God, Government And You

God, Government and You

How many of you are ‘rule-keepers’?

• When you see a rule do you try to do everything possible to not break it?

How many of you are ‘rule-breakers’?

• When you’re faced with a rule, ….

• do you find yourself wanting to

o ….inwardly disregard it or outwardly disobey it?

I get accused of this by my family when we play a card game. They claim I cheat.

Now for all you ‘rule-keepers,’

 before you start feeling self-righteous about all the rules you keep,

 Lets be honest…… with each other!!

o ..don’t most of us ….pick and choose which ones we’re going to follow?

o E.g. Driving 120, well that’s just too slow.

o ..speed limit should be 130 or if you’re like me, it should be 140.

o We tend to evaluate rules according to what we think ….. should be right.

Many people believe:

• God is only interested in sacred issues!!

• And not secular issues!

Referred to as: “The great divide”

Many times…..we as spiritual leaders

• …try to make the distinction …… between what is sacred and what is not!

• And we create all these fancy rules….. (Do’s and Do Not’s)

• God does NOT!!!

David writes the following:

Psa 24:1 [NLT] The earth is the LORD'S, and everything in it. (Sacred and secular) The world and all its people belong to him.

“For God, all issues, all circumstances, and all people are part of God’s domain. Separating the sacred from the secular is a false dichotomy.” --- (Adam Hamilton, “the Separation of Church and State”).

While many say….. God and government don’t mix very well

 We must realise …

o Government can only be understood to the degree to which we understand God.

According to what Jesus said in Matthew 22:21

 We owe an allegiance to both God and to government:

 “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

Let’s start with God’s expectation of us!!!

1Pet 2:13-17 [KJV] Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; (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. (15) For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: (16) As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. (17) Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

Let’s look at the word submission

The word used…… Greek word = “hupotasso”

• which is a compound word

• means = “to line up or arrange under a commander”

It was a military term used to instruct soldiers to fall in line under the officer in charge.

• The verb is in the form of a command….

• It was a clear implication for obedience

Remember: during the time Peter wrote this letter……,

• Nero is the Emperor in Rome—probably one of the most unfit rulers ever.

Can you imagine the tension…..!!!

Illustration: At a meeting of the American Psychological Association, Jack Lipton, a psychologist at Union College, showed how members of the various sections of 11 major symphony orchestras perceived each other. The percussionists were viewed as insensitive, unintelligent, and hard-of-hearing, yet fun-loving.

String players were seen as arrogant, stuffy, and un-athletic. The orchestra members overwhelmingly chose “loud” as the primary adjective to describe the brass players. Woodwind players seemed to be held in the highest esteem described as quiet and meticulous, though a bit egotistical.

Interesting findings, to say the least! With such widely divergent personalities and perceptions, how could an orchestra ever come together to make such wonderful music? The answer is simple: regardless of how those musicians view each other, they subordinate their feelings and biases to the leadership of the conductor. Under his guidance, they play beautiful music.

---Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s non submission to the Nazi regime

We as Christians leaders are called…

• to give up striving for power and authority over other human beings

• and instead to pursue the good of others, submitting to them.

If you cannot submit….you cannot lead!!

Just to backtrack for a moment to ….. 1 Pet 2: 1-5

1Pe 2:1-5 NLT So get rid of all malicious behavior and deceit. Don't just pretend to be good! Be done with hypocrisy and jealousy and backstabbing. (2) You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, (3) now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness. (4) Come to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God's temple. He was rejected by the people, but he is precious to God who chose him. (5) And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are God's holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ.