if you would please take God's word and turn to Romans chapter 13. And our message today from God's word will be God's goodness and his gift of law enforcement. That's what we see in Romans 13, the goodness of God. in his gift of law enforcement. We've been studying God's attributes through Romans, and we actually looked at God's goodness earlier in this book, but here we come back to it again, what God has instituted for the good of society. And even in a world where many speak evil of those seeking to do that good, we need to hear God's word. And it's good for us as the church to give thought to those who honorably serve. Romans 13 is our text, but I want to read first the context of chapter 12, verse 17. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. Now chapter 13, verse 1. Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to do good, or to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval. For he is God's servant for your good." Notice that word good keeps getting repeated. He, this authority, is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid. For he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore, one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath, but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them. Taxes to whom taxes are owed. Revenue to whom revenue is owed. And he says pay respect to whom respect is owed. Honor to whom honor is owed. This is God's word. This is God's word for the world. This is what we are called to do. We're to give thought as a church to what is honorable, and we're to do that in the sight of all. We're to honor and respect those that we owe that to, and the Bible in this passage and other passages has an important place for those who protect and serve. This is part of God's goodness to limit evil. God puts government powers in place to restrain abuse and misuse of power. And what I want us to see is four truths from this passage that is inspired by God, even as Paul wrote it. And the first point is this. Authorities, which would include law enforcement, are instituted by God. So authorities are instituted by God. This is what we see in the first three verses and it starts with that phrase, governing authorities that we are subject to. That would include all civil authority from a king in those days or from a commander-in-chief in our society on down in the chain of command. And in this context, notice it's especially those who enforce the law or stop lawbreakers. And I say that because verse 4 talks about the one who bears the sword. He bears the sword. He is the authority. The sword was the deadly force weapon of those days. They don't bear that authority in vain, or you might even say today, he doesn't bear the gun in vain. And these are using weapons as an agent of the state or the city. The sword could refer to also literal execution, but the sword also, and probably here, was also a symbol of authority. Just like we might talk about the badge today of those who serve the government in different ways, this language would also apply to armed forces. And there was an overlap with armed forces and law enforcement in Bible times with military and those who would enforce the law were sometimes the same. And after verse 4 mentions bearing the sword, it talks about wrath on evildoing. And that was used, the sword, those who fall by the sword was a phrase we read in scripture. And when it mentions judgment, that could include capital punishment in Bible times, which was sometimes by the sword. So Jesus said, if you live by the sword, you will die by the sword. If you murder or if you are about to murder, there are times, and we pray they are few times, but where weapons are needed in self-defense or defending innocent third parties. And that's what this language meant in those days, deadly force, but also deterring further criminality. I grew up in the Philippines, and if you were to walk into a store in the Philippines, you would typically see armed guards with M-16s or AK-47s and all kinds of weapons on their belt. If you're not used to that, it kind of startles you for a second, but they're making a statement as you walk into a store there that we are here to deter you thinking about causing trouble here, and that's how it is in much of the third world. And it's this language here of the sword, it was that kind of connotation in those days. And the middle of verse one goes on, there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. You say, when did God institute these types of authorities? They weren't needed when Adam and Eve were in the garden, when there was no sin. Everything was wonderful. In fact, there's a day coming. End of Revelation talks about there's going to be a city and its gates never need to be closed and there's no thieves or criminals or sinners that will enter into that city in the end. But it didn't stay that way in the beginning of the Bible. Sin came into the world in Genesis chapter 3. And in Genesis chapter 3 is God now takes them out of that place. They lose the privileges of the Garden of Eden. The Lord sends heavenly officers called cherubim, and they are stationed to make sure they don't come back in, and they're stationed with the sword. In their case, it was a flaming sword. And so that's where this begins. Human