We're in Romans 13. Romans 13. This is God's Word. Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and he will commend you, for he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment, but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him. If you owe taxes, pay taxes. If revenue, then revenue. If respect, then respect. If honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another. For he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. The commandments, do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet, and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, the day is almost here, so let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. May God add his blessing to this reading from his holy and inspired word. Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities. First of all, notice he says everyone. So this applies to all of us. This isn't, well, okay, I don't need to listen to this part, I know about that. No, all of us had better pay attention to this. This is for every one of us. Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities. Notice it says submit himself. In other words, it is something you do. You don't make yourself be crushed under the weight of the law. You voluntarily submit yourself to the governing authorities. And this obviously was written during a time when the Roman government was thoroughly Christian and operating in a manner that was just, you know, totally consistent with the teachings of Jesus. Right? Of course not. This was written when pagans ruled the empire. I mean people who were hostile to the truth. And Paul says those people were put in that position of authority by God. See, my feeling is if it's a good leader, I'm happy to follow. If the leader's a jerk, well, you know, why in the world should I have to do what they say? That nincompoop, he doesn't understand the Constitution as well as I do. So I, you know, I I'd like to do whatever I can to avoid submit. It says here, submit yourself. I'm supposed to submit myself to the governing authorities out of conscience, not just because I'm afraid I'm going to get audited or because I'm afraid that the police are going to get me. I need to do it because it's the right thing to do. It's a way of worship. It's a way of honoring God. When I submit myself to the governing authorities. Let me tell you, if you think that goes against your flesh, you ain't got nothing on me, all right? I have as hard a time with this as anybody in the room, but I have to hear this. I have to be reminded that I have a responsibility to submit myself to the governing authorities. And the reason is because there is no authority except that which God has established. And in case somebody thinks they misheard that, he repeats it in the next sentence. The authorities that exist have been established by God. He repeats it, he restates it. Because that's awfully hard for some folks to hear and believe when you look at those who are in authority. Let's just take a few examples. in history, Pharaoh in Egypt. Was he an authority established by God? Absolutely. God says so. God says that he raised Pharaoh up and put him in that position in order to display his glory. Okay, well Pharaoh, all right, but Pharaoh got it in the end. Oh yeah, yeah. That's part of the story. But meanwhile, The people had a responsibility to make bricks and build buildings, even though Pharaoh was being unreal, harsh, and cruel. Well, I don't think it was Pharaoh the way he treated those people. Well, neither did God, and God dealt with Pharaoh. But the people, meanwhile, were supposed to recognize that they were in that position according to God's plan. You go through Nebuchadnezzar, just for example. What about some of the kings of Israel who were lousy kings? Now, there is a caveat going all the way back, running all the way through, and that is no authority exists to command you to do what God forbids or to forbid you to do what God commands. If somebody says, you must bow down and worship this giant statue, the answer is no, not doing it. If some authority tells you, you cannot pray to any God except to me, well, tough darts. We're going to keep on doing what we've been doing all along, and that is praying to the God who is God. There is no authority anywhere on the planet or anywhere in the universe that has the authority to tell you that you must do what God forbids or that you cannot do what God commands. That authority doesn't exist. So if the authority, if the government says you cannot preach the gospel, well, that has zero bearing on us, okay? But if they say you've got to narrow down into one lane here, because they've closed off these two lanes to ease congestion? That's really what the sign said. Okay, now just think about that if you know what congestion is. Okay, we've closed these two lanes and gotten everybody down in one lane to ease congestion. I don't think somebody understood what that word means. Okay, you wanna rephrase that? If the government is incompetent, It's because God has given us over to incompetent governors. If we have lousy presidents one after another, and horrible cabinet secretaries in various realms of life, making our taxes unrealistically high, and then squandering the money, and committing fraud by spending and promising a bunch of money they don't have, and thereby encumbering future generations with tons of debt. You know what? That's the wrath of God being poured out on people who have told God, leave us alone, we don't want to do what you say. God is the one who puts the governing authorities in place. Can you find in history a more evil miscarriage of justice than the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? Wicked people did that. Those who were in authority, who were wicked people, did