Video from class

video

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

1. From the bible (

a. Respect and Appreciate the Civil Authority

i. God of all the earth (has all Authority over all appointed authority)

1. Isaiah 42:5 “Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it:”

2. Isaiah 45:18 “For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.”

“For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else” (Isa. 45:18). Here God says that He did not create the earth “in vain,” and the Hebrew word is tohu, which is the same word we found in Genesis 1:2. God did not create the earth without form and void. God created this universe a cosmos, not a chaos. This is the thing which Isaiah is attempting to make clear. He created it not tohu va bohu, but the earth became tohu va bohu. God formed the earth to be inhabited, and it was God who came to this wreck and made it a habitable place for mankind.

J. Vernon McGee

3. Acts 17:23 “for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:”

ii. Jesus says that his Kingdom is separate from an Earthly kingdom.

1. John 18:36 “Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.””

iii. Guy makes a claim that God never intended His spiritual Kingdom to provide the earthly oversight and administrative functions of civil governments.

1. Are not intended to be the enforcer who punishes people when they break God’s religious laws.

iv. Guy also a claim God never intended for Christians to make their civil governments into religious governments.

b. Civil Governments

i. Are instituted and authorized by God, even the ones that refuse to acknowledge God’s authority.

1. Acts 17:26 “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,”

2. Daniel 2:20–21 “Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.”

3. Daniel 4:17 “‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.’”

4. John 19:11 “Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.””

a. Instruction for the Christian's attitude toward government

i. Subjection

1. Romans 13:1–4 “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, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.”

2. 1 Peter 2:13–17 “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”

c. When does the Christian disobey the Government

i. Daniel 3

1. There disobedience was praised

ii. Acts 4:18–20 “So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.””

1. We can not but speak about what we have heard

iii. Preach

iv. Disobeying Government

1. God never expects His people to obey civil government when that government interferes with their ability to worship or serve Him

2. The disobedience is limited to actually doing God’s will

d. We are called to pray for the Government

i. 1 Timothy 2:1–2 “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”

ii. “God never says to change the government”( although we as Americans have a stewardship as part of the Sovereign “we the people”)

e. We (pay taxes)

i. Romans 13:5–7 “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.”

f. Never Rebel(is the claim)

i. Exodus 22:28 ““You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.”

ii. Proverbs 17:11 “An evil man seeks only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.”

iii. Proverbs 24:21–22 “My son, fear the Lord and the king; Do not associate with those given to change; For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin those two can bring?”

iv. Ecclesiastes 2:10 “Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor.”

1. Acts 23:5 “Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”

2. Is Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

really saying not partipate in Government affairs

3. Does Romans 8:5 “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”

mean that people that particapte in government affairs are not living according to the spirit

4. 2 Timothy 2:4 “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”

no soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

a. “In Short, Christians must focus on the Kingdom of God, and never become distracted by civil affairs in the kingdom of men. Rather, we must set our minds on the things of the Spirit, and keep our minds off the things of the flesh. Getting entangled in civilian pursuits keeps us from pleasing God, to whom we owe everything we have.”

Proverbs 31