We'll turn now to the New Testament, continue reading in Scripture, Titus 2. We'll read Titus 2 and 3. But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine, that the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women, likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things. That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Young men, likewise, exhort to be sober-minded in all things, showing thyself a pattern of good works, in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters and to please them well in all things, not answering again, not purloining, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Looking for that blessed hope in the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers but gentle, showing all meekness, showing all meekness unto all men. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But after that, the kindness and love of God, our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying. And these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. But avoid foolish questions and genealogies and contentions and strivings about the law, for they are unprofitable in vain. A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject, knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth being condemned of himself. When I shall send Artemis unto thee, or Tokikus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis, for I have determined there to winter. Bring Zenos, the lawyer, and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them. And let ours also learn to maintain good works, for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful. All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen. Beloved, our text for this morning is from Titus 3, verses 1 through 8. And together with that, we'll Consider Lord's Day 24 in some sense. It's encouraging that we're returning back to the catechism, the sign of things returning to some semblance of normalcy. But we'll consider Lord's Day 24, question 62, but why cannot our good works be the whole or part of our righteousness before God? Because that the righteousness which can be approved of before the tribunal of God must be absolutely perfect and in all respects conformable to the divine law. And also that our best works in this life are all imperfect and defiled with sin. Question 63. What? Do not our good works merit which yet God will reward in this and in a future life? This reward is not of merit, but of grace. Question 64, but doth not this doctrine, speaking of justification, make men careless and profane? By no means, for it is impossible that those who are implanted into Christ by a true faith should not bring forth fruits of thankfulness. In a sense, we can summarize what the Catechism is teaching here this morning with a question. What is it that ultimately makes the difference in our salvation? Is it our works? Or is it God's grace? You say, well, that's a simple question to answer. Of course, it's God's grace that makes the difference. It's God's grace that transforms us. It's God's grace that justifies a sinner before the tribunal of God by which the righteousness of Christ is imputed to his sinners, reckoned, counted to them as righteousness. Yet often don't we live by this popular saying, this popular mantra, I'm a good person. so God will accept me." Deep down, we still try to relate to God on the basis of our works. Even if we don't vocalize it, our actions, our living, our life of faith as believers, our attitudes often reveal that this is what we live by. We live by works. If we sin, We think that our status has changed before God and we become discouraged as if God is going to destroy us now if we are indeed a child of God. Or if we do well, if we do lots of good works, we think that somehow we've earned an edge with God and we have the inside track with God. But in Lord's Day 23, as we consider the doctrine of justification, we saw that it was neither our worst day nor our best day that could change our state before God. Our works cannot be the basis for our acceptance with God. It's the righteousness of Christ alone. So our theme this morning is, what makes the difference? In the first place, we see God's refusal of our good works. There's that question, isn't there? Why can't God accept my works? We love to go to work. We love to do the things that we think are going to please God and earn our acceptance with Him. But our text from Titus 3 verses 1 through 8 points out this morning that God cannot accept our works for being right with Him, for being justified before Him because of our former condition of unrighteousness. Paul is clear in verse 3 as he speaks to the church, to the people that Titus is teaching. He says in verse 3, for we ourselves also were sometimes foolish and disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. What is Paul doing here? As he's calling believers, as he's telling Titus to remind believers that he's teaching, as he's calling them to good works. He's pointing out that before grace, our very best deeds do not move the needle of God's acceptance of us. It's precisely because of our former way of life that God cannot accept our works because our hearts were factories of unrighteousness, factories of idols, as Calvin says. Just reading that verse, we begin immediately to understand that a person who is living in such