Romans 13

It’s been a learning experience studying God’s word concerning his design & purpose for governments
In the Garden, God was the government. He gave Adam & Eve broad freedom w narrow restrictions & followed up w both quick & severe consequences for breaking those restrictions…
& in His abundant compassion immediately began work on their redemption.

Yet after the fall of mankind, God transferred the carrying out of government of mankind to men.
God designed 4 govt’s for man to steward…Self- Family- Church -Civil
& by His word God set clear line markers still designed for maximum liberty,
yet with His promise of sure accountability, not immediate, but sure because God is Just.

Preface…
As we continue, I’m simply mining God’s word for principles on Govt.
The biblical Principle is Gold…Many today on the subject of government view their perspective as the Gold. My role as Pastor to teach His word & his wisdom which is the gold.
With that said Today We dig into our stewardship of God’s 4 govt’s

Pray

Each government, Self- Family- Church -Civil is built to support our freedom by delineating
how freedom is maintained or forfeited.

The Bible decrees that we are all “under God.”
God is the ultimate authority (Psalm 103:19)
The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,& His sovereignty rules over all.
…which means that God is the authoritative agent, and everyone else is a delegated agent
with the choice to use that freedom for good or for bad.

Daniel 4:17 declares that
“The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind” (Daniel 4:26)
that “…it is Heaven that rules”

Scripture in these places & many others declares that God rules over every person, every nation
& every system, whether Individual, Familial, Ecclesiastical, or Civil.
there is 1 ultimate Ruler w multiple stewards to carry out effective rule.

& the Apostle Paul told us last time the foundational principle of Rom 13: 1
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities.
For there is no authority except from God, & those which exist are established by God”

God has created 4 distinct realms of govt: each having specific, limited spheres
of responsibility & jurisdiction.

How Self-government is to function

The 1st system Self-government is of the four, the most important, because if self gov’t is outside the boundaries, it goes to follow the other 3 gov’t will be even further disjointed.

Likewise, if this gov’t is geared correctly it serves to build on the 3 gov’t to create maximum liberty. This is, as Churchhill said of Stalin, a mystery, wrapped up in a paradox, surrounded by an enigma…how when culture is riddled w chaos, the voice of self-government is in short supply. Another words we don’t look first to self-government, but outside of ourselves tulle responsibility or blame.

But that was the 1st govt God instituted; Self-government..
He entrusted Adam and Eve with it & in-spite of their choice in the garden & the subsequent dramatic consequence God still entrusts everyone as a creation of self-determination.

Say this with me… God Entrusts Me!
I have the ability to say Yes to good and No to bad.

And when individuals live in an attitude of personal self-govt,
there is less need for the other three govt’s to be involved

I am responsible for my own Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
is the declaration of self-government in our nation’s founding.

In Ecc 12 God gives a two-sequence pass-code to unlock this kind of life…
The conclusion when all has been heard is:
Fear God and Keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.
For God will bring every act to everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12: 13, 14

The 2nd government God prescribes in Scripture is FAMILY GOVERNMENT.
For the first 200 years of America that was kind of a given. God established the biological family as civilization’s foundation.

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male & female
He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them,
“Be fruitful & multiply, & fill the earth, & subdue it;
& rule over the fish of the sea & over the birds of the sky
& over every living thing that moves on the earth.
Genesis 1:27–28

Then God established marriage Gen 2: 24
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife;
and they shall become one flesh.

The Origin of the 1st family gov”t for offspring was Patriarchal/Matriarchal
The Biological Child with parents Male/Female under a family gov’t

Eph 6: 1,2 guidelines
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Honor your father & mother (which is the 1st commandment with a promise),
& for a pathway to maximum freedom…
so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.
Ephesians 6: 1,

& so even parent power has a check … dad’s in particular…
Fathers, do not exasperate your children,
so that they will not lose heart.
Colossians 3: 21

Scripture goes on to lay out governing principles in relation to marriage covenant,
marriage roles for unity & freedom for cooperation & admonition to husbands
1 Peter 3:7 live in understanding way

Eph 5: 21 … mutually submit to one another

The saga of a nation therefore is the saga of healthy or sick Self-Govt
Or a nourishing or dysfunctional Family Govt
And it is written all over the walls which contribute to the societal government, Church & Civil

How Church governments is to function?
Church leaders, as the Ecclesia: Meaning called or chosen ones
(the governing body set up by Jesus Christ on His behalf)

Q. What style of govt does God’s word use for church?
Not Democrat or Republican, not even democracy.
It’s a theocracy….
• Jesus is the head of His church
• Pastor equips saints in worship & word
• Saints do ministry… Church Home World
• Elders oversee and shepherd pray word
• & the church serves salt & light as God’s moral conscience of the 4th govt, Civil Govt

4th How Civil governments is to function
This role is crucial since the progress of a nation is directly related to the state of its morality
(Proverbs 14:34).
Righteousness exalts a nation
,But sin is a disgrace to any people.

