Submitting to Authority
Godly Behaviour • Sermon • Submitted
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· 36 viewsWe often don't like or respect certain authorities placed over us. What we fail to realize is that God establishes kings, and He removes kings. There is not one person in power that He hasn't placed there to accomplish His will.
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Romans 13:1-2 “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”
I. Intro
In a courtroom, in the event you get upset at the proceedings, you could blurt out, scream, yell, or fuss in defense of yourself. Even if you are right, and the person on the other side is wrong, the judge will say, “You are out of order.” In fact, if you continue ranting and raving, the judge will hold you in contempt of court because you have dishonored the courtroom. There are many people today living in contempt of God’s courtroom, by their refusal to surrender to God’s delegation of authority, His Divine Order. That order is clear- Let every soul be subject to governing authorities. The issue is not whether our authorities are right or wrong, it is an issue of what God’s Word says, v.2 “Therefore, whoever resisteth the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist bring judgment on themselves.”
No matter what political party we belong to or who we voted for, we need to remember one thing. There is only one on the throne who is in control of all and who makes the waters turn where He wishes. Do you think it wasn’t God’s will for Joe Biden to become president? Do you think it wasn’t God’s will for Donald Trump to become president? Do you think when the Electoral College certified Joe Biden as president, God said to Himself, “Oh no, what am I going to do?” Of course not, because He is in control of our country, in control of our government, and in control of who becomes president.
Daniel 2:21 “And he changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise, And knowledge to them that know understanding:”
Listen to what Daniel said, God establishes kings, and tears down kings. Just take a look at King Nebuchadnezzar. He had one of the most powerful empires in the world, and yet Daniel had a vision that his kingdom would come tumbling down, and it did. He had too much pride, and in the end, he confessed who the one true king was.
II. What does the Bible actually say about submitting to Authority?
It is a clear command in more than one place in the Bible. Just look at the first verse of Romans 13. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.” It is true that the kingdoms of this world belong to Satan and that injustice and corruption abound in all governments; yet God still has control. History has accounts of how governments flourished for a time and then was brought to rubble. Why? Sin, corruption and lawlessness became rampant. As it did, God brought the government to an end, as He will bring our government to an end. God still rules-even over this earth. God has not vacated His throne.
1 Peter 2:13-14
King James Version Chapter 2
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as dsupreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
Authority refers to the prerogative to rule or govern others. It has to do with the right to regulate and control the activities of one or more individuals.
Lexham Theological Wordbook ἐξουσία
ἐξουσία (exousia). n. fem. authority. This noun refers to the power or ability to do something, but can also describe the right to exercise authority or rule.
2. All authorities are appointed by God
A. Ever since the foundations of the earth, God has had a plan for us. Before we were formed in our mother’s womb, God said He has known us. In order to make His plan happen, He has to put certain leaders in office to accomplish His will. Even leaders that will lead us down a corrupted path, we need to remember that God is still in control. Look, we may not like who is in office, but we must respect the office. We must trust blindly in God and remember what He said in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.” Sometimes we think we are real smart and know quite a bit, don’t we? Hey, I’ve been there, I’m still learning. It can be hard sometimes to trust blindly in God, when you don’t know what His plan is.
You will recall that when Uzziah, king of Judah, died, Isaiah was disturbed and very much discouraged. Uzziah had been a good king, and Isaiah thought the government would disintegrate after he was gone. So Isaiah went into the temple, which is a good place to go in a time like that. He came into God’s presence, and he saw the Lord sitting on the throne, high and lifted up. In other words, God had not abdicated. Uzziah was dead, but God was not dead. God was still on the throne. The allegiance of the Christian is to that throne. And his relationship to his government on earth is submission.
3. If you go against earthly authorities, you go against God.
A. V.2 “Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”
B. I don’t know about you, but at this point in our world, the way everything is unfolding, I really don’t want to be on God’s bad side. There are examples all throughout the Bible where people went against God’s will and they paid greatly for it. In our world today, lawlessness abounds, and the believer must oppose it; he must not be a part of it, even when it is his own government.
C. Government was created by God all the way back in Genesis 9:6 “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”
D. If you disobey the civil authorities, God has given them the power to punish you. Not only will you be disobedient to God, but you will receive punishment from man. As Paul says they bear the sword.
Romans 8:35-36 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Romans 13:4 “For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.”
This verse sums it all up. The “he” in this passage refers to our governing authorities. They were placed here for our good. To keep us in line. But it says if we do evil, or break the law, then we should be afraid. He is a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. God is not going to stand in the way of your punishment if you break the law.
4. There is however one exception to this command.
A. You should always obey your governing authorities with one exception-When what they ask you to do goes against the Word of God.
Acts 5:29 “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”
Explain how Peter and the other apostles got into this situation.
Their convictions for listening to God and obeying His Word was worth more to them than sacrificing some time in prison or whatever torture lied ahead for them.
An example i can think of in my lifetime is when Congress prohibited prayer in schools. Up until that day, students across the nation had been able to start their days with a prayer, and pray publically in the schools without facing disciplinary action. If we as a Christian nation were to stand up and say “No! We ought to obey God rather than men.” I wonder what type of impact that would have had on the outcome of the case. I wonder if it would have been overturned. But we sat in silence and let this corrupt government take prayer away from and our kids.
B. There are times when we know what our leaders are doing is wrong. And it can be frustrating. But sometimes when what we think is right doesn’t align with what we are told to do, we resist and we rebel. It is in our sin DNA. It is in our sin nature to resist authority.
III. Conclusion
Christianity never became a movement to improve government, help society, or clean up the town. The gospel was the power of God unto salvation of the individual. Paul never went around telling people about the deplorable conditions of the Roman jails-and he knew them well from the inside. There is corruption in the government from top to bottom, and it is not confined to one party. You see the men that made our laws had a Bible background. So what should a Christian do when on one hand God’s Word says to submit to God ordained authority, and on the other hand the authority you are to submit to is so vile and corrupt from top to bottom? We are to get out the Word of God, pray for our country, for our leaders, and obey the law. Christianity is not a movement to improve government or to help society clean up the town. It is to preach a gospel that is the power of God unto salvation which will bring into existence individuals like the men who signed the Declaration of Independence and gave us a government of laws. Nothing is wrong with our form of government. There is something wrong with the people that are in the position of power.
Instead of rebelling and clashing with our leaders, Paul said we are to pray for them. 1 Timothy 2:1-3 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;”
We all as Christians are commanded to do this. Even if you don’t agree with their policies. Even if you don’t like them. Even if you didn’t vote for them. Don’t leave it up to the pastors and preachers on Sunday mornings to pray for our leaders. Pray for them because its the right thing to do, whether they are doing the right thing or not. Listen, we think we have it bad. We don’t have it near as bad as the Early Church did, as bad as Paul did. Have you heard of a ruler named Nero? He is the one who ordered Paul’s execution. He is the one who burned Christians alive in his garden at night time for sheer entertainment. He would slide Christians down their backs on razor blades. He was known as one of the most brutal rulers of all time. Paul wrote all this about submitting to authority during Nero’s reign.
I have 3 questions to leave you with.
Have you prayer for our country’s leaders today?
Have you been submitting to your God ordained leadership?
Have you thanked God that we do not have it as bad as the early Christians did?