The Sin of Rebellion- Part 4

The Sin of Rebellion Part 4

Text: 1 Samuel 15:23 (KJV 1900)

23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord…

Series Introduction:

* This morning we will be continuing with part 4 of the series of sermons on the sin of rebellion.

* We have talked about the original rebellion, when Satan led a third of the angels in rebellion against God.

* We have established that God has a “chain of command” that Christians are to willingly, and whole heartedly submit to if we are to be in the will of God.

* Husbands are to willingly, and whole heartedly submit themselves to the authority of God.

* Wives are to willingly, and whole heartedly submit to their husbands.

* Children are to willingly, and whole heartedly submit to their parents.

* Employees are to willingly, and whole heartedly submit to their employers.

* and now, finally, Citizens are to willingly, and whole heartedly submit to their governments.

* This morning’s sermon is entitled “Submitting to Civil Authority”

Title: Submitting to Civil Authority

Main Clause:

“Because God hates rebellion, we must obey Civil Authority”

Sermon Introduction:

* Does God have to pay taxes? Let me ask you the same question in a different way…

* If God decided to move to Philadelphia Tennessee, just down the road from the Church here, would He pay Taxes?

* If God were to come down to earth to live, would He submit Himself to Civil Authority, or what we call government?

* Take some time to think about that.

* This is kind of a trick question because God has already came down from Heaven to live on this earth, and when He was here He placed Himself willingly, and wholeheartedly under the authority of the Government.

* Jesus submitted Himself to the government so much so that He submitted Himself to capital punishment at the hands of the Roman Government.

* Jesus, who we all will agree is God, paid taxes to the Roman Government.

* Do you remember the story of Peter asking Jesus if it was right to pay taxes?

* Trying to trip up Jesus and make Him say something contrary to God’s Word, one of the religious rulers demanded from Jesus to know if it was Lawful under Moses law to pay taxes to Rome.

* Peter was bothered by this, and he came to Jesus and asked if he should pay taxes to Rome or not.

* Jesus told Peter to go down to the Sea of Galilee and throw out a fishing line to catch a fish. Jesus told Peter that he would catch a fish, and that in the fish’s mouth would be enough money to pay Peter’s taxes and Jesus taxes as well.

* Yes God did come to earth to live, and yes God did pay taxes while He was here!

* Jesus set the example for all Christians to obey civil authority.

I. We must obey Civil Authority because God has ordained civil Government to restrain sin.

(Chaos before the flood)

Genesis 6:1–7 (KJV 1900)

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

(According to Jude “Sons of God,” the Elohim, divine beings, Angels, rebelled against God, and leaving their “first estate” took human, fleshly, women as wives)

3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh:

(God has determined that He must judge mankind)

(Two kinds of beings are involved in this rebellion against God, divine, Elohim, beings, Angles, and those that were not divine, human, or fleshly.

God determines that He will have to punish the Angels who sinned.

According to I Peter and Jude, these Devine beings, Elohim, are not given any opportunity to repent, no mercy because they are devine beings.

But, because mankind is not a divine being, god says He will; allow these fleshly humans a time to repent.

The rest of this story tells of how Noah preached as he prepared the arc giving mankind the opportunity to repent and be saved from the flood.)

Look down at the last half of verse 3:

yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

(Now as a result of the rebellion of the angles, the earth is filled with half-breed children of the fallen angels.

The book of Enoch, which is quoted by Jude, the Apostle Peter, and the writer of the book of Hebrews, says that these fallen angles had given men knowledge about weapons and war that God had not intended for mankind to know.

These half human- half divine misfits had corrupted the earth so badly that God had had enough of their violence)

4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

* Now I have taken you to this passage of Scripture, taking the chance that you might take your focus off of our main premise here.

* Remember our message this morning is “Because God hates rebellion, we must obey Civil Authority”

* I have shown you Genesis 6 to establish from the story of Noah, why God has established civil authority, or what we call government.

* Again I repeat my first point, We must obey Civil Authority because God has ordained civil Government to restrain sin.

* Without the establishment of Civil Authority, the world after the flood would again become overrun with evil and sin and violence.

I. We must obey Civil Authority because God has ordained civil Government to restrain sin.

II. We must obey Civil Authority because it represents to us the authority of God.

(God establishes, civil government and Capital Punishment)

* Originally, in the Garden of Eden, before sin entered the world,

Genesis 1:26–28 (KJV 1900)

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:

and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

* So we see that originally God had ordained that men would rule the earth “in place of” or in the image of God.

* Mankind was given the Authority to rule over the earth and it resources, and the animal kingdom at creation.

