We Talk Romans 13: Pay Taxes, Honor Leaders, Serve Christ

Going to be in Romans chapter 13.

We're going to continue our study in Romans.

We've been in Romans for quite some time now, and we've learned a lot.

Romans 1:11 really tell us what God has done for us in his grace and in his sacrifice, what we have in salvation, what we have in his grace, what we have in his mercy.

And then Romans chapter 12 on is all about how we're supposed to live in light of that grace and mercy and salvation.

We looked in Romans chapter 12 about how we are supposed to be a living sacrifice unto God.

Why?

Because of the mercies of God.

And it's our reasonable service to do so.

And then he says, okay, look, don't be conformed to this world.

Don't think like the world.

Don't act like the world.

Don't do the things that your flesh tells you to do.

No, be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

So the call for the Christian is to think differently, to act differently, to be distinctly unique in this world.

And then we saw how we're supposed to deal with those within the church, to exercise the gifts that God has given us in service to others.

We saw what it means to serve others, to love others, to rejoice with those that are rejoicing, to weep with those that are weeping, giving hospitality one to another.

But then we saw how to deal with people that might be doing wrong to us.

To.

To do evil to us.

It says to.

To not respond in evil.

Don't recompense evil for evil, but be honest in the sight of all men, and if possible, to live peaceably with all men.

And he says, don't avenge yourselves.

Let God be the one who does that.

Let God be the one who makes all things right.

And even so, he says, that's God's plan.

That's what it's always been from the Old Testament to the New.

God says, vengeance is mine.

I will repay, saith the Lord.

So he says, instead of treating people with evil as they do evil to you, he says, no, feed your enemy if they're hungry, give them drink if they are thirsty.

Allow to yourself to heap coals of fire upon their head, not so that they can feel the judgment of God, but so that they can feel the conviction and the grief that it is that they're walking away from God.

And then he ends the classic Romans 12 chapter with that statement, be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

And we as Christians are going to be dealing with evil around us.

That's the state of the affairs in this world today, we're going to have evil around us.

But the way that we combat evil is not by reciprocating evil to people.

So if people do wrong to us, we don't do wrong to them.

We don't speak evil things to people that are doing evil things in the world.

No, we overcome that evil with the good that God has placed in our life.

Not our own good, because there's no good, no, not one.

But because of the righteousness of God imparted into our life, we are able to live that good and acceptable will of God out by the way that we live, by the way that we talk, by the way that we respond.

And so we saw what it meant to be a Christlike church member.

We saw what it meant to be a Christlike brother or sister in the faith, and we also saw what it meant to be a Christlike person who has been persecuted.

But now we're going to get to Romans chapter 13, and we're going to see what it means to be a Christlike citizen.

Romans chapter 13 can be a difficult passage for many people because wrapped up in Romans 13 is probably a lot of feelings because we can tie in this understanding of what it means to be a citizen in a government that maybe we don't agree with, or.

Or maybe there's people out there that say, well, what Romans 13 is teaching is that all of us have to do whatever the government says.

And then sometimes people will look at Romans 13 and say, well, the government's evil, so we don't have to listen to it.

We're anarchists.

We're just going to do what we want to do.

Well, I believe that those are two extremes that are not right.

And I think that if we look at Romans chapter 13 this morning and maybe next week, we're going to see what God wants us to do as Christian citizens within the land that we are living in.

By the way, if you are a Christian this morning, you are not a final citizen here in the United States, even though you might be a citizen of the United States.

That's not your eternal home.

The Bible says that we have an eternal destination that we're going to be living in forever, and that's heaven.

We're just pilgrims passing through, so we know where our eternal destination is going to be.

But we also have to understand that Romans 13 says that there's a way that we are supposed to live within the land that we are dwelling in.

So for all of us here today, you're in Delaware.

If you didn't know that you're in Delaware and you're in the United States and there's a way that we are supposed to live in that mindset.

So Romans, chapter 13.

By the way, let me give you the context to this.

If Paul was here today and he was talking to us, which by way of extension he is, and ultimately God is through his word, a lot of us might be thinking through the lens of living in the United States, living with a government that even though isn't perfect, we still have some Christian values and we still have a say to some degree in what we're voting on and all those kind of things.

We have freedoms and liberties that we're thankful for, that we celebrate.

But understand the context of the people that are originally hearing this letter.

This book was written to Christians living in 1st century Rome under the Roman Empire.

This wasn't a Christian nation, this wasn't a democracy.

