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Let Everyone Be Subject to the Governing Authorities (Romans 13:1)-Appealing Versus Rebelling-Part II

Romans 13:1 says, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” In this sermon Pastor Scott taught on Romans 13 and explained why the WCC elders feel led to submit to the government, and appeal, versus disobey. He also explains why the elders don’t think the government is telling us to sin.

Romans 13:1 says, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities.” Pastor Scott explained why the elders will submit to government.



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Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for Let Everyone Be Subject to the Governing Authorities (Romans 13:1)Family Worship Guide for Everyone Be Subject to the Governing Authorities (Romans 13:1)Sermon Notes for Let Everyone Be Subject to the Governing Authorities (Romans 13:1)Lesson 1: we don’t submit to sin.Lesson 2: resisting authority is resisting God.Lesson 3: we must (part 1) think biblically versus emotionally.Lesson 3: we must (part 2) balance faith and wisdom.Lesson 4: quarantining the healthy occurred in scripture.



Sermon Lessons for Let Everyone Be Subject to the Governing Authorities (Romans 13:1)



Lesson 1: We don’t submit to sin (Dan 6:6-10; Jer 27:8-12; Acts 5:29-31, 40-42; 1 Pet 2:13-17). Note: This lesson is from Part I.Lesson 2: Resisting authority is __________________ ______ (Rom 13:1-2; 1 Pet 2:13; Titus 3:1).Lesson 3: We must:(Part I) Think ____________________ versus ______________________ (Rom 13:4).(Part II) Balance __________ and ____________ (Lev 13:1-3).Lesson 4: Quarantining ______ ______________ occurred in Scripture (Lev 13:4-6; Psa 91:6).Lesson 5: We submit because we __________ ______ (1 Pet 2:21-23, 3:5; Psa 20:7).



Family Worship Guide for Everyone Be Subject to the Governing Authorities (Romans 13:1)



Day 1: Read Rom 13:1-2; 1 Pet 2:13; Titus 3:1, and discuss: What other relationships involve submission? What application does our submission in these relationships have to our submission to government? Who was emperor when Paul and Peter told Christians to submit to authority? Why does resisting authority mean we’re resisting God? Why does Paul say the government is for our good?Day 2: Read Lev 13:1-3, Psalm 91:6 and discuss: Why are all of us tempted to think emotionally about the quarantine versus biblically? As Americans and Christians, discuss the two “laws” over us (the Constitution and the Bible) and our relationships to them. What does it mean to balance faith and wisdom? Come up with some examples of what it looks like to combine faith with wisdom, and faith with foolishness (i.e. “I let my kids play in the road, because I trust God to protect them”).Day 3: Read Lev 13:4-6; 1 Pet 2:21-23, 3:5; Psa 20:7, and discuss: In the Old Testament, why were people quarantined even when they were healthy? What application do you see this having for our current situation? Are you aware of any times in church history when Jews and/or Christians observed God’s cleansing commands and fared better than the rest of the population? How does faith help us submit, whether wives to husbands, Christ when He submitted, or us to government?Bonus: Read Leviticus 13-15 and look for the wisdom in the cleansing commands that were written 3,000 years before the medical community decided they were beneficial.



Sermon Notes for Let Everyone Be Subject to the Governing Authorities (Romans 13:1)

Two Wednesdays ago the leadership shared that at this time we feel led to submit to the government, and appeal through letters, praying, and fasting.

Last Sunday I began explaining why we came to this conclusion about submitting to government, and I’m continuing that explanation this morning.

Before we look at the verses let me remind you of the first lesson from last week…

Lesson 1: we don’t submit to sin.

I left this in your bulletins, so you don’t have this nagging question about how far submission to government extends. There is a point that we disobey, and I discussed that extensively in last week’s sermon.

But currently, we – the elders – don’t think we’ve reached this point, b/c we don’t think the government is telling us to sin. Later in this sermon I’ll share why I don’t believe the government is telling us to sin.

Let’s look at Romans 13:1…

Romans 13:1a Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.

This is similar to what we read last week in 1 Peter  2:13…

1 Peter 2:13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution

And it’s similar to Titus 3:1…

Titus 3:1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities

Titus was a pastor. When Paul told Titus to remind them, he meant, remind his congregation to be submissive to rulers and authorities.

The only reason I can imagine Paul telling Titus to give his congregation this reminder is we must be reminded to be submissive to rulers and authorities.