that. And it was according to the express foreknowledge and plan of God. God worked that situation for His glory and our salvation. So when you see those in government acting like nincompoops, just remember there is a sovereign and wise God who is orchestrating who's in power. And if incompetent governing authorities cause God's people to cry out to him for mercy, perhaps that is part of the plan. Do you think? Yeah, but if they're nuts, I don't have to pay them taxes, do I? Yes, you do. Because they're doing God's bidding. But they're wasting the money. Well, it is perfectly fine for you to do as the Apostle Paul did, and that is to use your rights as a citizen in order to try and work advantage for the kingdom of God. Paul, on occasion, notably in Philippi, would exert his rights as a Roman citizen in order to say, I'm not supposed to be treated this way. It's unconstitutional. Totally legitimate to do that. But the reason he did it was not because, and he didn't always do it. The reason he did it there in Philippi was not because he just didn't like being mistreated. If that was the case, he could have spoken up sooner. Instead, he spoke up when he did in order to secure a better position for the church that he had just planted in Philippi. And it was in that context that he insisted that the authorities do what they were supposed to do and later on that he would appeal to Caesar when he was in a situation and used his authority as a Roman citizen, his rights as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar because it was an opportunity to advance the gospel. Now the authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted. And those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Well, obviously Paul hadn't heard about John the Baptist. He had his head cut off by Herod. Well, I want to ask you a question. Do rulers who can cut our heads off hold terror? Not if you know what's going to happen when they cut your head off. I was talking with a dear brother in Christ the other day who said, I would love to get hit by a meteorite when it's my time to go. I mean, wouldn't it be great if just boom, you're gone? I said, the only problem with that is people would assume that God was mad at you. So remember that if somebody, you know, who you thought was a dear brother in Christ gets hit by a meteorite, it may have been an answer to prayer, not the wrath of God. Don't assume just because a sudden wind swoops down and causes the poles of the tent to collapse and take the life of somebody that it's God's wrath. It's not necessarily. I would much rather go quickly than slowly, but we don't get to vote on how we go. But understand this, those who rebel against those who are in authority, who've been placed in authority by God, are going to bring judgment on themselves. And rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Well, what's the difference if you don't have to be afraid of the rulers? Oh, you do need to be afraid of the rulers if the reason you're suffering is because you did the wrong thing. You understand? If you're suffering for doing evil, you ought to be afraid. But if you're suffering for righteousness sake, you ought to rejoice. You ought to rejoice. Rulers hold no terror for those who do right. You want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right. And he says, and he'll commend you. That doesn't always happen. Paul knows that doesn't always happen. Paul had suffered horribly at the hands of people who misused their authority. But Paul wasn't afraid of that because he knew the way it's supposed to be and the fact that there is a sovereign God who is in charge and working out his plan. And so ultimately, it's all for the good, even when things seem to be going horribly wrong. He is God's servant to do you good, but if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. Okay, I have to pause here for a moment. What did it just say? It says that the governing authorities are God's servant and they don't bear the sword in vain. Well, Pastor Wood, one of the things that bothers me about your preaching is sometimes you make it sound as if God would actually sanction, uh, like the death penalty. For instance, I've heard you say that child molesters ought to be killed. Okay, well I'll give you two reasons why I believe child molesters ought to be killed. One is Jesus says they're better off dead. That's reason enough right there. He says anyone who causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin would be better off with a millstone hung around his neck and drowned in the depths of the sea. Jesus doesn't just say given a challenging aquatic workout. He says drowned in the depths of the sea. So some people are better off dead. Secondly, right here in Romans 13, it says the governing authority is God's instrument to execute wrath on the evildoers. And therefore, the governing authority does not bear the sword in vain. doesn't carry the sword for nothing. What was the Roman sword used for? Oh boy, if you were bad in Rome, they would pull out that sword and slap you upside the face with the side of that sword and swing around and swat you on the bottom with that sword and say, don't you do that again or I'm going to have to give you 20 strikes with this sword. Is that what they used to do with the sword? No, there are a couple of things they used to do with it. Amputate parts of people's bodies, like hands, arms, heads, okay? If they got your head, that was the end, okay? And they also used to stab people with it, okay? They were real good at that. And so the sword was never used to spank people. It was just not, that was not part of what the sword was used for. The sword was used, essentially to kill people. And Paul says the government, with God's blessing, not only