Christian's Responsibility to the State

Introduction and Review of Mark 12 Context

0:04 This sermon was preached on Sunday morning, January 17th, 1988, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now let us turn together in the word of God to the twelfth chapter of Mark's gospel, the gospel of Mark and chapter twelve.

0:29 And follow, please, as I read verses thirteen through seventeen, Mark twelve and verse thirteen. And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, that they might catch him in talk. And when they were come, they say unto him, Teacher, we know that you are true and care not for anyone, for you do not regard the person of men, but of a truth teach the way of God. Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar or not?

1:15 Shall we give? Or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why do you make trial of me? Bring me a denarius, that I may see it.

1:31 And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's. And Jesus said unto them, Render unto Caesar the thing.

1:47 And unto God the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. And they marveled greatly at him.

2:03 I'm sure all of us are conscious that the extended holiday season associated with Christmas and the new year is behind us. And I trust that at least some of the seed is sown from the preaching of the word precipitated by those holidays, yet remains in our hearts and will bear fruit in the days and weeks and months to come. The dear brother from Ireland, Pastor Ted Donnelly, who ministered to us last Lord's Day, is gone back in Ireland ministering to his own flock today. So here we are, the holidays behind us, special preacher gone from us,

2:50 and craggly old face. Of the old veteran is back before you. Now what can be more normal than to find us back in the Gospel of Mark, continuing our consecutive expositions of this spirit-inspired account of the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ.

3:13 I trust we understand with fresh appreciation the great central truth that Jesus was born to die, and that all of his life, all of his life, all of his life, all of his life, all of his life, all of his life, all of his life, all of his life, all of his life, all of his earthly life and ministry are without real significance. They are a puzzle that we cannot solve. They are a theological Rubik's Cube that we can never match up, apart from the significance of his death, the death to which he deliberately moved in laying down his life a ransom for many. And in our studies of Mark's Gospel, we have come into that week, which includes the crucifixion commonly called the Passion Week, and we are presently studying the events of day number three in that week. The significant event of day one was his entry into Jerusalem, bristling with messianic significance as he came the King of Israel. The outstanding events of day number two were the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple. And here on day number three, there is a great amount of activity by our Lord, and no little part of it was answering four questions brought by four different groups of Jews,

4:37 yet united in one common cause, namely their determination to be rid of Jesus of Nazareth. It was four Lord's Days ago that we studied the passage that I have read in your hearing, seeking to open up the contents of that passage. We examined the question raised in verses 12 through 15a, then we looked at the question answered by our Lord in verses 15b to 17a, and then the reaction of those who heard the answer, 17b, they all marveled greatly at him. And because Mark's Gospel is a passage of the Holy Spirit, and because Mark's Gospel is a passage of the Holy Spirit, and because Mark's Gospel is a passage of the Holy Spirit, and because Mark's Gospel is a passage of the Holy Spirit, most of the time was taken up with the raw exposition of the passage, we had only the time to make three very pointed applications of the general thrust of the passage, and we noted on that occasion the sickening sight of human sinfulness when covered with a thin veneer of empty religion. These people come oozing with religion in their talk, and yet we know from the gospel record they did not come sincerely or honestly. They came in the language of Mark to catch him, to make trial of him. They came in the language of Luke as those who were hypocritical.

6:07 They came with no good intent whatsoever, and to hear their honeyed words is to be sickened when we know what their real intent was. Then we noted, secondly, the venomous hatred of formal religionists when exposed to a true man speaking truth. Why are all these groups of Jews united in their hatred of Jesus of Nazareth? Because in the very words they said there is the key to their hatred.

6:38 He was true, and he spoke truth, and did not shrink before the face of any man. And in so doing, he laid bare their hearts, and they could not stand to have their hearts laid bare, and therefore their fury was stirred up to be rid of Jesus. And then we concluded our meditation by considering briefly the glory of Christ in this passage, the glory of Christ in his knowledge, his moral courage, and his wisdom. Now what we want to do this morning is to come back to the central issue of this text, namely the answer of Jesus to their question.

