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Submit and Serve: A Christian's Guide to Taxes and Authority
"Pay your taxes." Three simple words that reveal profound truths about our hearts, our faith, and our submission to both God and authority. This message tackles one of the most countercultural concepts in Scripture—Christian submission to government—and uncovers why this teaching remains so challenging for Americans whose national identity was forged in tax rebellion.
When the Apostle Paul instructed Roman Christians to pay taxes to an oppressive government actively persecuting believers, he wasn't just giving financial advice. He was addressing a deeper spiritual issue: what we truly worship. Our resistance to taxation often reveals money's grip on our hearts. "No one can serve two masters," Jesus warned. Our attitude toward taxes exposes whether we've made money our god.
The concept of submission runs throughout Scripture, modeled perfectly in the Trinity itself. The Son submits to the Father's will, even to death on a cross. The Spirit submits to both in His role. This divine pattern shows that submission isn't about inferiority but about fulfilling divine purposes. When we submit to legitimate authority, we reflect God's very nature.
Beyond taxes, Paul calls us to give "respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." This challenges our cultural assumption that respect must be earned. Instead, we're called to give respect freely to others simply because they bear God's image. As Jesus taught, "Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me." Our treatment of others—including authorities we disagree with—ultimately reflects our relationship with Christ.
Are you that person bucking the system at every turn, or have you submitted to the lordship of Jesus? The difference between spiritual maturity and immaturity is simple: "A man lives for others. A boy lives for himself." Where do you fall on this spectrum?
So I'm going to be honest, this sermon was really hard for me to write, not in the fact that the subject matter is super complicated. It was actually the opposite side of that. It was like way too straightforward. Like as I was studying this week, I was looking at it going Jesus, how do you want me to do an entire message off of three words? To do an entire message off of three words Pay your taxes. Like everybody in here should know that if Al Capone couldn't get away from it, you aren't going to be able to either. And it was just like man, jesus, what do I do with that? And, honestly, as an expository preacher, it makes it kind of hard, because you do get to stuff like this in the Bible where, like you know, when you guys start reading and doing your yearly Bible plans, right, everyone's good with Genesis and Exodus, there's a lot going on in there. But then we get to Leviticus and Numbers and all of a sudden it's like you just hit this grinding halt because you're like this isn't as action-packed as what I just read. I mean, the book of Numbers literally is about numbers. It's a census. It's sitting here going, hey, this is how God is taking this country, this nation, and forming it and showing his blessings that he promised to Abraham. But it's not really a page-turner, is it Like when you're sitting here going, and there you know there was 35,000 men of this and 12,000 men of that, and it's like, okay, this is, I get it. So this morning we're going to dive into this and I'm going to preach it as straightforward as I can. So if I get done early not that I think anybody in here would have a problem with that, but I apologize if you don't feel like you got your money's worth today All right, so I'm gonna pray and we're gonna jump into it. Father, I just thank you so much for your word and I ask and I pray God, that we know that all scripture is theopseused and God-breathed. And I just pray, father, that even in passages that we look at and don't see as super deep, that God, your spirit still moves. And I pray, god, that you do that through your word this morning, that you speak to your people, that we are changed from the inside out. Father, we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen, all right.
Speaker 1:Romans 13,. Starting in verse 5, it says this Therefore, one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath, but also for the sake of conscience, for because of this, you also pay taxes For the authorities and ministers of God attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them Taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, and honor to whom taxes are owed. Revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, and honor to whom honor is owed. Now remember, like the rest of the book of romans is still paul talking about hey, you call yourself a christian. Hey, you say you're a disciple of jesus. Hey, you say you believe in this. This is how your life should look. So this part is still very relevant to what we should be doing as Christians. And on first reading, yeah, you hear this and it's like cool, we should pay our taxes.
Speaker 1:Now Paul starts with this, though Do this not just because of fear, not just because you're afraid of the wrath of God, because, as we've looked at over the past two weeks, government isn't established by us. It wasn't an idea we came up with. God puts rulers and kings in positions for reasons. There's a reason why. So last week we looked at like the biggest reason we see in government is this to restrain evil, because if left up to us, we would literally kill each other we would wipe out our entire species to get the things that we want.
