God's Balanced Approach to Authority

The title of today's sermon is God's Balanced Approach to Authority. God's Balanced Approach to Authority. The topic of authority is such a controversial topic to humanity. And if I wasn't in the church and baptized and hadn't yielded my life to God and received the Holy Spirit, I would be such an annoying maverick. You think I'm annoying now? You should see me without the Holy Spirit. I do not like to be told what to do. I am such an independent person. I'll do it my own way. Thank you very much. Welcome to humanity. Welcome to the state of Texas, especially, because that's the way most of us are. So when we talk about authority, people from birth do not like to be told what to do. But there have been some real problems with government officials and the ministry, if we're being honest, and we are abusing authority in the past. And that left a lot of distrust among people as well. People in the church who are baptized and have God's Holy Spirit. And when you combine our human nature that doesn't like to be told what to do with past offenses or abuses with authority that have occurred, you oftentimes get this skewed or wrong view of what authority is really for and about. And so I want to change that today so that we don't veer to the right or to the left. Because that's what we tend to do, is we tend to run away from the center of the path that God has put us on. And we either go to the right with our conservative point of view, and you know, we need more governments, what we need. And you know, we need more rules, and people just need to follow those rules, and we don't understand why. Or we go to the left, and there are no rules. You know, everybody should just be free to love! And either way, there's a ditch, a really deep, far-down ditch that you fall into. You need to stay on the middle of the path. And that's the hope of the sermon today, is a balanced approach to authority. We skew authority. We have a wrong view of what authority is really for. Can you answer that? Can you answer that right now in your mind? Why would God, a loving, merciful creator who wants everybody to be saved, put people in charge of other people? Why would he do that? Okay, Paul addresses that in the book of Romans, and he gives the why behind it. And you're going to like this, because he doesn't justify wrongdoing. Now, you will remember in the past the statements of certain ministry of, you do what I say, when I say, when I say, jump, you ask, how high on the way up? Is that what Paul wrote in the book of Romans? Is it unconditionally following the authority of man?

I mean, Paul calls government officials, God's servants.

God's servants. And how dare you do anything against God's servant?

Well, Paul, Peter, and Daniel, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did.

And there in Hebrews 11, the faith chapter. But how did they? Why did they? And if those conditions weren't met, did they follow human authority? What is authority for? Hopefully that's what we'll answer today, because Paul answered it very clearly in Romans chapter 13.

But it's subtle, because Paul, let me just give you the background real quick. Paul was writing Romans 13 under the Roman Empire, where you worshiped the emperor, which means he was considered a god, the highest level being on planet. And you don't say anything against the emperor without getting the death penalty. And yet, Paul, you will notice, we're going to go through in Romans 13, he subtly took all power away from Emperor Nero and gave it to God in this book. And if you look at it from the point of view of when he wrote this, you will see that this is a very balanced approach on authority. And you will see why Paul, Peter, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not contradict anything that Paul said in Romans 13.

So if you've heard sermons in the past, Romans 13, being used as a club to club you, today you will feel like it is a huge heavy weight set on your shoulders, not a club used on your back. Still not pleasant. It's still a burden, but it's not whipping you on the back or clubbing you over the head. It's putting a burden directly on your Christian, converted, guided by the Holy Spirit, shoulders.

Romans was written to address conflict between Jews and Gentiles.

It was because Christians were still attending synagogues with the Jews. And that was the only legal place they could assemble under Roman law except their own homes, which they also met in. Unlike America with religious freedom in Rome, a religion had to be approved by the empire. And Judaism, because they fought a battle with Julius Caesar three or four hundred years prior, was one of the approved religions under the Roman law. So the fact that Gentile converts did not have to become Jews, to become Christians, you know, they didn't have to be circumcised on the eighth day. They could just start coming. That caused a lot of friction. They didn't do things a Jewish way.

