WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:06.240 We're gonna wrap up a conversation we started a few weeks ago called Jesus not politics. 00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:09.119 Jesus not politics. 00:00:09.599 --> 00:00:13.519 So we we began this conversation really simply uh by by that phrase. 00:00:13.599 --> 00:00:19.199 And it's not us, by the way, saying that it's Jesus followers, and I know by the way, not everyone in the room has made that decision to be one. 00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:33.759 If you're here and you're kind of figuring that out, this is going to be a fun conversation for you because maybe you can see how Jesus followers are told by God, by the God we believe in, even if you don't believe in that God, how we should engage with the politics of our world. 00:00:33.920 --> 00:00:37.200 Because let's just be honest, politics is sort of hard to engage with. 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:40.159 You know, there's situations in life where I just don't know what to do. 00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:45.920 Um for me, like one of the big ones, it's silly, but it's like walking into a restaurant that is way busier than I thought it would be. 00:00:46.159 --> 00:00:48.560 And when I do that, I walk in, I'm just saying, oh. 00:00:50.479 --> 00:00:53.039 And then half the time I just go, all right, goodbye. 00:00:53.200 --> 00:00:54.079 And I just walk away. 00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:54.640 You know? 00:00:54.799 --> 00:01:04.879 And that's how I feel sometimes when I look at things happening in the world and like politically or or just culturally, sometimes I just kind of pause and go, no, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go that way. 00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:08.239 But but politics, look, it's it's kind of unavoidable. 00:01:08.319 --> 00:01:09.040 It affects all of us. 00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:16.560 People can make decisions that impact every aspect of our lives, and scripture is actually filled with instructions for us on how we're to engage. 00:01:16.799 --> 00:01:18.480 So we're gonna talk about that today. 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:23.040 Now, when we said Jesus not politics, just a real quick uh re-re-what's the word? 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:24.560 I was gonna say relapse. 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:26.000 That's not the right word. 00:01:26.159 --> 00:01:29.200 Uh there's a word that starts with re recap. 00:01:29.280 --> 00:01:30.480 That's different than a relapse. 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:31.120 All right. 00:01:31.359 --> 00:01:35.760 Um one needs to have a political relapse this morning. 00:01:36.079 --> 00:01:36.879 Let's recap. 00:01:37.040 --> 00:01:39.599 Jesus not politics does not mean that we don't engage with politics. 00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:48.239 It doesn't mean that we don't get into politics, it doesn't mean we don't have uh ideas and opinions about politics, it doesn't mean we don't express our ideas and our opinions about politics. 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:52.799 It just means that as Jesus followers, we remember that he is our hope. 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:54.879 That he's who we put our focus on. 00:01:55.040 --> 00:02:02.719 Jesus made it very clear when he was on the earth that his kingdom, his movement that he was starting was not of this world. 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:05.120 And so he didn't go through the normal political channels. 00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:12.639 He didn't say, you know what, man, if I really want this to catch on, that I make sure I gotta make sure I get with some really influential political people so they can really, you know, make this a thing. 00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:13.199 Not at all. 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:14.319 Jesus bypassed all of that. 00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:15.039 He didn't need it. 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:17.280 It was offered to him, he didn't want it. 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:20.639 Because his kingdom is not of this world. 00:02:21.439 --> 00:02:28.400 And so we've got to remember that no matter how crazy things get politically, no matter how passionate we get about that, our hope, it's on him. 00:02:28.639 --> 00:02:32.319 It's not on an election or on a candidate, it's on Jesus. 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:33.439 So that's where we started. 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:37.840 Last week we kind of started to get into the nit, the nitty, uh, the nitty-gritty of all this. 00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:39.919 My brain is not working this morning. 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:42.560 Maybe it's because I drove to Augusta and back yesterday. 00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:43.280 That was fun. 00:02:43.439 --> 00:02:43.919 All right. 00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:46.319 Romans chapter 13, verses 1 and 7. 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:47.120 1 through 7. 00:02:47.199 --> 00:02:51.199 Here's it says, everyone must submit to governing authorities. 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:54.000 No one ever says woo when I read that line. 00:02:54.159 --> 00:02:55.759 There's no like, amen. 00:02:55.840 --> 00:02:57.280 That never happens on that. 00:02:57.439 --> 00:03:01.599 Uh, for all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:07.520 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. 