The Authority of the Government

Prayer for Illumination and Submission to the Word

We'll begin with a word of prayer, and then we're going to go to the scripture together. So let's bow our heads and go to Lord in prayer our Father and our God we come to you in Jesus name. We thank you, and we praise you that you have brought us to this place to learn your word together to seek to be encouraged through instruction and that When we open the word Lord that we would be submissive to what it says.

And have our eyes enlightened and our hearts stirred by its truth. We do pray Lord we know there are many Folks within our congregation for which we need to be praying. And Lord we think about them constantly the folks who are ill folks who are Going through various health issues and personal issues and financial issues that go on throughout the congregation Lord.

We pray that You would minister to them. And Lord that you would use us to minister to them. That we might reach out and love and share Our lives with them and fellowship with them. We thank you for these home groups that have been Very positive the ones that are that are continually meeting and encouraging one another and growing in the faith.

We just pray that you'll continue to bless those we pray for Lord our Church as a whole. We pray for as we look to the next few months of ministry of things that we want to do and learn and teach. That you would encourage us to be about the business of the word First and foremost and make that our daily task.

Lord as we seek to examine tonight a very very difficult passage of Scripture. I Pray first that you would keep me from error. Keep me saturated in the truth. Guard the hearts of the people Lord put a hedge around them.

And Lord God open their hearts to the truth only. And keep our minds from wandering to and fro. But be focused on what the word has to tell us. All these things Lord we pray in Jesus name And for his sake Amen, if you would open up your Bibles and turn with me to Romans 13.

The Difficulty of Romans 13 and Fidelity to Governing Authorities

Want to begin with somewhat of a confession. I have almost been dreading Coming to this particular section of Scripture. The reason why I say I've almost been dreading coming to Revelation 13 Is quite frankly there are some things within it That are not only difficult to understand there are more things in it that are just quite frankly difficult to obey.

That is the way it is. There's those times when we come to Scripture and there are portions of it where? While we see what it says and it says it so clearly it seems like our mind is saying It just can't be that way it has to be another way and the reason why especially right now in our land Romans 13 becomes such a difficult passage to deal with is because Romans 13 deals with fidelity to governing authorities and as Most of you are aware There are many people who are in leadership in our nation all the way to even the highest offices who really are not worthy of our Respect for their behavior they treat their offices with disdain.

And they cause us to look upon even the very government itself with great suspect Attitudes we suspect that they're doing wrong, and it's funny how I often hear this almost every Election cycle and this time it's no different, but I hear this same phrase.

We're not electing who we want we're electing the lesser of Two evils where we we're not really getting the statesman that we desire we're simply having to choose who is the best of the worst and then we come to Romans 13 and Romans 13 deals with governing authorities and It looks at it from a much different perspective than we normally do and when we start tonight by reading through the text because really Romans 13 is broken down into two parts.

Romans 13 is broken down in verses 1 through 7 is Basically one whole thought and then Romans 13 is then broken down in verses 8 through 14 as another whole thought so you know if There there's sub thoughts within those, but it's a subject the subject of Romans 13 verses 1 through 7 is specifically fidelity to human Government institutions, that's the focus so really That's what we're going to have to deal with and we're going to have to be obedient to what the text says.

Even though there are going to be things that we hear and we read and it's going to cause us great discomfort because it does and So what I want to do tonight is I want to begin by reading verses 1 through 7.

I have no intention of going any further than that. I don't know that we'll get through verses 1 through 7 tonight, but I know we're not going to go any further so let's read verses 1 through 7 see what they say and Then I want to begin by sharing a little story about this text, but let's read the text together.

Romans 13 verse 1 says let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority Except from God and Those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed.

And those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good and you will receive his approval for he is God's servant for your good.

But if you do wrong be afraid for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God an avenger. Who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer? Therefore one must be in subjection not only to avoid God's wrath, but also for the sake of conscience.

For the same reason you also pay taxes for the authorities our ministers of God attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them. Taxes to whom taxes are owed. Revenue to whom revenue is owed.