* Now after the judgment of the flood, God says a strange thing to Noah in Genesis chapter 9. Look with me at Genesis chapter 9 and verse 1:

Genesis 9:1–7 (KJV 1900)

(God here repeats the former commission that He had given to Adam and Eve in the Garden)

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

(Now, God says a new thing that He did not say to Adam and Eve. God gives them the authority to eat meat.)

3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. 4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

( Now here is the part I want you to see- God establishes a new thing- God establishes the right to Civil Authority, and it’s scope is to stretch even to the extent of capital punishment.)

5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. 6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. 7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

* The power of mankind to establish Civil Authority or Governments is given directly by God and we must submit to these powers that be, because they represent the authority of God over us.

* The apostle Peter tells us that we are to willingly submit to laws set forth by civil authority, or government for the “Lord’s sake.” Look with me at I peter chapter 2 and verse 13:

1 Peter 2:13–17 (KJV 1900)

13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake:

whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him

for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

(Look at this nest phrase- this is very important…)

16 As free,

(I want you to understand that even though we are to submit to government, that we are to submit as free men, not as slaves of the government.

We are to maintain and protect our freedom and independence from the government.

This is the premise of capitalism and the rights of men to own property, have freedom of religion, and peruse our own goals and happiness.

The Government is not given by God the power to tell us how to live our independent lives.)

and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

* The Apostle Paul also had much to say about how all Christians should view the power that God has given Civil Authority and government:

Romans 13:1–7 (KJV 1900)

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

(Those that rebel against the civil authorities rebel against the authority of God)

3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

* In his book “Politics according to the Bible,” theologian Wayne Grudem outlines several things about government that can be learned from Romans 13: Here are some of the things that we learn in this passae:

(1) God has appointed the authorities who have governmental power (vv. 1–2).

This idea is also supported by Jesus’ statement to Pilate, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11).

(2) Civil rulers are supposed to be a “terror to bad conduct” (cf. v. 3),

which means they restrain evil by the threat of punishment for wrongdoing. This is consistent with what is taught in Genesis 9:5–6.

(3) Civil rullers are supposed to give “approval” or praise to those who do what is good (v. 3).

In addition, the ruler “is God’s servant for your good.” These verses indicate that government has a role in promoting the common good of a society.

Government should not only punish wrongdoing but also encourage and reward good conduct, conduct that contributes to the good of society.

Some examples of government supporting the common good would include tax-supported playgrounds and parks where families can picnic and sports teams can practice and compete.

The responsibility of government to promote what is good would also provides a justification for giving tax-free status to churches on the understanding that churches generally are good for a society and promote the well-being of citizens.

The same principle would also provide support for government promoting marriage through certain legal privileges and economic benefits.

(4) Governmental officials serve God.

Paul says that the ruler “is God’s servant for your good” and that “he is the servant of God” (v. 4).

He also says “the authorities are ministers of God” (v. 6).

This means that we should think of government officials as serving God when they punish evil and promote what is good, whether or not they realize they are working on behalf of God or not.

This passage of Scripture we are dealing here in Romans chapter 13 is a strong passage in support of the idea that we should view civil government as a gift from God, something that brings us great benefits.

Although individual people and individual governments can do evil, the institution of civil government in itself is something very good, a benefit that flows to us from God’s infinite wisdom and love.

(5) Government officials are doing “good” as they carry out their work.

Paul says the official is God’s servant “for your good” (v. 4).

This means that, in general, we should view the activities of government when it rewards good and punishes evil as something that is “good” according to God’s Word.

This is an additional reason to give thanks to God for civil government.

But this does not mean that we should think of everything that a ruler does as good!

John the Baptist rebuked Herod “for all the evil things that Herod had done” (Luke 3:19).

Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar, “Break off your sins by practicing righteousness” (Dan. 4:27).

Old Testament history contains many stories of kings who “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (1 Kings 11:6 et al.).

Therefore we should say that governmental rulers do “good” when they carry out their responsibilities in a just and fair way, following God’s principles for government.

(6) Government authorities execute God’s wrath on wrongdoers and thereby carry out a task of retribution. (v. 4).

This is explicit in Paul’s statement that the ruler “does not bear the sword in vain,” but as “the servant of God” he functions as “an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer”

The Greek word translated “avenger” is ekdikos, meaning “agent of punishment.”

This indicates that the purpose of civil punishment is not only to prevent further wrongdoing, but also to carry out God’s wrath on wrongdoing, and that this will include bringing actual punishment—that is, some kind of pain or hardship to the wrongdoer, a punishment that is appropriate to the crime committed.

That is why Paul can say that the government authority is “an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer” (v. 4).

Only three verses before Paul’s discussion of civil government beginning in Romans 13:1.

Paul says this:

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord (Rom. 12:19).

While Paul tells Christians not to take personal vengeance when wrong has been done to them, he tells them they should rather allow the wrongdoer to be punished by “the wrath of God.”