beings on earth did not invent this. God in heaven instituted this, and so is God in his goodness to Israel as he institutes their society and their law. He sets up law enforcement as well. Here's what one Bible dictionary says. In Hebrew, the word soter was an officer with civil authority, and in modern Hebrew, this is the word for policeman. In ancient Israel, the somer was a guard or a watchman. You'll hear that language, the watchman. It's also possible that the pachide, a deputy or the commissioner mentioned in other passages, also acted in this way. In the New Testament there's also language of this hyperates, this bailiff. There's police activities you read about in Acts chapter 3 through 5. There was a chief captain who was responsible for maintaining civil order in the providence or the province, and Paul is writing to Rome, so he's writing to the Romans, where they knew about these various ranks and statuses of men they would see walking around town, whether it's in Rome or wherever they were, and performing duties like enforcing the law, preserving public order. protecting property, protecting citizens, assisting in emergencies. And those who were Roman citizens, there were certain rights that they were to protect. They would register complaints, they would investigate crimes, they would arrest and transport. Some of what I just read, some of you here are or have been involved with. We read in the Bible of captains over 50 or centurions over 100. We already heard read about that. But here's what Paul says to these Romans, who are very familiar with all of this. Romans 13, verse two. Whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed. And those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. You could paraphrase that today, it's because of bad guys that we need the blue line. It's because of Genesis 3 that this is still going to be needed until the end when that heavenly city is a reality for those who have believed in Christ. But when he talks about those who resist the authorities, I've described a little bit of some of the Roman authorities in those days. What were some ways that people would resist them in New Testament times? Well, in Israel, where Paul had grown up, There were zealots. They were the political protesters. They were protesting the very presence of having Roman officers and the Roman police force. They wanted to abolish them and get rid of them. And some of them used violence. Some of them would try to assassinate officers. They were called the Sicarii. In Acts 5.26 in one translation says this, the commander went with the temple police and brought them in, this is the apostles, without force because they were afraid the people might stone them. The people might be throwing rocks or bricks at them. This is what was going on. This is kind of the antifa of antiquity, you might say. And so they had to develop riot gear. They had steel helmets. They had these big body shields and would wear armor. There's many ways then and now that authorities can be targeted. And I've heard many feel like there's even more targets now today, but what this passage warns is that there is a judgment, and there's a judgment that comes with the unraveling. When you unravel the authority that God has set up, you see society unraveling, and we've seen that. It was, I think, two years ago this week, we began to see law and order tragically unraveling, and we've seen it through the years, but in particular, we know about what happened in Minneapolis, As a man wearing a badge horribly took the life of a man bearing God's image. Soon there's images we see on media of a police station burning. We see authority being replaced by anarchy in cities all over America. Destruction of communities and police who risk their lives defending people. Had those people calling for their defunding. Portland became exhibit A of what Paul was describing here, the type of judgment that can unfold. And Jesus, Cliff mentioned it earlier, talked about how lawlessness is gonna increase before the end. But when those things increase, this passage says judgment increases as well. The translation of verse two, another translation says, he who rebels against authority He's rebelling against what God has instituted. They who have opposed receive condemnation. And there's tensions in our world, and we recognize the tension in scripture. We recognize that police can be sinful, they are fallible. They need to be held accountable for any misuse of authority or mistreatment. of God's image bearers, but it's also very clear in Scripture just as no one should judge people by the color of their skin, no one should judge police by the color that they wear. Partiality is a sin whether it's against people in black or brown skin or against people in a blue uniform. When Paul wrote this, They understood, Paul understood, authority is imperfect. Parents are another authority. People you work with are another authority, and they are imperfect. But this is God's good for society is authority, and authority is imperfect, but anarchy is insane. And those who would say institutions in power are inherently and irredeemably racist, deny the very gospel that Paul's talking about, a gospel that can redeem and can change people in their hearts. And so we as