a condition cannot work righteousness. These are works of unrighteousness. God cannot accept the works of a fool, of a rebel, of a gullible person believing the lie of Satan, of a person who is a slave to lust and to pleasure, a person who is living in evil, a detestable person filled with hatred for others. Look at this catalog of sin, of unrighteousness. We begin immediately to see that if we are trying to earn our salvation with God, trying to be justified with God while living in a state of unrighteousness, while not being justified by Christ, we will not be accepted with God. Indeed, we must declare with Job who can bring a clean thing, but of an unclean, not one. A life of sin and rebellion and unbelief even, of slavery to sin produces only unrighteousness. A person who is living in this condition, in this state, cannot produce the works of righteousness. The Catechism tells us But the righteousness that God accepts must be absolutely perfect and in all respects conformable to the divine law, and such a person falls far short of that perfection. So any good that a sinner produces, even the common good, is not able to attain to that perfection that God accepts. And so we must confess this morning that our works before grace do not make the difference in our salvation. As believers, we look back and we look back at our former lives and we say it wasn't the works that we did, even the good things that we did could not attain to that perfection, to that standard of righteousness that God accepts. It points to those who are attempting to find acceptance with God apart from the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This verse speaks to you this morning. If you're living in a state of unbelief, if you're living outside of Christ, you're living in a state of unrighteousness. Even if you're not living the exact catalog of these sins, you're not believing, you're not leaning on Christ for His perfect righteousness. This is a challenge even for religious people. No matter how zealous you are for God's law, for the things of God, if your heart is not united to Christ by faith, There's no righteousness. There's only a well, a spring, a fountain of unrighteousness. Remember how Paul put forward his credentials in Philippians 3, verse 6 and 7. He was a religious man. He says, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law. He was blameless. Paul felt that he was keeping the law perfectly. But what things were gained to me, those I counted loss for Christ. If there was anyone who was blameless in keeping the law, it was Paul pre-conversion. His pedigree was flawless until he came face to face with Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road. What I'm not saying is that you need a Damascus Road experience. What you need is Jesus. What you need is the perfect standard of righteousness that he attained to. My friend, I pray that you will come face-to-face with the perfect Savior this morning. Be reconciled to God in the perfect righteousness of Christ. Nothing you do in your current state will ever match what Christ has done. Paul counted them as a loss, even as dung as manure, when he came face-to-face with Christ. He looked back on his former life and he said, That zeal, that perfection that he thought he had attained was nothing when he came face to face with the glory of Christ, the perfection of Christ on the Damascus Road. And so God refuses our good works because for believers, because of our former state of unrighteousness, For those who are trying to earn their acceptance with God, even this morning, for your state of unrighteousness. God also refuses our good works because of our poor production of righteousness. In verse 5, Paul writes, it's not by works of righteousness which we have done. It's not that which has caused God to appear with His salvation to man. If we follow the reasoning of Paul, Verse three, he's describing this condition of unbelief, this former condition in which believers found themselves. Verse four, he says, after that, the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared. But it didn't appear because of what we had done, not by works of righteousness which we have done. The works of righteousness which we produce can never save a person. Even the works of righteousness that we do after grace, we must never be fooled into thinking this. So often we think that because we've been redeemed to a life of good works, that our good works are going to affect our state before God. The temptation is to think that as we produce good works and we amass these good works, that God will somehow be more favorable to us. We look back on our lives through the lens of the good things that we have done, and we might be tempted to pride, and we might think that this is why God has saved us in the first place, because of all the things that we've been enabled to do by His grace. Paul is clear in condemning good works as a basis for our salvation. Read carefully through the book of Romans. He condemns good works as the basis for our salvation. He does it again in Galatians. He does it in Ephesians, as we heard last week. It's by grace you have been saved, not by works. He does it again in Titus. You see, time and again there's this dangerous tendency in the hearts of God's people to lean back, to look at the records of their works and say, look what