This wasn't a government founded upon biblical Christianity.

The emperor, the leader at the time in the eyes of the world was a man named Caesar.

Rome exercised enormous political, military and judicial power over everyone that was was under that authority.

And there were Christians living under that government.

That's who Paul is originally speaking to here.

Eventually we know through church history and through world history that these Christians that are living in this Roman Empire would face significant persecution by the Roman state.

If you know anything about a guy named Nero, I mean, if you look into what he did to Christians within the Roman Empire, it's gruesome.

So just know that Paul is not talking to people who like their government, who like, who have everything going their way.

This is something that's written to us.

Whether it's easy in our society to understand or not easy to understand.

We're supposed to apply what he is about to say.

And we're going to read verses one through seven right now.

We're going to go down through this and then we're going to cover as much as we can here today.

But I do want you to see this through the lens of a Christian who has been changed by the mercy and grace of God.

Try not to read these verses with your mindset of that worldly way of thinking that you know what, no one can tell me what to do because ultimately as a believer we're supposed to submit to God.

But here in this passage, we're going to see that there's other levels of authority that we are supposed to submit to.

It says in verse one, let every soul, every soul be subject unto the higher powers.

This would in.

In context be the governmental authority.

For there is no power but of God.

The powers that be are ordained of God.

We're going to talk more about what that means here in a little bit.

Verse 2.

He says, Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God, and they that rest resist shall receive to themselves damnation or judgment.

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.

Will thou then not be afraid of the power?

Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same.

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 a minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

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

For for this cause pay ye tribute also, for they are God's ministers attending continually upon this very thing.

Render therefore to all their dues tribute to whom tribute is due.

Custom to whom custom fear to whom fear honor to whom honor.

Let's go ahead and open up with a word of prayer, and then we're going to dive right into the main text here this morning.

Lord, I just thank you for this time that you've given us today to look into your word.

Lord, we're thankful for the change that you bring in our life.

Lord, we're thankful for the fact that we can be transformed by your power and your strength and your control in our lives.

Lord, I pray that we can see what it means to walk in the truth, not only within the church, not only within our community, but also as citizens in the land that we live in.

Lord, I pray that we can be a beacon of hope, a beacon of light to those around us as we live publicly this testimony that you called us to live.

Lord, I pray that if there's someone here today who does not know you as personal savior, that today can be the day of salvation, that today can be the day of that transformation.

So we thank you and we love you for all that you do.

Lord, I pray that you get me out of the way and that your word clearly is seen and understood and applied here.

This morning.

We ask all those things in Jesus name.

Amen.

So what does it mean to be a Christlike citizen?

It means that to some degree we are submitted to authority, but ultimately we are devoted to God.

The big idea would be this.

Because God has ordained civil government, Christians should, biblically speaking, be respectfully submitted to legitimate authority to fulfill civic responsibilities, but yet at the same time understand that no human government possesses authority greater than God.

That's what this passage is talking about.

And also at the same time, we're going to be looking at some other passages, one found in First Peter, another found in the Book of Acts, that can help us understand the context to what God is telling us to do here.

We know the area in which these people are living.

We know the government that they're living under.

And Paul writes to them with that being in mind, let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.

So what is Paul saying and what is he not saying?

Well, he isn't saying, submit because your government is righteous.

We know that by way of context.

He's not saying, hey, guys, Caesar is right.

Everything that the Roman Empire is doing is righteous and godly.

So follow, follow them.

Follow everything that they say.

He's not saying that.

What is he saying?

He's saying submit because God himself has established governmental authority.

Civic government is a creation of God for a purpose.

So we're going to talk about that purpose here in a little bit.

We know that as believers, we are not supposed to avenge ourselves.

We saw that in Romans, chapter 12.

And we saw that we're not supposed to overcome evil with evil, but we're supposed to overcome evil with good.

So then he says here, let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.

Paul has just told Christians not to personally take vengeance with those around them.

Okay, so for example, someone comes into my house and they steal something from me, okay?

Our human nature, our flesh says, okay, well, if they stole from me, I'm going to find out where they live.

They left their, you know, maybe they dropped their driver's license on my driveway on the way out.

Now I know where they live.

Now I'm going to go steal from them.

That's what our human nature tells us to do.

But what Paul is saying is, no, that's not the idea.

We're not to take personal vengeance.

We're allowed allowing God to come in and establish civil authority to restrain evil and administer justice.

It's God's plan for the civil government to be the one who is the one who is enacting this justice.

