October 2nd, 2011

Sermon - October 2/3, 2011, by Pastor Paul Eckert - Pentecost 16
Sermon text - Romans 13:1-14
WHAT DO WE OWE - -
I - TO THOSE ABOVE US?
II - TO THOSE AROUND US?
III - AND ALSO TO OURSELVES?
13:1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.
4 For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.
7 Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.
9 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11 And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What do we owe? Mortgage payments, property taxes, car payments, credit card debts, student loans, sales taxes - and that is by no means the end of the list. Such debts are owed to governments, businesses, creditors, and so on. Our sermon text also makes us ask
WHAT DO WE OWE - -
I - TO THOSE ABOVE US? (1-7)
l. It is God who established authority. (1-2a)
a) In His 4th Commandment God established the closest
authority above us, the authority of parents. "Honor your
father and your mother" is God’s will.
b) God also has established the biggest "above us" authority , the
government. That is clear in these words of our text:
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, ---.
2. God has also authorized enforcement of authority. (2-4)
a) Parents have authority from God to discipline their children.
That is not to abuse them, but to control them for their good.
b) In the same way God has authorized government authorities to
control and to punish for the good of the people. That includes
the government’s use of the sword or military weapons, or
police use of pistols and swat guns or capital punishment if
such are deemed appropriate to protect people and punish the
guilty. This authority is clear from these words of our text:
He who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the
wrongdoer.
3. And God also tells us what we owe to those above us. (6-7)
a) Here we think of those who are above us as authorities to do
good. If authorities are not good - for example you have bad
parents or bad governments, then there can be special problems
about how we as Christians deal with that. But for authorities
working for the people’s good, God’s will is clear. We read:
This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
b) You may not enjoy paying taxes, but be honest and pay them.
You may not always agree with parents and others in authority,
but respect their positions and give them the honor due them.
4. What do we deserve? (5)
Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
a) A Christian should submit to proper authority not only because
he wants to avoid a fine or jail, but above all because of his
conscience, because he wants to glorify his Savior God by
striving to follow God’s will with regard to authority.
b) Do we do that if we ignore traffic laws, cheat on our taxes,
don’t respect parents. teachers, police, or others in authority?
c) And when we don’t give those above us what we owe them,
then what do we deserve? It is the wages of our sin. And you
know what that is. And that’s not good. But before going into
that more, let’s next ask, "What do we owe -"
II - TO THOSE AROUND US? (8-10)
1. God’s will applies also on the horizontal level. (8)
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.
a) We’ve talked about the vertical level, authority above us.
b) "One another" puts us on the horizontal level. As we owe
respect to those above us, so we owe or have a debt to love
one another, those around us.
2. That means we do not owe a lack of love. (9a)
The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not
murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other
commandment there may be, ---.
a) Take any of these commandments, and what do they have in
common? It is a lack of love. Just think of all of the hurt done
when there is unfaithfulness in marriage or the misuse of sex
outside of marriage. Murder, physically hurt someone in anger
- that’s not showing love. The shoplifter thinks he isn’t hurting
anyone; but is it love for others who have to pay more to cover
his costs? Coveting what someone else has, that can lead to
many problems that certainly do not show love.
b) These are just some examples of a lack of love.
3. What we do owe to those around us is love. (9-10)
The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
a) Do you want someone to kill you, steal from you, and so on?
b) Of course not! What we want for ourselves, love, is what we
owe to those around us. "Love your neighbor as yourself."
4. What do we deserve? (10)
Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
a) Are we always unselfish? No. Do we perfectly keep God’s
commandments? No, even though we try. Do we always treat
those around us the way God wants us to? No.
b) So what do we deserve? You know. It is the wages of sin. It
is to be rejected by God who demands perfection.
c) That is why we should ask what we owe to those above us and
to those around us, and then go on to ask, -
III - AND ALSO TO OURSELVES? (11-14)
1. Remember who we are. (11c,14a)
a) Verse 11 in our text refers to "our salvation." That’s the
salvation won for us because God so loved this world, the
salvation that is ours by faith in Jesus who paid for our sins
with His innocent life and perfect death as our substitute, our
Savior who is our salvation. Then verse 14 tells us:
--- clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,---.
b) We are Christians, believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. But do
we always look like and behave like Christians? Or the way we
act and talk at times would you think we have the devil’s suit
on instead of being clothed with the Lord Jesus Christ? Let’s
be what God has made us! Let’s remember who we are!
2. Recognize what is coming. (11-12a)
And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.
a) The older we get the nearer we come to God’s promise of
heaven for all who are clothed with the Lord Jesus Christ.
b) Recognize that. There is an end point to this life.
3. Live accordingly. (12-14)
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
a) How should I live if I believe in Jesus as my Savior from sin?
b) It is not by willfully sinning, joining the world in any of its
sinful behavior. Rather it is by fighting against sin, letting the
world see by our behavior who we are by God’s marvelous
grace.
4. What do we deserve? (11)
And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
a) When it comes to our lives, we know what we deserve.
b) When it comes to Jesus’ life for us, we know what we have
been given. It is salvation. It is to be where sin will be no
more, nor any tears or crying or pain.
c) Praise God for the forgiveness of sins now, and praise Him for
our salvation which is drawing nearer with each passing hour.
Summing up now: WHAT DO WE OWE - To Those Above Us,
- To Those Around Us, - And Also To Ourselves? The answers
really all point to what we owe to God who says to us, "Submit to the
authorities -- love one another -- clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ." By giving To Those Above Us, To Those Around Us, And Also To Ourselves what God wants us to do, we are actually praising God by following His will.
Strengthened by the Holy Spirit may we strive to do that always
better. Clothed with Jesus’ righteousness to cover our sins and weaknesses, let us pay what we owe, let us live lives that glorify God for His gift of salvation!