> PRAY for Pastor Brandon, the upcoming class time, your teaching, your class members, and their receptivity to the lesson.

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1 FIRST BAPTIST RAYTOWN GOD AND GOVERNMENT ROMANS 13:1-7; DANIEL 4:28-35; LUKE 4:16-19 JUNE 30, 2013 PREPARATION > SPEND THE WEEK STUDYING ROMANS 13:1-7, DANIEL 4:28-35, AND LUKE 4: Consult the commentary provided and any additional study tools to enhance your preparation. > DETERMINE which discussion points and questions will work best with your group. > PRAY for Pastor Brandon, the upcoming class time, your teaching, your class members, and their receptivity to the lesson. HIGHLIGHTS > BIBLICAL EMPHASIS: Throughout the Bible, men and women of God live with respect for leadership and government. The Bible teaches us to respect and pray for our leaders and seek to be agents of change for the benefit of our nations and neighbors. > LIFE APPLICATION: Christians need to understand the sin of silence and be willing to boldly articulate a biblical worldview with political issues we face today. I N T R O D U C T I O N As your group time begins, use this section to get the conversation going. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being that you wish you could hibernate until the second Wednesday in November, and 10 being you wish elections happened every two years instead of four, how excited are you about political seasons? Explain your answer. What is the best part of the time surrounding an election? What is the worst part? How do you think Christians feel about politics generally? 1 GOD AND GOVERNMENT FIRST BAPTIST RAYTOWN JUNE 30

2 TEACHING PLAN What are some errors Christians might make in their approach to politics? Whether we love politics or hate it, every Christian is called hold a biblical worldview on the subject. There are many errors Christians can fall prey to when it comes to politics. Anarchism and refusal to pay taxes are such errors. Another error is not letting our faith impact our political preferences. Our faith and worldview must impact our political decisions. UNDERSTANDING Unpack the biblical text to discover what Scripture says or means about a particular topic. > HAVE A VOLUNTEER READ ROMANS 13:1-7. What reasons does Paul give for obeying and respecting authority? Which reason is the most significant to you? Why? God tells us to respect and obey leaders because they are where God has appointed them. All leadership is under God s leadership and should be obeyed. Does this mean that Christians must agree with every decision a government official makes? Why or why not? Based on the two points above, what might be an appropriate way to disagree with a government official? Christians are not called to agree with every political decision or policy. Disagreement is good, but it should be done in kindness and respect. God calls believers to respect those in leadership above them and to support the government. 2 GOD AND GOVERNMENT FIRST BAPTIST RAYTOWN JUNE 30

3 TEACHING PLAN Read Matthew 22: How could this question have harmed Jesus mission? What do you have that you owe to the government? What do you have that you owe to God? Jesus never picked a political party, but He did choose to obey the politicians in authority during His day. As His followers, we should be known more for how we serve our culture than how we vote. Because we are citizens of a heavenly kingdom, we must obey who God puts over us without making them our chief concern. > INVITE SOMEONE TO READ DANIEL 4: What did Nebuchadnezzar have in common with politicians of our day? How would you define sovereignty based on this passage? How does this example of God s sovereignty impact your feelings about politics in our culture? What did Daniel remind us about rulers and God s sovereignty in Daniel 2:20-23? Kings, presidents, congressmen, and local council members rule because God allows them to. We can have confidence that God is ruling the world, regardless of our opinions on our earthly leaders. No politician can ruin God s plans for His planet or His people. We can vote in faith that God wins no matter who takes office. > ASK A VOLUNTEER TO READ LUKE 4: How do Jesus goals mesh with the goals of politicians today? How are they different? 3 GOD AND GOVERNMENT FIRST BAPTIST RAYTOWN JUNE 30

4 TEACHING PLAN What are some of the differences between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of earth ruled by governments? How have you seen our church model the message of Jesus in these verses? What are some ways we can help each other remember the nature of the kingdom of God when the nature of the kingdoms of men is so prevalent? Jesus invites us, as His children and as citizens of His kingdom, to throw our lives into things that will last far longer than a four-year political term and even longer than the life of a nation. We have the privilege and calling to be concerned with everlasting hearts that need healing and hope. Our status as voters should always fall in line with our calling as proclaimers of the good news. APPLICATION Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives. As a community of believers, the people of First Baptist Raytown can encourage each other to live out the teaching God has given us. Take a closer look at how we can proclaim Christ amid political issues. What political issues most need the Christian voice of morality? How can we proclaim right and wrong in a society that embraces moral ambiguity? How do we love those who embrace and support unbiblical views? 4 GOD AND GOVERNMENT FIRST BAPTIST RAYTOWN JUNE 30

5 TEACHING PLAN Given the nature of Jesus true kingdom, how might you pray for the president and other political officials? PRAYER Pray that God will advance His kingdom through your group and the officials elected this year. Thank Him for being trustworthy, regardless of what goes on in the political world. FOLLOW UP This week, consider sending a follow-up to your group with some or all of the following: Questions to consider as they continue to reflect on what they learned this week: What can I pray for my government that will help people have the opportunity to know Christ? How have I shared the good news this week? How can I do so in the days ahead? A note of encouragement, following up on any specific prayer requests mentioned during your group time. The challenge to memorize Luke 4: GOD AND GOVERNMENT FIRST BAPTIST RAYTOWN JUNE 30

