Mailing Address: PO Box 797 Molalla, OR 97038 Phone: 503-829-5101 Fax: 503-829-9502 Pastor Dale Satrum Understanding the Times and Knowing What to Do How Do We Respond To Our Government? (Part 2) Intro: We find ourselves in one of the most difficult political climates of our lifetime. The average person in America is not happy with how the government is running the country. (And for good reason!) We have seen unregulated greed destroy the greatest economy of the world. The average person assumes that running the country is the job of our elected officials. If this is the result of their job performance, they d be fired in any other job! Public satisfaction with the state of the nation remains in short supply Only 17% of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the country in Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Jan. 27-29; 80% are dissatisfied. That s a lot of unhappy people. As followers of Christ, we feel the effects of all this as well, but what should our response be? How do we respond to our government in a time like this? God gives us 3 specific ways He wants us to respond to government. I. Accept God s Perspective on Government A. Governments are established by God Rom. 13:1 Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. (NLT) 1. This may be a difficult concept to wrap your mind around. God is the One who allows all governments to exist whether they are good or evil; whether they are a blessing to the citizens under them or not. 2. The amazing thing about many of these passages of Scripture we will look at today were written when Nero was the Emperor of Rome. He was the guy who was burning Christians. God was the One who has allowed Nero to be Emperor. These verses were written during very oppressive times. 3. Why is this so significant? This fact is the foundation for everything else we will talk about today. Our response doesn t even make sense unless we believe this. 4. Jesus pointed out this truth to Pilate (explain) 5. Knowing that God is sovereign over our political / governmental system should bring some security to our lives. God s in charge! God is in control! Page 1
B. Governments are to restrain evil Rom. 13:4 The authorities are God s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. (NLT) 1. Governments are God s servants to punish wrong. They are the ones who are to enforce the consequences for wrong behavior. They are the ones who enforce the rules of our society so that it doesn t slip into anarchy. There is no point to a 55MPH sign unless there is someone there to enforce it. So don t complain about your speeding ticket / or your DUI / or the fine from the IRS for not paying your taxes / or any other consequence. They are God s servants! 2. Governments that no longer punish wrong behavior, experience anarchy. We see examples of t his around the world. How many places do we see that live in civil war / factions fighting one another/ chaos / No strong central control. (Sri Lanka s 25 year civil war) It s like parents who don t enforce consequences on their children. Anarchy! 3. Now, ours is not a perfect system. Even our government doesn t always punish wrong behavior. How many examples do we see of a criminal getting off free because of a good lawyer or a technicality? (Initial O and J come to mind) I read once where a burglar fell through a skylight on to the kitchen counter where there was a knife and he cut himself. He sued the home owner and won a settlement. BUT, governments are to restrain evil by enforcing consequences! C. Governments are to reward good I Peter 2:13-14 For the Lord s sake, respect all human authority whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. (NLT) 1. Governments are to punish evil but also reward those who do right. You re thinking what reward? I don t feel very rewarded for doing right? Maybe we re rewarded more than we realize? 2. When we obey the laws that have been established by our government, how much freedom do we get to enjoy? The freedoms are great! We just take them for granted! (Freedom to drive / own a gun and hunt / own a home / pursue and education / travel / pursue any career I desire / free to volunteer helping others / 3. If I don t obey the laws that have been established by our government, I can lose all these freedoms. These freedoms are the rewards for doing what is right in our society. 4. If you are convicted as a felon, you can lose certain freedoms in our country. Governments are established by God / they are to restrain evil / reward good. Since this is God s perspective on government, what is our response to it? Page 2
II. Choose A Submissive Response Towards Government A. Disobeying the government is disobeying God Rom. 13:2 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. (NLT) Rom. 13:6-7 Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. (NLT) 1. Even if the government doesn t follow God, we are still rebelling against God if we rebel against the government. WHY? Because God is the One who has allowed that government to exist. We obey God when we obey the government. 2. Yes, but isn t there ever a time when civil disobedience is acceptable to God? Is rebelling against the government wrong every time? 3. The best examples in Scripture are when the governmental leaders demand that believers in Christ stop sharing the Gospel with others. In these instances, the response; we must obey God rather than man seemed to be the proper response. In these cases, they willingly accepted the consequences as well! If the state tried to dictate what I could teach / tried to ban certain parts of the Bible from being taught / forced us to adhere to state requirements on hiring people / I would go to jail for those things! I would rebel! 4. This is not an issue in our country. We have great religious freedom. Rebelling against the laws of our government just because you don t like paying your taxes / paying as certain fee / you don t like the speed limit / or simply because you disagree with some law, you are rebelling against God. 5. Rebelling against God results in negative consequences upon our lives. We can cause God to withhold His blessing upon our lives. How many Christians this year will not be honest on their taxes because they are trying to bless themselves, not realizing they are disobeying God and removing His blessing from their lives? Obeying the laws is obeying God. B. Disobeying the government affects your conscience Rom. 13:5 So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. (NLT) 1. Obedience is what keeps our conscience clear. If we are constantly trying to see how much we can get away with, it will begin to affect our conscience. Some of you are thinking what s the big deal? OR, you know you re doing something wrong and you re saying, It doesn t bother my conscience any! I Tim. 1:19 Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. (NLT) 2. If we continually violate our consciences, we will in turn harden them over time. Page 3
