Let us then turn in God's words to Romans 13. Romans 13, as we continue our study of Romans, as we continue to look at how we live as Christians in this world. Of course, we've been talking about as we look at Romans, first of all, we look at our sin and misery. Second of all, we look at how we are redeemed. And we're in the third part of the book of Romans as we look at how do we live then as those who have been redeemed. And this morning looks at how we are to deal with governments. So let us hear together the word of Almighty God in Romans chapter 13. Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority, resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid. For he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is God's minister and avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore, you must be subject, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience sake. For because of this, you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due, taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. Thus far the reading of God's word, may he add his blessing to our consideration of it. This morning, brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, this text is fairly difficult for us as human beings. Controversial, that's the word I was looking for there. It is a text which tells us to be subject to the governing authorities. And we live in a very anti-authoritarian culture today. Somebody tells me to do something, And what's my first response? No way. I got a better idea. Well, guess what God says. And people look for ways around this text. And we have to understand who brings authority. Where do the authorities come from? From God. And so we as Christians do not have the right to overthrow authority. Our right is to be obedient to God. And God is the one who turns the hearts of the rulers as he wishes. We as human beings, and I hear this so often in our culture, as I talk to people, oh, we can't do anything. Yes, we can. We can pray. That is the most powerful thing. We are certainly called to vote, to exercise our abilities in that reign. But the final fact is we need to be in subjection to the authorities placed over us. Whether that be in the church, whether that be in the government. And we have to understand that God is the one who protects us, who cares for us. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good. And we're going to look at the implications of that as we look at this passage this morning. And we have to understand as we look back in our nation, we have to ask the question of the righteousness of revolution. Now, very good things came out of the revolution, but I have to ask the question and According to ethics, I wonder before God. And yet God uses many things for the good, even things where we were perhaps not always right. So brothers and sisters, as we look at this passage of God's word, God calls his peoples to subjection to the authorities he has placed over them. That's the theme that we want to see. God calls his people to subjection to the authorities he has placed over them. In verses one through two, we are called to be subject to the governing authorities. In verses three and four, we're called to do good for conscience sake. And in verses five through seven, we see that we are to render to authorities their due. So we are to be subject to the governing authorities. Remember that Paul writes this not in the context of a constitutional republic that was set up with Christian foundations. He writes this under the authority of the Roman government that would, in a few years, put him to death. So this is not academic to Paul. We are called to be subject to the governing authorities. All authority comes from God. Notice what Jesus said to Pilate. John 19 verse 11, Jesus answered, you could have no power at all against me unless it had been given to you from above. Therefore, the one who delivered me to you has the greater sin. And so Jesus says that and notices, well, When Jesus speaks to the Sanhedrin, He does not speak, though He is God, from an earthly perspective. He speaks with honor to them. And we have to realize that. And the apostles as well. The same sort of thing. All authority comes from God. And so we are to place ourselves under their authority. We are not to resist Resisting that authority is resisting God. Now it makes an important question about revolution. The ethics of revolution are not as easy as we Americans want them to be. We must be very careful as subjects under what authorities God has placed over us. Exodus 22, 28, you shall not revile God nor curse a ruler of your people. And now how many times do we get into that? Cursing this one. Telling them this, that, or the other thing. Remember, Rome's government was much worse than ours. Nepal would be put to death by Nero Caesar not long after writing this. The persecution of God's church by the Romans would last approximately 320 years. But guess what happened after 320 years? Rome became a Christian country. You realize that? Who is in authority? Who is in power? Think about David again. If anybody had the right of revolution, David did, didn't he? He'd been anointed by God! What did David do? March in? Tell Saul, get out of here? You're doing a terrible job as king. He waited 30 years to be seated on the throne of Israel after having been anointed by God. We have to understand that we need to be on our knees. We need to be praying for a revolution of the truth. within our nation. Yes, we need to be acting in those capacities that we can. We do need Christians in government. As you say, it's so dirty. Yes, I know it's so dirty and messed up. But we as Christians need to be operated by Christian principles in how we do government. And no, we then do not run the other direction and let the evil people run it. What in the world? We need Christians to go into those offices and not to hide it in the corner, saying, well, I may be a Christian, but it's not going to affect how I rule. No. How we are as Christians needs to affect how