Therefore, judging and right judgment is the main topic addressed in the book of Romans. Basically, the thrust of Romans is that God is just and you are not. It's not an insult. It's putting a pin on the map and telling you where you need to go. You are here. You ever go to a zoo or a theme park and you see those big maps? A little pin on the map says, you are here. And then you look at the ride you want to ride or the exhibit you want to look at, and it's way over there. And that's what Romans does. It puts a pin on the map. It says, you are here. You are not where you need to be. God is where you need to be, and He's way over there. So stop judging one another and get moving. Towards the end of the discussion in chapter 12, Paul starts to tell them not to return evil for evil, but to do good. He also said, don't seek personal revenge when you were wronged. For vengeance is God, and He would repay. Remember, keep that in mind. Vengeance is God, and He will repay. Because a lot of times we hear, in fact, I've even said this before, not noticing the next words that Paul wrote in chapter 13. I've said, and sometimes God will repay in the next life, which isn't wrong, which is actually correct, but not what Paul meant at all. Paul meant God will take care of it, in most cases, in general, as a broad overview, right now.

That's a head scratcher. If I don't take personal revenge, how's God going to take care of it when the person seems to be getting away with it? Read chapter 13. In chapter 13, Paul starts what seems like a whole new letter. He starts talking about obeying governing authorities. So first he's talking about doing good and not taking vengeance. Then he just changes the subject, or it seems, and he starts talking about obeying authority. Like, did you forget what you were just writing about? And you needed to throw this topic in as well? No. Let's start in Romans chapter 12, and then we'll see how Romans 13 verses 1 through 7 is actually connected to the entire book of Romans in chapter 12. It's the same topic of getting along with each other. Romans 12, starting down in the chapter, verse 19. Romans 12 verse 19, beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath. Your place is to let the anger go. For it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Then in the next few verses, it seems like a completely different topic. He's talking about taking care of other people and being a good person. Then he starts talking about government, which is actually the answer to what he just wrote about God repaying the vengeance. Listen.

Let's read and notice it's the same exact topic. He hasn't switched gears. He's moving us forward and thinking. Hasn't changed the subject of getting along with each other. Romans 13 verses 1 through 7. Romans 13 verse 1. Let every soul be subject to governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God. And the authorities that exist are appointed by God. There are people in the church who have a major problem with this. They actually derail from believing in God because of that statement. Authorities in government are appointed by God. Don't read too much into this. Stay tuned. You'll see what Paul is saying and what he's not saying.

And those who resist... I'm sorry, therefore whoever resists authority resists the ordinance of God. If you don't do what you're told by the government, you're not disobeying the government alone. You're disobeying God. That is what he said. There's a caveat. He's going to give it. Hang in there. And those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For the rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Now he starts to give the purpose that God ordained government. The reason God put some people over other people. Listen to the point. It's a good thing, not a bad thing. In fact, it's not a good thing, it's a great thing. In fact, you have a car and clothes and ate breakfast this morning, and we're not assaulted because we have a government. For rulers are not terrors of good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. Government officials who give you speeding tickets and tax your land and tax your income and do all the things that annoy us are also for your good. Step back, Paul is telling us, step back from your discomfort and appreciate what is good. But if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. So God even allows for punishment. God allows for punishment.

That sword means punishment up to capital punishment, death.

A sword doesn't tickle your ribs. It pierces through to your heart. It is a death instrument. For he is God's minister for good, but if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore, you must not be subject, or you must be subject, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience's sake. Okay. This is getting to a heart issue. It's not just avoiding punishment. It's not searing your conscience.

Verse 6. For because of this, and now he gets very specific, you have some practical application, you also pay taxes. I know members of the church who say, have said in the past, I'm a member of the kingdom of God, I don't have to pay taxes. And then they lost their house.

I know that happened twice, people I know. It says right in Romans 13, pay your taxes. For they are God's ministers. A minister, in that word, the Greek word, is a servant who's appointed to be an overseer. A servant who oversees something.

Attending continually to this very thing, render therefore to all due taxes, whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, it means respect, honor to whom honor. So how is this discussion of obeying governing authorities relevant to overcoming evil with good in chapter 12? Let's take a look at Romans 13 verses 1 through 7, a little bit more closely, and notice what Paul is actually saying, and what he's not saying.