I've done. Surely this counts for something. But again, we're reminded by Paul. It's not by works of righteousness which we have done. Why would Paul say that? Because he has Isaiah's words in mind. Isaiah, where he says, but we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. In the words of our Lord's Day, these works lack that perfection and conformity to the law which can be approved of before the tribunal of God. The catechism also reminds us, echoing the words of Paul, that our best works in this life are all imperfect and defiled with sin. And so this leads us to confess with a hymnist. Not what these hands have done can save my guilty soul. It is only what Christ has done. And so it's not our works that make the difference before the tribunal of God. Finally, God also refuses our works because of our prideful grasping for God's glory. What rightfully belongs to God we want for ourselves. Paul doesn't use that phrase here when speaking of works righteousness, but it struck me as we were reading the passage from Ephesians 2 last week when Pastor Kelderman was preaching from that passage. In Ephesians 2 verse 8 and 9, Paul says, for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. What Paul addresses explicitly in Ephesians, he addresses implicitly in verse 5, when he says, it's not by works of righteousness which we have done. What's the temptation to focus on when we look at our own works? To boast in glory in our works and lose focus on the perfect righteousness of Christ. To boast in our works means that we heap glory to ourselves. We take that which belongs to God and His grace. As that grace works in us to produce good works, we look at our works and we say, look what we have done. I'm a pretty good person. We take away the glory that is rightfully God's for the perfect righteousness that He's provided in Christ. Paul writes of this in Romans 3.27 when considering that God is just and the justifier of those who believe in Christ. And he says, where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? By the law of faith. Again in Galatians 6 verse 14 after Paul confronts the Judaizers in Galatia who were insisting on the works of the law to be justified. What does Paul say? The only cause for boasting that a believer has is in the cross of Christ alone. He says, but God forbid that I should glory, that I should boast, save, or accept in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified to me and I to the world. You see, God refuses man's efforts and works because they detract from the glory of the cross, from the perfect righteousness of Christ that he has secured in the cross and the empty tomb. And so Paul puts the sword through our tendency to pridefully grasp for glory that rightfully belongs to God. And so we see again, it's not our works that makes the difference. It's not our works that moves the needle with God. But where does that leave us? If God doesn't accept anything we do in order to be justified, where does that leave us? Is there absolutely no way that God accepts our works as the whole or part of our righteousness before God? Scripture tells us unequivocally, no, God cannot accept our works as the whole or part of our righteousness before God. Where does that leave us then? Well, Paul doesn't leave us without hope this morning. He doesn't leave us without hope. He points us to the work of another, to the work of the triune God in salvation. And so Paul and we are cast back onto the philanthropy of God to be saved and to do good works. I'll explain that in a moment. As Paul dwells on the former state of the believer that Titus is teaching, he says, but after that, The kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared. This is the transforming agent of our status before God, justifying grace rooted in the kindness and the love of God. It's interesting here to note the word that Paul uses here for the love of God. In the Greek, it's philanthropia, from which we get the English word philanthropy. If we break that word down, it's the Greek word philos. in Anthropos. Anthropology is the study of man. Philos is a word for love. What Paul is describing here is God's love towards humanity. He saw the wretchedness of our condition, and God showed his love towards man as the savior of such sinners. The Father's eternal love is expressed towards humanity in the gift of His Son. Working through Psalm 8, from my dissertation, this word came forward again and again, philanthropy, the love of God towards humanity. It's well expressed in the words of Psalm 8, verse 5, where the Reformers picked up this concept of philanthropy, of God's love towards humanity. What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him? It's the love of God that shows kindness to sinners like you and me. It moves him to have pity on us, on those who cannot attain to the perfection of the righteousness that he accepts. It is this love that has come down in the person of Jesus Christ, in the perfection of the righteousness that God accepts. It's this love that transforms sinners into saints. After that, the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared. It's not by works of righteousness, but according to His mercy He saved us. It's this love for humanity that transforms workers of evil into workers of good. So often we think of philanthropists as people who donate