WEBVTT 00:00.510 --> 00:03.412 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, turned to Romans chapter 13. 00:04.112 --> 00:07.854 [SPEAKER_00]: Romans chapter 13, we're going to be entering into it. 00:08.375 --> 00:12.077 [SPEAKER_00]: Kind of a mini-series I'm going to call it God and government, okay? 00:12.537 --> 00:17.881 [SPEAKER_00]: God and government, this is an intro into Romans chapter 13, where it talks about our relationship. 00:18.561 --> 00:27.526 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, they say, never discuss politics and religion in polite company, I'm going to be doing both this morning. 00:30.277 --> 00:30.958 [SPEAKER_00]: buckle up. 00:32.399 --> 00:36.043 [SPEAKER_00]: The question is, is politics more electrified these days? 00:36.063 --> 00:39.787 [SPEAKER_00]: Because it seems like it from our vantage point. 00:39.827 --> 00:46.614 [SPEAKER_00]: But let me tell you about a presidential election campaign, and I want you to try to guess the year. 00:46.634 --> 00:48.335 [SPEAKER_00]: Okay? 00:49.296 --> 00:50.177 [SPEAKER_00]: You try to guess the year. 00:51.175 --> 00:57.940 [SPEAKER_00]: So one candidate grew up in politics, served as an ambassador to Russia for several years. 00:58.821 --> 01:04.465 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, the other candidate had a military background and finished his survey as a general. 01:05.266 --> 01:07.588 [SPEAKER_00]: This was the second time they squared off. 01:07.688 --> 01:16.895 [SPEAKER_00]: The first time the election was so tight that neither candidate got enough electoral votes so it had to go to the House of Representatives. 01:20.852 --> 01:23.493 [SPEAKER_00]: And now they're squaring off again the second time. 01:24.594 --> 01:25.994 [SPEAKER_00]: And now the gloves come off. 01:26.995 --> 01:28.275 [SPEAKER_00]: And they start to spar. 01:29.436 --> 01:30.356 [SPEAKER_00]: The fight was on. 01:31.096 --> 01:39.200 [SPEAKER_00]: The ambassador now president took aim at the other man's military background and called the war hero a murderer. 01:40.913 --> 01:50.515 [SPEAKER_00]: And the ads placed against him portrayed these rose and rose and rose of coffins to represent all the people he had allegedly murdered. 01:52.095 --> 02:00.077 [SPEAKER_00]: The campaign also took aim at this military man's wife because whom he married before she was legally divorced. 02:01.177 --> 02:05.818 [SPEAKER_00]: They called the war here a bigumist and a wife and adulterous. 02:07.221 --> 02:17.724 [SPEAKER_00]: Now the war hero took aim at the ambassador now president calling him and a aristocrat, a corrupt politician, a wester of taxpayers' money. 02:18.364 --> 02:19.544 [SPEAKER_00]: And you know what the example was? 02:20.745 --> 02:23.505 [SPEAKER_00]: He had a pool table in the White House. 02:27.106 --> 02:32.328 [SPEAKER_00]: The war hero accused him of pimping a woman for the Tsar of Russia. 02:33.290 --> 02:35.351 [SPEAKER_00]: though there was no evidence to prove any of that. 02:35.771 --> 02:38.773 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, can you imagine the headlines during those days? 02:39.573 --> 02:47.417 [SPEAKER_00]: President alleged, Pimp, whereas in the other guy, he's a murderer and a bigumist. 02:48.157 --> 02:51.019 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you talk about campaigns that's crazy. 02:51.939 --> 02:57.862 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, the war hero won this time, but his wife died just before he took office. 03:00.721 --> 03:08.603 [SPEAKER_00]: He accused the outgoing president and has campaigned strategists with killing his wife from the stress that they put upon her. 03:09.403 --> 03:10.604 [SPEAKER_00]: Anyone guess the year? 03:14.645 --> 03:14.885 [SPEAKER_00]: 1803? 03:14.905 --> 03:15.385 [SPEAKER_00]: No. 03:17.986 --> 03:19.326 [SPEAKER_00]: Close in that area. 03:20.346 --> 03:20.787 [SPEAKER_00]: It was 1828. 03:22.844 --> 03:30.709 [SPEAKER_00]: and it was John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams, against Andrew Jackson, and Andrew Jackson being the war hero. 03:31.609 --> 03:37.193 [SPEAKER_00]: And the ugly campaign is only rivaled by one other, and it's not Trump versus Hillary. 