we do things in public. Remember also, at the time of the Reformation, what Luther said when he was faced by the authorities, civil and church authorities, who said, you need to recant, you need to say that these writings of yours, which were biblical, you need to recant those. And they had all the weapons. And I love what Luther says. It's safer over here. It's safer to be obedient to God than it is to go on the side with all the earthly weapons. God protects. God takes care of His people. How many times do we need to read the Old Testament to be reminded that God is the one who protects us? Not man. Not our abilities. Not weapons. God is. And resisting authority brings judgment. And here's where the ethics get even more sticky. Resisting the authorities which God has set over us, even those which persecute the church, seems to bring the judgment not only of those authorities, but of God on us. What? Jump back to Ezra 7, verse 26. Whoever will not observe the law of the Lord your God and the law of the King, Let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be death or banishment or confiscation of goods or imprisonment. Resisting will certainly bring the judgment of that authority on us. We are to be subject to the governing authorities. Now, next, we need to be doing this for conscience sake. That's what verses three and four tell us. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do we want to be unafraid of the authorities? Do what is good. Now, interesting there. We're not talking what is legal. Because sometimes what is good is not legal, and sometimes what is legal is not good. We need to have a moral compass that does not follow the foolish laws of our society. We have the moral compass set by God. And so, we need to do good. Instead of fighting, we are to be the best citizens of the country. Ephesians 6 verse 6, not with eye service as men's pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. Now, very interesting, I have a hobby, I haven't spent time on it much recently, but I like to read literature that came out of the old Soviet Union, out of the Gulag, out of the Soviet Free Press, which is kind of an interesting identity in itself. I won't spend time on that. If someone wants to hear about it, they can talk to me at a different time. But they would write books about things that went on in the Gulag and one of them wrote a book about the effects of communism. And the official policy in the Soviet Union was to stamp out religion, to stamp out especially Christianity. And many Christians were sent to the Gulag. But the officials had to admit that the Christians were the most productive, the best citizens they had. Peter writes, 1 Peter 2, verse 12, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. Notice a couple of things there. They are going to speak, it doesn't say if they speak, it says when they speak evil of you, against you as evildoers. They may by your good works, which they observe. They're gonna see it even if they don't want to. glorify God when in the day of visitation. This is going to have an effect that's going to call people to faith in Jesus Christ. When we are subject to the governing authorities. Now notice, subject only in the Lord. When someone in authority tells us to break God's commandments, notice God's commandments, not just something that we don't like to do, we must disobey. When the commander tells us to shoot the prisoners, we can't. When there are other things that we are to be the agent in, not only there do we have the opportunity to disobey, we have the necessity because God is the final authority. But notice that the government is God's minister. on him who practices evil. He is the minister to good for those who do good, protecting good citizens from enemies outside and inside, from criminals in the nation. 2 Chronicles 19.6, and he said to the judges, take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man, but for the Lord who is with you in the judgment. The government is supposed to judge according to God's standards. Of course they fail miserably in that, but that's the ideal. And for avenging him who practices evil. Notice what Paul says here. If we practice evil, we are to be afraid of the governing authorities. Punishment will come. But notice what the form of that punishment can be. For they do not bear the sword in vain there, verse four. Now that's, The only meaning of this is that God has given the authority of justice and even of capital punishment of physical life and death. To the government, that doesn't mean they get it right every time, does it? What if they get it wrong with me? I kind of like living. God's good enough for that. We need to understand that. But capital punishment. is what people who do kidnapping, rape, and murder. I'm sorry. That is the judgment that those people need to receive. God's minister on him who practices evil. They do not bear the sword in vain. They are to avenge wrath on him who practices evil. Those who commit those sorts of crimes do not have a right to live on God's good green earth anymore. And he who practices evil is supposed to face the music before the courts and the justice of the nation. And yet, what do we do? We don't do that because there's danger that we might get in trouble. We do it for conscience sake. Because we're Christians, we do good. Not because we're gonna get in trouble, but because we are obedient to God who has saved us from judgment. And then he tells us that we are to render to the authorities their due, verses five through seven. We need to be subject for conscience sake. Therefore, you must be subject, verse 5, not because of wrath, but also for conscience sake. And because of that conscience, verse 6, you also pay taxes. Christians are not to have to fear the sword we were just speaking of, because Christians are to be obedient subjects of who we are as Christians. Not because of earthly consequences. Ecclesiastes 8, verse 2, I say, keep the king's commandment for the sake of your oath to God. Keeping the commandment