Hey, good morning or good afternoon. Good afternoon. Welcome to Coffee devotions. Gonna jump online. Make sure everybody gets this going live. So, I'm gonna go ahead and send out a text message to everyone who signed up. All right. Today we are at my phones texting. Today we are at Romans chapter 13. Romans chapter 13. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Welcome to Coffee and devotions is where every day you and I we get together, we get into God's word and we grow and I love the Lord together. And this year 2022 will go all the way from the book of Acts to the book of Philemon. But first, let's have some coffee. We'll pray and we'll get into God's word
the Father What a blessing it is. To get to spend time with you and your word. Now. Father, we know that your words sometimes is difficult. So we pray that we would be able to understand it. Lord, please do not let us get trapped in excuses. Lord, we pray that by the power of your Spirit, we would be submissive to you, in Jesus's name, Amen. All right, let's go ahead and open to our Bibles to Romans chapter 13. Romans chapter 13. Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God. And the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resist the ordinances of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same for He is God's minister to you for good but if you do evil, be afraid for he does not bear the sword in vain. For He is God's minister and Avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore, you must be subject not only because of the wrath, but also for consciences for because of this, you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their do taxes. To them. Taxes are due. Customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear honor to whom honor Oh, no when anything, except to love one another. For he who loves another has fulfilled the whole law. For the commandments. You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder You shall not steal you shall not bear false witness, You shall not covet. And if there is any other commandment all are summed up in this same namely, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this knowing that time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believe the night is far spent the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off every word off the works of darkness. And let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the day not in pervert in not in revelry or drunkenness nor not in lewdness and lust not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its loss well what a packed message we have from God today we need to ask ourselves a What is this about me what is the best verse to summarize this and see what are we call to do in response to these words, right. So first, what is this about? Well, the first seven verses here are about the government, the civil magistrate rulers and principalities. You know, we're talking about your governor, we're talking about your Sheriff Department. We're talking about the police in your town. We're talking about Nero. We're talking about Roman emperors. What is it going to have for us today? Well, we need to first recognize that we largely who are watching this are Americans and we don't like authority and so we need to just say okay, yes, there are times for civil disobedience, but they're rare. They are in the scriptures. If we go to the book of Exodus, Moses, his parents don't fear the law, but they hide him even though he was supposed to be killed. We know the names of the two midwives in Egypt to refuse to obey Pharaoh. We know of Daniel's friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who would not bow to Nebuchadnezzar statue? We know that Daniel himself wouldn't stop praying to God and wouldn't prayed Nebuchadnezzar and so he's arrested. We know that estar is willing to go into the king's presence, even though it's against the law. And so there are plenty of times in which there is civil disobedience but civil disobedience is meant to be the rare exception amongst God's people. In the general rule, God is telling us here and by the way, this is God telling us here, the Scripture is breathed out by God is his word. It's not just Paul's pragmatic opinions.
The civil magistrate the governors are God's servants. Without them, there would be chaos. People who are lawless need the civil magistrate. We shouldn't be afraid, in a general sense of a police officer. Why because they're there to do good. We shouldn't be afraid of meeting a judge. Why? Because they're there for good. Are there exceptions to this rule? Yes. Paul himself would be put to death by the sword. There's there's injustice. But generally speaking, the government isn't necessary so your taxes you have already do the customs that are necessary for you. Now if you come to the point at which they are commanding you to sin, you must stand with you and say it is better for us to obey God than men. Of course, there's that position because God is the absolute sovereign. Jesus is our king. We listen to the Crown rights of Jesus and His commands first, then underneath that the government but insofar as the government has laws for us even the ones that we might not like, we still have to obey them for conscience sake, but also for the reputation of the gospel. And you're gonna have to work that out in your own life and with though, in the life of your local congregation, I'm not going to put blanket rules here for when is a good measure for civil disobedience. And when is it I was just praying with a man for that in another country this past week? That's hard. You're gonna have to figure that out with a Godly wisdom and asking God but in a general sense, it's who has given government authority so we as Christians, ought to obey. So what does he say and this next part verses eight through 10 Whoa, no one nothing. Like don't leave any honor or respect or anything like that and make an agreement with someone pay them because what is the one thing that we ought always to show except to love one another? Why? Because this fulfills the wall. Do you want to love your neighbor? love their marriage so much that you would never think about sleeping with their spouse? Do you want to love your neighbor, promote their own outward state and well being? help them with their finances, care for them? Love them, instead of students? Do you want to love your neighbor? Well, what is he saying here? Don't bear false testimony.
actually show them the
truth. Love them enough to tell the truth. You want to love your neighbor,
don't covet. Don't love your neighbor, preserve their life.
My all lawful means preserve their life see, when we do these not at a slavish obedience, and out of a love for God and love for a neighbor. We actually are those who fulfills the law by the Spirit of Christ. This is why he says Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. Where did Paul get this was like the same person who even said this, Jesus was Jesus's officer. This was the second greatest commandment for love, Christian. Lastly, in verses 11 through 14, there's a push. The reality is, is that we live in a dark and decaying age, always been this way. So you are not to be given over to moral laxity or given over to a spirit of stupid. No, we're not to sleep away our days more. But we are to subdue our bodies not living according to the flesh, but living according to spirit. We're not supposed to be going out with the Greeks to their symposiums or not to walk as those who think that they are wise but are really unwise No, we're not to go to the drunken parties. We're not to engage in their orgies. We're not to to go around our heart. We're more Greek and Roman than then we could ever realize we're not to be indulging in sexual immorality or Nia. We're not to be those who are Christians. Logging. Onto our computers are looking on our cell phones and things that are absolutely immoral that are licentious and lustful. No put those things away from you right? You did not so learn Christ Christian. No, you know that those deeds are the death of sin lead to death, and so don't don't walk in the darkness but instead Christian walk in the lightest us in the light. Wake up. Oh, sleeper. Wake up. The day is here. And our King is coming back. filled with the Spirit of Christ and walk in the Spirit of Christ. This is what this is telling us. Love God and love your neighbor. Put away the deeds of the past and walk in the Spirit. What's the best verses to summarize this? Well, I've got to say in my Bible, I probably underline first one for that first paragraph. I probably underline verses 10 in my Bible for the last four. And lastly, for the third section, hide underlining first 14, maybe you would underline something just if you're on YouTube or Facebook, feel free to leave a comment down there. And we know what would you underline this with best versus summarize this? Well, there's lots that we've already been called to do. But maybe we can just summarize those in a few days.
Obey the government, love others,
and walk according to the Spirit, not according to the flesh. What that looks like, particularly in your life, and maybe you haven't been paying your taxes. Maybe you need to be honest and just go ahead and do it. It's going to be painful. is not fun to deal with. Go for maybe you haven't been showing the government. Honor maybe you've been one of those people who love and love and love to complain against the president against senators and against everything. You know that the same word here for honors the same one that wives are told to honor their husbands? Even for some of us, Americans, we need to think how would we feel if our wives spoke to us the same way we talked about our government? What does it look like for you to love? What does it look like? What sinful things in your life do
you need to put behind you? What alcohol is there that you've been getting drunk with that
needs to be put in the background? What sinful websites you can start visiting? This Hey, Ali, you
want to say hi. I'm just finishing coughing diversions. Just say hi. I'm just about ready to play. Can we pray? Okay, let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for giving us your work. And we pray, Father that you would let us live by your spirit. Please watch over us. He's bless us when we pray that we will love
and out of that look.
Keep your commitments. In Jesus's name, Amen. You want to say goodbye? But I will see you tomorrow are you gonna stay with me?
Transcribed by https://otter.ai