We'll start with the divine ordination of authority itself. We need to do an exegetical analysis of this. Paul said there is no authority except that which God has established.

It's the foundational declaration in Romans chapter 13 in verse 1, for there is no authority except from God. The Greek term exocia, translated authority here, refers to the right to govern. So Paul is saying, Emperor Nero, because this was most likely during Nero's younger years before he had killed all the Christians, he had two really stable advisors in his young years that he later got rid of and became like the mad emperor that he became. But he was saying, Nero has a right from God to govern you.

That's important, the right to govern. In other words, the right to make decisions. Paul is saying that all real authority comes from God and is allowed by God. He reflects the common biblical belief that God is actually in full control of human events and world powers. Even pagan rulers are part of his bigger plan. Paul makes it clear when he says, the authorities that exist have been established by God. The Greek word used here means that God has intentionally set up these positions of authority in an ongoing way. And the reason I don't want to get technical, but it's the plu-perfect tense that it's written in, meaning that it's not just for today, it's for the future as well. So he was saying, you Romans and everybody else who reads this letter, including us in Texas in 2025. But this doesn't mean that God approves of everything that every ruler does. It's not even coming close to saying that. And Paul resisted authority, Peter resisted authority, Daniel resisted authority, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego resisted authority. So what did he really mean? Hopefully that's what we'll uncover today.

It means, first of all, this opening statement that all authority comes from God. The idea that government, having a structure, an order in society, is something that God not only supports, he endorses it. God endorses a structured society, not a chaotic society. He wants you to be able to call 911 and have somebody who has a sword come to your house and protect you. That's his servant protecting you. It's better to have a government than it is to have chaos.

So Paul wrote these words during the early years of Emperor Nero's rule. The context of that statement makes it even more striking knowing that it was Nero. Because even back then, in the early days, Nero was crazy. By saying all authorities, including the pagan, potentially unjust Roman government, are allowed by God, Paul is making a stronger point about God's complete control over everything. He's saying God is even over Nero without having to criticize Nero and be put to death. But that is literally what he just said. God's actually in control, not Nero.

He's not saying that Nero's future cruelty or flaws in the Roman system were right. He never said that. Instead, Paul is reminding us that God can work through any government to carry out his larger plan. Even flawed governments can help provide basic order, which is better than chaos.

For Christians, it means that respecting authority isn't the same as agreeing with everything the ruler does. It's an act of faith, trusting that God is ultimately in charge. And at the same time, Paul's words quietly challenge the Roman emperor's claim to be a God or the highest power, because he shows that all rulers are still under the authority of the true God, our Father and Jesus Christ, whom God placed all authority onto. So remember the time that this was written. Roman emperors made people worship them as a God-being. And Paul is subtly, openly, but subtly challenging that idea by saying, no, God is ultimately in charge here. So keep that in mind as we go forward in this sermon. Your respect, or not respect, for a government order that's given to you is based on God being in charge. God ruling your life. Who the leader is, what political party they are of, whether it's democratic or autocratic, is irrelevant to a Christian. Don't miss that point. Every person who lived under the Roman tyranny would have likely gotten that point immediately. They would have understood that Paul was saying, whoa. They would say, Paul just said, God is in charge, not Nero. Right? We, in a democratic society, read that and go, man, we got to do what the government says? Where if they would have read that and said, whoa, Paul could be put to death for that.

Okay, building on that idea that all authority comes from God, Paul makes a serious point. He says, whoever resists authority is actually resisting what God has put in place. And the word he uses for God has instituted refers to an established order, something that God has set up deliberately.

