Sin That Blaspheme God’s Name

Good morning. It's good to be here. I'm thankful for this opportunity to preach to you guys and bring some thoughts from God's Word.

I want to let you know up front, I have no missionary examples of missionaries being martyred this time from the pulpit. I know I tend to pull in something from missions history, but that's not in my notes. Let's pray.

Father, thank You for being who You are. Lord, we don't want to change You at all. Your character is perfect.

Your actions, who are we, O man, to answer and fault You with anything? Lord, You're perfect in every way. And Lord, we do pray that this day, the Lord's day, that Your Word would speed ahead and be honored in Austin and Corpus and Laredo and Las Vegas and Columbia and Sedalia. Lord, we just pray Your Word would speed ahead.

Lord, that Your Word would act as a double-edged sword indeed to convict us, to change us, to mold us to be more like Your Son. And Lord, I need Your help right now, Father, that I wouldn't be bound to my notes. And Lord, I need Your help to have clear thoughts, Lord, that if there's anything that I have written down that I missed it on, Lord, that I wouldn't say that.

And Lord, that everything I say would be owned of You with Your help. And so Lord, we just commit this time to You. Please come meet with us.

Help in this hour ahead. In Christ's name, amen. Amen.

And it might be a little too loud. Ken's hearing is kind of struggling this morning. Is this too loud? Can you guys hear me okay? Is this okay? Okay.

Alright, I want to talk to you guys about... Well, this question, are you blaspheming God? Are you blaspheming God? What's one of the greatest harms that could come from the moral failure of a Christian? One of the greatest harms that can come when a Christian falls into sin, especially in a public nature. And what can happen is, their conduct can undermine the credibility of the Gospel. Right? They can actually make the Gospel seem like it's untrustworthy.

They could cast doubt on how reliable is this truth that these people are getting in that pulpit and preaching to us. And this is a damage. It's not just something personal.

Right? It's not just a self-inflicted gunshot wound that when the Christian sins, they shot themselves in the foot, but it actually has a negative impact and a stumbling block on others, on the onlooking world. Just as Proverbs 14, 1 says, the wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down. I would say to you all that the believer can tear down the house of faith with our own folly.

Obviously, in the midst of this, the cross, its message is not changed. But our conduct takes the credibility and it just destroys that credibility of this message. The onlookers, they say, if the Gospel were true, why did the person respond in this contrary way to the teachings that they were teaching? And people rightly expect that if we believe what we say, we're going to live it out.

Right? And when we don't, they're ready to call us out. Right? You don't live it out, you're going to get called out. And that's understandable for people to want to do that.

So we all understand this truth. This is nothing new. There's nothing new at all.

But today I want to consider a respectable way that we can blaspheme God's name. Obviously, there's nothing respectable about profaning the name of God, about doing something that allows His name to be reviled. There's nothing respectable.

But when I say respectable, I mean kind of in the Jerry Bridges way, a respectable sin. There's no such thing as a respectable sin, but it means there's something, it just goes unnoticed, it doesn't appear on your radar. You go on in it unchecked.

You fail to see the damage it causes. It's just not as obvious as something that is far more flagrant. Far more flagrant.

So, first question. When you think of the Lord's name being blasphemed because of believers' conduct, which Old Testament example that's obvious comes to your mind? Yeah, David. Right? Listen, you could turn here if you wanted to.

This isn't my text, but if you want to read it. 2 Samuel 12. It's rendered in multiple different ways.

2 Samuel 12. Why don't I turn there? I think I put down a different translation in my notes. 12.14, Nevertheless, because by this deed, you have utterly scorned the Lord.

The child who was born to you shall die. Then Nathan went to his house. So this is Nathan reproving David.

And if you go up to verse 11, dealing specifically with taking another man's wife. Verse 10, You've despised me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Right? And some versions render it this way.

You've given great occasion for the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. Isn't that something? David's conduct, it just wasn't a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It actually gave great occasion for the enemies of the Lord who are already looking for an opportunity.

David basically said, Hey, you've got a gun. It's not loaded. Let me give you some ammunition.

And then they're able to profane God's name because of this. And so, again, we all know this. This isn't what I want to hone in on.

We all know when well-known preachers are exposed for living a double life, for falling into sin, it certainly is a cause for people to discredit the truth. Right? Isn't it amazing? The Bible doesn't dismiss your responsibility and my responsibility to have a valid testimony that affirms the truth. We could be hyper-Calvinist and think it really doesn't matter.

The truth is the truth and the truth is going to remain the truth regardless of what I do. Brethren, that's not how the Bible deals with... It's true the truth will not change. But people are seeing through us the body of Christ.