And if there’s any time that we probably most needed to be reminded of this, it’s when we don’t want to submit to the government…which makes this particularly fitting, b/c I can’t remember another time more people wanted to disobey government.

The Greek word for be subject or be submissive is hypotasso (pr: who-puh-toss-oh). It means “to obey,” which is why it’s translated as obey elsewhere in the NT…

For example, Titus 2:5 commands wives to obey their husbands…

Titus 2:5 (NKJV) 5 [wives should] be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient (hypotasso)to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

John MacArthur said, “The Greek word [for be subject] was used of a soldier’s absolute obedience to his superior officer. Scripture makes one exception to this command: when obedience to civil authority would require disobedience to God’s Word.”…or would require sinning, which is why we said we wouldn’t submit to sin.

Hypotasso (pr: who-puh-toss-oh) is the same Greek word used to command wives to submit to their husbands:

1 Peter  3:1 Likewise, wives, be subject (hypotasso)to your own husbandsEphesians 5:22 Wives, submit (hypotasso)to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

The reason I mention this is the same word commanding wives to submit to their husbands is…

To be consistent, whatever we think it means to submit to government, we must also apply that to wives submitting to their husbands.

So if we say, “Well, I don’t think we need to submit to the government, I think we only need to show honor or respect,” then we must also say, “Well, I don’t think wives need to submit to their husbands, I think they only need to show honor or respect.”

Consider this verse…

Ephesians 5:24 Now as the church submits (hypotasso)to Christ, so also wives should submit (hypotasso)in everything to their husbands.

The marriage relationship is a picture of our relationships to Christ:

Christ is the husbandThe church is the wife

Wives are commanded to submit to their husbands the way we’re commanded to submit to Christ.

The reason I mention this is – again – to be consistent, whatever we think it means to submit to government, we must also apply that to our submission to Christ.

So if we say, “Well, I don’t think we need to submit to government, I think we only need to show government honor or respect,” then we must also say, “Well, I don’t think the church needs to submit to Christ, I think we only need to show Him honor and respect.”

Look at the next part of verse 1…

Romans 13:1b For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

The word For introduces the reason we should submit to governing authorities. Their authority is given by God.

Because God is sovereign – which is to say all authority belongs to Him – if people have authority, He gave it to them.

Listen to what Jesus said when He was before Pilate…

John 19:11 “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had BEEN GIVEN YOU FROM ABOVE.”

Pilate was an ungodly man. He turned Jesus over to be crucified. But Jesus made the point that even the authority he had was given by God.

This doesn’t mean that God is responsible for the sins of people in authority – they’re still responsible for their sins, such as murdering babies or perverting marriage – but it does mean the authority they abused came from God.

Let’s imagine something for a moment…

Imagine Paul wrote this when the Roman emperor at the time might not have been a Christian, but was at least a moral man.

What could we say?

“Well, Paul told them to submit, b/c the emperor was halfway decent. But we’re being told to submit to Governor Inslee and he’s way worse than the emperor in Paul’s day.”

Who was the emperor in Paul’s day?

Nero.

Over the last few weeks I’ve heard people say terrible things about Governor Inslee, usually to argue why we don’t need to submit to him. I’m not going to defend the governor, but I will say this…

Even if everything said about Governor Inslee was true, Nero would still be ten times worse….yet Paul still commanded believers to submit to his authority.

Since all authority is given by God, to resist authority is to resist God.

Look at the next verse…

Romans 13:2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

We’re resisting God when we resist the authority over us b/c He’s the One who put the authority over us…and this brings us to Lesson 2…

Lesson 2: resisting authority is resisting God.

You could say, “I don’t like your interpretation of the verse.”

I didn’t interpret the verse. I read it.

I don’t know how anyone could read these words without acknowledging that resisting the government is resisting what God has appointed…b/c that’s what the verse says.

John MacArthur said, “Since all government is God-ordained, disobedience is rebellion against God.”

Rhea has gotten old enough that sometimes we put her in charge. We tell the kids, “If you disobey her, it’s like you’re disobeying us.”

Why?

Because we gave her some of our authority.

Similarly, God put governments in charge, and when we resist them, we resist Him b/c He gave them some of His authority.