So what's the command here?

The command is simply this to submit to authority.

Paul.

Paul doesn't just say every Roman citizen.

He says every soul there in verse one.

So Christians are not exempt from, from legitimate civil authority.

So we can't say this.

Well, I'm a Christian, so I don't have to listen to the Laws of the land.

Okay?

So I'm going to get out on Shop Tank Road.

And, you know, 45 is really slow for a road that straight.

You know, I want to go 85.

Okay.

But I'm a Christian, so God told me I can go 85 here.

Okay, you're going to get pulled over.

Okay, that's not good.

Now, some of you say, pastor, I can go five over right?

Least.

Okay.

Hey, I'm not a judge of that.

But what I'm saying here is, as a Christian, we are called to submit ourselves under the authority of the higher power.

And so Christians are not exempt from legitimate civil authority.

He says that there.

He says, for there is no power but of God.

The powers that be are ordained of God.

Now, there's some big debate about that phrase, because sometimes people will read that verse and say, well, does that mean that every single person in leadership God has placed there on purpose?

Or does it just mean that God has ordained civil government and then the decisions that are made happen, and God then works out his plan?

I'm going to tell you this, and I'm going to speak dogmatically to this degree that every single person that is in legitimate authority has been allowed to be there by God.

Let's say it that way.

Enough.

There's nothing that God is surprised by.

There's nothing that God is like, whoa, that guy's president now.

I didn't know that.

Well, man, I wish I could have done something else.

No, we understand to some degree that God is ultimately sovereign.

Nothing surprises him.

Now, I can't sit here and dogmatically say that God puts every single person and ordains them there and forces that to happen.

Though we know that God providentially has done that in the past.

We know that through Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar.

So there's certain aspects of this that we obviously can understand to some degree through Scripture.

But what the Bible at least tells us here is that God has ordained civil government in this world.

There are certain individuals that take control that might be Christlike or who might not be Christ like.

But ultimately God has allowed this to happen.

God has established the institution of government just as God has established the institution of marriage.

Just as God has defined things so long ago, God has instituted government.

Now, I know that this is difficult to talk about because of the world that we live in.

Anytime you hear the word government within church, people start getting uncomfortable, right?

Especially after 2020, we're like, well, what does this mean?

Is pastor going to get political Here, I promise you I won't get political, but I want to get biblical.

And the government is mentioned in the Bible, so it's biblical, right?

So, so we're seeing here that there is some level that God has ordained us to follow within the land that we are living in.

God establishes the institution of government.

So he says, whosoever therefore resisteth the power res.

Resist this civil government in and of itself resisteth the ordinance of God.

So if I say I'm never going to listen to the government, no matter what it might be, we're essentially saying, well, God, I'm not listening to you.

God, I'm.

I'm not going to listen to this institution that you have come about with, with justice.

And what we're going to talk about later, honoring those that are good.

So the command is clear.

Christians are to submit to legitimate governmental authority.

So unless you think, well, that's just Paul, but like all the other apostles didn't agree with that, I want you to go to a parallel passage in First Peter, chapter two.

And this is another apostle which you know is Peter, obviously walked with the Lord.

First Peter, chapter 2, verses 13 through 17.

Tell us something very similar.

He's going to talk to us about our role as citizens within the land that we are living in.

By the way, do you know that there's people that are not American, that are Christians around the world?

Right?

There are.

We're going to have a person in our service in a few minutes that.

His name is John Baptist, John Baptiste, and I can't even pronounce his last name.

Okay.

And it's so long.

But you know what the truth is, is that he understands the same thing that I'm understanding here.

But he's living in a different world.

And a lot of times we see it through the American lens, which I understand, we do.

Like, that's all I know.

But at the same time, what we have to see is this.

What the Bible is telling us here is not limited just to those that are living in a Christian nation.

This is to all this is to.

To everybody.

And so in First Peter, chapter two, Peter again is writing to the church and he's writing to people who would have been under some level of persecution.

Verse 13 says, Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king or as supreme or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers.

And this is important, by the way.

We're going to talk about the characteristics of the right way of government here in a second.

Because, by the way, government can overstep its balance.

But it says here that they are there for punishment of evildoers and for the praise of them that do.

Well, mark that verse there, because we're going to be coming back to it later.

Verse 15.

For so is the will of God.

There's only a few times.

Well, there's probably more than a few times, but there's a handful of times in Scripture where it explicitly states what the will of God is in our life.

