Sermon Tone Analysis

Before you begin your Bible study, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, be sure you have named your sins privately to God the Father.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins) (1Jn 1:9)

 

 

You will then be in fellowship with God, Filled with the Holy Spirit and ready to learn Truth from the Word of God.

 

"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth," (John 4:24)

 

 

 

                      *CHURCH AND STATE*

 

 

 

The Christian’s Responsibility to Church and State

 

     The issue before us has been a political “football” for centuries: is there a conflict of responsibility between the Divine institution of nationalism and or; the State and the Church?

Can a born-again Christian serve his country in the military, kill the enemy, and at the same time Think with the Biblical Thoughts of God as a believer-priest?

The objective of this study is to demonstrate the compatibility between the Word of Truth and our national heritage.

Many great believers have fought and died so that we might have the very freedom of speech which makes this message possible.

It is time that Christians learn the Biblical Facts.

Some of these questions are answered from the standpoint of: (Matt 22:1-14)

 

     At this time in which we live there are three types of kingdoms on the earth today: Satan's false Spiritual kingdom, (Acts 26:18) and natural earthly kingdoms, (Rom 13:1) which we shall refer to as the State; and the Spiritual Kingdom of God.

/“…The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.”/

(Matt 22:2)

 

     The /“King”/ (God the Father) is the Author of the Divine plan for the human race.

The Divine plan centers in the Person of His Son through whom a Spiritual Kingdom on earth would be formed.

(John 18:36) The Father planned Salvation so that all members of the human race could be saved.

(1Ti 2:4) Grace found a way!

 

/     For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that [Salvation] not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

/(Eph 2:8-9)

 

     All those who have received Jesus Christ as Savior make up the Spiritual Kingdom.

(Gal 3:26)

 

     However, at this point in the history of Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ has been rejected by the nation as a whole.

Once the Gospel is rejected; /“/religion” (Salvation by works) is substituted; (Gal 5:4) and it is religion which constantly opposes and attacks Jesus Christ and His Word.

(Rom 10:3)

 

     One of these attacks occurs in this chapter, and forces the issue of the relationship between Church and State.

The decline of a national kingdom

 

     The Jews were about to fall apart as a nation because, as individuals, they had REJECTED the person of Jesus Christ.

(cf.

Hos 4:1-6) Because the Spiritual Kingdom within the National Kingdom was in such a minority, the freedoms, the blessings, the powers and the joys that this nation had enjoyed for centuries were about to be removed under the “Fifth Cycle of Discipline.” (Lev 26:15-39)

 

     The group of people called Israel today; DO NOT CONSTITUTE THE JEWISH NATION as a Theocracy under God!

Israel is dispersed and will continue to be scattered throughout the earth UNTIL JESUS CHRIST RETURNS.

(Matt 24:31) Here is the Principle: if a national entity, which is a Divine establishment; is to exist as God would have it exist, with perfect liberty, there must be inside that national entity, a remnant of Spiritually mature believers with the Kingdom living in the THEM; and through THEM; (Luk 17:21) which has an influence, but WHICH IS IN NO WAY COMBINED with that national entity!

The Word of God teaches that any ecclesiastical or religious organization which seeks to be the State is false and degenerate.

Don’t you, as a believer, ever support ANY organization that seeks to be the State!

It is possible for a believer to be so ignorant Doctrinally that he cannot orient himself politically!

God help us when we become so naive politically that we back such organizations as the UNITED NATIONS and the NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES.

You see, that is exactly where Jewish Spiritual degeneracy was in the days of Christ’s earthly ministry.

That is why the Jews are scattered all over the world today and why; Israel does not exist as a Spiritual nation.

(As a Theocracy under God) For many centuries the Jews had marvelous freedoms, blessings and Divine Thoughts which no other nation possessed.

Yet they lost all of these things, and thousands upon thousands of them went into eternity without Christ and without hope because they were not straight on the very points that you and I now have the privilege of studying!

(Acts 4:12)

 

     (Matt 22:15) introduces this subject: /“Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said.”/

The Pharisees were the religious crowd.

Religious people go to Hades; because Satan and religion blind them to the Truth of God’s Word.

(2Co 4:4)

 

/     For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

/(Rom 10:3)

 

     Religion is man seeking the approbation of God by his own works, in contrast to God's Reality, where the work has been done; and man has but to receive it.

Now these Pharisees wanted to rule the State; but this was never God’s intention.

Instead, God has ordained certain institutions in the world for all members of the human race for their preservation and proper function.

The Divine institutions (Neh 4:14)

 

     There are both Divine and Christian institutions.