They're looking to see if our character and our conduct actually validates the truth. And so we can't dismiss the believer's conduct as having no effect on the lost world. You know, an exaggerated example, the Christian parent who says, well, I'm going to give my kids the gospel, but it doesn't matter how I live, because how I live in no way impacts whether they believe the truth.

And we know that's ridiculous. It's ridiculous to think that way. Now, when you read 2 Samuel 12, 14, is there a parallel passage in the New Testament that comes to your mind? One that tells us had the same outcome, a great occasion for the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.

However, the sin it refers to, you're going to put it in the category of, well, that sin is a lot less severe by human standards, but it leads to the same result. Yeah, Titus 2, that's one. We're going to look at that.

Where else? 1 Timothy 6. 1 Timothy 6. Let's go to 1 Timothy 6. And Titus 2, we're going to look at those two. And just a few weeks ago in my devotional reading, something really hit me here that I felt like I did not have a weight and a gravity about this point that Paul is bringing out. 1 Timothy 6, verse 1. And later on, I'll point this out, but the principle he mentions here about conduct, he's already done this about five times in the letter.

This is not the first time. He's already brought this up multiple times leading up to chapter 6, verse 1. Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants or as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor. All right, I got to honor and respect my master.

And then he had, what's the next phrase? So that. So that what happens? So that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. And that's the word blasphemy there.

That the name of God and the teaching might not be blaspheming. Now, which would you say is far more serious? A man falling into adultery or a man who goes to work and he doesn't respect and honor his boss? And yet, look, the same result can be brought about by both of those conducts. And so here you had a war, let's say wars happened and they take people as slaves.

And one of those slaves goes to the city and he hears the gospel and he gets converted and he's reading his Bible. And before he read his Scriptures, before he was converted, he despised his boss, he hated his unjust master. And now all of a sudden he realizes, this isn't right.

God's actually put me here providentially under this master. I'm going to show him all respect. And now through his conduct, it's actually a valid testimony that the truth of what this slave believes is true.

It just made me think about the little girl who evangelized Naaman. I brought that out years ago. I mean, imagine your family is most likely slaughtered and your daughter is abducted and she's brought and serves in the Syrian captain's home and she's the one who tells the wife to go to your husband and tell him about a prophet Elijah.

Doesn't appear like she was over there bitter at God for what had happened, but she was a valid witness that we have the true God of Elijah. So go to Titus as well. We have the same principle, Titus 2 to your right in your Bible.

Titus 2, 3-5. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, working at home, kind.

He's saying a lot of things here, but look what he also adds. Submissive to their own husbands. And then he has another that.

You conduct yourselves in this way, something's going to happen. There's a result. The conduct leads to a result.

That the Word of God may not be reviled. Same idea. That God's Word might not be profaned and blasphemed by failing in this area of conduct.

The NET, it renders it that the message of God might not be discredited. The NKJV might not be blasphemed. The literal rendering that the Word of God might not be evil spoken of.

Now, this is what hit me. What type of sins, I know there's more than just this one thing, but what type of sin do both of these passages deal with? What type of sin? An attitude? An attitude? And what is that attitude? Both passages deal with what is your attitude towards those in authority. Isn't that amazing? Both deal what's my attitude towards the boss.

What's the wife's attitude towards the husband. Both deal with showing respect to those who are in authority over you. And failing to show respect and honor gives a great occasion for God's name to be blasphemed.

Okay, is that on your radar? It's not just this famous preacher is in an immoral relationship and that's a great occasion for God's name to be blasphemed. The same outcome, God's name being reviled, can happen when we don't have a right spirit of submission to the authorities that God has put in our lives that we are so commanded to submit to them. And I remind you in 1 Timothy 6, if you notice here, the first thing he's even bringing out here, under the yoke, regard their own masters, and then he goes on to talk about those who have believing masters in verse 2. So when he says verse 1, he's thinking about people who have a master who's not even a Christian.

We know that from other places in Colossians. The call for the Christian to submit even to an unjust master. Do you think of the powerful example that is? Paul makes this striking comment.

The message of God, the Word of God, could be discredited, blasphemed, ignored, shown to be worthless, and both times he's making this statement, it's whether or not a believer shows respect to those they are called to submit to. Wow. I mean, that's a pretty big deal.

And we'll look at some reasons at the end why that should be. Obviously, it should be a big deal. So you don't miss this.

All authorities that you and I are under ultimately were appointed by who? By God. I mean, Romans 13 says that. And so ultimately to not submit to the authority is to not submit to God.