The Seminal Importance of Jesus' Directive

7:20 And focus upon that text as it sets forth the fundamental directive of Jesus concerning men's responsibilities to the civil order and to God. In other words, we're going to open up, unpack, and apply in greater fullness the text that is central to this passage, and it is, of course, verse 17, and Jesus said, Render or pay back unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. Now in the oft-debated and very delicate and vexing question of paying taxes, loyalty to the government, and a host of other questions that fit into those categories, this passage is nothing less than a landmark, passage. It is a watershed passage. It is what Dabney calls in his book on preaching an epitomizing passage. In other words, the general teaching of the entire range of Scripture is often condensed into one very pregnant statement, and it is precisely this that we have in these words of Jesus,

8:45 render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God, the things that are God's. And as I've meditated on this passage off and on over the past weeks, I am convinced that this statement of our Lord is seminal to the rest of the entire New Testament and apostolic teaching concerning the Christian's responsibility to the state. Edersheim, in his masterful work on the life and times of Jesus the Messiah, commenting on this passage, shares this view of its tremendous and strategic importance. He writes, This statement did far more than rebuke the hypocrisy and presumption of those who asked it. It answered not only that question of theirs to all earnest men of that time, as it would present itself to their minds, but it settles to all time and for all circumstances the principle underlying it. Edersheim is bold to say that this is an epitomizing text that settles not only the immediate question in the immediate context in that immediate period of history,

10:10 but it settles for all time and all circumstances the principle underlying it. Further quoting, Christ's kingdom, is not of this world. A true theocracy is not inconsistent with submission to the secular powers in things that are really its own. Politics and religion neither include nor yet exclude each other.

10:37 They are side by side in different domains. The state is divinely sanctioned and religion is divinely sanctioned and both are equally the ordinance of God. On this principle did apostolic authority regulate the relations between church and state even when the latter, that is, the state, was totally heathen. The question about the limits of either province, that is, the limits of the church in relationship to the state, the state in relationship to the church, has been hotly discussed by sectarians on either side who have claimed this saying of Christ in support of one another, one or the opposite extreme which they have advocated. Now listen to this perceptive closing statement. And yet to the simple searcher after duty, it seems not so difficult to see the distinction if only we succeed in purging ourselves of logical refinements and strained inferences. Logical refinements and strained inferences.

The Political Setting of Roman Rule

11:50 In other words, seeking to make the text say far more than it was intended to say obscures us from the message that it plainly states. Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's. Now as we attempt to open up the text with that more limited concern in mind, notice first of all the political setting in which these words were spoken by our Lord. When our Lord say back to Caesar the things that are what was the precise political setting when the words were spoken. Well when the curtain comes up on the history of redemption in the New Testament it finds and the rest of the Mediterranean basin and most of Western Europe under Roman rule. For hundreds of years Rome had sought to have a defensible frontier resulting in military security. And in pursuit of that it became nothing other than what we would call in our day an expansionist empire.

13:19 An expansionist military regime that ruled over Palestine as well as the Roman Empire. And it was not only the expansionist empire that ruled over the rest of the Mediterranean basin and much of Western Europe. Now immediately prior to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ Herod the Great was the representative and administrator of Roman rule in Judea. And one who has studied Herod the Great very carefully has summarized certain features of the man and of his rule in a very helpful way.

13:56 He writes the active life of this man spans the years of 37 to 4 BC. Years of great importance for the Jewish people. Herod, in Herod history recognizes the character of an ambitious man. Yet his ambition was not selfish in spite of the contradictions of his nature.

