In his sermon, Jeffrey D. Johnson emphasizes the importance of understanding the limits of state authority and the jurisdiction it holds. He argues that while obedience to civil authorities is necessary, it should not encroach upon the God-given rights of individuals and families. Johnson criticizes the state for often positioning itself as a deity, creating a scenario where it demands total control and submission, akin to a paganistic religion. He asserts that the state does not have the right to interfere in personal or family matters unless it is within its legitimate sphere of authority. Johnson encourages protecting one's family and personal freedoms from state overreach, especially when it threatens the preservation of soul, spirit, and conscience.

I've heard this statement, which I don't agree with, like, whatever the state says to do as long as it's explicitly against scriptures, then we do it. I don't hold that. I say whatever the state tells us to do within their sovereign sphere, we do. That's not against scriptures or violates the sphere in which they have. Like I have a sphere of jurisdiction over my family and I might tell your family or you who have your own children, I might say, you need to do this to your kids, for your kids.

And what I'm telling you to do is actually not sinful. So you can't, but I still don't have the right. I don't have the right to tell you how to rule your family over issues that are not my authority. So you can take my advice, you can leave my advice, but you don't have to submit to my advice because I don't have authority over your family. Well, the state doesn't have authority over a lot of these things that they want to take authority because the problem with the state is they don't believe in God.

They put themselves in the place of God and so the state has become a religion. And they want to have total surveillance. They want to have total submission. And they want to say, jump, we jump. They want to tell us to take this to do that.

This is them, this is the state, this is paganism where the state becomes God, it becomes a religion. It's a paganistic religion. And so yes, we submit to authorities, we civil authorities, local and national, but we do so without giving up the rights that God has given us over our personal self, preservation of soul and spirit, and the rights that God's given us to protect our family. So I'm going to protect my family from the state if the state is going to hurt or violate the freedoms of the conscience, the protection of my children.