"HOW TO RESPOND TO POLITICAL PROMOTION"

Sunday Sermon
November 9th 2008
Rhema Community Church

Sermon Skeleton

Sermonic Scripture: Romans 13.1-7

ESV Romans 13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Sermonic Sentence: Citizens of God’s kingdom are marked by total obedience unto Him.

Sermonic Subject: Civil obedience (Our government is in God’s hands)

Sermonic Tension: Being a Christian does not mean that I’ve been called into a life of passivity. As a Christian, I am always speaking truth to power. Never forgetting that as a child of God, we hold dual citizenship. We are heavenly minded and we are earthly good.

Sermonic Structure:

I. Acknowledge that all power belongs to God. (Romans 13.1)

II. Acknowledge that all promotion comes from God. (Romans 13.1-6)

III. Acknowledge that all politicians are respected out of our obedience to God. (Romans 13.7)