March 14, 2010--The Sphere of the State

This week, we viewed "The Truth Project" discussion of the sphere of the state. How are Christians directed to respond to the state (in Biblical days, this was the king)? Exodus 22:28 says, "You shall not curse God, nor curse a ruler of your people." Romans 13:1 states, "Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God." Titus 3:1 says, "Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed." 1 Peter 2:13-15 states, "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men." Clearly, Christians are expected to subject themselves to the government.

However, in this week's lesson, we see examples in which the government(king) stepped over the line of what is right in God's eyes. In 1 Kings 21, King Ahab and his evil wife conspire to commit murder of an innocent citizen in order to take possession of some land which Ahab desired. In Daniel 4: 29-35, we see the story of a great king who allowed himself to believe that he was the one with ultimate power and authority and we see the consequences of that behavior when Nebuchadneezer refused to acknowledge the sovereignty of God. In 1 Samuel, we are told the story of God's chosen people who came to Samuel requesting a king. The current system of government, the judge system, was broke. In addition, the people wanted what others had, a king to govern their lives. They were unwilling to trust God to take care of their daily needs. Even after a solemn warning of the consequences, they still wanted a king. They paid and we continue to pay today a terrible price for this failure to depend on God to govern His people. We also see an example of a king who served the Lord well for many years in 2 Chronicles 26. Yet, even King Uzziah who had a track record of faithful service to God, allowed himself to become intoxicated with power. He insisted on burning incense to the Lord personally. God's people had a clear directive that only God's chosen servants, the priests were allowed to burn incense before him. An interesting component of the story of Uzziah is the fact that the priest Azariah and 80 of his courageous colleagues were willing to stand up to the King and say, "You stepped over the line."

During the second half of this lesson coming up this Sunday, we will see how our current government compares to those described in the scripture and we will learn more about our obligation as Christians and citizens in today's government. I think you will see many similarities in the government's tendency to over-reach and its failure to recognize God as the sovereign ruler of all. I fear that we will also see examples of how we as God's people have allowed our goverment to "step over the line" and how we have been less than courageous in our efforts to challenge the state in appropriate and effective ways to ensure that God's Sovereignty is recognized and unchallenged. I look forward to seeing you in Sunday School this week when we will consider the "Rise of the State."

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Please keep Natalie and Kyle Halbert and family in your prayers this week as they are scheduled to deliver their newest addition this week. Also, please continue to pray for Ashley Swope and the Swope family. Ashley was scheduled to have surgery last week and her surgery was postponed. However, Zane's grandmother passed away and they have been dealing with that loss. Also, please continue to pray for my mom and dad as he continues to struggle with dialysis and related issues.

BEST WISHES FOR A GREAT SPRING BREAK WEEK

REMEMBER--NO WEDNESDAY NIGHT SERVICE THIS WEEK.