large sums of money to do things for society. We think of Bill Gates. We think of Jeff Bezos. We think of Warren Buffett. Think of all these wealthy, wealthy people donating their money, trying to do some good in society, trying to do some good for humanity. But nothing, nothing compares to what God gives in his love to humanity. He gives His Son the perfect record of His righteousness, the perfect transcript of His holiness, of His righteousness. And so if we cannot be accepted before God on the basis of our works, it cuts off every human effort for salvation and calls us to consider and throws us back onto the love of God for humanity, to be saved and to do good works. The love of God the Father. It casts us back onto the power of the Holy Spirit to be saved and to do good works. Paul points out that the only one who can deliver us from that life of sin and slavery is the power of the Holy Spirit. Verse 5, he points out that it is not man's work that makes us acceptable to God, but the work of the Holy Spirit, not by works of righteousness which we have done. But according to His mercy, He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. It speaks of the new birth. It speaks of a making alive of a dead sinner, one who is enslaved to sin, one who's slaving away, trying to earn his salvation with God. He cannot lift a finger to do so. It's the contrast here, isn't it? dead in sins and trespasses, unable to move the needle with God for our salvation and acceptance with God. But in the mercy and philanthropy of God, the Holy Spirit comes, His merciful power breathes new life into the sinner and justifies them, brings Christ into the soul, unites them with Christ. The Holy Spirit comes and awakens a sinner to sin, to their need of the righteousness of Christ. The Holy Spirit takes the old man of sin and makes a new creation. The work of the Holy Spirit is vital in this work of regeneration and justification. We can't separate these aspects of salvation in terms of chronology. We could say they're simultaneous aspects of salvation that happen through the work of the Holy Spirit as He calls effectually through the Word of God. It's the great hope of sinners this morning. It's great encouragement for God's people this morning, for believers. We've not saved ourselves, thanks be to God, but He sent His Spirit into our hearts to shed abroad the love of God there through Christ Jesus. It's the great hope of the sinner. You must not only be born again, but the great hope of becoming a new creature, of being justified and perfected in Christ comes through the power of the Holy Spirit. Where are you looking for life this morning? You'll not find it apart from the love of God and the power of the Holy Spirit and the perfection of Christ. You see, when we're cut off from all our works, it casts us back onto the philanthropy of the Father, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the perfection of the Son. In verses 6 through 8, Paul highlights the perfections of Christ. He's the one through whom the Holy Spirit comes into the hearts of sinners and changes them. Which God the Father shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, Paul says. The Savior there speaks to the work of Christ, speaks to the perfections of Christ, Christ is the only righteousness that is acceptable to God. He is the only one that is perfectly conformable to the law. He's the end of the law, the fulfillment of the law, the perfection of the law for righteousness to those who believe. Christ is the Savior of sinners. He alone is the perfect one by which we can be accepted before God. He alone is the one that never sinned. He is alone, the one that is set before us this morning as the basis for a sinner's acceptance before God. And he saves. Not because of our works. But he saves two good works. So often we hear the phrase, Jesus accepts me just as I am. To that we say, Amen. Jesus receives sinners. We do not need to clean ourselves up before going to Jesus. We flee to Jesus with our sins. We flee to Jesus with those sins listed here, our foolishness, our disobedience, our ability to be deceived, our slavery to lust and pleasure, our hatred, our envy, our hatefulness. We flee to Christ with all those things for forgiveness. Sometimes this statement is used as an excuse to continue living in sin and having the best of both worlds. Jesus accepts me just the way that I am. And you can't tell me how to live now. We see here that Jesus is a complete Savior. He saves us from sin. He transforms our lives into good works. Some people expect Jesus to accept them. But then doesn't expect them to change. But the opposite is true, isn't it? Jesus accepts sinners as they are. That's his mercy. But his mercy is also seen in the fact that he justifies and makes us heirs of eternal life and calls us to good works. That's what Paul is setting forth here in Christ the Savior. He is our basis for acceptance with God and he continues to be the basis for acceptance with God day in and day out for the believer that never changes. And it's out of that acceptance with God that we have in Christ that we are encouraged, that we are enabled to live a life of good works. This is the great reminder that Paul wants Titus to give to those under his care to us this morning. In verse 8, he emphasizes this teaching with one of his, this is a