created in the image of God. It goes back to God.
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They're created in God's image. Now every kind of person, every kind of variety of persons, deserves honor and respect.
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We need to remember this when we're witnessing. We are to respect them.
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We as believers are to show respect because they're created in God's image. Now, even though we are to give them honor and to respect them, that does not by any means mean we agree with them.
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Right? We don't agree with them. And we surely don't agree with everything they do.
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Because as Christians we are to love what God loves and to hate what God hates. I'm telling you.
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Scripture has a lot to say about that. But we are to show respect as Christians. That's part of our testimony as a
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Christian. It's to show them respect and love and honor, but yet to give them the truth and to warn them.
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As Christians we desire to show that we have a proper respect for them, for that person that they were created in the image of God, but yet they're ruined by the fall, they're fallen sinners, they're in bondage to sin, they're in darkness, they're blinded by their fallenness, and we pity their souls.
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We reach out to them in love. Truth and love. Truth and love. We reach out to them with the gospel of God.
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Not only proclaiming it, which we should, the Scripture says that, but we are to show it in our life.
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That's what they're really looking at. This is true holiness, folks. This is true holiness.
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It's loving. God's way of loving. This is true evangelism.
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Well, Peter also says, Love the brotherhood. Love the brotherhood. What does that mean? I don't want to spend a lot of time right here, but that's the church.
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We're to love the church that Jesus loves. Jesus loved the church and we're to love the church.
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1 Peter 1 .22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love, unfeigned love, of the brethren.
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What does he say? Fervently love one another. That word fervently. Let's remind ourselves once again of that.
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What does that definition mean? Stretch out to the moments. We are to stretch ourselves out to go the extra mile for our brethren.
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From the heart. Now, there's the key. Not from the brain, but the heart. Well, the last part is,
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Fear God. Fear God. I think this is one of the most critical parts. I don't have much time, but I got to bring this to a closure.
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Fear God. Proverbs 24. Verse 21.
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I love the way Solomon begins this. My son. It's almost like a gracious, tenderly way.
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And as a father, it's almost like, I see, speaking to my son.
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My son. It's almost tender. There's a tenderness. There's a graciousness.
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My son. Fear the Lord. Fear the Lord. And the
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King. Do not associate with those who are given to change. Verse 22.
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For their calamity will rise suddenly. And who knows the ruin that comes from both of them.
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Wow, what a warning. What is that verse basically saying? Well, it's basically to give loyalty to the
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King that is proper. And why is it proper? Because He is the agent of the
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Lord's wisdom. We are to respect that. Because He is that agent of the
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Lord's wisdom. The word change now, it's interesting. I kind of looked into this. What do you mean by change? Here it means to have no part with rebels who seek to subvert or overthrow
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Him. And this is exactly what Peter is talking about. Peter is drawing from that that we are called to be good citizens for the
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Lord's sake. That's what he's talking about. Submit yourselves. For whose sake?
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The Lord's sake. We just submit. Well, let me conclude with one more final note here.
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An important point, I think, this message is to give application to us in a personal way from the word of God.
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The limits of submission to government when honoring the government violates the fear of God. Let me say that again.
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The limits of submission to government when honoring the government violates the fear of God.
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We're the fear of God, not men. Because the fear of man is what? A snare. It's a snare.
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It's a snare. It's a trap. I'm telling you, it'll bring you down every time. But we're the fear of God. We're to have a healthy fear of God, to respect
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God. Peter differentiates between God and the King. He differentiates between the
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God and the King, doesn't he? They fear God, honor the King. The King deserves appropriate honor and respect, but he is not on the same level with God.
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God is on a much higher level because we see these people, they're mere men that's been placed with authority.
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And by the way, a lot of them don't even know how to handle the authority. We know that. Because they sure don't have no humility.
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But God still places them there and we're still to show respect to the office, aren't we? But he is not on that same level as God.
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Not by a long shot. And if the King violates his responsibility which he has given, which has been given to him by God, then the believer is responsible to confront that violation.
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Now, there's plenty of examples. I don't have time to go there, but read in your devotional time. Daniel in chapter 3, the three
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Hebrew children. You know what happened there. They played the music. They were demanding them and commanding them to bow down at these idols.
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And Nebuchadnezzar made this huge golden image. And he said, you're to bow down.
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This is the law. This is the law. Hebrew children said, we don't bow, but to one.
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And that is our God. And that's what it comes down to. We don't have time to go there, but there's another place.
