WAR OF THE WORLDVIEWS #18 Kingdom Politics We are continuing our War of the Worldviews studies with a 3 part mini-series on the subject of I. Introduction A. Review God and Government 1. Last week we looked at the biblical worldview regarding God and Government. 2. In the biblical worldview, Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords; as set forth by the Prophet Isaiah: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 God! 3. The Bible tells us that ALL government is given to Christ, the Son of 4. Everything the Bible has to say about government begins with Jesus Christ, Who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Put that together with the next verse Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end Isaiah 9:6-7 KJV a. Verse 6 tells us that God has given all government to His Son Verse 7 tells us that of the increase of His government there shall be no end." 5. Less than 1 in 5 American Christians have a biblical worldview; that s why when they hear the term government they automatically think civil government or Washington. But 1
6. There are actually 4 specific spheres of government in the Bible. REVIEW: THE 4 SPHERES OF GOVERNMENT a. Self Government (under God) is the primary form b. Family government is the building block for everything else c. Church government under Christ the Head d. Finally, Civil government, in some ways the least of all; nevertheless, appointed by God 7. In the biblical worldview, God and His Kingdom transcends all other governments which are to be SUBMITTED to Christ, who is Lord of all. 8. The self is to be submitted to God; the children submitted to their parents; the family submitted to the Church; and the civil government to be submitted to God: Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Romans 13:1-2 NASB 9. The fatal flaw in American Christianity is its failure to recognize its responsibility to bring the Lordship of Christ and the Kingdom of God into the sphere of civil government. 10. We as America s Pastors and church leaders have largely failed in our responsibility to disciple God s people in a biblical worldview that sees ALL governments as that to be brought under the Lordship of Christ. 11.We have given God s people few lessons on the subject of B. Kingdom Politics Politicians are like diapers. They need to be changed often and for the same reason. Mark Twain 1. Who takes the blame for the political mess in Washington? Might it lie at the feet of an American Christian church that has largely abdicated its 2
responsibility to advance the Kingdom of God in every sphere of government: family, church and state? 2. Thank God is was not so in the early Church! Acts 17:5-6 But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and coming upon the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. 6 And when they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also 3. The early church had a kind of Christianity that went beyond personal salvation ; beyond Focus on the Family ; beyond Christian conferences on church government they had a biblical worldview that demanded ALL governments submit to the Lordship of Christ! a. In Acts 17, Jesus disciples were dragged before the city authorities because their message was turning the world upside down! 4. And why were they dragged before the city council? What was the message the politicians were so upset about? Next verse these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. Acts 17:7 KJV 5. Amazing! No one cared if Jesus was their personal Lord and Savior. No one cared if they had a family altar in their house; no one cared if they had a Presbyterian or Episcopalian form of government in their churches. What troubled the people and the rulers of the city was that they denied Caesar was their king! They preached another King, one called Jesus! And when they hear this, the crowd and the city were thrown into turmoil. Acts 17:8 New Living Translation a. When they hear WHAT? That there is a higher King! 6. The early church had a biblical worldview of God and government! They did not LIMIT their message to personal salvation (self-government); or to 3
Christian marriage (family government); they did not stay within the Church walls to debate (church government). What threw the crowd and the city into turmoil was the Gospel of the Kingdom there is ANOTHER KING who is Lord of ALL! 7. If the early church had limited their Gospel as we do today, (failing to see that civil government is accountable to God as much as all the other spheres of government), they never would have turned the world upside down! The Kingdom of God includes politics, just like it includes family, education, business, law, economics, and everything else. A preacher would have to ignore large sections of the Bible to avoid them. The Bible is filled with politics. There are two books of the Bible titled Kings. Gary DeMar 8. The biblical worldview is not just about PERSONAL SALVATION, making Christ Lord of your life, though that s the most important thing. Nor just God governing our FAMILY LIFE; or God s governance of His CHURCH; a biblical worldview requires us to see Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, which refers to GOVERNMENT! 9. This is what made America great; that God and His holy Word would be first place even though that is not what s being taught in our government schools today! Through the rewriting of history and the use of humanist double-speak, the proponents of disbelief have almost written God out of the history of America and the functioning of its government. Dr. D. James Kennedy 10. Here s the truth! C. The Biblical Worldview of Our Founding Fathers 1. Most of our nation s founding fathers were Christians who had a biblical worldview on politics. a. 150 years before America even became a nation, the Pilgrims founded the colony of Virginia, governed by a document known as the Mayflower Compact authored by William Bradford. It begins We have undertaken, for the glory of God, and the advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and country, 4