So resisting government authority isn't just a political act or social rebellion. It's not just saying something against your political rival on Facebook or Instagram or TikTok, or clicking like or love on it so that other people will see that you disrespect former President Biden or current President Trump, or whatever it might be. Right? It's not just social rebellion. It's also opposing. Every time you do that, you're opposing something that God himself has allowed to exist. And you're a Christian. You represent God. You are called to a higher calling. That means obedience to civil authorities isn't just about following rules so that you can avoid getting in trouble. It becomes part of a Christian's relationship with God. Paul goes on to warn that those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. Now, that likely includes punishment from the government, alright? Judgment can come from the government. But it may also point to God's displeasure and holding you personally accountable for disobeying Him. I suggest that it does. If authority is something that God has ordered, then resisting it is spiritually serious. It's not just a mistake. It's an act of defiance against God's structure. So Paul wanted Roman Christians, and us by extension, to understand how to behave under civil authority.

And it's something that you should be able to answer when you stand before God. This is how I behaved under authority, even when they persecuted me. I protected your name, God. I stood up for you, even when I was mistreated. Paul explained the purpose of government, then, by saying, rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. In other words, government is meant to keep order by discouraging wrongdoing. That's what authority is for.

In general, in broad terms, it doesn't mean they don't make mistakes, and those mistakes shouldn't be corrected. It just means, in general, government is to protect society from all the wrongdoing. To keep order, to make a space for good behavior to thrive. And then Paul adds, do you want to be free from fear of authority? Then do what is right. You see the point here? Authority is a good thing, in a broad overview, sort of a sense. Can it be abused?

Oh, yeah. We know the answer to that. It's yes. That's not what Paul is talking about. He's just talking about the good purpose of it. You would be worse off without it. We would be living in terror without it. People in the dictator-like leaderships of the Muslim world, who live in fear of their government because they are so oppressive, still don't worry about getting their things stolen. You know why? They'll literally cut the hand of a thief off, and it maintains order in society. You know what they do to people who rape?

Here we throw them in jail, and we feed them three meals a day, and we give them exercise equipment. They take them out, and they shoot them, cut their head off, or stone them, depending on how entertaining they want to make that execution. They are brutal, and rape is really low in that government. It's a terrible form of government. It's an oppressive form of government, but does keep things in order. It keeps chaos from happening, and in that broad sense, which is what Paul is doing here, he's talking in a broad sense, and we know that because of how Paul himself interacted with government authorities, and how Peter did, and how Daniel did, and how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did.

Basic idea. If you live responsibly and you obey the law, we shouldn't have anything to fear from those who are in charge. So that sounds ideal. What's important to remember is that Paul himself experienced injustice, persecution, and even imprisonment for doing nothing wrong under Roman rule. And he's the one writing this. So he's not saying that every government always lives up to this standard. He never said that once in Romans 13. Instead, he's describing the purpose that God designed government for, to promote the right and restrain the wrong. Government promotes doing right and restrains doing wrong in general.

Even when leaders fail to reflect this ideal, the structure of government itself itself still serves that greater purpose in God's plan most of the time. It gives the ability for mankind to reproduce so that God can have children. So we don't all just kill each other off. So look at authority from God's point of view. It's actually not a bad thing in general. That means that Christians can respect the role of government as a tool for order, even when we don't agree or approve with every policy of the leader. And Romans 13 doesn't require us to agree with every policy of every leader.

Every decision that every leader makes, you don't have to agree with in order to comply with Romans 13. This perspective helps us see that being law-abiding isn't just about avoiding trouble. It's a way of cooperating with God's broader design for peace and stability in a broken world. We left the Garden of Eden. We took of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, saying, we'll do it ourselves. So God put a safety in place that children could actually be born and be raised and have more children.

In Romans 13 and verse 4, Paul says that government leaders are God's servants for your good, meaning their role is helping keep the peace and justice and order in society. And even if they don't realize it, Paul says they are agents of God's wrath. Now, do you remember something back in Romans chapter 12 that talked about God's wrath?

Vengeance is mine. I will repay. Now Paul is telling us how God repays in general, punishing those who do wrong through authority. This ties back to Romans 12-19, where Christians are told not to take revenge but to leave justice to God. Remember, I told you this wasn't a different subject from Romans chapter 12. This explanation of respecting government authority. Paul is connecting overcoming evil with good. He explains that God has given the government the responsibility to handle the justice so that you don't have to. You don't have to live in chaos.