Respect to whom respect is owed. Honor to whom honor is Owed. May God have his blessing. For the reading of his word on the morning of September 11th 2001 I along with countless other Americans can Remember that day very easily.

I simply can close my eyes and can picture exactly where I was. And what I was doing. I actually was working for a Bread company. I was delivering bread. I've had quite a few little Occupations here and there as I was going to school and doing various things.

I was delivering bread to publics over off of Atlantic Boulevard. Walked in had these bread containers took them in. And as I was back there unloading man walked up and he says hey Did you hear in a plane hit a building in New York?

Well, every one of us, you know, we sort of assumed it was prop plane Cessna you know something somebody was just flying too close being being foolish and You know something happened. Well by the time I reloaded the truck and got up into the truck the second plane had hit and by that time there was no doubt America was under attack and of course The entire world at that very moment was Changed and all Americans were shaken with fright and with great Concern about what the future would hold.

My wife was in a 15-story building that morning taking calls for Bell South and It just happens to be one of the biggest and widest buildings in Jacksonville. So too. Yes, I was very concerned on a personal level Not knowing what was going on And it just so happens at the same time as all this was going on our former pastor who was my Pastor at the time.

I was Just a youth director. The former pastor had been out of the pulpit for a couple of weeks with surgical issues. He Had had a automobile accident and was unable to stand behind the pulpit. So because of that they had actually filmed him giving the messages and we were actually watching the sermons on film very very interesting little Way about doing it, but it was it was what it was.

We did best we could in the situation and One of the elders Tom Watts at the time came to me and asked me That it was Tuesday. September 11th was on a Tuesday. Of course that Wednesday all the churches were filled including ours and After service that Wednesday night.

Mr. Watts came to me and said would you Preach on Sunday because We don't want to videotape this week and So I I Agreed I said it would be okay for me to do that. I had not preached Before this on a Sunday morning that I can remember for what I understand.

This was the first time I'd ever preached publicly on a Sunday morning. I'd preached on some winning that Wednesday nights. So you so so as you can imagine it was quite the daunting task but there was there were and other folks in the church who who had a calling their desire to preach and everyone knew that I Did so it was quite natural to ask me to do that.

So I went home began to pray prepare think try to consider what in the world Would you say to a group of people who are coming to the church and wanting to know? Answers to the questions. What do I say?

And as I looked around I Searched the scriptures tried to find answers and I and I and I finally settled on the fact that Our country was going to have to do something That we never want to do. War had been declared and the government was going to have to make a very difficult decision.

Now without us going into the right or wrong of how the decisions have been made since then. No one doubts that we had to do something. So what do you say? So I found my way to Romans 13 and I found this passage in Romans 13 verse 4.

Verse 4 says the government it says for the government is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong Be afraid. For he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is a servant of God an avenger who carries out wrath on the wrongdoer.

And that's the verse I preached and I said, you know what there is a time when the government has not only the right but the responsibility to stand for its citizens against evil and to bear the sword of battle.

And this is not an Old Testament passage. This is a New Testament passage. This isn't something somebody can go back to Leviticus or judges and say, oh that was just the Old Testament way. And now we live under grace now this is the New Testament and it says there is a time when the sword must be brought out and The government does not bear the sword in vain.

Government as Restraint on Human Depravity

Now since I've shared with you my history with the text. I Want to tell you that in Ten years since it's been there. There have been times where I have been quite disappointed with our government. There have been times when I have been quite Disappointed with the way things have been handled in the way things have been managed in the and like many of you as I said Sometimes it's a lesser of two evils that we have to choose from in voting yet at the same time We mustn't forget this one very important truth.

God has established human government for a reason because without it the depravity of the soul of man would have free reign and When the depravity of the soul of man is not held back by the sword of governmental authority.

What we see is Anarchy. So while there are going to be come While we go through this about government authority and while we talk about the fact that well There are some authorities that we can't believe God put in place what we mustn't forget.

