Romans - Chapter 13
THE SUBMISSION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS – THE LAW OF LOVE
ROMANS 13:1-14
APPLICATION: Jesus always submitted to his father’s will, and He is our example. Christians show obedience to God by submitting to God ordained authority.
WE COME TODAY TO A VERY PRACTICAL LESSON. IT DEALS WITH HOW THE CHRISTIAN BELIEVER SHOULD CONDUCT HIMSELF TOWARD GOVERNMENT AND ITS RULES.
OUR FIRST TEACHING IN TODAY’S LESSON IS THAT OUR CHURCH AND ALL OTHER CHURCHES ARE NOT ORDAINED BY GOD TO BE THE AGENTS OF POLITICAL CHANGE.
CHURCHES ARE ORDAINED BY GOD TO BE THE MEANS BY WHICH HIS WILL IS ORDAINED AND IMPLEMENTED IN HIS CREATION.
ALL BELIEVERS ARE ULTIMATELY CITIZENS OF HEAVEN, LIVING ONLY TEMPORARILY ON THE EARTH AS RENTERS OF OUR PORTION OF GOD’S WORLD UNTIL WE ARE BLESSED TO GO HOME.
WITH THE LORD AS OUR GUIDE THROUGH HIS HOLY SPIRIT AND HIMSELF AS OUR LANDLORD IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO BEHAVE IN A WAY PLEASING TO HIM AS LONG AS WE ARE HERE.
EACH OF US IS ALSO CHARGED WITH THE MISSION TO BRING HONOR TO OUR TITLE OF “CHRISTIAN” AS WE CONTINUE TO LIVE IN THE WORLD BUT ARE NOT OF THE WORLD.
THE SECOND STRONG LESSON WE GAIN FROM TODAY’S MESSAGE IS THAT THE GOVENRMENTS OF MAN ARE RAISED UP BY GOD HIMSELF AND WE ARE TO RECOGNIZE THIS FACT BY OUR BEHAVIOR TOWARD THOSE GOVERNMENTS.
JESUS, AS IN ALL OTHER THINGS, LEAD THE WAY IN THIS MATTER BY EXAMPLE.
IN JOHN 19:11 WHEN CONFRONTED BY PILATE WHO REMINDED JESUS THAT HE HELD POWER OVER HIM INCLUDING THE POWER OF LIFE OR DEATH, JESUS ASNWERED PILATE THAT HE HAD NO POWER OVER HIM THAT HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN FROM ABOVE.
IN MATTHEW 17:27 JESUS TOLD PETER THAT NO OFFENSE SHOULD BE GIVEN TO AUTHORITY AND SHOWED PETER A MIRACLE WAY TO PROVIDE THE MONEY FOR THE TEMPLE TAX.
THE PRINCIPLE OF THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN BELIEVER IN A WORLD OF GOVERNMENTS IS DIRECT AND WELL TAUGHT IN THIS CHAPTER OF ROMANS.
WE ARE ALWAYS TO OBEY THE AUTHORITIES OVER US UNLESS THOSE AUTHORITIES COMMAND US TO DO SOMETHING GOD FORBIDS, OR FORBIDS US TO DO SOMETHING THAT GOD COMMANDS.
WE ARE NOT TO DISOBEY CIVIL AUTHORITIES BECAUSE OF INCONVENIENCE OR SUPERFICIAL DISAGREEMENT WITH THEIR WISDOM.
AT THE SAME TIME WE ARE NOT TO GIVE SLAVISH OBEDIENCE TO ANY AUTHORITY WHO CLEARLY WORKS AGAINST THE WORD OF GOD.
THE POINT WE MUST BE SURE OF IS THAT WE ARE TO BE OBEDIENT TO GOD OVER MAN, EVEN IF THAT OBEDIENCE BRINGS US INTO CONFLICT WITH OUR LEADERS.
WHEN PETER WAS ORDERED NOT TO PREACH THE GOSPEL ANY LONGER HE STRONGLY DISOBEYED. WHEN HE WAS CONFRONTED ABOUT THIS DISOBEDIENCE HE CLEARLY STATED THAT HE WAS TO OBEY GOD NOT MAN.
IN THIS REGARD THIS IS LIKELY A GOOD TIME TO REMIND OURSELVES THAT WHILE WE ARE TAUGHT BY SCRIPTURE TO SEEK OBEDIENCE TO AUTHORITIES AS LONG AS THAT OBEDIENCE FOLLOWS OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORD, THERE ARE TIMES THAT A GREATER GOOD MUST PREVAIL.