Christians can rightly stand against a white supremacist shooting, and we also want to stand up for officers that would stop him. What this passage is saying is if you reject The police, you're actually rejecting the sovereign king above who has appointed them and what he's ordained in his goodness for society. The anti-cop movement, Paul would say here, is an anti-God movement, and it's anti-family. God has appointed authority in the family, in the church, in government, for society's stability. We need to hear this, that authorities are instituted And we need to also hear number two, that law enforcement servants, that's the language here, are God's gift for our good. Verse four says, for he is God's servant for your good, that he is the authority from verse three. This is part of God's goodness for our world. And someone might be thinking, but not all cops are good. You know, good cop, bad cop, we've heard of that. Paul knew that. Paul knew personally he had been mistreated, he had been beaten wrongly. He appealed to his rights, even to an officer who was doing that. Paul actually says earlier in this letter, there is none of us who by our nature is good. We're human beings, we're not good on our own. But that's actually another reason to respect and not resist one who bears weapons. Verse one says, be subject, be submissive. Most officers strive to do good, but Paul would have known this. If you're going to meet a bad one, don't provoke his wrath. As a dad, with my sons, I have a son who's black and a son who's white, entering their teen years, talking about things going on in our world, it's my job as a dad to teach them to respect authority. And that's so important for us as parents, to teach our children to respect authority, how to interact rightly with authority in a world that is screaming the opposite. God's word says in verse four, he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid for he does not bear the sword in vain for he is the servant. He says it twice. He is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Any wrongdoer. will face wrath. If police do wrong, there's consequences for them that they should fear and face. No one is above the law. But God, what he's speaking of here, actually goes higher than anything else in this society, which is gonna be imperfect. God sees what surveillance cannot see. God sees what dash cams and body cams cannot see. God sees the heart. And God's word speaks to the heart. There was prejudice in Bible times just as today. There were many Jews who had experienced mistreatment by Romans. And we've got to recognize mistreatment can happen. But if we study the context that Paul is writing to here, it is so much better today. America has come a long way from even things from our past, but the rest of the world. I grew up, as I mentioned earlier, in a third-world country under martial law. I've seen tanks driving through streets. I've been walking through an intersection with my sister who's here, and gunshots start ringing out, and we've got to hide behind something in one of our church services. We don't see this here, but there was a point-blank shooting in one of the churches that we were a part of that my friend saw. I didn't see it. my own eyes. There's a lot of lawlessness there. When people celebrate, they start shooting their guns up in the air. My sister was with a friend who actually is, they're out just playing, and a bullet goes into her foot that someone had shot up in the air. Thankfully, it didn't hit her. Elsewhere, New Year's Eve, 1992, I could tell you a story I don't have time for, but we're driving, and someone is lobbing these big rocks at cars, and it smashes our windshield, and we get out, and he's throwing things at us, and the police come, and they throw the guy down, and they just start beating the tar out of him, and then they took him to the police station, and they just keep punching him, and you have no rights in other countries. like you do have here, the brutality that you would see. I visited fourth world, what I would call fourth world country in Africa and seeing the horrible treatment of people in that country. We need a reality dose of history and other countries. We have it incredibly good here. But even if we don't have all that we have here in America, law enforcement is for our good and it restrains things from being worse. Police are not just government servants, Paul says, they are God's servants. They're God's servants. You say those Roman officers are God's servants? There were not very many Roman officers who were yet trusting in the God of the Bible. But God instituted what they do. And so they are serving His purposes when they do their job and when they do good in their work. And it says they're servants. That language of protecting and serving comes out of Scripture, civil servants. And the language we use comes out of this passage as they serve by protecting men and women and children. Serving is a gift from God. Chapter 12 uses the language of God's gifts and he uses the word serving. It's the same root word used here as he gives gifts to the church. He gives gifts to society as well. And those who serve God in law enforcement are a part of God's gift. And four, are good. Even those who don't know the Lord, even from