Titus chapter 3, we'll be reading verses 1 and 2. And I'll ask you now to stand as we hear now from God. Thus saith the Lord, beginning in verse 1, Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. May God bless the reading of His word. Amen.

Amen. You may be seated. Well, years ago I was at a track meet standing next to one of my assistant coaches and I had for a while wanted to bring up the subject of sin and salvation in Christ Jesus and so there he was and there I was and none of our athletes needed coaching in the moment. So I seized the moment and I asked him point blank Jason are you right with God and Jason he I love it I love that guy still do He smiled that kind of smile that knows that he's immediately uncomfortable. And he said something that I had actually never heard of until that moment, but since that moment I've heard time and time again.

He said, Coach Brown, Don't you know that the two things that you don't ever bring up around friends and family is religion and politics? Well, I hadn't brought up politics, but this morning I will. This morning I will bring up both of those things, religion and politics, because Paul brings them up. God brings them up. Here in Titus you are told, as a Christian, exactly how you are to think about religion and politics, that the two are essentially tied together.

That your Christianity radically, absolutely calls you to engage with government and politics. Your Christianity must influence your politics. This book says so. I'm not making it up. It's right here in this book.

Religion and politics, you don't get to have one without the other. This book won't let you. God won't let you. So we begin this morning in the third and final chapter of Paul's letter to Titus. Titus chapter one, church leaders and who they must be if they're to put the church in order.

Titus chapter two, church members and how sound doctrine should come out of their fingertips in the home and in the church and now Titus chapter 3 how these same Christians should live out that sound doctrine not just in their home not just in the church but in society outside To borrow a line from Francis Schaeffer in Titus chapter three, Paul is answering the question for you, how then shall you live in this world? As one redeemed by the blood of Jesus, how should you live in His world? How should you relate to the civil magistrate, the government? How are you to live in the midst of other people in the world that are not a part of the body of believers. What's the answer?

Titus chapter three. Titus chapter three. Here's how. Number one, be subject to rulers and authorities. Number two, be obedient.

Number three, be ready for every good deed. That's how you're to live in this world, and God demands that your Christianity, the gospel, God demands that the gospel be expressed in your politics, in your view of government, and the way you interact with the government. He demands it. Now, before we dive into all that, I just want to point out something really simple in this text. What is the first word in the text?

Remind. Remind. Paul commands Titus, and by extension the Church of Crete and equally by extension you the Church of Erlum he commands you the church member that you remember you remember And he commands me as your pastor that I remind you, that I help you remember. Remind them, Paul says. That's the only Greek imperative in this whole passage in verses 1 and 2.

The only imperative in the Greek, the only command explicitly in the Greek grammar is remind them. These aren't new things. These things in this passage, these things that I'm going to tell you this morning, these things that I've been telling you for the past 15 sermons, these things that I've been telling you for the past four and a half years, they aren't new things. These things have been addressed before. These are the things that Paul has addressed before.

These are the things that Titus has addressed before. And it tells you something about the job of your pastors. Friends, my job as your pastor is to remind you of what God has said. So I'm not up here to spout off some clever new thing that I've invented. I'm not up here with my own ideas on how you ought to live and what you ought to believe.

No! If I start doing that, if I start spouting off my own little things, get me out of this pulpit. Put me on some kind of TED talk. It's my job as your pastor to remind you every Lord's day of the ancient words ever true changing me and changing you. So Isaac and I we were just reading an endorsement on the cover of a controversial book.

We were together yesterday reading the cover of a book that a lot of people are talking about right now. And one of the endorsements on the front of that book, it said, they were trying to give a compliment to the author and it said, this author is relentlessly innovative. Now I'm sure that that is a compliment to the author. But as your pastor, preaching this book, that would not be a compliment to me. To be relentlessly innovative.

I don't want to be known as innovative no I must be known as your shepherd who week after week after week brought this book to you and called you to deal with what it says and pushed it into every corner of your life in short to remind you. It's my job to remind you that God is not silent. It's my job to remind you that God has spoken. That He has not at all left you without instruction in how to live in His world. He has told you how you are to live in his world.