14:19 On the one hand he attempted to rule in a civilized, rational and constructive manner. On the other he was placed plagued with a violent disposition. And at the end of his career he lost command of events and fell victim to the matrimonial intrigues he brought on himself by his polygamous relationships. To sum up in a sentence this kaleidoscopic character this many colored, many faceted, many angled character we can hardly do better than to use the words of his recent biographer Michael Grant his ambition was to keep the Jews intact and prosperous in their own country without losing the cooperation and the protection of the Roman Empire. Now what were the features of Herod's reign that were in place at the time our Lord was born and remained in place and further developed after Herod died and his area of jurisdiction was split up as it were among his three sons. Well, this author goes on to say he was prudent enough to concede that national survival would come by working with and not rebelling against the Roman overlords who bestrode not merely Palestine but the Mediterranean world like a colossus. He visited himself

15:46 with great building programs establishing places in Jerusalem and Jericho and residences and public works and provinces especially in Samaria which was renamed Sebaste after the Greek word for the Latin Augustus. He also erected a new harbor town named Caesarea. Have you read in your Bible Caesarea Philippi? Evidence can be seen there of Herod's theater and doubtless there were originally the other elements of Greek city life to be seen gymnasiums, baths, marketplaces and many more.

16:27 Perhaps the most noteworthy project associated with Herod is the Jerusalem temple. Begun in 20 B.C. on the site of the second temple of Zerubbabel the temple built after the restoration this rebuilt edifice was to be the climax of Herod's life work for which he hoped to be remembered with everlasting gratitude by the Jewish people.

16:53 And that work went on for its destruction in 70 A.D. So some of that work was going on right at the time our Lord lived and was crucified outside the city walls of Jerusalem. And these projects of course needed support.

17:11 And so in addition to Herod's client relationship with Rome it was underwritten by taxes that he was required to pay. Poll taxes and land revenues were levied with a system of sales tax imposed on purchases and sales. Sound familiar? In other words, public projects had to be floated by money raised by the imposition of taxes.

17:39 Now that gives you a little idea of how things were the time the New Testament narratives are set before us and if we were to summarize the major characteristics of Roman rule in general this would be an accurate summary though not exhaustive. It was thoroughly pagan in its religious and moral ethos. Rules thoroughly pagan in its religious and moral ethos. To use the term that is current in our day it was not a government or a rule reflecting its root systems in the Judaic Christian heritage.

18:23 It was pagan to the core. Secondly, it was militaristic and it was a system of tax evasion and maintenance. Everywhere you went you would see Roman soldiers. This is why they are so ready at hand in conjunction with the crucifixion of our Lord.

18:48 A short time before it became illegal for the Jews to exercise capital punishment. They could only do it by having a lynch mob at the authority of Rome. And when they did so they didn't have to send to Rome or some other place for the soldiers to apprehend him to take him out and to crucify him. The soldiers were everywhere.

19:12 There was a military presence wherever Rome had extended its rule. So you have a pagan government in its moral and religious ethos militaristic in its origin and maintenance but yet in God's common grace it was in many ways in its acts and accomplishments there was relative peace throughout the entire Roman world. They had put down rebellions in various parts of the empire. They had tied the empire together by Roman roads.

19:45 And so there were many benefits that came to man as God worked in what we call the realm of common grace through the Roman rule. Now you say, Pastor Martin why have you taken ten minutes to expound the word telling us something about the political setting in which these words were spoken? Well, for this very simple reason. God sovereignly engineered the very political framework within which these words were spoken.

20:17 Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's. And he sovereignly ordered those circumstances so that they could constitute the very paradigm, the very turn by which the people of God in this whole period of redemptive history should relate to when the people of God had to live their lives and carry out their duties under pagan, godless, gentile rulers. For Daniel had clearly prophesied in Daniel chapter 2 and verse 44 that the Messiah would be established in the interpretation of that vision of the great statue are gentiles when the governments of the world were pervasively of Christians but when the governments of this world in what the scriptures call the times will be under the control