Are there exceptions, right? It's better to obey God rather than man. Absolutely, there are exceptions like that where you've got to disregard some authority that is asking to sin and do something unjust. But I think it's easier for us Christians to say, well, that's what I'm facing in this situation.

That's what I'm facing in this situation. You know, we can just call everything that and not recognize areas where we actually are not submitting. It isn't about being valiant for truth.

It's actually our pride. So, I think this is often overlooked. When you think about ways your conduct can make people say, oh, those Christians at GCC are not real.

Is this on the top of your list? Is this one of the things on the top of your list? That, oh, you know what could make people not think GCC is real or think GCC is a bunch of hypocrites this year, is if we don't respectfully submit to those that we are under authority of. I mean, I think if we did a survey, most people would not mention that on their list. Clearly, Paul, concerned about New Testament churches, this is one of the things that's a priority on his list.

So it should be for us as well. I don't think we appreciate how powerful our testimony and a faithful life can be. So I think it's amazing that David's adultery led to God's name being blasphemed and a wife's disrespect and a worker's gossip about their boss can do the exact same thing.

I think it's amazing, to be honest. It really is. I think we don't see sin as sinful as it is.

And you know, I was thinking, you know what this means? A husband and a wife could both at the same time be blaspheming God this week and not even realize it. Not even realize it. The wife refusing to submit to the husband in specific areas and the kids witness that.

And then the husband, he goes to work. He comes home and he gossips about the boss. He disregards the boss at work.

You can say, oh, that's just normal struggles. It goes to the flesh. Those are just hard things to do, right? Is that what Paul does right here? Does he say that's just a normal struggle? No, he actually says, you're actually giving a cause for God's name to be blasphemed, to be reviled.

Really? You mean a husband and wife who are in this church could both be blaspheming God with their conduct this week and causing His name to be reviled by missing the humble attitude of submission to authority that God has put over us? Yes, that absolutely can happen. And it is amazing, right? Husbands, we know the verses. Wives, submit to your husbands, right? That's an easy verse to know.

But how many husbands really think about this broader idea about husbands submit to an unjust boss for the sake of honoring God and being a valid witness? I mean, is that what the husband thinks about right after he calls his wife to submit? So to just make this very clear, to illustrate this point, imagine there's a company. There's two employees. They openly identify as a Christian.

They're both frequently, they speak about their faith. The first employee is high ranking with an impressive career. One day the news breaks he's been involved in a serious scandal.

He's in an extramarital affair with a co-worker. News spreads rapidly through the office, leaving his colleagues shocked. Some colleagues are disillusioned.

They were in this Bible study. They're in all these activities and people start to murmur. If someone who talks about God so much can do that, maybe all that talk about faith is just a front.

It's just a front. His actions don't just damage his personal reputation, they lead people to question the sincerity of his faith. To speak evil of God and the teaching.

See, God's name's at stake. And His Word, His teaching, this power of the Gospel that changes our lives, that's at stake. The second employee on the other hand, he doesn't have any major scandals.

But he has a reputation for being difficult, disrespectful towards his supervisors. He often grumbles about his assignments. He only partially complies with different jobs and he leaves out small details that his boss asked him to do.

Or he shows selective attention during the meetings. He avoids eye contact. He's sitting there subtly checking his phone and he just appears disengaged.

He's known for making backhanded comments about his boss's decisions, delaying responses to their emails, yet he prioritizes responses from peers. And he downplays the importance of the supervisor's input when talking to colleagues. That's no big deal.

That's something we all struggle. No. You believe that lie? You could end up blaspheming God in your life and you don't even recognize it's happening.

And your witness is destroyed. Destroyed. He might not be openly defying authority, but his consistent lack of respect is evident of these subtle behaviors.

Though these actions, they might seem minor compared to the man who had an affair, they gradually affect how others perceive him and ultimately, how they view his faith. Colleagues begin to think, if this is how a Christian treats people, what difference does their faith really make? You get the same outcome. The people at work are speaking evil of the faith in the name of God because the Christian who fell into adultery and because the Christian who habitually did not respect and honor the Master to whom God had put over him and thus made it evident he really didn't believe God was sovereign and put the Master over him and there's some exception to the rule that freed him of showing respect.

So let's consider more closely verse 1. Look at what it says there. "...Regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching might not be reviled." May not be slandered. This language here, reviled, slandered, or literally blasphemy, it comes from Isaiah 52.5. It says, "...continually all day my name is despised." Are you saying it to the Jews? They were conducting themselves in such a way where all day long people are despising God's name because of the Jews' conduct.