faithful saying. When Paul says that, we ought to pay attention. It's a trustworthy saying, something we can stake our eternal destiny on. Paul wants Titus to affirm the glorious doctrine of salvation by grace alone and Christ alone by faith alone. Salvation by grace alone is foundational to our understanding. of good works in the Christian life. Salvation by grace alone in Christ alone says that we cannot earn our salvation by our works. Salvation, our acceptance with God, is attributed only to the philanthropy of the Father, the power of the Spirit in regenerating sinners. and the perfection of Christ and attaining to that perfection that God requires, that Christ imputes to us freely by His grace. And so we need this gospel reminder. We need this trustworthy saying to constantly remind ourselves that our life and hope is found in the work of the triune God alone. Is this what makes the difference in your life? Are you continuing to rest in your own works as seeking to make a difference? Are you trusting in Christ alone? Trusting that that will make the difference before the tribunal of God? Not only trusting that it will, but that it has made the difference for you. And so God refuses our good works. But God reveals His grace, His wonderful, amazing grace to us. But God also reorders our work. So in our third thought, we see that God reorders our good works. And that raises the question, if God doesn't accept our works as the basis for our salvation? Then what role do good works have in our lives? Must we leave them off entirely? And I think, again, we know the answer to that. Answer 64 of the Catechism makes it clear that it is impossible that those who are implanted into Christ by a true faith should not bring forth fruits of thankfulness. Those who are abiding in the vine will be fruitful. That's what Scripture teaches. So God reorders our works, not to earn salvation, but as a response to this glorious appearing of Jesus Christ, of his salvation, that has appeared to us in the love of God, the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, and the perfection of Christ, counted, reckoned, imputed to sinners. Notice how Paul reorders the thinking of believers on this point throughout the chapters that we read this morning. It's the doctrine of the gospel that forms the foundation of good works. Paul follows this pattern again and again throughout this short letter. In chapter 2, verse 13 and 14, he says, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. So this is what God saves us for. This is the purpose to which God saves us, to be zealous unto good works. Verse 10 of chapter 2, not purloining but showing all good fidelity that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. So good works are God's design to adorn, to enhance the gospel in the world. And so these works are not found in us, first of all, because we see that in us is found only sin and imperfection. But Paul counsels us to look for that blessed hope, for the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us. He follows this pattern in our text, as we've seen. In verse 8, this is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. A little while later, verse 14, and let ours learn to maintain good works for necessary uses that they be not unfruitful. So the role of good works is this. It's not the root. that brings life, but it's the fruit as a result of the life that we have received from the hand of the triune God. Think of a tree. That root of the tree is like Christ, from which we draw all our life and our nutrients for the life of faith. A person who is rooted in Christ will bring forth fruit. Jesus teaches that in John 15. Paul teaches that again in Titus 2 and 3. It's out of the gospel, you see, that good works flow and indeed must flow as evidence of a person's transformation in the gospel. Our text emphasizes that believers are reminded to be ready to do every good work. Believers show themselves a pattern of good works. Zealous of good works. It should be our chief desire if we are believer this morning to perform works from a proper foundation. That's crucial to understand. We cannot produce fruit without being grafted into Christ. If we're trying to do good and we're not in Christ, it's what counselors call fruit stapling. We try to staple fruit to the tree of our lives to make it look good, but the root is dead, and soon those fruits will wither and die, showing we are not rooted in Christ after all. Union with Christ is perhaps the most important thing to understand here. Justification, union with Christ. Without that, there's no life in Christ. There's no power, there's no ability to produce good works, but in His overwhelming grace, God provides an infallible source for doing good works. And that's why the Catechism says that when we are rewarded, it's not a reward of merit because of what we have done, but it's a reward of grace pointing back to what Christ has done and is doing in our lives. So what do we conclude this morning? It is doctrine before duty. It is doctrine and then duty, it is gospel and then good works. It is not duty and then doctrine, not good works in order to earn grace. In verse 8, Paul nails this truth home. Titus is to teach. We are to learn again and again that believers are never beyond the gospel, never beyond the life that is in Christ. If we are justified, we