Romans Chapter 13 Verses 1 – 2

• “Paul, if you only knew…if you only could see what they say today…how they act, the laws they enact, the political playground they perform in!  Paul, I understand what you just said but man if you only knew.”
• “Um, excuse me?”  “Yes, Paul.”  “First of all, I didn’t write this, God did.  And if YOU only could see.”
• “What do you mean, Paul?  Surely you can’t mean those people in Washington, D.C.  Certainly we’re not to be subject to them.  They’re just fiddling around,” we complain.  “Oh no,” Paul would reply, “actually the person in my mind is the best known “fiddler” in history:  Caesar Nero.”  Makes our current Government look like a re-run of Little House on the Prairie!
• We are told through secular and church history that, after sentencing the apostle Paul to death, Nero went on a rampage, persecuting Christians, burning them in his garden, feeding them to the lions.  Nero was psychotic, barbarous, ruthless, evil and tyrannical.  Yet here, even while he is in power, Paul says believers were to be subject to the higher powers, for there is no person in power but that God has ordained him or her to be there.
• Now, you might not respect the person who is in power, you might not like them personally, you might hate them particularly but that does not excuse you from living in accordance with truth and wisdom rather than emotions and resentment. 
• Look, wisdom realizes and reacts to truth, not to temper tantrums and  something  simple and clear here…a Biblical truth that many of us like to simply logicize out, explain out, complain right out of it…that all power and authorities that exist are appointed by God for the ordinances of God.  Even our current Government, even Caesar Nero…
• Or have you fallen into the ridiculous idea that protest is more powerful than prayer…
• Now that doesn’t mean don’t engage for righteousness sake but understand righteousness apart from wisdom does not happen man…”What does that mean, that’s all churchy!”  Look, remember what we just talked about.  Uncontrolled negative emotions, resentment, wrath…those are tell tale signs of the lack of wisdom man…a lack of righteousness and people end up getting hurt man…and most always, you don’t even know it and those that have wisdom, realize the truth of Romans Chapter 13 mourn the unnecessary offense and ridiculous rants of those that claim to represent mercy, grace and love.
• Well look homie, love suffers long and is kind.  Love does not want what others have.  Love does not lash out.  Love is not puffed up and love does not behave rudely.  Love does not seek its own and love is never provoked.  Love thinks no evil and does not rejoice ever in unrighteousness and wisdomless actions but simply and solely rejoices in truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, love hopes all things, love endures all things.  Love never fails.
• How you gonna represent Jesus and fail all over the place man…people getting hurt and oh by the way, the issue persists doesn’t it?  The matter that made you so mangled mentally continues doesn’t it but you just added a slew of people to the list of folks that hear you’re a follower of Jesus and yet a hater of man…doesn’t work man…does not compute man…Paul warns us that because of our behavior, the name of God is blasphemed!  (Romans 2:24) 
• So what are we to do then?  Trust God, realize Romans 13 is the same in power and truth as John 3:16 and ride out to meet evil righteously and wisely.  Recognize, comprehend, grasp, get this!  “Lord, You know exactly what time it is…and You are lining up certain events that will fulfill prophecy, usher in Your coming, and establish Your kingdom.  I might not like what’s happening, Lord, in fact I don’t.  But I believe You.  I realize ultimately that You are in control and that every power in place has been ordained by You.  Therefore, I acknowledge that the very people that I proliferate hostility towards, are somehow just a part of Your plan…
• People call that a cop out…wisdom would disagree.  If I promised you tomorrow at this time your house would be caught up in a tornado, carried into the mountains and destroyed, how many of you would say, “If that’s the case, I better get home and finish painting my kitchen…I better go clean man, vacuum the living room?”  Not so much.  I bet collectively, in wisdom we would say, “I better go get everybody out of that house.”  And you would have an entirely different set of priorities….
