How to Pray for Our Government

The Book of Acts - Part 80

Acts 22:22-23:10

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - March 29, 2015

*Church: We need to pray for our government. We need to pray for our leaders. That's what the Apostle Paul urges us to do 1 Timothy 2:1-6. There, Paul said:

1. Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,

2. for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

3. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

4. who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

5. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

6. who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

*When we think about our great history, we can be sure that God's people were praying. When we think about the Biblical principles upon which our nation was founded, and the godly men who led us so well, we can be sure God's people were praying. And when we think about the soldiers who served and sacrificed for our freedom, we can be sure God's people were praying.

*Now we should be praying for our country, and tonight's Scripture shows us how to pray.

1. First: Pray for a government that protects the innocent.

*In these verses Paul was an innocent man very much in need of protection. And he got that protection from the soldiers of Rome.

*Earlier in this chapter, a bloodthirsty mob of Jews quieted down long enough to listen to part of Paul's Christian testimony. But when Paul told the crowd that God had sent him to the hated, heathen Gentiles, vs. 22-24 say:

22. . . they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!''

23. Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air,

24. the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him.

*Acts 23:10 tells us that the next day, a great disagreement arose between the Jewish religious parties. And the Roman commander "fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks."

*Good government should protect the innocent, and that's the kind of government to pray for.

*Most of us know that during the Vietnam War, John McCain was held prisoner by an ungodly, Communist government. Here is a small part of his testimony from that time:

-"In the final years of our imprisonment, the North Vietnamese moved us from small cells with one or two prisoners to large rooms with as many as 30-40 men to a room. We preferred this situation for the companionship and strength we could draw from our fellow prisoners.

*In addition to moving us to new quarters, our captors also let us receive packages and letters from home. Many men received word from their families for the first time in several years. The improved conditions were a result of public pressure put on the North Vietnamese by the American public.

*In our cell was one Navy officer, Lt. Commander Mike Christian. Over a period of time Mike had gathered bits and pieces of red and white cloth from various packages. Using a piece of bamboo, he had fashioned into a needle, Mike sewed a United States flag on the inside of his shirt, one of the blue pajama tops we all wore.

*Every night in our cell, Mike would put his shirt on the wall, and we would say the pledge of allegiance. I know that the pledge of allegiance may not be the most important aspect of our day now. But I can tell you that at the time it was the most important aspect of our lives. This had been going on for some time until one of the guards came in as we were reciting our pledge. They ripped the flag off the wall and dragged Mike out. He was beaten for several hours and then thrown back into the cell.

*Later that night, as we were settling down to sleep on the concrete slabs that were our beds, I looked over to the spot where the guards had thrown Mike. There, under the solitary light bulb hanging from the ceiling, I saw Mike. Still bloody and his face swollen beyond recognition, Mike was gathering bits and pieces of cloth together. He was sewing a new American flag." (1)

*Two things about that story: Thank God we live in a country where soldiers don't beat you up because you hang a flag on the wall! We are free to say the pledge or not say the pledge. We are free to worship God or not worship, without the fear of being beaten. Thank God for that! And remember that we have our freedom today because men like Mike Christian took beatings and worse for us.

2. But pray for a government that protects the innocent. And pray for a government that is patient in securing justice.

*We don't want a government that rushes to judgment. But that's exactly what the Roman soldiers were doing in Acts 22:24-29:

24. the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him.

25. And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?''

26. When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, "Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.''

27. Then the commander came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman?'' He said, "Yes.''

28. And the commander answered, "With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.'' And Paul said, "But I was born a citizen.''

29. Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

*Those soldiers were rushing to judgment. They were going to scourge Paul to get to the bottom of the riot. But God used Paul's Roman citizenship to protect him.

*William Barclay explained: "The scourge was a leather whip studded at intervals with sharp pieces of bone and lead. Few men survived it in their right senses, and many died under it. But then Paul spoke, and the fact that he was a Roman citizen changed everything. The famous Roman lawyer and philosopher Cicero had said: 'It is a misdeed for a Roman citizen to be bound. It is a crime for him to be beaten. It is almost as bad as to murder a father to kill him.'

*So, Paul stated that he was a citizen. The commander was terrified. Not only was Paul a citizen, he was born free, whereas the commander had had to purchase his freedom. The commander knew that he had been on the verge of doing something which would have certainly caused his dismissal, and possibly his execution." (2)

*John Phillips added this: "There are times for a believer to claim his civil rights. A believer should be willing to suffer for the cause of Christ, but there is no virtue in suffering merely for suffering's sake. Where protection of the law exists and can be invoked without compromise or complication, it can be invoked." (3)

*Thank God for the protections our founding fathers spelled out in our Bill of Rights! They were put there to clearly establish our God-given rights and help our people secure justice.

*The 5th Amendment to our Constitution says in part: "No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime . . . Nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb. Nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself. Nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. Nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation."

*The 6th Amendment guarantees us the "right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district where in the crime shall have been committed." It also gives us the right to call witnesses and have a lawyer.