21:44 of the gentiles. The time early we need some word from our Lord to the king who knows his many gods of his own depraved heart is militaristic in his expansionist visions and desires and in the maintenance of order and yet more or less beneficent in acts and accomplishments. Paul tells us that it was in the fullness of the times that God sent forth his son. And I have marvelled as I have reflected upon this passage in past weeks of how perfectly God set the state so that our Lord this tremendous seminal text this watershed text that his people might for all ages until the consummation know in this vexing question what shall I do in relationship to the state here is our great beacon render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's

Principle 1: Distinct and Non-Conflicting Claims

23:10 and if we push on this particular and push it all aside and say Lord I am prepared to take that word to my heart it will resolve 99% of our questions. So having pointed out the political setting in which it was spoken and the importance of that setting now then coming to the text what are the fundamental principles which it establishes having considered the political setting in which it was uttered now then the fundamental principles which it establishes and we have three to consider time permitting this morning number one both the state and God have distinct and non conflicting claims over us both the state and God have distinct and non conflicting claims over us look at the text Jesus said render or pay back unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's not inherent right but by divine appointment

24:36 by divine appointment otherwise Jesus could not say pay back to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and I owed nothing to him you see our Lord has upon his own infallible record this concept that is the power that was in existence though pagan in its religious and moral ethos though militaristic and expansionist in the nature of its extension yet Caesar the existing state order certain claims given by divine appointment and there are two texts of scripture which make this abundantly clear John chapter 19 and verse 11 is the first as Jesus stands before the representative of Caesar's authority in the person of Pilate who had legal jurisdiction in that area notice John 19 verses 10 and 11 Pilate therefore said unto him do you not speak unto me don't you know that I have to release you and power

26:04 to crucify you verse 11 Jesus answered him you would have no authority against me except except it were given you from above now that's an amazing statement Jesus is standing before the man who in terms of the Roman authority has authority to set him loose as an innocent man or condemn him to death and Jesus says to the very pain godless representative of Caesar to hand me over to death he doesn't say it's a power usurped he says it's a power given a power by God now when was authority ever more abused than in conjunction with the crucifixion of the son of God you talk about a just government when was the power of government ever more easily exercised upon an instrument of death used for common slaves and criminals and yet Jesus acknowledges in Pilate a divinely conferred authority you see that have I read that in

27:31 or is it there on the surface of the text do you see it well we turn over to Romans 13 and isn't it interesting that the clearest statement in the epistles not the only but the clearest comes in a letter written to the seat of the Roman Empire the city of Rome itself where Caesar had his palace and where there was the almost ubiquitous presence of Caesar everywhere you turn and yet Paul writing to that church under the shadow of Caesar's very throne let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers for there is no power but of God and the power that be and the time he wrote who were the powers that be that were in existence it was Roman rule militaristic expansionist ordained of God therefore he that resists the power without any qualification withstands the ordinance of God federal republics which is what we are

29:00 we are not a democracy that shows the ignorance of the social scientist in our day we are a representative federal republic you say what's that mean look it up in the dictionary but it doesn't say a representative federal republic is ordained of God it says the power and what was the power that be in existence at that time the power that be in existence was Rome ordained of God so when our Lord sir the things that are Caesar's he is saying that some claims are Caesar's or are the appointment and therefore we are to render the word literally means the just and legitimate claims of the state but then our text also teaches that all claims are God's by inherent right you see some claims are Caesar's by divine appointment you could have no power Jesus said to Pilate except it were given by divine appointment authority is given to the state but all claims

30:27 are God's by inherent right so when Jesus said pay back to God the things that are God's what determines what is God's is not some power above God but God himself so all claims are God's by inherent right have not two more compartmentalized spheres of claims but think in terms of the and within those claims his right to assign authority to the state and demand of the creature that he rendered to the state its proper due so part then of God's claims over us is his mandate to recognize that he's appointed the state to make certain claims over us and in obeying that injunction we are not robbing God of what is his due we are giving him what is his due and he says to fail to do so is to bring ourselves under the frown of God now that first principle is vital dear people both the state and God have distinct and non conflicting claims over us and nothing but confusion and havoc