a society that may largely reject the Lord. This is part of God's good. In chapter 13, verse 6, even talking about taxes and other things, it says at the end of that, authorities are ministers of God. Ministers of God. You who serve as officers, have you ever thought of yourself that way? A minister, an agent, seeking to administer God's peace and justice. Authorities are ministers of God. You who serve in this way are ministers, servants of His. Ministers are not just pastors and priests. You might ask, what's the difference between a pastor and a priest? In my case, it's five kids. And different religion and other things, but whatever faith police officers hold, they are God's ministers. as they do what is good. And so have you ever thought of, and this is good for us who are not in that profession, have you thought of that as a ministry? How God extends His attributes, His goodness, His peace, His justice, and all these things through those who serve in that way. That is a badge of honor. That lifts up What you do is servants of God who works all things together for good. As Cliff read earlier, everything that is happening in the world, he is working together for good, and part of his good is how he is working through those who serve. In fact, if you look at the end of chapter 12, verse 21, it says, it is a good work to not be overcome with evil, but to overcome evil with good. We're called to do that as Christians, but we see God also putting good in place to prevent evil from overcoming us. So what does this mean for us? Number three, we need to submit to and support law enforcement. vast majority of the people in this room, this is what directly, and this applies to all citizens, we need to submit to and support law enforcement. Verse five says, therefore, one must be in subjection. Another translation says, submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment, but also because of conscience. This is the conscience that kicks in when you're driving down the freeway and you see a certain colored vehicle on the side. You know what I'm talking about. Pastor Dale has shared with me, when someone gets saved, the last part of the man that gets redeemed is his right foot on the gas. But that's what this is talking about. And when we're not submitting to the law, there are possible penalties to face, to disrespect officers, even unintentionally. should make us afraid and can bring their wrath or this anger. I remember when I was a student at Masters College, driving down Lions Avenue one evening, we were going to Taco Bell or something, and we didn't have enough seats in the car. So we kind of crowded into my friend's car, and one guy, there wasn't a seat, so he said, I'll just jump in the trunk. So he jumps in the trunk, we're driving down Lyons Avenue, and sure enough, lights come on behind us, and we don't have seatbelts on, and I'm starting to get, I don't know if I can get a ticket for not having my seatbelt on, so I'm trying to get the seatbelt, and I just can't get the seatbelt going. And when the officer comes over, he doesn't talk to the driver, he shines the light in my face. He says, don't you think it's a little late to be trying to put on your seatbelt? And I was nervous, but when he said, don't you think it's a little bit late, I started to look at my watch. And then I kind of realized he wasn't talking about the actual hour. But I incurred his wrath. I incurred his anger. He made me get out of the car. And he says, for you disrespecting an officer, I could write you up right now. And he was actually more mad at me than the driver. And he, I think, I don't know if he was writing a warning or a ticket, but he's writing it on the back of the car, right where the guy is under the trunk. He's writing this ticket and we're just all praying, please, Mike, don't make any noise. We were afraid. We were very afraid, and there is a healthy fear that we need to have when we're not doing what's right. He was already giving us lectures about not having, imagine what if he knew about Mike, what that would have been like. But there is a healthy fear that I think our society has lost, that we need. And there's also a limit to submission for a Christian. Because our conscience is to God over government if they're ever in conflict. Jesus alone is king. We can be thankful for our sheriff and our county here and how they have supported rights of citizens and churches. We praise the Lord for them, but we're called to make sure we're supporting them as well. And I'll get to that in just a moment, how we can do that. But the Paul who is writing this appeal to his rights, he appealed to Caesar. Some people would say the highest authority in our land would be the Constitution. But we're to be subject to authority unless we're being called to violate scripture or our conscience. And we're to support authority by honor and respect. End of verse seven that I read earlier says we're to pay respect to whom it's due honor, to whom honor is due. So how can we honor them? I think by speaking to them, thanking them is a start. Thinking about ways that you can encourage them when you do have opportunity to interact Not everyone is encouraging to them. We as God's people need to be those who are encouraging. You probably know people who