And then Paul quotes the same verse in Romans 2.24, "...For it is written, The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of the Jews." They're the people of God. You conduct yourselves in this way and it's blaspheming the name of God. And yet Paul here, he mentions something more than just the name of God.

Paul mentions, "...and our teaching. For this dishonor to God's name through hypocritical conduct gives an open door for outsiders, not just to slander God's name, but the very teaching, the very teaching and the content that we are proclaiming." Which obviously, if you blaspheme the Gospel, you're blaspheming the Source, the Lord Himself. How? By having a wrong attitude towards those in authority.

Incredible. That's not a respectable sin. That is a sin that can lead you and I to blaspheme the very name of God.

That's a sin that our kids will pick up on in our life and will lead them to disregard the very truth. But you take a man who's proud and self-assertive and he gets converted and he has a humble submission to Christ which overflows in his life of a humble submission to others and the children witness that, they know the only thing that made my dad humbly submit to this person in that situation is the Gospel. And it validates.

There's real power here because of what's happened. What changes happened. You need more convincing of this? 1 Peter 3. Yeah, turn that.

Turn there in your Bible. It's absolutely worth turning to. 1 Peter 3. 3 verse 1. Here he doesn't hear.

He doesn't mention. In a negative, you don't submit, it's going to lead to God's name being blasphemed. Actually, I mentioned something in a very positive way.

Likewise, wives be subject to your own husbands so that even if some do not obey the Word, they may be one without a word. Must be. I mean, I'm not going to read the rest of the verse.

Must be me boldly preaching the Gospel to them every day in the kitchen. Is that what it says? They may be one without a word by the conduct of their wives when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Same thing.

This issue of showing respect. Same idea that we saw in Titus 2, 3-5. If a respectful submissive conduct can lead to a husband's change of heart to win him, it's obviously reasonable to understand how the opposite behavior, not showing respect, could instead drive him further away with a bitter heart.

Right? Paul's basically saying in Titus 2, you don't submit to the husband. This is what it's going to do. Give people a chance to revile the name of God.

Here he's saying you do submit even to the husband who's lost and doesn't honor God. Look at what can happen. This issue of respecting those in authority is such a big deal, Peter's saying, that it can actually be the means to show them the truth is true.

Because you think how big of a deal this is in our lives. There's no way we could submit to others with humility apart from the Gospel changing us. It's impossible.

There's so much pride. There's so much resistance to submitting to other people. The only thing that can make that truly happen in someone's heart is the power of the Gospel.

So no wonder it's such a valid thing to the truth of the Gospel. I thought someone says, I want to grow as a soul winner. Help me, James.

What would you say to them? I'd add this to the list. You want to be a better soul winner? You want to grow? Okay, I said, here you're going to be a better soul winner. Grow in showing the loft, respect, and honor and have a submissive attitude towards your boss at work.

James, I didn't ask that. I'm not asking about how to be a Christian at work. I'm asking about how to be a better soul winner.

Yeah, that will lead to validating your message. And Peter says you can actually win them through your conduct of respectful and pure behavior. Isn't that amazing? Humble, submissive respect towards those in authority is a powerful message.

And you know what? This humble, submissive respect is not just for the slave. It's not just for the wife. I'll hear the verse.

Forget Ryan. You kind of talked on Titus 3, right? Yeah, in Titus 3.1, what's it say there? He mentions show perfect courtesy toward all people. And he's telling that to the whole church.

Because he says, for we ourselves were once foolish. We were disobedient. We were led astray.

We were slaves to various passions and pleasures. We were passing our days in malice and envy. We were hated by others and hating one another.

How are we going to show perfect courtesy toward all people then, Paul? But the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared. And He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy. That mercy that saves a man not by works, leads that man to have works like a submissive attitude.

It's the only way. It's the only way. You can force obedience, but you can't force true submission in the heart except by the power of the cross.

Perfect courtesy toward all people. This is a big deal. 2014, a Comcast customer service representative interacted with a customer.

And it went viral for good or bad reasons. It significantly damaged the company's reputation. The customer attempting to cancel a service recorded the call which revealed the representative's aggressive and disrespectful behavior, including repeated refusals to process the cancellation and persistent questioning of the customer's decision.

The recording gained widespread media attention. It highlighted the systematic issues of Comcast customer service practices. And it led to a public outcry.

That's one person working for Comcast. This incident underscores the profound impact an individual employee could have on a company's what? On a company's public image. I thought about that.

Churches have a public image. And I know that language, I don't like that language, James. I get it.