00:03:07.759 --> 00:03:12.400 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:14.400 Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? 00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:15.120 Do what is right. 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:15.919 They will honor you. 00:03:16.080 --> 00:03:19.599 The authorities are God's servants sent for your good. 00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:23.199 But if you're doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. 00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:27.199 They are God's servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. 00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:33.199 So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:35.439 Pay your taxes too, for these same reasons. 00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:37.360 For government workers need to be paid. 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:46.400 They are serving God in what they do, give to everyone what you owe them, pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:53.360 Last week, we focused mainly when it comes to this text on the relationship that God has with government. 00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:55.919 And ultimately, the relationship he has is really simple. 00:03:56.000 --> 00:03:57.919 He's over it, he's in charge of it. 00:03:58.560 --> 00:04:05.599 God establishes nations and governments, God influences nations and governments, and one day God will ultimately judge nations and governments. 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:15.599 And that gives us a lot of peace as believers, because when we look at the world and we look at nations and governments that we see are just way out of whack, we can know that God sees that too. 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:21.839 I mean, Paul makes it clear what the purpose of a government should be to protect those who are doing good and to punish those who aren't. 00:04:21.920 --> 00:04:22.720 It's really simple. 00:04:22.879 --> 00:04:31.439 And when governments aren't doing that, they're not doing what God put them in place to do, and we can we can have faith and peace that God sees that and that ultimately God will make that right. 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:33.439 And he's done that all throughout history. 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:36.800 It's just that sometimes in the moment it doesn't feel like he is. 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:39.519 So last week was kind of God's relationship with government. 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:43.680 Today, we're gonna talk about our relationship with government. 00:04:44.959 --> 00:04:49.040 How do we as Jesus followers engage with the government we're part of? 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:52.399 Now, this is this is really interesting for us because we're not like Paul. 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:57.680 Paul, who wrote this, the author, he's he's a first century Jewish man living in the Roman Empire. 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:00.720 And the Roman Empire was an empire. 00:05:01.040 --> 00:05:06.000 And so uh, you know, you just you didn't mess with the government in the same way that we can mess with the government today. 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:11.759 So that whole like honor and submit thing, you didn't really have the option not to so much. 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:19.680 We live in a different world in a different time, and and honestly, if you want to think about us as Americans and ask the question, like, what is our national pastime? 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:24.879 Some would say baseball, you know, like the World Series uh champion Atlanta Braves baseball team. 00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:27.839 Like, if you don't know baseball, yeah, I needed a woo. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:30.079 I hadn't had one, and that was just no. 00:05:30.399 --> 00:05:32.000 Just pandered to the sports fans. 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:32.480 Okay. 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:38.639 So, you know, that's a pastime of America, but I think we have a deeper pastime. 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:53.920 I think our national pastime, what we are the best at, what we enjoy the most from the founding of our country is just outright mocking and making fun of the people we elect to do the things we want them to do. 00:05:54.560 --> 00:05:56.079 It's just part of our culture. 00:05:56.319 --> 00:05:57.360 We're really good at it. 00:05:57.439 --> 00:06:04.240 And so, just to kind of get us in that mindset, um, I just want to show a little example of that. 00:06:04.399 --> 00:06:08.639 This is the national pastime of America, having fun at the expense of our political leaders. 00:06:08.800 --> 00:06:11.040 Take a look, and then we'll come back together. 00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:19.759 It's a feather in America's cap that we went from W to Obama. 00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:23.279 Because you couldn't think of, you know, W's like, he's yeah. 00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:25.360 Yeah. 00:06:27.920 --> 00:06:30.160 And he was a plain-spoken man, you know. 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:33.199 Remember when he famously said, we got evildoers. 