Sermon 01/18/04 am

Jim Huskey, Obey The Law

We continuing our study in the book of Romans. This morning we'll be

looking at things in the 13th chapter. Before we begin, however, to

look at those things said there in that chapter, I want us to take

just a moment and preface those by talking just a little bit about the

conditions in the world at the time this was written. At this

particular point in time in the world Paul had not been to Rome because

he wrote and said he was ready to preach the gospel to those at Rome,

Romans 1. Most of the Biblical scholars seem to think this book was

written about 60 AD. Well, what was the condition of the world in

60 AD under Roman rule? Well, for one thing, slavery was the "order of

the day"; also, remember who was on the throne. Remember when Paul

made his appeal to Caesar, Nero was the reigning Caesar. He reportedly

fiddled while Rome burned, used the bodies of christians as torches to

light his gardens. Now with that as a backdrop, let's look at what is

said in the 13th chapter of the book of Romans.

"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no

power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever

therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God; and they

that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not

a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid

of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the

same; for he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do

that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain;

for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him

that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs to subject, not only for

wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute

also; for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very

thing. Render therefore to all their dues; tribute to whom tribute is

due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another; for he that loveth

another hath fulfilled the law." Rom. 13:1-8.

We'll talk about some of the other things later in this chapter, but

I want us to get a grip now on what is said in these first few verses.

There has been so much in the last several years of what "religious

leaders" (emphasis on what KIND of religious they are) have called

civil disobedience in the name of religion. We have a problem there -

a real BIG problem. The Bible plainly says that we are to be subject

unto those higher powers. In the book of Titus Paul wrote, "Put them

in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey

magistrates, to be read to every good work." Titus 3:1. In Matthew

there was on one occasion the Herodians who came tempting Jesus, trying

to set a trap for him. Let me set the stage for this passage. The

Jews were at that time subject to Rome. Now they didn't like it, not

one little bit, and this particular group of them felt that anybody

who recognized the Caesar just wasn't being true to God. They wanted

to catch Jesus in what they felt would be in a trap. Beginning with

verse 15 of the 22nd chapter we read, "Then went the Pharisees, and

took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent

out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we

know that thou are true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither

carest thou for any man; for thou regardest not the person of man.

Tell us therefore, what thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute

unto Caesar, nor not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness and said,

Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they

brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is the image

and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto

them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and

unto God the things that are God's. When they had heard these words,

they marvelled, and left him, and went their way." Matt. 22:15-22.

But now Master, these Roman rulers haven't been too easy on us. Render

the things to Caesar that belong to Caesar. Paul, don't you know that

Nero is ruling in Rome? Don't you know how many christians he's

going to torture and put to death. 'Let every soul be subject to

the higher power.' You see, in all this he reminded us that there is

no power but of God. In the book of Daniel, Daniel 2 and 7, and we'll

look at Daniel 2, we find that Nebuchadnezzar had to learn something.

Beginning in verse 20 of Daniel 2 we read, "Daniel answered and said,

Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever; for wisdom and might are

his; and he changeth the times and the seasons; he removeth kings, and

setteth up kings; he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to

them that know understanding; he revealeth the deep and secret things;

he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him."

Daniel 2:20-22. In Ecclesiastes 8 verse 2 beginning, we read, "I

counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the

oath of God. Be not hasty to go out of his sight; stand not in an

evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. Where the word of

the king is, there is power; and who may say unto him, What doest

thou? Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing; and a

wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment." Eccl. 8:2-5.

Well, what if the rulers that be make laws we don't like? Well, we

must obey them. That's the bottom line. You see, sometimes this

thing of being a christian is not an easy matter, and that's one of

the problems. A lot of folks want a religion that doesn't make any

demand on them and doesn't cost them anything. What they really want

is a "bell-hop" God, be able to just yell for him when they need him,

and the rest of the time they want him to just stay out of their way,

not bother them with any restrictions and obligations. 'Just let me

do my own thing until I get in deep, then I'm going to holler for you

and I want you right there, then!!!!!!!' Remember, we said when we

got to chapter 12 of Romans that from there to the rest of the book is

APPLIED CHRISTIANITY. They are the things that are true as a result

of the things said in the first elevent chapters. This is how we're

supposed to live. Paul understood that, yet when he was on trial and

he saw that he was not going to get any fair trial at the hands of

those lesser rulers and the Jews, he said, "...I appeal unto Caesar."

Acts 25:11. Paul knew full well who Caesar was. Even in that,

however, Paul by his own actions, by his own demeanor, was practicing

what he preached. He was being subject to the powers that were in

authority.

There are several things we need to recognize. One is that the

authorities are necessary. People don't always do what they ought to

do. People don't always act toward others around them as they ought

to act. Granted, if everybody was a christian there would be a lot

of law enforcement people out of a job, but they're not. Therefore,

the rulers are necessary. Paul said those powers that be are ordained

for that purpose. If you go on over and read the latter part of the

chapter, you find him talking about keeping the commandments, saying

"...Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is

briefly comprehended in his saying, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as

thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor; therefore love is the

fulfilling of the law." But we can't turn on the radio, can't turn

on the TV without reading about somebody killing somebody else, or

somebody breaking into somebody's house and taking their possessions.