are not cut loose from Christ, no, we are joined to Christ. So we begin to produce fruit to his honor and glory. These things I will that thou affirm constantly, constantly that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works brings us back again to the work of the triune God in our lives, doesn't it? Not to be justified again, that only happens once. To live from that fountain of life that is in Christ and union with Christ and is justifying grace. To learn again and again that our righteousness is not found in ourselves, but it is found in Christ. Be careful to maintain good works. Why are they important then in the Christian life? In a few Lord's Days, in Lord's Day 34 and 33, we'll begin to see why good works are important in the Christian life. To demonstrate our thankfulness, our gratitude to God. To grow in our assurance of faith. We've heard it often from this pulpit. Low levels of obedience lead to low levels of assurance. High levels of obedience often lead to high levels of assurance. Good works are important to win others to Christ by our conduct. So good works are reordered by God. When the gospel makes a difference, we begin to learn that our good works can never, ever attain that perfection that God requires. When the gospel makes a difference, it casts us back onto the triune work of God, His salvation. And then, there's this glorious reality and possibility that we begin to produce good works for the glory of God. And Paul sets out two spheres in which we practice these good works. In chapter 2, he shows the example of the home and the church. In chapter 3, he shows how we live in the public sphere and how we exercise our faith, producing good works in the public sphere. So we could say on the one hand it's the private sphere of the home and the church, and now in chapter 3 it's the public sphere. Paul provides an example of a Christian's duty, a duty that finds great traction in the present circumstances that we find ourselves in, in these days of quarantine and political strife. In verse 1 and 2, we're reminded of our duty, as well as the frame of mind and heart in which we are to carry out this duty. God says, put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to do every good work. In chapter 2, Paul calls believers to good works within that private Christian sphere But here he's calling us to good works in the public sphere of our lives, including how we interact with our leaders that have not only been elected, but have been placed over us by God for our good. This is a challenge for us now, isn't it? These words especially challenge us. But I believe it's a necessary and a helpful one. Scanning social media, scanning the headlines of the news, I have to say there's a complete lack of civility and respect, perhaps even a lack of obedience. What God's Word is calling us to this morning, beloved, is to exercise good works and respect to those who are placed in authority over us, even secular authorities. It's true. The times in which we live are challenging Christians on this very point. But Scripture calls us to obey our government leaders. There are varying views as to how this is to be done within a democracy. But let's consider what God's Word is saying to us this morning. Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work. If this is a challenge for us, think of the challenge that Paul would have had. The Christians of Paul's day to exercise good works and respect to obedience to higher authorities. Perhaps it would have been a greater challenge for Christians in Paul's day in the early New Testament church. The government authorities in Paul's day were blatantly pagan and godless and cruel and heartless and perverted. the Roman emperor and other rulers. And yet, Paul calls Christians to obey government authorities. In Romans 13, Paul develops disobedience further and fleshes it out. In Romans 13, verse 1 and 2, he says, 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. Whoso therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God. They that resist shall receive to themselves damnation or civil penalty. The magistrate employs. And Paul goes on to show that submission to proper authority includes submission and taxation. giving proper fear and honor to the rulers that God has set over us. This is challenging. In 1 Peter 3, Peter writes to a suffering, persecuted church very similar words. Let's look those up for a moment. 1 Peter 3. I thought it was 1 Peter 3. But he speaks very similar words to what Paul says here, to be subject to ruling powers. I can't find it right now. This is what Scripture is teaching to us, that we submit to the governing authorities. And if we transfer now this to our present context, what is it teaching us? The governor has done things and said things that are inflammatory. She's overreached in her attempts to stem the tide of the virus. But what is our responsibility as Christians under this governor in spite of her motives for doing what she did? Obedience and submission, because she is ordained of God. The power she has, we like to think that it comes from the people and the Constitution. Behind all of this is God vesting her with authority. I think this is probably a fairly unpopular duty right now. Christians are chafing under this very duty, but if we profess to have been transformed by the gospel, this