He has told you what to fight for in society and government. So the job of your pastor, here at the beginning of this sermon, because I can't, that first two words, remind them to be at own sermon. The job of your pastor and pastors for millennia has been the same. Remind them of what God has declared and exhort them and reprove them with authority because God has spoken and God declares in Titus chapter 3 verse 1 that the way you live in this world very much matters to him. Yes put things in order in the church but the those things that become put in order in the church must necessarily spill out into society.

They must necessarily spill out into the realm of the civil government. So it very much matters to God how you live in His world because it's His world. We sing the song, and we're going to sing it in just a few moments here. We sing the song, This is My Father's World. And we believe it.

We believe it. We mean it. And So Paul says, because that's true, Titus, Pastor Grant, Pastor Matthew, remind them how they're to live in my world. Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities. Remind them to be obedient.

And remind them to be ready for every good deed. So let's turn to those three things, shall we? Number one. Reminder number one. Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities.

Now keep your finger in Titus chapter 3, we'll come back. But turn with me in your Bibles to Romans chapter 13. Romans 13 if you would. Romans chapter 13 verses 1 through 5. And as you turn there, I want to emphasize something to you.

I want to emphasize again what Paul had told Titus at the beginning of our passage. What was Titus to do? What's the first two words of our passage? Remind them. Titus was to remind his people of these things.

When you say the phrase remind them, that means that this idea of being subject rulers and to authorities to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, it wasn't something new that Paul and Titus were just going to throw on their people. Now he uses the phrase remind them. Paul and Titus had already taught on this. They'd already spent considerable time unpacking the doctrine of God and government to their people. The book of Romans was written before Titus.

And so here in Romans 13 we undoubtedly have some of what Paul and Titus have already taught the Cretans. This is some of what Paul would be getting at when he says, remind them. Remind them of what we've taught them. Things like Romans 13. And so it's very appropriate, don't you think, that we would go back to what they've already taught the creatives, perhaps?

That's why we're doing this. Romans chapter 13, we're going to hear what Paul and Titus have already taught and continue to teach by way of reminder. Romans 13 beginning in verse 1. Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. Does that sound familiar?

Same thing as in Titus 3. Every person is to be subject, every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those which exist or are established by God. Therefore, whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God. And they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil.

Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same. For it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid. For it does not bear the sword for nothing.

For it is a minister of God an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil therefore it is necessary to be in subjection not only because of wrath but also for consciences sake all right let's unpack this rather briefly verse 1 what does God tell you to do in verse 1 look there in verse 1 What does God tell you to do in verse 1? Look there in verse 1. What does God tell you to do? Submit to the governing authorities. Same thing as in Titus 3 verse 1, be in subjection to rulers and authorities.

So that includes who? City mayors, governors, county officials, state officials, national leaders, etc. God says submit to the civil magistrate. Next question. Why does God tell you to do that?

That's the second half of verse 1. Why do that? For there is no authority except from God and those which exist are established by God. That's why. You need to get the argument.

Submit to the governing authority. Why? Because the authority that the civil government has is from God himself. You get that? The civil government, your civil government, the mayor in Erlen, The governing body in Des Moines over Iowa exists because God wants it to exist.

God has established it. That's the argument so far. Verse 2. What does verse 2 tell you? If you oppose the authority of the civil magistrate, then who do you ultimately oppose?

You oppose the one who established that authority. And Who's that? God. If you oppose the civil magistrate established by God, you necessarily oppose God Himself. What is the result of opposing God?

End of verse 2. Condemnation. Condemnation. So what does that mean for you? It means that you should obey Titus 3 verse 1 and Romans chapter 13 and be subject to rulers and authority.

That's what it means for you But there's more there than just that There is also instruction not just for you in this passage But there's also instruction from God to the civil magistrate. I think sometimes when you read Titus 3, Romans 13, you're rightly asking what does this mean for me? And that's good. But sometimes you miss the other side of the import of the passage, that it doesn't just have instruction for you, it actually has even more instruction for those that you're submitting to. It has instruction for the civil magistrate.

God is telling the government, God is telling the state how to behave. God is telling the civil magistrate they owe their existence to him. God is telling the state why and for what purpose they exist. And that's in Romans chapter 13 verses 3 and 4. Look there.