Civil government is that system that has been set in place to create & maintain a righteous
& just environment in which freedom can flourish for all.
Civil government is to support, not replace, the institutions of family & church government
so that self-government therefore can be experienced with a maximum freedom

It is a synergistic context the apostle Paul emphasizes the primary purpose of civil government
in the continuation of his discussion in Romans 13 when he says, v 2
Therefore whoever resists authority (in each) has opposed the ordinance of God:
& they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil.
Romans 13:2

In this verse, Paul introduces us to the 1 overarching job of civil government
that can be defined as follows: Under God, the civil government’s task is
to promote the conditions for the well- being of the citizenry for good,
while protecting the citizenry against the proliferation of evil.

& since Civil Government is to operate under God,
He—and not man—must be the ultimate standard of what is good or evil.

This means that the function of Politics is fundamentally
an ethical enterprise based on what is right & what is wrong according to God, by His word.

The same word He entrusted with Adam & Eve to supply Broad Freedom…with Narrow Restrictions, and followed with both quick & severe consequences for breaking those restrictions, but always with a compassionate heart for redemption.

Therefore, when civil government accurately defines good & evil, & diligently keeps evil in check, Good Can Flourish. This holds true whether it means keeping the evil out that shows
in our enemies in foreign regimes, or whether it means keeping people from knocking down
your front door or the community in which u live. Or handling civil or criminal infractions
impartially and equitable with all they engage

Paul further explains,
Do you want to have no fear of authority?
Do what is good & you will have praise from the same;
for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid;
for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger
who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
(Romans 13: 3, 4)

Everything within civil government ought to be aimed at this 1 primary goal. To serve and protect. When Civil Government attempts to do more than granted by those guidelines,
it ends up taking freedom provided within the guidelines of the divinely authorized governments

For Example: When the government acts as a parent & pay one’s bills while they do not work,
the government is becoming more than the government was designed to be.
God’s word says it; 2 Thessalonians 3: 10
For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order:
if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.

It is not talking about when a man cannot work.
It is talking about when a man won’t work.

If a man does not work, \you do not offer him a welfare check to pay him for his irresponsibility
while taxing others to cover the bill.

Just as God’s word restricts Church Gov’t from giving charity to people prior to getting the family govt involved (1 Timothy 5:4)
…but if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety
in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God.

This is so because help is to be given by those closest related to the need who can provide
both love & accountability that promotes personal freedom & responsibility.

When this order is reversed, by civil govt then the state is in danger of becoming
an all-encompassing promoter of federal economic dependency, leading to illegitimate & irresponsible personal and corporate welfare.

Therefore an overextended civil government & overtaxed citizenry limits the freedom of self-government to pursue their calling under God & their capacity to contribute to economic development It also creates an environment of restriction, doubt, & hesitation, thus stifling opportunity, initiative, & ingenuity. The primary outcome of a properly functioning civil government, rather, promotes a concept we throw around lightly…that of Freedom.

What Freedom is Freedom can be defined as
A release from illegitimate bondage in order to make the choice to exercise responsibility
in actualizing and maximizing all that you were created to be.
Pastor Pat is that in the bible? It’s plainly and candidly inferred…
Matthew 25: 14-29 The Parable of the Bags of Gold
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants & entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,
each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.
So also, the 1 with 2 bags of gold gained 2 more.
But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground & hid his master’s money.“
After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said,
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things;
I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Then the man who had received 1 bag of gold came.
‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown
& gathering where you have not scattered seed.
So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

“‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.
For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance.
Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.

And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matthew 25: 14-29

Freedom includes the responsibility to manage, develop & expand the assets God provided at the start, which is the essence of Free Enterprise. Yet in the context of this broad-based freedom,
the master legislated strictly defined boundaries that came with serious repercussions.

Again, In the beginning, God was the government.
Therefore, a government patterned off of the original design of the Creator is a government that does not seek to limit humanity’s freedoms, but thru the declaration of clear, broad, & just boundaries along w carrying out immediate consequences for breaking those boundaries
it is in this type of government that individuals, families, churches, & communities are best equipped to cultivate & maintain high levels of both productivity and enjoyment
so that free enterprise can flourish.

Worship

Big question for next time
How is civil government to be called into question & appealed to when it fails?
The bible talks about this

God is a God of righteousness and justice
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Lovingkindness and truth go before You. Psalm 89:14

• Moral standard of right and wrong
• To speak out on injustice is a responsibility
• For pastors it is a biblical mandate
• Must do both Twin towers in God’s kingdom
• To both correct and bring healing
prayer