God, Government, and Civil Obedience

Session Date: 
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Speaker: 
Paul A. Jackson
Bible Text: 
Romans 13:1-7
  1. The Christian citizen trusts God above all.
    A. God is the sovereign God who exhorts earthly leaders to worship the One True King. (Psalm 2:1-6)
    B. God reigns on high, and is the only person worthy of our trust. (Psalm 146:3-5)
    C. God appoints government.  When Jesus stood before Pilate, Jesus said, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above…” (John 19:11a)
     
  2. The Christian citizen submits to government because we are submitted to God. (Rom 13:1-5)
    A. We submit because it’s God’s idea. (13:1)
    B. We submit for God’s good. (13:2-5)
    1. When we resist authority, we resist God and His good. (13:2)
    2. When we submit to authority, we advance the public good. (13:3; Jer 29:7)
    3. When we submit to government, we avoid the consequences of resisting government. (13:4)
    4. When we submit to government, our conscience must first fold into God’s true good. (13:5)
      a) The example of the Jewish midwives. (Exod 1:17)
      b) The example of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. (Daniel 3:18)
      c) The example of the apostles. When told by authorities to stop proclaiming the resurrected Jesus, the Apostles responded, “we must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)
       
  3. The Christian citizen promotes public good by paying what we owe. (Rom 13:6-7)
    A. Pay taxes we owe to government. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” -- Jesus Christ, quoted in Matthew 22:21.
    B. Honor those in positions of authority. (1 Peter 2:13-17)
    C. Pray for civil servants. (1 Tim 2:1-2)