Alright, Romans 13. I won't read the whole thing, but
let's read the first verse. 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. We had our presidential election
Tuesday. We're going to be hearing quite
a bit about that for a long while. And I was thinking of these verses
for the past week or so, and I thought it'd be a good reminder
to us all to hear a message from these verses. Our subject is
no power but of God. And that's the message I want
you to get tonight. God, holy God, declares here
to us that we're to submit to the powers that be because there
is no power but of God. powers that come to office were
ordained of God and ordered by God. And so were to submit to
all powers in civil society and civil government. Now the first
reason they were to submit to those in power because God our
Savior put them in power. He put them there. Let's read
verse one again. Let every soul, that's you, me,
every soul, let every soul be subject, submit to the higher
powers. This speaks of those in power
and civil political office. The president, state rulers,
city rulers, police officers on the street, no matter what
you think of the person, no matter what you think of the person,
submit unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of
God. The powers that be are ordained of God. When Rome ruled over
the children of Israel, when they came into bondage under
Rome, the children of Israel, they were unregenerate. They
were very vocal against Rome. They were very seditious against
Rome in their heart and would be outward if they could have,
some did, but not God's saints. God's saints taught of the Lord
to submit to the powers that be. But Rome didn't know one
from the other, and so they just lumped them all in the same category,
and they were suspicious of God's saints as well as the unregenerate
among them. Well, brethren, the same is true
in our day. There's a lot of people, so-called
Christians, that are very vocal against the government. very
vocal against the government. But because the world sees no
difference in any who are religious, they lump God's people in the
same category with them. And this is why the Holy Spirit
says through Peter, I want you to see this, 1 Peter 2. This
is what he's talking about here. You're gonna have some that are
just gonna naturally think because you are a believer that you are
against civil rulers and what have you. Listen to this, 1 Peter
2, 13. Submit yourselves to every ordinance
of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king and supreme
or to governors as unto them that are sent by him for the
punishment of evildoers and for the praise of them that do well.
For so is the will of God that with well-doing you may put to
silence the ignorance of foolish men. as free, and not using your
liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honor all men, love the brotherhood,
fear God, honor the king. That's what the Lord teaches
you and me to do. The reason we submit to the powers
that be is because there is no power but of God. There is no
power but of God. The powers that be were ordained
of God. In eternity, God chose his son
to be the king over his spiritual Israel. There was a spiritual
Israel before there was a political Israel, and there was a spiritual
king before there was an earthly political king. Christ is that
king, and God's elect is that spiritual Israel. God chose his
son to be the Christ and the king of his people, and every
office power and authority that was created was created by Christ
for Christ to show his glory in that office as the one who
is preeminent in that office. Listen, Colossians 1 16 says,
By him were all things created that are in heaven and that are
in earth visible and invisible. whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers. All things were created by him
and for him. Christ rules all whether they
know it or not, and every one of those offices glorifies him. Christ is the king ruling every
king. Christ is the chief shepherd
ruling every under-shepherd. Christ is the father ruling every
father. Christ is the master ruling every
master. Every office of authority glorifies
Christ. It was made by him and for him. If we ever get a hold of that.
or if that ever gets a hold of us, we'll have great peace. You'll
have great peace. Because then you know Christ
is bringing His will and His purpose to pass in everything
that happens in Providence. Nothing is out of order. So,
when the Son of God took flesh, He come down and He submitted
to the rulers that He put in place. He submitted to him. As a man serving for his people,
he paid taxes to Caesar. He taught us to do so. He submitted
to the rulers and authority. He permitted them to go through
that charade of a justice system, that charade of a court, and
sentenced him to death and permitted them to nail him to the tree.
He submitted to him. He did it all in perfection.
He was fulfilling the whole law of God for us, and He did that
for His people, and He did it all in perfection, in righteousness
from a perfectly holy heart, and He accomplished the redemption
of all God's elect. We're not of this world. We belong
to another city and another kingdom, another nation, a holy nation,
a nation made up of kings and priests, a city whose builder
and maker is God. We belong, our citizenship is
of that place. He did this. How did he submit
to rulers? Now, as God, you know he rules
everything, but he really, when he took the form of a servant,
he became a servant, and he submitted. And he trusted the Father to
rule on his behalf. That's how he submitted. He committed
it to him that judges righteously, and trusted the Father in ruling
everybody he came in contact with for him. And you know what
He teaches you and me to do? Submit our cause to Christ, knowing
He's ruling everything in this earth for us, just like the Father
did for Him. That's how He accomplished our
justification. That's how He accomplished our
redemption. That's how He made us complete in Him, was trusting
the Father. And now He's called you and me
to just trust Him. Commit your cause to Him. Listen,
Colossians 3.22 says, Servants, obey in all things your masters
according to the flesh, not with our service as men-pleasers,
but in singleness of heart, fearing God. Having your heart set single
on the Lord. And whatsoever you do, do it
heartedly as to the Lord, and not unto men. knowing that of
the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance. That's your reward. You're going
to be with Him one day. For you serve the Lord Christ.