Speaker 1:And now here's what Paul is talking about pay taxes. Now I want you guys to understand again. We have to understand the context in which Paul is writing this. At this time period, taxes weren't just like hey, they took 17% out of my paycheck. Taxes were going to pay for an oppressive government. Taxes were going to pay for this government that was literally coming in and arresting you because you believed in Jesus literally coming in and arresting you because you believed in Jesus.
Speaker 1:And these tax collectors. And starting in January, when we get into Matthew, we're going to read a lot about tax collectors. But just to give you like a heads up, here's how tax collectors work. They were Jewish citizens who worked for Rome, and Rome would tell them this anything you collect above what you owe us, you get to keep. So men like Zacchaeus and Matthew became extremely wealthy because you may have only owed, let's just say, $20, but they said you owed $100. So when you gave them that $100, they took that $20 and they paid it to roam, like they're supposed to, but that 80, they got to keep.
Speaker 1:So when Paul comes out with this and he's like hey, pay taxes, I want you to understand how countercultural that is. Paul is sitting here going, hey, fund this oppressive government. And there's a reason for that. I don't know how many times this week I've got the opportunity to tell someone but, hey, if you really believe this, then this is how your life should look. It's easy to say it with our words. It's easy to go hey, this is what I believe. It is very hard, though, to force your actions to follow what you say you believe, but that's what faith is, and so Paul kicks this off with this, for the sake of our conscience.
Speaker 1:See again, we looked at this a little bit last week, but I don't do things that I know are wrong simply because I know they're wrong. All right, and here's what I mean by that the illustration I gave you last week. I'm going to use the same one because it fits it perfect. When I'm driving and someone cuts me off, I don't just shoot into their car because it's the wrong thing to do. I don't do it because I don't want to go to jail. I don't do it because I'm sitting here going, hey, like there are consequences to this.
Speaker 1:However, what Paul is saying here is that fear is a terrible motivator. Does anybody in here understand why fear is such a bad motivator? Yeah, because eventually you're not scared anymore. Anyone in here familiar with Terry Crews? He's an actor, right? His dad used to just beat the crap out of him and his mom when he was younger. But you know what happened? One day he got bigger than dad and all of a sudden he wasn't afraid of dad anymore. See, fear only works as a motivator while you are afraid, and that's why Paul is sitting here going works as a motivator while you are afraid, and that's why Paul is sitting here going hey, fear shouldn't be our primary motivator, but our conscience should See, if you call yourself a disciple of Jesus, if you call yourself a follower of Christ, you are indwelt with God's own spirit.
Speaker 1:And in John 16, we see, one of the roles of God's spirit is this he convicts the world of sin. How do you know what you do is wrong? Most of you know it because you feel it and, let's be honest, most of us know it's wrong before we do it, and we still choose to do it. That is the Holy Spirit literally sitting there going don don't do this, don't do this, don't do this. You know better than this. Don't do this. We call it a conscience, right, if you're watching Pinocchio? Right, it's Jiminy Cricket? But see, and what Paul is sitting here saying is, if you are in Christ, you have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And here's the other thing we need to realize the Spirit and the Son are subjected to the Father, and here's what I mean by that.
Speaker 1:In Luke 22, 42, Jesus is in the garden praying. He's about to be betrayed, arrested and crucified and he says this Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. Here's what Jesus is saying I don't want to have to go through this. Did Jesus know the crucifixion was going to hurt? Yeah, did Jesus know the pain and the suffering he's about to endure? Yeah, and he's sitting there literally sweating blood, going. I don't want to have to do this, but not my will, but your will be done.
Speaker 1:You know what we call that Submission, and I know in today's world that word submission might as well be a cuss word. However, what we see in Scripture is perfect submission of the Son to the Father. We also see it with the Spirit In John 16, starting in verse 14, it says this of the Spirit he being the Spirit, he will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. Therefore, I said he will take what is mine and declare it to you. What Jesus is sitting here saying is the Spirit can only do what the Spirit can do, as in submission to the Father. Here's what he's going to do and see, and I get it. The Trinity is a huge doctrine. It's very hard for us to understand holy Not holy H-O-L-E-Y, but like holy. Now, that being said, though, what we do see throughout Scripture is that submission. Jesus and the Spirit are the second and third persons of the Trinity, yet they are in perfect submission to the Father. Why? Because that's the way the Father designed it.