31:55 result when men do not and will not recognize this basic principle articulated by our Lord when the church and state overstep their God assigned boundaries horrible results follow you see these people that came to Jesus that day never could conceive of someone having true zeal for God and joyfully paying his taxes at one and the same time they had set up a false dichotomy if you have true zeal for God then you will long for the re-institution of the reign of God that is the theocracy and the reconstituted rule of David and his dynasty and therefore the way you show that that is the thing you are longing for is at least bad mouth Rome if you do pay your taxes do it grudgingly do it with resistance do it with every indication that you do not see in Rome anything other than an intruder and there were some of the zealots you see who took that even further and they resisted some of them even unto death and there is a record of it in the word of God a section in the book of Acts that refers to it and other allusions in the gospels but you see the thought that there could be rendering unto God everything that was his due while at the same time joyfully rendering to Caesar

33:23 what he legitimately asked of his subjects never entered the mind of these Pharisees they thought loyalty to Jehovah God of the covenant had in its very essence an element of resistance and resentment of the powers that be and on the other hand you remember it was the Herodians who came those who had just enough religion to keep them in good standing with the Jews but whose hearts and affections were in the whole direction not merely of Roman rule no it was the Roman lifestyle they loved there was no God of the covenant who was holy there were just the impure gods of the pantheons there were just the impure and immoral gods who they could imitate gods of lust and gods of power the Herodians though they outwardly remained Jews in their hearts rendering to Caesar their life's blood they didn't like the claims of Jehovah God of the covenant who demanded purity and holiness and true worship and love and faith it never occurred to them that there could be loyalty to Caesar without in any way infringing upon loyalty with God and you see how masterfully Jesus cut down both groups he says render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and do it as an act of loving obedience to me your lord and render to God the things that are God's and there is no fundamental

34:51 inconsistency in the two second principle we must not only see that the state and God have distinct and non conflicting claims over us but secondly we are to make conscience we are to make conscience of knowing what these distinct claims are and determine to render both as an act of obedience unto Christ let me give you that again we are to make conscience of knowing what these distinct claims are and determine to render them both as an act of obedience to Christ he said if you love me keep my commandments and this is a command of Christ pay back to Caesar the things that are Caesar's pay back to God the things that are God's well then you see if I'm to do that I must make conscience of knowing what it is that Caesar asks of me what he has a right to ask of me what he has no right to ask of me for you see if I give him simply because he asks for it that which is not his right I may be guilty of robbing God of that which belongs only to him but there's also the other danger that's very real in our day under the guise of giving to God all that belongs to him there are people who are not giving to Caesar what God says legitimately belongs to him

Principle 2: Conscientious Knowledge and Obedience

36:18 so I must make conscience of knowing what these things are the things that are Caesar's unless I know what are Caesar's then I can render them as well as knowing what are God's and render those to him well what am I to pay back to Caesar in the context in which our Lord spoke the question was the poll tax or the head tax that is the tax you paid simply for the privilege of walking around in Palestine with Roman soldiers on every corner well what big privilege is that well you did receive a lot of privileges your own temple was beautified by Roman ingenuity and by the concern of Herod the Great followed on by his successors still going on under your nose you've come up to this feast at the temple in Jerusalem how by Roman roads made and maintained by them under Roman protection where needed you see great benefits came to them and so our Lord says in answer to the question shall we pay the head tax or not that is the tax paid simply by me as a citizen of Palestine who lives here under Roman rule I must pay it in Roman coinage the denarius am I to pay that tax yes so you see the whole concept of