Look at verse 3. Here's why God has established them. Here's why they exist. Verse 3, Romans 13. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil.

Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For it, the civil government, is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil be afraid for it does not bear the sword for nothing for it is a minister of God an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil That word in verse 4, minister, a minister of God that could be translated deacon. Same word, a deacon of God.

What has God made the civil magistrate to be his deacon his servant you get that the civil government according to God's word is to be God's deacon his deacon The civil magistrate's job is to serve God. How? By punishing the wicked rewarding the righteous verse 4 bearing the sword bringing wrath upon the one who practices evil the state is to uphold justice it's to uphold peace in the land as a minister of the one true God. A deacon, a servant of God. I want to really hit that hard because Paul does.

What do servants do? The state is to be a deacon of God, a servant of God. What do servants do? They serve their master. What do servants do?

They obey their master. What do servants do? They do what the master tells them to do. And that's exactly what you must do. You must obey the authorities and You must obey the authority over the authorities, the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's exactly what Paul says in Titus chapter 3. So let me go back to Titus chapter 3. Turn back to Titus chapter 3. We've got this Romans 13 in our minds now. I want you to look again at verse 1 of Titus 3.

Titus reminds them to be subject to rulers and authorities to be obedient. That's the second reminder. Remind them to be obedient. The question needs to be in your mind, obedient to who? Obedient to who?

To the state? Sure. But who is the state to be obedient to? Christ. There is no other way around it.

You have to completely disregard Romans 13 to say otherwise. Who is the state to be obedient to? Jesus Christ. Ultimately, Paul is calling for an obedience to Christ. The state exists to serve Christ as his deacon.

And so you submit to the state in obedience to Christ. You obey the state in obedience to Christ. You obey the state as the state obeys Christ. So do you believe that Jesus Christ is head over the state? Is Jesus Christ the authority over the civil magistrate?

Well, let's just answer that question really quick, just to make sure you've got that in your heart and mind. What happened to Jesus? Do you remember what happened to Jesus? It's really important for Christianity. Children, what happened to Jesus?

He lived a perfect life, and then what happened? He died. He died on a cross in the place of sinners so that whosoever would believe upon Him would not perish but have everlasting life. He died for you. Did he stay dead?

He went to a tomb and for three days you wondered when Jesus on the cross said it is finished, you wondered is it? Was it really finished? For three days the gavel hung in the air waiting to be dropped for the judge to declare it yes it really is finished. And on the third day, the stone rolled away. The linen garment wrapped up in a bundle in the tomb.

Soldiers scattered, Angels there. No Jesus in the tomb. He had been one. Raised up. Triumphant over every enemy.

And then, What happens after his resurrection? He appears to his disciples and then he ascends. And as he ascends, what does he tell his disciples? Do you remember the very end of Matthew chapter 28? What does he tell his disciples?

All authority has been given to me. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Do you remember that? That's what Jesus says. And then in Ephesians chapter 1 verses 20 through 21 we're told this, God the Father who raised his son from the dead then seated Christ his Son at his right hand in the heavenly places as he ascended, and as he seated Christ Jesus at his right hand, he put Christ Jesus far above all rule and all authority.

Does that sound familiar? That's Titus 3.1. Jesus Christ was put above all rule and all authority and above every power and every dominion and above every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come and he put all things all things in subjection under his feet so answer the question who has all authority Who has put all things including even the state in subjection under his feet? Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has all authority.

He is Lord over the state. He is Lord over every ruler and every authority. They exist to serve him the state exists to serve Jesus Christ The Bible is abundantly clear on that and if you think differently you're not letting the Bible speak That's why Paul right after telling Titus to remind his people to be subject to rulers and authorities, he then goes on to say, and remind them to be obedient. Obedient to who? Ultimately to Jesus Christ.

Because the state is to serve Christ. And so you're in your submission to the state, it must be in obedience to the one who rules over the state. You have the state, and you have Christ over the state. So you've heard of things like separation of church and state, right? You might be thinking right now, wait a minute here.