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:37.439 That's kind of brilliant, you know. 00:06:37.519 --> 00:06:38.879 We got evildoers. 00:06:38.959 --> 00:06:44.399 I can't say anymore baddoers, and evildoers like to do evil. 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:48.800 Obama is incapable of being the Harvard genius he is, you know. 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:52.240 There are people in the world who wish to do us Harvard. 00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:54.560 You mean evildoers? 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:00.720 I mean, Clinton had a great phrase. 00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:01.199 Remember that one? 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:07.600 I feel your pie, I'm feel your pie. 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:15.839 Obama would say something like, When I say that you're having a period of discomfort, I can experience compassion. 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:23.199 Someone told me that you were talking about him on stage as being kind of a villain, like he's a small hero. 00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:23.519 Why? 00:07:23.839 --> 00:07:30.240 Because he's got the helicopters and his Trump and the play and everything, Trump, and then his giant orange head is like he's like a Batman villain. 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:32.879 You'll never get away with this Trump. 00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:44.000 Okay. 00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:45.680 Let me just go. 00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:14.159 And then my notice he made list. 00:09:14.399 --> 00:09:17.919 Number one, the one part, number two, the thing, number three, you know the drill. 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:21.279 Because he gets confused and then he kind of turns on the audience. 00:09:21.360 --> 00:09:22.879 Come on, this is rocket science. 00:09:25.840 --> 00:09:26.960 There you go. 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:29.919 Making fun of our leaders. 00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:36.159 And you know what I love about that is that that that's one person just making fun of all of them, right? 00:09:36.399 --> 00:09:37.840 And he's still alive. 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:41.759 And he has actually lots of money because he does that. 00:09:41.840 --> 00:09:43.919 That is not something that existed in Jesus' day. 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:49.360 There was no scenario where someone went up to like Caesar and said, Oh, Caesar, you gotta see this guy who does a hilarious impression of you. 00:09:49.519 --> 00:09:52.080 Like, he's taken your idiosyncrasies and expanded on them. 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:53.039 It's hysterical. 00:09:53.200 --> 00:09:54.320 That person's dead. 00:09:54.559 --> 00:09:59.679 And and like, let's be honest, in many places in the world today, there's no version of that. 00:09:59.919 --> 00:10:05.679 Like you don't have the freedom to make fun of your political leaders in much of the world. 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:07.919 That's a unique part of human history. 00:10:08.080 --> 00:10:12.960 Like, we're we're part of the very small number of people that have ever lived in a society where you can do that. 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:15.039 And we're really, really good at it. 00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:16.080 And I love it. 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:19.840 I I'm just being honest, I love laughing at that stuff. 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:26.799 But here's the challenge for me is that and I'm not saying that should go away. 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:28.480 Like, I'm celebrating that. 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:29.679 That's awesome. 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:39.279 But I'm also called in scripture to have a posture of honor and respect to the people that God's put in authority. 00:10:39.519 --> 00:10:41.600 And I'm gonna be honest, I don't wanna. 00:10:42.159 --> 00:10:43.679 I just don't want to. 00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:47.360 And I haven't been trained to, as an American, I haven't. 00:10:47.600 --> 00:10:52.799 I've been brought up my whole life, trained to laugh, to mock, to be angered and outraged. 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:58.159 I haven't been trained to show honor and respect, and yet when I read these words, I'm called to. 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:00.720 And so we're gonna have a conversation about what does that actually look like? 00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:01.919 How do we do that? 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:08.720 And there's one word I'm gonna use a fair bit today, and I think it's a really important word that is lost in much of our culture right now, and it's the word nuance. 00:11:08.879 --> 00:11:13.039 So just know that as we talk through this, there's gonna be a lot of nuances. 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:15.360 Like it's not just broad stroke stuff. 00:11:15.519 --> 00:11:19.440 This is really interesting, really practical, and I think it's very timely. 00:11:19.919 --> 00:11:20.879 Very, very timely. 00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:23.039 All right, so here's where I want to start. 