has the authority to take life, but the responsibility. It is a responsibility of the government to execute certain people who have forfeited their lives by doing that which is evil. And when a government kills people they're not supposed to kill, they will incur the wrath of God. And when a government fails to kill people that they are supposed to kill, they will incur the wrath of God. Furthermore, when a government is allowing people who ought to be dead to continue to live, that is a manifestation of the wrath of God and his judgment on a society that has abandoned his laws. As I said, I just had to pause there. But let's read it one more time. He is God's servant to do you good, but if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath, to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities not only because of possible punishment, but also because of conscience. In other words, we don't just do this because we don't want to be killed by the sword. We do it because we believe those who are governing are God's servants. And submitting to them, as long as it doesn't contradict God's law, is a way in which we worship and serve the Lord. This is also why you pay taxes. For the authorities are God's servants who give their full time to governing. And yes, that does have implications for us today. Give everyone what you owe him. By the way, it also has tremendous implications for those who are governing. They're supposed to give their full time to governing. Did you hear that? If your job is governmental, you ought to really work, not just be lobbying for more benefits and more time off. Give everyone what you owe him. If you owe taxes, pay taxes. If revenue, then revenue. If respect, then respect. If honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another. For he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. Now, verse eight begins with a phrase that is translated here, let no debt remain outstanding. That is my favorite translation of this phrase. A more accurate translation, however, a more literal translation, a word for word translation, as opposed to the NIV's thought for thought translation is a bit more stark. What it says is don't owe anyone, anything. Oh, no man, anything. Well, that would mean like, you know, I can't get a car loan. I can't get a house loan. I mean, you know, I'd be living in a tent somewhere riding a bicycle. Of course, in order to function in our society, you gotta be able to borrow and you gotta be able to have loans. What is the intent when it says, owe no man anything? Well, I think it is reasonable to conclude that the intent is what the NIV translates, and that is pay your bills. Don't let any debt remain outstanding. I think that is a reasonable, thought-for-thought translation. But I would not be totally honest with you Especially in a debt ridden culture such as ours where people assume that they ought to be able to borrow as much as possible in order to get whatever they want right now and Not have to defer and wait on anything if I didn't point out to you that literally what it says there is Don't owe anyone anything But that's not Paul's point His point is not don't owe anyone anything. His point is. You're supposed to love each other. That's the thrust of that verse. And if you look up above it further strengthens the NIV is thought for thought translation, because what does he say? This is also why you pay taxes. Give everyone what you want. Verse 7, give everyone what you owe him. If you owe taxes, then pay taxes. If revenue, then revenue. If respect, then respect. If honor, then honor. So the idea that I don't owe anybody anything, literally, because I never transact business unless I already have the money ahead of time, is a little hard to make rock solid based on verse seven, which says, pay what you owe. Pay what what? Pay what you owe. Therefore, I think the NIV is a legitimate translation here when it says, let no debt remain outstanding. In other words, if we've agreed that I will pay you $500 a month in rent, then every month I owe you $500. I don't owe you the next year's rent ahead of time. I owe you $500 a month. And I do owe you that. What would not be okay is the rent is due and I can't pay. But how do you like my new car? That's not okay. If I've already committed to pay that money to you, I have to pay you and not spend it on something else. Is that clear? So don't owe anyone anything in the context of I'm not supposed to let any debt remain outstanding. I pay what I owe when I owe it. I don't think that means you can't get a mortgage. I think it does mean you don't ever get a mortgage, no matter how low the rates are, you don't ever get a mortgage where you don't have assets to back it up. Is that clear? I have a mortgage on my house. The ranch has no debt on anything ever. We do not borrow for any purpose whatsoever. Not to build something, not to operate, we have no debt. I myself am not a 501c3. And gifts that people give to me personally are not tax deductible. They are welcome, but they're not tax deductible. Okay? If, God forbid, I had to pay off my mortgage in full today, I have savings. It would kill me to have to empty out all my savings, but I would end up in the position of owning nothing and owing nothing. And that's not a bad place to be. That is not a bad place to be. And then I'd ask if I could come stay at your house. No, no, no. I'd have my house paid off. It would be totally debt free. Now, instead of draining all of my savings so that I don't have to have a mortgage, I think it is expedient for reasons too complicated to go into here this morning in devotions for me to have a nice agreement with the bank One of the reasons, by the way, is because this actually helps me in dealing with the government because it has