And let me tell you why I’m trying to make this clear…

It’s not b/c I’m trying to upset anyone:

I don’t have an agendaI don’t have an ax to grindI don’t even want to tell you this:I want to disobeyI want to preach to a full churchI want to see all of you again

But…

I care about you and the verse says those who resist [authority] will incur judgment:

I don’t want to bring judgment on myselfI don’t want to bring judgment on my familyI don’t want to bring judgment on my church

One thing I’ve heard many times throughout this situation is that:

We shouldn’t fear the virusWe should only fear God

Agreed!

And it’s my fear of God that makes me want to obey this verse and avoid judgment…and help you avoid judgment.

We often talk about a biblical worldview:

We say we want a biblical worldviewWe say we want to raise our church to have biblical worldviews

What does it mean to have a biblical worldview?

It means to look at the world around us – the people, decisions, events, and circumstances – and interpret them through the pages of Scripture.

But this is particularly difficult to do during this season, b/c of the emotions involved…and this brings us to Lesson 3…

Lesson 3: we must (part 1) think biblically versus emotionally.

The quarantine has become very emotionally charged for good reason:

Our lives have been changed dramaticallyWe know the quarantine negatively affects people financially, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually…in that we can’t be w/ our brothers and sisters in ChristWe might not know anyone personally who has the Coronavirus, but we know plenty of people personally affected by the quarantine…b/c it’s affecting everyone

We’re told:

We can’t see loved onesWe can’t worship the way we wantSome people are told they can’t work

When our freedoms are affected this dramatically we – understandably – begin asking whether the government has the authority to do this.

Now based on this lesson, how should we evaluate what the government is doing?

With our emotions…or with Scripture?

If we want to have a biblical worldview – which I believe we do – we must set our feelings and emotions aside, and interpret what we’re seeing through Scripture.

And we need to do something else…

I’ve heard many Christians recently talking about the Constitution and what is and isn’t constitutional. I understand that b/c as American citizens, this is the law for our country, so it should definitely be taken into consideration.

And if you’re an American first, and a Christian second, then here’s the approach you should take:

You should study the Constitution and quote Articles and Sections from itYou should interpret the world around you through the pages of the ConstitutionYou should figure out what the Constitution says and do your best to hold to it

But…

If you’re a Christian first, and an American second:

You should be thankful for your American citizenship…You should be thankful for the Constitution

But:

You’re more thankful for your citizenship in heavenYou’re more thankful for the Word of God

So you take this approach:

You study the Bible and quote chapters and verses of itYou interpret the world around you through the pages of the BibleYou figure out what the Bible says and do your best to hold to it

As wonderful of a document as the Constitution is – and I do think it’s wonderful – I would like to think that the people I pastor would say even the Constitution is NOT the final authority for them…even on government.

Since Romans 13:1 says all authority comes from God, we should answer our questions about the government’s authority by looking to Scripture:

Scripture defines the government’s role for usScripture defines the range and limitations of the government’s authority

In other words, we can look to Scripture to see what the government should and shouldn’t do.

With that in mind, look down at verse 4…

Romans 13:4 for he (this is the government) is God’s servant for your good.

God established government b/c:

We’re sinful…We can’t govern ourselves…Without human government:We’d have anarchy and lawlessnessWe’d have Lord of the Flies

Therefore, government is for our good.

But let me point out the obvious, nagging argument…

Sometimes governments do not act for [our] good:

Sometimes governments act for their own goodSometimes governments act absolutely wickedly

We could have an entire sermon – or sermon series – on all the evils governments have done.

So the question is…

How do we know when the government is acting for good…or acting for evil?

Based on our lesson, we interpret the government’s actions through the pages of Scripture.

And here’s the question we’re all wrestling with…

Is the quarantine for our good?

Let’s look at Scripture to see.

Please turn to Leviticus 13…third book of the Bible…Gen, Exo, Lev.

These first verses are about infected people…

Leviticus 13:1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a case of leprous disease on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests,

Although many of your Bibles say leprous disease there’s an asterisk, b/c it’s referring to anything infectious or contagious.

Leviticus 13:3 and the priest shall examine the diseased area on the skin of his body. And if the hair in the diseased area has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a case of leprous disease. When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean.

There’s no question that these people were infected.

Then:

They were isolated, or quarantined, and kept outside the campThey were kept away from the religious life of the nation.

Interestingly, this has similarities w/ our current situation:

We’re isolated from our brothers and sisters in ChristWith the church doors closed, we feel kept away from our religious lives

Let me address a common argument I’ve heard, and I want to say very clearly, that I think it’s reasonable…

“We should open the church doors b/c we have faith. By keeping the church doors closed, we’re being fearful, and faithless.”