Everyone's looking for the will of God.

Like, what's the will of God for my life, where should I work, who should I marry, where should I go?

Where should I live?

All those different things.

But there are times in Scripture where it clearly says this is the will of God.

It says, for so is the will of God that we with well doing with living as a godly citizen publicly, ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.

We're able to deal with those that are foolish in our society not by more evil, not by more foolishness, but by living as good citizens.

That's a testimony for those around us.

And he says verse 16 as free and not using your liberty for the cloak of maliciousness.

So we're not supposed to use our Christian liberties for maliciousness and evil in this world, but as the servants of God, honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

And so here we see in First Peter, chapter two, a similar teaching, that we are supposed to live under the submission of government authority and be good citizens so that we can be a testimony for the world, so they can see what it means to be changed in Jesus Christ.

Paul and Peter say the same thing.

Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake.

That's what we see there in Romans, chapter 13.

And that's where we see there in First Peter, chapter 2.

Let every soul be subject.

Submit yourselves.

Both of these apostles are teaching Christians that faith in Christ does not make us lawless citizens.

But notice something very important in Peter's he says it's for the Lord's sake.

That's the key.

We submit to human authority because of our submission to God.

We don't submit to human authority because they're our God.

The government's not our God.

God is our God and he is who we are serving.

So we're to submit to authority because we're submitted ultimately to God.

It's the same principle with my children.

Like so, so I as a father, I'm Supposed to be able to lead my children, they're supposed to obey me.

There is some level of submission there, but I don't tell my children, just obey me, because it makes me happy and I'm the dictator.

No, I ultimately want my children to understand that their submission to their father is ultimately submission to God.

And so as they obey me, they're obeying God.

It's not just all.

It doesn't end with me.

It ends with an understanding, a proper understanding of their relationship with their heavenly Father.

It's the same thing within our society.

The way that we see God will be manifested by how we deal with every institution around us.

So he says it's for the Lord's sake.

Our ultimate reason for being a good citizen within Delaware, within Maryland, within the United States, wherever we're at is, is not.

I love Caesar.

I love the government.

I'm going to worship the government.

By the way, that's sometimes how Romans 13 has been portrayed over history.

You have to just worship the government.

The government's your God.

Caesar is your king.

Caesar is your Lord.

No, it's not I love Caesar.

It's I love Christ.

And because I love Christ, I'm going to be the type of citizen that I'm called to be.

Within the context of scripture, Peter says, whether it be king as supreme or unto governors, he says even the local government, he says it's those that do the things of punishing evildoers and praising them that do well.

So let's go back to Romans chapter 13, and we're going to kind of conclude our thought there on the command.

Then we're going to look at the caveat, because there's a caveat here.

And I think it's important for us to understand.

He.

He says in verse number three, he says, for the rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.

So one of the aspects of godly authority, godly government, is that they are to punish evil.

And I think we would all agree with that.

We would want evil to be punished.

And so a marker of government working in the way that God has ordained it to work is that the government would punish evildoers.

But then we know that it says more.

It says, wilt thou then not be afraid of the power?

Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same.

It's the exact same thing that Peter says in First Peter, Chapter 2.

The two major roles of a government ordained by God to follow is to punish evil and to honor those that do good.

Those are the Two things.

Now I think we can all agree throughout history that people that have been in leadership have overstepped those two commands, right?

The government has wanted to become God to the people.

And that's where we have a major issue.

So, so Paul and Peter are describing the the same basic God given function of civil authority to punish evildoers and to praise them that do well.

Now, now here is the caveat.

Submission is not blind obedience.

Some people will teach this passage and say whatever the government says, we have to just go with like that's the rule.

And as a Christian, that's something that maybe some of us have struggled with over the time.

Well, there's this law and we see this, but what am I supposed to do if that offends my conscience or if that is something that is contrary to Scripture?

Well, Peter is going to add something extremely important in his passage.

He says, for so is the will of God that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.

Peter's concern isn't simply don't get arrested guys, just, just be out of jail.

He's concerned about the Christian witness.

So Christians should live in honorable ways in our lives so that false accusations against the church and against Christians should be exposed as false.

So we're to live blamelessly as Christians.

Peter says, you know, we're free and we're not to use our liberty for the cloak of maliciousness, but as servants of God.

And so yes, Christians are free.

But there is another thing to think about in this Christian freedom doesn't mean nobody can tell me what to do.

Because that's.

