Today, the passage
of scripture we are going to look at, addresses how Christians should
be good citizens. But before we read it, it’s important you understand
the historical context when Peter wrote these words. Peter wrote this
letter from Rome in 64 A.D.
In the summer of that year, a terrible fire broke out. For 9 days, it
raged out of control and 2/3 of the city was destroyed. Although it
was rumored Nero set the fire, most historians agree he wasn’t
in the city when it started. But upon hearing of the rumor that he set
the fire, Nero quickly looked for a group to blame. He found the perfect
scapegoat in an obscure sect of people called Christians. Because of
this, believers were persecuted by being arrested and even executed.
One historian wrote: “They were covered with wild beasts’
skins and torn to death by dogs. Others were covered by inflammable
matter, and they were set on fire to serve as torches during the night.
Some were tied to stakes in Nero’s gardens while he drove around
in his chariot, naked, gloating over the dying agonies of his victims.”
With all this going on, how would you think Peter would direct Christians
to relate to the government authorities? Let’s read his words in
1 Peter 2:13-17. This morning I want to share with you about what the
Bible teaches about God and government. If you want to be a good Christian
citizen, first of all, you must be willing to submit to the government
for God’s sake--v. 13.
Notice that Peter doesn’t say we should submit only if the government
official is a benevolent leader. Remember, Peter wrote these words when
Nero was persecuting the Christians in Rome! He wasn’t telling
them to submit to Nero for Nero’s sake. He said do it for the Lord’s
sake.
To those of us who are followers of Jesus in the 21st century, it means
we should be law-abiding citizens. We should pay our taxes, obey the
seatbelt law, and we shouldn’t park in handicapped places. And
I’m preaching to myself now, we should obey the speed limit laws!
I think the last part of my body to be sanctified is my right foot,
but God and Carol are working on me.
When parents ask their kids to do something, usually the child will
ask, “Why?” The
1
response to that question is, “Because I said so, that’s why!”
I learned to respond with, “If the reason you are asking why is
for clarification, I will explain myself. But if it is to be arguementative,
then my answer is because I said so, that’s why!”
If you asked God why you can’t have sex with whoever you want to,
when everyone else is doing it, God would say, “Because I said
so, that’s why!” But, if you asked God why you have to obey
the speed limit, when everyone else is speeding, he says the reason
is because by doing so you are proving that there really is a God.
Notice that Peter says that when we should submit to government authorities,
it will shut the mouths of those who say there is no God--v 15. The
word “ignorant” is the word from which we get our English
word “agnostic.” Godless people are ignorant of what the Bible
says about how God’s people should live in society. Did you know
many Americans think that those who are devoted to Jesus really should
considered dangerous? Many Americans speak of the danger of the “Christian
Right.” They think we want to replace the Constitution with the
Bible. Or that we want to elect a preacher as president.
People who say that about us, are literally godless people. Therefore,
our job is to convince them there is a God by being good citizens. Here
in America, our job is to convince godless people that we went for our
nation only that which our founding Fathers intended based upon their
belief in God and the principles found in his Word.
Secondly, if you want to be a good Christian citizen, you must understand
why our government exists--v. 14. According to this verse, God instituted
government for two simple reasons: Punish wrongdoers & commend right
conduct. First of all, the Bible clearly states that it’s never
right to seek personal vengeance when we have been wronged. That’s
the job of the criminal justice part of our government.
We see a good example of this when Jesus was arrested in the Garden
of Gethsemane. All the gospel writers point out that Jesus was an innocent
man. And they all write that Jesus didn’t resist when the soldiers
came to arrest him. Instead, Jesus submitted to the will of the government,
because he knew that his father was using them to accomplish the purpose
for which he was sent to this earth.
On the other hand, Peter drew his sword to strike back. Jesus rebuked
Peter for doing so by saying, “Put your sword back into its place;
for all who take up the sword will perish by the sword.” (Matthew
26:52) In doing so, Jesus made sure we understood that we are not
to fight against our government officials, because they have the God-given
power to execute justice with the sword. From what Peter now writes,
it is obvious that he learned this lesson well.
Not only is government ordained by God to punish evil, but also, it
is directed by God to commend good behavior. Just imagine driving along
and being pulled over by a policeman. And when he walks to your window,
instead of giving you a ticket, he says, “I just want to compliment
you for driving so safely. Here’s a coupon for a free dinner at
Ryan’s.” It probably won’t happen, but that’s part
of a government’s role. Any time a government recognizes people
for doing good, they are fulfilling God’s purpose for government.
That’s what the first President George Bush did when he was in
office. Remember that he started a program called “A Thousand Points
of Light.” This was to give recognition and honor to American citizens
who were making a positive difference in our culture.
C.S. Lewis said this concerning the dual purpose of government, “The
State exists simply to promote and to protect the ordinary happiness
of human beings in this life. A husband and wife chatting over a fire,
a man reading a book in his own room, or digging in his own garden.
And unless they are helping to prolong and protect such moments, all
the laws, armies, and courts are a waste of time.”
I don’t know about you, but some of the recent laws that have been
passed have made me more mad then they have made me happy. And it seems
that criminals are afforded more protection than law-abiding citizens.