03:38.594 --> 03:44.397 [SPEAKER_00]: It actually was 18 years earlier with John Adams versus Thomas Jefferson. 03:45.338 --> 03:50.141 [SPEAKER_00]: The modern day presidential campaigns are mild in comparison. 03:51.366 --> 03:53.788 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, believe it or not, they're mild and comparison. 03:54.549 --> 03:57.871 [SPEAKER_00]: But today, it seems like the political atmosphere is intensifying. 03:58.132 --> 04:04.577 [SPEAKER_00]: We have midterms coming up soon, which, by the way, we have a little station out in our lobby. 04:05.117 --> 04:10.001 [SPEAKER_00]: If you haven't registered to vote, we want to get you registered to vote. 04:10.182 --> 04:11.583 [SPEAKER_00]: We're not going to tell you who to vote for. 04:11.603 --> 04:16.126 [SPEAKER_00]: But we want you registered to vote, because that is a Christian responsibility. 04:17.007 --> 04:21.371 [SPEAKER_00]: So this is a perfect time for us to be entering into Romans chapter 13. 04:21.751 --> 04:26.875 [SPEAKER_00]: And today I want to give you an overview of the subject before walking through the chapter. 04:26.895 --> 04:29.077 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to call it God in government, okay? 04:29.117 --> 04:30.058 [SPEAKER_00]: So you ready? 04:30.658 --> 04:31.139 [SPEAKER_00]: Anyone ready? 04:31.859 --> 04:33.341 [SPEAKER_00]: What does the Bible say about government? 04:34.401 --> 04:35.182 [SPEAKER_00]: Here's point number one. 04:36.383 --> 04:39.666 [SPEAKER_00]: Government is instituted by God. 04:41.172 --> 04:43.393 [SPEAKER_00]: Government is instituted by God. 04:43.453 --> 04:52.376 [SPEAKER_00]: The idea of government is not evil, it's not man-made, it's actually instituted by God, because man is evil and corrupt and fallen. 04:52.977 --> 05:02.260 [SPEAKER_00]: Just follow, you know, Genesis chapter three, we see that Adam and Eve fell into sin and the judgment that came upon them, they were expelled from the paradise. 05:02.601 --> 05:06.002 [SPEAKER_00]: With the expectation that death was pursuing them, 05:07.358 --> 05:16.383 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, it arrives in chapter four, because there are two sons, Cain and Abel got in a squabble, Cain killed Abel. 05:17.283 --> 05:17.664 [SPEAKER_00]: And then, 05:18.660 --> 05:25.646 [SPEAKER_00]: The world gets even more violent in the ensuing generation, so that the Lord has grieved over the increased evil. 05:26.187 --> 05:38.698 [SPEAKER_00]: Genesis chapter 6 verse 5 says, the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of His heart, the sin of this, was only evil continually. 05:40.000 --> 05:49.223 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, God said, in verse 7, I will blot out man, who might have created from the face of the land, will wife flood. 05:50.423 --> 06:01.086 [SPEAKER_00]: And Noah and his family, there's eight total, get in the boat, and they are the only ones saved, when the flood is over, and they enter, and they exit off the boat. 06:03.027 --> 06:10.393 [SPEAKER_00]: The Lord blesses them, tells them to be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, it sounds just like Genesis 1, it's a restart. 06:11.314 --> 06:14.517 [SPEAKER_00]: All the animals now, they could kill for food. 06:16.870 --> 06:20.653 [SPEAKER_00]: But the Lord prohibited anyone from killing man. 06:21.313 --> 06:21.633 [SPEAKER_00]: Why? 06:21.753 --> 06:23.715 [SPEAKER_00]: Because man is in God's image. 06:24.895 --> 06:29.579 [SPEAKER_00]: A God would require blood as a reckoning for anyone who killed man. 06:30.339 --> 06:36.763 [SPEAKER_00]: Genesis 96, whoever sheds the blood of man by man, shall his blood be shed. 06:37.284 --> 06:39.225 [SPEAKER_00]: For God has made man in his own image. 06:39.986 --> 06:44.709 [SPEAKER_00]: So like I've said, I think a couple weeks ago, there's a difference between killing and murder. 06:46.012 --> 06:49.675 [SPEAKER_00]: If you instigate murder, your life will be taken away from you. 06:50.176 --> 06:52.417 [SPEAKER_00]: You will be killed by those in authority. 