That's what when you submit to them, you submit to Him. You're
serving the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall
receive for the wrong which he done. And there's no respective
person. Now, our Savior is risen. He's the glorified God-man. And
He's the sovereign King of kings and Lord of lords. When we read
there, there's no power but of God, that's Christ. He's the
fullness of the Godhead bodily. There is a glorified man who
is God ruling everything in glory, from glory, everything that happens
in this earth. He came to His apostles and He said, all power
is given to me in heaven and in earth. Peter said in 1 Peter
3.22, he said he's gone into heaven and is on the right hand
of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject
unto him. The devil's a fallen angel. The
devil's under his rule. Christ rules him. And so does
every other angel. He rules every other angel. They
all submit to him. He is over angels and authorities
and powers, and they've all been made subject to him. The Proverbs
21.1 says, the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. As the
rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever he will. From eternity,
God ordained every king. This is how sovereign God is.
This is how sovereign he is to purpose the end from the beginning
and then bring it to pass. From eternity, God ordained every
king. I'm talking about the man or
the woman He ordained every king, every queen, every governor,
every mayor, every city councilman, every police officer, and then
put them in the office He ordained them to be in. God did that.
He used men, but He did it. And Christ our King puts them
in office and rules them and He removes them as He will. Daniel 2.21 says, He removeth
kings, and He setteth up kings. He giveth wisdom to the wise,
and knowledge to them that know understanding. Our Lord is wisdom. Our Lord Jesus is wisdom. And
if any power should be, whatever they do, they're accomplishing
His will, whether we think it's good or bad. They're accomplishing
His purpose, and they're doing it by Christ's power, by Christ's
power working in them. He said, counsel is mine and
sound wisdom, I am understanding, I have strength, by me kings
reign, and princes decree justice, by me princes rule, and nobles,
even all the judges of the earth. So here's God's word to every
king. And this goes for anybody in
authority, this goes for me as an under shepherd, it goes for
fathers, it goes for masters, employers, it goes for any king
in this earth. Be wise now therefore, ye kings. Be instructed, ye judges of the
earth, serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss
the Son, lest he be angry and you perish from the way, when
his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put
their trust in him. That's his word. Now here's his
word to all of us. Here's his word to all of us.
Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there
is no power but of God, the powers that be are ordained of God.
You've seen this. It seems like it's getting worse
and worse. But every election, the losing side, the next day,
almost always act like the world is ending, like it's coming,
this is it. For God's saints, And truthfully
for everybody in this world, but for God's saints who know
this, the next day absolutely nothing has changed. The same
king of kings is on the throne, he's bringing his purpose to
pass, and what you saw in that election Any time you see an
election, whether it's your candidate or not, what you see in that
election is God's candidate being put in that place. That's what
you see. Every power is ordained of God.
I vote, and you know what I do? I go home and sleep like a baby.
If the person I voted for gets elected, I sleep like a baby.
If they don't, I sleep like a baby. My Lord is the king. I don't
have to worry about it. But our king teaches us not only
to submit to them, you know what else he teaches? He teaches us
to pray for them. When God's elect were taken captive
in Babylon, as captives of Babylon, now imagine if Russia came in
and took us all captive, or Iran came in and took us all captive. You know what God says to pray
for their rulers? Pray for the rulers of your captors. Here's what he said, Jeremiah
29, 7. Seek the peace of the city, whether I have caused you
to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it.
For in the peace thereof shall you have peace. He tells you to pray, even if
you were taken captive. Pray for your captors. He said
in 1 Timothy 2.1, I exhort therefore that first of all supplications,
prayers, intercessions, giving of thanks be made for all men,
for kings and for all that are in authority. He's talking about
all classes and all kinds of men. He says that we may lead
a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty, for
this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
who will have all men, that is every elect child from the pauper
to the prince, he'll have them all to be saved and come into
the knowledge of the truth. We pray because it's God our
Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus, who's gonna bring His
will to pass. It's not the person in office,
it's the Lord. He's gonna bring His will and
purpose to pass, so we pray to Him. We pray to Him. It's already
set what He's gonna do, but He'll have us ask Him, and so we ask
Him. And also, when you submit, it
means we're not speak evil of them. Now, a lot of this goes
on. I'm guilty, you're guilty, we
speak too often against the ruler. But we need to be careful how
we speak because listen to what God says. This is a dire warning
God gives in 2 Peter 2.10. This is what he said. He's speaking here of unjust
men. He says, chiefly them that walk
after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak
evil of dignities. He's talking about people in
office. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might,
bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
But these, as natural brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed,
speak evil of the things that they understand not, and shall
utterly perish in their own corruption." You know that word there, speaking
evil of things they understand not? A ruler might do something
that to you appears like it's not good, and you don't understand
it, you don't understand what he's doing. But you don't know,
we don't know all the What's going on behind the scenes? We
don't know all the things that went into that decision. But
here's something else. We don't see God's purpose and
we don't know God's purpose. And that's what's going to be
brought to pass. So shall we speak evil of things
that we understand not? We know Christ shall not fail.
