Sermon Tone Analysis

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*Thesis: */Christians have an obligation to live in subjection to the state, and in obedience to God. /
/            /*Purpose: */To help my listeners understand their obligations to their country and to God’s kingdom.
/
/            /His name is Michael Newdow, and he lives and works in Sacramento, CA as an emergency room physician.
He also holds a degree in law from the University of Michigan Law School.
But that’s not why you’ve probably heard his name.
If you remember Michael Newdow  it’s because of a law suit he filed in court to have the phrase UNDER GOD removed from the pledge of allegiance to the flag.
After the CA courts ruled in his favor, the Supreme Court struck down the lower court ruling.
In 2005 Dr. Newdow filed another suit to remove the words IN GOD WE TRUST from all US currency, but again lost the case.
But the publicity from the case led to the passage of the Pledge Protection Act which is meant to keep the Pledge of Allegiance intact.
/            In the last 50 years of history we’ve seen our nation’s highest court declare students may not pray in the classroom, at graduation or sports events.
The Ten Commandments have been removed from any public arena, including courtrooms and legislatures.
The Cross is a banned symbol for almost any public building, as well as nativity scenes in or around government property.
They do all of this because, they say, the founding fathers believed in the “separation of church and state.
“ What most people don’t remember is Thomas Jefferson first spoke those words in a speech to a group of Baptist preachers on January 1, 1802.
What he actually said:/
     The First Amendment has erected a wall of separation between church and state, but that wall is a one directional wall; it keeps the government from running the church, but it makes sure that Christian principles will always stay in government.*[i]*
/            Does anybody remember where we got the phrase “one nation under God”?/
Abraham Lincoln was the first President to use the phrase, "This nation under God."
It inspired President Eisenhower, in 1954, to add the words "one nation under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance.
[ii]
/Almost all of the great Americans of the past saw the USA as one nation under God./
/But is the USA one nation under God today?
Should we be?
What exactly should be the relationship between our loyalty to our nation and our faith in God?
How can we live out both our patriotism and our piety?
Jesus Christ addresses some of these issues in *Mark 12:13-17*.
Let’s read this passage and then try to answer a very important question: how can we live as one nation under God? /
*PRAYER*
*            */Let’s begin by doing what these folks did in this passage: ask /
*I.              **THE QUESTION: WHO DESERVES OUR ALLEGIANCE?*
They say if you want to keep your friends stay away from the subjects of politics and religion.
That highly combustible mixture that has separated many friends and made many enemies.
I once heard of a retired military man who kept had a tall flag in his front yard.
One day he talked with a Jehovah Witness and got very upset when he found out the Jehovah Witnesses refused to serve in the armed services, to say the pledge of allegiance, or to salute the flag.
One day he was sitting in his living room looking out the window when he saw a woman with her little girl walking towards his front door.
When she knocked at the door he was ready for her.
He opened the door and before she could open her mouth he told her,“I'm not going to talk with you or listen to what you say unless you turn, face that flag in my front yard, salute it and say the pledge of allegiance!”
The woman looked very confused, but she finally turned, faced the flag, saluted, and said the pledge of allegiance.
The retired military man was shocked.
“You're the first Jehovah's Witness I ever met who would salute the flag and say the pledge of allegiance!”
The woman replied, “Jehovah's Witness?
Mister I'm just the Avon Lady!”
            Mixing religion and politics can be a dangerous business.
That’s precisely why these men bring a question dealing with both to Jesus.
The scene is a few days after Jesus rides into Jerusalem to cheering crowds, who praise Him as the Messiah, God’s chosen King.
He no more steps off the donkey into the Temple when He .
When He is challenged, He not only refuses to give them a straight answer—He calls them all rebels against God.
This is bitter medicine for these men to swallow.
In fact, *vs.
15* says their hatred for Jesus draws two opposing camps together.
On one end the spectrum are the Pharisees: religious separatists- hyper-holy preachers who claim to be closer to God than your average Joe.
They tend to look down on others who aren’t as pure as they are.
At the other end of the spectrum, you have the Herodians, whom you might call political opportunists.
They hold on to their religion with one hand, and the people in power—be it King Herod or whoever sits on the throne.
The less political tension the better for them, because it’s how they get more of what they want.
The Pharisees consider the Herodians traitors; the Herodians consider the Pharisees fanatics.
Both groups see Jesus as a real threat to their power and authority.
So the enemies unite to face a common Enemy- Jesus Christ.
Look how cunning they are as they lay their trap in *vs.
14*.
They try to catch the Lord off guard with empty flattery, hoping He will make a fatal mistake.
If He says /Yes, pay the taxes /the Pharisees win.
The coins used to pay these taxes bear an image and inscription that declare Caesar to be a god.
The true Messiah would never condone such idolatry, so they could discredit Jesus in the eyes of the crowd.
On the other hand, if He says /No, it’s wrong to pay the taxes/ then the Herodians step in and charge Jesus with treason.
The Romans would step in and arrest Him.
This truly is a loaded question, isn’t it?
How would you answer?
There are some who might line up behind the Pharisees.
Some people claim to be too holy  to be patriotic.
They think that you cannot love your country and love the Lord at the same time.
Some refuse to pledge to the flag, or sing the national anthem.
Some even go to the extremes of refusing to pay taxes, or even recognize the authority of our government.
On the other hand, there are those “super patriots”--folks who support our nation no matter what- /even when we make a mistake./
They get a lot more excited about the stars and stripes than they do about the Cross of Christ.
Let’s line them up with the Herodians.
It is interesting to me that Christ makes both of these groups a little nervous.
I think He makes them nervous because He doesn’t fall into either camp. in spite of their evil motives for asking this question, Jesus never says /Now THAT’s a stupid question!
/They don’t fool Him for a second—*vs.
15* points out/ /He is aware of their hypocrisy.
Yet He still gives them and us the right answer, a wise answer, a /brilliant /answer in *vs.
15b-17*:
*II.
**JESUS’ ANSWER: ONE NATION UNDER GOD*
Jesus untangles this question with simple wisdom.
*            *First, He does not deny we all have a responsibility to our country and its government.
/Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s= give your country and its government what it is due.
/The Roman government was like all human government—far from perfect, either in its leadership or its laws.
Yet Jesus recognizes we have a responsibility to our country and its government.
This responsibility is clarified in other places in the Bible.
*Ro 13:1,7* 1Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.
For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God…7Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
*1 Pe 2:13-14, 17* 13Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.17Honor
all people.
Love the brotherhood.
Fear God.
Honor the king.
In other words a Christian is to be a loyal citizen, united with others to do all they can to make their country the best it can be.
As one wise person said
/He loves his country best who strives to make it best./
But that is only one side of the coin.
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