an impact on my taxes. Romans 13 is very applicable to current economic situations if you study it and prayerfully apply it. But I'm telling you, if you don't even consider what God says in his word and try to understand it and try to obey it, you're making a huge mistake. You're making a huge mistake. Don't borrow what you can't pay. And when I didn't have enough in savings to pay off my mortgage, I had an agreement with the bank that was specified in my mortgage that said, if I am unable to pay this loan, they will accept my house as payment in full of the loan. And I will not owe them any more money. And until they put that in the mortgage, I wouldn't sign the mortgage. It was the first mortgage I'd ever had, first loan like that I'd ever had. And I got the bank to agree to it. I don't know if you could find a bank in the world that would agree to that today with the housing market having done what it's done. But they did agree to that when I got the mortgage because I was committed to not having a debt that I couldn't pay. Let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another. Did you hear that? The continuing debt to love one another. In other words, that's one you can never pay off. You can't love people and say, okay, now I don't have to deal with them anymore. I loved them. No, it's an ongoing thing. I have an ongoing responsibility to love my neighbor. He who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. The commandments, do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet. And whatever other commandment there may be. Now, is that because Paul didn't know The other commandments? This guy was a Pharisee. This guy was a scholar. He knew all the commandments. His point was, I'm not going to list them all, but I'm going to include them all. All the commands that come from God in terms of how we're supposed to relate to one another are summed up in this one rule. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. That is such an ingenious interpretation of the law. Where did he get that? Jesus. When there was a Pharisee who asked Jesus about the greatest command, Jesus said, it's to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and all your mind and all your soul and all your strength. And the second is like unto it. And that is your love, your neighbors, yourself. All the law is summed up in this. So Paul here, without referencing it, is quoting what Jesus said. And that is, if you really love somebody, you're going to do what God says about how you treat your neighbor. If you really love your neighbor, you're not going to steal from your neighbor. You're not going to bear false witness. You're not going to commit adultery. Well, what if you love your neighbor's wife? That's not love. That's adultery. It's not love. Let me tell you something. Sexual sin is not love. It's not love. Oh, but we're just so in love. No, you're so in lust. Sexual sin is never love. Never. Because when you violate God's commands, you're harming yourself and the other person. And generally, other folks besides. There's collateral damage. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. And he says, and do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over. The day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. You remember in Ephesians 6, he talks about putting on the full armor of God. We've said before, when we looked at that passage, that all the pieces of the armor are found in Christ Jesus. He is our salvation. He is our peace. He is the truth. He is our righteousness. He's all the armor. Well, Paul summarizes it in verse 14, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what, that's what the armor of light is all about. It's him. It's Jesus put on the Lord Jesus Christ. But he says to believers, to Christians, let us behave decently as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Do you really have to tell Christians not to do those things? Yes. You mean somebody could be a Christian and still be tempted to engage in sexual immorality or debauchery or even drunkenness and orgies? Yes. A person could be a Christian and still be tempted in that regard. So does that mean that a Christian could do that stuff? No. No. He says, don't do that. Don't do that. Don't even think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Your sinful nature will continue to have sinful desires. Even after you're a Christian, the fact that you have a sin nature that has sinful desires doesn't mean, well, I must not really be saved, or I wouldn't have these temptations. No, if you are a really rock solid mature Christian, you're still gonna have a sin nature and you're still gonna have sinful desires. You've gotta say no to those things and don't even sit around thinking about what it would be like to gratify them. Is that clear? Don't go there. Don't go there. Now folks, if we take this to heart and rely upon God's spirit to enable us to live this way, We can live with confidence no matter what the government does. Even if we end up in a situation where Christians are being persecuted for their faith, we do not have to fear, because we know God's in control. And He is the one who puts the governing authorities in place, no matter how much like pagan Rome they may seem at times. We need to rejoice, pay our taxes, and obey the law. remembering that no authority can command you to do what God forbids or forbid you're doing what God commands. Let's pray. Father, thank you so much for loving us. Thank you for sending Jesus to save us. Thank you that he is the King of kings and Lord of lords and that one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord. We look forward to that day, and we pray, come quickly, Jesus. Until then, Father, may we be found faithful for your namesake. Amen.