*How did we get these protections? This testimony from David Brown explains: "During the summer of 2001, my family and I took a trip to Virginia and North Carolina to do family-tree research and visit some historic locations. As we were traveling "the Constitution Route" on Highway 20 in Virginia, I came across an interesting monument about seven miles east of Orange.

*On it was an embossed likeness of John Leland, the influential Baptist preacher and champion of religious liberty. It is believed that the monument marks the location where James Madison and John Leland met to discuss Madison's candidacy for Virginia delegate to the Convention to ratify the Federal Constitution.

*At that meeting, Leland pressed Madison concerning his stand on religious freedom and individual rights. Madison promised Leland if he was elected, he would do all in his power to see that religious freedom and individual freedom would be incorporated into the Constitution by amendment.

*Elder John Leland and the Baptists of Orange, Virginia did throw their support behind James Madison. He was elected. He did vote in favor of ratification of the Constitution. Then, true to his word, he drafted and introduced the amendments which became our Bill of Rights. That's why we are protected from a rush to judgment.

3. But now we must pray for a government that remains patient in securing justice. Also pray for a government that is prompt to admit mistakes.

*As we see in vs. 29: "Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him."

*There is no perfect government because there are no perfect people. But we can pray for a government that is willing to own up to its mistakes. If you were around in the 1970's or 90's you probably heard someone say: "The cover-up is worse than the crime." That's often true. But many in the top levels of our federal government stubbornly refuse to ever admit their wrongdoing.

4. So we must pray for a government that is prompt in admitting mistakes. And pray for a government that performs in obedience to the law.

*This is something that should have been done when Paul went before the Jewish Council or Sanhedrin. That was basically the Jewish Supreme Court, and starting in Acts 22:30:

30. The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

23:1. Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, "Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.''

2. And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

3. Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?''

*First century Jerusalem needed leaders who obeyed the law, and so do we! Let's pray for that kind of government.

*Before his inauguration as President on Jan. 20, 1953, Dwight Eisenhower went to worship at National Presbyterian Church with his family and Cabinet members.

*After the service, Ike went back to the hotel to write a prayer that he would read during the inauguration ceremonies. That prayer said: "Almighty God, give us, we pray Thee, power to discern right from wrong. And allow our words and actions to be governed thereby and by the laws of this land. Especially we pray that our concern shall be for all the people, regardless of station, race, or calling, so that all may work for the good of our beloved country and Thy glory. Amen." (5)

*That's the kind of government we need today!

5. So pray for a government that performs in obedience to the law. And pray for a government not paralyzed by partisan strife.

*We see an extreme case of party strife in Acts 23:6-10:

6. But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!''

7. And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided.

8. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.

9. Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes who were of the Pharisees' party arose and protested, saying, "We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.''

10. And when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.

*Now we should always take a strong stand for goodness and truth. But sometimes our politicians seem to be arguing for argument's sake, and it's gotten a lot worse over the last 15 years.

6. We need to pray for a government not paralyzed by partisan strife. And most of all, pray for a government that has a godly point of view.

*As far as we know, none of the officials in these verses were godly men, not in the truest sense of the word. That's because as far as we know, none of those leaders knew Jesus as Lord and Savior.

*As far as we know, only Paul the prisoner knew Jesus Christ in a personal way. Only Paul knew the good news: That God loves us, that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Only Paul knew that Jesus miraculously and forever rose again from the dead, that we are hopelessly lost without Him, and that He will save everyone who turns to Him and puts their trust in Him.

*That's the kind of leaders we need today: People who have truly placed their hope in Jesus Christ. People who are best able to lead us, because they are committed to follow the Lord.

*The closest we get to godly government in this passage is with the scribes in vs. 9: "Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes who were of the Pharisees' party arose and protested, saying, 'We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.'''

*"Let us not fight against God!" This is most excellent advice, because God is always right, and fighting God is a fight you are going to lose!

*At the beginning of the Civil War Abraham Lincoln was discussing the sad turn of events with a minister after church service. And the preacher said, "Let us have faith Mr. President that the Lord is on our side in this great struggle."

*President Lincoln replied, "I am not at all concerned about that, for I know that the Lord is always on the side of right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that this nation may be on the Lord's side." (6)

*May God help us to be on the Lord's side in every part of our government. And as we go forward into uncertain days, let's pray for our country more and more. We can get started right now. Would you please bow for prayer.

(1) SermonCentral illustration contributed by Todd Coget - Source: "A Flag of Rags" - Citation: John McCain - "From the Files of Leadership"

(2) Adapted from BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES - NEW TESTAMENT by William Barclay - Revised Edition - Copyright 1975 - First published by the Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - "The Embittered Opposition" - Acts 22:22-30

(3) Adapted from EXPLORING ACTS by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "The captain’s dilemma" - Acts 22:24-28

(4) Adapted from "A Baptist Preacher and the First Amendment - John Leland and James Madison" by David L. Brown, Ph.D.

(5) SermonCentral illustration contributed by Martin Wiles

(6) RECOLLECTIONS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 1847-1865 by Ward Hill Lamon - Published 189? - A.C. McClurg and company - 276 pages - Original from the University of Michigan - Digitized Apr 19, 2005