The verses we're gonna look at today is verses four through seven of Romans chapter 13. We're gonna read verses one through seven. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers, for there is no power but of God. The powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God, and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For the rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same. For he is the minister of grace to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid. For he beareth not the sword in vain. For he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore, he must needs be subject not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For this cause pay ye tribute also, for they are God's ministers attending continually upon the very thing, for this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues, tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Do you have any Father help us with this passage this morning? Help us to allow your word to mold us, mold our understanding. As I previously shared an audio of a minister sharing Romans 13, Lord, out of context. Oh Lord, help us to be rightly dividers of the truth today. Lord, use me as I hold forth the truth of your word. We give you glory and praise, amen, and amen. You may be seated. The title of today's message is To Obey or Not to Obey. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this morning, last week, we explored the vital importance of submitting to God-ordained authority in Romans chapter 1. 13, one through three. And today we continue our journey through this pivotal passage as the Apostle Paul unfolds the practical implications of living under God-ordained authority. We must remember that Paul penned these words during a time of great turmoil and upheaval. The Roman Empire, with its vast power and corruption, loomed large over the early Christian church. And yet in the face of such overwhelming authority, Paul dared to proclaim that Christians should commit to their earthly rulers. Not because they were perfect, but because they were ordained by God himself. But what about those authorities who seem to have abandoned all sense of justice and righteousness? What about when they persecute the innocent and reward the wicked? These are the very questions that our brothers and sisters in Christ have faced throughout history. I understand the complexity of challenges of interpretation and how we deal with corruption today. I understand the challenge because I'm faced with it, with interpretational challenges this morning, to how to rightly divide this very thing. Christians had to face this reality, Paul teaching it, what a challenge it must have been. from the Roman Empire to the Reformation, from the Civil Rights Movement to our own day. As Baptists, we stand on the shoulders of giants who have proclaimed the gospel in the face of overwhelming opposition. We remember the courage of men like John Bunyan, who refused to compromise his conscience, even in the face of imprisonment and persecution. We recall the steadfastness of the reformers who stood firm against the tyranny of the Roman Catholic cult. And so we come to Romans 13, four through seven, and we must ask ourselves, what does it mean to submit to authority in a world that often seems to have lost its way? How do we balance our duty to obey with our duty to speak truth to power? And what does it mean to live as citizens of heaven in a world that is increasingly hostile to our values? So as we gather to this very day, I wanna ask you a question. What is the role of government in our lives? Should we view it as a necessary evil, a benevolent provider, or something entirely different? The Bible has a clear answer to this question. And it's found in our text this morning, Romans 13, four. And in Romans 13, one through three, we saw that God ordains authority to maintain order and promote justice in society. But what happens when the authority seems to fail in its duty? What happens when the government doesn't punish evil or reward good? This is where our text comes into this morning. Romans chapter 13 verse 4 says, for he is a minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid, for he beareth not the sword in vain, for he is a minister of God. Fascinating word to use there. A revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. He is ordained by God even in an unregenerate state. He's a minister of God, even if he's an unregenerate unbeliever. He's still being used by God. Fascinating, really is. Just like Pharaoh, just like other illustrations. Men who are not qualified. In this verse, Paul tells us that government authorities are not just neutral, but are actual servants, or other words, ministers of God. That's what minister means, a servant. They are tasked with carrying out His justice in the world, and this is a radical idea, and one that has a far-reaching implication for how we view government and our role in society. So Romans 13.4, this verse is not just a bland statement about government authority. It is a declaration of God's sovereignty over all things. Paul calls the governing authorities a minister of God. But what does that mean? It means that even in the most hardened, unbelieving authority, it's still a servant of the most high God. As Psalm 75, six through seven says, for promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south, but God is the judge. He putteth down one and setteth up another. And what about when authorities seem to be working against God's people? What about when they are corrupt or unjust or even downright evil? Well, my friends, that's