WHAT IN THE WORLD SHOULD WE BE DOING?

WHAT IN THE WORLD SHOULD WE BE DOING? Matthew 22:21; 1 Peter 2:11-17 Nov 3, 2002 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Text "That's when the Pharisees plotted a way to trap him into saying something damaging. They sent their disciples, with a few of Herod's followers mixed in, to ask, 'Teacher, we know you have integrity, teach the way of God accurately, are indifferent to popular opinion, and don't pander to your students. So tell us honestly: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?' Jesus knew they were up to no good. He said, 'Why are you playing these games with me? Why are you trying to trap me? Do you have a coin? Let me see it.' They handed him a silver piece. 'This engraving-who does it look like? And whose name is on it?' They said, 'Caesar.' 'Then give Caesar what is his and give God what is his.' The Pharisees were speechless. They went off shaking their heads." Matthew 22:21 (The Message) Let me suggest two quick conclusions about this text: 1.    Jesus would not be duped by the chicanery of those who would trap Him and we shouldn't either. The world around you is always trying to shoot holes in your belief system when you are a Christian. People will always be trying to trick you into some inconsistency or contradiction. Take notes on how Jesus always answers in a way that rightly represents truth, and often simultaneously demonstrates the foolishness of the questioners' approach. How did He do that? It's very simple, of course. He was always in step with the Holy Spirit-listening to His voice and leading. He was always walking in the will of God, so He was able to speak truth so clearly and convincingly to those who asked Him deceptive questions. Make up your mind to walk in the Holy Spirit, be constantly in prayer, and you will always have a scintillating answer to share with doubters and debaters. By the way, keeping your focus on kingdom perspective like this will also help you be wise in the midst of the empty rhetoric and hopelessly mundane mudslinging that goes on during election seasons. If you heart is set on God, you will know the truth. Everything false becomes apparent to those who are wise in God (1 Corinthians 2:12-16). 2.    Jesus wanted those listening to Him, especially his disciples, to know that both obligations-our primary obligation to God, and our obligations to the governing authorities--are valid and right. I read one writer's account of passing by a Roman Catholic Church building in a small town. It was Election Day, and the church was offering its parish hall as a polling place. He noticed there were two signs out front. One was the church marquee; the other was a cardboard sign attached to a wooden stick indicating with an arrow where the polling place was. The marquee said: "Our citizenship is in heaven", and the other sign read: "Vote here". I'd like to suggest that the irony of those two juxtaposed signs lends insight in understanding our unique place in culture and in government. And this is the point that Jesus is making. The Pharisees, who were always separating things between the sacred and the secular, and always trying to drive a wedge between their self-exalting holiness and the unholiness of the culture around them. But Jesus builds bridges and resists religious dichotomizing. Jesus always taught that if a person is God-related, everything else in life falls in place. When your life is in God, your dedication to Him sanctifies all that you do. You actually make secular things sacred. For example, the Pharisaical approach to voting in our national, state and local elections this Tuesday would be, "Ugh! That is secular and I won't be involved in that because it adds nothing to my holiness." But the Christian approach is, "I will dutifully fulfill my obligation as a citizen of this country God has allowed me to be part of, and I will take my faith into the voting booth Tuesday. I will study and learn whether or not candidates serve godly values, and I will vote my Holy Spirit-led conscience." Christians should be clear on this matter-that our citizenship is in heaven and we should live like it. We are redeemed by the Lord and we belong to Him. He is quite interested in our living holy lives in this world. But we must not swing too far in this direction. We are not to be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. In other words, live your life for God, but understand that He has you in this world for a reason. You are to be salt and light to a world that is in rebellion to God. You are His ambassador in this world. That is God's purpose for you, so don't retreat into your religious enclave and keep your faith to yourself. There are millions who will go to a hopeless eternity without our witness of the good news of Jesus Christ. Two Equally Valid Commitments We are to honor God first, and We are to give Caesar (the world) what is due him. This is the clear command of Jesus in answer to the legitimate part of the Pharisees' question. "Give to Caesar what is His and give to God what is His." And don't do it grudgingly. Jesus wasn't saying, "Oh, alright! You win! You are to give your sole allegiance to God and forget Caesar!" Nor was He saying, "Well, you got me there, guys, I'm going to have to go with Caesar and say, pay your taxes! I guess this is an area where we'll have to be a little inconsistent." No, there is no sarcasm and there is no loss of consistency. He demonstrated that the religious elite they were wrong. What were they