It's the entire reason governmental authority was put in place in the first place. It is because men are evil and must be restrained. You go all the way back to Genesis Chapter 9 when Noah came off of the ark he set up The very first sacrifice after coming off the ark he set up a stone Pillar and he prayed to the Lord he had his altar there.

And he made a sacrifice to the Lord. And what one commandment did God give to Noah after the flood? He said if man sheds the blood of another man. So too by man shall his blood be shed. God instituted the death penalty at the very foundation of the re-establishment of the human race.

The human race had been established through Adam. It had been perverted and It had been brought to destruction. God destroys it, but yet doesn't destroy it in Toto. He destroys it all. Except for one family when this family comes off the ark.

And it's and it's Noah Shem Ham and Japheth and those three men with their wives and Noah's wife. They are going to now repopulate the earth. They were going to go forward and be fruitful and they're going to become this new people.

The first and great commandment to those people was that you must govern yourselves. Justly and part of justice Was involved that the government has the right. That if someone dare dishonor Another life by taking it.

That the government has the right to in turn take that life. That's the foundation of Law and government is that when you Damage another person that the role of the government is to bear the sword upon you is to bring punishment upon you.

For that. I remember I talked to a person one time who was in jail. I was talking to them. I was trying to encourage them and one of the things that I've said has really bothered me for years. Because they said, you know, I don't need to be here because jail isn't helping me.

I. They're not there to help you. They're there to punish you because they don't bear the sword in vain. They're there for a reason. Yes, rehabilitation is good. Yes, if somebody's in jail, we want them to come out and not ever go back.

Yes, those things are good, but you're not in there as a 12-step program. You're in there because you broke the law and you're being punished. So with all that I just wanted to break down the foundation of why God instituted government in the first place.

So that when we read this very first verse and it says let every person be subject to the governing authorities. We know that that verse is founded not just here in Paul. But that verse is founded all throughout Scripture never in Scripture.

Was there a time? When God did not have established his governing authorities except before the flood and before the flood what happened? Those people with power and influence Who were unrestrained brought God's judgment on the world through their unrestrained sin?

Since then God has always established his rule and authority through the institution of human government in Israel it was a theocracy in The church it is still a theocracy that the church lives under the rule of secular government.

Paul Obeyed secular government. In fact Paul appealed to secular government. How many times was Paul about to get in trouble in the book of Acts and he says wait, I'm a Roman citizen. Can't touch me. He's appealing to law and he's appealing to the government's protection at that point.

Think about Jesus when he stood before Pilate. Pilate said don't you know that I have the authority to release you and Jesus said you wouldn't have any authority if it hadn't come from God. Pilate's the most evil governor that we can find in antiquity.

The things that he did are unmentionable. Some of the atrocious things that he did outside of Just what we know he did to Christ. We often think of Pilate is sort of the pawn of the Jews at that point.

You know He washed his hands and he and he tried to separate himself from the from the death of Christ. And yes Pilate in that sense we could say Pilate attempted to separate himself from the death of Christ but you have to remember something if you go back to Luke 13 and Luke 13 a bunch of people come to Jesus and they Asked Jesus about a situation where some people had died and they said their blood had been mixed with the sacrifices.

And if you don't know the history around that story what happened was Pilate in an attempt to squelch a Jewish rebellion found some zealots that were hiding out in a place of worship and he killed them with their with the Sacrifices and mixed their blood together just to dishonor their deaths.

Pilate was no. He was no innocent man. He was no good governor. He himself had many problems Which could be attached to his name? But yet Jesus said your Very position. Your ability to make a decision and it have any effect Is from God.

That is why the text goes on to say for there is no authority Except from God and those that exist have been instituted by God. Here's something to consider with that not. Every leader that God puts in place is there for our blessing.

Sometimes They're there for judgment. Yes, ma 'am. You had a question. Absolutely and this text is going to back down in verse 7 when it gets to paying taxes Jesus agrees with Paul or maybe you go the other way and say Paul agrees with Jesus.