Then just a few sentences later (in Rom. 13:4) he explains that “God’s wrath” against wrongdoers is carried out by civil government when it inflicts punishment on them.

This means that it is ok for Christians to turn to the civil government to ask for justice to be done when they have suffered wrong at the hands of others.

The civil government, in this life, is the means that God has established to carry out justice in the earth.

* Again I repeat my second point, We must obey Civil Authority because it represents to us the authority of God.

I. We must obey Civil Authority because God has ordained civil Government to restrain sin.

II. We must obey Civil Authority because it represents to us the authority of God.

III. Is there ever a time to rebel against Civil Authority?

* There are many examples in the Bible of Civil disobedience that was approved by God, but I only have time to share in detail one of those with you this morning.

* Turn with me now to Acts chapter 5 and verse 17:

* Now the church and been strictly forbidden by the civil authorities to not preach in the name of Jesus.

* It seems these early Christians would have a conflict here- do we obey the part of the Bible that says to obey the authorities because they act on God’s behalf, or do we disobey that Scripture in order to obey the command to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

* On the surface, this would seem to be a conflict of duties. Which Scriptures should they obey?

* My former pastor Dr. Tom Malone used to always say to the college students were I attended Bible College, “Duties never conflict,” but it seemed that every time I turned around, I was running into duties that conflicted with one another in the Christian life.

* It took me a while to figure out what Dr. Malone meant when he said that duties never conflict.

* What he meant was that when there is an apparent conflict between duties, then one must take priority over the other.

* When does it become right, or necessary, to disobey the Bible’s command to submit to civil government?

* The answer is: When Governments commands or laws are in conflict with the laws and commands of the Bible.

* The Commands of the Bible trump the laws of human government.

* God does not hold people responsible for obeying the civil government when obedience to the civil government would mean directly disobeying a command of God himself.

* This principle is indicated by a number of passages in the Bible.

* One clear example occurs in the early days of the Christian church.

* Look with me at an example of this principle in action in Acts chapter 5, beginning with verse 17:

Acts 5:17–29 (KJV 1900)

17 Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, 18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. 19 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,

20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. 21 And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught.

But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told, 23 Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. 24 Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. 25 Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. 26 Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.

27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, 28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. 29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

* This passage is a clear affirmation of the principle that God requires his people to disobey the civil government if obedience would mean directly disobeying God.

* Other passages also establish this. In Daniel 3:13–27, King Nebuchadnezzar commanded three Jewish men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—to bow down and worship a golden statue that he had erected. But they refused and said, “We will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (v. 18).

* When Pharaoh commanded the Egyptian midwives to put newborn Hebrew baby boys to death, they disobeyed, and God approved of their disobedience (see Exod. 1:17, 21).

* When it was against the law for anyone to come into the presence of King Ahasuerus without being invited, Esther disobeyed the law and risked her own life to save her people, the Jews (see Esth. 4:16).

* Daniel disobeyed a law that prohibited him from praying to God (see Dan. 6:10).

* When Herod the king had commanded the wise men to return and tell him where the newborn king of the Jews was to be found, they were warned by an angel not to obey this command, so they disobeyed King Herod and “departed to their own country by another way” (see Matt. 2:8, 12).

* The bottom line is that when a civil authority goes outside the guidelines that God has established that a government should be, that government has lost it’s legitimacy to govern.

* This is one of the justifications for taking up arms against another nation who has submitted their citizens to tyranny abused the civil rights of its citizens.

* When this happens good and righteous governments are right take up arms against an evil regime or government to protect innocent people from evil rulers.

* To summarize the question, “Is there ever a time to rebel against Civil Authority?”- this is our conclusion this morning:

• Christians should resist a government that commands or compels evil and should work nonviolently within the laws of the land to change a government that permits evil.

• Civil disobedience is permitted when the government’s laws or commands are in direct violation of God’s laws and commands.

• If a Christian disobeys an evil government, unless he can flee from the government, he should accept that government’s punishment for his actions.

• Christians are certainly permitted to work to install new government leaders within the laws that have been established.

Conclusion:

Main Clause:

The main theme of this sermon this morning is to cause you to see that “Because God hates rebellion, we must obey Civil Authority”

* In summary, what is a Christian’s relationship with the government?

* As Christians we are commanded by the Word of God to willingly, and wholeheartedly, obey and support our government because God has Ordained and commissioned the authority of the Governmental powers to act on His behalf to restrain unbridled sin.

* As Christians we have an obligation to be involved in the process of Government to make sure that the government remains free of corruption, and that government does not go beyond what God has ordained it to do.

* When the government acts in opposition to the Word of God, then we are obligated to obey the will of God rather than the will of the government.

Lastly, Christians are commanded to pray for their leaders and for God to intervene in His time to change any ungodly path that they are pursuing:

“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:1–2).