There are some people trying to project a false image about what their church is like and all of that. That's not what I'm talking about. We have a legitimate public image.

People perceive us as a church in a specific way. And one question we could ask is with valid things they perceive, where are areas we could grow to become more like the Savior in our own conduct? Brethren, your beliefs directly impact your actions. They directly impact your actions.

You take the same principle and you give a positive example. Imagine you've got a Christian employee. They work under a boss.

The boss is unfair. He's difficult. The worker has every reason to be frustrated.

But he doesn't criticize the boss. He doesn't speak evil of the boss. He works hard.

He keeps a positive attitude. He doesn't participate in the gossip that circulates around the office. Before my wife was married and she worked as a nurse up in Missouri, she said you'd be amazed at how much workplace gossip would happen between all those nurses.

And she had to intentionally avoid that as a Christian. One day a co-worker pulls you aside and says, why do you keep working so hard for a boss who doesn't appreciate you? Why don't you just let coasts like the rest of us? And you know what you should reply? I'm not working for him. I'm working for God.

God put me here. He's the authority under God. But the real authority here is God.

God's put him here in my life. My faith calls me to honor Him no matter what. See, that man, that woman, protects God's name and reveals something amazing.

That his faith is real. It's not just a theory. It's being lived out.

And our text there, you could call this the Christian's motive. My motive is that the name of God and the teaching would not be blasphemed. I don't want the name of God and the teaching to be blasphemed.

I don't want it to be profaned. I don't want it to be spoken evil of. And if a manifestation of pride and a lack of a submissive spirit in my own heart, say towards the other elders or towards people in my life, if that can lead that to be there, I pray God, keep me from ever manifesting such a desire in my heart.

Because look at the negative consequences it could lead to. It could lead to the same outcome as David falling into physical adultery and having a man murdered. To see it as it is.

Right? Kind of like Craig brought out last Sunday that example of John Piper about picturing someone with a knife to the neck. You won't go click the mouse over here if you know the knife is going to cut someone's throat who you love. Right? In the same way, we've got to view this as desperate as it is.

And this is a constant theme. Go back to 1 Timothy. And let's just briefly look at four other places or so that this is at.

Verse 2, an overseer must be above reproach. It says a lot there. Verse 3 though, not a drunkard, not violent, gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

And then it mentions here, verse 7, moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders. You hear that? Well thought of by outsiders, so that. Remember, anytime you see so that, I mean, you want to have those circled, underlined.

You want to follow Paul's logic. If I'm not thought of well by outsiders, I can fall into disgrace, into the snare of the devil. If you've got something similar there, go to chapter 4, verse 12.

4 verse 12, command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example. He's saying this to Timothy, but you could apply this to yourself if you're younger to some extent.

Example in speech and conduct and love and faith and purity. Let no one despise you. Set the believers an example.

You see, that's an example. Timothy's example of his conduct in his speech mattered to Paul. Mattered to Paul.

Then verse 16 in the same chapter, keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. So keep a close watch on your conduct. That's on yourself and on the teaching.

That's on your doctrine. Persist in this. Is it a big deal why you should persist in this? I'm telling you.

Persist in this for by so doing, you will save both yourself and your hearers. I mean, you want to get bigger than that? So if I don't persist in the conduct, it therefore has a negative impact on my hearers being finally saved and making it to the end because my life, right, not taking close watch over my conduct, lowers the standard of holiness within the church. And then that affects others and they drop the bar.

And before you know it, there's all sorts of widespread compromise in a congregation because someone in the leadership lowers the bar on taking watch over your life. And in the same way, you could reverse this and you see how positive of taking heed of your life has on working for the salvation of others. And then seeing the validity of the truth.

In 1 Timothy 5, 7. This is all over Paul's mind. To a church, this matters. 5, 7, Command these things as well so that they may be without reproach.

If anyone does not provide for his relatives, especially for members of his household, that's a conduct issue. You don't provide when you have the ability to provide. Or maybe even you don't have the ability because of laziness or something, but specifically let's say he has the ability to provide and he doesn't, and what does it say has happened? He's denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Isn't that amazing? Worse than an unbeliever. He's denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Caring for your family, it's not just some duty, it's actually a tangible expression of faith that is genuine.

When we fail to provide for people it leaves us open to blame. It leaves the truth open to blame. It leaves the truth open to be faulted.

Paul says someone saying they're a Christian and they don't provide for their own family, they're worse than an unbeliever. If Paul's saying that's how they appear, what do you think the world's thinking of the person who's not doing that? I mean, people on the outside, they recognize responsibility to care for your own. And if you neglect that basic duty, what a horrible testimony.