Sounds an awful lot like you're just blurring some lines. Well, I'd actually not just want to blur lines. I want to take lines away that don't belong there so you might hear of The phrase separation of church and state we can spend a lot of time on just that phrase But it is true in some sense that the church and the state have been given different lanes of authority by which they operate in the world, right? Right? So the church communicates, the state executes.

We bear a different sword. There's differences. So there is separation in that way, but I don't think when people use the phrase that they mean that. When we say separation of church and state as Christians, as Bible people, we need to use the phrase as God would use it. There are different authorities in the church and different authorities in the state.

But that does not mean that there is a separation between God and state. I need you to hear that. The church and the state, sure you want to say there's separation of church and state, there's distinct authorities, great, but the Bible does not at all mean that when you say that that there is some kind of separation between the state and God. It's not the case. Romans 13, the state is to be a deacon of God.

There's no separation. He's master. He's lord. He's sovereign. There is no biblical category for the separation between God and state.

There is no biblical category for the separation between God and state. There is no biblical category for the separation between God and state. So the state doesn't get to reach for things that God hasn't given it the authority to reach for. You must obey Christ and so should the state. Okay?

See, get this. The command from God to you this morning in these texts is that your approach to government is that of one who wishes to be a good citizen. That must be true of you. You must wake up in the morning and not go, I can't wait to stick it to the man that's evil. You resist God.

That's your heart. Can't wait to stick it to the old man. You're raging against the machine. You're raging against the state. That can't be true of you.

You don't get to rage. That's what lost and foolish men do. Instead you wake up and say, I want to be a good citizen. I belong, I am a citizen of heaven, I'm also a citizen of an earthly kingdom. I'm an American, I'm an Iowa, I'm an Erlemite.

I think that's got fun. And so I want what's best for the state, I want to submit, that's my desire. You desire to be subject to the rulers and authorities. You desire to be obedient to them. That should be your heart.

But you recognize in all of that as a Christian that your obedience is to a higher magistrate than the lesser magistrate. Your obedience is to the ruler of rulers and the authority of authorities, Jesus the Christ. And that ultimate authority, Jesus, he has told the state that they should function within their God-ordained lane of establishing justice, punishing the wicked, rewarding the righteous, and to be about the work of society's good. It's very plain in the Scriptures. If you want, what is the role of the state?

Uphold justice and peace and promote the public's good. That's the role of the state according to God's word. Romans 13, 1 Peter chapter 2. Let me just go ahead and show you. Look again and actually I think you're in Titus 3 now so I'll just remind you what Romans 13 says.

Romans 13, do you remember how it ended that passage there? Verse 4. I'm going to remind you. Romans 13 verse 4. Listen to this.

For the governing authority is a minister of God to you for good. The governing authority, the rulers of authorities, is a minister of God, a deacon of God, to you for good. So did you hear what God has just said the purpose of the civil magistrate is? It's very plain in Romans 13 verse 4. The civil government exists to serve God by promoting what is good for you.

It is a minister of God to you for good. Government must promote what is good. God says so. And what is good for you? According to who?

This is huge. Who gets to define what is good? Necessarily so. The authority over the state gets to define what is good for the state So if the state is tasked by God To promote the public good Romans 13 verse 4 says that then you have to ask the question, by what standard? What is the standard by which the state measures what is good and what is bad?

They're supposed to punish the wicked, reward the righteous. Well, what is bad? What is wicked? And what is righteous? What is good?

There is only one answer as Christians. There is only one answer because this is God's world. There is only one answer because God rules over every authority. And the answer is, this gets to define what is good and what is evil. So, what happens when the government starts to do things that don't establish peace and justice in the land?

What happens when the government starts to do things and demand things that don't promote the public good, according to God's Word? What do you do then? That's the ultimate question. When you come to this passage in Titus 3. You should be thinking, yeah, but what happens if, what if the government tells you in your household to get a certain vaccine?

Do you have to get the jab? What happens if the civil magistrate tells you that churches can no longer meet on Sundays? Must you be subject to them then? Does the state have absolute authorities so that you and I must be subject to them in everything? What's the answer?

Do they have unlimited authority? No. Who is the only one with unlimited authority? God. Only Jesus Christ has unlimited authority and Christ has told the civil magistrate what to do with their limited authority.