These verses reveal the wisdom God wants applied…and this brings us to the next part of Lesson 3…

Lesson 3: we must (part 2) balance faith and wisdom.

Here’s what I mean…

Imagine parents who say, “We let our children play in the road, b/c we have faith God will protect them.”We wouldn’t say these parents have faith.We would say they’re foolish.Imagine people who say, “I don’t lock my doors at night, b/c I have faith God will protect me.”We wouldn’t say these people have faith.We’d say they’re foolish.Imagine people who say, “I need a job, but I just sit at home instead of looking for one, b/c I have faith God will provide one.”We wouldn’t say these people have faith.We would say they’re foolish…and lazy.

The point is…

It’s not just an issue of having faith versus lacking faith. It’s also an issue of being wise versus being foolish.

And as Christians, we should always choose the path of faith AND wisdom…and that’s what God demonstrates in these verses in Leviticus.

Notice He didn’t tell His people:

“You should keep the infected people in your midst and have faith that I’ll protect you.”“If you remove the infected people you’re acting in fear, and I’ve told you not to fear.”“If you trust Me, you won’t be afraid of getting infected…and if you get infected, simply trust that was my will.”

Instead, God wanted them to apply wisdom to the situation and take certain steps.

This is why…

In some parts of the nation when the weather gets particularly bad b/c of snowstorms or icy roads:

Churches close their doorsAnd even if the church is left open, some people decide to stay home

I don’t condemn these churches or people:

I don’t say, “They’re disobeying God. They’re fearful and lacking faith.”Instead, this is what the path of faith and wisdom looks like for them.

Similarly, some people in our church have said that if the government allowed us to open our doors, they would still watch the live stream at home and return at a later time.

As much as I would love to have these people at church, I wouldn’t condemn them and say, “They’re fearful and lacking faith.” Instead, this is what the path of faith and wisdom looks like for them.

Think about this…

Leviticus contains some commands for radical cleansing that were very difficult to obey…such as tearing down people’s homes!

Old and New Testament saints had had to embrace these commands by faith, b/c they had no knowledge of bacteria, viruses, and germs…and that was the case for millenniums until the invention of the microscope.

But when – by faith – they applied the wisdom from these commands, they benefited.

For example…

The Black Plague, also known as the Bubonic Plague, peaked around 1350, and killed up to 200 million people.

The Jews in Europe followed the cleansing commands in Leviticus. They:

Washed away germs…before they understood germsPracticed sanitationDestroyed clothing and itemsAnd practiced the quarantine commands that we’re reading about

By faith, they applied the wisdom in God’s Word…and they didn’t experience the same suffering, sickness, and death as the rest of the population.

Now here’s where this gets very interesting…

The main argument against the government’s actions sounds like this…

“The government is quarantining healthy people, but God only wanted sick people quarantined.”

The problem is, that’s not true.

Notice the first word of verse 4 is the word But – which is a word of contrast – b/c we’re moving from discussing infected people to discussing people who might be infected…or might not be healthy.

Look at verse 4…

Leviticus 13:4 But if the spot is white in the skin of his body and appears no deeper than the skin (which simply means someone has a mark that might be something or it might be nothing…it might be leprosy or it might just be a mark), and the hair in it has not turned white (which means they DON’T have the common sign of leprosy), the priest shall shut up the diseased person (it says diseased but it simply means the person w/ the mark) for seven days (even though there might not be anything wrong w/ them). 5 And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day, and if in his eyes the disease is checked and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the priest shall shut him up FOR ANOTHER SEVEN DAYS (poor guy is going on his 14th day of quarantine when there might not be anything wrong w/ him !). 6 And the priest shall examine him again on the seventh day (or the seventh day of the second seven week of quarantine, or the 14th day), and if the diseased area has faded and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only an eruption. And he shall wash his clothes and be clean (and then he can finally return to the people).

This is important…

These people were quarantined when there was only the possibility that they were infected…they could’ve been completely healthy…but they’re quarantined anyway.

I know some of you have John MacArthur Study Bibles. Let me read what he wrote on verse 2, and I could read plenty of other commentaries saying something similar…

“The symptoms described in verses 2, 6, 10, 18, 30 and 39 are not sufficient for a diagnosis of the clinical condition. For the protection of the people, observation and isolation were demanded for all SUSPECTED cases of what could be a contagious disease.”