Then you've got 5, 14. I think 5, 14, so I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their homes. Why? Give the adversary no occasion for slander.

So I hope one thing you see here is the enemy looking for an opportunity in your life and in my life to shame the name of the Lord and the teaching. You better believe it, he is. I mean, we want to be aware of that.

You talk about Luke 4.13 and Satan left Christ and he waited for a more opportune time. The devil is looking for opportune times for this to happen in our lives. He's looking for opportunities like that.

So there's a lot of verses. That's why I went through 1 Timothy. I want you to see there's a lot of verses that deal with this reality and this principle.

All right, a few questions right here that I want to throw at you guys. Why is this hard to receive? Having a submissive heart towards those in authority, what could make that hard to receive? And thankfully, I don't have to think of an answer for this application because Paul gives one. Paul gives one.

Or not think up, but meaning go to other places in Scripture. Paul deals with that. Go to 1 Timothy 6. Why is this hard? He says, if you look at the end of verse 2, he says, teach and urge these things.

So I'm teaching you these things. Hopefully I'm urging you in these things. And he says to do the same.

And then look what he says in verse 3. If anyone teaches a different doctrine, different doctrine, which I'd say you could add this in there, is something that they're saying differently. Let's say they're taking a truth and saying it's okay for a Christian to not, you know, all the world's so wicked and people are so bad and you don't have to show any honor to that wicked boss of yours, right? That could be something, a different perspective and they're trying to say that to you. And does not agree with the sound words of the Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching of the cords of godliness.

What's his problem? Verse 4, he's puffed up with conceit and he understands nothing. And he's got an unhealthy craving for controversy, right? You know what keeps us from receiving certain teachings like this and actually living them out in our lives is our pride. You get a puffed up head where you found the exception.

You figured it out. There's some way this verse doesn't apply to my situation. I can continue having this type of a hard attitude toward people in authority in my life.

That's pride that leads a man or a woman or child to think in that way. Pride. Pride is the issue.

I mean, I would say it's the issue why we don't receive all manner of truth in our life. 1 Peter 2.13, Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution. You hear that? This is for the Lord.

This is for His sake. This is for His name. This is, you could say, this is, I was already going to preach on this regardless of who won the election, right? And you might say, well, I'm glad certain person won the election.

This makes it easier to receive. It actually might be more applicable. It might have been more applicable if the other individual had won the election.

And you know what? Who's all getting elected at Rome? They weren't having elections over there in Rome. You know, after Second Timothy, Paul had a certain end to his life. So second closing application, yeah, that I mentioned, it's for the Lord's sake.

Is that your life? Is your life, I'm for the Lord. Whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, do all to the glory of God. This is for His sake.

I'm submitting and I'm having a humble heart towards those in authority in my life because this is about God's name. Either being praised and exalted or being profaned and blasphemed. A third thing, how to have victory in this area.

It's like any area in the Christian life. You've got to think right. So do flip to Romans 13.

You can read this with your own eyes. You have to think right. If I don't think right, I'm never going to get victory in certain areas in my life.

If I deny the truth, if I don't receive what God says and I go to the secular world and what they say, I'll never get victory. I'll stay in chains forever on whatever the issue is. Romans 13, 1, let every person be subject to the governing authorities Why? And look at the first thing he says.

There is no authority except from God. Wow, what a blanket statement. And those that exist have been instituted by God.

You see that? Except from God. Instituted by God. Therefore, my conclusion for you all at Rome is, if you resist the authorities, you're ultimately resisting who? You're resisting God and what God has appointed.

And if you do that, you will incur judgment. For rulers are not attired to good conduct, but to bad. And he goes on and he says more, verse 5, Therefore, one must be in subjection not only to avoid God's wrath, but also for the sake of the conscience.

For because of this, you pay taxes for the authorities are ministers of God. I mean, who says that? Honestly, minister, servant. I mean, you look at the authority.

You know, you say, well, Tim's in the ministry. That authority is a minister of God. Ouch! I mean, we talk like that's what Paul says.

Just as much as I'm up here being a minister of God, the lost authority was raised up by God and he's a minister of God too. No, not of the Gospel. There's a different message, but nonetheless, God has appointed him and raised him up for such a time.

So, how do we have victory? We think right. If I resist this earthly authority, unless it's a genuine exception where you need to disobey God rather than man, as I mentioned earlier, but if I resist this earthly authority, I'm resisting God's authority. I'm telling you, it's kind of like the accountability in the church even.