6 FIRST BAPTIST RAYTOWN GOD AND GOVERNMENT ROMANS 13:1-7; DANIEL 4:28-35; LUKE 4:16-19 COMMENTARY ROMANS 13: Paul began by stating the guiding principle concerning the relationship between Christians and government. He then gave the first rationale underlying the principle. The verb submit is strong and could be translated obey or be in subjection to. The command encompasses everyone without exception. The first basis Paul gave for obeying the state was frankly theological: all authority comes from God. He is the source of all power and has designed human institutions to function with leaders and followers Although some government leaders abuse their authority, Paul still asserted that they are instituted by God. What if a government demands believers disobey one of God s commands? In such a case, We must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). Paul also urged submission to the state because God s purpose for the government is to restrain evil. Rulers in their pursuit to maintain an orderly and just society will not be a threat to those whose conduct is good. Those with bad behavior, however, can look forward to government disapproval or punishment. God has assigned government the task of punishing evil (even though justice is never perfect in this life). Note this is precisely what Christians as private individuals were forbidden to do just a few verses earlier: Friends, do not avenge yourselves. 13:5-7. Therefore God has given government alone not individual citizens and not religious institutions such as churches the duty to carry the sword. The third basis Paul gave for believers to obey government was that believers conscience requires them to submit. Just as Paul s teaching in verse 1 is universal, so it is here. DANIEL 4: : If the king s dream inspired fear, the interpretation should have incited terror. Daniel declared the dream meant 6 GOD AND GOVERNMENT FIRST BAPTIST RAYTOWN JUNE 30

7 COMMENTARY God would drive the king from office, and the king would live as an animal in the wild. After telling Nebuchadnezzar the dream s meaning, Daniel warned the king to separate himself from his sins. Nebuchadnezzar s only hope was to repent ( separate, v. 27) from his sins and end the injustice for which he was notorious. Perhaps then God would continue to prosper the king. As time elapsed and nothing drastic happened, Nebuchadnezzar put the incident behind him. Having forgotten the divine warning, he grew even more proud. But when God warns of coming judgment, though it may not occur immediately, it will come to pass. At the zenith of power and prosperity, the king reflected on the height of his personal achievement from the roof of the royal palace in Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar must have had an incredible view. The city was built as a four-sided fortress with each of its walls 14 miles long. The king viewed the silhouettes of more than 50 temples in the city. The famous Hanging Gardens filled the air with the pungent aroma of thousands of flowering plants. (Built by Nebuchadnezzar for his wife Anytis, a princess of Medea, the Hanging Gardens were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.) Without a doubt, Babylon was one of the largest cities in the world and during Nebuchadnezzar s reign, the most magnificent. Nebuchadnezzar reveled in the grandeur of his capital as he claimed credit for the magnificent city. 4: As Nebuchadnezzar was congratulating himself on his accomplishments, a voice from heaven announced his fate. His kingdom would be taken from him. He would live like an animal with the wild animals until he acknowledged that the true God is the Ruler over kings and kingdoms. Three times in chapter 4 Daniel said the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men, and He gives it to anyone He wants (see also vv. 17,25). God is sovereign in human affairs. Those He allows to rule on earth need to acknowledge His sovereignty and grace. Whenever the proud and arrogant treat God s people badly, 7 GOD AND GOVERNMENT FIRST BAPTIST RAYTOWN JUNE 30

8 COMMENTARY Nebuchadnezzar s story reminds us that God humbles the proud. We can trust Him to deal with human injustice in His good time and in His perfect way. God s judgment included the length of Nebuchadnezzar s humiliation. He suffered for seven periods of time. The Lord knew it would take this period for the proud king to humble himself, repent, and acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men. 4: When Nebuchadnezzar took his eyes off himself and looked up to heaven, his sanity returned. After so much time in the worst of circumstances Nebuchadnezzar finally came to his senses. He modeled the kind of response that results from a genuinely contrite heart. He praised the Most High, a term for the one true living God. The word praised means to kneel and to bless. In his pride, Nebuchadnezzar lifted himself up. In his humiliation, the king knelt before the Most High and blessed Him. The first focus of Nebuchadnezzar s praise was God s eternality. Comprehending his own mortality, he glorified the Lord as the one who lives forever. The king praised God whose dominion is an everlasting dominion. Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged the Lord s sovereignty over people and empires. Before God, all inhabitants of the earth amount to nothing, he said. Nebuchadnezzar further professed that God does as He wishes, and no one can hold back His hand. Human beings have no authority to challenge God and demand that He give an account to them of what He has done. LUKE 4: :18. God assigned the Messiah specific functions. First, He came to preach good news to the poor. The poor represented people whose survival depended on divine aid. This included the physically poor, such as those who were without even the basics of life. However, the Messiah also addressed the spiritually poor people without the good news of God s salvation. Second, the Messiah came to proclaim freedom to 8 GOD AND GOVERNMENT FIRST BAPTIST RAYTOWN JUNE 30

9 COMMENTARY the captives. Captives literally referred to prisoners taken in warfare, but the Messiah also came to provide for release or forgiveness of those in the prison house of sin. In fact, the Greek word rendered freedom can also be translated forgiveness. Third, recovery of sight to the blind took place through the Messiah. The healing of physical blindness brings a new perspective on life. The healing of spiritual blindness brings new life altogether. The Messiah addressed both of these needs. Fourth, the Messiah arrived to set free the oppressed. Here Jesus picked up a phrase from Isaiah 58:6. It stressed the concept of forgiveness that parallels the previously mentioned function of proclaiming freedom to the captives. 4:19. Fifth, the Messiah came to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor. Many see this as reference to the Old Testament concept of the Year of Jubilee (see Lev. 25:10-17). Every fiftieth year, the covenant people were to forgive debts, allow fields to lie fallow, return people to their homes, and free slaves. This tradition, although seldom followed in Israelite history, symbolized the new start in life people can experience as a result of the Messiah s mission. 9 GOD AND GOVERNMENT FIRST BAPTIST RAYTOWN JUNE 30