Speaker 1:You want to see things that don't work. Do it a different way than what God designed. Things that don't work. Do it a different way than what God designed. And here's why, when you are the author and the creator, when you designed it, you get to define it. You want to see your marriage fall apart? Do it a way the Bible says you shouldn't? Do it? You want to see your kids go wayward Parent in a way that the Bible says you shouldn't? You want to see your life fall and crumble.
Speaker 1:Living in a way that is the antithesis of what the Bible says, it's very easy to go wrong. That's why Jesus says broad is the way and many find it that lead to destruction, because you know how much easier that is than going the narrow way. The narrow way is hard because you are literally stuck between these small boundaries and that's what makes it hard for us to do, because all of us in this room don't want boundaries. All of us in this room, by nature, are rebels. All of us in this room, by nature, are rebels. And yet here's what the bible is saying be in submission, because this is the way the father designed it.
Speaker 1:But we live in a society, in a culture, that submission is just the worst thing in the world to be like. Wives can't be in submission to their husbands because that would make them what a second-rate citizen, right? How dare the patriarch stand up and go hey, we're gonna lead. How dare men take on the role of leadership? But the bible plainly says this. And, men, if you're leading well, guess what your wife will not have a problem doing submitting to you. You want to know what your wife will not have a problem doing Submitting to you. You want to know when your wife bucks up against you Unless you have, like one of those ornery wives, like some people we know here's when she bucks up against you, when you aren't leading well, when she's fearful, when she's sitting here going hold on this doesn't feel right. She will buck up against everything you're telling her. But if you are leading well, I promise you if she's a follower of Jesus, she will follow where you're leading. We call that submission.
Speaker 1:Children like we see children, right? Why can't kids be submissive? And, honestly, I racked my brain over this question a lot and the only thing I can come up with is we're all born sinners. Like. That's the only thing I could think of. Because a child doesn't even know if you're leading well or not. They have no idea because they're a child. So I got nothing on that one, except Ephesians 6 tells you children obey your parents, for this is the first law that comes with a promise, right? But see, submission, is this bad thing? Why? Because ultimately, if we struggle with submission, who do you struggle to submit to God? And that's really where we find ourselves in trouble. I'm going to be honest and listen. There's no cups with any kind of juice at the end of service today.
Speaker 1:But this week I did watch a three-part documentary yeah, that's right On Jonestown. And if you're not familiar with what Jonestown was, back in November 18th, 1978. It was the largest mass murder in American history, where this quote-unquote preacher got a thousand people to move to a different country to live on a commune and he wound up losing it and there was a lot of things, a lot of demonic things that were going on with it. Like, don't get me wrong, that's not the point I'm trying to argue. I was just sitting here in awe going how do you get a thousand people to go? I'm going to sell everything I own, I'm going to leave my family, I'm going to leave everything I've ever known and I'm going to move to a remote jungle in another country. Like that's submission right there. That's submission on an unhealthy level.
Speaker 1:Like I tell you guys all the time, like if you don't think what I'm saying is true, absolutely let's have a conversation about that. Like, I want you to question me. I want, in fact, I would love, like on Wednesdays, when our systematic theology class is going, I would love for you to question me. In fact, I would love, like on Wednesdays, when our systematic theology class is going, I would love for you to come in and go. Hey, can we put this on hold? Because Sunday you preach this and I want to talk about that, because that shows engagement. That's what you would love to happen, because otherwise, here's what's actually happening.
Speaker 1:You're sitting there, you're hearing the words I'm saying, but your mind is somewhere completely else. You're thinking about what you're cooking for dinner tonight or what you have to get done today, or is he going to finish on time, because I have a lunch reservation, or what does tomorrow look like? And I get it because for many, many years I sat where you were and for many, many years I went oh, I need to pay attention, I need to pay attention, I need to lock in here. But see, that's what we do, right, because submission is this bad thing. However, the Bible is saying our conscience should be in submission. Now should we fight against what is wrong? Yes, you should Like. We should absolutely fight against what is wrong. We should make our voices known, we should use our conscience when voting, but we should be upright citizens.