Sometimes I used to think about that as a, as a young Christian, I'd be in, you know, school and there'd be chapel and this guy would get up and he'd say, hey, we've got freedom as Christians, we're so free.

We have liberty.

And I'm like, well, what about all the rules that I just got written up for my socks being too short on my shoes?

And like that's not liberty.

And, and I'd be so confused with that.

Liberty, liberty, Christian liberty is not about just living what I want in my life out.

That's like, that's the world's version of liberty.

I just want to do what I want to do.

The Bible says Christian liberty is not to exercise my flesh.

Christian liberty in the context of Scripture is that I am free to serve God.

I'm not bound by the things of this world that can limit me to serve God.

So the freedom of a Christian is not to say I'm doing whatever I want to do.

It's that I'm a servant of God.

And Christian liberty does not eliminate submission to authority.

But our freedom in Christ produces a willing submission to legitimate authority.

But that submission is not blind.

I want to go through three definitions for you here this morning.

Submission.

Submission is recognizing and respecting legitimate authority.

So what does it mean for a Christian to submit to government authority?

I, as a Christian who is under submission, recognizes and respects legitimate governmental authority.

Okay?

So I say, okay, they're my president, they're my governor.

They're whatever know, they're the mayor, whatever it might be.

Okay?

So it's a recognition and respect of legitimate authority.

Then we go to obedience.

Because In Romans, chapter 13, it says be subject.

So the idea would be to.

To put ourselves in the proper position.

But then there's obedience, doing what a legitimate authority commands.

So follow, whether or not you agree with every single, you know, speed limit in Delaware or wherever you're at, there's a legitimate command that we are to obey.

But then there's something called blind obedience.

Blind obedience is doing whatever an authority commands simply because they possess power.

I don't believe that.

I see in Scripture at any point that we're supposed to have blind obedience to the government.

Say, whoa, what does that mean?

That means that if God says something and the government says something that is contrary to that, who do we obey?

We obey ultimately the Lord.

And that's what he's talking about here.

He's not saying that the government is always right.

Peter's not saying the government's always right.

Paul's not saying the government's always right.

He says that there is a level, a healthy submission to governmental authority and to some degree, obedience to that.

But there isn't blind obedience because the government possesses authority, but a government does not possess unlimited authority.

Christians must obey every governmental command, regardless what God says.

No, Christians don't have to obey every government command if it contradicts with what the word of God says, because government itself exists under God's authority.

Therefore, we have to understand that in Acts, chapter five, the Bible says something else.

Peter, the same individual that was speaking to us in First Peter, chapter two, that says submit to government authority is being told here in Acts, chapter four and five, that he needs to stop preaching the truth of Jesus, okay?

By leaders, by authorities.

So Peter doesn't say, well, they told me I gotta stop.

So there's ultimate government authority, so I just need to stop.

No, he says something very interesting in Acts chapter 5, verse 29.

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we ought to to obey God rather than man.

Now, sometimes people will read those verses and get confused.

They say, well, there's a biblical contradiction here.

Paul says to obey the government.

Peter says, we obey God, not man.

No, what it's saying here is this.

We obey the government unless it contradicts the word of God.

And then at that point, we obey the higher authority, which is God.

And that's what we're seeing here in Acts, chapter five.

And ultimately, that's how we can understand Romans, chapter 13.

We go back to Romans 13 again, those two roles of the government, verse three, they're not a terror to good works, but to evil works and the praise of the ones who do the good works.

Verse 4.

For he is a minister of God, a servant of God to thee for good.

So the government working in the right way is a servant for good, for order, for honoring those that do good things, to punish those who do bad things.

But there is a time and a place where the government can overstep those bounds.

And.

And then what do we do?

We obey God.

Now, I'm probably on some watch list now because I said that, but that's okay.

The truth is, is that we're on the Internet, aren't we?

Yeah.

Okay.

But the truth is, and I'm going to tell you this, there are rules on the books.

There's laws on the books in America that contradict the word of God.

So what do we do?

We say, well, it's on the books, so we got to do it.

Or we got to support it.

We got to tolerate it.

No, as a Christian, I obey God rather than man when it comes to things that are things of the word.

In the Book of Matthew, Jesus is talking.

And you remember there was this big debate like, well, should we pay our taxes?

We're going to talk about that here.

Romans, chapter 13 a little bit.

And Jesus says a statement.

I think probably all of you to some degree are familiar with it.

He says, what?

Render to Caesar what Caesar's.