REMEMBER AGAIN THE EXAMPLE OF PILATE WHEN HE ASKED OF JESUS “WHAT IS TRUTH?”
WE SHOULD NOT FORGET THE EXAMPLES GIVEN US IN HOLY SCRIPTURE OF THOSE WHO SERVED THE WILL OF GOD ABOVE THE WILL OF THEIR OWN CIVIL AUTHORITIES.
RAHAB LIED TO PROTECT JOSHUA AND HIS PEOPLE AND WAS INCLUDED IN THE ROLL CALL OF THE SAINTS IN HEBREWS 11:31.
THE MIDWIVES OF EGYPT WHO WERE INSTRUCTED BY PHAROH TO KILL EVERY HEBREW MALE NEWBORN DID NOT OBEY AND LIED TO THEIR AUTHORITIES ABOUT IT.
EXODUS 1:20 TEACHES US THAT BECAUSE OF THAT, GOD DEALT WELL WITH THE MIDWIVES.
ROMANS 13:7 ALLOWS US UNDERSTANDING OF THIS ISSUE BY COMMANDING TRIBUTE TO THOSE WHOM TRIBUTE IS DUE.
THE CHILD OF GOD IS LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT WHICH PROVIDES HE OR SHE WITH A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF GOOD VS. EVIL. IT IS SIMPLY A MATTER OF RIGHT VS. WRONG.
PAUL EVEN USES THE WONDERFUL WORDS OF DARKNESS VS. LIGHT IN VERSE 12, TEACHING US TO PUT OFF THE DARKNESS THAT MAY BE BROUGHT BY CORRUPT HUMAN GOVERNMENT AND TO PUT ON THE LIGHT OF PERFECT GOVERNMENT WHICH WILL BE BROUGHT BY JESUS AT HIS RETURN.
HE ALSO REMINDS US VERY CAREFULLY OF THE OBLIGATION WE HAVE TO OBEY THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, + THE EXTRA OBLIGATION CHRIST GAVE US TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
PAUL FINDS IT NECESSARY TO REMIND US OF THOSE THINGS WE ARE NEVER TO DO IN VERSE 13, WHICH ARE TO INVOLVE OURSELVES IN THE CHACTERISTICS OF EVIL LIVING.
HE CLOSES THAT THOUGHT WITH THE CONSTANT TEACHING TO PUT ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND MAKE NOT PROVISON FOR THE FLESH.
PAUL GIVES US A LESSON IN THESE LAST FEW VERSES OF CHAPTER 13 THAT ARE AS ALIVE TODAY AS THEY WERE IN HIS OWN DAY.
HE SAYS THAT OUR PRIMARY AND FIRST FOCUS OF LIFE IS TO OBEY THE LORD, DO HIS WILL, AND NOT TO MAKE A PLACE IN OUR LIVES FOR THOSE THINGS THAT TEMPT US TO LEAD US AWAY FROM CHRIST.
MY GRANDMOTHER USED SUCH LESSONS WHEN SHE WAS RAISING ME.
SHE ONCE TOLD ME THAT IF A MAN WANTED TO OVERCOME DRUNKENESS, HE SHOULD NOT TIE HIS HORSE IN FRONT OF THE SALOON.
MARTIN LUTHER SPOKE OF THIS LESSON ALSO WHEN HE SAID THAT HE COULD NOT STOP SPARROWS FROM FYLING OVER HIS HEAD, BUT HE COULD STOP THEM FROM NESTING IN HIS HAIR.
OUR PRIMARY PURPOSE OF LIFE ON EARTH AFTER SALVATION IS TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL.
IF WE LIVE BY THE TEACHING OF THE LORD AND HIS PROPHETS AND APOSTLES, OUR LIVES WILL DISPLAY THAT GOSPEL EVERY DAY.
WE WILL BECOME SUCH A MIRROR OF THE LORD’S WAY THAT ALL WHO SEE US WILL KNOW WHAT WE ARE AND WILL WANT TO BE LIKE US.
JESUS LED US BY HIS EXAMPLE WHILE HE WAS HERE AND AS WE SEEK TO FOLLOW HIM WE CAN LEAD OTHERS STRAIGHT TO HIM.
SOMETIMES THE BEST EVANGELIST IS A LIFE WELL LIVED.
A GREAT TEACHER IN THE EARLY CHURCH WROTE THAT WE ARE TO PREACH THE GOSPEL DAILY, AND WE SHOULD USE WORDS ONLY IF NECESSARY.
I BELIEVE THIS IS THE STRONG LESSON OF ROMANS 13.