06:53.378 --> 06:56.140 [SPEAKER_00]: Personal vengeance is murder. 06:56.641 --> 07:00.044 [SPEAKER_00]: Judicious execution is righteous. 07:01.605 --> 07:12.214 [SPEAKER_00]: Later in Israel's history, you have prophets, and excuse me, you have priests and judges and kings authorize to hear and try cases. 07:13.556 --> 07:16.317 [SPEAKER_00]: So, government is instituted by God. 07:16.717 --> 07:17.877 [SPEAKER_00]: Here's the second point. 07:19.578 --> 07:22.459 [SPEAKER_00]: Government provides temporal justice. 07:22.579 --> 07:23.719 [SPEAKER_00]: That is its role. 07:23.859 --> 07:26.100 [SPEAKER_00]: It provides temporal justice. 07:26.140 --> 07:30.941 [SPEAKER_00]: Let me read Romans chapter 13 and the first five verses. 07:32.662 --> 07:33.742 [SPEAKER_00]: Let every person, 07:34.818 --> 07:37.439 [SPEAKER_00]: be subject to the governing authorities. 07:37.499 --> 07:43.740 [SPEAKER_00]: For there is no authority except from God and those that exist have been instituted by God. 07:44.180 --> 07:45.020 [SPEAKER_00]: That's my first point. 07:45.741 --> 08:00.004 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, whoever resist authority rest resist God who resist what God has appointed and those who resist will incur judgment for rulers are not a terror to good conduct but to bad. 08:05.615 --> 08:09.597 [SPEAKER_00]: then do what is right, do what is good, and you will receive His approval. 08:10.178 --> 08:12.959 [SPEAKER_00]: For He is God's servant for your good. 08:13.360 --> 08:20.344 [SPEAKER_00]: But if you do wrong, be afraid for He does not bear the sword, lethal weapon in vain. 08:21.255 --> 08:26.977 [SPEAKER_00]: for he is the servant of God and avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrong door. 08:27.017 --> 08:35.460 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath, but also for the sake of conscience. 08:36.541 --> 08:39.762 [SPEAKER_00]: Government provides temporal justice. 08:41.042 --> 08:44.964 [SPEAKER_00]: It's to render justice in this world, the temporal world that we live in. 08:45.704 --> 08:48.485 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, one day the perfect judge is gonna come, 08:49.811 --> 09:04.538 [SPEAKER_00]: And he's going to take over, but temporal judgment is in place, even though humans are carrying it out, which means they can be prejudiced, they can be bribed, they can be hoodwinked. 09:05.519 --> 09:11.242 [SPEAKER_00]: It's not perfect, but it does provide stability and safety for a country by God's design. 09:12.422 --> 09:13.783 [SPEAKER_00]: Again, it's temporal justice. 09:14.898 --> 09:19.421 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, work with me, there's three spheres of authority. 09:20.081 --> 09:23.183 [SPEAKER_00]: And sometimes they're overlapping, but three distinct spheres. 09:23.343 --> 09:26.625 [SPEAKER_00]: Family, church, and government. 09:26.725 --> 09:27.826 [SPEAKER_00]: Family, church, government. 09:28.787 --> 09:34.170 [SPEAKER_00]: The family cannot excommunicate a church member, okay? 09:34.790 --> 09:39.033 [SPEAKER_00]: The church cannot dictate where parents send their kids to school. 09:42.062 --> 09:47.404 [SPEAKER_00]: And the government cannot dictate the doctrine and practice in the church. 09:48.485 --> 09:49.745 [SPEAKER_00]: Here's where it overlaps, though. 09:50.025 --> 09:59.428 [SPEAKER_00]: The government can tell churches like us, how to construct a building, and some HR practices. 09:59.468 --> 10:04.290 [SPEAKER_00]: So that there are some overlap, but there are distinct realms of authority. 10:05.762 --> 10:12.508 [SPEAKER_00]: The government's role in society is temporal justice, leading to safety and the well-being of its citizens. 10:13.068 --> 10:15.590 [SPEAKER_00]: So the church is to make disciples. 10:16.391 --> 10:18.593 [SPEAKER_00]: The government is to enforce justice. 10:19.814 --> 10:28.161 [SPEAKER_00]: And just like it says in Romans chapter 13, one, four, or three to four, it is a terror to bad conduct. 