The Bible doesn't want long range Christians, right? We need each other. We need people exercising oversight in our life. And you could say you're an overseer and you're saying that, yeah, I need these other men exercising oversight in my life for my own good, right? We need that.

That's part of what God uses in our lives. Fourthly, do you show perfect courtesy toward all people? If someone comes to your mind right now, and again, an example that's always struck me of what not showing perfect courtesy is, and you say this is very subtle, but we're in a conversation after the break and I'm just not giving you eye contact, and you get a sense from me that I just want to move on to another conversation, right? I've known people legitimately offended by that. And I remember at Bob's funeral, I was asking people what did they learn from his life? And that was something a lady shared.

I'll never forget. She said, you know what? Whenever Bob was talking to you, you knew he was all there for you and he wasn't looking over your shoulder. That was the one thing she remembered about him at his funeral.

That most impacted her life. That is showing respect. Showing honor.

And as I was studying this, sitting on the couch, and one of my kids came in out of the bed because they had questions at night, I remember feeling a little frustrated like I'm trying to study and they're asking questions at dawn. I mean, James, live out what you're studying here. Respect your child.

Look them in the eyes and hear what they have to say right here that they have a sense that you're really wanting to hear what they say. Because if I don't do that, I could actually help profane God's name in His teaching. Well, Dad believes in Jesus, but you know what? Jesus hasn't changed Dad to the point where He gives me eye contact and He's always so busy doing work all the time that He doesn't really show like He cares for me.

Fifth, in parenting. Think of this. When you teach your child to show respect to you and to others, look at it in this way.

You're actually teaching them to not blaspheme God's name. What do I mean by that? If your child professes to be a believer and they're actually giving submission and respect, they're not blaspheming the name of God in His teaching. They're not giving opportunity for the enemies to do that because of their conduct.

Think of that. Submissive kids. Training them in this way.

It's bigger than just saying, Yes, sir. It's actually living a life of honor to God, which proclaims His name and His teaching. I think some parents are worried about, well, I don't want my child to profane God in their speech.

What about this? They could profane God in their conduct. You know what? Your kids are going to get their first job at some point. Most kids are going to get their first job.

And if you, after a week at that job, and let's say the kid is a Christian. They're professing to be a believer. In a week at that job, you call the boss up and you ask them, Hey, is there any areas my kid is not showing respect to you? Be an interesting conversation to have.

And then have that talk with the child. Children are impacted by examples. I read a book this week by Gardner Spring called Hints for Parents.

Just a brief quote. He said, Much can be accomplished by the power of example. Be yourself what you wish your child to be is perhaps the most important principle in raising children.

Example influences long before instruction can teach or authority can compel. Precept constrains. Example draws.

Precept compels. Example inspires. Precept is a dead law.

Example is a living one. The influence of example on the young is especially powerful. After conscience, it is the first guiding principle they know.

And it often remains the strongest motivation even after influences fade. Children are naturally inclined to imitate. And few realize how early they begin to understand the meaning of what they see and hear.

The example of a loving and attentive parent can have a deeply persuasive and lasting impact. No child is too young to closely observe their parents' actions and to be shaped for better or worse by what they see. Parents must remember that.

Often without even knowing it, they are constantly shaping the minds, habits, and character of their children through the impact of their own behavior. You do not want your child to have a harsh domineering spirit, to be overbearing or unkind. But what if your child observes in you a quick and uncontrolled temper? What if they see that you're proud, dismissive, and eager for conflict, and lacking in kindness and courtesy? Despite all your efforts, your example is likely to become the guiding influence on their behavior.

That's true. We see it. You look at your fault, my faults, and my kids.

I see a lot of those go directly back to me. Seventh question application. Submission to God's authority is at the core of true Christianity.

I was studying this. I thought about Luke 19.27. It describes the unbelievers and it mentions a specific characteristic about the unbelievers. Bring those before me who refuse to what? Bring those before me who refuse to let me reign over them and slaughter them.

It's Luke 19.27. Isn't it interesting? The main characteristic describing the unbeliever in Luke 19.27 is they didn't want Christ to rule over them. So at the core of true Christianity is a submission of the will to God in every area of the life. So it'd make obvious sense that the Christian who's now submitted the will to God is going to go submit the will over here to the ruler that God has appointed and vice versa and all these other applications, right? Okay, an eighth application.

Maybe you're sitting here and you say, James, I had a moral failure and my family knows and my testimony is destroyed. Say this happened to you in this last year. There's a lot that could be said, but here's one thought I had for this message on this specific topic.