And everyone's like, oh, he's like, who's on the money?

Right?

You remember that story?

But then he says a statement at the, at the end of that.

He says, render God's.

What is God's?

So, so when Caesar's in his lane, okay, honor that, but honor God where he speaks.

And what we have to understand is the difference between the two.

And we're going to get more to that as we go along, but just to Note the, the role, the characteristics of the government that God has ordained is to restrain evil.

We know that the government has a legitimate role to restrain evil with criminal justice, punishing wrongdoers, protection of society, maintaining civil order.

Those are all wonderful things that we should celebrate within our society.

And the government also has a role to promote good.

And we see that in Romans 13 and in 1st Peter, chapter 2.

To promote good, government should protect the innocent, maintain order, create civil environment in which people can live peaceably.

We're talking about God's purpose for government, not claiming that every government perfectly fulfills this purpose.

I would venture to say that most governments stray away from this.

So we need to understand that there's a distinction there.

Government is a minister of God.

See, see that there with me in verse 4 of Romans 13.

For he is the minister of God, but not the Master.

So we have to see that.

We have to see that the government is there to enact in the right way as a minister of God, but not the Master over the people.

And that's biblically, I believe, a good way to see it there.

The minister is a servant.

Government therefore possesses delegated authority of God.

God gives government authority.

God defines the purpose.

And then God remains above the government.

Government is under God.

God is not under the government.

And we have to be very clear about that within our own walk.

So the conflict.

So, so, so we've talked about the command, we talked about the caveat.

Now we need to talk about in the, in the characteristics of a, a government.

But now we need to talk about the conflict when government and God collide.

That's really where we were all getting to anyway, right?

I think we all understand I should follow the rules.

But what happens when it goes against what God has said?

What happens when the government commands something that God forbids or forbids something that God commands?

What did Peter say?

We ought to obey God rather than man.

Peter wasn't denying governmental authority, he was recognizing its limits.

The apostles were commanded to stop preaching Jesus, what do they do?

Well, they didn't say, well, we better stop.

No, they refuse.

Why?

Because God's authority is greater than man's authority.

And we are called to preach the word.

And there are biblical examples of godly resistance to the government.

And, and I gotta be very careful here.

I'm not calling you today to start a rebellion.

Okay?

What I'm.

What I'm all.

But I.

What I am saying clearly is that if the government tells us to do something that is wrong, we have to obey God.

Let me Give you some examples.

Okay.

Exodus, chapter one.

The Hebrew midwives.

Pharaoh commanded them to kill the Hebrew boys.

What did they do?

They.

They refused.

The midwives feared God.

Moses's parents.

We know that Moses's parents hid their son.

They refused to comply to what the king's command was.

Think about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

They were told in Daniel three to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar statue or they would go into the fiery furnace.

What do they do?

They say, no, we're not going to worship him.

You're not our God.

We're not bowing the knee.

And they faced the fire.

And we know that God sustained them through that.

Daniel, chapter six, Right.

Daniel was told not to pray.

Daniel boldly opened his windows and he prayed.

But understand this.

The government prohibited prayer to anyone who accepted the king.

Daniel continued praying.

He didn't overthrow the government.

He just kept doing the right thing.

I want you to understand the distinction.

He didn't go in and say, well, you know, king, I'm going to overthrow you.

He didn't agree with that.

And he just overcame evil with good instead of evil for evil.

So he didn't respond in violence.

He responded with prayer.

Acts, chapter four and five.

We've already talked about this.

Peter and John, they were told not to preach Christ.

And they said, you know what?

God has called us to something greater.

So what, what does it mean then, to be a good citizen?

It just means that we are to obey the legitimate authority that God has ordained within our society.

We are to do our best.

Even if, let me say this morning, this is going to be probably offensive to some people, even if we don't agree with some of the rules, some of the laws, if it's not something that's contradicting God and it's.

It's under the legitimate authority that God has ordained.

We, we have to, as Christians, or we should as Christians be a testimony of obedience to show the world what it means to be Christ like and to have that level of submission.

And we go to verse 5.

He says, Wherefore you must needs be subject not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

He says it's not just about the fear of judgment, even though that's part of it.

I don't want to get arrested.

I don't want to get in trouble.

So it's not just about the fear of wrath, but it's also for your conscience sake.

It's also for your sake, for your testimony.

It's also for your public display of how you are living within this world.

We.

We know that Jesus said, give Caesar what Caesar's.