10:30.240 --> 10:36.304 [SPEAKER_00]: God's servant for your good and avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrong doer. 10:37.565 --> 10:48.073 [SPEAKER_00]: So again, two distinct fears, the church holds the keys, Matthew chapter 18, which signifies its ecclesiastical authority or its church authority. 10:49.223 --> 11:06.533 [SPEAKER_00]: And the government has the sword representing justice, keys, sword now, by the way, if you ever seen the papal symbol of the Pope, it is two crossing keys with a tiara on top of it. 11:07.278 --> 11:14.403 [SPEAKER_00]: because of this passage right here, that there is authority in the church, government has the sword representing justice. 11:15.003 --> 11:22.969 [SPEAKER_00]: The separation of church and state is an important one because you can't have the sword coercing church doctrine. 11:23.809 --> 11:28.673 [SPEAKER_00]: Neither can you have the church meddling in the affairs of justice and war. 11:30.054 --> 11:33.556 [SPEAKER_00]: When the uniting the sword and the keys is a dangerous thing, 11:38.273 --> 11:50.497 [SPEAKER_00]: That got united in the 13th century with the inquisitions because the church would point out the heretics and then the government at the church is bidding what execute them. 11:51.878 --> 11:52.498 [SPEAKER_00]: Very dangerous. 11:53.619 --> 12:05.683 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm thankful that the framers of our country believed in religious freedom that not every sin against God is a crime to be punished by the state. 12:06.823 --> 12:16.166 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to say that again because that's a really key statement, not every sin against God is a crime to be punished by the state. 12:17.347 --> 12:26.530 [SPEAKER_00]: You can be a heretic and free to participate or practice your religion so long as you don't endanger the public. 12:28.091 --> 12:31.712 [SPEAKER_00]: You do not want the state coercing faith. 12:33.314 --> 12:38.300 [SPEAKER_00]: Because it must be chosen by one's own volition if it's biblical faith, right? 12:38.340 --> 12:43.046 [SPEAKER_00]: We don't want to turn the screws or arm twist people into the kingdom of God. 12:43.066 --> 12:44.408 [SPEAKER_00]: That's not the way it's done. 12:44.949 --> 12:47.111 [SPEAKER_00]: It has to be chosen by their own volition. 12:47.792 --> 12:52.338 [SPEAKER_00]: The government can coerce some morality. 12:53.557 --> 12:54.257 [SPEAKER_00]: This is where it's different. 12:54.558 --> 12:58.520 [SPEAKER_00]: Not coars-faith, but it does coars some morality. 12:58.620 --> 12:59.200 [SPEAKER_00]: Think about it. 13:00.100 --> 13:07.504 [SPEAKER_00]: It will bring judgment upon the murderers or people who will take or try to steal private property. 13:08.024 --> 13:10.686 [SPEAKER_00]: That is legislating morality. 13:11.226 --> 13:15.128 [SPEAKER_00]: There's some morality that has to be in place in a government. 13:15.848 --> 13:18.910 [SPEAKER_00]: And there is coercion to keep peace and justice. 13:19.673 --> 13:22.834 [SPEAKER_00]: But you cannot coerce faith. 13:22.914 --> 13:27.435 [SPEAKER_00]: The government cannot redeem, it provides justice. 13:28.355 --> 13:28.995 [SPEAKER_00]: Point number three. 13:30.396 --> 13:33.496 [SPEAKER_00]: The government is under God's law. 13:34.456 --> 13:38.137 [SPEAKER_00]: It may not recognize God's law, but it is under God's law. 13:38.197 --> 13:44.959 [SPEAKER_00]: Notice what God calls the government in chapter 13 of Romans, his servant. 13:50.709 --> 13:56.953 [SPEAKER_00]: We are not to give the government our ultimate loyalty, like whatever the government says, Christians must obey. 13:57.654 --> 14:06.980 [SPEAKER_00]: No, we got into some of that during the pandemic when the government restricted churches from meeting and gathering. 14:08.201 --> 14:15.706 [SPEAKER_00]: And for the first three months, we were locked down and we were putting the messages and the music online. 14:15.726 --> 14:18.048 [SPEAKER_00]: I think that was proper because we didn't know what we were facing. 