(#440) Romans 13 - If Authority Orientation is Good for the Lord is it Good For You?

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Rory Clark

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Good Morning!

Welcome to Barah Ministries…a Christian Church that makes a difference. My name is Pastor Rory Clark. At Barah Ministries, our God is the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We make a difference by teaching the Word of God from God’s perspective, and not from man’s perspective.

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - If Authority Orientation is Good for the Lord is it Good For You?

Armed Forces personnel are authority oriented. On November 11 every year in the United States of America, we celebrate Veteran’s Day, in honor of the men and women who protect us…both today and throughout the years… men and women who put themselves in harm’s way to be paracletes…those who come powerfully to our assistance. As paracletes they are perfect reflections of God the Holy Spirit…THE Paraclete…John, Chapter 14, Verse 16…

JOHN 14:16 I (the Lord Jesus Christ) will ask God the Father, and the Father will give you another Helper (God the Holy Spirit…a Paraclete…One who comes powerfully to your assistance)…that He may be with you forever…

Today, we remind ourselves of what is so special about the day we call Veteran’s Day. We honor the men and women who stand on a wall and say, “Nothing’s going to hurt you tonight…not on my watch,” They’re special because of what they put themselves through to become soldiers. They’re special because they choose to defend those they do not know. They’re special because they put their lives on the line every day for every one of us, to protect our freedom. In that way, they are also perfect reflections of the Lord Jesus Christ who made us free. Galatians, Chapter 5, Verse 1…

GALATIANS 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free…therefore keep standing fast in the freedom and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Thank you, Armed Forces members, for the freedom your sacrifice provides. We begin this lesson by honoring you with the Armed Forces Medley. After that we will hear the Gaither Vocal Band calling Armed Forces memberswhat they are with their song...A FEW GOOD MEN…and women!

TRIBUTE

HONORING ALL WHO SERVED

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

ARMED FORCES MEDLEY

Armed Forces Bands

VETERAN’S DAY TRIBUTE

ARMED FORCES MEDLEY

US ARMY

The Caissons Go Rolling Along

VETERAN’S DAY TRIBUTE

ARMED FORCES MEDLEY

US MARINES

Halls of Montezuma

VETERAN’S DAY TRIBUTE

ARMED FORCES MEDLEY

US NAVY

Anchors Aweigh

VETERAN’S DAY TRIBUTE

ARMED FORCES MEDLEY

US COAST GUARD

Semper Paratus

VETERAN’S DAY TRIBUTE

ARMED FORCES MEDLEY

US AIR FORCE

The Wild Blue Yonder

VETERAN’S DAY TRIBUTE

November 11

Thank You Men and Women of the Military

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

A FEW GOOD MEN

Gaither Vocal Band

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray...

We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…

Father, thank you for providing for our safety by providing people with honor…thank you for the men and women who through military service, sacrificed their time, their strength, their ambition, their health and even their lives on this earth for the benefit of those they know and of those they don’t know…thank you for their choice to orient to authority so that they can become perfect soldiers in obedience to their leaders on the field of battle…

Heal the scars our warriors carry in their hearts and on their bodies, as dark memories haunt their dreams and as fears cloud their waking hours…give them peace in You…and provide them with the gospel of Your Son in abundance…that they might respond with obedience and live with You for all eternity…

…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s

name...Amen.

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - If Authority Orientation is Good for the Lord is it Good For You?

We are studying the first passage of Romans Chapter 13, Verses 1 to 7…

ROMANS 13:1 Every BELIEVER IN CHRIST is to be in subjection to the civil authorities in power. For there is no civil authority in power except ones that were put there by God the Father…and those civil authorities in power which exist are established by God the Father.

ROMANS 13:2 Therefore whoever rebels against authority has rebelled against the ordinance of God…and they who have opposed the ordinance of God (are rebelling against God as well…and) they will receive (both divine and civil) condemnation upon themselves.

ROMANS 13:3 For rulers (in authority) are not a cause of fear for those who have good

behavior (those who obey)…but rulers are a cause of fear for those who

indulge in evil (those who disobey). Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the authority…

ROMANS 13:4 …for the authority is a minister of God (a diakonos…a deacon)…given as a grace gift to you for your own good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid… for the authority does not bear the sword (firearms and capital punishment) for nothing…for the authority is a minister of God…an avenger…who brings wrath (punishment for wrongdoing) on the one who practices evil.

ROMANS 13:5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection to authority…not only because of (the) wrath (wielded by those in authority), but also for your conscience’ sake (which is always imploring you to obey God).