Speaker 1:Now here's the where Paul really dives into it, because what better way to be an upright citizen than looking at the government that you disagree with and still paying your taxes? And it really baffled me why Paul spent so much time on this. Because as I was thinking through and as I'm writing this sermon out, and I'm thinking through each and every one of you, I go I don't know outside of my own son, I don't know anyone in here who is like you know what? I'm going to try to defraud the government, and with JT, this is just that immature thing that he thinks he can get away with. So I went how am I going to, like, really hammer down on this? And then I went a step further and I went uh-oh, you know the problem with preaching pay your taxes to an American congregation.
Speaker 1:Why were we in the Revolutionary War to begin with? Like, why did the colonists go? Hey, you know what, we no longer want to be part of England Taxes, because they went no taxation without representation. And then they threw this big tea party in the Boston Harbor, right. And I went. Uh-oh, as Americans, this is just ingrained in us. How dare you take what is mine and give it to someone that I don't appreciate? This is what America has been known for.
Speaker 1:Like, if you go around the world and you talk to other countries about Americans, do you want to know some of the words they're going to use to describe you? Lazy, arrogant, plot, okay, materialistic. Here's the thing. Like, we were actually at City Hall one day and I'm going to get into this in a little bit waiting to talk to you, know our phenomenal government, and there was a guy sitting in the waiting room who was from Russia, right, and there was a guy sitting in the waiting room who was from Russia, right, and when I say from Russia, I mean like, did not just fly into OIA from Russia, right Now. That being said, we're talking, and here's what he said we were told in Russia that if you could just make it to America, as soon as you get in, they just give you bags of money and then you just live your life crazy and wild. And I went America. Nah, that ain't how it works here, bro. And he went. Yeah, I found that out when I got in and I didn't get anything, and he was very angry about this, like super angry, because he went.
Speaker 1:America is the land of the free, the home of the brave, the land of opportunity was actually where we were going with that one, though. This is that land that you can come to. I mean, we see it in the news all the time. Right, americans are known for being cavalier. Even one of the commentaries I used to study this this week. All right, it's written by a pastor. He has since passed away, a couple years ago now. His name is RC Sprolda. Okay, he's a very, very like just high church, very, very like you go by the numbers kind of pastor.
Speaker 1:When he was in seminary, he was over in Amsterdam and it was required of them to wear a jacket and a tie to each class that they went to. Well, he walked into a class and he said it was really warm in this class, it was really, really hot, and so he took his jacket off once he was inside and sitting down and this professor comes in and he's lecturing and stops the lecture and goes. Will the American please put his jacket back on? And after he got done he was talking about. How did you know that I was specifically from America. I mean, this is Amsterdam. Okay, it's not like his look would have been totally different. And he goes because only an American would come into my class and feel he has the right to take his jacket off.
Speaker 1:And I'll tell you from a cop. You know what you hear. Every person you arrest. Oh man, all of y'all knew that right, I know my rights and you're sitting here just going. Hey, just look, why don't you just focus on your fifth right and remain silent? Because I don't want to hear this. But that's what we are right. That's, that's our first thing. I know my rights. But even pastors I mean, this is what we're known for for being cavalier.
Speaker 1:So why does Paul mention taxes? I think there's two reasons. Number one is this it's found in Matthew 6, verse 24. It's a verse most of us are familiar with. Jesus says this no one can serve two masters for either. He will hate the one and love the other. I think the first reason Paul talks about taxes is this he's sitting here and going.
Speaker 1:If you love your money more than you love your God, understand money is your God. That is the very definition of an idol Anything that takes the place of worship of God is an idol. We think idols are these like carving statues and stuff like that that you actually go and worship. Here's the thing. The devil was smart enough to go. Hey, you know what I need to evolve this idol thing. You know what our idols are here in America? Feelings Like that's our biggest idol Happiness there are literally movies, right. The Pursuit of Happiness as a play on the Declaration of Independence. We hold these truths to be self-evident, and life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and we make happiness an idol and we make money an idol. You know how many people I talk to and they're like if I could just make enough, you know what? You'll be just as miserable. You'll just be a rich, miserable person. That's the only difference and that's what Jesus is sitting here saying.