a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia William Bradford, The Mayflower Compact, 1620 b. Notice how the Pilgrims intention included God in the government. We solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most fitting for the general good of the colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. William Bradford, The Mayflower Compact, 1620 2. That was 1620. In 1776, at the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin quoted the Bible to those who were writing our Constitution: Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it. Psalm 127:1 3. George Washington, our 1 st President, said this It is impossible to govern a nation without God and the Bible. George Washington this: 4. In 1828, Noah Webster, who compiled the first American dictionary said The moral principles and precepts contained in the scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible. 5. Lawsuits arose over the next 100 years from those challenging the the preeminence of Christianity in our national politics and eventually reached the highest court in the land The Supreme Court, in 1892, after a careful study of all the founding documents of this country, ruled that: This is a religious people, this is a Christian nation. 5
6. Down through American history, our Presidents gave God a place in our politics: a. Abraham Lincoln, our 16 th President I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good of the Savior of the world is communicated to us through that book. Abraham Lincoln b. Dwight Eisenhower, our 34 th President: Without God there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first, most basic expression of Americanism. Thus the founding Fathers of America saw it, and thus with God s help, it will continue to be. President Dwight Eisenhower (34 th President) c. Ronald Reagan, our 40 th President: America was founded by people who believed that God was their Rock of safety. I recognize we must be cautious in claiming God is on our side, but I think it s right to keep asking if we are on His side. President Ronald Reagan (40 th President) 7. We re already being flooded with news about the importance of the upcoming midterm elections and they are important. Who will control the Congress? Republicans or Democrats? But Christians with a biblical worldview, like President Reagan, see a bigger issue! a. Which party platform most reflects God s side! 8. It may surprise you to discover that God is not a Republican. But He is not a Democrat either. God s agenda is His Kingdom! Christ ruling and reigning over every sphere of government, including civil government. a. Israel in the wilderness was deeply divided, choosing up sides Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD's side? 6
Exodus 32:26 KJV II. A Prophetic View of Human History A. The Issue Has Always Been: Who Rules? Who is in Charge? 1. When Jesus came, He preached the Kingdom of God. a. He only mentioned the church 2 times in all 4 Gospels; but He spoke of the Kingdom 150 times! 2. A kingdom is a type of government. The word Kingdom is a political term! a. It is not an dictatorship. b. It is not a republic. c. It is not a democracy 3. God s rule is Kingdom rule. And that is where the fight is on! B. Jesus Life and Ministry 1. Jesus came preaching the Kingdom. a. He preached personal salvation; that He had the power to forgive sins. Nobody minded. b. He practiced divine healing. He was Lord over sickness and disease. Nobody minded. c. He walked on water and stopped storms proving He was Lord over nature. Nobody minded. 2. What got Him crucified was His claim that He was a King! Consider His trial. Pilate therefore said to Him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. To this end was I born John 18:37 John NKJV a. The Jews couldn t put up with a Jesus who said He was equal with God; the Romans couldn t let a man live who would challenge the lordship of Caesar. 7
b. Consider what Pilate had written on the Christ s cross And Pilate wrote an inscription also, and put it on the cross. And it was written, "JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS." 20 Therefore this inscription many of the Jews read, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and in Greek. John 19:19-20 NASB King! c. Even after His death, the debate was still about His claim to be a And so the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews'; but that He said, 'I am King of the Jews. '" 22 Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written." John 19:21-22 NASB 3. It s the same today. The world doesn t care if the church preaches salvation; feeds the poor; builds hospitals to care for the sick; or practices good deeds. 4. But when you begin to declare Jesus is King of King and Lord of Lords over ALL spheres of government, the world will try to crucify you. a. The world will put up with the Church like the white men in the Old West put up with the Indians; you re fine as long as you stay on the reservation. 5. The early Church didn t just go to church. They turned the world upside down! They had a message to the kings of their world THERE IS ANOTHER KING, ONE CALLED JESUS! III. Conclusion A. The Lordship of Christ s Kingdom Includes ALL Spheres of Government (Personal, Family, Church, and State) 1. The American church is losing the war of the worldviews because 80% of us don t have a biblical worldview at all. 8
2. We think we are full Gospel when we re really half Gospell. King. 3. We preach a Jesus who is Savior; and High Pries; but not one Who is 4. But God will have His way. Read the end of the Book Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" Revelation 11:15 NKJV 5. Would anyone be stupid enough to think that the kingdoms of this world does not refer to nations? That this doesn t include civil governments? 6. Apparently some preachers are just that stupid. Next week we ll show you why. And how it happened. And what we can do about it! COMMUNION AND CLOSING PRAYER 9