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:27.200 And we see this very much from Romans 13 that we just read a few minutes ago. 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:32.320 The blanket statement God values authority. 00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:35.759 God values authority. 00:11:36.879 --> 00:11:41.279 And and there's a few there's a few stories in scripture that make this really just like uh jump out to me. 00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:45.360 And I was gonna have all of it on the screens, but I think I can just kind of go through it really quick for us. 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:48.480 Um King David, a character in the Old Testament. 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:57.600 If you're not familiar, Old Testament is the stuff in the Bible before Jesus, mainly follows the story of a group of people called the Israelites, and David was an Israelite, he became the second king of Israel. 00:11:58.320 --> 00:12:05.200 He's there, John Adams, you know, and there George Washington was a guy named Saul, and Saul was a terrible king. 00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:10.320 He started off okay, went really poorly, and Saul had a major issue with David, and it was really simple. 00:12:10.480 --> 00:12:11.759 Saul was jealous of David. 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:14.159 Everyone liked Saul, but they loved David. 00:12:14.639 --> 00:12:21.840 And even more importantly, God had chosen David and had actually, there's this word in the Bible, anointed, which means to like set apart. 00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:24.559 He had anointed David to be the next king. 00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:27.679 And Saul was suspicious of that, so Saul's like, well, just kill him. 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:32.399 And so David, David flees, and he doesn't flee in fear, he's not running away because he's scared. 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:33.519 David was a warrior. 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:42.240 I mean, David was a mighty warrior, and if you were gonna say, hey, David versus Saul one-on-one, like everyone would have chosen David. 00:12:42.960 --> 00:12:46.960 In a weird way, he actually like flees out of uh respect for Saul's authority. 00:12:47.039 --> 00:12:48.399 It's an interesting dynamic. 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:59.919 Well, Saul pursues David, and and while David's on the run, Saul actually shows up and camps out in a cave, and it just so happens to be a cave that David and his men are hiding further back in. 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:01.360 In this part of the world, there's lots of caves. 00:13:01.440 --> 00:13:03.840 We're talking 3,000 years ago, ancient times. 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:11.519 Okay, and so David's men are like, hey, like, clearly God has put him in the same cave that we're in, like, go kill him. 00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:12.159 This is over. 00:13:12.480 --> 00:13:13.360 And David wouldn't do it. 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:18.720 And it actually actually says that he kept his men from killing Saul. 00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:19.519 Why? 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:22.320 Because he said, That's God's anointed. 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:24.879 That's God's anointed. 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:26.960 God put him in this position. 00:13:27.039 --> 00:13:28.960 I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna take him out of it. 00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:30.720 That's not for me to do. 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:35.759 Now, many years later, Saul died in a battle. 00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:39.039 And there's another really interesting story, uh, one that we might read. 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:42.720 And sometimes when you read the Bible, like you open up the Old Testament, you're like, I don't know about that. 00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:44.639 You know, and here's a nuance. 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:46.720 Okay, let's talk about that word again, nuance. 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:50.399 Um the Bible is not condoning everything that it talks about. 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:55.600 Like the Bible gives us a really cool record of what's happened, and it it shows us the ugly parts. 00:13:55.679 --> 00:13:58.240 And there's a lot of stuff in the Bible you'll read and be like, that doesn't seem right. 00:13:58.320 --> 00:13:59.519 It's because it's not. 00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:04.159 The Bible's not saying this is what you ought to do, it's saying this is what they did. 00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:14.960 And and if you can do your best to step into the mindset of someone who lived, you know, I don't know, 3,000 years ago, you try to understand, oh, very different, different culture and time, but it's not condoning it, it's like a nuanced thing. 00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:21.840 And so here's what happens uh Saul dies in battle, and this this guy finds Saul, and he's he's there he is. 00:14:22.080 --> 00:14:27.519 And he's like, ooh, I'll go tell David that Saul's dead, and I'll probably like I'm that's good news. 00:14:27.679 --> 00:14:29.440 You know, I'll probably get rewarded for it. 00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:33.279 And so he goes and he tells David, and David's like cries. 