State, According to Jesus, you are to establish justice, you are to promote peace, you are to promote the public good. And to reach out of your God-ordained, lain magistrate, and to reach into the sphere of the church, or to reach into the sphere of the household. They each have their own authorities established by God. When you reach out of your lame state demanding a kind of subjection to you that obedience to Jesus does not require, then you are free to no longer submit. In fact, you shouldn't submit.

So when the state tells you to pay taxes that's consistent with the Constitution, Jesus says render what is Caesar to Caesar. Yeah. That's in the state's lane, as long as it's constitutional. When the civil magistrate enacts laws that do not contradict the law of God in this book, you heartily, you heartily obey the rules of the state. That's the state's lane.

You remain subject to the rulers and authorities. You are not to be known as rebels. Did you hear that? You're not to be known as rebels, but as good citizens who fear God. You are not to be known as rebels, but as good citizens who fear God.

That's your desire as a Christian. But the moment that the rulers and authorities reach out of their God-ordained lane and they tell your family, you've got to do schooling this way. You've got to do medicine in your household this way. The state's out of their lane. And Jesus, who was lured over that authority, says, I didn't give that authority to you state.

I gave it to the family. I gave it to the ruler and authority of a different sphere called the head of the household, the father, the husband. That's who I gave that authority to. I didn't give that to you, president. I didn't give that to you, governor.

I didn't give it to you, mayor. I gave it to him, the head of the household. And so in obedience to Christ, you respectfully disobey the state. Why? So that you might obey Jesus Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords There is a separation between state and church There is a separation between state and household, but there is no separation between state and God.

There is no separation between household and God. There is no separation between church and God. Christ is Lord over them all. Christ is Lord over the household. Christ is Lord over the church.

And so, let's go there. When the state reaches out of its God-ordained lane and tells the church, hey church, you can't sing anymore. Too many germs. Come on. You can't do communion anymore.

Too many hands touching things. You can't gather together anymore because we passed a law banning church meetings for the time being. When the state says that, Paul says to you in Titus chapter 3 verse 1 and Romans chapter 13 verses 1 through 4, remember to be obedient. Remember to be obedient to Christ. And so you respectfully disobey the state.

Why? Because you have appealed to the higher magistrate. You have appealed to the authority that exists over the state. You must obey God rather than man. So Paul says in the book of Acts, doesn't he?

We must obey God rather than man. So Paul says in the book of Acts, doesn't he? We must obey God rather than man. That's what the Apostles say. And God, whom you must obey, has been very clear on who decides matters of word and matters of worship and sacraments, the church gets to decide those things, not the state.

The church, according to God's word, is the one that administers word and sacraments, not the state. And so When the state is asking the church to do something it doesn't have the authority to do, you don't listen. There is no requirement from God to listen. God didn't give that to the state. And so you keep meeting.

You obey Christ and you keep partaking the sacraments together. You obey Christ and you sing even louder than before. Because as the church you are to be ready for every good work. And Sometimes that means you are to tell the civil magistrate that it must repent. And that's Paul's final reminder, to be ready for every good deed.

Paul says At the end of verse 1 in Titus 3, he said, remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, remind them to be obedient, and now finally, remind them to be ready for every good deed. I think, and many theologians agree, that at the most fundamental level, these kinds of good deeds that Paul is talking about at the end of verse 1 these are the kind of deeds that go with good citizenship you're to be a good citizen You're not to be known as a rebel. If you look at Titus chapter 1, you won't go there, but if you were to go to Titus chapter 1, do you remember the way that God describes the false teachers and the bad men. Do you remember that? Let me just, you can write this down and you can look later.

In Titus chapter one, verse 10, he calls the false teachers rebellious men. And then in verse 16 of chapter 1, do you know what he calls the false teachers? He calls them disobedient men. And then at the end of verse 16, do you know what he calls the false teachers? Men who are worthless for any good deed.

Those are three things. Exact opposites. Bad guys, unregenerate men, false teachers, they're known as rebels. Bad guys, false teachers, unregenerate men, they're known as disobedient men. Bad guys, false teachers, evil men, they're known as men who are worthless for every good deed.

