God is on Our Side

Introduction

It by the allowance of God, and He, because of the very sense of who He is, has every right to legislate your every step, your every breath, your every thought, and your every move. God can speak law. Now that opens up the door in normal circumstances to abuse, does it not? Our history books are full of dictators who either had conferred upon them or who assumed through their own might that obligation to speak law, and everybody has to bow down to them. And the history books are full full of abuses of that. Greed and selfishness and avarice that cause dictator after dictator, lawmaker, giver, and enforcer, to abuse their position of a power. But not so with our sovereign God, the God of gods and Lord of Lords, for He says that He commanded you today, verse 15, for your good, excuse me, verse 13, for your good.

And so it’s for your good that you keep the law of God. But I don’t think that’s the simplest way in which God means this. When he says that he has commanded us for our good, it simply means that this power that resides inherently within our God has not been abused for his own selfish needs, but he gives these commands by his inherent right, he gives these commands, and he does so for our welfare. For our benefit.

1. God’s Law Is Greater Than Man’s Law

But they’re put there to enhance and to ensure joy in our life. The law of the Lord. Let’s talk about that law in three senses: the greatness and the supremacy of the law of God. This law, the law of the God of gods and the Lord of Lords, this law is greater than anything else we might imagine. But let’s look at three realms of our life in which it’s important for us to be reminded that God’s law reigns supreme. God’s law is greater than man’s law. In fact, turn with me in the book of Romans, chapter 13. In fact, the Bible, both old and new testament, would argue that man’s law and man’s right to give law and to make and enforce laws comes to him by God Himself.

Man does not have the right to legislate to his fellow man just out of nothing. He has been given that right by God. That’s important on both ends of the equation. Those who would enact and enforce law must remember, should remember, that they do so by the edict of our God of God and Lord of Lords. And so make law and enforce law with God in mind. Please, we beg of those who sit in positions of authority, either to make law or to enforce law, to always remember God. We pray about that, don’t we? But it also must be remembered from the other side of that equation, those who are to be obedient to that law, is that that authority has been given to them by God.

And like so many facets of our Christian life, that I submit to that, not out of any other grand reason other than the fact that I’m doing the will of my God. In Romans chapter 13, the famous familiar passage that deals with the idea of Christians submitting to human government. And notice that in this passage, as in all similar passages that tell us that we are to submit to the laws of the land, that that is based upon not just because they are more powerful, they have the military and the prisons, and we don’t, and so you better do it or you’re going to bear that punishment. Not because we have in office those people I would want to put in that office, that I, this is my guy, I voted for him or for her.

The reason we’re given is God. And the ultimate sovereign law of God. Looking famously in Romans chapter 13, verse 1, beginning, let every soul, let’s pause before we get even get started, let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and authorities that exist are appointed by God. We take that not to mean that every person who holds office was individually put there by God, but that concept, that right has been put there by God. Every right that they exercise to exercise authority over anyone else was given them by God. Therefore, verse 2, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.

For he who does, 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. Let’s remember the historical setting of this writing written by the apostle Paul in the first century, being ruled by Nero himself. Not exactly what we would call a godly man. Not exactly what we would call a friend of Christianity. But an emperor and an empire who had first began by just not paying attention and caring about the ruthless persecution and slaughter of New Testament Christians. And went from turning a blind eye and letting it happen to actively engaging in it themselves. And written by a man who would be persecuted, imprisoned, and put to death by this same government.

Paul says, let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.

He is God’s minister and avenger. One translation says he is a revenger. You remember the words just a few verses earlier in chapter 12? Don’t let that man-made chapter break make you miss this point. Back up in chapter 12 of the book of Romans. When he tells us as individuals to not seek our own justice, to not return evil for evil, but to do good even to those who do evil to us.

You remember this verse. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. God says, that sovereign God that we read about in Deuteronomy chapter 10, he says, Vengeance is mine. Don’t you seek your own vigilante justice. Vengeance resides in me, God says. Now remember that title, if you will. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. And we read just a few verses in chapter 13, verse 4, where he says of the government and those in positions of authority, that he is God’s minister and a venger to execute wrath to him who practices evil. We may read that in chapter 12 and say, Vengeance is mine, says the Lord, that God will make them repay on the day of judgment.

That’s what hell is for the vengeance of God, the eternal vengeance of God. And that is certainly true. But don’t miss the most more immediate point. Then when God says, Vengeance is mine, don’t you seek your own justice. Vengeance is mine, and God says, and I have delegated some of that vengeance to human government. He is my minister, this would be God speaking, he is my minister, a revenger to execute wrath. So when God says vengeance is mine, he says, I’ve set up a system for vengeance. I’ve set up a system of laws and of justice. And so we are to submit to that human government. Now you know what’s coming next, don’t you? Acts chapter 5 and verse 29. There are exceptions to that. The apostles themselves said, we must obey God rather than men.

2. God’s Law Takes Supremacy Over My Own Emotions

If there comes a time where there is a law or a government that would put a law against us that would outlaw Christianity or particular acts of Christianity, then we would have to echo the words of Peter and the apostles. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. And I’ve given that vengeance to the government. But we must obey God rather than men. We recognize, if you will, the chain of command. That we obey God rather than men. And so the law of the Lord is greater than man’s law. But let’s personalize this even more. We’ve been talking kind of in this group government mentality, which we need to examine that from time to time. But now let’s look individually and personally, that God’s law, the law of the Lord, takes supremacy over my own emotions.

