Government of Man

Transcript

so uh the topic for tonight x is going to be Christadelphian views on x our involvement with the government of x man and their politics and what you'll x see on the screen there is the depiction x of the Tower of Babel that's where the x kingdom of man got its beginning and it x was based on x um not following God's ways but in x defiance of God and his ways x and that has continued right through the x course of the history x of the kingdom of men right up until x this present time x they do not go together they are x separate the kingdom of God and the x kingdom of man are completely completely x separate from one another they don't x work x together x so when we when we look at the landscape x um today of the kingdoms of man the x different nations it certainly seems to x be a lot of Chaos in the governments it x seems one gets elected and then there's x a big protest and they're removed x um I I don't follow a lot of it uh with x all the nations a few of them like maybe x the UK who uh they seem to elect someone x and then they're in the front door and x they're they're headed out the back door x and someone else is coming in to replace x them pretty quickly or in Israel I'll x see those and follow that and it was x just a few years ago that they were x screaming for uh Mr Netanyahu to be x imprisoned x and now he's back in power x and we see it in our own country here in x the U.S it's um it's really a divided a x divided nation x um x and there seems to be there's a lot of x anger and there's a lot of hatred from x one side to the other I'm on a uh group x text with a bunch of my uh High School x Buddies x and and uh most of them are Trump x supporters and there's uh one Biden guy x and uh they just lambaste each other x they're still friends however it a few x times a mediator has had to step in and x say let's cool it because it was getting x pretty ugly uh but I caused it in mind x she had a similar story with a childhood x friend of his who they no longer speak x because he was supporting Trump and my x cousin was not and because every time we x talked it just turned into a fight and x he would get angry and um x so you know we um you know I and I saw x in the last election I would go on some x of the I don't spend a lot of time on x social media but a few times you know I x would go on there and I would see a lot x of discussion from christadelphians x um picking one side or another x um bashing this guy or the other guy and x for me I think it was a little it was a x little too involved and even though some x you know would step in and say hey you x know what Crystal Dolphins we don't x really get tied up in this and that x would stop for a little while then pick x up steam in it it's a little bit tough x to keep out of because it's it's heavily x in the news it's what people are talking x about and x you know in 2024 there's going to be x another election so I thought you know x maybe let's just review x our position and where we stand x uh on our involvement or a lack of x involvement in the government of man and x their politics now this is this is x nothing new to us x oh it's really not a statement of faith x uh we reject the teaching we're at x Liberty to serve in the Army Navy police x force any service whatsoever requiring x an oath of Allegiance or a use of force x we reject the teaching that we're at x Liberty to take part in politics an x opposition has been given to Caesar what x does ceases unto God what is God so we x follow the laws of the land unless they x conflict with God's ways x now you know maybe x um x you know maybe you've changed your view x on this and if you want you can x certainly express your concerns about x this at the end of the class you can uh x as I think the class is only like a half x an hour long so we'll have plenty of x time for discussion you can bring up x your points then if you want and if x you're only going to stay for half of x the class you do not get any Kingdom x points by the way x um x so with that said x um x but this is nothing new you would have x you would have agreed to this at baptism x uh yeah baptismal interview they would x have went over this x and you would have said yeah this is the x the stand that we have x taken x now in this country if you come from x another country and you want to live in x the United States you can apply for your x green card or what you could be called a x permanent resident but you can live in x the U.S and it's uh you know you can own x your own home it's a pretty good life x you can own your own home you can be x employed here you can go to school x and you can enjoy many of the same x rights as a natural citizen as someone x who was born here of course you've got x to pay your taxes and you're going to x pay the laws of the land x um however they're not allowed to vote x or hold political office they can't be x part of the police force or serve in the x armed forces and there's no uh sitting x on a jury x so this is kind of you know that's kind x of who we are right we're kind of green x card holders x um because we would agree that x um you know it's kind of a statement of x faith this is scriptural x um then we got you know we have the x words of of Jesus here uh speaking of x pilate my kingdom is not of this world x if my kingdom were of this world then my x servants would fight x um you know my time is not now is what x he's saying and we will fight we're not x pacifists but we're not taking any x orders x from man to go out and fight we have uh x chosen our King and when he comes we x will fight and we'll we'll go over that x a little bit later x and in prayer to his heavenly father he x says I've given them Thy word and the x world has hated them because they are x not of the world x even