So believers can focus on loving others and getting along, not getting even.

And while Paul tells Christians to respect authority, calling rulers God's servants, he also reminds us that they, listen to this, are accountable to God and should lead in a way that reflects His justice. And if they don't, or they do, they all actually have to answer to God for what they did in the end also. We'll get to that at the very end of the sermon. Oh, they don't get away with it. All the oppression and the persecution and throwing Paul in prison and cutting his head off, they don't get away with that. Hang tight. Paul makes his instruction practical by tying it into everyday responsibilities that Roman Christians would have immediately recognized that they have to deal with harshly every day. He tells them, he puts a burden right on our shoulders. Paul makes this tough. And I'm going to give you a little history, a little background on why he mentioned the specific things he mentioned. Just so that we can extrapolate in our own lives, this means respecting authority even when it's hard to do. Think about it. He wouldn't have said it if it was easy to do. It wouldn't have needed to be mentioned if we would automatically do it anyway. There would be no reason for Paul to have written this. This is difficult. He tells them to pay their taxes, explaining that government officials are God's servants and need to be paid. You need to pay them for serving God.

Really? Yes. They work full time to maintain order. The word he uses for taxes is the Greek word foros, and it likely refers to land taxes and poll taxes, which many saw as reminders that they were being ruled by a foreign power because the Romans took over their countries. This is especially true for the Jews. Even the Jews that lived in Rome, Rome had conquered Israel, the land of Judea, Jerusalem itself was governed by Pontius Pilate. I mean, these were foreign invaders, and they're charging me tax on the land that God gave us. Think about it from that point of view. I mean, that was very insulting to a Jew, who was even a Christian Jew, who Paul was writing to here. Still, Paul says paying them was right. Because those in authority were doing a job that God was allowing and even intending. He also says people should give to everyone what they owe, whether it's taxes, foros, customs, or fees, which was telos, respect, or honor.

In other words, it's not just about money. It was also about showing a proper attitude. Again, again, making this a matter of the heart, not a matter of outward compliance, even though I am disgusted by government. Paul is saying, no, do not be disgusted by government.

You are God's child. You will now learn to think like God. That's the suggestion here. By being this specific, Paul is likely addressing very real concerns of Christians that they were frustrated about. That's the point you can learn from that. This was very frustrating to Roman Christians, causing financial stress. High taxes were a big problem. Nero actually was recorded to have been considered lowering the taxes, because there were rebellions all over the empire. But he didn't do it. He kept them high. So taxes were oppressive. So Paul specifically mentioned a pain point. A pain point. Remember 2020? I sure do, because I was trying to suggest that we keep the peace with everybody during the COVID thing. And our right wingers, I love you to death, I tend to lean towards the right myself, did not want to wear masks. Oh, that was a pain point. You remember that? But you did it anyway. You did it anyway.

Maybe frustrations, you know, are difficult to deal with, but God says, these are God's servants. And overall, and broadly, they're keeping the peace. So when they tell you to do something frustrating, most of the time you do it. And we're going to get to that in just a second.

So here's the key question that I want to get to today in the sermon. That was all set up. For this question, is submission to government always absolute?

You should already know the answer is no, because I've already said it's no. The key question in Romans 13 is whether Paul is telling Christians to obey every law, no matter what, or if there are times when it is right to disobey a government order in order to follow God. And the answer is yes. It should be duh, yes. Paul is not calling for blind obedience of human beings.

The Greek word used for submit in Romans 13 is different from the word obey, used in the New Testament. When God says to obey his commands, Paul saying submit to government is actually a different word. To submit means to recognize authority and the role of government, while obedience refers to following specific commands. So submit doesn't mean obey.

It's similar, but it is not the same. And Paul was very specific on which word he used.