As a result of the fact that everybody is not what they should be,

God recognized the need for civil authority. Now we don't have to

like it. There is a legal for us to express our disagreement with

the decisions that are made. I can do it when I go to the polls and

vote, I can write those who are my representatives, I can encourage

others to do the same thing. The problem is, however, a lot of folks

have taken it far beyond that. They say 'if we don't like the

decisions that have been made, we just won't obey them, we'll get out

and tear up, destroy, and that's the way we'll show our disregard and

our disrespect for the laws that have been made.' One of the problems

with that is, an awful lot of folks who have been engaged in that sort

of activity had their collars turned hind-part-before. In other words,

they were members of what is so-called by the religious world, the

clergy. Well, when they do that, whomever they are preaching for

should make them vacate the pulpit. It's just that simple.

These folks in the Roman letter were living at a time when their lives

were literally in peril because of the fact that they were christians.

Yet, Paul wrote to them to be subject to the powers that be, because

they are ordained of God.

Then somebody asks, What if their ruling put you in disobedience to

the law of God? Well, there's a simple answer to that. If their

rulings put you in disobedience to the law of God, then you'll have

to do like Daniel and the Hebrew children of old, you'll have to obey

God rather than men. That's exactly what Peter and the apostles said

after Pentecost, when they were put in prison for preaching and

teaching. The Sanhedrin brought them, charged them to not speak

anymore in "that" name; but the apostles just told them they had to

obey God rather than men. Acts 5. But you see, that's not really

the problem most of the time. That situation arises, especially in

our country, very seldom. It's just that we don't like the law. It's

not that it brings us in conflict with the law of God; it's just the

fact that we don't want to obey it, that's the problem. Here you are

driving down the road (here's where we live) and that little old

trianglular sign on the right side of the road says 55 MPH. Maybe

it's in one of the zones we don't like that says 45 MPH. Oh, we've

messed around now and we're late and we just kick it on up there and

drive the speed we want to drive. Then we see that little "bubble gum"

machine light up behind us and we wonder why in the world he "ain't

out there catching criminals instead of bothering me !!!!!!" What

did you say, Paul? "Let every soul (that does include us all) be

subject unto the higher powers." I remember while I was in college in

Nashville, we played sports rivalry with a school up near Clarksville.

Unless they've changed it, the speed limits are not 45, 55. They're

27 MPH, 32 MPH, 37 MPH, 42 MPH, etc. I don't know what "nut" decided

that was the way they were going to set them. But I tell you what

you do. You go flying up through there and they'll "bust" you. 'Well,

I didn't know the speed limit was 42 MPH.' That's what it says on

the sign. 'But I thought that was wrong.' See, it's not only in big

matters, it's also in small matters. Paul said let every soul be

subject to higher powers. I know a lot of folks don't like paying

taxes. I don't particularly like it sometimes, because some of the

things the government does with tax money, I don't necessarily approve

of and I figure I could probably make as good use of it, maybe better,

than some of them. However, Jesus taught very plainly to his disciples,

even though the Jews didn't want to, that they were to pay tribute.

Paul brought that up. The reason we are to pay tribute is that we

are to render to those powers their dues. We are to render to Caesar

the things that belong to Caesar and the things that belong to God,

render them to God. Somebody says 'what does that have to do with

being a christian!' It has everything to do with it. It is applied

christianity. You see, if christianity doesn't affect us in the way

we live, the way we get along with others, the way we deal with this

or that, then what we've got is not christianty. It's something else.

It may be a hybrid or something, but it's not New Testament christianity.

Then Paul pointed out, "Wherefore ye must needs to subject, not

only for wrath, but also for conscience sake." It's that little

inside person telling us 'hey, you know you're not supposed to do

that', or 'you know you're supposed to do that', which ever the case

may be. Sometimes we have quit listening so long we don't hear.

Remember this - some may say 'I just let my conscience be my guide.'

Well, it depends on how well educated your conscience is, it depends

on how sensitive your conscience is. It can become seared as with a

hot iron, then it has no affect. "Let every soul be suejct unto the

higher powers.."

In verses 13, 14 of that same chapter he said, "Let us walk honestly,

as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and

wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus

Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts

thereof." Christianity gets down to where we live; it must be

applied. It's like the soap in the marketplace. It doesn't matter

how much is there. Until you take a dirty "youngun" and bring him into

contact with the soap, it "ain't" going to clean him. You take a

dirty soul and until you bring him into contact with that which is able

to clean him up, it's not going to do him any good. He may benefit some

from it as a result of others being what they ought to be, but not him

personally.

So Paul said the christian is going to be an up-right, law-abiding

citizen. He may not always agree with the law, he may work within

the law to do everything he can to change it, but he will stand in

obedience to the law. That's not what I think about it; that's what

Paul wrote about it; and Paul, as he pointed out very plainly to the

Galatians, didn't get his message from any man, but by revelation of

Jesus Christ. "Enuff said on the point; that's plain enuff."