as I am not of the world right this x is where we get we live in the world but x we're not of it right we've got a high a x calling brothers and sisters x um there's a better life to come x uh we shouldn't be settling so this x world many x I'm afraid are in doctors and they don't x know of the life that is to come x the promise life the promised world that x is to come and so they say well this is x it so we'll just make the best of it but x we know better there is something much x much greater to come and that's what x we're looking for we're not settling x right when you settle right you say oh x you know I like to sell my car and get x four thousand dollars but I will settle x for less at three thousand well we're x not going to settle so this life is x something much much greater is on the x horizon and that's what where that's x what we're looking to do x you know um x you know brother brother was doing x his classes on uh the the coming x into Babylon right and x you know they get there and Babylon is x like hey enjoy the Babylonian way of x life make yourselves comfortable you'll x be very prosperous here this is a great x country enjoy our culture enjoy our x religion the way of life is good here x and Daniel and his friends were able to x remain separate from that right they x were in the world but not of it when x there was a conflict with the ways of x God well that's who they obeyed God and x not man right and remember that what did x they try to do they tried to change x their names x right you know who changes the names of x people kidnappers do that x uh they want to take away the person's x identity they change the name they x change the way they looked the way they x dress they want to take away their x identity x and it's the same thing with us real x business this is the world is calling us x come into the darkness Children of the x light x all right don't forget who we are we've x got a very high calling the children of x God x all right let's not lose that identity x to the world because they're calling for x us to and you know what they don't like x it when you don't agree with them and x don't agree with the way that they live x well they don't like you for people x mostly don't uh really agree or like you x if you don't agree with them right so x we're not of this world and we're x following price wage x right we've got this choice to make do x you want to be a citizen of the world or x citizen of heaven and we've got these x very familiar verses for us we uh x citizens uh for our citizenship is in x heaven from which we look for the Savior x the Lord Jesus Christ x and now therefore you are no longer x strangers and foreigners but fellow x citizens with the Saints x and members of the household of God x that's what we are we're part of a x household of God we look x to heaven right we look to God for our x instruction for our guidance x and then in Hebrews it talks about x Abraham by faith he journeyed in the x land of promises in a foreign country x dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob x Ayers x with him of the same promise for he x looked for a city which hath foundations x whose Builder and maker is God right x they were looking forward x to that day x to a greater day to come a better life x to come and they confess now we're not x going to take part in this life we're x not going to accept this life as our x reward we're strangers we're pilgrims in x the Earth x we're looking for that better day they x didn't settle they took God at his word x and said that's that's where I want to x live x that's where I get my instruction from x right we don't look to man's opinions x well governments or organizations x we do not put our trust in princes nor x in the son of man x whom there is no help we're told right x we trust in the Lord with all yaha and x lean not into your own understanding x in all your ways acknowledge Him and He x will make you a path straight this is x what we do x I think a few years ago I was watching a x YouTube video and it was um x it was about this he's a famous atheist x I think his name is Hitchens if I'm not x mistaken and he was on like this he was x like a talk show type thing that was x host and he was the guest and there was x an audience and the hosts said to him x they were speaking about the Bible and x and the host said uh you know but you x know people go to the Bible for comfort x and instruction and you know that's good x and and he didn't he didn't bash the x Bible and say oh it's just a bunch of x myths he just said um he said that's x fine and he goes but why does it only x have to be the Bible you know we have x great writings from all types of x philosophers all these ancient writings x we can go to we've got Brilliant Minds x right and we should take all these x writings into consideration and the x crowd went yeah you know they're backing x them up x but we know that it's gone we see the x wise wisdom of God right but it that's x the that's the conceited nature of x mankind we're lies in our own eyes yeah x it's the same thing I'll write something x the Bible show other the same thing but x we know better brothers and sisters way x to get our counsel and instruction from x so this is also a very you know familiar x passage that we love right but truly as x I live all the Earth shall be filled x with the glory of the Lord x um this is God's plan right he's told us x this this is his plan and this is not x a um x well this is my plan and I think it'll x work I hope it works out if this and x this come together this is a statement x of facts this is ashore God says as x truly as I live hey you know that I x exist well yeah that's pretty obvious x well guess what x as surely as I live as truly as I live x all the Earth shall be filled with the x