thinking that was wrong? Their underlying assumption was that they were not to be ruled by anyone in this world, let alone the hated Roman Empire. And if they wanted to be true to God they should not pay taxes or give any respect and allegiance to Caesar. The truth is, our living in a country that has a governing authority is part of God's plan. Augustine called it the Kingdom of God's left hand (the church, to him, was the Kingdom of God's right hand). So Jesus does not stop with Give God what is God's, but adds, Give Caesar what is Caesar's. The question looms - what do we owe Caesar? The bottom line answer to that question can be unsettling. It is - "Whatever he asks for that is not opposed to the Word and will of God" Five Ways Christians Should Serve Caesar (Government) 1. Prayer - "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." (Timothy 2:1-4) It is the highest priority for the Christian in this world to be an intercessor for others. When we do our best to bring people with needs into contact with the Lord who alone can meet those needs, we are at our best. Prayer is the fundamental element of such ministry. Praying for people and their needs is one of the key reasons God has us in this world. Did you catch what Paul says in this passage? After stressing that we serve as intercessors "first of all" (high priority), the first category of people he mentions is the political leaders! And he doesn't just say to pray for them, he specifically mentions we ought to pray all kinds of prayers-prayers of thanks for them, prayers of request (asking their needs to be met), and prayers of intercession (I take this to mean pray for their salvation). Why? Why should Christians use up their time praying for a bunch of politicians? Precisely for this reason-the people around us need Jesus! Are you confused? Follow this logic: • Political leaders (kings, etc.) have been given powerful influence in this world. The decisions they make directly affect the lives of those under their oversight. What they decide and do determines whether or not those people (including us) will live in peace and quietude or not. Have you ever been uptight and just demanded "peace and quiet"? • Paul connects living in peace and quiet with the ability to freely live our lives in "all godliness and holiness". When there is political "peace and quiet", the absence of national strife, war, political intrigue, life is more manageable, and we become free to pursue our important agendas without interference or difficulty. • Now, what is our agenda in this world as Christ's servants? Exactly! We are to share Christ with lost people. Tranquil governments, especially those that grant democratic freedoms like ours, make for easier dissemination of the gospel to more people. • And that is why Paul says, "This is good and pleases God our Savior, who want all men to be saved…" (webmasters note: 1 Timothy 2:3-4) So, pray for your leaders, from the President to the aldermen. Ask God to lead them, to use them for the Kingdom's advancement, and to save them. 2. Obedience and Respect - "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live s free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone; love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king." (1 Peter 2:12-17) There are a handful of passages in the New Testament where Christian people are clearly commanded to respect and obey the governing authorities. Beyond that, the scripture also gives us the reasons for this obedience and respect. • The first reason is that we are told to do so by God, and that ought to be good enough all by itself. • Secondly, there is potential punishment for wrongdoers. Verse 14 of this text certifies that God is the one who allows rulers to hold their places of authority. • Romans 13:5 adds another reason for obedience - conscience. "…it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience." Don't break laws, Paul reasons, because when you do you offend your conscience, and a believer with a guilty conscience cannot serve God wholeheartedly. • Obedience to government authorities is tantamount to obedience to God. That's what Romans 13:4 means when it says that the civil authority "…is God's servant…" God has placed a variety of delegated authorities in the world - parents, husbands, employers, church leaders, and government officials • Lastly, civil obedience and respect for authority is the appropriate lifestyle of the free people of God (1 Peter 2:16). Actually, we in America have not only the glorious freedom of being children of God, and are enabled by the HS to obey from the heart, but we have the additional blessing of having political and ideological freedom in the USA! Of all the people in the world, we Christians must be obedient… 3. Taxes Romans 13:6-7 makes it clear that it is our Christian duty to pay our taxes. Do you see how God redeems every aspect of life, and Christianizes them? Even paying taxes-the dreaded obligation that everyone curses-becomes a holy behavior in the hands of God. So the next time you write out your check to Uncle Sam, whisper these words while you sign your name: "In Jesus' Name, Amen!" 4. Testimony to the world • First, by preaching the gospel ◦ It is through gospel alone, people can receive the hope of heaven ◦ It is through gospel, people spiritually free ◦ It is through gospel, people changed (from sinner to saint) ◦ It is through gospel people discover their ultimate hope • Second, by living out our godly values God judges nations and their governments, not on