serve in this way who are not here, and if you're thinking this might be a good message for them to hear, the service, pass that link on to them to encourage them. Let them know you're praying for them, this is your heart, and what God's word says about their honorable profession. But I think a major way we can support them is by prayer. I love the scripture that Tim Thompson read earlier of Luke 7. In fact, just some ways out of that passage of this Roman officer, this man that's commended by Jesus, I think is a good template for us to pray. Pray for those you know or for officers to highly value the welfare of others. This man highly valued this one who was under him. And I know officers who have that same heart, some of them are in this room, to love their nation. They said of this man, he loves his nation. He's done good for us. Pray that they would be that kind of person and that others would see them that way, that they would be worthy. They said of him, he's a worthy man. He was humble. He didn't even want the Lord to come under his roof. He felt he wasn't even worthy of the Lord. Even though he was a worthy man, he felt unworthy. He was humble. We need to pray that God would help those who serve to be humble. This man understood authority. He talked about how the chain of command works and those who he would tell to do something, but he understands he's under authority. He who has all these under him, when he comes to the Lord, he is putting himself under the Lord. He's submitting to the Lord. So pray. for officers to be those who know authority and who submit to the Lord. And the amazing thing, there's only two people that Jesus used this phrase, that this one has great faith. It was a Gentile woman, a Canaanite, he says she has great faith. I haven't seen this in Israel. And this centurion here, he says, I have not seen such great faith. These are the two of all the people in Israel that Jesus commends of having great faith. We need to pray for those who serve, that they would have great faith. They need great faith for what they face. And we could also look at 1 Timothy 2. Paul says, I urge you, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all of those who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, that we would be peaceful and supportive and be able to do what God has called us to, we need to thank God for those who do that and support that and uplift them. In Jeremiah 29, verse 7, he tells Israel, seek the welfare of the city where you are. This is when they were outside of Israel in another city. Seek the welfare of the city. Pray to the Lord on its behalf. He says, for in its welfare, in the city's welfare, is your welfare. As the Lord blesses cities as we seek their welfare, shalom, the fullness of peace and all that means. That is what we are to do. We as God's people need to speak respectfully of and think rightly about officers and live peaceably, honoring the law, praying regularly for them. What do they need? Above all, we need to end with this, and Tim said it earlier, I think Cliff did as well, they need the Lord and His gospel of grace just like us. They need the Lord. Psalm 127 says, unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stands guard in vain. Or another translation says, unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with centuries will do no good. Watchmen need the Lord. As they guard our cities, they need the Lord, as Isaiah would say, as their rear guard. They need Him to be their shield. So many times in the Psalms, I was looking last night, it talks about how God is our shield, He is our strength. We all need that, but how much more those who serve in danger? And they need the gospel. That's how Paul started Romans. This whole letter starts with, I'm eager to preach to you the gospel because it is the power of God. And Jesus in the gospel said this about himself in John 10, the watchman opens the gate. for him, for the shepherd, and the sheep listened to his voice. Jesus said, I am the gate for the sheep. He who would come through me finds pasture and finds eternal life. In other words, you gotta come through me for eternal life. There's no other way to be saved. And then he says these familiar words. The thief comes only to steal and to destroy. To kill and to destroy. He actually said before that, all who ever came before me were thieves and robbers. The thief comes only to steal and to kill and destroy, but he says, I have come that they might have life and that they might have it to the full. They might have it abundantly. That's why Jesus came to this world that is full of thieves and robbers and those who kill and those who destroy. Jesus came that we might have the opposite of all that. We might have life abundantly, and he says, I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. So as we think about tomorrow, Memorial Day, as we take time tomorrow to rightly remember and respect and honor those who laid down their life serving our country, stopping enemies who would kill and destroy, today we need to end focusing on the Good Shepherd who came not to be served, but who came to serve and to give his life for others. There's no greater love, Jesus said, than someone who would give, lay down his life for his friends. There's no greater love on a