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:36.320 Because that's the king, that's God's anointed. 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:37.519 He actually loves Saul. 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:44.240 And and this guy has the the idea to make it even better for me, I'll tell David that I killed him. 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:51.360 You know, because like he's David's enemy, and if I'm like, and I I killed him, I took his life, you know, and and maybe I'll get a little reward for that or something. 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:53.519 I don't know exactly what he was thinking, but you kind of get that idea. 00:14:53.679 --> 00:14:57.120 And so he tells David, I'm I'm the one who killed him, and David's like, oh, really? 00:14:57.440 --> 00:14:59.919 And then David has his men kill them kill him. 00:15:00.559 --> 00:15:02.879 He's like, Oh, then hey, you're dead. 00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:04.399 Because you shouldn't have done that. 00:15:04.639 --> 00:15:06.720 You you shouldn't kill the one that God anoints. 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:09.919 Now we might read that and be like, David shouldn't have done that, like that's that's a little harsh. 00:15:10.159 --> 00:15:29.120 And yeah, I'm not saying he should have done that, but understand that David, maybe even if that was misguided, had this tremendous understanding of God's authority and the authority that God establishes on the earth to the point where he would not even take the opportunity to take the life of the authority figure that was trying to kill him. 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:30.639 That's crazy to us. 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:33.039 That is, I'm just gonna be honest, that is un-American. 00:15:33.360 --> 00:15:34.159 Can we agree? 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:35.919 That's un-American, right? 00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:38.240 I mean, that's kind of how our whole country got started. 00:15:38.480 --> 00:15:41.440 It's like, no, we don't want it anymore, and we'll fight you. 00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:43.600 And we won, because we're good at that. 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:48.480 And so sometimes when we read scripture, we're like, that's not how, I mean, that is not how we would do that. 00:15:49.759 --> 00:15:54.720 But David understood that God very much values authority. 00:15:56.480 --> 00:16:08.960 And that the primary posture of us, the primary, is that we should do everything in our power to honor and submit to the authorities that God has put in place. 00:16:09.200 --> 00:16:13.840 Even when we don't agree with them, even when they don't like us, that's really hard. 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:16.159 Now, again, let's talk about nuance for a second. 00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:30.320 Does this mean that that means we just have to be like sheep and everything that the government says, we like, we gotta do it because, you know, they're the government, and we have no biblical precedent for like civil disobedience or anything like that at all? 00:16:30.399 --> 00:16:31.519 And the answer is no. 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:32.639 No, it's not. 00:16:32.879 --> 00:16:39.919 In fact, if you wanted to be like super logical, you say, well, if God values authority, he must love authoritarian governments, because that's where authority is valued the most. 00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:43.600 And clearly not, God opposes those countless times in Scripture. 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:48.639 And so we actually have some interesting stories in the book of Acts. 00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:52.320 Let's go to uh Acts chapter 5. 00:16:53.440 --> 00:16:58.320 It says, Then they brought the apostles before the high council, where the high priest confronted them. 00:16:58.399 --> 00:17:01.919 This is shortly after Jesus has been killed and resurrected and he's risen. 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:07.920 Uh, he's gone back to heaven, and now the apostles, the disciples of Jesus, they're telling everybody about Jesus. 00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:11.519 And they get in trouble for this, and they're told, stop talking about Jesus. 00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:12.799 And so they don't do that. 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:18.559 And then they get confronted, and they say, and here's what the leaders say we gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man's name. 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:23.440 Instead, you have all filled Jerusalem with your teaching about him. 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:28.799 And you want us, you want to make us responsible for his death. 00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:33.119 But Peter and the apostles replied, We must obey God rather than any human authority. 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:34.880 Now, is this like a contradiction? 00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:35.440 No. 00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:37.359 It seems like it. 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:40.319 I mean, the Bible says we're supposed to honor the authority. 