ROMANS 13:6 For because of authority you also pay taxes…for rulers in authority are servants of God…devoting themselves to this very service (full time)…the service called ministering.

ROMANS 13:7 Render to all authorities what is due them…tax to whom tax is due…custom to whom custom is due…respect to whom respect is due…honor to whom honor is due.

What have we learned so far in our study of Romans, Chapter 13, Verse 1…

You’re fired!

What is it like when you hear those words? At one time or another, all of us have heard or will hear these words. You’re fired! I’ve heard it three times in my life. I was fired twice for insubordination as an employee. I was fired once as a consultant for losing a group (I got them back). As much as I combed the incidents to let my self off the hook, I could not escape one irrevocable fact…in all three of those instances I was not authority oriented.

A firing is always a commentary about and a spotlight on your authority orientation.

What is authority orientation?

AUTHORITY ORIENTATION

A willingness to be directed

I have never heard it put as well as it was put by Ray Almeida, Sr., the father of a friend of mine, who always advised his employees this way…“I want you to do what I want you to do, the way I want you to do it. Do you know why? Because it’s my name at the bottom of your check.” Most bosses are unwilling to be as clear and as direct as that, but that is exactly what those in authority expect. When we think we have a better way, this lack of authority orientation typically leads to a firing. Guess what? You may have a better way! But if you are not doing as Ray Almeida, Sr. suggests...doing want an authority wants you to do the way the authority wants you to do it…then you set yourself up to be fired or to be laid off.

The slang term for a lack of authority orientation is “out of the loop.” When a person is out of the boss’ loop, he is not aware of what the boss wants done… how the boss wants it done…and worse yet, the person is not even concerned about t doing things in a way that pleases the boss. People who are “out of the loop” are always talking about the way things “should be,” but the way they suggest is never the way the boss wants it. In that regard, the person who is not oriented to authority at least knows that they not doing things the boss’ preferred way, even if they don’t know the boss’ preferred way.

People who are authority oriented are constantly monitoring what the boss wants, and then they deliver it. If you have your own business, the boss is the one who is paying you. Are you checking regularly to see if you are doing what the boss wants the way the boss wants it done? If not, you are not only missing the chance to do things the boss’ way…you are missing the chance to do things God’s way. Romans Chapter 13, Verse 1…

Contempt for authority can be active or passive. I prefer active contempt for authority because it is obvious. Passive contempt is deceptive, subversive and insidious. Proverbs, Chapter 14, Verse 12…

PROVERBS 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

Failure to obey authority typically ends in death.

In Matthew, Chapter 15, Verses 7 to 9, the Lord Jesus Christ rebukes the spiritual leaders of the day, unbelievers, who reject His authority in an attempt to raise themselves above His authority…

MATTHEW 15:7 “You hypocrites (a reference to the scribes and Pharisees)…rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you (when he said)…”

MATTHEW 15:8 “‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me.’”

They are two-faced.

MATTHEW 15:9 “‘But in vain do they worship Me…teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”

They make up their own rules. Fortunately for us, the Lord Jesus Christ didn’t do this in His time on earth, and in today’s Lord’s Supper we’ll learn what the Cross teaches us about authority orientation. Let’s take a five-minute break, and when we come back we’ll take the offering and we’ll celebrate The Lord’s Supper.

BREAK

Five Minutes

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - If Authority Orientation is Good for the Lord is it Good For You?

Giving is one of the ways you express your faith in God. In Luke, Chapter 21, Verses 1 to 4, we see a woman demonstrating her faith…

LUKE 21:1 And the Lord Jesus Christ looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury.

LUKE 21:2 And the Lord saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins.

LUKE 21:3 And Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of the rich people…”

LUKE 21:4 “...for all of the rich put into the offering out of their surplus…but this poor widow gave out of her poverty and put in all that she had to live on.”

The widow pushed all her chips onto the table. According to the Lord, it doesn’t matter how much you give…it matters THAT you give. If you are taking from the Lord and His Word, it only makes sense that you would give as well. No matter the amount, make it a habit to give. Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with this week’s offering message.

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

OFFERING VERSE

EPHESIANS 2:4-5 But God the Father, being rich in mercy, because of His great unconditional love with which He loved us,//even when we were spiritually dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…

OFFERING

FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE

Dave McClure, Instrumental

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

At the Cross, the Lord Showed Us Authority Orientation

The world beckons us to consider everything important except two things… the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. As believers in Christ we know this God is our God forever. Here’s Casting Crowns to sing about the GOD OF ALL MY DAYS.