human level than someone who would do that, but Jesus is one who laid down his life for his enemies. Romans 5 says, it was while we were enemies, that Christ died for us. It wasn't while we were befriending him, he died for us while we were enemies, while we were still sinners, while we were helpless. Christ came for us, he rescued us, he ransomed us, he brought us out of the bondage of sin, and he did that for us. And so we understand the ultimate solution to robbers, to use that language, the ultimate solution isn't cops, it's Christ. It's Christ who can save a thief and who can change him to be one who works with his hands to do what is good. That's what Ephesians 4 says. Let the one who steals, steal no longer, but let him work with his hands doing good so that he can help others in society who are in need. The Lord's done that with people we know and even some people here, transforming them from their past to now serve in the very same hands that once did evil, now doing good. A retired officer named Tony Miano talked about all the divisions and tensions that we see within ethnicities, within families, within communities. He was on this media interview I listened to not too long ago and he said, the remedy isn't legislation, education, or medication. He said the remedy in scripture is reconciliation. which only God ultimately can do through His gospel if we turn from our sin and put our trust in Him. God's goodness, Paul said earlier in Romans, God's goodness is actually meant to lead us to repentance. His goodness is on display as we've seen in Romans 13 through those who serve, but His goodness ultimately needs to lead us to the one who served and gave His life for us. Because He alone can save or change you. It's not about being a good person. It's not about being a good policeman or a good whatever work you do this week. That doesn't get you to heaven. You can't be good enough. There's no good works that are good enough. I remember talking to a retired officer at our church many years ago. A brother here was with me in that conversation. We were talking to this man, asking him if he knew this abundant life in Christ, if he knew, if he were to die today, was he ready to meet his Lord? And this person said, yeah. And we asked him why. He said, yeah, because I've never, in all my law enforcement career, I never killed anyone. I never had to use my gun to take someone's life. So that's what I am banking on to get me to heaven. He didn't understand grace. He didn't understand his need of it. We've all broken God's law. We explained it to him and we were pleading with him. And what I told him, I tell you, we've all sinned. We all fall short of God's Law and God's glory. And Jesus said even sinful anger and insults can send us to hell. That's Matthew 5. Even our heart anger and lust can do that. But that's why Jesus, as we go through the gospel, he goes to the cross. And the cross is where the gospel brings Jesus together with all kinds of people, as Tim said. And it's striking how often it also brought him into encounters with those in the armed forces or those in law enforcement. So the Israeli authorities put an earlier order out for his arrest before the cross, and we read this in one passage. The temple police came to the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they asked him, why haven't you brought Jesus? And the police answered, no man ever spoke like this man. They were going to arrest him, and he arrested them by how he spoke. And in John 18, some of those same police came with armed forces to Gethsemane with Judas and the Jewish leaders. Jesus says, why are you coming to me with weapons as if I'm a criminal? They interrogate him. They ask if he is Jesus of Nazareth. And this is what happens. There's hundreds of them. Jesus says, I am, and John 18 says, they all fall down. So you've got this whole bunch of officers and Jewish leaders and all these people, and Jesus, by his mere word, speaks, I am, which is the title of deity, and all of them fall down. A fight broke out. An ear was cut off. Some of you who have served in different ways have seen all kinds of crazy things when fights break out. You've probably never seen an ear cut off, or if you have, I can tell you, you haven't seen what comes after that. Jesus picks up the ear, and Jesus puts the ear back on the guy's head, and it's perfectly healed. And these officers are watching all of this. These officers can't explain why all of a sudden they all got knocked down when he said, but they're following their orders. These arresting officers were on the ground, and I think that's to show that Jesus is actually in charge here. He's the king, and he's gonna come willingly, because he put himself under the authority of his father's will. Even in Gethsemane, whatever is your will be done. So Mark 15 says, they took him into custody, and it says the whole battalion gathered. The battalion in those days was 600 men, 600 men and it says some of them at least were saluting him in mockery. And they were beating him. You want to talk about brutality. These were, you read about how they beat Jesus and covered his face and are punching his face. There was injustice. There was illegal and an illegitimate trial by the Jewish authorities. There was an inhumane