14:20.007 --> 14:34.306 [SPEAKER_00]: The, once it was clear that the pandemic was overblown and the restrictions were still on, we decided to meet out in the parking lot in a tent, and a lot of people remember those days and wanted to come back. 14:37.126 --> 14:47.914 [SPEAKER_00]: For all this summer, that was a wonderful time, and then we moved inside in the fall of 2020 and went to three services so we could spread out and kind of distance ourselves. 14:50.857 --> 14:56.781 [SPEAKER_00]: The attitude of the elders and pastors, it wasn't strident against the government. 14:56.841 --> 14:59.884 [SPEAKER_00]: We were trying to be as respectful as possible, 15:00.524 --> 15:07.554 [SPEAKER_00]: But also, and trying to honor the wishes of the government at the same time of pushing the envelope. 15:08.516 --> 15:09.878 [SPEAKER_00]: Why were we trying to do that? 15:11.100 --> 15:14.605 [SPEAKER_00]: Because gathering together as a church is a command of God. 15:16.583 --> 15:23.746 [SPEAKER_00]: He received a 10 verse 25 tells us that we are not in a collect gathering together, gathering together. 15:24.066 --> 15:34.590 [SPEAKER_00]: And with spiritual gifts given to us upon conversion, we gather with the intention of helping one another, because growing in faith is a community project. 15:35.990 --> 15:39.612 [SPEAKER_00]: So online church is not church. 15:40.743 --> 15:47.286 [SPEAKER_00]: unless you're bedridden, unless you're really sick and you can't get out, then praise God for an online experience. 15:47.986 --> 15:55.330 [SPEAKER_00]: But you need to be in person so that you can be interacting and helping one another grow because growing in faith is a community project. 15:56.270 --> 15:59.312 [SPEAKER_00]: That's why it was so important for us to get back together. 15:59.692 --> 16:01.733 [SPEAKER_00]: The government is not ultimate, God is. 16:02.933 --> 16:06.495 [SPEAKER_00]: And when the government oversteps its bounds, it must be resisted. 16:09.603 --> 16:15.724 [SPEAKER_00]: God's servant, which is the government, doesn't get to make its own job description. 16:17.464 --> 16:19.145 [SPEAKER_00]: Or command total allegiance. 16:20.245 --> 16:26.106 [SPEAKER_00]: You think when Pharaoh commanded the midwives to kill all the Hebrew babies, they refused. 16:26.526 --> 16:29.066 [SPEAKER_00]: They ignored the command, access chapter one. 16:29.987 --> 16:37.528 [SPEAKER_00]: And when Nebuchadnezzar demanded idol worship, Shadrach, me, Shack, and a bed and a ghost said, we're not bowing. 16:38.720 --> 16:39.940 [SPEAKER_00]: It's Daniel chapter three. 16:40.961 --> 16:50.364 [SPEAKER_00]: And when Darius King Darius demanded all prayers to stop, Daniel chapter six, Daniel prayed anyway in plain sight. 16:52.084 --> 16:59.347 [SPEAKER_00]: And when the Sanhedrin demanded that the disciples stop preaching Jesus, they kept on preaching. 16:59.647 --> 17:00.387 [SPEAKER_00]: Acts chapter four. 17:01.467 --> 17:04.127 [SPEAKER_00]: See, it's not a government cannot be ultimate. 17:04.287 --> 17:06.148 [SPEAKER_00]: God is ultimate. 17:06.528 --> 17:08.028 [SPEAKER_00]: God is over-government. 17:08.448 --> 17:10.168 [SPEAKER_00]: Government is under God's rule. 17:10.789 --> 17:14.869 [SPEAKER_00]: God's law and those who defy God will one day fall. 17:15.469 --> 17:17.230 [SPEAKER_00]: Pharaoh's son was put to death. 17:20.250 --> 17:26.491 [SPEAKER_00]: Nebuchadnezzar was humiliated, grazing like a cow for seven years because he would not bow. 17:27.111 --> 17:29.392 [SPEAKER_00]: And the Sanhedrin was obliterated in 70 AD. 17:31.616 --> 17:36.578 [SPEAKER_00]: all are under God's jurisdiction, in which I would just plead with you. 17:36.938 --> 17:39.039 [SPEAKER_00]: Listen, now is the time of mercy. 17:39.439 --> 17:54.946 [SPEAKER_00]: God offers mercy through Jesus Christ, but everyone will bow, because it says in Hebrews 4, that no creature is hidden from God's side, but all are stand naked and exposed to the eyes with whom we have to give and account that's God. 17:56.306 --> 17:57.867 [SPEAKER_00]: You still have time to bow. 17:59.312 --> 18:03.773 [SPEAKER_00]: And I beg you, come under the Lord's ship of Jesus Christ, bow. 18:06.194 --> 18:11.696 [SPEAKER_00]: Point number four, Rome is not like DC. 18:13.296 --> 18:16.577 [SPEAKER_00]: Rome is not like Washington, DC, okay? 18:17.898 --> 18:23.199 [SPEAKER_00]: As Paul is writing, Rome is chapter 13, Neuro is Caesar. 