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

GOD OF ALL MY DAYS

Casting Crowns

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

At the Cross, the Lord Showed Us Authority Orientation

Welcome to The Lord’s Supper Celebration, the most intimate expression of love in The Christian Way of Living. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ demonstrates His desire for a deep, intimate and personal relationship with His believers by sharing His body and His blood with us. First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 26 says…

FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread (His body)…and as often as you drink this cup (His blood)…as part of the Lord’s Supper Celebration…you proclaim as a reality and you announce the significance of the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross…and His resurrection from the dead…until He comes again at the second coming.

Non-resident congregation members are invited to join in the sharing of the communion elements with the resident congregation. Get your own bread and your own cup and celebrate with us. We are one…in unity…we are in fellowship with each other…so let’s break the bread and drink the cup together in honor of our Lord. This is a celebration for which we set aside time. We don’t do it on the move.

During The Lord’s Supper Celebration, the Lord Jesus Christ wants His believers to look back to the reality of His death on a Cross as a sacrifice for us…the Lord wants us to remember He has been resurrected from the dead…and Jesus wants us to look forward with absolute confidence that He will come again.

The Lord’s Supper Celebration reminds us that JESUS CHRIST IS GOD, and that our Lord won the Creator-creature conflict through His work on the Cross.

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

At the Cross, the Lord Showed Us Authority Orientation

What does the Lord’s Supper mean to you? It’s a question I ask you every month as if the significance of your answer is important. Why? Well it’s because the significance of your answer IS important.

As believers in Christ we look back to the Cross for lessons, because the Cross is one of the most significant events in divine history, as well as THE most significant event in each of our personal histories! The Cross, as an event, is our teacher in so many things. Not lost on us believers in Christ is that on the Cross there was a Person with whom we have a relationship, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our relationship with Him is the most significant relationship we will ever have.

The Lord Jesus Christ’s authority orientation saved us. Had He refused to do a single thing His Father requested in the thirty-three years He was on the earth, it would not have been possible for anyone to be saved. Philippians, Chapter 2, Verses 5 to 8…

PHILIPPIANS 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves (this like mindedness) that was also resident in Christ Jesus (who was authority oriented with a WANT TO not a HAVE TO humility)…

PHILIPPIANS 2:6 …who, although He existed in the same nature and essence as God the Father (He was fully Deity)…did not choose to regard His equality with God the Father as a thing to be seized or held onto (He voluntarily set aside self-will)…

PHILIPPIANS 2:7 …instead Christ Jesus emptied Himself (deprived Himself of the rightful functions of Deity…having God interest not self interest…literally, He made Himself nothing)…taking the nature of a bond-servant (he was fully God…but He took on being fully man)…and being made in human likeness (as much true humanity and He was true God…only in sinless perfection, making Him different from all humanity).

PHILIPPIANS 2:8 Being found in appearance as a man (true humanity like you and me), He

humbled Himself…becoming obedient to the point of death…even death on a Cross (a capital punishment only for non-Romans and criminals).

Powerful thoughts…the thoughts of our amazing God…forming powerful words…have this attitude in yourselves. Have what attitude in yourselves?

The attitude of a bond-slave…someone who gives himself up from self-interests and turns himself over to “other” interests…in this case, the interests of God. At The Last Supper with His disciples, the Lord Jesus Christ reminded His disciples of His “other” interest when He said, “This is my body…and I give my SELF up as a sacrifice for you.” He gave Himself up because His Father asked Him to give Himself up. The Lord Jesus Christ was authority oriented. What is authority orientation?

AUTHORITY ORIENTATION

A willingness to be directed

God the Father asked the Lord Jesus Christ to follow His direction…first, the direction of the law…the Mosaic Law. The Lord did so perfectly. Then God the Father asked the Lord Jesus Christ to follow His direction by honoring their relationship. He did so perfectly.

The Lord Jesus Christ asks the same of all human beings. He asks us to follow the law…for example, the law of the gospel message…the way to be saved. He doesn’t want us to make up our own salvation course. He asks us to honor a relationship…the relationship with Him. He starts with the rules and then transitions us into a relationship, the same as every great parent. At first, a child is afraid of his parents because the child fears breaking the rules. Yet eventually the child comes to respect his parents because he becomes aware that the rules are for his own benefit…and all too late most children come to realize that the relationship with the parent is what really matters.

Similarly, God starts us with the rules and grows us in the relationship. Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 14…

ROMANS 6:14 For sin shall not be master over you (shall no longer be your sovereign…sin shall no longer be your authority)…for you believers in Christ are not under law but you are under grace.