00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:51.200 In fact, Peter, who's one of the apostles who's saying this, uh, he wrote in one of his, one of the letters he wrote in the New Testament that we should submit to the government and honor authority. 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:54.720 But but if there's ever like a line, you've got to have a line, right? 00:17:54.960 --> 00:17:56.400 There's always gotta be a line. 00:17:56.880 --> 00:18:00.720 And there's gotta be lines that we draw on the sand, and it's like we I'm just never gonna cross this line. 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:06.319 And if the line is obey the government or obey God, we obey God. 00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:09.119 And then you like let the chips fall where they may. 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:17.759 And so, no, no, it doesn't mean that we don't have a precedent for disobeying the government. 00:18:17.839 --> 00:18:22.799 If the government ever asks us to do something that would contradict our faith, then we we don't do that. 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:29.920 What about situations though where it's not like, okay, it's not as clear-cut as the government telling you to do something that Jesus says not to do or God says not to do? 00:18:30.079 --> 00:18:32.160 What about just when the government is stupid? 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:34.720 Like, what in our minds? 00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:36.319 This is like, that's not very honoring. 00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:37.680 You know, we all think that. 00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:38.160 Right? 00:18:38.240 --> 00:18:39.359 We're trained to. 00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:42.079 So what do we do when we think the government's just wrong? 00:18:42.319 --> 00:18:51.200 When the government's making decisions that are maybe unjust or unjust, immoral, uh, what do we do in those situations? 00:18:51.279 --> 00:19:01.119 Do we just go, oh well, well, it's because it's not like the government telling me to do something that the Bible explicitly says I should do or whatever, does that mean I just have to do it, even though it seems absolutely wrong and unjust and not right? 00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:04.240 And the answer to that is no, not exactly. 00:19:05.119 --> 00:19:10.799 The Apostle Paul actually gives us a few interesting examples because he was always in a little bit of hot water with the government. 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:12.720 Acts chapter 16. 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:18.960 It says, Paul replied, They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison. 00:19:19.200 --> 00:19:21.279 And we are Roman citizens. 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:23.920 So now they they want us to leave secretly? 00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:24.640 Certainly not. 00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:27.440 Let them let them come themselves to release us. 00:19:27.519 --> 00:19:32.559 And when the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:35.359 Paul and Silas were traveling together telling people about Jesus. 00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:39.279 And so they came to the jail and apologized to them, then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:40.559 So here's what's happened. 00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:46.880 Paul and Silas, they get beaten, they get thrown in jail because they're preaching about Jesus, and this makes everybody upset, and they're stirring up trouble. 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:52.960 And after they're beaten, Paul goes ahead and says, Hey, you guys do know that we are Roman citizens. 00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:57.680 And the way it works in their culture is you you didn't beat Roman citizens. 00:19:57.839 --> 00:20:01.839 The Roman authorities, they could beat non-citizens like all they wanted to. 00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:07.119 But if you were a Roman citizen, you had certain rights, and one of those rights was not to get beaten before you had a trial. 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:14.799 And so it's kind of interesting, like Paul sort of let that happen before he made mention of that, and all of a sudden they freak out, and they're like, whoa, whoa, hold on. 00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:15.359 We didn't know. 00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:16.720 We are sorry. 00:20:17.200 --> 00:20:20.000 Uh please leave and don't get us in trouble. 00:20:20.640 --> 00:20:20.960 Okay? 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:22.799 There's another story. 00:20:23.039 --> 00:20:25.039 And these these connect, Acts chapter 22. 00:20:25.119 --> 00:20:30.079 It says the commander brought Paul inside and ordered him lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:32.880 He wanted to find out why the crowd had become so furious. 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:40.079 And when they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to the officer standing there, Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't even been tried? 00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:43.039 When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked, What are you doing? 00:20:43.119 --> 00:20:44.319 This man is a Roman citizen. 00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:47.279 So the commander went over and asked Paul, Tell me, are you a Roman citizen? 00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:49.039 Yes, I certainly am, Paul replied. 