What used to bother us no longer bothers us anymore. We can become desensitized to wrong. Do this long enough, and it will shipwreck your faith! Illustrate: When I was a kid, we used to live on a farm with 12,000 chickens. Now, that many chickens in one place really stinks. People would come over How can you stand that smell? I would say, What smell? This is what violating our conscience does. 3. I realize most people don t connect their submissiveness to the laws of the land with their faith, but God does. If we become desensitized in one area of our lives, it is easy for it to spread to others. C. Disobeying the government ruins your testimony I Peter 2:15-16 It is God s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God s slaves, so don t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. (NLT) 1. As followers of Christ, our lives are on display. Jesus said that we are the light of the world the salt of the earth His ambassadors. What are we showing people as they observe our lives? As we respond to our government? 2. Over the years, there have been plenty of examples of so-called Christians doing horrible things in the name of God. Using their freedom as an excuse to do evil. (People blowing up abortion clinics / shooting the Dr s who perform them / people who beat and even killed gays and lesbians / The list could go on. 3. How many foolish accusations have been aimed at Christians in our culture? The world sees the hypocrisy / rigid legalistic behavior / using God as an excuse for bad behavior / and they are turned off. If that s Christianity, count me out! 4. As we submit to the authority that has been placed over us by God we enhance our testimony. It silences the accusations and give us opportunities to represent Christ. Our response is a submissive one of obedience. The third response is more of a proactive one. III. Agree To Pray For Those In Government A. We have a responsibility to pray for those in leadership I Tim. 2:2-3 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior. (NLT) 1. WHY? Why should I pray for people I don t even like, nor do I agree with the job they are doing? Because, their ability to lead well directly affects your life! Notice the reasoning in this passage why we pray. It is so WE can live peaceful lives. 2. We pray for our leaders so that we are the ones who are blessed. If we have lousy leaders we end with lousy circumstances. 3. The greatest hope our political leaders have during these days is for the believers of this nation to pray for them and pray our way out of this! 4. I have to be honest with you about this. I am guilty of not praying for our leaders. Page 4
I m pretty good at praying for all of you, but praying for our political leaders, the Lord has convicted me on this issue. I will never ask you to do something I will not do! 5. So here is my commitment: I will begin praying for our leaders on a weekly basis. At least once a week I will set aside some time just for this issue! Will you join me? How do we pray for them? B. We must pray for their ability to lead Prov. 11:14 Without wise leadership, a nation falls (NLT) 1. The circumstances we are in today are not the result of wise leadership. Our leaders are in desperate need for the ability to make wise decisions. We have a responsibility to specifically intercede for them in this area. 2. The better decisions they make the better off our lives become. We are all experiencing the result of foolish decisions. Let s unite together and ask that God gives our leaders supernatural insight to do the right thing. 3. As we watch this unfold, don t get hung up with the details whether or not you agree with the $800 billion bailout / or if you think it will work / Just pray! Pray that they can all put their political differences aside and do what is right for the country. C. We must pray for their personal lives Prov. 28:2 When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability. (NLT) Prov. 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. (NASB) 1. When people say that the personal life of a leader doesn t matter God would disagree. Moral rot will destroy a nation. (haven t we witnessed this as greed was left unchecked) Righteousness exalts a nation. Therefore, as we pray for wisdom, let s also pray for our leader s character. 2. We ve all seen how this issue has directly affected the city of Portland with its new Mayor Sam Adams. People want leaders they can trust and if their integrity is damaged, it s very difficult to lead effectively. (It s a disgrace.) 3. Therefore, will you commit to praying for their character that they would live righteous lives that they would turn to Christ they would be men and women of integrity that God would protect them from temptations that come with power? Pray that righteousness would exalt our nation. So, who do I pray for? 3 levels National Level: The President and all those in Washington State Level: Governor and all those in Salem Local Level: Mayor and those here in Molalla Page 5
In these political days of uncertainty, God wants us to understand the times and know what to do. Let s accept God s perspective on government / Let s choose a submissive response towards our government / Let s agree to pray for those in leadership. Page 6