glory of the Lord so we know this this x is a statement x of fact x and you know God is not against uh x government uh he created one right he x he's going to build up a great nation he x tells Abraham out of you right he gets x this nation and it's Israel and he's x going to be the one who Reigns over them x right and you know we're in Deuteronomy x here and these are the blessings and x he's going to you know bless them with x uh great blessings prosperity and peace x right and I think that's you know if x you're going to Define what a government x is and what what their politics and x policies are supposed to do for the x people of the nation is to provide a x nation that you can uh uh have peace and x prosper and I you know I don't know if x that's the official terminology or not x but I think that kind of sums it up in a x nutshell and so God says you know I'm x going to do all that for you you're x going to be so prosperous in everything x you do and I'm gonna be there to defend x you from your enemies x and he goes on to say that's if you know x you shall Hawken diligently unto the x voice of the Lord thy God to observe and x to do all his Commandments which I x command thee this day x but the Lord thy God will set thee on x high above all nations of the Earth x and all these blessings shall come on x thee and overtake thee if x thou shalhaken unto the voice of the x Lord thy God and the Lord shall make x Thee the head and not the tale and thou x shalt be above only x if thou harken unto the Commandments of x the Lord thy God which I command thee x this day x to do to observe and to do them x so this is God setting it up and of x course you know we've got a promise like x this right to look forward to that day x this day is going to be great but x sometimes x we kind of want to settle for this world x we struggle with that because you know x the kingdom of man is created by man to x entice man right that they're appealing x to what lust and I desire so it's a x Temptation I mean that's the reason we x lose Brethren right that might be hidden x in some other thing so someone offended x me that's my it's it's because they left x hey they couldn't wait for the kingdom x to come and they they took the here and x now and it looked okay and it's a x struggle for us and it was a struggle of x course for Israel x and we know what they did right they go x to Samuel and we want a King Samuel x and Samuel prays to God and the Lord x says in verse 7 and the Lord said unto x Samuel Hawking unto the voice of the x people and all that they say unto me for x they have not rejected thee x they've rejected me that I should not x Reign Over them x and he says but tell them x what that King that they want is going x to be like so I'm going to read from x first Samuel chapter eight starting in x verse 11. x uh Samuel's going to tell the people x what their King's going to be like and x he said this will be the manner of the x king who shall reign over you x he will take your sons and appoint them x for himself x for his chariots and to be his Horsemen x and some shall run before his chariots x and he will appoint for himself captains x over thousands captains of the 50s and x we'll set them to plow his ground to x reap his Harvest to make his instruments x of war and instruments of his chariots x and he'll take your daughters to be x perfumers and to be cooks and to be x Bakers and he'll take your fields and x your Vineyards and your Olive yards even x the best of them and give them to his x servants x and he will take a tenth of your seed x and of your Vineyards and give them to x his offices and to his servants x then he'll take your man's servants and x your maidservants and your choices young x men in your asses and put them to his x work x he will take the tenth of your sheep x and you shall be his servants x boy is that the government of man or x what nothing's changed that's what x that's what happens right put our young x people to war right they take and take x it's corruption x and God says don't come crying to me x either x when it happens x and still the people said that's okay we x want a king over us then we'll be like x all the other nations x and we'll have a king who'll lead us and x go out before us and fight our battles x they had God who was fighting their x battles x right how foolish what a foolish x decision they've made x but we know brothers and sisters that x it's you know this is Chris Adelphia 101 x isn't it right it's the most high of x that rule is in the Kingdom of man and x give it to whomever he will x he removes Kings he sets up Kings x God is x incomplete x control x even when Israel comes and says give us x a king God doesn't say well okay pick x someone up he's the one who chooses Saul x doesn't he x um and in the Gentile Nations Isaiah 45 x and 1. let's say it the Lord to his x anointed to Cyrus x whose right hand I have held x to subdued Nations before him x uh God put Cyrus in charge he refers to x King Nebuchadnezzar as my servant God x has put them in charge to perform x his will x uh whatever that may be x and you know sometimes we don't know I x remember a friend of mine who said why x wouldn't you just vote for Mitt Romney x he's a Christian man x whenever that whenever Mitt Romney ran x and I said well I I don't know if that's x who God wants and he goes well he's a x Christian man so of course that would be x who who God would want and you know x without going into any further with that x I said listen is that who God wants it x that particular maybe he wants a crew x Lord x I don't know x uh we don't we don't always know why did x God choose this one sometimes you know x we can play Monday x you know Monday Morning Quarterback and x you might say geez why did he select x Donald Trump and now he can