Turn from your wicked way and let your life now be marked by a testimony pointing to the mercy of Christ towards you, a sinner. You don't need to go have another failure. You don't need to go compromise again.

You put your emphasis on the mercy of Jesus Christ and His forgiveness and you press on. That will then be what the kid remembers. It's not going to be, well, dad and mom went and they did this.

They're going to remember, man, the Lord kept them and restored them and they learned from His fatherly discipline and they're different. So that could be the legacy to use that term from your moral failure. Ninth, what perfect courtesy and respect has Christ shown you? You know what? If I want to have a motivation in my life to show respect to those who are in authority over me, you have a real good place to look for motivation, a real good place to look to be gripped with something that makes you put away all the subtle stuff as you look to Christ and you look at His perfect mercy.

And you know, that's actually what Paul starts 1 Timothy out with, isn't it? What's already in the mind of all these listeners who he's giving these commands is he let them know at the beginning of that letter that he was the chief of all sinners. And Christ had perfect patience towards Paul and saved Paul. And he says, I receive mercy that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example.

So we're trying to be a good example. Well, Christ was the good example. Right? Love as Christ is loved.

Christ is the example. He's the law. He's the standard in the Christian life.

Think of this, the next Apostle Paul could be your lost boss at work who through your respectful and courteous conduct sees the truth of the Gospel and then comes and hears the Word of God from you and he actually gets converted rather than he blaspheming God because of your conduct. You think that way? You showing respect. Men, especially you men.

You men going to work and showing respect to your earthly boss. Think about it that way. Maybe the next Apostle Paul is here and they could be converted.

I mean, God's able to do things in that way. You want to get out evangelizing. You are evangelizing at work by your life.

So think of all the courtesy the Lord has shown you. One other thought I have is thinking about this. To have God's name be blasphemed is to have God's name be despised.

Despised. You know what I thought? What's Isaiah 53 say about the Savior? He was despised and rejected by men. A man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.

He was despised. He wasn't honored by men. You know what the next thought that came to my mind is? I don't want Him to be despised again by men because of my conduct, my disrespect.

Me failing to respect an earthly master can cause God's name to be despised. The Christ who was already despised for me. Do I want to bring that on the Savior who was despised for me on the cross? Do I want to have Him be despised presently by my own lack of humility in my life? Do I want Him to be a man of sorrows yet again, but the sorrow is over me grieving the Holy Spirit in my life? Brethren, submission to authority.

This humility in the heart. It's no small thing. This is no small thing.

This is big. This is huge. It makes me ask myself in my own life, where am I in any way failing to live this out? Because the stakes are high.

God's name being profaned, blasphemed, despised, mocked at. The truth being said to not be truth at all. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1.28, God chose what is low and despised.

That's you and me. Despised in the world. Even things that are not to bring to nothing things that are.

Brethren, we were once despised pieces of, well, as David said, was it David? I'm but a worm and a dead dog. You think of yourself like that? A dead dog. And here Christ has come and He's saved us.

We are not despised before God because Christ was despised for us. We do not have a curse pronounced on us because Christ was cursed for us. So brethren, by the power of Christ, we can go show honor to our earthly Master.

A wife can go show honor and respect to a lost husband and do it unto the Lord. And do it so that the name of God, that the teaching of God is not blasphemed, is not profaned, but that the teaching in the name is praised, is validated, is exalted, is seen to be the true truth that it truly is. And yes, by our conduct, they will slander us, but let them slander us and with our conduct, have no charge stick because we're seeking to always have a clear conscience both before God and man.

So Christian, that's what God's calling us to. And this is just what hit me a few weeks ago as I was reading this. Titus 2, 1 Timothy 6. Not submitting, not having a heart of humility and submitting to the authorities God has put in our life is to resist God and give a chance and an opportunity for the enemies to blaspheme and profane and speak evil of the Lord's name.

And so it's by the grace of the Christ who was despised for us despised ones that we're going to live this out. Don't go do this in your own power. Don't go do this on your own strength.

You look to Christ by faith and He will help you. Well, amen. Let's pray.

Father, thank You for, Lord, the thoroughness of Your Word. Lord, I can't imagine being in a nation back then and getting conquered and then taking away as a slave and then getting converted and then being confronted with these truths. It's pretty amazing, Lord, to then go live that out in the power.

Lord, I pray You would help us. Lord, You reign over us. Lord, are there any areas in our lives where we're not letting You reign? Because that will obviously lead to all these other things.

Lord, help our hearts be surrendered to You. Lord, search us. Try us.

If in this specific area there's any way grievous in us, Lord, I pray, lead us in the way everlasting. In Jesus' name, amen.