They you know that We are to be paying our taxes and paying what you know Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto God that which belongs to God. So yes very astute Observation because that's true when Jesus Says that he makes a specific Reference to the authority of government at that at that point now I want to I want to make this I want to mention something at this point.

There is disagreement on Whether or not this passage is speaking about government authority. Because there are people who have argued and I've actually heard them argue that this is actually talking about authority that is exercised within the church.

And when it says because later it calls the authority the leader a minister of God and thus they make that argument that it's actually This is a this is this is not Governing authority, but this is actually church Authority and the leaders in the church have authority and the sword there is not the sword of death but it's the sword of Separating someone from them from the from the grace that is found in the you know, the sacraments and those things.

You know, that's this is a certain type of translation. I'm not agreeing with that I'm just telling you that there is not necessarily unified understanding of how this verse is to be understood. My problem with that particular understanding because really there are three I'll go ahead and give them to you.

All right. There are really three ways that this has been understood one is it's all governing authority. Is in view, okay. That's that's view number one is that when it talks about governing authority, it's all governing authority number two.

It's all Benevolent, I think I just spelled that wrong. Let's try that again all good Governing authority is in view I've heard that argument that it's not talking about every single leader. Because I mean who could look at you know, any I mean and say this person is a minister of God, right?

So that so that's that's an argument that's been made that it's some it's either all Government, it's all good government or the third view is it's all church related Government that would be the ministry of the elders and the authority that's found vested with them.

I have a difficulty With That difficulty with the third one because later in the passage it talks about paying taxes and it's very specific language and yes, we do pay. We we give to the church we give.

But we give freely. Nowhere is the church giving to the church ever described as a tax in Scripture. In fact, the closest thing to a tax in regard to giving is the Old Testament model of the tithe. That is not a New Testament model.

The New Testament model is 2nd Corinthians 9 7 that we give as God has laid on our heart freely and without Coercion and it's because God loves a cheerful giver. We know that that's that's the model for New Testament giving so to compare that to a tax, which is owed Rather than a gift, which is given.

I don't I do not see where you could compare those two thus I have problems saying this is only speaking to church authority, but I'm putting it out there as a For your consideration. These are things that people have said and because they've said then I like to just put them out for your mind.

So that you have something to consider that not everybody sees this exactly the same way. But here's where I have problems with them. So I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to put an X by this just because I don't see that being a reasonable answer.

So it leads me to the other two all government authority. Well, it says Right here in verse 13 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities notice there is not any form of a qualifier there.

It doesn't say let every person be subject to the good governing authorities however later in the passage it says in verse 3. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad would you have no fear of one who is in authority?

Then do what is good and you will receive his approval for he is God's minister for your good. So that's where the argument comes from. It doesn't come from verse 1. It comes later in verse 3 the person who makes the argument about this is saying that this really would not apply To the idiom means of the world.

This would not apply to the Adolf Hitler's of the world. This would not apply to the you know, the Queen Mary's of the world, you know, bloody Mary these it wouldn't it wouldn't apply to these evil bloodthirsty terrible horrible rulers and as for that My only response is when Jesus said to Pilate your authority came from God and If he can say that to Pilate.

What that means is no person good or bad has ever reached a position of authority without God's Allowance that God did not allow them to have that position of authority. Thus We now have to step back and say Why?

Would God allow? An idiom mean or an Adolf Hitler or a bloody Mary or a Pontius Pilate and As I've already said I've sort of already tipped my hand on this. It is that some I'm gonna go ahead and put an X by this only because I think I don't think this one is either I think it's all governing authority because there are two types of governing authority.

There is good and there is bad. I could say benevolent and evil but Obviously, I can't spell but I'm like I can spell it. I can spell I spelled it. I'm just filling it up. It's a small board. All governing authority whether it's good or Whether it's bad.

It says it's instituted by God. Why would God Institute good? Governmental authority. Because when God institutes good government authority it equals blessings right. Have there been good leaders in our American history?

