PASTOR'S PENS:

SERMON SERIES:
Kingdom PrinciplesFollowing Jesus
Earthly Cross
His Name Is
Apostles Creed
Dealing with Feelings
Jonah
Get Real
Promised Land Living

Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

PASTOR'S PENS 2008

September 21st, 2008 “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”                                                                           George Washington                 Comedian, Rodney Dangerfield, was known for his classic line, “I don’t get no respect.” If any group could make that claim, it would be our government officials. One of the dying behaviors of our day is respect for those in authority and leadership. More often than not, our governmental leaders are fodder for cruel remarks, unkind behavior and mean jokes.                 Yet, a Christian cannot be part of that if we are going to please God. Christians are commanded to treat governmental leaders with respect, whether we agree with them or not (Romans 13:7). Respect is not optional. It’s commanded by God.                 Recently, I read about the Kingdom of Heaven in Oregon. Now this is not the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus spoke of. No, this kingdom was located a few miles east of Salem, Oregon, the state capitol. This kingdom of heaven was set up by a man who figured that because he was a Christian, he no longer had to obey and submit to the laws of the land. He even went so far as to create his own drivers license, plates, and decided that he also was not liable for any property taxes. Unfortunately for him, a court in Marion County, Oregon didn’t see it that way. Eventually, all of his land was seized and sold at auction. Imagine that, the Kingdom of Heaven sold on e-Bay! This man succumbed to a common misconception among some Christians or those claiming to be Christian, which is that as members of God’s kingdom, we don’t have to obey the laws of this world.                 God’s Word is very, very clear. We are to submit and obey our governing authorities unless they are asking us to violate God’s law. The Greek word for “submit” is used dozens of times in the New Testament. It’s a military term that means “to rank under.” In the military, they train and train and train so that when an order is given, the troops respond perfectly without having to think or hesitate and seek to figure it out. Otherwise, the enemy would attack and defeat them before they could get organized. This happens by ranks – the general gives the “big picture” order, which his officers interpret according to their section of the force and pass it down accordingly to the enlisted men. The General might say, “We need to take this area in order to route the enemy.” By the time that command comes down to the Private, it’s “Charge up this hill and take out that machine gun nest.” With everyone doing their part the battle is hopefully won as the military machine works with precision. But if the private decides, “No, I think it would be better if I stayed here and took a nap,” the squad’s task would be more difficult. And if everyone decided in their own way what to do, the General’s orders would never be fulfilled.                 The same is true in a society; we are to submit to our government. When the government passes a law that says “stop here, don’t drive there,” then we should submit to that, we should obey that law.  But if we all decided that traffic laws weren’t really meant for us and drove 100 miles an hour, there would be a terrible rash of accidents and people would die. It’s not important whether you believe that traffic light should be there or not, but if it’s the law, then we should obey.                 God established earthly authority to punish wrong doers and reward those who do right. If there was no civil authority, do you think those bent on doing evil would waste one minute creating total anarchy in society? That doesn’t mean that government takes the place of God’s judgment on the sinner, but God made governments to help people function and get along. Government was designed by God to do good and restrain evil (Romans 13:3-4).                 And our leaders need something else from us. We know that we’re to respect and submit to them, but we are also to pray for them. The Apostle Paul wrote, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4). I can’t help but wonder what would happen if Christians prayed for our leaders, as much as we criticize and complain about them...what changes there might be. Our local leaders all the way up to our President need our prayers. We need to lift up our leaders in prayer, asking God to give them wisdom and discernment in making their decisions. We need to pray that God will touch the hearts of those leaders who don’t know Him and strengthen those who do. We need to pray for their families, too. Lift them up before God. Pray for them and ask God blessings upon them.                 Pastor  John MacArthur wrote, “Believers are to be model citizens, known as law-abiding not rabble-rousing, obedient rather than rebellious, respectful of government rather than demeaning of it...a godly society, doing good and living peaceably within an ungodly society...so that the saving power of God is clearly seen.” May that be true of us at Grace Church!