18:24.039 --> 18:25.880 [SPEAKER_00]: Now Rome started as a republic. 18:27.301 --> 18:33.526 [SPEAKER_00]: But by the time Neuro came to power, it was a dictatorship and Neuro will rule as an autocrat. 18:33.986 --> 18:42.252 [SPEAKER_00]: Most people under that rule were considered subjects, not citizens, Paul was a citizen. 18:42.272 --> 18:49.177 [SPEAKER_00]: So we had a bit of privilege, but most people were subjects. 18:49.197 --> 18:51.759 [SPEAKER_00]: And this is important to know because God is addressing 18:57.192 --> 19:01.237 [SPEAKER_00]: even though Neuro will not even acknowledge that. 19:03.079 --> 19:10.488 [SPEAKER_00]: Here's the point, the legitimacy of a government does not depend upon whether the one in office is a Christian. 19:11.729 --> 19:12.049 [SPEAKER_00]: Okay? 19:13.155 --> 19:17.838 [SPEAKER_00]: The legitimacy of a government does not depend upon whether there is a Christian in office. 19:18.558 --> 19:26.963 [SPEAKER_00]: Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gave instructions on how Christians are to view a government regardless of the form it takes. 19:27.004 --> 19:34.328 [SPEAKER_00]: And by the way, if you look to the Bible for a biblical form of government, you'd have to say monarchy. 19:34.348 --> 19:37.510 [SPEAKER_00]: And I don't think anyone wants a monarchy until Jesus comes back. 19:39.477 --> 19:51.760 [SPEAKER_00]: Romans 13 gives us principles, but it doesn't tell us how it applies in a constitutional republic, which is America, and that's where we need wisdom, right? 19:52.840 --> 19:57.101 [SPEAKER_00]: Because even Romans citizens like Paul, you had a lot of privileges. 19:58.882 --> 20:00.522 [SPEAKER_00]: They couldn't elect their own officials. 20:02.477 --> 20:09.301 [SPEAKER_00]: They couldn't run for office, petition the government, criticize and elected official, or protest the government policy. 20:11.262 --> 20:12.483 [SPEAKER_00]: DC is not like Rome. 20:12.783 --> 20:14.204 [SPEAKER_00]: Would you just acknowledge that? 20:14.704 --> 20:16.385 [SPEAKER_00]: We have a lot of wiggle room. 20:16.885 --> 20:22.088 [SPEAKER_00]: We have a lot of room in order to apply influence. 20:23.188 --> 20:25.991 [SPEAKER_00]: And so we have to think through how to apply in our situation. 20:26.031 --> 20:36.320 [SPEAKER_00]: And I would suggest that the phrase, be subject to the governing authorities looks a bit different in a constitutional republic than in a dictator's ship. 20:37.881 --> 20:38.442 [SPEAKER_00]: Would you agree? 20:38.462 --> 20:43.906 [SPEAKER_00]: Because our government, again, gives us a lot of room. 20:44.788 --> 20:45.948 [SPEAKER_00]: for a little bit of pushback. 20:46.969 --> 20:50.910 [SPEAKER_00]: So, point number five, my last point. 20:51.850 --> 20:53.350 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm moving pretty quick, aren't I? 20:56.551 --> 20:57.992 [SPEAKER_00]: How are we to conduct ourselves? 20:59.392 --> 21:02.453 [SPEAKER_00]: And this is just, we're just scratching the surface, okay? 21:03.313 --> 21:04.534 [SPEAKER_00]: We've got to get into more of this. 21:05.154 --> 21:06.494 [SPEAKER_00]: How are we to conduct ourselves? 21:06.554 --> 21:12.496 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, we should cultivate a respect and honor for the authorities over us. 21:14.885 --> 21:18.968 [SPEAKER_00]: We should cultivate a respect and honor for the authorities over us. 21:19.689 --> 21:24.893 [SPEAKER_00]: Our default should be respect because God has given them authority. 21:26.855 --> 21:42.728 [SPEAKER_00]: Resistance should be our last resort, and if you harbor any animosity toward the government or the governing authorities, you may need to repent and ask the Lord to redirect your energy because you don't want to end up resisting God. 21:45.825 --> 21:48.388 [SPEAKER_00]: We don't want to do that, so let's be careful. 21:50.490 --> 22:02.785 [SPEAKER_00]: Religious liberty and the separation of church and state was a genius move by the framers of our constitution because it protected the citizens from religious coercion. 