37:47 taxation without representation as a means of violent revolt where do you find that in the Bible who was representing Christ in his apostles up there at Rome you see we buy junk that has no roots in the Bible maybe as American as apple pie but a curse on it if it violates the word of God Caesar the things that are Caesars and in the context the specific concern was this tax that was and you had no voice or vote in whether or not it would be levied that Jesus had give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar he's got a right to ask a tax but I don't control it that's right but those to spend for you think Jesus was ignorant of that you smarter than he is he says give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and that's expanded in Romans 13 Romans 13 we read on from the passage we've already read verses one and two and notice particularly after dealing with this whole matter of the institution of civil government as an ordinance of God written to Rome never forget it this wasn't written to Washington DC it was written to Rome it wasn't written to the houses of parliament

39:15 in England it was written to Rome with Caesar on his throne never forget it and he says verse three rulers are not a terror to the good work but to the evil would you have no fear of the power do that which is good and you shall have praise from the same for he is a minister of God to you for good but if you do what is evil be afraid for he bears not the sword in vain he is a minister of God and avenger for wrath to him that does evil in rendering to Caesar the things that are Caesar's what am I to do I'm to recognize the institution of human government as an ordinance of God and that does not pertain to the form of the government or to the arms Rome must regime he didn't say have mercy on those who in the name of Christian ministers and priests propagate revolution and so called liberation theology flying into the face of him who came to liberate us from the tyranny of thinking that salvation is in so-called political freedom it is how do you explain the moral and spiritual morass

40:41 of our own nation all of our freedoms have just left us all the more free to sin against the God of heaven no dear people we must make conscience of knowing what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to him the recognition that he is the minister of God secondly the recognition he is the instrument of God to punish evil and there is to be fear of the civil government fear of that sword that could be wielded to behead a man and then he says verse 5 wherefore you must needs be in subjection not only because of the wrath but listen that's why I use this word but also for conscience sake if you're to keep a good conscience before God you must recognize the civil government is God's institution God's instrument to reward evil and punish punish evil and reward good now he says verse 6 for this cause for this cause based upon this teaching ye pay tribute also for they are ministers of God's service attending continually upon this very thing and isn't it interesting the verb that you use render same word athodidomy payback same word Jesus used render to Caesar pay to all Jews tribute to whom tribute custom to whom

42:07 trust custom fear to whom fear honor to whom honor and he doesn't say if they stand in the Judaic Christian stream of things and the same emphasis is found in first Peter 2 13 to 17 I'll only read it and make no comment upon it first Peter chapter 2 and Peter says in verse 13 be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake whether to the king as supreme or unto governors as sent by him for vengeance on evil doers and praise to them who do well for so is the will of God that by well doings the totality well doing he says is to be subject to the king and to his governors that so you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men as free and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness but is bond servants of God honor all men love the brotherhood fear God honor the king you see what he's done he's even reduced Jesus statement even more he puts in this close relationship fear God pay back to God the things that are God's honor the king give to Caesar the things

43:36 that belong to Caesar you see how our Lord's words cast their shadow over Romans 13 over first Peter chapter 2 if you then have the good conscience as a Christian what must you do you must make conscience before God of understanding what Caesar's claims are and as an act of loving obedience to Christ pay the things Caesar's seeking by a hope to contribute to the general stability of society whenever the people of God are addressed about human governments there's never a shred of evidence they're called upon to gather up arms and overthrow the godless king or the godless governor in first Peter 2 written again in time when Rome was in power with all of the things we've described I will that prayer supplication intercession giving of thanks be made for all men for kings and rulers and those in authority he says pray for he doesn't say right and overthrow them and later on even when persecution began to be let out upon the church as we saw and heard as it were heard but we heard so much that we saw with our eyes when Paul was let out that early dawn

45:05 to have his head locked off by a Roman executioner he did not pen a third letter to Timothy and say the government has now become corrupt use all your influence to gather the people of God into a power to resist Rome and overthrow Rome the letters written from his Roman cell don't contain a shred of evidence that he sought to instigate armed rebellion against the powers that be and he wrote no fewer than four letters from his prison cell that are in the bible now friends I didn't write the bible but I am called to preach it render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's God has given to human government as it exists certain rights and we are to make conscience of knowing what they are and as an act of obedience to Christ to render them but then we are to know what is legitimately God's if we are to pay to God the things that are God's we better know what are God's and what are God's the best way to summarize it is this all the claims of his law and of his gospel belong to God all the claims of

