1. Grace Community Church April 26, 2009 God and Government Romans 13:1-7 A Living Sacrifice A Living Sacrifice

2. Romans 12:19-20 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”

3. Romans 13:1-2 1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

4. Romans 13:3-4 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

5. Romans 13:5 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.

6. Romans 13:6-7 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 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, honor to whom honor is owed.

7. Jeremiah 29:4-7 4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

8. How do we seek the city’s well being? Romans 13:1-7 Submit to the governmentRomans 13:1-7 Submit to the government 1 Timothy 2:1-4 Pray for our leaders1 Timothy 2:1-4 Pray for our leaders Matthew 5:13-15 Be Salt…Matthew 5:13-15 Be Salt… –Individually: Live and speak righteously. –Collectively: Be a part of the political process.

9. “…from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Abraham Lincoln

10. How do we seek the city’s well being? Romans 13:1-7 Submit to the governmentRomans 13:1-7 Submit to the government 1 Timothy 2:1-4 Pray for our leaders1 Timothy 2:1-4 Pray for our leaders Matthew 5:13-15 Be Salt…Matthew 5:13-15 Be Salt… –Individually: Live and speak righteously. –Collectively: Be a part of the political process. http://www.iowachristian.comhttp://www.iowachristian.com Matthew 5:13-15 Be Light…Matthew 5:13-15 Be Light… –Individually: Receive and be transformed by Christ. –Collectively: The only hope for culture is Christ.