when we need to remember that God is still on the throne. As Proverbs 21.1 says, the king heart is in the hand of the Lord. As rivers of water, he turneth it whosoever he will. Even the most powerful authorities are subject to God's sovereignty. But what about our responsibility as Christians? How should we respond to authorities that seem to be working against us? Well, Paul is clear, we should respect and submit to them, not because they're always right, but because God has ordained them for our good. As 1 Peter 2, 13 through 14 says, submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king as supreme or to the governors as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of them that do well. Now, I know some of you might be thinking, but what about when authorities are persecuting us? But what about when they're trying to silence us or shut us down? Well, my friends, that's when we need to remember the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. As 1 Peter 2, 20 through 23 says, for what glory is it if when you are buffeted for your faults, you shall take it patiently? But if when you do well and suffer for it, you take it patiently. And this is acceptable with God. For even here unto when you are called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow in, follow his steps, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Jesus didn't revile or threaten when he was persecuted. He entrusted himself to the Father, who judges justly, who alone is the one who brings vengeance. And that's exactly what we should do. So let me summarize it. As Christians, we should respect and submit to authorities, not because they're always right, but because God has ordained them for our good. And we should pray for our leaders, even when they're not believers, and ask God to guide them and use them for His purposes. And when authorities seem to be working against us, we should remember that God is still on the throne, and He is sovereign over all things, and we should entrust ourselves to Him. just as Jesus did, and follow in his steps. And may God give us courage in the conviction to live out our faith in a way that honors him. No matter what challenges we face, we live in unprecedented times for sure. Our government has overstepped its bounds, infringing upon our personal liberties in a way we never thought possible. We've been told when to stay home, when to stay six feet apart, even to close our businesses and churches. But as Christians, we must ask ourselves, but what does government owe us? What is its role in our lives? And what do we owe the government in return? Paul tells us that government authorities are ministers of God, not in the sense that they're all believers, but in the sense that they are ordained by God to maintain order and to promote justice. And then what happens when government oversteps its bounds? What happens when it infringes upon the rights and freedoms? And when we must remind ourselves that government owes us protection and justice and freedom? Government owes us the protection of our lives, liberties, and properties. It owes us justice, ensuring that the guilty are punished and the innocent are protected. That was God's ordained purpose. And it owes us freedom, the freedom to worship, to assemble, and to pursue what we want. But what do we owe the government in return? We owe it our respect. We owe it our obedience. We owe it our prayer. We're called to respect the office of government, even if we disagree with its policies. We're called to obey the laws of the land as long as they don't contradict God's laws. and were called to pray for our leaders, asking God to guide them and to give them wisdom. We had a president, illegitimate President Biden, but yet legitimate by God. He was ordained by God. America deserves the judgment of God. We deserve to be punished. for the atrocities that we're doing in this land. The bloodshed, the sins of unnatural means, I mean, the sin of the LGBT far extends just against the law of God is against the natural realm of things. It's a twofold wrong. It's one of the reasons why Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed. There were sinning throughout the world, but the sin of sodomy is so destructive to moral to morals of the land that it is a double fold negative. It's a double negative. It has to be destroyed. When America then is trying to normalize sodomy, trying to normalize things that are unnatural We are now going down a road of a false reality, a demonic road that leads to the judgment of God. So one of the reasons why I think God has put Biden here at that time was to bring judgment to our land. And God has given us mercy. One more time, to have President Trump, imperfect as he is, grateful for he is. Definitely see that God has ordained him for our good to punish the wicked. May him stand on, get bolder in his stance against sin and unrighteousness in our land. To bear the sword to all those who commit crimes against the law of God. That's why it shouldn't be legal. It should be illegal, homosexual marriages. That's why it should be illegal and criminalized. to promote transgenderism, especially in schools. The idea of mutilating a child under the age of 18. The idea of creating this child to be effeminate. God have mercy on our land. The parent deserves to be punished and it should be punishable by the law of the land. May Trump be bolder in his last term. Let's continue. The ministers of God were to maintain order and promote justice. They were there, the government should be there to protect us, protect our liberties, to protect those widows