This means that Christians should respect the government and its position without always having to agree or obeying every law. But which ones is it okay to obey without crossing God? This idea is supported in scriptures like Acts 5, verse 29, where Peter said, Acts 5, verse 29, we must obey God rather than men. They told Peter to stop preaching the gospel. Jesus Christ told them to preach the gospel. There was a contradiction in orders. We obey God rather than men. There was also clear examples in the Bible, Daniel, who continued praying to God even when the law said you're not allowed to pray to God anymore. And he was thrown into the lion's den where God rescued him. Paul himself was arrested, punished multiple times because he continued preaching the gospel in defiance of government orders, both local governments and the Roman government. So clearly, we respect government. We do not obey it when it tells us to disobey God.

But when it causes us personal harm, there's very little way out of not obeying government. When they overtax us and we just can't afford it, that was literally happening to the Roman citizens. And Paul was saying, it's better this than chaos. God put this in place to keep order. Pay the tax. Who's going to provide my meal when I pay the tax? Slap yourself in the forehead. God will. Pay the tax. Do the uncomfortable thing.

Wear the mask. So clearly, we respect government, but we do not obey it when they tell us to disobey God. So Paul is teaching in Romans 13, it can be understood as calling for a respectful attitude towards government as part of God's design for order. You actually like government. You appreciate government.

Doesn't mean that Christians follow every law without question. When human law clearly conflicts with God's law, our first loyalty must always be to God. And that includes the ministry.

If I gave you an order that told you to stop keeping the Sabbath, duh, you don't follow that order. Who's in charge?

Where does the ministry get any authority at all? Jesus Christ. Who does it get his authority from? The Father. Which means we can't contradict the Father.

God the Father is the greatest authority in the universe. Daniel chapter 4 verse 35. I love this.

Especially when they start that woke agenda, saying, you know how we need to be able to choose? This or that or the other thing on our own and not let God tell us. Even if the whole planet got together and agreed. I love this verse. Daniel 4 verse 35. All inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but he does according to his will on earth. He didn't ask your opinion when he created you. He didn't ask your opinion when he made us male and female. He didn't ask your opinion when he said get married and have children. And he's never going to. I love this verse. God is in charge. And that is Paul's point in Romans 13. You follow God. He put authority in place. You are respecting God when you respect authority.

But he does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. And no one can ward off his hand or say to him, what have you done?

Nobody brings God into question. The whole earth could get together and vote. Okay, God, we don't want you to be the leader of the universe anymore. It's unanimous. And that vote would count for nothing.

And you know if we all did that, which would never happen, but if we all did that, God would still forgive us. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways are not our ways. Nobody can question God. God is ultimately in charge. And you know what? He gave all authority to Jesus Christ. Let's just follow the logic. Matthew 28 verse 18. And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, all authority. What is authority? The right to govern. The right to make decisions. All right to govern and make decisions have been given to me in heaven and on earth.

When Jesus Christ says, do this in remembrance of me, no church denomination on planet earth has the right to change it. All authority is given to Jesus Christ. Being perfect and patient and full of mercy, He has absolute power. Let's go to Colossians. Colossians chapter 2 verse 8. We're just going to spend a little bit of time in Colossians because it also talks about authority. Colossians 2 verse 8, beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy or empty deceit according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him. Your decisions are based on what God and Jesus Christ have said, and you don't vary your life from that at all. Verse 9, for in Him dwells on, sorry, verse 10, and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power? He is all-powerful, cannot be questioned.

That is absolute power. Why did Paul tell the Colossians that Jesus Christ had all authority, given to Him by God? Because the Colossians were resisting authority. I'm pretty sure Colossae was in Texas.

In the church, people in the church in Colossae were giving false doctrine, not doing what they were told from the pulpit. Their particular doctrine was called asceticism, which is a kind of denying the body of any pleasure. This was specifically what was being talked about in Colossians. It's an outward pretend show of righteousness that doesn't change the heart. You do everything on the outside, but you never repent on the inside. Colossians 2, verse 23, just dropped down a little bit. He says about this asceticism, such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom. Oh yeah, it looks righteous. You know, don't eat this, don't touch that, don't do this on the Sabbath. Rules that aren't in the Bible, but are added to the Bible to make you more righteous. Okay? Obviously do everything that's in the Bible. He says their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, you know, they're not going to eat cake, and not because they're on a diet, because they just don't have, you know, temporary pleasure once in a while. They're ascetics. I'm eating a piece of cake today, I don't know about you.