46:31 his law alone if I am to give to God the things that are God's then I must have no other God's before him suppose the state steps in and says we'll be God well that's exactly what the state tried to do with the three Hebrew children didn't they the state said Nebuchadnezzar three Hebrew children say uh huh oh Nebi you tell me to polish my boots honor to whom honors do you tell me to pay my taxes I'll do it you tell me to worship you as God can't do it because we are rendering to God the things that are God's and God has said thou shall have no other God's before me you'll go to the furnace they said fine to the furnace we go the God whom we worship is God is God so he can preserve us if he wants to but if not he'll just kick us up to heaven quicker than we expected to go so oh king it's a little thing to us throw us in the fire if you want God can preserve us if that's his will if not we'll go to heaven but we are not going to give you what we're giving to God because he forbids it same thing with Daniel God has said his word seek ye my face and the decree went out you're not to pray to any other God but the king just like he never heard it went over and opened his window to Jerusalem three times a day got in his prayer bones and poured out his heart to God Daniel don't you look see that's alright I'm rendering

47:59 to my God the things that are God's nobody can fault me for being stingy and narrow in my energies given to the king I'm here in my position of influence because I have worked diligently and uprightly I'm not here because I had a relative I had a connection in the palace I'm here because my work record speaks for itself I've given to the king everything he can legitimately ask of me and even more but at the point that he asked me to give something to him that belongs only to God no way Jose so he went to the lion's den and isn't it interesting that God ordained a framework that is very parallel for Daniel as for us Daniel was a faithful son of the covenant God fomenting rebellion saying we better the point where the civil power take what belonged only to God these men knew what God asked and what God required and they said we're going to render to God the things that are God's and if we must suffer and die at the hand of the we'll suffer and we'll die that we are called upon

49:25 to do if anyone could have exerted influence for a coup Daniel top dog in the kingdom next to the king himself but there's not a shred of evidence he made any such effort you and I must study the word of God to be sure that we understand what the state requires of us and has a right to require of us what God requires of us if we are not clear and do not render these things as loving obedience to Christ then we may be guilty of a loyalty to the state that becomes idolatry or a professed loyalty to God that partakes of anarchy and insurrection we are to make conscience of knowing what are the distinct claims of both and rendering them as an act of obedience to Christ and then very quickly failure to render what is due to Caesar or due to God puts us in a position of liability to punishment failure to render what is due to Caesar or due to God puts us in a position of liability to punishment and listen carefully a punishment which God has ordained both in the realm of the state and also in the realm of his own judgment of sinners

Principle 3: Liability to Punishment for Failure to Render

50:55 Caesar, Romans 13 says that he is God's menace to evil it is the instrument of God and therefore Paul says we better be afraid we must not only do it for conscience sake but be afraid that is one of the marked differences I have seen in this post war generation let's get used to it when back in the 60's they had the draft card burning and the riots on the campuses the little bit I saw on television because I don't believe we had a TV at the time but occasionally I would be somewhere I could see it I remember how it used to make my blood just chill within my veins to see smart alecky 18, 19 year old college kids spitting at policemen taking their own feces and throwing them in bags I tell you it just made my blood almost stop in my veins because in the climate in which I grew up we grew up with a healthy fear of the local police I never once was brutalized but I tell you when that police car came down the street I felt guilty just looking at it and we'd say kicky to cops I mean we just stood there yeah he knew we knew he didn't bear that club in vain