in affliction. Are we praying for the leaders like we should? Are we respecting God's ordained purposes? Are we obeying the laws? And let's ask ourselves, is the government fulfilling its obligation to us? Is it protecting our lives and liberties and properties? Is it upholding justice and sharing our freedom? And as Christians, we must engage with these questions, seeking to understand the biblical perspective on government in a relationship to it. We must pray for our leaders, witness to them, and hold them accountable to God's standards. There's no other standard. There's no other standard. So let us remember that our ultimate allegiance is not to the government, but to God. But let us remember that our citizenship is in heaven, and that we are called to live as strangers and aliens in this world. May God give us wisdom and courage and conviction as we navigate these complex issues. May we faithfully witness the gospel. It's the only thing that is able to change the political climate. And may we always remember that our hope is in Christ and not in the government. We've seen how the government authorities are ministers of God. ordained to maintain order and promote justice. But now Paul takes it to the next level. In verse five, he writes, Here's the truth. Our obedience to governing authorities are not just about avoiding punishment. It's about honoring God. It's about aligning our conscience with God's laws. As John Calvin wrote, we must not suppose that Paul here intends to bind our consciences to obey the laws of men without any exception or distinction. For since the laws of men are often contrary to the law of God, it would be a great impiety to subject our consciences to the will of men, so as to be bound to obey them in all things. Our consciences, the law of God written on the hearts. It is the inner voice that tells us right from wrong. It's the voice of God's spirit within us, guiding us and directing us. So let me ask, we ask ourselves, are we obeying governing authorities because we're afraid of punishment? Or are we obeying them because we want to honor God? Are we aligning our conscience with God's laws? Are we compromising our values and principles? Let me make clear, our obedience to government authorities is not absolute. We must always prioritize our obedience to God's laws over human laws. But when we obey governing authorities for conscience sake, we're not just obeying them, we're obeying God. We're saying, Lord, I trust you to work through even the most imperfect systems. And may God give us the courage and conviction to stand for what is right, even when it's hard. May we always remember that our allegiance is to him and to him alone. May our conscience be seared with God's word. Rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar. We're called to be faithful still. We've seen how the governing authorities are ministers of God, ordained to maintain order and justice. We've seen how the obedience of government authority is not just about avoiding punishment, but honoring God for conscience sake. But now in verse six, Paul writes, for this cause, pay ye tribute also, for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Here's the truth. As Christians, we have the duty to pay taxes, but there is a huge problem. government wants to tax the church, and that's where we must draw the line. Remember when Rome wanted to tax the people with indulgences? We could get your uncle out of purgatory, but you have to pay this amount of money. Not every tax for the government wants is a good tax. We still have to abide by the law of God over any type of law that is contrary or controlling something of God. You've got to be careful with this. So your conscience has to be right in this issue of obedience according to the law of God. Let me continue. It's a huge problem when the government wants to tax the church. And it's going to be more taxed in the future. And that's where we must draw the line to protect the church. But here's the thing, when the government gets involved in the church, it always leads to compromise. It always leads to watering down of the gospel, and it always leads to a loss of an autonomy for the church of being an independent, private nature church. We see this in scripture. Acts 4, 18 through 20, the apostles were commanded by the government not to preach in the name of Jesus, but they refused, saying, we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. We see this in history. The early church fathers such as Tertullian and Origen refused to compromise with the government even when it meant facing persecution. And we see this in the present day. There are churches out there that are refusing to compromise with the government. Very few. Even when it means facing financial penalties of men. Even if it means foreclosure, closing down the building. They will still meet. One of the main reasons we don't want the government involved in the church is that we don't want our problems to reach the government. Scripture teaches that, 1 Corinthians chapter five. Don't bring it to the government. We should be going to the church for help, not to the world, it teaches us. And when we allow the government to participate in the finances and laws of the church, we're opening ourselves up to control and manipulation of the government, as they gave us a great illustration during COVID. This is exactly what happened during the coronavirus pandemic, right? Governments around the world began controlling churches, telling them when they can meet, how many people can attend, and even what they could and couldn't preach. And all