So we see in verse six, he says, for this cause, pay tribute, pay your taxes.

That's what he says here.

Respect legitimate authority, Fulfill your civic responsibilities.

And.

But we know that he says, give to God what's God's.

So we, we don't say, well, the government says, this is what marriage is all about.

So we have to follow that.

Even though the Bible says this?

No, that's not what he's saying here.

He says God is defined things.

We obey that.

Give Caesar his taxes, give Caesar his coin, but give God your life.

We're not to worship the government, your worship, your conscience, your ultimate allegiance is to God.

So the contrast is this.

A good biblical Christlike citizen is not a government worshiper, Okay?

I. I just had to be.

And I'm not talking about politics, right or left.

I'm not talking about any of that, okay?

I'm talking about a good Christian citizen should not worship the government.

This, this could be maybe an offensive thing, but I'll say this.

A Christian can say, I will respect the government without worshiping the government.

I will obey the law without making the law my ultimate authority.

I'll pay my taxes without surrendering my conscience.

I'll honor my leaders without believing that they're infallible.

I'll pray for those in authority without agreeing with everything that they do.

What if I got up here today and there's a politician and we, like, don't agree with what he believes in?

I say, hey, we should pray for him.

And people are like, I'm not praying for that guy or that lady, whoever it is.

That's not a Christlike heart.

Though I might not agree with their politics, I might think that things that they're doing are evil.

My heart should be to pray that God gets a hold of their heart, that God changes them, that they can experience what it means to have that transformation, that renewal of their mind.

That's not hypocrisy.

That's biblical Christianity.

We don't have to choose between.

Think about this, this morning.

A lot of times in our culture, everything's extremes, but we don't have to choose between everything the government does is right or the government has no authority and I'm running my own way.

We don't have to choose those two extremes, biblically speaking.

There's a third option.

The government has legitimate authority because God has established it, but the government remains ultimately under God's authority.

So the way that we could summarize all this as a Christian is that we should be a Christian witness by the way that we live.

We should obey the laws that don't contradict the word of God.

But ultimately we should follow God and understand that he is our ultimate guide and we are to worship him and submit ourselves to Him.

We are free, but we submit.

We disagree, but we still honor.

We resist evil, but there's still some times that we don't render evil for evil.

We render good, we obey so that we can ultimately worship God and be a testimony and a beacon of light to those that are around us.

The phrase that I was reading, I saw this pop up a few different places is essentially this.

It's Christ above Caesar.

Even though Caesar has legitimate authority to some degree, though we render to Caesar's what Caesar's.

Ultimately, it's Christ above Caesar.

A godly Christian who's obeying the Lord should be the best citizen in the land because of us allowing ourselves to do what is right, to follow the law.

And by the way, if you think about the second aspect of the greatest commandment, to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbor as ourself.

Folks, if we're living the godly life the way that God has commanded us, we'll be the best citizens because we're loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Everyone should want to live next to a Christian.

Every government which should want to have a bunch of Christians, because we're going to treat people the way that we want to be treated.

We're going to treat people in that Christlike love.

And biblically speaking, that's a way that we can be a citizen to all those that are in the world at least example of a citizen.

So Christ above Caesar.

God ultimately gets the worship.

Though the government might receive our submission, our taxes, our tribute, our civil obedience, they don't receive our worship.

So as we conclude here this morning, the Bible tells us to submit to government because God has ordained that authority.

And let me be clear here this morning, lest anyone gets confused, I am telling you as a Christian to obey the civic authority, be a good citizen, follow the rules, understand how we can promote good in this world and punish evil, but submit to government because God has ordained that serve as a good citizen where you belong to Christ.

But don't forget that government is under God.

It's ultimately his authority and our ultimate allegiance belongs to Him.

So as we look at Romans 13 at least up to verse 7, we understand that we're to render therefore to all their dues.

Tribute to whom tribute is due.

Custom to whom custom is due.

Fear to whom fear.

Honor to whom honor.

There is a proper way to submit ourselves within the government authority that's over us.

And I believe Romans 13 is telling us how to do that, along with 1 Peter, chapter 2, along with Matthew, chapter 22, along with Acts, chapter 5.

By the way, that's so important because as a Christian, we don't just proof text one verse and make all of our life on that.

We look at the whole scope of Scripture and we understand all these things together give us the theology that we are supposed to live out within our life.

So is it.

Is it something that is easy?

No.

By the way, let me tell you, I struggle with this.

I still struggle with this to this day.