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:51.519 I am too, the commander muttered, and it cost me plenty. 00:20:51.599 --> 00:20:53.680 But Paul answered, I'm a citizen by birth. 00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:59.839 And the soldiers who were about to interrogate Paul quickly withdrew when they heard that he was a Roman citizen. 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:03.359 And the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped. 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:05.759 Okay, so here's the connection point. 00:21:06.720 --> 00:21:11.359 Paul did not agree with the way he was being treated by the government. 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:15.440 And as a Roman citizen, he had certain rights, and he took advantage of all of them. 00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:20.960 He took advantage of every single right that he had to let the government know that he didn't agree. 00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:32.319 And so if you know the story of Acts, it's kind of like Paul using his citizenship to appeal, and he kind of goes to another trial, and then it kind of gets he just gets moved up the ladder until eventually he's in Rome and he gets executed. 00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:35.359 It ended up working out for him ultimately in that regard. 00:21:35.759 --> 00:21:38.880 It did give him the chance to tell the world about Jesus, which is pretty cool. 00:21:39.200 --> 00:21:41.279 That was his goal anyway, mission accomplished. 00:21:41.599 --> 00:21:47.920 But Paul used every single right that he had as a citizen to let the government know I I disagree. 00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:49.440 I don't think this is right. 00:21:50.640 --> 00:21:56.400 Now, we have way more rights as citizens of America than Paul had as a citizen of Rome. 00:21:56.880 --> 00:21:59.599 And we absolutely have a biblical precedent when. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:06.559 100% for taking advantage of every single right that we have to let our government know when we disagree. 00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:10.799 And so you're encouraged to do that as a Jesus follower. 00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:14.480 You are absolutely free to use the power of your vote. 00:22:14.640 --> 00:22:18.480 You are absolutely free to use the power of speech, right? 00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:20.640 The power of the right to assemble. 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:29.039 You can get on social media, you can say whatever you want to say, use every right that you have to let the world know that you don't agree with the government. 00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:29.680 But here's the challenge. 00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:30.720 This is where it gets really hard. 00:22:30.799 --> 00:22:31.680 I hate verses like this. 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:34.640 Romans chapter, or rather, 1 Peter chapter 3. 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:38.960 If someone asks about your hope as a believer, be ready to explain it. 00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:42.640 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. 00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:45.839 So, we take the same principle and apply it. 00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:51.839 Hey, if you disagree with the law of the land, if you disagree with the government, then you know what? 00:22:52.319 --> 00:23:05.839 Absolutely, by all means, use every right available to you as an American citizen to protest it, to fight against it, to speak out against it, but you gotta do so in a way that is gentle and respectful. 00:23:06.960 --> 00:23:08.160 That's tough. 00:23:08.960 --> 00:23:10.079 That's tough. 00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:14.319 So listen, God values authority. 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:20.160 And our primary response to authority is to be obedient and submissive, but that doesn't mean, right? 00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:20.960 Nuance. 00:23:21.680 --> 00:23:25.440 That word, nuance, it doesn't mean that there aren't moments that we say, you know what? 00:23:25.599 --> 00:23:26.319 No, I don't agree. 00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:29.839 And I'm gonna, like Paul, use every single right that I have. 00:23:30.079 --> 00:23:37.279 All the rights that I have as a citizen of my country, which happened to be a lot more rights than Paul had as a citizen of his, to let that be known. 00:23:37.359 --> 00:23:38.160 That's that's fine. 00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:40.559 But it has to be gentle and respectful. 00:23:40.720 --> 00:23:43.440 It has to be loving, it has to be honoring. 00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:48.480 Now, what that means most of the time for us is a really simple filter. 00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:52.400 And it's it's just obey the law. 00:23:52.720 --> 00:23:54.000 It's just obey the law. 00:23:54.319 --> 00:23:59.440 That's like the old, like Paul, what he's talking about here, like if you're gonna be honoring of the government, it's just obey the law. 00:23:59.599 --> 00:24:03.839 Not some of the laws, not the laws you agree with, not the laws you like, but obey the law. 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:05.200 That's like our main focus. 00:24:05.279 --> 00:24:07.359 And he actually uses the example of taxes here. 