Romans 13:1-7
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SLIDE 3
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
Rom 13
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SLIDE 4
Rom 13.3
For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
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SLIDE 5
Rom 13.4
for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.
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SLIDE 6
Rom 13.7
Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
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INTRO:
In our culture… submission is a dirty word. We think that the submission of one, indicates the oppression of another.
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The act of submission, is simply… the recognition of order, and the acknowledgement of our place in that order.
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The one who submits, recognizes their place in terms of authority, power and responsibility.
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As it pertains to authority, we align ourselves under those who serve us with roles of leadership. In America, we get the privilege of hiring those leaders, and we have a structured government that limits and checks their authority.
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As it pertains to power, we align ourselves to the forces that might cause us harm. Things like nature, gravity, and even science. In some cases, we might hold the power over fire, as it lights our home in a lamp.... but if our home is ablaze… that fire becomes the power that we submit to. We don’t face it down… no way… we run from it.
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As it pertains to responsibility, we align ourselves with the roles, abilities, and purposes that are established. As parents, we are responsible for the welfare of our children. Because of this, our children submit under our role of responsibility.
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When verse 13 calls us to ‘be subject’… it is literally telling us… that there is something over us, and that we are under that thing… in this example… - governing authorities.
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The root idea of submission is order. Because I recognize a right order in society, I voluntarily and deliberately place myself under those set over me.
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Christian submission is presented in different contexts… in different ways… and with different limits.
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If you’re a note taker, you might find interest in jotting these down… we get at least 6 examples in the Bible…
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First off:
SLIDE 7
Christian Submission:
Christ under the Father ()
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Jesus spoke of this repeatedly. Even though He is One with the Father, when He was on this earth, He was fulfilling a specific role… and that role required Him to submit to a specific order…
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In … He said that the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing.
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And then.. in , He says, “I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.
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SLIDE 8
When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
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God was on a mission to offer redemption to humanity. In order for that mission to be successful, His co-equal Son, Jesus… had to subject Himself to the Father…
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secondly, we get the order of the believer under God.
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SLIDE 9
Christian Submission:
Christ under the Father ()
The believer under God ()
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No one who truly believes in God, and has even an inkling of understanding of who God is… disputes this.
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It’s true, that in this world we do see a lot of fist shaking at God… a lot of reviling against God… but the root of these actions is a combination of unbelief and a dramatic misjudgment of His character.
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People who hurt, often search for a scapegoat. They think that, if they can ascribe blame somewhere, then they can gain for themselves a sense of justice.
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To those who think wrongly about God… To those who don’t understand the consequences of sin upon this world, and the broken state we exist in… well, He becomes the most convenient one to blame.
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The third order of Christian submission… is: ‘slave to master’
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SLIDE 10
Christian Submission:
Christ under the Father ()
The believer under God ()
Slave to master (Titus 2:9)
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Again, here is a term that brings with it, a truckload of misunderstanding and misapplication.
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The oppression that we think of, when we use the term slavery, is a horrible thing. It has been practiced widely and commonly as long as humans have been on the earth.
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America was a late comer to the practice and in no way held the monopoly on this vile system.
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Just as horrible things like the murder of unborn children are normalized and re-moralized in our culture..
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Slavery was so common, and so engrained in the culture… When the Bible was written… it was everywhere.
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But… the OT offered a different form of slavery for the Hebrew People.
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The groundwork is laid in … where in verse 7, it begins to talk about the brother who becomes poor…
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They were commanded, to not harden their heart, or shut their hand against the poor brother..
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The people of Israel were told, to take care of each other, by lending what is sufficient when that brother is in need.
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In many cases… that poor person was unable to pay back what was owed.
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In this case, they had to option to sell themselves as a slave to another fellow Hebrew.
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In … it tells us, that this slave was to serve for 6 years and go free on the 7th. And when they do go… the master was commanded to not let them go empty handed… but to furnish him liberally with stock, grains and wine.
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In a world that enslaved people against their will… God offered an alternative.
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So… to the one who has committed themselves in this fashion… as a slave to a master…
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SLIDE 11
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Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative,
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It is not a far stretch to see how this admonition might apply to us, as we.... the employees, work for our employers.
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…moving on...
The 4th order of Christian submission… is: The Christian to the church leaders.
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SLIDE 12
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Christian Submission:
Christ under the Father ()
The believer under God ()
Slave to master ()
The Christian to the church leaders. ()
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In … the elders of the church are being told to shepherd their flock… exercising oversight… not under compulsion, but willingly.
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They are told to lead… not for shameful gain, but eagerly… not domineering over those in your charge… but to be an example..
