WHAT TO DO WHEN THE WICKED RULE

Romans 13:1–4 ESV

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

Let us pray

The question we are asking this morning is, “what to do when the Wicked rule”. There are a lot of people including myself that are very concerned about the condition and direction of the United States of America. There are people that are gripped by fear, there are many that are ready to bare arms, and then there’s those who seem oblivious to whats going on all together and have taken the medias mob’s propaganda, and that is what the main stream media has turned into is a propaganda machine, that has simply become a puppets for the left wing. They have perfected the tactics laid out in Saul Alinsky’s book rules for radicals for the toppling of a democratic system to steer towards Socialism. I don't have time today to go through them but it is worth the read.

Where does that leave us as believers those that love God and love country? Well we are going to be discussing that today. What do we do when the wicked rule

Before we go there let’s look at something called the Tytler’s cycle of nations

Intro into Tytler’s Cycle of Nations charts

Alexander Tytler was a Scottish advocate, judge, writer and historian who served as Professor of Universal History, and Greek and Roman Antiquities at the University of Edinburgh. Tyler lived at the same time as the American founding fathers and described a repeating cycle in history. Tyler found that democratic societies went through this same cycle again and again and that the cycle lasted roughly 200 years each time.

The idea states that democracy is temporary in nature. It is difficult to exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.

1. Bondage – a point of degeneration and despair where no change will help – centralized control.

2. Spiritual – people oppose the conditions and search for some unity in a common cause.

3. Courage – the fight for freedom.

4. Liberty – success, the formation of codified freedom with the promise of opportunity.

5. Abundance – maturing of government, material growth, and prosperity.

6. Selfishness – the greed of material gain creates corrupt special interest groups, often using the levers of government.

7. Complacency – the sense of entitlement of legacy groups, with whining and complaining of the developing conflicting interests.

8. Apathy – accept no responsibility for problems and blames everyone else for a system of corruption.

9. Dependency – control of independence to control corruption and the centralization of freedom, leading back into bondage.

Now the take away here is that our civilization is not the first great civilization. There have been many in the past… The Egyptians, the Babylonians, the persians and the Medes, the Greeks, the Romans, The Ottoman Emprire, and Great Brittain to name a few. A few lasted a bit longer than others but the average age if each of these civilizations lasted about 200 years.

And as the article said is that democracy only lasts as long as the people who are in it discover they can vote to get more from the state.

This year America will be 245

Nations rise and nations fall, and the question this morning that should be on everyones mind, “is God judging America”? If you thing that we are too big too fail as I have heard George W Bush say one time, you are sadly mistaken. God is no respecter if persons, and he is no respecter of nations. If he judged his chosen nation Israel, We are no better.

We have killed over 70 million of our babies, we have taken every form of perversity and normalized it, we have drank Deeply from the cup of abominations and I can tell you there is only one thing that will save this nation from imminent doom, and that is for revival, and listen it must start with us.

Now lets Go back to Romans 13 because this is a passage that many Christians struggle with knowing where the balance is between patriotism and keeping our eyes on Heaven.

Every Authority is Ordained by God

Romans 13:1–2 ESV

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

Many people read this and their hearts sink. They feel like they are powerless to change anything. I want you to know that that is not the case. God can have his mind changed. He can overthrow goverments whenever He pleases, but make no mistake he is the one who will overthrow it.

Job 12:23 ESV

23 He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away.

The question is, well if God installs every Ruler and Authority, Does God install Wicked Rulers? The answer to the question of course is yes. Next question why?\

The Prophet Daniel Speaking to a pretty wicked King said this to King Nebuchadnezzar

Daniel 3:37-39

English Standard Version Chapter 2

37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field

Why would god install Wicked Rulers… well because wicked Rulers are God’s reward for wicked People. Righteous Rulers are God’s reward for Righteous people.

Alexander Hamilton said. He said that “people get the kind of the government they deserve.” “There is no authority but that is of God, and the authorities that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1).

Wicked Rulers are a sign of judgement and trouble for a nation. And Wicked Rulers are a reward for wicked people.

Israels First King

In Israels history there was a time when they were the only true form of Theocracy. They were rulled by the Prophets and god set Judges over them. And it was a perpetual cycle. For a time God’s people would walk in his ways and they would enjoy prosperity, they would eat from a land flowing with milk and honey, but then they would get complacent and complacency gave way to idolatry, and idolatry would cause their hearts to drift from God and then God would raise up the Phillistines who would enslave them. And then when the heart cry of the people came back up to God, He would hear their cries.

2 Chronicles 2:14 would kick in and God would send them a deliverer, one who would defeat their enemies. But then there came a time when they were tired of God being their king and they wanted a King like the other nations had.

1 Samuel 8:4 ESV

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah

1 Samuel 8:5–7 ESV

5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.

And God tells Samuel a few verses later to also warn the people of what they were about to get, what they themselves were asking for. What is God saying? He is saying you are about to get what you want, what you deserve. Yes God is sovereign over the leaders He appoints, but He normally gives the people the leader they desire and the leader they deserve

Everybody say God is Sovereign Over Rulers

Now how are we to live when Wicked Rulers Reign?

Romans 13:2–5 ESV

2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.

First lets talk about the requirements for Human Goverment?