But they lack any value that he means that they're regulations. They lack any value in restraining sensual indulgences. Their outward show does nothing to convert you.

This false doctrine resulted in people being puffed up and selfish, and looking for their own self-interest. They weren't getting along with each other anymore. They mistreated each other, and they defied authority. They abused authority when they had it. Both sides of authority were being trampled on, which led them off the path of righteousness. So Paul is bringing them and us back into balance, back on the path. Chapter 3 verse 17. And whenever you do in word and deed, chapter 3 verse 17, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, do you see how profound that statement is?

When you're asking your question, do I follow this government order or not? It isn't based on your opinion. It's based on what Jesus Christ said to do. And that puts the burden on you to know what Jesus Christ said to do in every situation. It puts the burden on you to know your Bible. It puts the burden on you to come to church and listen, and learn, and remember, and not just go, what's for lunch? Then he gets specific. He says, giving thanks to God the Father through him, and he gives some examples. Wives submit, in other words, cooperate with your husbands. That word is not the same as obey. It means respect and acknowledge his authority. But you don't follow him if he's causing you to disobey Jesus Christ. Why? You're a Christian woman, and Jesus Christ is your authority, which is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be bitter to them. Oh, I've been with her however many years it is. Fill in the blank. I know how she's gonna react, and you don't give her a chance anymore. Like you did when you were first married. You need to go back to the way it was before, where you listen and understand her. Even if her reactions are the same, it doesn't mean your understanding is perfect. Listen. Open your heart to her. Children, verse 20, obey your parents. Now, that word is obey.

That word doesn't mean cooperate, and means do what you're told.

Obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing in the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Bond servants, in other words, employees. Obey in all things your master, your employer. And then, your master's. See, it goes right along with that respecting authority.

Among your masters, according to flesh, not with eye service or as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart. As to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive a reward and an inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ. Wow! That's what respecting authority is all about. He who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, for there is no partiality. In other words, yeah, that's a warning to you, but it's also an encouragement to you that if wrong is done to you, it will be repaid. We're going to see a much more clear verse on that in just a moment. Then he starts this line of reasoning in Colossians, and let's just notice that the ministry is put in place in the church for the same exact reason that God put government in place. And overall, looking at the ministry from a broad point of view, it's a very good thing to have.

Are there ministers from time to time that make them like put a black mark on the ministry? Oh, yeah, all the time. But that doesn't make the ministry a bad thing. Notice what the ministry is for. It's for preserving the Word of God. Notice Titus chapter 1 verse 5. Titus 1 verse 5. For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders. And that word means an older brother. In every city, as I have commanded you, if a man is blameless, a husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination, for a bishop, and that word means an overseer, must be blameless, as a steward of God. A steward, that Greek word means someone who's put in charge, just like the government official, you use the word steward, here the minister is a steward. Someone who's put in charge to take care of something the master owns. The steward doesn't own the church. The pastor doesn't own you. We're going to get back to why that's important in just a minute, because that puts a burden back on you. The steward is in charge, but does not own.

I remember one time a man told me that a minister, right here in San Antonio, many, many, many, many, many decades ago, you don't even know the man, a minister told him, I gave you the Holy Spirit, you do what I say because I can take it away.

Wrong! So wrong! Read your Bible, people. For a bishop must be blameless as a steward of God, not self-willed, quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent. That would include angry, not greedy for money, but hospitable. A lover of what is good, sober-minded, in other words, a clear-thinking man. Just doesn't show favorites. Holy respects the Word of God, makes sure that we live by the Word of God. Self-controlled doesn't just require it of you, but requires it of himself first. And then verse 9, the critical key verse here. Why the ministry? Holding fast to the faithful Word, as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine, which means teaching, both exhort and convict those who contradict.