You know, God made us emotional people, didn’t He? He gave us, since we were made in his image, he gave us a sense of empathy and sympathy. He gave us the ability to get angry. And he gave us tear ducts. And the ability to weep. But God has been clear throughout Scripture that though emotions have the place in the life of human beings, and even in the life of Christians, and emotions belong in our Christianity, but yet the scriptures are clear that we are not to be governed by those emotions. The apostle Paul, in almost every introduction of every epistle he wrote, would begin with very emotional words of saying, I thank God for you. My heart is open wide to you. I love you. And he would speak of those emotions, but we must understand that we are not to be governed by those emotions.

Look with me. In the Old Testament, the book of Jeremiah, chapter 10, a very familiar passage of scripture, but one that we will do well to look at again in this new light this morning. Jeremiah chapter 10. Jeremiah had said in chapter 10, verse 21, that the shepherds, the leader of God’s people, had not sought the Lord. And that’s one of the reasons they were in the problem, the trouble they were in of this captivity. And so he says, they have not sought the Lord. And Jeremiah shows the folly of that when he says famously in verse 23, O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself. It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. As beautiful as our emotions may be, and as our feelings may be, let us understand that our feelings are not to be our guide.

Even the apostle Paul himself would say, speaking of his former life as a persecutor in Acts chapter 26, he would say, I thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. I thought that was the right thing. But paraphrasing Paul would imply, but I was dead wrong. Emotions are not a safe guide. Whatever I might feel ought to be my reaction, whatever I might feel ought to be the way that I ought to, or you ought to, or anybody ought to do something, must be submitted and subjected to the supreme law of God.

3. God’s Law Is Greater Than Our Will

And closely connected to our emotions is what must govern our stubborn will. God’s law, the law of the Lord, is greater than our will. Or it should be in our individual lives. What I want must, if I’m living in any way as a Christian, as a child of God, what I want must selflessly be set aside for the will of God. The scriptures teach us that sin is a rebellion against God. Look at Romans chapter one. At an extreme example of that, in Romans chapter one. And in verse 21. Sin left unchecked in our lives as a society or as an individual will result in this absolute abject rebellion against God. Look at Romans 1, verse 21. Because although they knew God, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their own thoughts.

And their foolish hearts were darkened.

They had every evidence, every reason to believe in Him, but they rejected that and became selfish and futile in their own thoughts. Sin is a rebellion against God. And a sinful life is really a life of what we might call modern day idolatry, where we’re bowing down not to some graven image in some man-made temple, but we’re standing before a full-length mirror and symbolically, metaphorically bowing down to the image in that mirror. It’s what I want. That’s what matters. But God’s law must reign supreme over my emotions, over the will of man, and over my own stubborn will. You know, we talk about Jesus. The incarnate Jesus being our example and our pattern. If we say that, we should really mean it, shouldn’t we? And we should pay close attention to those gospel stories and the way he interacted with his fellow man, but we should also pay attention to the example that he laid before us in the way he enact he interacted with his heavenly father.

Jesus fell down, prostrate in that garden of Gethsemane. He prayed those three times. The Hebrew writer says, He prayed vehemently. And he asked of his Father to let this cup pass from me. But we remember the famous phrase that follows, don’t we?

But thy will be done and not mine. Well, I’m not saying that that wasn’t the true emotion of that moment. I am saying that I believe maybe one reason that that interaction with his heavenly Father is recorded for us to read today is that Jesus has given us an example. That even if Jesus the Son of God had to say, Your will be done and not mine. Maybe it’s time for us to get on our knees, figuratively and literally. Pray to our Father, and say, not my will, but yours be done. Because obedience, true obedience demands submission to the will of God. Look with me in Matthew chapter 16. True obedience demands submission. The recognition that there is something that I may want to do or are not do.

But God’s law takes supremacy. In Matthew chapter 16, we remembered Matthew chapter 16 because of Peter’s great confession, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus said to him, again, paraphrasing that he got that exactly right. Because he didn’t learn that on earth, he learned that from heaven. But then Peter turned around and got something else wrong. He got that confession right, but then when Jesus started talking about his need to go and suffer and to die on a cross, Peter got that wrong when he said, No, that won’t happen. Peter seemed to be saying, I won’t let that happen. You see what Peter was doing? Peter was putting his will before the Father’s will. And so Jesus said to him, look in Matthew chapter 16, verse 23.

He, that is Jesus, turned and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan. Now that may be too harsh of a translation. It’s possible the word Satan just means adversary. And so it’s possible that Jesus wasn’t calling Peter Satan. He was just saying, you’re my adversary. You’re in my way. And so he’s saying, get out of the way, Peter. Get behind me. Not in front of me. But get behind me, adversary. You are an offense to me. You’re not mindful of the things of God, but of the things of men. And then he says in verse 24, Jesus turns to the rest of his disciples and says, if anyone desires to come after me, that word after me in verse 24 is the same word that he said to Peter when he says, get behind me.

Peter, you’re mindful of the things of me and not of God. You’re standing in front of me. Get behind me. He wasn’t telling Peter where to physically stand at that moment. But he was telling Peter, submit your will to mine. Submit your stubborn will to the Father. How many of us, through our stubbornness and our selfishness, are adversaries to Jesus and to the will of God. It’s time for us, as we would say, to know our place. And to get behind Jesus, not in front of him, but to get behind him and to come after him and follow him. And that demands letting go of our own stubborn pride and our own selfish will.

Conclusion

And get behind him and follow him. Would you be obedient to that gospel this morning? Coming to him, obeying the truth, believing him, repenting of your sins, confessing your faith, and submit to his command of baptism this morning. Maybe you need to come back to him and get down on your knees and pray, Thy will be done.

Right now, as together we stand and as we sing.