In other words, if there was suspicion, or potential for infection, they were quarantined – even if they were healthy – b/c according to God, it’s better to error on the side of caution – or wisdom – than to allow an entire nation to become infected.

And this brings us to Lesson 4…

Lesson 4: quarantining the healthy occurred in scripture.

The White House put together their Coronavirus Task Force. I jokingly told Katie we could’ve saved a lot of time and money if the president would’ve had a Bible study on Leviticus 13-15.

It’s nice to see the recommendations the Task Force made to flatten the curve, but God said the same things to His people 3,500 year ago.

Some Christians are objecting to the quarantine, b/c they believe only those w/ confirmed infections should be quarantined. But:

That’s not the case in Scripture.That’s not the wisdom God shared w/ His people

Please hear me when I say this…

God gave Israel’s leaders the authority to quarantine based on suspicion and concern, and when I see God give Israel’s leaders the authority to do something I’m not going to object to our leaders doing something similar.

I understand this isn’t a perfect correlation…

You might be saying, “Okay, Pastor Scott it might be reasonable to put people outside the camp, but we’re all being put outside the camp, b/c we’re all being quarantined.”

I get it, but b/c of the circumstances, I don’t see a way around it:

Israel could look for skin diseases on peopleWe can’t look for the Coronavirus, b/c people can be infected and show no symptoms…but still infect others

Consider this verse…

Psalm 91:6 The pestilence that stalks in darkness.

This is a fitting way to describe the Coronavirus. It spreads invisibly and silently.

I know this is hard for people to hear, and I will be the first person to say it’s hard for understandable reasons…

Our government has a history of…

Overstepping their boundariesIntruding into the jurisdiction of the family and the church

So I understand why there’s suspicion when the government imposes on our freedom…and this quarantine has affected our freedom more than anything we’ve ever seen before.

But I also understand that we have a moral and spiritual responsibility to evaluate every situation according to its own merits…and as we look at this situation biblically, we see the quarantine having biblical support.

We might disagree w/:

The quarantine’s effectiveness…Whether it should be lifted…Whether it’s become worse than the virus itself

But we can’t argue that there’s no biblical precedent.

Now please hear me when I say this…

If I’m going to draw a line in the sand and tell my church:

“We will not do this. The government is way out of line.”I’m going to do that with:Murdering babiesDestroying biblical marriageAccumulating trillions in debtCreating a welfare start…Stealing from people through socialism…

All things the Bible condemns.

But I’m not going to do that w/ something – like the quarantine – that looks so much like something God told His people to do in the Old Testament.

And why is that?

Since:

Romans 13:2 says Whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.And since submission to government is commanded so clearly in Romans 13, 1 Peter  2, and Titus 3…

It is a very serious thing to lead the church to disobey the government, and I’m only going to do that when there’s clear conflict w/ God’s Word.

Now I need to address something else…

Jeff Durbin is the pastor of Apologia Church. I highly doubt that Jeff knows who I am, but I know who he is:

I have been blessed by his ministryI love watching his street evangelismI have been challenged – and convicted – by all he’s done to fight against the murder of babies…and recognize I would do well to follow his example

He preached a popular message titled, “Sermon to the Governor of Arizona.”

Considering he’s preaching that we should do the opposite of what I’m preaching, I feel obligated to share a few points…

He said…

“We will submit to civil government when it agrees w/ God’s Word. We will disobey civil government when it conflicts w/ God’s Word.”

I agree w/ this statement.

But when the civil government is telling us to do something that’s very similar to what God told Israel’s leaders to do, that’s not conflicting w/ God’s Word…that’s agreeing w/ it.

Last week and this week I said we submit to authority unless we’re called to sin, and I’m not going to say our government is telling us to sin when there’s precedent for their actions in Scripture.

Jeff also said…

“If you read your Bible just a little bit you’d know all the heroes in the Bible resisted authority.”

This is completely untrue.

Next week we’ll look at a few of the accounts that demonstrate godly people in Scripture typically appealed to authority – versus resisted – which is what led us – as elders – to want to appeal.

I don’t have time to discuss everything Jeff said, but if I was going to summarize his message in a sentence it would be this…

“I am not going to submit, b/c I disagree.”

Here’s the big problem w/ this argument…

Submission is in place entirely for when we don’t agree. If we agreed we wouldn’t have to submit.

So the question isn’t, “Do we agree w/ the government.” The question is…

“Is the government telling us to sin?”