of the king is about serving God, not man. Colossians 3, 23, and whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men. We need to be subject for conscience sake. Now we talk about paying taxes. That's a sore point. It hurts. I know it's not popular, but it's the command of God. Because of this, you also pay taxes for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. They are the government is to continually being attending to justice and to protect us from those who do evil and Therefore, we are to pay the taxes that are required. Jesus said, Matthew 22, 15 and following, Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that you are a true teacher and teach the way of God in truth. Nor do you care about anyone, for you do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay Caesar's taxes to Caesar or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness and said, why do you test me, you hypocrites? Show me the tax money. So they brought him a denarius. And he said to them, whose image and inscription is this? They said to him, Caesar's. And he said to them, render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things which are God's. When they heard these words, they marveled and left him and went their way. Notice, whose image and inscription is on that? Caesar's. of the king, of the Caesar. Render therefore to Caesar. Now people try to get behind this further, and of course Caesar is made in the image of God, and so the government does need to render to God, but notice the point of what Jesus is making, is that the image and inscription is that of the government, and we are to render taxes then. render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's. Well, what image and inscription is on you and me? We're made in the image of God. What do we do with our bodies? We are to render to God the things that are God's. And so, we don't have a right, oh well, they're going to use it for terrible things. You think that the Roman government was not using the money rendered to them for terrible things? That's much worse nowadays though, right? No, I'm sorry it isn't. Render to all their due. Now, if we can avoid having to pay taxes, we get out the accountant and make sure we don't have to pay things. But brothers and sisters, we need to be legal about that. We need to be obedient for conscience sake. Therefore, if the tax shelter is questionable, I had that opportunity this year on taxes. I said, no, not because I'm so good, but because God reminded me, hey, no, don't do it. And the same thing is true. We need to be careful that we render to Caesar, the things that are Caesar's and to God, the things that are God's. And so we are to pay as well, fear and honor. Render therefore, verse seven, to all their due, taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. So when I'm going through the situation going into and out of the Congo, And, you know, being in the Congo for a week, it's okay. It's a little interesting seeing everybody with AK-47s walking around. But you're walking through the metal detectors on the way out of town, and to get into the airport, I tell you what, there's a level of fear there. And we render to them fear. But the final fear, of course, goes to God, because he is the one that if we do not respect Him correctly, we receive eternal judgment. And so, brothers and sisters, this has implications for all of our lives. Paul writes, Acts 24.16, This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. We need, as Christians, to strive to have a conscience that is without offense. toward God and man. We need as Christians to serve God in how we deal with the civil government. As I said, this is probably not going to be real popular. I'm sorry. It's what God says. That's my job, my duty. Render to Caesar the things that are Caesars, render to God the things that are God. Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities because the authority doesn't come from man. It comes from God. And we do that for conscience sake as Christians, not because we might be picked up. Amen. Let us then bow before our God in prayer and we'll close this prayer together with the Lord's prayer. Almighty and most gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you that the place of obedience to you is the place of blessing. And we thank you, Lord, that you tell us how we are to live in this world. And we pray, Lord, that we would not think ourselves wiser than you to come up with our own ways. We pray, O Lord, that we would be subject to those who are authorities over us for conscience sake, because it is the Christian thing to do. And we do pray, O Lord, for those who rule over us, those who are an authority over us. And we especially pray, Lord, that we would provide for us Christian leaders who would govern in a Christian manner in this nation and across this world. that wickedness would be cast down and foolishness would be cast aside. And we pray Lord that you would bring the wicked schemes of those who seek to overthrow your church even today. As a psalmist so often prays that you would bring those schemes down upon their own heads. And we praise you Lord that you are the final authority and that you rule over all things perfectly. And so, Lord, we pray that you would turn the hearts of rulers, that they would be in subject to you, subjection to you. And we thank you, Lord, that you are the one who is able to do that. And we pray, Lord, that our trust would be in you for everything. and that our trust would be in you, indeed, even with regard to our civil authorities. We praise you, Lord. We thank you that we have a home, that we are pilgrims in this world looking forward to eternal home, looking forward to eternal joy. And we pray, O Lord, that you would give us grace upon this earth to serve you in the places you place us. through this veil of tears. And we praise You, Lord Jesus, that You have purchased that eternal home for us. And we pray as You taught us to pray, saying, Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.