their religious behaviors, but on their morality. His judgement comes down on every nation, any nation, from Sodom to Jerusalem, from Russia to Afghanistan, from Iraq to America, based on the way they line up with His holy law. "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people"  (Pr 14:34) "…a throne is established through righteousness" (Pr 16:12) In September, as many of you know, Miss Illinois was crowned Miss America 2003. Erika Harold is a pro-active pro-life, pro-abstinence, politically astute conservative. Bound for Harvard Law School and a career in public office, Erika is Phi Beta Kappa grad of U of Illinois. She has for years been an outspoken advocate of teen sexual abstinence, challenging the "safe-sex" views being floated by the educational establishment as a failure. In fact, her platform issue in the Miss Illinois competition was abstinence. She was encouraged to add arguments against teen violence. Most don't know the uphill battle it was for her to continue to stand for abstinence. There was immense pressure for her to stop talking about abstinence because it was politically incorrect. But she took her stand and insisted that she would continue to promote abstinence from her public position next year, blowing the whistle on those who tried to dissuade her. 5. Voting Praise God that we have, not a perfect, but a free election in our country. I read with interest the election results from Iraq the other day. The Iraqi referendum two weeks ago was on whether Saddam Hussein should have seven more years in power. The official total: Yes - 11,445,638; No - 0 And amazingly every one of those paper ballots was counted overnight! I want to share with you a few comments by the very astute Christian journalist, Cal Thomas, from his article entitled, "Have We Settled for Caesar?" "Millions of Christians skipped the last general election. Several races in 2000 were so close, in fact, that people in a single church could have changed the outcome of a number of them. Many Christian leaders are stressing the similar importance of next week's election and urging pastors to boldly encourage their congregations to take seriously their "threshold responsibility" to vote. David Barton, founder and president of WallBuilders, a Texas-based ministry dedicated to bringing America back to its first principles and toward understanding our Christian heritage, says, "A Christian has a duty to vote probably more than any other citizen because of the biblical principles that are out there relating to nations." Barton points out that, in the Bible, a nation's righteousness was determined on the basis of the public policies that were enacted -- which magnifies the public leaders who choose those public policies and enact them. Barton cites Proverbs 29:2, which says, "When the righteous rule, the people rejoice, [but] when the wicked rule, the people groan." He explains that "God-fearing policies come from God-fearing people; and in America, the only way that God-fearing people can rule ... is to be elected." Thus, Christians need to bring their biblical perspectives to the selection of national leaders. Barton notes that there are two problems within the Christian community regarding voting. The first is that too many Christians do not vote at all. Christian voter turnout declined 17 percent between 1992 and 1996, and declined an additional 23 percent between 1996 and 2000 -- a 40 percent drop since 1992. As a result, he says, we have lost too many God-fearing leaders from the Senate, etc. The second problem is that, when Christians do go to the polls, they often don't analyze their vote on the basis of biblical perspectives. As an example, he cites the fact that, in the last three elections, 45 percent of those evangelicals who did vote said that economic issues are more important than moral issues when it came to voting. "As Christians," says Barton, "we're going to have to get past the point where we ask, 'Does my vote count?' and we're going to have to get to the point where we say, 'What does God want me to do with my vote?'" Should we vote after informing ourselves about issues and candidates? Absolutely! The things that are Caesar's are not only our tax dollars, but our citizenship. Laypeople can organize, peacefully demonstrate, boycott, pray for those in authority (that includes Democrats as well as Republicans), participate in pregnancy-help centers, and lobby elected officials. But they should do so without illusions. Real change comes heart by heart, not election by election, because our primary problems are not economic and political but moral and spiritual. Conclusion: We Have a Great Opportunity Before Us Now Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. --Martin Luther King, Jr. Without being overly optimistic, I must say that, though there are a lot of problems yet in America, there seems to be the beginning of a turning… Journalist Doug Trouten tells how Chicago police found a 91-year-old Polish woman frozen to the floor of her basement in early 1994, kneeling in prayer. A water pipe had burst during sub-zero weather. Police received a second surprise when the woman, presumed dead, turned and looked at them. Victoria Moryn, who had been trapped in over an inch of ice, was rushed to the hospital, where she was listed in stable condition, talking to doctors, but a little confused. The world has been thinking the church is dead, but it is not. It has been doing what it needed to do - prayer. And God will answer those prayers.   [Back to Top]