A Christian Voice prophetic Nanosermon
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Nanosermon Script:
A couple of years ago I saw something in Romans chapter thirteen which I never saw before. And it had an impact on me. I don’t know if that’s ever happened to you. Maybe you’ve read a certain scripture over and over again and then suddenly some words leap out at you? Let’s read these verses, in the King James Version:
Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. (KJV)
So far so good, for the rulers at least. We just have to do what they say. It sounds all ‘divine right of kings’, doesn’t it? But Paul goes on in verse three to set a standard for them:
Romans 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Did you notice what I noticed that time? ‘He is the minister of God’. You see, I thought only pastors and bishops – you know, churchmen – were ministers of God. But the Bible says so-called ‘secular’ leaders are as well.
Now, let’s be absolutely clear what this means. It means every earthly ruler, that’s every king, every president, every prime minster, every minister of state, every judge and every magistrate is responsible to Almighty God to do good as God sees it. And he is to uphold those who do what is righteous and punish those who do evil, in the eyes of God.
Accountable to God
Whether these rulers know they are accountable to God or not makes no difference. In the Day of Judgment they will give an account to the Almighty before his Throne of Grace, as to how closely they followed the laws he has laid down in Holy Scripture. Now then, did the Holy Spirit reveal this to the Apostle Paul out of the blue?
Not quite, because the psalmist says, in psalm twenty-two and verse twenty-eight:
Psalm 22:28 For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations.
And if you turn back to second chronicles chapter twenty and verse six, you’ll see righteous king Jehoshaphat said:
2Chron 20:6a … O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen?
Every earthly ruler ‘is the minister of God’ because God is the fount of all earthly authority. They are ordained by God to rule as his delegates. Now be in no doubt, when Paul wrote those words to the church in Rome they were fighting talk. The ruling Caesar of the Roman Empire acknowledged no power higher than himself.
There is one higher than they
Can you bring to mind a ruler like that today? I can think of a few. Paul will also have remembered that Solomon wrote in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter five and verse eight:
Eccl 5:8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.
Be they as high as they will, there is one higher than they. So what does this mean for you? Well, the question about whether we should observe unjust laws will have to wait for another day.
In the meantime, God is saying you have a duty not just to pray for your member of parliament, or congressman, or representative, but to witness to him if he is going the wrong way, and always to remind him he is the minister of God.
Use this UK Parliament link to email your MP →
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