A0325_Limits of Government
Date: 8th August 2007 (Wednesday PM) Ref: A0325
Place: Kambah P.S.
Title: Limits of Government
Text: & Romans 13:1
Illust: The Federal Election, to be held later this year will be a significant election. In the 2004 election for the first time in many years, election analysts identified the impact of a Christian vote or Christian constituency. ~ Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition leader Kevin Rudd have both expressed interest in the Christian constituency. This is why at the Federal Election 2007: Make it Count we have invited them both to address a representative group of church and para-church leaders at the National Press Club, Canberra Thursday 9 August 7:00 - 9:30pm. This is being Webcast live across the Internet to some 620 churches across Australia – If you are interested – Erindale Christian Centre ~ 16-32 Gratten Crt., Wanniassa– 7:00pm to 10:00pm
I. Secular Authorities
A. Separation of Church & State
i. We need to understand the importance of Government and we also need to understand our responsibility for good government and also the limits of government. – In Australia we live under a secular authority in accordance with the Constitution.
ii. As such the Government are not able to pass any law to dictate to you what you should believe:
116 Commonwealth not to legislate in respect of religion
The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust
iii. A separation between church & state. This is a good thing. – Look at the early church, look at Jesus. Indeed numbers of times when they came to make Him King of an earthly realm, He refused.
John 6:15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. (NKJV)
iv. The Hon Peter Costello, Treasure, in a speech at the 2006 Australian Christian Lobby annual conference stated.
Jesus rejected any opportunity to seize political power. He raised no army, fought no battle, enacted no law, meted out no punishment. When he was asked whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar (the military Emperor occupying Israel at the time) he took a coin with Caesar’s image and replied:
“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”
In other words there is the realm of the State – tax and coinage and so on – but beyond that there is a spiritual realm: the Kingdom of God. The separation of Church and State – The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of this world – each with their separate areas of responsibility and each claiming loyalty from the citizen in their areas of jurisdiction – derives from the teaching of Christ himself.
Separating the State from religion allows religious freedom. In Christ’s time it was the freedom of Christians and Jews under the Roman Empire. In our time it is the freedom of all kinds of religion under a secular state prescribed by the Australian Constitution.
B. As Citizens You Vote:
i. Does this then mean we have no responsibility or right as Christians to determine our Government – No not at all: Peter Costello again:
I support the concept of a secular state for our country. Does this mean that Christians have no role in setting its policy direction?
Of course not. Like all citizens they are entitled (indeed in our country required) to vote. They will exercise their rights as they are entitled to do in a democratic country in accordance with their Christian conscience. They have a right and a duty to do so. And when they do so they can make a great difference for good.
ii. We are required to vote, we live here in this parliamentary democracy, we can & should have a say. We should stand up for what we believe to be true. We need to have a voice & use that voice. This is part of being salt & light.
Matthew 5:13-16 13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (NKJV)
iii. Actually the framers of our constitution were by & large men who had a belief in God, and in the Christian ideals & morals. This is evident from the preamble to the constitution:
WHEREAS the people of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, and Tasmania, humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God, have agreed to unite in one indissoluble Federal Commonwealth under the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and under the Constitution hereby established:
iv. We need to continue to rely on the blessing of Almighty God & we need to be salt & light.
II. Godly Government
A. God Ordained Authority
i. We have an obligation to be obedient to the laws of the land. – In our text Paul is telling the Roman Christians that they are to be subject to the rulers, to Caesar - & Text ~ Caesar not passing godly law, not upholding Christian moral values but still we are not to be fighting against the authorities in open rebellion.
Titus 3:1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, (NKJV)
ii. Truth that our text makes clear that all secular authority is from God, He places leaders in authority. See this time & time again throughout the Old Testament. – Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Hazael King of Syria. – Appointed & ordained by God
1 Kings 19:15 Then the Lord said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. (NKJV)
Isaiah 45:1 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: (NKJV)
Jeremiah 27:6 And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him. (NKJV)
iii. We are to be subject to the rulers & authorities. – Obviously if a law defies God’s law then we are to stand firm and obey God. – No better illustration of this than the story of Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego. – Know the story, they refuse to bow, because it violates God’s laws. We can learn a lot about their spirit & in how they respond to Nebuchadnezzar. & Daniel 3:13-18. – Still honoured the King as King.
B. A Good Government
i. What we desire therefore is to have a godly government, not eroding our freedoms & not eroding the moral & ethical standards of the nation. A government that will uphold right & wrong. Not as they might determine it, but as the Bible, the Word of God sets out.
ii. However as we live in a democracy, ultimately the Government should be a reflection of the desires, the morals, and the beliefs of the majority of the people. – That’s why it is imperative that you & know where the parties stand on issues so that what we don’t get is a government voted in by the majority with a hidden programme to pursue the agenda’s of special interest minority groups.
iii. And we need to keep in mind that at the end of the day Government can’t legislate for people to obey the word of God if the majority of the population are in opposition to that Word.
III. The Government We Pray For
A. Voted by the Majority
i. This brings us to where we as the church come in, to our real responsibility. – This is found in the Great Commission:
Mark 16:15 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. (NKJV)
ii. If the majority of Australians are saved, the morals of the nation will be turned around regardless of laws that may allow & even encourage all manner of immoral behaviour. – Need to stay focussed on our primary mandate our main task.
iii. This is to preach the Gospel & to see the lost won to Jesus Christ. – This will bring transformation of the people which will transform the government. – Howard & Rudd are not attending this event tomorrow because they necessarily uphold Christian values but more because as a voting block, Christians are having an impact. The more people living for Jesus, the greater the impact the more our society will change & Government should just reflect that.
B. Pray
i. We will have the Government we pray for or not pray for as the case may be. – Do you want righteous leaders then you & I need to pray for that.
ii. We need to petition heaven, Lord send us good leaders, Godly leaders who will uphold your laws & the freedom to worship. – But most importantly Lord send us revival.