22:04.904 --> 22:07.566 [SPEAKER_00]: Listen to the first amendment of our Constitution. 22:08.046 --> 22:16.991 [SPEAKER_00]: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise they're of. 22:18.172 --> 22:19.733 [SPEAKER_00]: And you might say, well, why is that important? 22:22.114 --> 22:29.298 [SPEAKER_00]: You're not physically born into the kingdom of God, but spiritually born through faith in Jesus Christ. 22:29.398 --> 22:31.480 [SPEAKER_00]: It must be willingly received. 22:32.335 --> 22:34.656 [SPEAKER_00]: You can't get armed twisted into the kingdom. 22:35.236 --> 22:42.819 [SPEAKER_00]: Religious freedom, where Christianity competes in the marketplace of ideas, is the best way for the gospel to spread. 22:43.780 --> 22:44.780 [SPEAKER_00]: That's the best way. 22:46.761 --> 22:54.724 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, at the time, they frame the Constitution, get this 98% of the population was Protestant. 22:56.264 --> 22:57.445 [SPEAKER_00]: Protestant, let's see. 22:58.128 --> 22:59.589 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's let that fall upon your ears. 23:00.409 --> 23:03.770 [SPEAKER_00]: A very different day than the one we have, okay? 23:04.471 --> 23:07.712 [SPEAKER_00]: There were a few Catholics, Jews, Muslims sprinkled in. 23:08.232 --> 23:12.354 [SPEAKER_00]: But even these recognized a transcendent authority. 23:13.564 --> 23:17.785 [SPEAKER_00]: Muslims at least recognize a transcendent authority. 23:17.906 --> 23:18.926 [SPEAKER_00]: And that's the end of their Christian. 23:19.466 --> 23:28.149 [SPEAKER_00]: They recognize someone beyond bringing rules from above, or Jews, obviously recognized someone above. 23:29.229 --> 23:39.393 [SPEAKER_00]: But today, atheists and the like of people who don't believe in our universal truth or anything to hold by, there's nothing to hold it together. 23:40.581 --> 23:50.864 [SPEAKER_00]: least they were coming under and could the framers ever envision the 21st century America with a freedoms are now being weaponized against Christianity. 23:52.905 --> 23:54.185 [SPEAKER_00]: It's a very different world we live in. 23:55.046 --> 23:55.806 [SPEAKER_00]: Here's the question. 23:56.606 --> 24:03.348 [SPEAKER_00]: Can the country hold together when we question a legitimacy of any truth claim? 24:04.829 --> 24:06.049 [SPEAKER_00]: Everything's a preference now. 24:07.707 --> 24:14.433 [SPEAKER_00]: Can we hold together if the definition of marriages whatever you want, or the definition of what you are? 24:14.473 --> 24:16.835 [SPEAKER_00]: Like gender is whatever you want. 24:17.436 --> 24:20.799 [SPEAKER_00]: It makes it very difficult to hold the nation together. 24:21.119 --> 24:28.265 [SPEAKER_00]: And this has given rise to the resurgence of Christians' nationalism, okay? 24:29.967 --> 24:39.612 [SPEAKER_00]: That's Christians who want the government to favor Christianity instead of operating from a position of neutrality, okay? 24:40.672 --> 24:49.877 [SPEAKER_00]: There are various forms of Christian nationalism, but as a rule, they want our government to acknowledge the Christian foundation and seek to preserve it. 24:51.292 --> 25:02.502 [SPEAKER_00]: Because the question before us is, to what extent should Christianity shape, not merely individual citizens, but the identity and political order of a nation? 25:03.643 --> 25:13.291 [SPEAKER_00]: Let me say that again, to what extent should Christianity shape, not merely individual citizens, but the identity and political order of the nation itself. 25:15.233 --> 25:17.435 [SPEAKER_00]: A democracy that we live in, 25:18.706 --> 25:23.769 [SPEAKER_00]: It allows for influence, loud as voices, majority of votes. 25:25.230 --> 25:32.293 [SPEAKER_00]: Why shouldn't Christians use their influence when the Bible offers the best vision for human flourishing? 25:35.255 --> 25:36.996 [SPEAKER_00]: That's where I think we influence. 25:38.137 --> 25:39.077 [SPEAKER_00]: We should influence. 25:39.477 --> 25:44.440 [SPEAKER_00]: How can we uphold religious liberty in this country? 25:45.220 --> 25:46.301 [SPEAKER_00]: Because we want to do that. 25:46.561 --> 25:47.942 [SPEAKER_00]: That's how the gospel goes forth. 