You don't get to be described that way. You. You are to be, not rebels, but obedient, ready for every good deed in Christ Jesus. So you're not to be known as a rebel, you're not to be known as one who rages against the machine, not as one who sticks it to the man. You are to be known as someone who genuinely wants to be in submission to rulers and authorities that God has placed over you.

You look at them and you say, God's put you there. I want to obey you. And I'm ready for every good deed. Which means that you want the best for your rulers, don't you? It's part of what every good deed is, part of what being a good citizen is, I want what's best for you, neighbor and magistrate.

And so the first of those good deeds, I think, must be prayer. You must be ready for every good deed. Let's start with prayer. Instead of raging against the state, you sage. Instead of raging against the civil magistrate, you raise your civil magistrate up in prayer.

Instead of delighting and sticking it to the man, you delight in obeying the command of Christ in 1st Timothy chapter 2 that by that entreaties and prayers and petitions and thanksgiving be made on behalf of all men that prayers and petitions and thanksgiving be made on behalf of kings and all who are in authority so that you may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. You ought to pray for those in authority over you. Do you do that? Are you known as someone that complains and complains and complains, but you've never got on your knee and prayed? Repent of that You should pray for those in authority over you Second As a citizen of Christ's kingdom and as a citizen of the lesser magistrate's kingdom, you are to be ready to be about the good deeds that involve verse 2.

Titus 3 verse 2. Titus 3 verse 2 describes These good deeds that the Christian citizens are ready to engage in. So what does verse 2 tell you about these good deeds? You're not to malign anyone. You're to be careful not to speak evil of ungodly leaders or ungodly neighbors.

You don't fight evil with evil. You hear that? You don't use the same weapons as they do. I mean, their weapons are weak in comparison to what you have in Jesus Christ. You don't fight evil with evil.

No, we fight evil with the gospel of grace and truth, the gospel which is the power of God and the salvation to all who believe. The gospel which in the end will cause the glory of God and the knowledge of the Lord to cover the earth as far as the waters cover the sea. That's power. Wilson says it this way. We must avoid slander, not saying anything unless it's true, not saying anything unless it's loving, not saying anything unless it's necessary.

Instead, we are to be peaceable and gentle. We aren't to get up in the morning wanting more than anything to pick fights with the ungodly. You are to stand for truth, but not for the sake of simply getting up to pummel somebody that day. Instead, Paul says, show consideration for all men. Be courteous to all men.

That's what verse 2 says. He says elsewhere in Romans 12, Verse 8, if possible, so far as it depends upon you, be at peace with all men. You should be ready to engage in those kinds of good deeds, the way that verse 2 describes. Third, you should pray. You should let your good deeds be flavored by what verse 2 tells you.

And thirdly, you must be ready to love the civil magistrate by telling them the truth when you can't comply. You must tell them with the Bible in your hands, the Bible in your hearts, God didn't give this power to you, magistrate. God didn't give you the authority to do this, magistrate. If He gave you the authority to do what you're asking me to do, I would be behind you 100%. I want to be behind you 100% because God has established you.

I recognize that. But you're asking me to do something that He hasn't given you the authority to ask me to do. He gave you the ministry of upholding justice, of maintaining peace, of promoting the public good according to God's standard of what is good. And so as the pillar of, as the pillar and buttress of the truth, we as a church, you as a member of this church, You must engage in the good deed of discipling the civil magistrate. You must pray for them.

You should write to them. You should tell them, Thus saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord. We should be discipling our magistrates, calling them to repentance. We should.

We should be telling them, kiss the son. Kiss the son. Repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ who died in the place of sinners and who was raised up for their justification. Magistrates, believe this. Bow the knee to King Jesus and then lead us in the fear of God and we will be behind you 100%.

You need to urge magistrates like this. That's the way you should be praying for your magistrates. And you know, that same invitation applies to anyone in this room this morning. Anyone who is apart from Christ, come. Kiss the Son lest ye perish.

Come, all ye who are weary. Come, all who are heavy laden. And He promises to give you rest. There is no power of hell, there is no sin, there is no authority in heaven or on earth that is greater than His. And it's Him who says, come.