• Check out Paul, check out Peter, read James, study John, examine Jesus’ earthly life…what was their focus, each one of them!?  To change the world temporarily?  Not even close man.  Their focus was continually, constantly, consistently, righteously and wisely on the kingdom eternally and the people passionately…
• Rest.  No you don’t have to like them but you don’t have to like your wife either.  “Oh man did he just say that?”  Yes, you don’t.  What does love have to do with emotions man!?  There’s many times where April doesn’t like me…especially when I make decisions differently than she would, but at all times she loves me…at all times she places her trust in the Lord and allows His plan for our life together to unfold…because look when you resist, you undermine the very plan of God and guess what, you won’t win.  God’s plan will not be thwarted…
• So quit dusting the curtains and get out of the house!  And then clear the neighborhood…not with hate against the tornado that’s coming, not in resentment of the dirty, debris filled tornado itself, but with the wisdom, love and righteousness of a peaceful heart that knows the truth, knows who is ultimately in control and knows the end of the story…
• Paul knew the end of the story man…and so as Nero drooled over the destruction of the just, Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gave us this command…just as true, relevant and powerful as John 3:16. 
• Now that we have our big boy pants on, does this verse set mean we’re never to disobey those who are in authority over us?  Not at all man.  Again, wisdom and righteousness…those are the keys.  Not emotions, dissatisfaction, rage and resentment.  We have several Biblical examples of this but here’s the theological point.  When the earthly authority demands us to deny eternal authority we must not comply. 
• Daniel didn’t do it.  He refused to stop talking to God when he was told only to pray to King Darius but however, remember what happened…he was thrown into the lions’ den.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not bow down to the golden image of the king and remember what happened, they were thrown into the fiery furnace.  Peter in Acts 5 was forbidden by the Pharisees to speak any more of Jesus and Peter responded boldly, “we ought to obey God rather than man!”
• The very center of the Bible, the smack dab center verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8 which says, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put your confidence in man.”  But you must know, you must see, you must understand, that even through all of these clear Biblical examples, Daniel was fueled by love and acted in wisdom and righteousness.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were fueled by love and acted in wisdom and righteousness.  Peter too…and the beginning of wisdom…the first word of it, the first gist of it, the first step of it and the most basic element of it is the fear of God…and the consummate source of righteousness is love.
• And so it is not that you are right.  Who cares!?  It’s not that you have the Bible bazooka fully loaded and man are those missiles are sin seeking word-for-word in alignment with the Word of God…are you acting in the fear of the Lord and are you acting in love?  If not, I don’t care how right you are…you’re misrepresenting the Lord and folks are getting hurt.  Hurt more than in their pocket book, hurt more than in their pride as you attack man…they are being eternally hurt and you have sided with the enemy…he used the Word of God too, did he not?  The absolute key to accomplishing God’s will is to act in wisdom and righteousness, fueled by love…
• Satellite Kite video.  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG8EnCND3AQ)
•  My ministry to April built a mountain trash heap of insignificance the first few years I was saved…and before we go any further in Romans 13, I pray you get in touch with not just the Democratic heart for the US Government, not just the Republican heart for the US Government, not just the American heart for the United Nations but man get in touch with God’s heart…not just the fact that he SHOULD love you, not just the fact that she SHOULD respect you…Go back to Romans 12.  Read it again. 
• It’s amazing how the truth calms you man.  The other day I was on  two lane road and up ahead the right lane was blocked with road work and so we were all getting over but it never fails, there are always folks zooming past and cutting in line and as they did I was like, “Oh baby, if only I could shoot your tire out!”  I was so angry man…
• But then I noticed that the car that just zoomed by me, that I thought was cutting and slowing me up, turned right into the apartment complex entrance that was before the road block.  And I repented…I laughed at myself for being so angry…and then guess what happened…cars zoomed by…cutting me off…and you know what, I wasn’t angry…I was able to bless them as they did that and laugh at myself the entire time…It’s amazing what surrending to truth one time will do…even when offense comes, folks take advantage of you…you’re able to bear all things…you’re able to return love for evil…you’re able to not just police the Word of God but dag on practice it man!!!
• Open your heart for a second and quiet your mind and connect with the heart of God…only then will you begin to move the trash heap of insignificance to the eternal landfill.
• You know that is what the cross of Calvary is…it’s the place where sin and insignificance is dealt with man…it’s the place where freedom is born…it’s the only place where leaders are designed, educated and commissioned…at the feet of the eternal Leader Himself.