25:49.152 --> 25:54.897 [SPEAKER_00]: while advocating, petitioning, voting for people in policies that accord with Christianity. 25:55.898 --> 25:56.798 [SPEAKER_00]: Because think about this. 25:57.499 --> 26:06.066 [SPEAKER_00]: If I am successful at getting Christian policies past, some of the liberties will be taken away from my fellow Americans. 26:09.869 --> 26:14.413 [SPEAKER_00]: The liberty to have an abortion, the liberty of gay marriages. 26:16.613 --> 26:25.075 [SPEAKER_00]: The liberty of gender reassignment surgeries and I'm okay taking those liberties away from my fellow Americans. 26:27.736 --> 26:32.777 [SPEAKER_00]: That's where my Christian faith must lead instead of my compassion for the marginalized. 26:33.718 --> 26:38.959 [SPEAKER_00]: As Christians, we should be tender-hearted toward the marginalized, okay? 26:39.299 --> 26:43.220 [SPEAKER_00]: We should protect their religious freedom, yes, but 26:46.229 --> 26:50.373 [SPEAKER_00]: My faith has to lead, not my compassion. 26:52.055 --> 26:57.800 [SPEAKER_00]: Christ is a better hope for these people who are marginalized by their sins. 26:58.821 --> 27:01.424 [SPEAKER_00]: In this darkened world, Christ is a better hope. 27:02.485 --> 27:11.113 [SPEAKER_00]: So we do what we can to advocate for people and policies that accord with our Christian faith. 27:12.980 --> 27:26.809 [SPEAKER_00]: We maintain religious liberty for our fellow Americans, and we declare Jesus the only hope for true liberty while we wait, his kingdom come. 27:29.131 --> 27:30.872 [SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot more to be said, isn't it? 27:34.283 --> 27:39.427 [SPEAKER_00]: But may the Lord and His church shine bright. 27:41.128 --> 27:46.112 [SPEAKER_00]: This dark background that we live in right now is looking for answers. 27:46.692 --> 27:49.735 [SPEAKER_00]: And I don't think we just go mute. 27:50.955 --> 27:52.876 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think we should be neutral. 27:53.136 --> 27:59.678 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think we should just kind of wait and see and be quiet because we don't want to hurt someone's feelings. 27:59.738 --> 28:03.659 [SPEAKER_00]: Now I think we want to be kind, but we want to be bold in our faith. 28:04.139 --> 28:08.861 [SPEAKER_00]: We declare Jesus in the public marketplace of ideas. 28:09.501 --> 28:11.882 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's see, only way the gospel gets out. 28:13.146 --> 28:20.608 [SPEAKER_00]: If you're, you know, whatever sphere of influence you are, the gospel needs to get out there, okay? 28:20.788 --> 28:21.488 [SPEAKER_00]: It's dark. 28:21.568 --> 28:25.509 [SPEAKER_00]: There is no hope, Christ is the only hope for real freedom. 28:25.569 --> 28:26.329 [SPEAKER_00]: Do you believe that? 28:29.090 --> 28:38.432 [SPEAKER_00]: So that does mean when you vote, there is going to be people that don't get the right and liberty to do certain things. 28:40.109 --> 28:40.750 [SPEAKER_00]: And that's all right. 28:42.010 --> 28:43.892 [SPEAKER_00]: We're not trying to make them Christian by laws. 28:45.173 --> 29:04.807 [SPEAKER_00]: We're just trying to make America have a plausibility structure so that when they hear the gospel, it's just easier to take in or that we live before them in a way that just back in something like, I need to know the God that you serve. 29:06.518 --> 29:07.639 [SPEAKER_00]: And this is the where we live in. 29:09.140 --> 29:15.585 [SPEAKER_00]: And so long as God has us together as a church, I want this church to shine individually and corporately. 29:16.906 --> 29:20.508 [SPEAKER_00]: Because my prayer always is that the gospel was spread. 29:20.588 --> 29:23.951 [SPEAKER_00]: And there is a great awakening that comes in this region. 29:24.331 --> 29:26.653 [SPEAKER_00]: So the more people will bow at Jesus' feet. 29:29.015 --> 29:30.456 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, we have a lot to talk through. 29:30.776 --> 29:33.478 [SPEAKER_00]: So make sure you come back. 29:36.084 --> 29:36.555 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's pray.