I want to use America now as a one nation. That among many has America had good leaders that have been a blessing. I think we can go all the way back to the founding fathers and even prior to the the institution of the United States of America with the Constitution even before that the men and women who came over on the Mayflower themselves being leaders and who built this nation and and and built it with a godly foundation and and though that that's been Tarnished and many people have run from that since then we know that the reason the very reason why those people Gathered together to come over on the Mayflower was it would had a godly purpose in doing so so.

Those leaders brought blessing to their people. God rose Them up in the ranks of the people so that they could be that blessing. And we still see people today who are godly leaders who are there as a blessing.

I'll be it not as many then there's bad leaders. If good leaders are a blessing what are bad leaders a curse. The opposite of blessing is cursing. So if bad is a curse I would I'm going to change it. I'm not going to change it because that's right.

The opposite is that but it's also judgment. Okay, it's judgment when God Establishes or allows a person to reach a position of preeminence and that person is bringing Torturous Heinous and Terrible things upon his people.

It is a picture of judgment on the world. Somebody said that I Can't believe America keeps voting in all these bad Politicians and all these people who are so willing to lie and live depraved lives and to seek Programs that are tearing our nation apart and it seems and and getting us into debt that's going to be literally imposed upon our children's children's children and yet you return and say to them What is God to do to a nation?

That encourages the death of 4 ,000 babies every day in the womb. What does God to do to a nation that? Encourages open Abominable practices being done and Encourages this on television and in the media and in schools and in scouting programs the Girl Scouts.

You know, I you know, we talked about the Girl Scouts a lot because they openly support the lesbianism and things like that, you know, it's so dangerous. But yet as a nation we have not called ourselves to account.

What do we expect? Do we expect God to bless sin. If so, then we are foolish indeed, so. Does that not then mean? Or does that then mean though? That we have the right to tell the government. We're not going to obey.

We're not going to live by the law we're going to live in anarchy and we're going to go and we're going to be our own people and we're going to do our Own thing and I mean what what good would it do for us to become criminals in?

A nation that's run by criminals. It would not do well. So that's that's the thing that Paul's explaining here if we still have a responsibility to do, right? We still have a responsibility to do good and I want to present to you an interesting way of Understanding this passage because I do you we have to deal with the good past because it says he's a minister for our good.

I do think that that's a generalized statement. I do not think Paul there is speaking in the broadest sense of saying everything that is good is that comes from government is good. I think the point of that particular text is this is that when we do Write by the law the law generally doesn't come to bear upon us now.

That's not every case there are people who get bum rap and there are people who get false accused and things like that. But the general rule is if we obey the law. Then we are at least for the most part safe from the condemnation of the law.

You know if we obey the law we don't have to concern ourselves with the government bringing the sword to bear upon us. So now if you read it in that sense it says therefore whoever resists the authorities resist that what Resists what God has appointed and those who resist will incur judgment for rulers are not a terror to good conduct.

But to bad this is not talking about necessarily righteous and unrighteous conduct. It's talking about Obedient conduct and disobedient conduct the that which the government seeks to bring. That which the government seeks to judge is disobedient conduct.

Okay, so it's not good and bad here. It's talking about obedient disobedient. Not necessarily what we would call because we would say well. Yeah some of the stuff the government allows us to do is not good so we still don't do that or some of the things the Government would want us to do is not good.

So we don't do that. But in the most in the most generalized sense we do what we are Commanded to do by the government we obey the the street signs. You can imagine if everybody today if every Christian said you know what I don't like the government.

So I'm not going to obey the stop signs. I wouldn't be too many of us. It wouldn't last very long. I Don't like what the government's doing so I'm going to disobey every stoplight that I see. I don't like what the government's doing so I'm going to walk up and hit a cop.

Yeah, so how long that last. Yeah, you know I'm saying it's ridiculous. You know yet at the same time. And this is what because we're what time is it? I don't want to okay. We're running out of time next week, and I'm going to spend a little time researching this this week next week.

