For the Love of Our Country

  “For the Love of Our Country”
Romans 13:1-8

Introduction

  •  Ask yourself these questions this morning…
  1. Why do I love my country?
  2. Do I love God more than my country?
  3. Will I die for the cause of my country?
  4. Will I die for the cause of my Lord and savior Jesus Christ?
  • I love my country more than any other country, but not more than God.
  • I will fight for my country as long as my right to serve God, worship God and defense of God are still allowed in this country.
  • This is beginning to be a challenge now in the United States.

I. Love is a Relationship

  A) Relationship between God and Man

  • In Romans 12:1, 2…Relationship between man and God should be…
  1. Sacrificing our bodies daily,
  2. Not conformed to this world,
  3. Transformed minds from bad to good,
  4. Having a goal to please God and do what He asks.

  B) Relationship between believers

  • In Romans 12:3–16…
  1. Do not think that you are better or more holy than other believers
  2. Think “soberly.” Meaning to use good judgment.
  3. We are to be one body in Christ (like minded)
  4. Use your different gifts that God has given you to help one another.
  5. Show brotherly love towards one another, putting others first and you last.
  6. Bless those who criticize you, cause trouble, or gossip about you. Treat your enemies as you would treat a friend.
  7. Rejoice with those who rejoice
  8. Cry when others cry (Having compassion)
  9. Be of the same mind (with Godly goals and actions and speech)
  10. Do not think yourselves to be superior to others or have a high opinion of yourself.

  C) Relationship between outsiders (not saved) and believers (saved)

  • We are to have worldly relationships but under certain conditions.
  • We are to be a light (understanding of God) for them not lovers of them.
  • In Romans 12:17-21…
    1. We are not to do bad things to others (Recompense to no man evil for evil.) because they do bad things to us.
    2. Be honest in all that you say and do.
    3. Us much as possible, be at peace with all people.
    4. We are not to try and get even with others (seek revenge) but we are to let God take care of it.
    5. If they are hungry, feed them. If they thirst, give them a drink.
    6. Don’t let their evil ways rub off on you.
    7. We are to help change their evil into something good.

II. We Honor God by Obedience  

  A) Obedience to our government

  • In examining our text of Romans 13…
  • Paul is writing this letter to the church at Rome.
  • The Roman government had placed many burdens upon the Jews and the Jews were very defiant towards Roman government. Thus the letter.
  • The Jews were still waiting for their Messiah because they did not believe Jesus to be the Messiah.
  • The Jews hatred towards the government of Rome had become so hostile that the government required all Jews to leave the city.

  B) The main focus of this scripture

  • Paul’s letter written to whom? Each and every true believer.
  • Focus of the letter? To be in subjection. (Be obedient)
  • Be obedient to whom? The government and its authorities.
  • Why are we to be obedient to our government? Because the government is established by God to have authority over us.
  • Do you love God? Obey the government.
  • Do you wish to honor God? Obey the government.

III.    Why Did God Establish Government

  A) To Govern

  • The word “govern” means to direct, control, or manage.
  • After God created man and woman, God realized that we cannot control ourselves.
  • Our lack of control started with…
    1. Adam and Eve…could not control their appetite
    2. Cain and Able… could not control their anger
    3. King David… could not control his sexual desires
    4. Pharaoh…could not control his abuse to God’s children.
    5. Jews … could not control their resentment towards Rome
  • When you get a bunch of people together who have lost their way and they indulge in sin and immorality, you get chaos, confusion, anger. rioting, murder, rape, etc.
  • This is WHY God created government to control us.
  • The problem we have today is that we have a lack of discipline which leads to disrespect, and disrespect leads to disobedience and disobedience leads to a loss of control.

IV. The United States was Established by God

  A) God establishes nations

  • Do you remember what we learned in public school growing up? We were taught that Christopher Columbus sailed to America to discover riches and gold.
  • That is a lie, it’s from revisionist historians.
  • Christopher Columbus sailed to America in order to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
  • Psalm 33:12…Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

  B) Government is supposed to punish law breakers

  • God uses the legal system to punish us for breaking the law.
  • In the Old Testament God punished lawbreakers…
  1. II Kings 7:25-35…Their crime was NO FEAR of God.
  2. Their punishment… God sent lions to kill them, God sent an earthquake to split the ground wide open and cause them to fall in the cracks and smash them.
  • If you shoplift, you will not be eaten by lions. The government arrests you.
  • If you kill someone, and earthquake will not swallow you up, but the government will sentence you to be hung or jailed for life.
  • It is the government which keeps us under control.
  • However, it is Christ in the heart of man which helps us to keep ourselves under control as a Christian
  • When we break the law we need to accept our punishment. When you speed, pay the ticket. When you fight with others you may go to jail, do your time.

  C) Our government has become lax

  • Have you noticed our prisons lately…they have television, pool tables, etc.
  • The word “penitentiary” came from the word “penitence” which means repentance.
  • Prisons, jails, and penitentiaries used to have conditions that were intentionally made so bad, it would lead you to repent of your crime.
  • The thought of going to prison would strike fear in the general public so they would never want to commit a crime, out of FEAR.
  • Proper punishment, the wrath of God, leads to proper behavior.
  • The problems we have in America today stem from a lack of respect for authority because our government has not earned it.

V. Pray For America

 A) To have a conscience geared towards God

  • Note our text verse Romans 13:5…Wherefore ye must needs be subject (Meaning obedient to government or authorities), not only for wrath (not only out of fear for your punishment), but also for conscience sake (but be obedient out of a duty we have to God).
  • The American government is trying to take away our duties to God.
  1. Telling us who we can worship, and who we cannot worship.
  2. Telling us we can’t hand out gospel tracts.
  3. Telling us we cannot pray in public.
  4. Telling us that we cannot be a witness at the work place.
  5. Forcing us to work on Sunday (A day that God said we are to devote to Him)
  • Our only hope is to pray for America!
  • I Peter 3:12…For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
  • If we as Christians do that which is right, God will answer our prayers.
  • When we do wrong, and are disobedient to the powers that be over us (the government) then you can expect punishment.
  • Pray that our government will open it’s eyes to see the error in their ways and get America back to God who founded this country.