is indeed what God calls us to do in the present, is to see through the governor, to see God at work with his hand of authority over us. Let me ask you these questions. Do you think that her orders are outside the scope of God's providence? When it seems that we're powerless to do anything, where does that bring us? Does it bring us to civil disobedience and the arm of flesh, as some are calling for? Or does it bring us to the divine arm of salvation? Does it cast us before the throne of Almighty God and say, Lord, have thine own way? Yes, we're given the right to protest. We're given the right to free speech. We're given the right to speak as citizens under the form of government that we have in a democracy, which is different than Paul's day. But because we live in a democracy, it doesn't void this commandment of God, doesn't void our responsibility to live as Christians producing good works in this area. God's Word is relevant and powerful and calls us to do what we need to do regardless of what time period we live in. And so we can disagree. But how do we disagree? We can protest. We can share our mind, but how do we do those things? Listen to what Paul says in verse 2. To speak evil of no man. To be no brawlers, but gentle. Showing meekness, humility unto all men. So how do we disagree with our governor? How do we disagree with elected leaders that God has put over us, ordained with his power? and in His providence. We must not speak evil of the governor. We're not to be brawlers, to go out fighting with all fists swinging and all reason thrown out the window. We're to be gentle, showing that we have our rights and our power under control, keeping our rights in proper perspective. As Christians, we're called to show the world a better way. In the entire political realm, attacks and defames and slanders, Christians are called to do the opposite. Because God has called us to good works in the public sphere. We're not to be quick to fight, but promote peace. We're to show humble love in every situation with every kind of person. How can we show good works in this area? I think one way that we can go home this morning is to consider what we read, how we read it, and how we respond to it, and then how we use social media to speak and repost about our elected leaders. Let's look through them. Let's see God at work in them and through them. And when we're called to submit, we're not just submitting to a person. We're submitting to the God of the universe, the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. And that can transform how we think and act towards those in authority over us, even when they make decisions with wrong motives. even when they act contrary to the law of life. And so we promote peace. So this is just one area in which we can begin to show good works, both externally and internally. So often we don't take Christ into the public sphere, but this is what Paul is saying. Christ belongs in the public sphere as well. the civil arena, and how we respond to those in authority over us. So we're being we're being put in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates to be ready to every good work, to speak evil of no man, including our governor. In fact, if you turn if you find it later, in First Peter, Peter counsels us to pray, to pray for those in authority over us. The email went out earlier this week to pray for our governor. Did we pray for her? Did we pray for her willingly? Did we pray for her compassionately? Were we moved for her soul? Or could we only see that our rights were being taken away? See, the gospel shows us a better way. A transformed life means that we will think differently and we will act differently in this week. You see, it's the gospel that makes a difference. It's the reordering of our works that makes a difference. May God help us this morning and throughout the week to put this into practice by His grace. The situation is not over yet. We'll be given abundant opportunity to put this into practice until November and beyond November. But the gospel changes how we think and how we act. May God help us to do so again and again, bringing us back to his triune work of salvation. the philanthropy of the Father, the power of the Spirit, the perfection of the Son. Amen. Let's pray. Lord, we thank Thee for Thy Word, Thy Word which is wholesome and true and faithful, Thy Word which instructs us even where it's challenging our views, We're challenging the things that we have done amiss in this week that we need to confess, both in the things that we have done, the things that we have said, the things that we have thought, the attitude of heart in which we have done them. Lord, we pray that thou will bring us back again and again to Christ, the one who is the end of the law for righteousness to those who believe. Lord, help us to live as Christians, as Christian citizens in this land, showing a better way than perhaps what we've done up until this point. Lord, we pray that thou wilt help us, reordering our works flowing from the gospel. Lord, we look to thee for grace, for forgiveness, for strength to continue on doing what thy word calls us to do. submit to those in authority over us, even when it might not be popular, even when it hurts, even when it means we might be persecuted. Lord, we pray that thou will hear us now. For Jesus' sake. Amen.