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I'm going to go very quickly here. Go to Acts chapter 5 in closing. Now, this is application for us, isn't it?
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This is good application. Chapter 5, again, once again, we see this fine line.
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And some Christians have a hard time with this line. But I see it so clearly in Scripture, don't you?
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It's so wonderful. In Acts chapter 5, look at verse 17 through 32 very quickly.
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I want to read this very fast. But the high priest rose up along with all his associates, that is the sect of the
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Sadducees, and they were filled with jealousy. They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail.
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Now they went to jail. But during that night, an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison and taken them out.
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And he said, go and stand and speak to the people in the temple and the whole message of this life.
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That's what the angel said. Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to teach.
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And when the high priest, notice the high priest, the officials and the associates, came and they called the council together even in the senate of the sons of Israel and sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought.
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But the officers who came did not find them in prison, that they returned and reported back, saying, we found the prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors.
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And when they had opened up, we found no one inside. Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priest heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this.
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But someone came and reported to them, and the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.
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Wow! They didn't stop, did they? Nothing could stop these apostles because they were filled with the power of the
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Holy Spirit. They were doing what God called them to do. Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence, for they were afraid of the people that they might be stoned.
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Notice they were afraid of the people. And notice what was said. And when they had brought them, they stood them before the council.
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Boy, I bet you they felt important about that, didn't they? The high priest questioned them, saying, we gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet you have filled
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Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
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But Peter... Oh, hallelujah! But Peter and the apostles answered, we must obey
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God rather than men. There it is, folks. And then he says this, the
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God of our fathers raised up Jesus. And he goes right to the gospel. He preaches to them, whom you have put to death by hanging him on a tree, on a cross.
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He is the one whom God exalted to his right hand as prince and savior to grant repentance to Israel and the forgiveness of sins.
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And we are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom
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God has given to those who obey him. These men were going to obey
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God rather than men, even if it cost their very life. And that's the way we should be as well.
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Hallelujah! So there's a fine line at times of the balance that Christians must maintain to honor the king.
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But let me close with this. There's a higher king, and he is the king of kings. And he is the
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Lord of lords, the Lord Jesus Christ. If it comes to a tug of war between God and government,
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God wins. God wins. Can you say amen to that?
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Let me close with a hymn. Who is on the Lord's side? Who will serve the king?
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Who will be his helpers? Others live to bring, lives to bring.
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Who will leave the world's side? Who will face the foe? Who is on the
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Lord's side? Who for him will go? By the call of mercy, by the grace divine, we are on the
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Lord's side, Savior, we are thine. Not for weight of glory, not for crown and palm, enter we the army, raise the warrior song.
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But for love that claimeth, lives for whom he died, he whom Jesus nameth, must be on his side.
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By thy love constraining, by thy grace divine, we are on the Lord's side,
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Savior, we are thine. Jesus, thou hast bought us, not with gold or gem, but with thine own life's blood, for thy died in.
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With thy blessing filling, each who comes to thee, thou hast made us willing, thou hast made us free.
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By thy grand redemption, by thy grace divine, we are on the
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Lord's side, Savior, we are thine. Fierce may be the conflict, strong may be the foe, but the king's own army, none can overthrow.
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Round his standard ranging, victory is secure, for his truth unchanging, makes the triumph sure.
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Joyfully enlisting, by thy grace divine, we are on the Lord's side, Savior, we are thine.
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Last verse. Chosen to be thy soldiers, in an alien land. Listen to this.
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Chosen, called, and faithful. I love that. Chosen, called, and faithful for our captain's band.
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In the service royal, let us not grow cold. Let us be right, loyal, noble, true, and bold.
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Master, thou wilt keep us. By thy grace divine, always on the
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Lord's side, Savior, always thine. Praise God. Let's make sure we're on the
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Lord's side. Amen? Amen. Let's bow in prayer. Father, we have heard your word today.
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There's so much more that can be said, but I believe this is enough for us to meditate on and to obey in our own lives.
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Lord, this is so convicting. So, so convicting to our own lives because we reflect our submission to you as we submit to the human institutions.
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And Lord, when it comes right down to it, if we're going to obey, if there's laws in the land that's against your holy word, which there is, we will by no means obey its authority.
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We only obey what you have told us. Because, Father, your
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Son is Lord and Caesar is not Lord. And like your
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Son said, He who is not with me is against me. And he who does not gather with me scatters.
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Father, we would pray that in your goodness and mercy, draw us closer to yourself that we may know you in your fullness so that we might be all that you desire us to be to the praise of your glory.