We know he will do justice in this earth for
his people. So the Spirit of God teaches us, never speak evil
of those our king has put in power. Titus 3.1, he said, put
them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to
obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, to speak
evil of no man, to be no brawlers with the tongue or with the body. but gentle, showing all meekness
unto all men. Listen to this from Ecclesiastes
10.20. I don't think I'd ever seen this.
Ecclesiastes 10.20 says, Curse not the king, know not in thy
thought, and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber, for a bird
of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall
tell the matter. So that's the first reason. God
put them there. God put them there. Now secondly,
here's why this is so important. Submitting to them, we're submitting
to Christ our King. By submitting to them, we're
submitting to Christ our King. And resisting them, we're resisting
Christ our King. Look here in verse 2, Romans
13, 2. Whosoever therefore resisteth
the power, resisteth the ordinance of God. To resist one that God
put in power is to resist God's ordination. It's to resist God's
order. God ordained them to that office,
whether we like them or not. Samuel, you know, the Lord made
him the judge in Israel. And he'd gotten old and his children
were disobedient, and the children of Israel used that as an excuse,
you know, and they said, we want a king. We want a king. And the
Lord sent Samuel telling him, you don't want a king like the
other nations have. They just wanted a king that
looked like the other nations and ruled like the other nations.
And God told him, he said, you don't want that. And he said,
because the king I'm going to give you is going to use you
up and spit you out. And they rejected Samuel anyway
and said, no, we will have a king. And this is what God said. He
said, they've not rejected you, Samuel, they've rejected me,
that I should not reign over them. That's what our text is
telling us. The Spirit of God teaches us
that submitting to the powers that be is submitting to God. We're submitting to Christ our
King. Listen to 1 Peter 2.13. Submit
yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake. whether it be to the king as
supreme or to governors as unto them that are sent by him, for
the Lord's sake. Submitting doesn't mean we have
to like the person. It doesn't mean you have to agree
with them. But we still submit with respect and honor to our
Lord. That's why we're submitting to
Him. So long as their command and
whatever their ruling is in the Lord, we submit. What does that
mean? It means so long as they don't
try to to prevent us from assembling together and worshiping the Lord,
you can submit to Him. The Lord overruled everything
else. Thirdly, we must be in subjection because the powers
that be are God's ministers to us and provided by God for us. Look here in verse three, the
second part there, he says, and they that resist shall receive
to themselves damnation. Well, let me read the whole thing.
Rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. In other
words, if you do good, you don't have to worry about it, only
if you do 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's the minister of God
to thee for good. He's the minister of God to thee.
When it says there in verse 2, when it says, they that resist
shall receive to themselves damnation, it means you don't come under
some civil arrest and be brought before a civil judge and pay
a fine or go to jail or be chastened of the Lord if you're God's child. But he says in verse four, he's
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. He's the
minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth
evil. Aren't you thankful God's provided
civil authority to protect his people from evil? That's what
they're there for. Wherefore, you must needs be
subject, not only for wrath, not only to avoid the wrath of
the power, but also for conscience sake, knowing God put them there.
Let me sum that up as simply as I know how to put it. If the
police officer ask you for your license and registration, give
it to him. And if you don't, don't complain
when you get tased. That's really the gist of it,
is what he's saying. But as those under the rule of
Christ our King, we can submit to the powers that be because
we know Christ is ruling every ruler for the good of his church.
He's doing it. He's the minister of God to thee
for good. And we know all things work together
for good to them that love God. Who is that? To them who are
the called according to God's purpose. What if I'm arrested
and thrown in prison unjustly? Joseph was, turned out pretty
good for him, didn't it? God works pretty amazing things
through that, didn't he? Just wait on the Lord. Every
ruler's an instrument in Christ's hand to work good for his people
and to protect us from the evil. I want you to go to Isaiah 10.