52:21 now I never felt the club none of the kids in my neighborhood were ever beat up by the cops I recognized and you want to know something our parents would say if a policeman ever touches you let me know we'll sue they said if you ever get hauled in this house by your ear with a policeman's hand at the end of your ear you've had it son in seeking to create a climate of respect and fear of that delegated power to bring down punishment upon evil doers who knows how many sins I was kept from for no higher motive than downright being scared stiff at a cop's I thank God it was a restraint until God shriveled up the dominion of sin by his saving grace he hasn't eradicated it and so the rear mirror and the policeman by the side of the highway is still emotive to watch my speedometer that's right is that being unspiritual no God says fear it's a legitimate thing why punishment now if that's true with Caesar who only has delegated authority to make requirements elevated up to infinity the God who said this is what I require of you

53:48 love me with all your heart, mind, soul and strength honor me worship me according to my prescription take my name seriously never use it carry it relate to it in a light or profane way remember my sacred day remember all my institutions of authority primarily growing out of the domestic and extending to every other structure instituted by God honor father and mother remember the sanctity of life and the sanctity and purity of the family and the marriage institution remember the sanctity of property thou shalt not steal the sanctity of truth bear no false witness and the sanctity of a heart that is kept at rest in God thou shalt not covet that's what God requires of us we owe it to him but who among us would dare say we've given to God everything that is due to him every day of every life every waking and sleeping moment is there anyone so foolish here to say oh yes I've kept the will of God is epitomized in the law of God every moment of every day of every week by that law comes the knowledge of sin as sin is reckoned in scripture among other things as debt to God forgive us our debts Jesus taught us to pray and my friends if we've not given to God what is his due

55:16 that is compliance with his law we stand guilty the wages of sin is death but someone says well hasn't he made another provision in the gospel yes he has he has made a provision whereby we might have a just forgiveness and a just acceptance and a just pardon but if we do not comply with that gospel for that same God requires us to repent and to believe God commands all men everywhere to repent this is his commandment that you believe in the name of his son and if we do not then listen to the sobering words of second Thessalonians chapter one Jesus Christ will come in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and who obey not the gospel oh my dear friend sitting here this morning hear me now as we bring our meditation to a close you must render to God the things that are God's and when you stand before his holy law and say what does God require of me and you look at that law which is every thought and word and motive and the deepest springs of your inner being you must acknowledge oh God I have not given you what is your due you are worthy to be loved with all the heart mind soul and strength and all of your image bearers are worthy to be loved as myself but oh God I have not rendered what is your due I am in debt infinite debt where do I go God says there is

56:45 a place where someone paid the debt of sinners and that place is Golgotha where he who stood before Pilate acknowledging that a derived and a delegated authority was there in Pilate to hand him over to death laid down his life willingly that he might pay the debt that we sinners owe that we might be free of that debt and I plead with you to heed God's call and God's command to repent and believe the gospel for if you do not render to God the things that are God's you are liable to his wrath and his punishment and may God help us as his people to take to heart this text and I know you've got all kinds of questions what if what if what if may I urge you push all the what ifs aside and say Lord first of all write this precept upon my heart take away every bit of resistance to it and you'll be amazed when the precept is received in loving humble submission now most of the questions will either be resolved or you'll see how stupid they are you wouldn't face those things many of you in a thousand lifetimes so don't suspend submission to the precept until you get all of your inferences and deductions resolved

Conclusion and Prayer

58:13 render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's let us pray our Father we thank you we thank you this morning that we have a sure and a certain word from his lips and we thank you for sovereignly ordering the circumstances in which that word was spoken that we are unable to see in it its timeless relevance to us oh help us that where there is the resistance of our own flesh and the resistance rooted in the humanistic man and the sintered teaching to which many of us have been exposed from infancy oh Lord bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ that we may run in the way of his commandments have mercy upon those who are in great debt to you oh God and have never fled to the Lord Jesus for the cancellation of that debt and the credit of a perfect righteousness oh God may your word follow them until they cry to you for mercy hear our prayer seal your word to our hearts dismiss us with your blessing resting upon us

59:41 and may we be able by your grace further to sanctify this day to your praise and to our prophet Amen