As believers in Christ, we are not to relate to the Lord as a harsh taskmaster and rule giver…we are to relate to Him as a Person…s graceful Person…and because we are under His authority, we are to be like minded just as He was with His Father…we are to obey.

It is not God’s desire that we obey Him under compulsion. If we are to be like-minded we are to voluntarily surrender our self-will in favor of serving Him. A bond-slave gives Himself up. He sheds self-interests and takes on God’s interests. At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ offered a perfect example of what it means to be a bond-slave. It is our pleasure to remember this sacrifice today and to watch God the Holy Spirit’s guidance and mentorship as He incorporates that servanthood into our lives. Philippians, Chapter 2, Verses 5 to 8…

PHILIPPIANS 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves (this like mindedness) that was also resident in Christ Jesus (who was authority oriented with a WANT TO not a HAVE TO humility)…

PHILIPPIANS 2:8 Being found in appearance as a man (true humanity like you and me), He

humbled Himself…becoming obedient to the point of death…even death on a Cross (a capital punishment only for non-Romans and criminals).

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

Enjoying the Elements

Obeying God’s command, we keep on celebrating CHRIST and His Cross on a regular basis…we eat to remember who He is as a PERSON…we drink to remember His WORK on the Cross…the voluntary sacrifice He made on our behalf as our sin substitute. We are grateful for what God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ have done for us. Matthew, Chapter 26, Verses 26 to 28…

MATTHEW 26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take…eat…this is My body (which is being broken for you).”

MATTHEW 26:27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you…”

MATTHEW 26:28 “…for this is My blood…the blood of a new covenant (a new testament)….blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of their sins.”

As you enjoy the bread and the cup, enjoy the memory of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as well. Now and always, let us keep on giving thanks that we are loved unconditionally and accepted fully by a Lord who is always there for us…the One on whom we can depend…and let’s keep on being transformed by His life, His death, His resurrection and His Word. Most of all, let’s OBEY…let’s do what He asks us to do…DAY BY DAY.

LORD’S SUPPER SONG

DAY BY DAY

Godspell

GOD WANTS YOU!

Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

The closing moments of our study are for the benefit of anyone who does not have a personal relationship with the Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We want you to know that GOD WANTS YOU.

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of all mankind, says there are two roads that lead to eternity…either heaven (the narrow gate) or the Lake of Fire (the broad way)…Matthew, Chapter 7, Verses 13 and 14…

MATTHEW 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate…for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction…and there are many who enter through it.”

MATTHEW 7:14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to the resurrection life, and there are few who find it.”

Which road have you chosen?

For those who are on the broad way that leads to destruction, they think there is strength and safety in numbers. Believing what everyone else believes does not save you. Placing your confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ saves you. Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…

ACTS 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

Those on the broad way that leads to destruction place their confidence in false teachers. The Lord Jesus Christ warns you to be wary...

MATTHEW 7:15 “Beware of the false prophets (false teachers), who come to you in sheep’s clothing (preaching deception), but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

Proverbs, Chapter 14, Verse 12…

PROVERBS 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man (saving yourself)…but its end is the way of death (in the Lake of Fire).

God’s enemy, Satan, is the sponsor of false teachers and false teaching. You have to be able to discern the difference between the truth and Satan’s lies…

John, Chapter 8, Verses 31 and 32…

JOHN 8:31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine…”

JOHN 8:32 “…and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Don’t wait until it’s too late to consider what road you are on! Mark, Chapter 1, Verse 15 says…

MARK 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand…repent and believe in the gospel.”

This is the gospel message…and its essence is this… John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…

JOHN 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment… but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”

The warning for those who choose the broad road…Matthew, Chapter 7, Verses 21 to 23…

MATTHEW 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of

heaven…but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter

the kingdom of heaven.”

MATTHEW 7:22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name…and in Your name didn’t we cast out demons…and in Your name didn’t we perform many miracles?’”

MATTHEW 7:23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you…depart from Me…you who practice lawlessness (unbelievers).’”

Those who choose the narrow road know that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone is the ticket to heaven…Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 8 and 9…

EPHESIANS 2:8 For by God’s grace you have been saved through faith (in Christ for salvation)…and that grace and that faith and that salvation are not from the source of yourselves…it is the gift of God….

EPHESIANS 2:9 …therefore, being saved is not as a result of works (deeds you have done in self-righteousness)…so that no one may boast (about saving himself).

Make the choice to be saved…and make it right now. There is no time to waste! All it takes is humbling yourself under the mighty hand of God. Here’s June Murphy to tell us about it in THE HUMILITY SONG.

CLOSING SONG

THE HUMILITY SONG

June Murphy

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

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