We're going to talk about the Revolutionary War. What? Okay, the reason why. And I want you to. I want you to go home with this question, and if you want to spend some time Researching it and bring back something to share with the group.

I encourage you to. If this says that we are to obey the governing authorities. Were the founding fathers in sin? When they Broke from England and fought the Revolutionary War. That's a legitimate difficult question isn't it because it says we're supposed to obey the authorities.

So next week, that's where we're going to go. And again you may come back we may have a difference we may have a disagreement on that. But it is an interesting question isn't it because it tells us to obey it tells us to be obedient.

But yet at the same time we believe America was founded on Christian principles, so there sort of becomes a question there, and I think it's something well for us to study. I'm seeing mr.. Bunning. I don't think you're gonna be here next week you like.

It'll be here. I'll record it for you because it's a good question. It's a good topic, but just for tonight since we only really got through the first three verses. Let's read them again. I'm just walk through them and give you a few things to think about this week.

It says let every person be subject to the governing authorities that doesn't leave any person out. And it's not talking about Christians only it says every person so in that respect Paul is here identifying for us a mandate.

That's actually a human Race mandate it's not just a believers mandate. Every person has responsibility being subject to the governing authorities. And then he says for there is no authority except from God.

We've already talked about how that happens. God set some authority up for blessing some authority up for judgment. But it's all. No one has ever received an authority to do anything outside of God's approval.

For instance the book of Job. Satan is the prince of the power of the air the scripture calls him, but yet couldn't touch Job one iota without God's approval. So there's another just a little thought yes Satan has this immense amount of power, but can't do anything.

God doesn't say it's okay to do. So there so that just reminds you of the authority of God. People off. I saw this thing on Facebook today. Jesus and the devil were arm-wrestling. And I don't remember who put it up.

But I know that I wanted to thump their skull because I thought it was the most ridiculous thing just want to thump somebody. Right there to say what wouldn't the world are you thinking to even imagine that there's any any form of of?

Equality. Satan is under the rule of God even in his rebellion. He cannot do anything. God does not allow him to do any more than we can do. We rebel against God. Yes, but we cannot rebel further than God allows.

So that's just this point where it says there is no authority except from God and those that exist have been instituted by God. Doesn't give any qualifier there. It just said those that exist and I do think that this runs down all the way to the church so getting back to this I Don't think the church is exempt from this.

I don't think the church is in focus. But I don't think the church is exempt in the sense that it says all authority. So even when we break down to the authority of the elders. Later in Hebrews we're going to be studying where it actually says to obey those who God has put over you because God has put them as the overseers of your souls and actually talks about making their work a Blessing and not a curse because sometimes it is hard to be the overseer and pastor and elder because sometimes that work is difficult to do.

But so there is it there is a kind of a combination or Continuation there in Hebrews where it does address the authority within the church, but specifically this is talking about every level of authority.

There's no one who's ever risen to the head of a household. There's no one who's ever risen to the head of a church. There's no one who's ever risen to the head of a community or to the head of a town or to the head of a city.

Or to the head of a state or the head of multiple states or the head of a nation a power apart from God's. Allowing it to be so so that so that would so what is Paul establishing? He's establishing the absolute sovereignty of God a few years ago when we voted in our current president.

I don't know if you remember. What did I what did I preach the the the Sunday before the vote? I'm probably gonna preach it again this year. It's been four years ago. I can rotate one in. The title of the sermon was God will still be on his throne Wednesday.

That's how the sermon. Because it doesn't matter who goes to the White House because God will still be on his throne on Wednesday and as much as we don't want certain people to be in the White House as much as we do want statesmen and we Want godly blessings to be in those positions of leadership?

We mustn't ever make it make us think for a second that they those people can strip away God's authority. Because their authority is dependent upon God not the other way around. And finally it says about resisting therefore.

Whoever resists the authorities just what God has appointed. Those who resist will incur judgment. The rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority then do what is good and you will receive his approval.