look back x and go you know he's pretty influential x in the uh abrahamic Accords bringing x peace with Israel and some of its Arab x neighbors and we know from scripture x that is supposed to happen so maybe that x was the reason but typically we don't x know x um but what we do know is it's x furthering God's plan so we just leave x it up to him x um my brother x Jim Sullivan told me that I had to stop x quoting Harry Tennant more x so here's a here's a Harry tenet quote x from uh the book what Christian Dolphins x believe and preach x he says the disciples thrust of life x is in seeking first the kingdom of God x in his righteousness first and foremost x right he's not directed by Christ to be x a social reformer or a Christian x political campaigner x or a leader of a protest movement of any x kind x right so that's that that is the x Christadelphian stand right that's not x our job x uh Paul and Roman says let every soul be x subject unto the higher powers x for there is no power but of God powers x that we are ordained of God right that's x like another way of saying God is in x control God rules in the kingdoms of men x right and I think he's saying this at a x time x you know under Roman oppression right x was narrow x the leader in Rome at this time I'm not x positive but you know your subject unto x him x uh whosoever therefore resisteth the x power resisteth the ordinance of God and x they that resist shall receive to x themselves judgment so again who whoever x is in power whoever is elected it's x God's doing x um you know and he guess what he doesn't x need our help right if you're thinking x well I'll just I'll just choose the x righteous one well guess what their own x honey and God doesn't need help doesn't x need our help and oh wow Jim Boyka is x going to vote for this guy Jesus I was x going to get the other guy in there but x maybe I should uh rethink that uh he x doesn't need our help okay x and I know uh you know x I I grew up in a christophing household x there was no talk of politics uh I x consider it a blessing that we don't x have to be bothered with it but I know x some of you that came from the outside x maybe you grew up in the house that was x pretty political maybe you enjoyed the x politics and wanted to vote and you know x maybe it's a little bit of uh pulls at x you a little bit but you know we we've x got you you now have a better hope uh x you know all these passages that we've x looked at you know we trust not in man x right we'll look into that Kingdom to x come x um another very x um you know a verse we're very familiar x with in the days of those kings or x governments the god of heaven will set x up a kingdom and it will crush and put x an end to all these man-made kingdoms x right and it will stand forever right so x why do we waste our time with the x kingdom of man x right and if you think you're going to x make a change well you're not going to x make a change you were never meant to x make a change because even Christ x doesn't make a change in the Kingdom of x man he destroys it right that's the x image uh you know Nebuchadnezzar's dream x right he's the stone that destroys it he x crushes it the wind wipes it away and he x replaces it with the kingdom of God x and it's not your job but it's not my x job to destroy the kingdom of man or to x try to change it it's well beyond what x we can do x it's Christ's job that's what he's x coming to do x so something that can be a little bit x difficult for us x when it comes to these rules because x everyone's talking about it you know you x got uh you know people at work you've x got friends you've got family members x and x you know politics is a it's a Hot Topic x um x maybe we want to throw out two cents in x and you know what we probably shouldn't x we should probably just x maybe keep you know don't speak poorly x of of either one whoever whoever it x might be that gets in I know that with x uh x uh Mr Trump and Mr Biden that they make x um a lot of material for the crew on x Saturday Night Live and uh you know you x laugh at a lot of it but uh you know we x should probably just stay on the stay on x the sidelines all together and and here x um here Paul he's you know he's being x mistreated by x um x he stands before the Sanhedrin and he x says my brothers I have fulfilled my x duty to God in all good conscience to x this day x at this the high priest ananias ordered x those standing there Paul to strike him x on the mouth x then Paul said to him God will strike x you you whitewashed wall you sit there x to judge me according to the law yet you x yourselves violate the law by commanding x that I be struck x those who are standing near Paul said x you dare insult the high priest and Paul x replied and did not realize that he was x the high priest as far it is written do x not speak evil about the rulers of your x people right and he's quoting from that x Exodus quote do not revile the judges no x curse the ruler of thy people so you x know it's something you know even if you x know we're gonna if our taxes go up or x whatever it might be we might you know x not like a policy that they've x implemented well again we're looking for x the bigger picture x God's put him there for a reason to x further his purpose x so we I want to be careful what we say x unless you want to say well let me tell x you about the life to come let me tell x you about my king x you can say that x so again you know x let's try to live a separate life from x it x um I was having a conversation with a x friend of mine once and he said you know x but no one really knows who's going to x be in again how do you know you're right x and my church is wrong x maybe and he was um he was a Baptist at x the time x and he said maybe we're right and you're x wrong and we'll