That shows me that not only is our government not fulfilling it’s
duties, but it is also time we did something to get them back on the
right track.
Now, in order for our government to promote and to protect the ordinary
happiness of human beings, it brings up an important issue: There has
to be absolute truths. We are now living in a post-Christian nation
where people insist there are no absolute truths, no absolute standards
for right and wrong. They say, “What’s right for you may not
be right for me.” That’s why we are in a national debate about
abortion and homosexual marriages.
America is in trouble because we have departed from the basic moral
code that served us well for over 2OO years. It is known as the Judeo-Christian
ethic, and it is based on the moral code of the Bible, including the
Ten Commandments. Our founding fathers made it clear they considered
the Bible as an important basis for our standard for right and wrong.
One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Rush,
wrote this concerning the Bible: “It is the only correct map of
the human heart that ever has been published. All systems of morals,
and government, not founded upon it must perish.” Our sixth president,
John Quincy Adams wrote: “The law given from Sinai was a civil
and municipal as well as a moral and religious code. It contained many
statutes of universal application. Law’s essential for the existence
of men in society.” As citizens we must speak up in order that
our leaders will once again adhere to the moral standards of the Bible
that have allowed God to bless our nation.
Peter next tells us that even though we are to submit to our earthly
authorities, we must never forget that we are also under God’s
authority--v. 16. In America, we enjoy many precious freedoms. Among
them are freedom of worship, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press.
But even though we are free, we still must gladly submit to our government,
and we must submit to God as his servants.
This brings up the question of what are we to do if our government tells
us to disobey God? Whenever that occurs, that’s when we would choose
to obey God rather than man. This is called Christian civil disobedience.
This is our only choice when manmade laws command us to violate God’s
laws. In doing so, we must understand that we are agreeing to face the
consequences for our actions.
The book of Daniel provides us 2 perfect examples of when civil disobedience
is justified. We see this first of all in the case of Shadrach, Meschach,
and Abed-nego. These 3 Hebrews were arrested for refusing to bow down
and worship the statue of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had made. When
King Nebuchadnezzar warned them about what was going to happen to them
if they still refused to worship the idol, they said that “The
God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing
fire; and He will deliver us out of your hands, O king. But even if
He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to
serve your gods or worship the golden image you have set up.” (Daniel
3:17-18)
Now this didn’t make King Nebuchadnezzar too happy. So “He
gave orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually
heated.” (Daniel
3:19) Then he had his servants throw them in the furnace. But even
then, God was with them. For when King Nebuchadnezzar looked into the
furnace he saw the most amazing sight. He said, “Look! I see four
men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm,
and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” (Daniel
3:25)
The truth that God will always be with you is also seen in an incident
that happened to Daniel. While Daniel was in exile in Babylon, he submitted
to the Babylonian leaders, and to God. But when a law was issued that
said people could only pray to King Darius, Daniel committed civil disobedience
by breaking the law and praying to God. Yes, he was thrown into the
lion’s den for doing so, but when King Darius came to check on
Daniel, he asked, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your
God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?
Then Daniel spoke to the king, ‘O king, live forever! My God sent
His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed
me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him.’” (Daniel
6:20-22)
If our government ever passed a law saying I could no longer preach
God’s Word, I’d preach anyway. If our government ever passed
legislation forbidding me to pray publicly in Jesus’ name, I’d
conclude every prayer with “in the name of Jesus!” anyway.
Our Supreme Court recently sidestepped the issue as to whether or not
the words “under God” should be removed from our Pledge of
Allegiance. But if they ever rule that it should be removed, I would
be willing to go to jail to keep on saying, “One nation, under
God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”
Peter concludes his remarks about Christian citizenship by making a
rather bold statement about our relationship with those in authority
over us. Peter tells us to honor those in political office--v. 17. The
word honor means to assign value. We show our elected officials they
are valuable when we show them respect. Never forget that even politicians
are created by God. So even if you don’t agree with them, or even
if you don’t like them, you have to respect them.
This statement is very bold considerning what Nero was doing to Peter’s
Christian brothers at the time he wrote these words. Especially in light
of the fact that Peter tells us that we are to love our brothers &
sisters in Christ above everyone else. From what Peter says, and if,
God forbid, that John Kerry does get elected, I hope we don’t bash
him like we did Clinton.
All that will do is close the lines of communication that are needed
to remain open in order for our voices to be heard. And for our voices
to be heard, we have to get actively involved in politics. Please don’t
buy into the lie that Christianity and politics don’t mix. The
truth of the matter is that mature Christians understand that for the
health of our nation, we must actively be involved in what’s going
on in our government.
As we see the decline of decency in America, unfortunately, too many
Chritians are sitting on the sidelines and doing nothing, but wringing
their hands and moaning, “Ain’t it awful what’s going
on in our nation?” And then gather in their holy huddles to complain
to each other about how our nation is going down the toilet.
The British statesman, Edmund Burke wrote, “Evil triumphs when
good men do nothing!” Because of what is at stake in America, it
is imperative that as committed Christian citizens, we get actively
involved in regaining America for Jesus. Here are three things we can
do as Christian citizens to get actively involved in politics that will
make a positive difference in America: First of all, study and vote!