I would say, “No.” Then we’re expected to submit.

Now let me share something else…

Because of some of the things we’ve discussed, such as:

Governments overstepping their bounds…Governments doing evil things…

I understand people saying:

I have trouble submitting to the government, b/c I don’t trust them.It would be easier for me to submit to the government if I could trust them.I do trust God…I just don’t trust the government.

But this is what I’d say…

We’re never expected to submit to people b/c we trust them. We’re expected to submit b/c we trust God…and this brings us to Lesson 5…

Lesson 5: we submit because we trust god.

I hope this sermon and last Sunday’s sermon conclude w/ two important points about submission:

Last week I said when we submit, we’re submitting to God, since He’s the One who commands us to submit.This week I’m saying when we submit, we’re submitting b/c we trust God, since He’s the One who commands us to submit

Let me give you some verses that make this point…

When Peter wrote about Jesus’ submission in 1 Peter 2, he said Jesus sets an example for us…and part of His example in submission was trusting God…

1 Peter  2:21 For TO THIS YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED, because Christ also suffered for you, LEAVING YOU AN EXAMPLE, so that you might FOLLOW IN HIS STEPS. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued ENTRUSTING HIMSELF TO HIM WHO JUDGES JUSTLY (referring to His Father).

So Jesus set an example for us in His submission, and how was He able to submit?

By trusting His Father.

One chapter later, Peter discusses wives submitting to their husbands, and listen to what he says…

1 Peter 3:5 (NKJV) For in this manner, in former times, the holy women WHO TRUSTED IN GOD also adorned themselves, BEING SUBMISSIVE TO THEIR OWN HUSBANDS, 

Why did these holy women submit to their husbands?

Because they trusted their husbands?Because their husbands were perfect?

No, b/c they trusted God.

So let me be perfectly clear…

I’m not telling you to submit to the government by I trust themI’m telling you to submit to the government b/c you trust God…and b/c the government isn’t telling us to sin…they’re telling us to do something that looks like God told His people to do

And let me be clear about something else…

I don’t have any illusions about how these sermons sound to some…

I know what would sound heroic, faith-filled, and courageous is something like this: “Let’s defy the government. Let’s throw open the doors of our church. Who do they think they are?”I know the sermons I’m preaching sound cowardly, and faithless to some: “Submit to government, if you resist the government you’re resisting God.”

My point in sharing this is two-fold…

First, I want you to know I don’t like what I’m preaching. I don’t want anyone saying, “Pastor Scott says all this, b/c he loves our government.”

I’ve never preached any sermons in my life that I dreaded more than these. I know this isn’t popular. Every Sunday it’s like, “How many people are going to be upset this week?”

I’m not complaining. I’m just being honest.

The other reason I share this is simply to point out that…

I must trust God too, not just regarding submitting to authority, but regarding preaching the sermons that command us to submit to authority.

Let me close w/ this, which encourages me, and hopefully encourages you too…

1 Peter 2:23 says Jesus [entrusted] Himself to Him who judges justly.

The word for entrusted means, “to give into the hands of another.”

It’s the same word used in John 19:16 when it says [Pilate] delivered [Jesus] over to [the Jews] to be crucified….or put Him in their hands.

The word for delivered is the same word for entrusted.

The point is, just like Pilate put Jesus’ in the Jews’ hands, at the same time, Jesus was putting Himself in His Father’s hands.

Let’s let this be an example…

My encouragement for each of you – and for myself – is this…

Submit by putting yourself in the Father’s hands.

Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Let’s pray.

Learn to Trust God and Walk by Faith – Legacy by Design Interview

Christina Mangino interviews Pastor Scott LaPierre for the Legacy by Design show to help listeners learn to trust God and walk by faith.

Receive a FREE copy of Scott’s book,  Seven Biblical Insights for Healthy, Joyful, Christ-Centered Marriages .Visit Scott’s speaking page for conference and speaking information, including testimonies, endorsements, and contact info.





Christina Mangino interviews Pastor Scott LaPierre for the Legacy by Design show to help listeners learn to trust God and walk by faith.

Enjoy work, rest, and family as God intended. As a pastor, husband, and blessed father of eight, Scott LaPierre shares his wisdom of what successful marriages and families do differently: they walk by faith, trust God and do what He says.