Why does God place authority and Rulers over us, Well they are meant to be a terror to evil people. They do not bear the sword in vein. They are there to punish wickedness. God hs ordained them. B

We are to be submissive to the Rulers and authorities, we are to seek the welfare of our city.

We are to pray for the president, you say this president? Especially this president. The President faces stronger demons than I or you will ever face because he rules a multitude of people

Can I just be honest I have seen somethings that self Proclaimed Christians have posted about The President and vice President that should not come from a Christian. Name calling

Listen to me, when you do those types of things you are not walking in the Spirit but the Flesh

We are to render the things that belong to Ceasar to Ceasar and the things that belong to God to God

Now the Rights of the Believer

Does that mean that we have to just sit by idly when we see wickedness rampant and truth thrown down in the streets?

No it doesn’t. And I am aggravated at passive Christians that have just resorted to being so dang heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.

Its easy to take the passive road. its hard to be angry and sin not. Its hard to stand for your country when you know that it is going to bring scorn from others.

But may i submit to you that passive Christians, though they might not be ignorant of the Scriptures, are far too often ignorant of our Constitution.

You see the Founders of this Country were godly men and the Constitution was soaked in prayer and the word of God

God has given us a unique oppurtunity in this American Experiment, in that we have a Consitution is the umbrella and the guidance system for all other laws.

And we dont live in a Monarchy, we live in a democratic Republic, where we have a representative form of Goverment for the People by the people.

You see the founders were smart guys and they knew all about this Romans 13 passage along with these other examples I have given you in the Old testament, and while God is Sovereign over rulers he does it through the confines of an election system.

Now you have heard the term coined “Seperation of Church and State, right? Now many people think that

First Amendment

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.

Listen we as Americans have a representative form of Goverment and when politicinas go outside their jurisdiction outside of the Costitution of the United States of America we have a duty, a right to call them out on it

Listen I am afraid that the church will be persecuted in America over the next four years. We will be ostracized, we will be minimized, we will be called names.

There are hellish forces at work in Congress right now to strip you of your rights

And while yes while we have a responcibility to render to Ceasar what is Ceasars, we all have the Greater responcibility to render to God what is Gods. And when ceasar begins to try to take from God you and I have the right to civily disobey. Andd there are scriptures through

EXAMPLES OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

SHADRACH mESHACK AND aBEDNEGO Daniel 3:13-27 and the fiery furnace

The ESV Study Bible When Obedience to Government Is Wrong

where Nebuchadnezzar commanded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to worship the golden statue; they stood firm against the king: “we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (Dan. 3:18). God rescued them from the fiery furnace, thus confirming his approval of their stand (Dan. 3:19–30)

2. Peter and the Apostles- Acts 5:29

Acts 5:29 ESV

29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

Again God approves but spring Peter out of jail the first time

3. The Hebrews refusal to obey the Pharaohs Commands

God would send a deliverer- but that only came after the heart cry of the people

God overthrows governments when they

America has been going down hill for a long time and I am afraid we may be at the end if something doesnt take place. Will God judge America? yes, yes He will

But there is another possibility, and that is that God’s people turn from their sins and turn their hearts back to Him

We have been sparred two other times when America was about to implode and there was a spiritual revival thoughout the Country, The first and second great awakening

Yous ee We thought somehow that we could divorce responsibility, authority, and liberty, but “these hath God married, and no man shall part.” And so, the people after World War I began to relinquish their responsibilities; they began to look more and more to the government. And, as character disintegrated, there was a loss of liberty, and government became more and more powerful, because I want to remind you again, the weaker the character, the stronger the government. And then, people came, in their mind, to equate security with dependency on the government. No longer were they looking to God and within themselves for security. They were looking to Uncle Sam, and this growing government then began to provide for the people.

Now, whenever a government begins to provide for the people, the people like it. The people like to get in a government line and let the government give them something. But, any thinking person knows that the government cannot give what the government does not first take, but people like to think that they’re getting something from the government. But, as the government, then, begins to give, and people begin to depend upon the government, the government grows more and more. And, as the government grows more and more, and as the character of the people weakens more and more, the government assumes more and more authority. And, once the government gets more and more authority, then the government begins to regulate

GREAT ILLUSTRATION - Government control and Regulation

Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive II. Weak Character Produces Bondage

Years ago, I heard a story about a particular neighborhood that had some wild hogs that were rooting up the neighborhood gardens and so forth. And, they tried to capture the hogs; they tried to catch them, and no one could catch them. And, there was one man who said, “I can catch them. I know how to do it,” and all he did was go out in the woods and put down something the hogs loved to eat, some corn or whatever, and left. And, after a few days, those wild hogs—those wary hogs—after they’d circled that food, temptation overcame them, and they moved in and ate it. The next day—more food. Several weeks he did that. Then, he went out and put one fence post up—just one—and continued to feed them. Then, after a while, another fence post—and continued to feed them. And then another, and then one strand of wire, and then another strand of wire—slowly he did this until finally the trap was built. And, when the wild hogs went in to eat for the last time, the bar was dropped, and, of course, they were caught and destroyed. And, he said with a smile on his face, “Anything I can feed, I can control.” And, ladies and gentlemen, when we begin to look to a government as our source and our sustenance, then, at that moment, we begin to get weak in our character, and the government begins to regulate us.