Just think about that invitation. There is no earthly power. There is no heavenly power greater than Him. And the One who reigns over every power, He's the one that says, come. Do you think that in the greatness of your sin, you know what you did last night?

You know what this week was like? And you say, yeah, but my problem is so great, there is one greater who says come. The one with authority to forgive sins says come. So the invitation from the one who is king over all says repent and believe the gospel and he will to no way cast you out. Christian you need to hear this too.

You need to hear this very very plainly. I've been talking a lot about the civil magistrate and sometimes in the flesh we can start to get a little worked up and say man that's where the power is at the civil magistrate there is a lot of power on the government isn't there especially ours it's huge even when the government shut down there's a lot of power but as powerful as politics can be in this world that power that authority that power is but a candle next to the Sun that is the power of Jesus Christ and His Gospel. So to quote James Baird in his book, King of Kings, if you want to tap into real power, then join the church. Take the Lord's name as your banner in baptism. Sit under the preached Word.

Pray to the God of heaven. Feast on the body and blood of Christ, offered in communion. Yes, the ordinary means of grace may seem simple and silly, but God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. When you enter a church building, you enter the true halls of power. The sanctuary is the real room where it happens.

Seek a seat at the Lord's table. Undoubtedly, the halls, rooms, and tables of politicians are powerful, but they're not the most powerful. As David writes in Psalm 20 verses 7 and 8, some trust in chariots, some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, But we rise and stand upright." That's from this book, King of Kings. And I don't say this very often, but I believe this to be the best book I have ever read on thinking through Church and state, religion and politics.

I think this is the best book I've ever read on how to think about how God wants you to think about Christianity and the civil government. It's very clear, it's not complicated, I mean look at that. It's less than a hundred pages. In fact, it's so short that the author himself at the beginning says you need to read this in less than two sittings or less, just to maintain the argument flow. Totally doable.

You can read this tonight, saints, and then let me know. I'd buy you coffee or a time out there or even a burrito So I want you to grab one on your way out I want you to grab one and read it and if you have a household that's big and you need more than one copy we have a lot of copies this is for you read it I don't know of a better book about the subject well I didn't listen to my assistant coach in this sermon did I my I started the sermon with the story of my assistant coach saying, hey, there's two things you don't bring up among friends and family. Uh-oh. Well, I didn't listen to him. I did, in fact, this morning bring up religion and politics with my family here and my friends here.

Why didn't I listen to his advice? Why shouldn't we listen to his advice? Because God says it's not very good advice. He says it here in Titus 3. He says it's not very good advice in Romans chapter 13 verses 1 through 5.

He also says it in 1 Peter chapter 2 which would make a very good passage for you to study this week in family worship. First Peter chapter 2. God has told us how to live in this his world and God has told how his rulers and authorities that he's put in authority, how the rulers and authorities that he's established are to govern in his world and So I think Charles Spurgeon is right when he says This means the exact opposite of what my assistant coach said Spurgeon writes I often hear it said do not bring religion into politics This is precisely where it ought to be brought and set there in the face of all men as on a candle stick. And so let us do something. Let us apply all of Christ and all of the Word of Christ, all of His standard to all of life, including the civil magistrate.

From our house to the White House. So that we and our magistrates might hear those words from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords on that glorious day, Well done, well done good and faithful servant, enter into my rest. And that would be a good thing with him. Let's pray for that. Father in heaven, thank you for this.

Your word. We are, We are a nation and we are a state and a community and a church that is stunted when it comes to thinking through Christ being Lord over the state. We don't have this theology and doctrine very well developed in us, but by your grace, you are showing us in your word what you should have shown your people from generation after generation after generation that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. And that you have very much given us instruction on how to live in this your world and you have very much given our magistrates instruction on how they are to govern So Lord, I pray that we would now go out from here with these things in our hearts loving the magistrate that you've established wanting the best for them and just working to be about every good deed that you've set apart for us to be about. Lord, we would live right in this your world.

Remind us Lord that though the wrong seems oft so strong that you God are the ruler yet. And may you give us the grace now to sing with hearts full of gladness in the gospel of Jesus your son. It's in his name that we pray. Amen. Thank you.