flogging by the Roman authorities and there is the inciting of a riot. All of this is happening and this one Jesus who has all authority in heaven and on earth, he is laying down his own life for sin. They didn't take it, he says, I have the authority to lay down my life and the authority to take it back up. So he lets those officers take him to a cross, lets them nail him to a cross. They're at the foot of the cross dividing up his robes, it says. And these officers, these Roman law enforcers, hear him say, and they watch all of this, they hear him say, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. They were there close by, that was their job. They would have heard him talking to this other thief on the cross. And they would see the change in this other man. He had been one of their most wanted criminals along with Barabbas and now this man over here is changed and he is telling the other criminal, don't you realize we're being judged rightly? This man has done nothing wrong and he begins to plead with Jesus that Jesus would have mercy on him and remember him when he comes into the kingdom and Jesus promises him, this day you will be with me in paradise. These soldiers would have heard Jesus also say, as his mother's standing there, John, take care of this woman. Mary, this is your son now, he says. They would have heard all of that and seen it. They would have seen the sky turn dark for three hours. They would have probably heard a report from other troops that the temple, I don't know how to explain it, but we got reports that the temple actually, the veil was torn from top to bottom. How can that happen? This is all while Jesus is dying. There's this great earthquake that everyone felt. And a superior officer over the whole operation. was shaken and he was changed. And this is what Luke's gospel says. Luke's gospel also talks about the thief on the cross. When the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God and said, certainly this was a righteous man. Other translations say, he praised God. Mark's Gospel adds, when the centurion who stood facing him saw in the way that he breathed his last, he said, truly this man was the Son of God. Mark's Gospel purpose statement is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. But you know who actually uses that phrase in Mark's Gospel? For the first time is this centurion, this man who says, this is the Son of God. He declares it. Conrad Jensen was a captain, now retired, of one of New York's roughest police precincts, the 23rd, and he wrote a letter to Life Magazine. 1900 years ago, a centurion, a police captain like myself, stood by the foot of the cross and made this statement. Truly, this was the Son of God. He just witnessed the crime of all crimes. No doubt he was reluctant to carry out the order to crucify this just person. Maybe he saw the peace of God in the face of that thief next to him. He says this, if America ever needed something simple and uncomplex, it is now the preaching of the cross. The vitals of America are being chewed out by lawlessness and sin, but salvation comes by faith in the sinless Son of God. He understood what Hebrews 2.10 says, that Jesus is the captain of our salvation. But you know the cross isn't the end of the story. And I can't end there. There's a security detail that's put at the tomb for 24 hour watch. The one over them, the authority over them said, make it as secure as you know how. And you better believe they did that. Their squad shuts down all access. They seal off the grave. They secure the perimeter. But there's a higher command center in heaven. And there's an angel of some rank that is dispatched to come to the scene. And his job, his orders are to roll away the stone and to say, he is risen indeed. And those guards fear and they fall down as if dead. The gospels have a lot to say and a lot to do with law enforcement and with all peoples. And it was mentioned by Tim earlier in the book of Acts, we read of a third centurion come to saving faith, a man named Cornelius, the first Gentile Christian that we see in the book of Acts, who wasn't a Jewish convert Gentile. You can keep going in Acts, the officer on jail duty with Paul sees his testimony and says, what must I do to be saved? And the answer is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the first jail ministry. just like some in our church minister that same message in our county jail. Paul made an impact on many other officers in Acts, and in his house arrest, various ones are basically handcuffed to him, even as he's writing the letters of the New Testament, he's sharing the gospel, even some of the praetorian guard are coming to faith. So I hope this encourages you with how much the gospel has to say to all of us. and to those of you who serve and protect. Let me pray. Our great and gracious God, our good God, we thank you for your goodness. I pray, Lord, that you would help each of us to know how we might respond to these important words from your word. and that we would even encourage in our time here today those who are among us, whether they're a regular part of our church or guests, and that we would encourage all those we don't know and all people we see this week with your gospel. We pray this in the name of Christ, our captain. Amen.