Submission

Romans - Government Matters

Romans - Government Matters

Dave Riddle - 1/05/20

Key Passage: Romans 13:1-7

The Authority of the State

  • Romans 13:1 - let everyone submit

  • “Submit” - hypotassō (Greek: ὑποτάσσω) to place; arrange under; to post under; to subject; to be obedient, to carry a burden

    • Luke 2:51 - Jesus submitted to his parents’ authority.

    • Ephesians 5:21 - submit yourself to one another

    • John 19:11 - you would have no authority over me if it had not been given to you from above.

The Function of the State

  • Romans 13:3-4

    • We know that this isn’t always true.

    • Paul is expressing the ideal.

      • 1. The state should exist to restrict and punish evil.

      • 2. The state should promote and reward goodness

    • Is wrong to speak out against authority? No!

      • We have a right and a responsibility to do so when the state isn’t living up to these ideals.

Our Relationship with the State

  • Romans 13:5

    • Therefore, you must submit.

      • What about when the will of the state is at direct odds with the will of God?

      • Acts 5:27-29

        • We must obey God rather than men.

    • Romans 12:18 If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone

  • Romans 13:6-7

    • what do we owe?

      • Tangible - tolls and taxes

      • Intangible - respect and honor

Spiritual Formation Pt. 2

Vitals - Spiritual Formation Pt. 2
Dave Riddle - 07/14/19
Key Verses: Philippians 3:10, Galatians 4:19

ginōskō (Greek: γινώσκω) - to know by experience, in contract to an intellectual or intuitive type of knowledge.

  • it’s one thing to know what sunburn is, it’s another thing completely to ‘experience’ sunburn.

symmorphizō (Greek: συμμορφίζω) - to receive the same form as; to be conformed to.

  • Luke 6:40 - ...everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.

  • We are being transformed, not by our own power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual Practices & Rhythms

  • Not obligations, but invitations!

Study

  • Philippians 4:8 - “...dwell on these things”

  • Repetition, conversation, reflection

Meditation

  • Psalm 63:6 HCSB): When I think of You as I lie on my bed, I meditate on You during the night watches

  • On scripture, on the works of God, on the things we see happening around us.

Prayer

  • “Prayer catapults us onto the frontier of the spiritual life. Of all the spiritual disciplines, prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communion with the father.” -R. Foster ‘Celebration of Discipline’

Fasting

  • Luke 4:1-2 - Jesus fasted.

  • “More than any other discipline fasting reveals the things that control us.” - R. Foster ‘Celebration of Discipline’

  • Matthew 6:16 - not a requirement, but it does appear to be an expectation. “when you fast”

Solitude

  • Mark 1:35

  • Solitude =/= loneliness

  • Let him who cannot be alone beware of community... Let him who is not in community beware of being alone... Each by itself has profound perils and pitfalls. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and the one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation and despair.” - Bonhoeffer ‘Life Together’

Simplicity 

  • “The central point for the discipline of simplicity is to seek the kingdom of God and righteousness of his kingdom first and then everything necessary will come in it’s proper order.” - R. Foster ‘Celebration of Discipline’

Submission

  • To God, to the cross, to scripture, to our family, our neighbors, to the needs of others, to the body of Christ.

Service

  • John 13:15 - "For I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done for you. "