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And to those who are under these elders.. it says:
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SLIDE 13
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Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
1 Pet 5.
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I love how Peter is careful to define the qualities of the elders to which the younger are to be subject to....
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They are subject to leaders… who do not force subjection.
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They are subject to leaders who aren’t in it for their own personal gain.
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They are subject to leaders, who are not domineering.
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And… they are subject to leaders who are good examples.
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If a leader truly desires to honor God, and be fruitful in their ministry… then they should be someone that people will want to follow.
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This is why there is way more instruction in the Bible for the character of the leader… than there is instruction for the follower.
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In … several qualifications are laid out…
- Above reproach - husband of one wife - sober minded - self-controlled - respectable - hospitable - able to teach - not a drunkard - not violent - gentle - not quarrelsome - not a lover of money - manages the household well - mature in faith -AND - good reputation
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JESUS taught in … that leadership is first and foremost, a form of servanthood.
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SLIDE 14
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And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.
Mark 10:
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The 5th order of Christian submission is: Children to parents.
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SLIDE 15
Christian Submission:
Christ under the Father ()
The believer under God ()
Slave to master ()
The Christian to the church leaders. ()
Children to parents. ()
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This is the one where all the moms and dads eagerly shake their heads in agreement.
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This passage in is one we just considered in reference to a church leader… but in the midst of it… we see, that a leader at church, does their best to be a leader at home.
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Yes… children are to be subject to parents… but parents are also, to manage their home with all dignity.
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Which, if you’re a parent… you know… that dignity is not always an easy thing to practice when managing children.
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If something is done with dignity… it means… that the one who is respected, has done their best to demonstrate a worthiness for respect.
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That’s our goal as parents… but, we are with our kids every day… and our kids are with us every day… and we see each other at our best, and at our worst..
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lays a responsibility upon the fathers… to not provoke their children to anger… but to discipline them, and instruct them in God’s ways…
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This is a reminder to the parents who just heard the church leader read verses 1-2… where the children are told to obey their parents in the Lord, for this is right.
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Remember… there are three forces that demand submission.... - power, authority, and responsibility.
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When we as parents think in terms of power and authority… we have a tendency to lose dignity… we have a tendency to provoke wrath…
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Yes… we have power… because we are generally bigger and stronger… -Yes, we have authority… - But our biggest qualifier for submission.... is RESPONSIBILITY.
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Parents… WE HAVE A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY. And if we properly demonstrate that… our children will recognize it.
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The final order of Christian submission is: Wives to husbands. ()
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SLIDE 16
Christian Submission:
Christ under the Father ()
The believer under God ()
Slave to master ()
The Christian to the church leaders. ()
Children to parents. ()
Wives to Husbands (Col 3:18)
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Maybe in all of this, you’ve noticed a theme… - In every level of submission, the burden lies upon the one who is over… not the one who is under.
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God’s order is not established by force… not by oppression… not by compulsion.. not under an authoritative demand… not by fear...
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God’s order does not benefit the leader… but instead, it calls the leader to serve in humility… to demonstrate worthy character… to strive to be one who merits the following of others.
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Most ancient cultures… and heavily religious cultures… were cultures dominated by male leadership.
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Often times… people have brought the ideas of their cultures into the interpretation of the Bible… and have completely overlooked the means by which God has completely overhauled the order.
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Yes, the Bible still recognizes male leadership in terms of the church and in family.... though this is heavily disputed, even in the church… and I can sympathize with some of those arguments… but the Bible has not convinced me of anything different… so I can’t let the culture convince me.
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The Bible is more than 4 years old, so it still recognizes a difference between men and women… not in a manner that exalts one over the other...
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But in a manner that celebrates the uniqueness… in a manner that demonstrates design and order… in a manner that symbolizes and represents even Christ’s relationship to the church.
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And so, with marriage… there is an order… and if you read about it in .. you will see that this order is dependent upon the Husband...
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Verse 21 tells us… in Christian fellowship, we are to submit to one another… - that’s all of us…
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And yes, since marriage is part of Christian fellowship, husbands and wives are to submit to one another..
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But, in marriage, the order is more specific… and in marriage… the husband and the wife have unique challenges based on their nature...
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So the wife is told to submit to her husband… and the husband is told to love his wife. Submission goes both ways… and love goes both ways… but there is a weight… and emphasis… a priority, upon love and submission as it pertains to the unique spouses.
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But again.... the burden is on the one who is over. The Husband is commanded to love in a unique way. They are to love as Christ loved the church.
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How did Jesus love the church?
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By teaching… by leading… by demonstrating and giving grace… by serving… and ultimately, by sacrificing Himself.
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Why did people follow Jesus? Because He demonstrated in His character, in His actions, and in His love for them… that He was someone they couldn’t help but follow.
