Sermon Tone Analysis

*ECF 22nd February 2009 Romans 13:1-7 Our Attitude to the Government*

It’s not a very good time to be in government!

Across the world economies are struggling, banks are going bust, companies are going bankrupt, and people are losing their jobs.

And so politicians are not the most popular people today.

Our own government is no different.

An opinion poll from earlier this month declared that only 14% were satisfied with the government’s performance.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen’s own satisfaction rating was down to 24%, and his party has now been relegated into 3rd place.

Of course we’re not here to talk politics.

We’re not here to decide whether these opinion poll figures are justified or not.

But we do need to think about how to respond to our government.

As children of God we are called to be different: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed…” Romans 12:2  We are to have a different attitude to God, to ourselves, to the church, to others and to our enemies.

In his prayer in John 17, Jesus said that we are “are not of the world.”

John 17:16.

Paul said in Philippians 3:20: “Our citizenship is in heaven.”

Heaven is our home.

Our behaviour, attitudes, morals should be those of heaven, not those of earth!

Our first allegiance is to God!

But we still live in countries run by human governments.

We still earn money.

We still need food, healthcare, housing, protection.

We are citizens of heaven, but at present we’re resident on earth.

And so how should we be different in our attitude to our government?

How should we relate to the laws of Ireland?  Do they still apply to us? Paul answers these very practical and relevant questions in Romans 13.  Read Romans 13:1-7.

*1)    **Submit to the Government*

Paul declares: “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities.”

v1  Paul’s reference to swords and taxes makes it clear that by this he means human governments.

And so, Paul wants us to submit to our government.

Paul’s real home was heaven, but he still saw himself as a citizen of Rome and lived out the responsibilities and privileges of this (Acts 22:25-28)!

In the same way we are citizens of heaven.

As to our relationship with God: “You are not under law, but under grace.”

Romans 6:14.

But we are still subject to the rules and laws that govern Ireland.

We not above the laws of our country!

We need to obey them.

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*a)    **Pay our Tax*

And so, “If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue;” v7.

Our attitude should be like Mrs Gardel, who lived in rural France.

When she was 88, she received a tax bill that needed immediate payment.

Counting up her money, she found she had only enough to pay the bill.

So she set out to walk 14 miles to the nearest tax office to pay the bill.

“We need to take care of our government financially so that it stays democratic,” she explained.

“I don’t have a current account, and can’t afford the bus fare.

I thought of hitch-hiking, but it isn’t proper for a lady.”

Officials in the tax office arranged to give her a lift home.

The level of taxation may not be perfect, the government may or may not do what is right with it.

But as followers of Jesus, we are called to pay what we owe!

When Jesus was questioned on taxation to Rome, he said these amazing words: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

Matthew 22:21

 

*b)   **Give Honour and respect*

But we are called to do more than just outwardly obey the government authorities.

A little boy finally sat down after first resisting his parents’ command to do so.

He said to his parents, “I’m sitting down on the outside, but I’m standing up on the inside.”

“respect” and “honour” v7

We are called to submit on the inside as well as the outside.

Paul says we should give those in authority.

Not treat them as better than others, but treat them with the proper reverence and esteem for the role that they have in our country!

*c)    **Only when They Don’t Go Against God*

Of course there are limits to this.

When Pharaoh ordered the Israelite midwives to kill all the male children born in Egypt, they refused to obey (Exodus 1:17).

When King Nebuchadnezzar ordered everyone to bow down to his statues, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to do so and were thrown into the blazing furnace (Daniel 3:17-18).

Daniel kept praying even when it was against the law and led to him being thrown in with lions (Daniel 6:10).

The early church also refused to be silenced by the Jewish authorities.

This is what Peter and the other apostles said: “We must obey God rather than men!” Acts 5:29

 

Today there are many Christians who have to choose to do the same.

Open Doors state that there are 2,000 Christians imprisoned in Eritrea in "inhuman circumstances"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

including in "containers, underground cellars, and prisons," where they "get little food and are sometimes tortured."

This is because independent churches, like our own here are illegal in Eritrea.

In February of last year 13 Christians, most of them teenagers, were jailed in China because they attended a Bible study.

One of them is the daughter of a Pastor who in October 2006, was imprisoned for 32 days along with three other church leaders for organizing a house church.

Each day they were severely beaten by guards and inmates.

So our submission to human governments is always second to our submission to God!

But thankfully, at the present time, we do not face these problems.

And so our normal behaviour must be one of submission to the government in power!

*2)    **Recognise the Government’s God-given Role*

But why should we do this?

It is because they have a God-given role.

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*a)    **They are Established by God*

3 times Paul states:  “The authorities that exist have been established by God.” v1*   *This doesn’t so much mean that everyone in power was personally appointed by God.

We can’t hold God responsible for their actions.

It isn’t always wrong to resist them.

But it does mean that even when they abused and misused the authority they had, their authority came from God’s.

Jesus said to Pilate: “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.”

John 19:11

 

This is something that many rulers forget.

God had to teach Nebuchadnezzar this important truth through his 7 years of madness:   “Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.”

Daniel 4:25   God is sovereign!

He is in control.

And he has established human governments on earth and has given them a level of delegated authority.

*i)     **Don’t rebel against God*

And so “He who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted.”

v2.

To rebel against the laws of our country, unless they are against God’s law, puts us in opposition to God.

As Christians we’re called to be counter-culture.

We’re called to work for a transformation of society.

But we’re not called to be anarchists.

We’re not to abolish or take over government.

Instead we need to respect God’s role in establishing authorities on earth.

Saul was an unjust ruler.

For years he tried to kill David for no other reason than he was jealous.

But when David had a chance to take Saul’s life and his throne, David said this: “I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is the Lord’s anointed.” 1 Samuel 24:10 God had established Saul as ruler, and so only God had the right to remove him.