Speaker 1:When Jesus is questioned about taxes, what was his response? Give to Caesar what is Caesar, but give to God what is God's. Jesus didn't go. Hey, overthrow the government and don't pay your taxes. That's what the Pharisees and the Sadducees wanted him to say. Right, because they hated this. Why? Because you're taking our money. How come none of us in this room ever complain about roads and I know you do. You go, oh, there's potholes and crap like that. But none of you are like I hate, we have roads. I wish this was just all forest and it took me six hours to get to Publix. No, he doesn't, he loves to drive. None of us are like ever mad when we're involved in an accident or something and the firefighters show up, are we? If you've ever been in that situation where you needed a cop to show up, you weren't mad that the cops were there.
Speaker 1:Anybody in here mad because you have running water at your house? Because I'll tell you right now, my mom, I mean, she's had to go two days now without water and like it's like a life-changing event. Even yesterday we had to go over and do some work to get the well ready and like we get done and the first thing you do after working outside you want to wash your hands. Right, there's no water. How are you going to do this? And I'm like, do I dip my hands in the pool? Like, how do I do this? Luckily, she has gallons of water and you're literally sitting at a sink like holding up a gallon, trying to wash, you know, and hurry up and do this at the same time. See, we don't complain for the things that taxes provide.
Speaker 1:Anybody in here mad because we have schools, like I talk to enough parents. I know you ain't mad that you have schools. In fact, most parents are mad that schools have breaks because, uh-oh, I have to deal with my own kids. Now here's the thing, and this has nothing to do with my sermon. But if you don't like dealing with your own kid, what makes you think another adult does? You know, like that has nothing to do. That's a different sermon.
Speaker 1:But whatever, see what Jesus and what Paul I think are trying to really drive at here is the Bible. So for the Bible to go right after our money with taxes was this knockout shot. We pay our taxes because the taxes fund the government, right, and we have a hard time with that Because we have a hard time with government. So we don't want our money to go to the government that we have a hard time with, because the government's the one that is oppressing us. You know when that was exactly the same In the first century, when Paul was writing this. Anybody in here ever been put into an arena because you're a Christian and made to fight like a lion or a tiger or a bear. Oh my, that's how you lost your eye, chris. Like none of us have been in that position Anyone in here ever been like praying in your house and like someone kicked in your door and took you to jail because you were praying. Like anyone in here had a hard time getting in the door this morning because the authorities were blocking it.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about how oppressed we are here in America. I mean, we can literally say and do anything and then just go. Oh, it's First Amendment, free speech. Think about it. How many corners here, even in our city, are covered up with people holding signs that make absolutely no sense to begin with. But you know what? They have a right to do that. Why? Because we live in a country that gave us the right to do that.
Speaker 1:You do realize there are countries in this world that you can't do this stuff in right, like North Korea, for example. They don't even let you use the whole internet Like you have to use their internet. Why? Because we don't want you hearing ideas like people are meant to be free. Why? Because we don't want you hearing ideas like people are meant to be free, like think about that. And yet we can do and say and think whatever we want, but yet we're going to sit here and go. I'm not paying because I don't enjoy the government. The second reason? So the first reason is Paul is going to hammer on taxes because that is the closest money is the closest thing to a God most of us will ever know. The second reason is this Honestly, god has used taxes to pay for his work throughout the Bible. They didn't call them taxes, they called them something else.
Speaker 1:But if we go all the way back to Leviticus, we have this group of people called the Levites. The Levites are the priest of the Israel nation. Now, does anybody in here and you women should all have an answer, because you all studied the Levitical law what couldn't the Levites own? Kayla Property, property, and they couldn't have a Hair cut. Well, you are correct, they could not cut the sides of their hair. They couldn't have a job. So they couldn't own land and they couldn't have a job.
Speaker 1:Well, if you were an agrarian civilization in other words, you're a farmer and you can't own land what can't you have? Animals, crops, food, if you can't have a job? What don't you make Money? Which means you can't buy what, anything. How do these people eat and understand. These are laws from God. God is the one that went. You can't own land because your land is everywhere. Like every other tribe got a portion of land, god went your land is all of it. Because you are going to be my priest, you're going to be my representatives everywhere and you're not going to have a job because I don't want you being distracted from what I'm calling you to preach about me, tell people about me. So if I'm a Levite, I'm sitting here and going, uh-oh.