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:08.880 He says, pay your taxes. 00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:10.960 Pay your taxes. 00:24:11.200 --> 00:24:13.839 And like, it's an interesting story. 00:24:13.920 --> 00:24:17.440 There's a an early leader in the church named Justin Martyr. 00:24:17.519 --> 00:24:18.559 And I don't like Justin Martyr. 00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:19.200 I never met him. 00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:20.559 He's been dead for 2,000 years. 00:24:20.640 --> 00:24:21.920 I just don't like him because of his name. 00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:23.119 Because I was born in the 80s. 00:24:23.279 --> 00:24:24.880 Any other children of the 80s in the room? 00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:25.920 Like, let it be known. 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:26.240 Come on. 00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:27.440 Ninja Turtle kids? 00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:28.319 Okay, cool. 00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:37.599 Um, so I don't know what happened in 1983 to 89, but if you had a boy, there's like a 75% chance you named him Justin. 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:46.000 And we moved around a lot, and so I always was a new kid in school, and there was always a Justin already in the class that I was doing, always. 00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:48.559 And so I never got to be Justin, I always had to be Justin M. 00:24:48.720 --> 00:24:50.400 Like, well, we already have a Justin. 00:24:50.480 --> 00:24:51.519 So you're just an M. 00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:52.640 And I didn't want to be Justin M. 00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:53.920 I wanted to be Justin. 00:24:54.240 --> 00:24:58.000 And because of Justin Martyr, I can't even be Justin M in my own faith. 00:24:58.160 --> 00:25:02.640 I have to be Justin Mick or whatever, because there's already a Justin and already a Justin M. 00:25:02.720 --> 00:25:03.759 It's just not fair, but whatever. 00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:06.720 Justin Martyr, though, all jokes aside, was really he was awesome. 00:25:06.880 --> 00:25:08.559 An early leader in the church. 00:25:08.880 --> 00:25:14.000 And at this point in time, the church is under a lot of attack from the government, the emperors of Rome. 00:25:14.160 --> 00:25:17.839 Like they just, there's a really deep history there. 00:25:18.079 --> 00:25:27.680 And, you know, he was martyred, and like many early Christians, but but Justin had an opportunity to actually speak to the emperor of his day on behalf of Christians. 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:28.400 And here's what he said. 00:25:28.559 --> 00:25:29.440 We have this on record. 00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:32.160 He said, just go check the taxes. 00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:43.839 Check the tax records, and you will see that the Christians, the Jesus followers, pay their taxes better than anyone else you have in the entire empire. 00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:47.359 Just check the tax records and you'll see how much we honor the government. 00:25:47.519 --> 00:26:08.480 And I thought about that, like, man, how many pastors in America would invite the IRS to do an investigation of their people and be like, hey, we just want you guys to do a deep dive into all of our tax records, and you'll see that because we're Jesus followers, you will find no one has not reported all their income or anything like that, right? 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:10.319 I haven't done that, just so you guys know. 00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:11.119 Don't worry. 00:26:11.359 --> 00:26:12.480 It'd be really awkward right now. 00:26:12.559 --> 00:26:13.519 So, hey, here's Jim. 00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:14.720 He works for the IRS. 00:26:14.799 --> 00:26:18.559 And if you just wouldn't mind sticking around afterwards, he'll be out in the lobby. 00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:19.440 He'd love to talk to you. 00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:23.200 Like, people would leave faster than has ever happened in the history. 00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:24.480 No, I'm teasing. 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:26.240 But that but that's the example that's given. 00:26:26.319 --> 00:26:27.680 Just obey the law. 00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:29.519 And that's really hard. 00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:30.880 It's so difficult. 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:33.839 And I'll I'll pull the curtain back a little bit and we're almost we're almost done. 00:26:33.920 --> 00:26:34.720 I got one more point. 00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:39.200 But like during the whole COVID season, we were one of the first churches that closed down. 00:26:39.279 --> 00:26:41.039 And we didn't close down because we had to. 00:26:41.200 --> 00:26:43.599 We didn't close down because we were told to. 00:26:43.759 --> 00:26:45.680 We closed down because we didn't know what was going on. 00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:49.039 And this is all new, and like all the information coming out, and we're like, what do we do? 00:26:49.119 --> 00:26:52.160 And and so we said, you know what, let's let's let's shut it down. 00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:53.039