I look at a situation, I go, that's not right.

I want to submit.

I want to pay that.

I don't want to do that.

That's ridiculous.

I.

Then I.

Then I just put myself back in, like the time of Nero.

And I'm like, well, if I was there, I wouldn't be complaining about what I'm dealing with right now.

So, folks, I want to let you know, this is not.

Hey, we do this because we live here.

We're about to talk to a dear brother who lives in a country that there are a lot more restrictions than here.

And I was having some conversation with him, and I'm like, can't you just break those rules?

He's like, yeah, but the government's saying, and it's not against God's word, and.

And I struggle with that.

And I'm not saying that I have all the answers for this.

And I believe that as a Christian, all of us, all of us have to make those decisions ultimately before the Lord in our own life.

I am not your conscience.

I'm not the Holy Spirit as much as I want to be the Holy Spirit for my children.

And I want to tell them everything that they're supposed to do and everything they're supposed to think.

I cannot be the Holy Spirit.

You cannot be the Holy Spirit.

So you have to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you and how this lives out in your life as a godly citizen.

So think about it this morning.

What does it mean for you to be a Christlike citizen to, as Peter says, to be a testimony to those in the world that need Jesus?

Because that's ultimately what it is.

Every relationship that we have should be a few different things.

If they're unsaved, it's Evangelism if they're saved, it's a.

It's a tool for edification and a tool for education and a tool to edify.

So if they're an unsaved person, my job is not to crush them.

If they're an unsafe person, it's not my job to belittle them.

It's not my job to reject them.

It's my job to lead them to Jesus.

By the way that I live and by the way that I talk, by the way that I obey, by the way that I'm a neighbor, you know, what kind of testimony would it be for me that, like, hey, there's all these ordinances in my neighborhood.

And I go, yeah, I'm not listening to any.

Any one of them.

Okay, I'm a rebel, but obey Jesus, okay?

Be.

Be a good citizen.

Like it.

It's.

You see the.

The dynamic, the contrast.

And so the Bible says, yes, we're to obey the government up to a point where.

But then when God speaks on something and the government contradicts with a corruption, we have to say, no, it's about Jesus, and we follow him.

And your testimony rides on that because people are watching.

People watch what the church does.

People watch what the Christians do.

And we as a church must stand to be Christlike citizens in the world.

Not so that people can say we're good people, not so that just we were afraid of going to jail, but ultimately, because our conscience tells us that as a believer, we are to appeal to that higher authority, and we're to be a testimony for those that need Jesus Christ.

And ultimately, that's the answer to all of this.

People need Jesus.

Pray for your government.

Pray that Christlike principles are in government.

We want that to be the case, but if not, we don't quit.

All we do is we as a culture want to impact those around us.

Pray for our politicians, witness to the politicians.

That's what we have to do.

We have to be bold in our witness.

We can't just stay here and complain about the things that we're dealing with.

Complaining doesn't do anything.

Complaining doesn't fix anything.

It's action that.

Compassionate action to go out into the world.

So I pray that you do that, and I pray that you're the citizen that God has called us to be.

Well, let's go ahead and have a time of invitation.

I'm asking if you're able to stand.

Stand with me.

Every head bowed, every eye closed as the music plays here.

This morning we've talked about a lot of different things.

The first and biggest question is this.

Do you know Jesus as your personal savior?

Has he transformed your life?

Have you trusted in the fact that Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for your sins, rose again on the third day, and is ruling and reigning now?

And are you going to put your faith and trust in that and that alone, not your good works, not being a good citizen?

By the way, being a good citizen doesn't save you.

What saves you is faith in Jesus Christ.

And then he changes you to be that citizen that you're called to be.

So, number one, are you, Are you saved?

If not, come forward this morning.

We got folks.

I can show you in the Bible what it means to have faith in Jesus Christ.

But secondly, are you being that intentional citizen that points people to Jesus?

Who are you worshiping?

Who are you submitting to?

Who are you pointing to?

Jesus, by the way, that you live in your life boldly for the cause of the gospel.

If that's something that you need to get right with him.

This morning, I ask that you come forward, take this time to submit these things over to the Lord.

As a Christlike citizen here in 2026.

I pray that you be in this time of invitation, working hearts and lives.

We thank you for all that you do.

And I pray that you can meet us where we are in our needs, Lord, as you always do, and help us to submit ourselves to you.

Ultimately, as we follow what you've commanded us to do, we ask these things in Jesus name, Amen.