When we think of walking by faith, our minds probably go to missionaries going overseas to serve in Third World countries or taking on some ministry that terrifies us. But in our day-to-day lives trusting God simply means putting our lives in his hands, letting him lead the way, and trusting that he is bringing about best end as we strive to be faithful. A good approach to the Christian life on this side of heaven is going through each day doing the things God wants us to do while trusting him to pick up the tab.

Pastor Scott shares some examples from his life about when God opened and closed doors for him to direct his steps. But he still had to go through those doors, which means he had to trust God and walk by faith. He didn’t know what was on the other side or how things would go for him in the future.

Pastor Scott explains that part of leading your family is leading them to do things they don’t want to do. Legacy by Design Do you desire a deeper relationship with your family? Make an intention to connect and just be together. You can only leave a legacy you’re LIVING.

Connecting families,
Christina Mangino

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This post is taken from my book, Work and Rest God’s Way, and the accompanying Family Guide. Get your copy today!

The Importance of Family Worship – Deuteronomy 6:7 You Shall Teach Them Diligently to Your Children

The importance of family worship is in the Old and New Testaments. Since families are at home together because of the Coronavirus, Pastor Scott recorded his family worship, modeling for other families what they can easily do too. The video includes them coming together at the table, singing worship songs, reading the Bible together, and praying for some requests.

You can jump to 5:50 if you want to see when we actually begin, but he left the first few minutes because he wanted it to be real. You can see how messy and loud the LaPierre family home is, even minutes before (and then during) family worship.

The importance of family worship is in the Old and New Testaments. Pastor Scott recorded his family worship, modeling for other families.



I discuss the importance of family worship at Marriage God’s Way Conferences. Have a Marriage God’s Way Conference in the privacy of your own home. Download and print the handout that’s given to attendees.Receive a FREE copy of my book,  Seven Biblical Insights for Healthy, Joyful, Christ-Centered Marriages .Visit my speaking page for conference and speaking information, including testimonies, endorsements, and contact info.



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The material from this post is taken from my book, Marriage God’s Way, and the discussion questions from the accompanying workbook. Get your copies today!

Table of ContentsNotes for the Importance of Family WorshipDeuteronomy 6:7a You shall teach them diligently to your children,Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.Genesis 18:19 (God said), “I have chosen him, that he may (direct) his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”Deuteronomy 6:7b and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.Deuteronomy 6:8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.Deuteronomy 6:9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.



Notes for the Importance of Family Worship

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

The question isn’t, “Is God doing something good through this season of lockdown?” The question is, “What is the good God is doing through the Coronavirus?”

What do you think?

In a recent sermon I shared that we’re the busiest people. We work more hours per week than any other nation. This makes it harder for families to spend time together.

God has dramatically slowed us down, and put us together.

We had a ministerial it our church yesterday and two pastors observed how this can be a wonderful blessing.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics the average number of hours in a public school day is 6.64, and this doesn’t include the time spent walking, driving, or riding the bus to and from school. The average number of school days per year is 180, which adds up to a little under 1,200 hours per year. This means by the time public school students graduate high school they have spent over 15,500 hours away from their parents.

How are we using this time?

We’re jumping into the Book of Deuteronomy. Who wants to tell me what this book is about?

Deuteronomy 6:1 “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.

Where had these commands been written?

Deuteronomy 6:7a You shall teach them diligently to your children,

When it says You, who is it referring to?

The “You” is parents.

While I think some people might think the church is responsible with teaching children spiritually, God’s Word puts that responsibility on the parents’ shoulders.

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

This verse is interesting because understandably with fathers working, mothers perform most of the teaching; therefore, how do we obey this verse? While mothers might deal with much of the day-to-day academics, it seems much of the (spiritual) training and admonition rests on the father’s shoulders.

I don’t get to sit back and say:

Mommy will do itShe has it under controlWhatever you need to learn about the Bible you can learn from herI’m too busy working to worry about teaching my children.



Genesis 18:19 (God said), “I have chosen him, that he may (direct) his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

This is exactly what God could say to every father: He has chosen (us) as fathers. He wants us to direct our children and our households that we may keep them in the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice.

Deuteronomy 6:7b and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

And this teaching is supposed to go on all the time, when you:

Sit in your house…Walk by the way…Lie down…Rise up. 

When I taught elementary school as soon as the bell rang I sent students home for the day, but as homeschooling parents educating is never done. God wants us teaching and discipling our children around the clock, every day, all day.

When I was an officer in the Army they told us, “You always have to have a hip-pocket teaching available.” Our uniforms had large pockets on our hips, and the idea is we had to have a teaching we could pull out at any moment to share with the soldiers.