Speaker 1:So Leviticus is a book all about the Levites, which is what the name comes from, and in verse 27, 30, we see one of these taxes. It says this every tithe of the land, whether of the seed or of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord's. It is holy to the Lord. What happened with their offerings, though? What happened with their tithes, with their sacrifices? A portion was set apart. For what? For the Levites? Because God went. I'm going to provide for you, and here's how I'm going to do it through my people.
Speaker 1:I love, I love, I love when I hear people go. You shouldn't be paid to be a pastor and newsflash, I'm not, but I think it's the biggest load of crap, because when you look at this and you go, this is all I do, god, I feel bad for you. I would love for you to come job shadow with me for a week, like I would love for you to go ahead and just take on everyone else's problems while you're still trying to figure out the problems in your own life too. I would love for you to have to sit down and go hey, I'm going to take this text and I'm actually going to present it in a way that is going to grow people spiritually, and I would love for you to feel the responsibility of sitting here going hey, when you stand before Jesus, he's going to ask you what you did with each and every one of the people that you preach to. And so when people are like, oh, all you do and I used to do this too all you do is work, you know, for 30 to an hour and a half, depending on how long you preach that day. One day a week, that's super easy. This is by far the easiest thing I do all week and it's also the smallest thing I do all week.
Speaker 1:But see, we see taxes going all the way back here by God going. People are going to bring in tithes to take care of you, because this is what your role and your responsibility is. This isn't a new thing that we just came up with here in America or England. See, and I get it, some of us we don't like how the government spends our money. I get it, you know what.
Speaker 1:And if you're one of those people, you have that right, especially here in America, to go hey, I don't like how you did this. You know what you do. You still pay your taxes and if you have that big of a problem with it, run for office. Go be someone who gets to go. Hey, you know what. No, we shouldn't spend money like this. Like if you're that person that's sitting here right now and you're like, oh, we shouldn't have sent these billions of dollars to Ukraine, and this is what's keeping you up at night, because your little fifteen hundred dollars that you paid in taxes went over to Ukraine. You know what. You have every opportunity to do Go run for office and then you get to decide where the money goes. You want to be in charge of the money. You can do this. Go run for office.
Speaker 1:The problem is we don't want to do that work. All we want to do is sit here and oh, I almost said it too blank and complain about it. Wine and complain. Much better Grumble and complain, to use biblical terms. Here's the thing. If you're not willing to be part of the solution, stop complaining about the problem. It's that simple. You don't like how money is spent. Go do something about it. Go start a petition, go hold a sign, go do something about it. But that doesn't abgate you, and I'm not sure if that's a word from paying your taxes abgate you, and I'm not sure if that's a word from paying your taxes.
Speaker 1:Lastly, paul starts talking and he goes pay to all whatever is owed. Yes, pay taxes to who taxes are owed, revenue to who revenue is owed. And then he goes respect to whom respect is owed, shows respect to whom respect is owed and honor to who honor is owed. Uh-oh, like when I first read through that, I go why did you just flip the whole script here? Because, again, respect isn't given. It's oh, wow, we all know that bunch of sinners here. Because the Bible didn't say give respect to those who earned your respect, it said who it's owed. Now here's the best example I can give you If you've been part of Mission Scent for a couple of years now, you know that two and a half three years ago, we had to go through a very lengthy process with the city of Deltona, which included going to various city meetings so that we could start Mission Academy.
Speaker 1:Oh, it was fun and it was the stupidest thing in the world to me. Okay, and I'm going to tell you right now, out the gate. So we had a church building where we could meet. We could have 150 people inside this building as long as we called it church. But the moment you say it's a school, oh good God. Now, in a church I could teach you whatever. So we could have had a church service where I could have been like, hey, today we're learning algebra, right, I could teach you the same things I'm going to teach you in a school. But, good God, if you use the word school, that completely changes everything. So it was this very long and lengthy process and we had to go to these city meetings.
