Sermon Tone Analysis

If you want to start up a good argument … start talking about ___________ or ______________ (Fill in Blanks)

Either one … you choose

If you want a war … bring your religion into your politics … SLIDES

Some Good Quotes

Frank Herbert - Science Fiction Writer

John Danforth - Politician

Mark Twain

Weird Al Yankovick

Facebook

Two Other Quotes

Few things cause as much difficulty than the unholy alliance between Religion and Politics

i.e.

The Crusades; The Inquisition; Apartheid; Christianity was used to defend slavery;

Think also of the linkage … when someone hears of Christians …they connect them with a certain political party

One think I have never done in all my years in ministry is tell anyone how to vote … I never will.

But if you want to understand the true relationship between God and Government … you might want to hear Jesus.

Context of our text:

Last week of Jesus’ life

Tension mounting … Jewish Leaders trying to entrap Jesus

Luke 19:48

They were chomping at the Bit to Kill this Man

The more people listened to Jesus … the more the control of the religious leaders slipped away.

The leaders had a Brilliant Idea …

Word “Watched” … watched scrupulously … watch closely

Pretended - acted with deliberate deception

Catch = Grasp with violence

Now we come to the Q&A

The question is a set up

These hypocrites were the epitome of what the Psalmist described …

Psalm 55:21

Their question was designed to discredit Him … they did this before to no avail …

They thought they had Him cornered …

Remember … we are talking about Middle Eastern Politics … not much has changed.

If He answered “Yes” … he would be considered a Traitor to the Jewish cause

If He answered “NO” … He would be guilty of subverting Roman Rule (Rome didn't like that)

He would have been immediately arrested by Rome

Jesus wasnt fooled

Craftiness = Trickery; Cunning

Same word used in ...

2 Cor.

Love Jesus’ response to their cunning …

A Denarius = a day-labourers daily wage

Jesus again answers a question with a question …

On the coin it read in abbreviated form “Tiberius Caesar, son of the Divine Augustus, Augustus.”

It was Caesar’s coin … no question about it.

They were part of the Roman Economy …Caesar had claim on their economic lives.

Jesus’ dramatic Response -

Luke 20:

Look at the reaction:

Jesus answered both questions … and both duties …

What belongs to Caesar is Caesar’s

What belongs to God belongs to Him

We need to ask …

FIRST

What are the things that are Caesar’s?

Paying our taxes

David Platt -

So Jesus is clearly not teaching that His followers should disregard government.

Instead, government’s there for a reason, and there are some things, Jesus says, that are rightfully due to government.

And so paying taxes was not just permissible; it was morally obligatory for followers of Christ to pay taxes, even to a pagan king.

Platt, D. (2014).

The Gospel and Religious Liberty.

In David Platt Sermon Archive (p.

4447).

Birmingham, AL: David Platt.

Norval Geldenhuys comments:

In this reply there is no evasion of the question put to Him but a clear and straightforward declaration that they must pay Caesar tribute and everything due to him as their ruler.

Under God’s providence the course of history has been so arranged that they have been brought under Roman domination, and through their free use of Caesar’s coins they have shown that they acknowledge Caesar as their earthly ruler, and therefore they are under the obligation to pay to Caesar what is due to him.

Ryken, P. G. (2009).

Luke.

(R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.) (Vol.

2, p. 367).

Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.

Jesus is speaking of the Roman Empire … cruel, oppressive, persecuting.

Pay taxes to them?

Yes!

When Paul wrote Romans … Nero was emperor

It is our duty to pay our taxes … honestly and completely

Praying for our leaders

Important to Christian life …

Pray for your leaders … even if you don’t care for them … even if you didn't vote for them

Pray rather than gripe and complain … Pray rather than disparage them

Pray that God will bless them and give them wisdom

… This is Good and pleasing in the sight of God

Pray for our PM; MP’s; Premier; MPP’s, Local Government; etc.

Pray that they will govern wisely and with justice

Practicing Civil Obedience

Romans 13

We owe our government submission

Submission to the Laws of our land

In the words of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, “The Gospel does not introduce any new laws about the civil estate, but commands us to obey the existing laws, whether they were formulated by the heathen or by others, and in this obedience to practice love” (Article 16).

When I first moved to Canada … the US had reinstituted the selective service registration … for the US draft for the Military.

I used to get razzed as a draft dodger … it was then I would reach into my wallet and show them my registration card … I kept them informed of my whereabouts.

We are obligated as believers to obey the laws of the land … traffic laws; immigration laws; tax laws; real estate laws;

Of course, there are some exceptions to this.

We are not obligated to do anything immoral, or anything that directly conflicts with the revealed will of God.

Nor can we ever give up our duty to share the gospel, whatever the government may say.

Thus there may be times when, as a matter of conscience, we have to say what Peter and John said to the Sanhedrin: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

Acts 5:29

This being the case … there are extraordinary circumstances when we must suffer the consequences of the law in quiet submission

IN every other circumstance we owe Caesar our quiet submission!!!!