of this was done under the guise of public safety. But the truth is, when we allow the government to get a grip on us, they'll never let go. They'll continue to squeeze tighter and tighter until we're nothing more than a shell of our former selves. And that's exactly what's happening today. Churches are being forced to participate in gay marriages, and they're going to be forced on more people. within the 501c3 church model, to accept transgenderism, and if you dare to preach against it, they'll have hate speech laws in the future, and to promote a whole host of unbiblical values. So what's then the solution? The solution is to separate ourselves from anything that the government tries to control within the body. The government shouldn't know your taxes when it comes to the church giving. They shouldn't know every little detail goes on here. In fact, they need to stay out of it. Hence the idea or the Christian view of separation from church state. Not that church can't get involved in the state, but the state can't get involved within church information. You don't want them to know how many members are going to our church. You don't want them to know any of this kind of stuff. You don't even want them to know the money situations. Why? Why would you want the corruption of these Infringing upon the independent nature of a church, then to become part of Rome and Catholic, no different, to be part of the institution of the world? We aren't a business. We are private natured. This is just a building. We are the church. Why are you taxing us? Preaching God's word needs to be taxed? What's wrong with you? Your free grace giving needs to be taxed by the government? You offering money to the church needs to be taxed? That's exactly what Rome did. But that's what America is doing right now to their own churches. And it's so many are silent about it. Very few are speaking out against it. Praise God and I'll be one of those men that speak out against government overreach when it comes to a church. Because we are not a government identity. May we rightly divide this issue. May we be separate from roaming like institutions, because we are not part of it. We are private, natured, independent from the world. We are called to obey the government, but the church isn't the government. It has no attachment to the governing authorities. So then they overtax, just like Rome did to its own citizens. Overtaxation. So for your conscience sake, you have to figure out this issue on your own. It's a tough and challenging passage. I understand we render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. But your giving should be without tax. The government should not know the finances. That's just no different than Germany, right? If the idea of Massachusetts we live in, right, and they want to know Um, if you, you have to permit, if you're going to build a room in your house, you got to permit it. And they want to know everything. If you have a secret storage area, they want to know it. If you're building something in your backwards, they're telling you what you can and cannot do. That's government overreach. You have to realize, okay, what do I want to tell them? What's acceptable? What am I being obedient to God? And everything really isn't for conscience sake. You want to protect your family as well. Let's continue. We're not called to obey in everything. We will not be controlled by men. We will not be manipulated by the government. We will only be controlled by God. And may God give us the courage and conviction to take a stand. And may God give us the faithfulness to refuse to compromise with the government. And may God give us the wisdom to know how to navigate the complexities of living in a world that is increasingly hostile to our faith. But now in Romans 13, verse seven, last verse. Paul writes, Here's the truth. As Christians, we have a duty to render to all their dues. We have a duty to pay our taxes, to give respect, and show honor to those who deserve it. But let me be clear, our duty to render to all their dues is not unconditional. We must always examine whether our taxes, our respect, and honor are being used to promote justice, righteousness, and morality. And that's where the rubber meets the road. Because when we look at how our taxes are being used today, we see a very different picture. We see taxes being used to promote ideologies that go against our conscience, going to other lands, supporting ideology as the LGBT junk. Do you want your taxes to support that? Because it goes against your faith. It goes against the law of God. You're called to stand against such taxation. We see taxes being used to fund initiatives that promotes the LGBTQI plus agendas, the alphabet agenda, that promotes abortion, that promotes a whole host of unbiblical values. They made liquor stores essential, but the church isn't essential. And what did the church do? They closed down. Don't you see the government overreach? If churches understood that they are a separate identity from the government, and that they didn't become so fearful of the government, they would have never been conforming to the shutdown. Of course, they have wisdom in that time. If people are sick, you don't come in. You don't tell them to come in. You have wisdom. You don't want to spread a disease or sickness around. You want to be smart, just like if at a restaurant, if I'm sick, I'm not going to be around food. You don't want me cooking your food, right? Obviously, right? It's just common sense. But we don't shut down the church. But the government wants to shut down the church. Canada, shut down the