Speaker 1:Here's the thing I didn't agree with any of this. I thought all of this was stupid. I went I have some apples. Would you like to buy some? Should be as hard as it should be to start a business here in America. However, the city did not seem to think that. Now, even though I thought this was stupid, I went this is what the city is requiring us to do, so we have to do it and we're going to do it the right way. So we're sitting in the city meetings the first city meeting I ever sat in.
Speaker 1:I had so much compassion and just hurt for our elected public servants because it was like an hour and a half of anyone in Deltona who really wanted just to get some stuff off their chest, to walk up to a mic and spend I think it was like two or four minutes I can't remember off top my head just saying whatever they wanted to say to these people sitting up in this, and I mean whatever, like. It got to the point where after the meeting we went up to a couple, like, of the elected officials and I was just like I just blown away that you just sit there like that because, like at some point I'd have been like hey, shut up, mute, like something. But they're like well, we can't do that because they have the right as citizens to come up here and say all of this. And I was like cool, I get that like you can disagree and say all of this. And I was like cool, I get that, like you can disagree and say whatever you want. But like some of that is just like plain mean. You're an elected official, like that should have some meaning. And I get oh well, they're corrupt. Yeah, some of them are. There are corrupt pastors in the world too, and corrupt teachers and corrupt cops and corrupt firefighters and all of the things. Why? Because we're all sinners saved by grace.
Speaker 1:But Paul doesn't say give respect and honor to those who have earned it. He says give it to who it's owed. These people that are walking up here complaining about everything. You know what. They're not doing Anything to fix anything. I get it. Your yard's flooding out and you should definitely be talking to someone about that because of all of the extra development that's been going on. But are you an engineer? Did you do a water study? Do you know where the water that is now on your property actually came from? Because if we don't know any of that, how are you just going to stand there and go hey, here is definitely where it came from. So we give respect to whom it's owed. Another example I can give you is I'll never forget.
Speaker 1:Back in the day, way back in the day, I used to go to a lot of pastor cohorts, which is just meetings of pastors, right, and you would have pastors from all these different churches and and it was all always the same right, like how can we reach the city? Like, what kind of things can we be doing to really reach into the community? And then you would just have people just like brainstorming all these different things. Oh, we could do this and we could do this and we could have a photo. Like at one point there was a pastor that was like hey, we should just set up random photo booths, like throughout the city, and when people go in and they get their picture taken, like we can make it to where, like when the photos come out, it says Jesus loves you, and then it has, you know, their picture, you know in the little thing out of the photo booth and like in my mind I'm sitting here going. Do you know how to program like a photo booth thing to do stuff Like do you know how much photo booths cost? And you just want to set these up randomly throughout the city.
Speaker 1:Do you know what people who are home. What is it home? Challenged, is that the right word? Now, yeah, we say homeless, but do you know what? People who are home, what is it home? Challenged, is that the right word? Now, yeah, we say homeless, but do you know what they're going to do to a photo booth that's just sitting on a street. That's a new home, like anyway. So there's all this going back and forth and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:And then there was one pastor. He was an older pastor. I highly respected him. He was sitting in the back of the room and he finally stopped and he went hey, look, you guys can talk about all the little things you want to do, and those are good things. But here's the deal If you want to be heard by your citizens, you have to earn the right to be heard. How do you earn the right to be heard? You give respect where respect is due. We stop looking at it and going, hey, like when you earn my respect, I'll talk to you, or I'll give you clothes, or I'll give you food, or we'll help with education, or we'll do all of these things, and you start realizing, hey, you know what's out there? A bunch of people made in the same image of the same God that you're made in and just because of that one fact, they deserve my respect, they deserve my honor, regardless whether they look like me, sound like me, talk like me or vote like me. They deserve it why? Because they're human, with dignity and respect. Do you mind if I use that as an example? So Debbie's mom and I'm going to close with this, I think yeah, debbie's mom is passing away and they know it's going to happen.