So Mommy and I are supposed to look for teachable moments throughout the day.

What are some Bible topics that come up throughout the day for us to teach on w/ you?

Forgiveness, generosity, service, joy, appreciating God’s creation, etc.

As our children encounter day-to-day situations, we want to regularly say:

What does the Bible say about this?What does God’s Word tell us about this situation?How should Scripture direct our thinking regarding this decision?

You can tell that for Christian families, God expects the Word to be at the center.

When I used to be really into fitness, there was a big debate about cardio and the best time for it to take place. I think most people would say the most important thing is that it takes place.

The same w/ family worship.

While I might prepare messages in the future, for this study I deliberately didn’t prepare a message, b/c I wanted it to resemble our family worship as much as possible.

One good thing w/ the Coronavirus is it’s allowed many families to be together for parents to do this!

Deuteronomy 6:8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

The Jews took this literally. By Jesus’ day they made boxes for the verses called phylacteries.

I don’t take this literally, but I do think it means God’s Word should be always before us.

Deuteronomy 6:9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

And God’s Word should be around our homes. Hopefully we’re always seeing it.

When I taught elementary school, I found the teachers I worked with to be hardworking, and genuinely concerned about their students. They taught their students important academics, and they’re moral people who also taught an amount of character. In classrooms across the nation students learn important subjects like math, reading, writing, science, etc. as well as important morals: do not lie, cheat, steal, be kind, etc.

So what homeschooling parents need to consider is if we don’t move beyond teaching our children academics and morality, we’re not moving beyond anything public schools teach.

We need to make sure we’re teaching the Word of God and preaching the Gospel to you.

Practical application…

For husbands:One of the men in our church taught at one of our men’s breakfasts that we make two mistakes w/ family worship: we think too little or too much of it.Don’t have to prepare a sermon for it: the right balance, something you’re familiar with, but you don’t need to prepare a sermonThe power is in God’s Word to sanctify and cleanse your families For wives:Support, encourage, and respect your husbandYour husband doesn’t get to study God’s Word for a livingKatie does a great job supporting me w/ the kids and arranging her scheduleFor children:Be attentiveAsk questionsThank your father

While I choose portions of Scripture for our family Bible studies that I’m familiar with, I don’t develop in entire message.

Five Wonderful Examples of God’s Compassion

James 5:11 says, “You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” The Bible contains several accounts that depict God’s compassion and mercy… 1. Manasseh, King of Judah The wickedest king in the Old Testament. It seemed like there was no […]

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Communication in Marriage-God’s Way

What does it mean to, “communicate in marriage, God’s way?” What does it truly, and deeply mean? Why does communication in marriage matter? How does communicating in marriage, in the way God, the creator of all intended, solve many communication problems in marriage? If getting the answers to any of those questions to appeal to […]

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How to Talk With Your Kids About Drugs and Alcohol Using a Religious Perspective

There will come a time as a parent when you will have to talk to your children about the dangers of using drugs and alcohol. You might wonder how to approach this subject if you’re living in a religious household. But there are tips for talking with your kids about substance abuse that use religious […]

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Is Work a Blessing or a Curse?

Most of us probably feel like we could have a good argument with ourselves about whether work is a blessing or a curse. Bob Black, an American anarchist and author, wrote in his essay, The Abolition of Work: No one should ever work. Work is the source of nearly all the misery in the world. […]

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Work and Rest God’s Way Foreword and Introduction

Work and Rest God’s Way was recently published. My friend, Israel Wayne, wrote the foreword… Foreword for Work and Rest God’s Way “No one likes doing more than they absolutely must.” As my fourteen-year-old son shared this sentiment with me my mind flashed back to when I was his age. As I engaged him, I […]

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Foreword for Work and Rest God’s Way

My friend, Israel Wayne is an author, conference speaker, and director of Family Renewal, LLC. He wrote the foreword for Work and Rest God’s Way. Foreword “No one likes doing more than they absolutely must.” As my fourteen-year-old son shared this sentiment with me my mind flashed back to when I was his age. As […]

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Signing with Harvest House Publishers

In October 2019 I took my first step toward traditional publishing when I signed with The Blythe Daniel Agency. Now I’ve taken another step by signing with Harvest House Publishers. Let me back up to the beginning of this journey. Preaching to Publishing When I started in ministry at Grace Baptist, the senior pastor had […]

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