church. If you have church, they arrested you. That's why the church isn't a government identity. Keep your hands out of the church. So this is where it will only get harder for the church. It might be easy right now and it's not a big thing, that they tax the church, our church at the moment. It may not be a big thing right now, but it's coming. It's coming when they're gonna control, when they start putting hate speech laws, when a sodomite comes to the door and they're not gonna marriage him, they're gonna say, you're discriminating. That's the danger of where the road will lead to in the end times, 501c3 type of churches. Truth, I hope one day, I can teach you. So we must draw the line. There's a time that we don't render to Caesar what is Caesar's. Because not everything is Caesar's. We must support initiatives that that support the law of God. And we cannot, for conscience sake, support something that goes against the law of God. That goes against our faith. Because when we support these types of initiatives, we're not just supporting a political agenda, we're supporting a moral agenda that is contrary to the teachings of scripture. So we're called to be bold and courageous, of course. We're called to stand up for what is right, even if it means going against the tide. So we render to all their dues though, we do. But we do it with integrity. We do it with a clear conscience. We do it in a way that honors God, not just the government. May God give us wisdom and a willingness to be faithful stewards of his resources. May we recognize that everything we have belongs to him and that we're just stewards of his goodness. In Daniel 6, we see the story of Daniel who was high-ranking official in the kingdom of Babylon. When the king issued a decree that no one could pray to anyone except the king for 30 days, Daniel refused to comply. Instead, he continued to pray to God, even though it meant facing the lion's den. Daniel 6, 7 says, all the presidents of the kingdom, the government, and the princes, the counselors, and the captains have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for 30 days, save thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Look at the apostles' refusal to compromise. In Acts 4, 18 through 20, we see the story of the apostle Peter and John, who are commanded by the authorities not to preach in the name of Jesus, but they refuse to comply, saying, whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. Another example is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. In Daniel 3, we see the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were three Hebrew young men who refused to bow to the king's idols. Even though they were faced with the threat of death in the fiery furnace, they refused to compromise their faith. Daniel chapter 3 says Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said unto the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. Examples illustrate that as Christians, we must be willing to stand up for our faith, even if it means facing opposition and persecution. We must be willing to render to Caesar what is Caesar's, but we must be also willing to stand up for what is right, even if it means going against our authorities, because they're no longer our authority in that area. Right? And as we conclude our study in Romans 13, four through seven, it is a challenging passage to rightly divide in these issues. We're reminded that our duty as Christians is to render to all their duties, their dues. We are to pay our taxes, show respect, and honor those in authority over us. We're also reminded that our ultimate allegiance is to God, not to Rome, not to Caesar, We are to obey God rather than man. And we're to stand up for what is right, even if it means going against the authorities. And as we navigate the complexities of living in a fallen world, let's remember to be wise and discerning. Let's study the word of God, pray for guidance, and seek to honor him in all we do. May we be faithful stewards of God's resources, using our time and treasure to advance his kingdom, May we always remember that our true citizenship is in heaven and not on earth. And as the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3, 20 through 21, for our conversation is in heaven, for whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. So may we live in eternity in view, rendering to all their dues while honoring God above all else. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, Lord, I am perplexed by this passage because it has challenges. We know Even in a bad system, we're still called to respect and honor and obey the governing authorities because we believe they are ordained by God, but help us to rightly divide the issues where we can't obey when it's going against the law of God, which our conscience is so mindful of. I can't support taxes. that want to go towards abortion. I can't support taxes that want to go towards mutilating child and promoting an ideology of a false satanic ideology of transgenderism. Where our taxes and waste is going around all the world, we don't even know about it, and try to normalize something that isn't normal. Or how they want to make the church No different than Rome to tax. May we get back to our roots to be a separate identity, careful of the future of the government's control as a glimpse example of COVID-19 governing authority over the church. Lord, you are over the church. You are the head. So help us to rightly divide these issues. We give you all glory and praise. Amen and amen. Well, we're going to sing in our hymns this morning. Again, hymn 83.