We the people
Notes
Transcript
The US Government owned a scrap yard in the desert.
Worried someone might steal the scrap at night, they hired a night watchmen.
How will he do his job without instruction?
Planning Department:
Time Studies: 1
Wright the policy manual: 1
How will we know if he is doing the tasks correctly?
Quality control department:
Do the studies - 1
Wright reports -
How will all these people get paid?
Time Keeper - 1
Payroll officer - 1
Who will be accountable for all these people?
Administrator - 1
Assistant Administrator - 1
Legal Secretary - 1
$18,000 over budget - So they laid off the night watchman.
We joke about the inefficiency of Government. And how they do things backwards sometimes.....
US Secret Service: Made in China.
But I am not worried about them barging in here and dragging me off to jail because I made a joke about it.
They said that in police company, you should not talk about religion or politics.
Today, we are are going to do both.
22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
God established government
God established government
God, Yahweh, was King over his people, and He appointed Judges to carry out His will.
In 1 Samual 8 we see that the people became displeased with this arrangement and asked Samuel to appoint a king.
7 The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.
The reason we have earthly authorities, is because people won’t obey God.
If there was no sin, there would be no need for government.
Obey the Law
Obey the Law
1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.
6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
Obey the Law.
Pay your taxes. Jesus backed this up when He said render to caesar that which is caesar’s
Love one another.
But you don’t understand. Paul didn’t know about the US Government when he wrote this. He didn’t know that the taxes would be so high, and that the government would get so big.
Paul didn’t write this. God wrote this through His Spirit, using Paul.
Paul understood oppressive government more than you can know. There was still a Jewish Leader. Herod, and later Agrippa, there was a Roman overseer: Pilot during the time of Christ. There was a Caesar over all of Rome. The Phrases, The High Priest, the Sanhedrin.
Peter pretty much said that the same thing:
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,
14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.
15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.
17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
With only a slight exception, you can’t be an obedient Christian and a criminal at the same time.
What about John MacArther?
What about John MacArther?
John MacArther, Pastor of Grace Community Church, is this morning defying the government of California, LA County and the city of Los Angeles by having church services this morning.
Daniel 3 King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden image. Anyone who doesn’t worship it, would be thrown in a fiery furnace.
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.
17 “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
18 “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Thrown into the furnace, God delivered them unharmed.
Daniel 6 A law was created forbidding praying to any god or man besides King Darius for 30 days or they would be thrown in the lions den.
Daniel prayed and was thrown in the lions den.
Peter and John were thrown in prison and threatened not to preach the Gospel.
18 And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge;
Only when the laws of man contradict the laws of God, can they be disobeyed. Then, accept the punishment that is delivered.
What John MacArthur is arguing is that not only to these laws in California contradict the laws of God, they contradict the constitution of the United States.
Amendment I
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
In an interview on Fox News he said remarked that when Paul went to a new town and didn’t ask what the hotel was like, he asked what the jail was like because he knew he would be put there. I’ve never had a jail ministry.
The only time my mother-in-law was itching to get out of the house was when she was told by the Health Department that she had to quarantine. We all have a rebellious nature.
If you don’t try your best to live in obedience to God’s law except when the government is in opposition to it, you are not being religious, you’re being rebellious.
Know and exercise your rights
Know and exercise your rights
In Chapter 16 of Acts we learn that Paul was a roman citizen.
9 But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me on these charges?”
10 But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know.
11 “If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.”
Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address.
that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
As US Citizens you have the right, the priviladge and the duty to help determine who governs and how.
We will have a presidential election in November. Who you vote for is you business. But that you vote is your duty.
Not voting and complaining about the results is like drowning in knee deep water and complaining that no one will save you...... Stand UP!