Sermon Tone Analysis

Psalm 67:4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy!

For You shall judge the people righteously, And govern the nations on earth.

On this inauguration day it is good for us to be reminded of the scripture’s instruction on leadership and our responsibility as citizens and Christians.

The Bible has much to say on this topic and as we go through these passages keep in mind that many of them were written during the time when the governing authorities were very hostile toward Christianity.

The Lord has given us instructions and He will honor those who honor His word.

Power belongs to God

The first principle to understand on this topic is that power belongs to God alone.

Mankind thinks that he is the one who plans his own destiny but the Bible says that even though we may plan our own way, our steps are directed by the Lord (Proverbs 16:9).

We also must realize that leaders and those in authority do not govern outside of God’s will and they have no power to take our nation where God is not going.

There are two important passages that explain this.

First look at Proverbs 21:1

The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.

God has the power to turn leaders in the direction He chooses.

Look at the plans of the leaders who crucified Jesus.

The Jewish governors decided not to arrest Jesus during the feast day because they feared a riot and the Roman governor, Pilot wanted to let Jesus go with just a scourging.

It was God’s will that prevailed for the redemption of Jesus was to be accomplished on the feast of Passover for it was the fulfillment of what the Passover represented.

In the end, the foreordained plan of God was established and man’s plans were thwarted.

During the time of judgment foretold in Revelation, this principle is also made clear.

Look at Revelation 17:

17 "For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.

The Bible says that God puts it in the hearts of the world’s leaders to fulfill the purposes of God and the word God has spoken.

It is not man who picks his leaders, but God who raises up leaders and orchestrates the events that raises them to power.

Look also at Daniel 2:20-21

20 Daniel answered and said: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His.

21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.

This was spoken to King Nebuchadnezzar who was the world leader of the nation of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar was called the servant of God by scripture and even though he was a pagan king, he was a tool in the hand of God.

God raised him up to judge God’s people who had departed from the Lord and had abandoned His word.

God also foretold that the king would be lifted up with pride and then would be taken down for seven years to show that God was the one who has all power.

After seven years of insanity, Nebuchadnezzar was restored and he testifies of God’s power in Daniel 4:34-35

34 And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation.

35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth.

No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, "What have You done?"

The king of Babylon began by looking over his kingdom and saying, “Look what I have done”, but in the end he acknowledged that he was only a tool in the hand of the Lord and that it was God alone that raises men to power.

The Lord raises up kings and rulers and the Lord brings them down.

Psalm 62:11 says that power belongs to God.

When Jesus stood before Pilot during His trial, the governor said, “Don’t you know that I have the power to crucify or release You?” Jesus made it clear that Pilot would have no power over Him unless it was given to him from above.

God raises up good leaders to bless a godly nation and God raises up ungodly leaders to judge His people who have turned from Him.

The Bible also reveals that even when a leader may be godly, the Lord can still use them to judge the nation.

In 2 Samuel 24 the Bible says that God was angry at the sins of Israel and he moved King David to make a foolish decision in order to judge the nation.

Think about this the next time our leaders seem to make such foolish decisions.

God does not bless a nation because they have the right leaders in office, but rather God blesses a nation if His people are walking in godliness.

Look at Proverbs 14:

34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.

Political leaders cannot exalt a nation nor can they bring down a nation.

God has the power to turn their hearts, overthrow their plans or bless their efforts.

When you really dig down and look at the personal lives of our political leaders during the greatest times of our nation’s glory, you find things that show human nature and not divine inspiration.

God is not limited by our leader’s religious views.

Even when we had ungodly leaders and men of questionable character, the Lord still blessed the nation.

It is not the leaders but the church that determines whether a nation is blessed.

Let’s look at a passage that is often quoted but rarely obeyed.

Read 2 Chronicles 7:

14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

God does not say that he exalts the nation because they elect evangelical Christians into office, but rather if His people (the church) humble themselves before Him, repent by turning from their own ways, and seek His face.

Only then will God answer this prayer and heal the land.

God’s promises are not determined by who are leaders are, but by the holiness of His people.

It is the responsibility of every Christian to keep their lives from being so crowded that they cannot find time to seek the Lord and to remove the things from their lives that have an ungodly influence.

Submission to Authority is Commanded

Authority is appointed by God and there is no authority that God has not appointed.

Look at this passage from Romans 13:1-2

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.

For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

The scriptures make it clear that authority is from God and those who resist are not resisting the man in to position but they are resisting God.

The Bible does not allow for us to choose whether or not to submit to the authority God has put in place.

Submission is not conditional based upon the godliness of the leader.

Anyone who resists brings the judgment of God upon themselves.

We do not have to like what is done nor do we have to approve of someone’s beliefs; however, we do have to submit to the leadership God has ordained.

Look at how Jesus explained this in Matthew 23:1-5

Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3 "Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.

4 "For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

5 "But all their works they do to be seen by men.

They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.

The Pharisees were the governors of the people and were very ungodly.

Jesus had the authority to challenge them since He is King of Kings and Lord of lords but that role is not given to us.

The Pharisees were religious but very ungodly.

The Bible says that the Pharisees were children of the devil and makes it clear that they were not going to heaven and were hindering others from finding the Kingdom of God.

Even so, Jesus made it clear that submission to their authority was not optional.

He instructed the people to obey their authority but not to follow their ways.

This message is confirmed throughout scripture.

Look at 1 Peter 2:13-17

13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.

15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men -- 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people.

Love the brotherhood.

Fear God.

Honor the king.

Your submission to authority puts you within the will of God and it becomes a testimony to those around you.

This passage goes on to explain that this rule does not only apply to those who are righteous, but we are to submit to ungodly authority out of a good conscience toward God.

Let’s continue on this passage by reading 1 Peter 2:18-23

18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.

19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.

20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently?

But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.

21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth"; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;

Though we do not live in a culture that puts people in servitude, the principles in this passage still apply.

Everyone is commanded to submit to authority whether the individual is good or bad for we are not submitting to the person, but to the Lord through the position of the authority that He has put in place.

We are foretold that sometimes we will have to suffer, but we still must take it patiently.

This was demonstrated in the trial of the Apostle Paul.

At the end of the book of Acts, Paul was arrested in Jerusalem for his faith in Christ and in Acts 23 he is called to stand before a council.

When he began to speak, someone told the person beside him to strike him in the mouth.

Paul reacted negatively by calling him a whitewashed wall because of the hypocrisy that he was supposedly being judged by the Jewish law, but they commanded him to be struck contrary to the law.