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Husbands… do we demand submission because of power? Most of us are stronger than our wives.... Is this how we gain submission? - IT better not be…
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Husbands… do we demand submission because of authority? To be honest, I don’t see an argument in favor of authority for the husband.
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It seems to me, that the idea of demanding authority, is out of sync with the design. Again… in marriage… like with parenting… submission isn’t gained by power or by authority..
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But rather… by responsibility.
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Once we find ourselves in a place where we as husbands are demanding submission… then it should be a wake up call, that we have not been doing our part, to love our wives with a sacrificial love.
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Now… we have looked at 6 forms of Christian submission… Christ to the Father… the believer to God… the slave to the master… the Christians to church leaders… the children to parents… and the husband to the wives..
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But… what about the passage we oped with? Isn’t this a study in Romans?
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What about… our governing authorities?
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I haven’t forgotten.
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Paul is reminding the believers in Rome, that governmental authority is a generic commodity that belongs to God… and God distributes it as He wills, for His purposes.
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He moves governments… He moves nations… He does unique things in different parts of the world…
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- and much of what goes on, in His plan, beyond His governance for the Christian… is a mystery to me.
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But this passage shows us a few unique things..
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First off… let’s get this one out of the way. If a government orders you to break God’s instructions… then they are no longer acting upon the authority that God gives.
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Here’s the principle… the authority is God’s. The leader is wielding that authority… but, there appears to be a few disqualifications for when the authority they wield, is no longer God’s.
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In , Peter demanded… that “We must obey God rather than men.”
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Most of the early Christian leaders, disobeyed the laws of their governments, simply by being faithful to God… and as a result, died at the hands of those governments…
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Even Paul, here, told the church in Rome to be obedient to a man who would sentence him to death, for breaking the law, by being a Christian.
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Nero started out as an okay leader. He did not oppress the church and provided them with freedom...
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But, after he torched Rome… he decided that the Christians were going to be his scapegoat… and he blamed them… - He told the people of Rome, that the Christians were to blame for their hardship..
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And after that time… Christians were heavily persecuted in Rome… by the very man… that Paul is telling the church here in chapter 13… to obey.
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YOu see… early on, Nero led with an authority given to him by God… but soon, he abandoned that authority.. and went down a path of evil..
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The passage is Romans tells us a few things about those who lead with God’s authority.
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First off… they don’t have to be believers. Nero wasn’t..
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Secondly… in the manner that they rule.. they will not be a terror to good conduct… but only to the bad.
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When a ruler punishes good conduct, they are no longer ruling with God’s authority.
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Thirdly… they are to be God’s servant for your good. If they are creating oppression or if they are taking away your freedom… - then they are no longer ruling with God’s authority.
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No government is perfect, and depending on your view point, you could make an argument either way for our government.
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But, one look at history will show… that comparatively… we live under a rule that does provide opportunities for good conduct to be rewarded…
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It isn’t always rewarded… but there are opportunities for it… there is a freedom to experience it.
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we live under a system that provides opportunities for us to have what is good…
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We don’t always get what is good… we are not entitled to it, but we have a freedom to work for it, and attain it…
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we live under a system that doesn’t oppress us… and I say this in comparison to countries that actually do oppress their people.. -
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Many would say that our government is oppressive. Those people need to travel the world a bit and see what’s going on in places like: Sudan, Burma, Eritrea, and North Korea.
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No system is perfect… But, until being a Christian, and practicing our faith becomes illegal… - it would seem, that we are called to live in submission to the laws of our land.
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CONCLUSION:
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Finding our place… and maintaining our place… in God’s system of order… is an easy thing.
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But with everything… with order, there is purpose… and when we subject ourselves to God’s order… we experience His purpose.
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Alignment matters… Just ask your chiropractor.
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God wants us to be aligned… God wants us to experience His purpose… and walk in His design.
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He wants our lives, not only to know blessing and freedom.... but He wants them to demonstrate to the world around us… who He is, and how our lives experience Him, and reflect him.
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If you didn’t feel offense rising up from within you at least a couple times today… then you’re probably not a human..
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Some of this stuff is difficult… because it goes against our nature. We are inclined to push back and rebel. WE are inclined to have our own opinions… and then promote those opinion above and beyond any other authority.
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We are inclined to be influenced by our culture… .and our culture has a stronger, and louder voice now.... more than ever.
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The majority of people in our culture, believe polar opposite things today… about many social issues… than they did 4 years ago.
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Which is why… when we read about timeless truths… truths that are difficult to justify with the infant and fickle voice of our culture… There is going to be some inward conflict…
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And that’s ok… that’s normal… as long as we are those … who work through these things… with God’s word as the authority.
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close.