Don't you see this? Isaiah 10. Every ruler is an
instrument in Christ's hand to work good for his people and
to protect us from the evil. Now, we're talking mainly here,
and the real evil is spiritual evil. Now, our Lord called the
king of Assyria, he called him a rod and a staff and an axe
in God's hand. That's what he called the king
of Assyria. The Lord sent him against the children of Israel,
against Judah. Not against children of Israel,
they were in leagues with him. He sent him against the children
of Judah. to chasten them, to purify the children of Judah,
to save his elect remnant and make them look to the Lord rather
than look to their earthly king. That's why he sent the king of
Assyria. And look what the Lord said about him in Isaiah 10,
5. He said, the rod of mine anger." That's
what the king of Assyria was, the rod in God's hand, the rod
of his anger. And the staff in their hand is
mine indignation. I will send him against that
hypocritical nation. And against the people of my
wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoil, and to take
the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
And the king of Assyria boasted that he did it all by his wisdom
and his strength. And here's what God said about
that, verse 13. For he saith, by the strength
of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am prudent,
and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed
their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant
man. Listen to the Lord. Verse 15,
shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Or
shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it?
As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up,
or as if the staff should lift up itself as if it were no wood.
Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his
fat ones leanness. When he got done using the king
of Assyria, he dealt with him. and cast your mouth. But here's
why he did all this. He did it for the good of his
elect remnant amongst the children of Judah. Look at verse 20. And
it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel,
and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more
again stay upon him that smote them, but shall stay upon the
Lord, the Holy One of Israel. In truth, the remnant shall return,
even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. That's why God
did all that with the king of Syria. It was for the good of
His people. They had to go through a lot
of trouble. There was some political unrest
and some political trouble as the king of Assyria came up against
them. But God did all that for the good of His elect remnant
to save them. And He was in charge of the whole
thing. You see that? Brethren, this is our peace in
this world. Our kings rule and every king Our Christ is our
righteousness, he's accomplished our justification, and we're
complete in him, and he's doing everything because justice demands
that his people must be saved. And therefore he's ruling every
person in authority for the good of you and me, his body, his
church. Remember in Ephesians, Lord said he raised him up far
above all principality and power. All might and dominion, every
name that's named, not only in this world, but in that which
is to come. All things are under his feet. And He's the head over
all things to you and me, the church. And He's filling all
in all His people. That's what Christ is doing in
everything coming to pass. Look back at Isaiah 40. You're home tonight, you read
all of Isaiah 40. Isaiah 40, just look here real
quick. No matter who's in any civil
office, greatest to the least, from the greatest office to the
least office, no matter who's there, Christ put them there
and He's ruling them. The wrath of man appraise Him.
If evil comes to pass, just like with the king of Assyria, that's
going to bring honor to the Lord, and the remainder He'll restrain
it. But look what He says here, Isaiah 42 and 1. Have you not
known? Verse 21, have you not known, have you not heard, that
it did not be told you from the beginning, have you not understood
from the foundation of the earth, it's he that sit upon the circle
of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers,
that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them
out as a tent to dwell in, that bringeth the princes to nothing,
he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity, Yea, they shall not
be planted, they shall not be sown. Yea, their stalks shall
not take root in the earth. He shall also blow upon them,
and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away
as stubble. To whom then will you liken me, or shall I be equal?
Sayeth the Holy One. Now, stay right there, Isaiah
4. Here's why he's telling you all
this. He started out saying, Christ our shepherd will come,
and his arm will rule for him, and his work is before him, and
his reward is with him. And he goes on talking about
the sovereign creator, and how wise he was, and nobody counseled
him, and how he sits on the circle of the earth and rules all things.
He's talking about Christ, our shepherd. And so when you feel
like you see things happening, and maybe you feel like that
your judgment's passed over, and the Lord's forgotten about
you, and you know, prices are high, and taxes are high, and
whatever it is. Remember this. Verse 27. Isaiah 40, 27, Why sayest thou,
O Jacob, and speakest thou so as from my ways hid from the
Lord, and my judgments passed over from my God? Hast thou not
heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the
ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no
searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint. And to them that have no might,
he increases strength. Even the youth shall faint and
be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. You're not going
to stand by your own strength. That's the point there. If a
young, strong bull is going to faint, you're going to faint
too. You're not going to stand by your own strength. But they
that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall
mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary.
They shall walk and not faint. Brethren, I tell you, I saw some people that every
election, and you see this, people just feel like it's all over. Nope. Everything is running right
on track. Our king is bringing it all to
pass. Our savior, our righteousness,
our judge, our all, he's doing it. And so here's the word, let
every soul be subject to the higher powers. There is no power
but of God. The powers that be are ordained
of God. Pray for them and don't speak
evil of them. If you want to speak, rather
than speaking evil to somebody about him, go to God and pray
for him. That's what he said. That's what
he said. And submit to him. I pray the
Lord will bless that. Brother Greg.