Somebody has to be the bad guy. Somebody has to be the one that says, no, we don't do that.

The purpose of the ministry of being overseers is someone who's willing to stand up when it's not popular, and not allow us to fall for tricks or drift away from the Word of God, which is the truth of God, which leads to salvation. That person has to speak the truth without being able to be voted out. The ministry has been given oversight of the congregation. Why? Hold fast to the Word. Believe it or not, the sermon today is about your view of authority, not the ministry. I'm just giving you examples. I could also talk about husbands and wives, but we don't have time. This applies to any authority, and the way you look at authority. It's for our safety, to learn and to grow, to have mercy. It's a very good thing. Can authority be abused? Yeah, of course. You've probably experienced abuse of authority in your life. I know I have. Oh, wow, have I experienced abuse of authority. But does your past experience, some past abuse of authority, make the structure of what God created in the church bad? No. The structure of what God created in the church is perfect. So what's so bad, people? Men are bad. God is perfect. And it was God and his Son Jesus Christ who organized the church this way. And thankfully, he did. It's a good thing. It's a safe thing. It's something that leads to our mutual salvation, and we must not compromise it. Daniel didn't compromise when he was abused. Peter didn't. Paul didn't. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn't. They continued in the way, being abused often. And they didn't turn to the right or to the left. Not one time. Here's the point of the sermon today. Living under imperfect authority places a huge burden squarely on you. God is ultimately in charge, right? So that's your guidepost when making decisions. And Peter said we must obey God rather than men. So Paul makes the point in Romans 13 that all government, all authority on earth, ultimately comes from God. He's not saying that to say you must absolutely obey every human ordinance. He's saying God is your goal. God is your guidepost. Please understand that. It doesn't mean blindly follow. That wasn't Paul's point. The point was you must be respectful even when they are oppressive. You don't rebel because you're rebelling against God himself. Government keeps chaos and evil from running wild in the streets. God understands that even imperfect people can keep the peace. I gave you examples of the Islamic world. Very oppressive. Very oppressive to women. But they still are able to have children and their things don't get stolen so that they can have houses and food and clothes.

Keeps the peace.

We are called out of this world and out our government is in heaven. But we are called to be a light to this world. So when is it okay to disobey government? And when is it not? Believe it or not, the answer is not pragmatic. And we wish it was. And what do I mean by pragmatic? I mean, it's not up to you.

It's not up to me when I feel it's okay to do what the government says to do. It's not up to you. That's for sure.

God laid down some ground rules in Romans 13 that Paul himself followed all the way to his unjust death. Here are some of those ground rules. God is ultimately in charge of your life. No human being in authority can replace that. Not a president, a king, a minister, a counselor, a husband. God is ultimately in charge. If the person in charge makes a mistake, that is not automatically grounds for disobedience. Although I wish it were, it's not. That's my carnality talking. But the litmus test for whether or not you follow an order is this. Does that order or rule cause me to disobey God?

If you can follow the rule without disobeying God, then following the rule for the gospel's sake is our duty. Tough pill to swallow. If the rule causes us to disobey God, do not follow that rule on your life.

In the end, God will bring every bad decision of those authorities into judgment. Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verse 14, the conclusion of the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon wraps it up with a few statements, including this one.

12 verse 14, for God will bring every deed into judgment with every secret thing, whether good or evil. That book concludes the book of Ecclesiastes and underscores the ultimate accountability of you and me before God. Nothing is hidden in our actions. Nothing is hidden in our government's actions, in our leaders' actions, in the minister's actions, in your husband's actions, in your children's actions, in the parents' actions. Nothing is hidden.

That includes every one of us, both public and private. Everything will be judged.

How are we to handle authority, whether we have it or whether we cooperate with it? In the end, God will judge. And that puts the burden of cooperation directly on your shoulders.

So be respectful of authority.