A Christian institution is for believers only; the Lord’s Table, learning the Word, Operation Z, prayer, fellowship with God, Spiritual growth, Thinking Truth, the royal priesthood, the ambassadorship, praise, thanksgiving and worship etc.; can only truly be preformed in the Filling of God the Holy Spirit! (John 4:23-24) But a Divine institution is for Christians and non-Christians alike; and is God’s plan to create and preserve order in the human race.

Now, what are the Divine institutions?

(1) VOLITION ~/ FREEWILL (Gen 1:26; Gen 2:16-17) this is a personal Divine institution, which is the basis of all true freedom (Liberty) bestowed at the time of man’s creation.

(Freedom with no authority is anarchy; and authority with no freedom is slavery; God's plan is freewill submitted to His Authority; (The Word) *this is liberty!*)

Every member of the human race has the right to make decisions within the bounds of the Law.

There are many national entities today that DENY the existence of the Divine Institution of Volition; in fact, all Communist nations come under this category.

Communism, Muhammadanism, Fascism and every “ism” in power; is religion and or Satan ruling the State!

All Tyrannies deny the basic Divine Institution of Volition and therefore restricts human freedom.

(2) MARRIAGE (Gen 2:21-24) This was instituted by God for both believers and unbelievers, and is the beginning of  organization and stability in the human race.

(Satan uses Gay marriage, sensuality, polygamy, and fornacation to attack it!)

(3) FAMILY (Num 2:34) This logically follows the second Divine institution, and is the basis for orderly society and protection of the human race.

As the parents rule the children, children learn respect for authority; rights of others and freedom with responsibility.

(Gay adoption, broken homes and no discipline)

 

     (4) NATIONALISM (Deut 32:8) National entities have been ordained by God to keep the world from chaos and to prevent Satan from completely taking over the world.

Nationalism — protecting freedom, guarantees bona fide evangelism.

Internationalism enables Satan to have greater control; (Isa 14:12-14) God divided the people into nations to keep them from being destroyed.

Internationalism becomes the breeding place and distribution center for concentrated satanic thinking, (Astrology, fortunetellers, tarot cards, the New Age Movement, séances, sorcery etc.) and rejection of God and His Word! God’s indictment against internationalism at the Tower of Babel scattered the human race and gave the people different languages in order to prevent the evils of “one-worldism.”

(Gen 11:1-9) God Himself put peoples within boundaries so that they would seek the Lord! (Acts 17:26-28)

     The Bible defines nationalism in three categories: geographical, racial and linguistic.

It provides common Law and culture, and is the basis of protection externally, (From the sin natures of other countries; tyranny) through the military, and internally, (From the sin natures inside a country; crime) through Law enforcement and capital punishment.

The State cannot fulfill its function in keeping Law and order among a large number of families of the same nationality without capital punishment; this started in, (Gen 9:6; thru Exo 21:12; Num 35:16-18; Matt 22:6-7; and still continues today.

(Rom 13:4)

 

     Our departure from capital punishment is another great danger to this country.

Capital punishment is the basic Concept in Law enforcement.

Crime increases in proportion to the decline of Truth in the souls of believers.

The coalition of religious and political parties

 

     Now we are ready for the strange alliance of two antithetical groups, the Pharisees and the Herodians.

/     Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said.

And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in Truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any.

/(Matt 22:15-16)

 

     This is the oddest group of bedfellows you would ever encounter.

To the Pharisees, true religion was a strict observance of the ceremonial Law, and they controlled the religious life of the Jews through legalism.

On the other hand, the Herodians were a political party of Jews organized and perpetuated to support the dynasty of Herod.

They wanted Herod to take the throne of Palestine and to throw out the Romans.

The Pharisees wanted neither Herod nor the Romans — they wanted to rule the State.

Now, when you find the religious crowd combining with this particular political group, there has to be some dire emergency!

And that great emergency is JESUS CHRIST!

Since His rejection, the Lord Jesus is now proclaiming not a kingdom on earth but a Spiritual Kingdom composed of all believers.

(As a Theocracy under God; inside each believer.

(1Co 6:19-20)

 

Thus Jesus Christ and Truth has become an enemy to both parties.

Since the Pharisees were chiefly a religious party and the Herodians a political one, we have in this unholy alliance; the union of Church and State!

God, in His Word, has separated the two to protect the world from religion as a source of conquest and enslavement.

But whenever the Principle is violated, there is aggression, torture, abuse, enslavement and violence in the name of religion.

When Church and State unite, the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ is attacked.