When it comes to moral issues, study the issues with the Bible in one
hand and the position of the candidates in the other. But after you
study what each candidate believes, then you must vote. According to
the American Family Association, only about 1/2 of all evangelical Christians
vote in each election. And there are still about 1/3 of all evangelical
Christians who aren’t even registered to vote. This is why we have
some voter registration forms available for you to fill out.
T
he National Association of Evangelicals are urging us to vote. They
say that “Never before has God given American evangelicals such
an awesome opportunity to shape public policy. Disengagement from politics
is not an option. Instead, girded by biblical principles, evangelicals
should march boldly into the public forum.”
Please don’t think that your vote doesn’t count. We used to
think that individually, our vote didn’t affect the outcome of
an election. But as we saw in the last presidential election, each votes
does count. And collectively, our votes could turn this nation once
again to being a nation where marriage is only legal between a man &
a woman.
A nation where your kids can surf the Internet and not have to worry
about them having easy access to porn sites. A nation where it is safe
to watch TV together and not be embarrassed from the likes of Janet
Jackson baring her breast for all to see. And in order for that to happen,
we have to have godly men & women in office and in the courts systems.
And this won’t happen if we don’t vote.
The Lord really showed me how collectively we can change our nation
through the success of the movie, “The Passion of the Christ.”
That movie made hundred’s of millions of dollars in just a few
short weeks. Now who do you think, for the most part, went to see that
movie? Christians! So if that many Christians can see a movie, why can’t
that same number vote?
And my advice to you is don’t vote Democrat or Republican. Instead,
vote for the candidate whose platform is consistent with the Word of
God. Vote for the candidate who is willing to let his/her personal faith
in Christ dictate their public life. And while I’m not saying who
you should vote for president, I don’t see how any Christian could
vote for a man who says he won’t let his faith interfere with his
public duties! And that man is John Kerry. Bush may not have made the
wisest decisions, but at least he acknowledges he prays for guidance.
Not only should we vote for people who pray, but secondly we are to
pray for our leaders! We are in a spiritual war in America. But “The
weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling
down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts
itself against the knowledge of God.” (2
Corinthians 10:4-5) Our most powerful weapon is prayer. Paul encourages
us to pray by saying, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for
kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable
life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable
in the sight of God our Savior.” (1
Timothy 2:1-3) I encourage you to start praying for our leaders.
Then I encourage you to write to President Bush, write to your senators,
write to the Supreme Court justices, and let them know that you are
praying for them. Just imagine what the impact might be on those people
if they knew that hundreds of people were praying for them on a daily
basis. And while you are writing them to let them know you are praying
for them, don’t be afraid to thirdly: communicate your convictions!
While you shouldn’t do anything before you pray, but after you
pray, you should let your voice be heard. A sad thing is happening in
the church, far too many of us are silent when it comes to issues that
are clearly prohibited by God.
While not many Christians agree with abortion or same-sex marriage,
many are apathetic to these issues. There are far too many Christians
who are standing on the sidelines because they think issues like these
are not their battle. When the Massachusetts Supreme Court created the
right to same-sex marriage, and San Franciso officials went crazy by
marrying homosexuals in defiance of California law, not many people
wrote, or phoned, or sent e-mails to their legislators in protest. This
is very unusual, for polls show that the majority of Americans don’t
agree with same-sex marriages.
So how did this one issue gain so much momentum? It is because organizations,
like GLAAD, are lobbying, demonstrating, boycotting, and sending thousands
of letters & e-mails to our legislators. And all you have to do
is to look at how successful they have been in pushing the homosexual
agenda in the media to see the impact this small minority of Americans
are having on sharpening the moral values & laws of this nation.
When it comes to moral issues, I think that’s it’s time for
the church of Jesus Christ to rise up and use her prophetic voice to
warn the people of the impending doom that our nation faces if she doesn’t
soon repent of her evil ways, and once again become a nation under God.
God is not going to allow this evil to go on forever before he removes
his hand of blessing from our nation.
This is not the time to be timid, but it’s the time to be bold.
So instead of being silent, pray, and then write, e-mail, visit, call,
and do whatever you can to let our leaders know where you stand on moral
issues. If we don’t let our voice be heard, what kind of nation
will this be like when our children and grandchildren are adults?
Let me finish by telling you a true story that happened during World
War II. It is about a German pastor named Martin Niiemoller. At first,
he fought for the Germans, but he came to believe that what Hitler was
doing was evil. So he spoke out against Hitler, and he was arrested,
and narrowly avoided being executed before the war ended.
Look at what he wrote in 1945: “First they came for the communists,
but I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they
came for the Jews, but I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t
a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up,
because I was a Protestant. But then they came for me, and by that time
there was no one left to speak up for me.”
Yes, we are to submit to our government leaders, as long as we don’t
have to disobey God. Yes, we are to pray for our leaders so we can have
an enjoyable, peaceful life. But we also have to get involved by voting,
and by letting our leaders know how we feel and think about moral issues.
Because if we, as Christian citizens, don’t speak up, who will?
Let’s
pray
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