be in the kingdom and x you won't x so we had a little conversation about x that I told him well you know Salvation x it's not a guessing game and now you x better get it squared away beforehand x uh but I said let's look at this passage x and he said this is the words of Jesus x he says I say auntie that many will come x from the East and the west and will take x their places at the feast x with Abraham Isaac and Jacob x in the kingdom of God I said well they x know three people that are going to be x in the Kingdom Abraham Isaac and Jacob x that it would make sense to find out x what those guys believed and then x believe it x he agreed x but brothers and sisters we do believe x in those great and precious promises we x believe what Abraham Isaac and Jacob x believed x now what we have to do is live like them x and they all died in faith not having x received the promises but having seen x them afar off right they looked forward x to that same great life to come x and they were persuaded and embrace them x and confess that they were x strangers pilgrims on the earth living x in the world but not part of the kingdom x of man x and that's what we've got to remember to x do x so I know that this is all very 101 very x basic it is something important to x remind ourselves not that we really x forget but x you know God had to remind has to remind x Israel a lot doesn't he that uh I'm the x one that brought you out of Egypt you x know did they really forget such a major x event x I mean they remember it on Passover did x they really forget that x uh Jesus tells us to do this in x remembrance of me could we really forget x what Jesus has done for us I don't think x we do I don't think Israel for God you x know what happens it gets pushed to the x back of your mind x right I mean we get a lot a lot of x things Ryan for our attention I mean we x you know we've got jobs we've got x families x we've got problems right and and there x are a lot of things vying for our x attention and sometimes these things can x get pushed to the back and we can get x wrapped up in things and you can get x wrapped up in the things of the world x pretty quickly x so I think it's important for us to uh x sit back and and just remember these x things and think about them bring them x to the Forefront of our minds so that x they guide us through our lives x okay so that's the basic stuff now x something that we might not always x think of x is that we are going to be part of a x government we're going to be part of x Christ's government x this is what the psalmist writes x let the Saints be joyful in glory let x them sing aloud upon their beds let the x high praises of God be in their mouth x and a two-edged sword in their hand to x execute vengeance upon the Nations and x punishments upon the people x combine their kings with chains and x their nobles with feathers of iron x to execute judgment upon them to execute x upon them the Judgment written this x ought to have x all his Saints x praise ye the Lord that's us x in the Kingdom age with Christ's ruling x under the instructions of Christ x will we be going to subdue the Nations x that don't submit to his rulership x we're going to have a big role in x establishing the kingdom x Christ says in Revelations and who he x who overcomes and who keeps my works x until the end to him x well I give Authority x over the Nations x so big role we're looking for we're x being trained now I can get trained in x the Kingdom of God in the Kingdom of man x we have a greater calling bigger plans x will serve our King and his government x a few other passages behold x a king shall reign in righteousness and x princes shall rule in Justice right x we're those princes x in Matthew he says verily I say unto you x now he's speaking to the disciples say x you have followed me in the Regeneration x when the son of man shall sit on the x throne of his glory x shall also sit upon 12 Thrones judging x the 12 tribes of Israel x from the parable of the talents well x done good and faithful servant thou has x been Faithful over a few things I will x make thee ruler over many things x right in some form or fashion x we're going to have roles in the x government of Christ x but I was slain and has redeemed us to x God by the blood out of every Kindred x tongue people and Nation x and has made us unto our God a kingdom x of priests and we shall reign on the x Earth right we'll be the ones teaching x we'll be making sure that the laws that x come out of Zion are follow x right uh Christ isn't going to tolerate x false religion x during the kingdom age our job will be x to teach and and squash out any x rebellions so we're going to have a very x important role right we're too good x we're too good for this Kingdom now x our eyes have got to be set to the x Future x so just in closing here just a little x summary here we we are subject to x authorities ordained of God whatever x that might be we just okay God's in x charge his plan is moving forward x we are to obey God rather than man we x obey the laws of the land until they x come into conflict with God x we have to remember that friendship with x the world is enmity with God we love not x the world and we can't serve two masses x though we try don't we x all right it can't be you know voting x for our president a leader in this x country and then saying no Christ is my x I can't serve two masters our Allegiance x is to God and His anointed and Jesus is x the future king of the world for x eternity x and lastly in Revelation 11 15 the x kingdoms of this world x become x the kingdoms of our Lord and of his x Christ and he shall reign forever and x ever x and that's what we're looking for x brothers and sisters to have set our x hearts and Minds on the eternal x and not the temporary things