Speaker 1:And the doctor comes in to switch from treatment care to it's called palliative care, which was a word Huh, comforted Palliative was a word I just wasn't familiar with. I had to look that one up. It's just, we want to make her comfortable. It's hospice and the doctor looks at the family who is in this room, who is literally just breaking down because you know, at this point, barring Jesus going, come forth, this ain't going any other way. And the doctor looked at the family and went. We want to treat her with dignity and care. Why, here's someone who is not going to be with us much longer, who doesn't add anything at this point. She couldn't talk, she couldn't breathe, like like there's nothing she's bringing to the table. Why are we treating her with dignity and respect, because it's what's owed.
Speaker 1:This doctor didn't know anything about her. There's no way she could have earned it, just like all of our salvation. Could you imagine if Jesus was like, hey, I'm going to give you salvation based on what you've earned? Uh-oh, I don't care who you are in this world, we all fall short of the glory of God. But yet we tend to go. But my respect is earned. Here's the thing your respect should be given until it's lost. Okay, I'm not saying there's not a flip side of that coin, but no one should have to earn your respect.
Speaker 1:In two weeks, when these students come back into this classroom, guess what? They don't have to earn my respect. They get it Now. Can they lose it A hundred percent? And most of them will. Why? Because they're teenagers. But on the flip side of that, they don't have to earn your good graces. See, jesus says it best, thank you. Jesus says it best because, at the end of the day, you're not doing it for them.
Speaker 1:In Matthew 25, 40, jesus says this and the king will answer them. Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me. Jesus goes, you do all of this, not for them, but for me. Me. Jesus goes, you do all of this, not for them but for me. Same situation we're at Debbie's mom's house the day after she passed away and I'm sitting there with JT and he looks at me and he goes Daddy, is it almost time to go? And I get it. I do. You're 17 years old. None of this is like. Your brain isn't formed enough to be able to comprehend the totality of the circumstances here. But I looked at him and I went JT, we're here for mommy. We're going to be here as long as we have to for mommy. This has nothing to do with what we want right now. This has nothing to do with. Would I rather be on the boat? Look, guys, I'm going to be honest in my sinner's heart yes, I would I rather be on the boat. Look, guys, I'm going to be honest In my sinner's heart yes, I would have rather been on the boat. It is much more fun to be out fishing than to be weeping with those who weep and mourning with those who mourn. So, 100% would have rather been out fishing. But why would we do it? Because when we do it for the least of these. We do it for Jesus, because that's my motivation, just like I was sitting here going JT, your motivation right now isn't you. Your motivation right now needs to be your mom. He just got into it the other night, jt.
Speaker 1:What makes a man a man? A man is someone who lives for others. A boy is someone who lives for themselves. A boy goes me, me, me, me, me. And a man goes you, you, you, you, you. That's our separation in our household. He's about to turn 18 in a couple of months. Guess what? That doesn't make him a man. All the only thing that's going to change and I tell him all the time is now you get to go to big boy jail. That's the only difference. A big boy jail, that's the only difference.
Speaker 1:So what we see in this was a lot deeper than just simply pay your taxes. What we see in this is Jesus did for us for the same reason we should do for others, because he was in submission to the Father. So, as we close this morning, where are you? Are you that person that's sitting in here going hey, I'm going to buck the system at every turn or are you in submission? Have you submitted to Jesus or are you still doing things your way?
Speaker 1:Whatever it is, if you're sitting here, going hey, you know what I need to submit to the lordship of Jesus, because there's a huge difference between going hey, I bought fire insurance and I'm in submission and a follower of Jesus. So if you're sitting here and you're like, you know what, I've got some hard work to do. If you need someone to come and talk to and pray with, ask questions, I'm here and I will be for the next two hours. But if you're sitting here and you're like I need to move from where I am, I need to be in submission, because this is what the Bible calls me to do, you need to do it. Submission is actually the easy part.
Speaker 1:So, father, I ask and I pray that as we wrap this up this morning, god, if there is anyone in here that you're sitting here and going, hey, you need to get that rebellious heart in control, that, god, you do it, that you grab a hold of it and that you literally lock it into submission. The same way DDP almost was submitted last night. Father, I ask and I pray that as we move forward from here, we do so in a submission to you and in just submitting to your lordship and doing things the way that you called us to do things, because, regardless of anything else, that's the perfect way to do it, and sin would be doing anything other than that. So, father, I ask and I pray for all of this, in Jesus' name, amen.