Thankfulness for Public Servants

God is indeed our mighty fortress and our God who assists us to proclaim, to spread through all the earth abroad the honor of his name – amen! So thankful for the worship as well as the opportunity to once again open up the pages of life to you today. I hope His Word brings spiritual refreshment to your soul.

How does the Word of God compass followers of Christ in giving honor to whom honor is due? If you were to turn to, say, the book of Romans 13:7, you would see that Paul outlined for God’s people the church’s obligation toward public servants, to which Paul had written to

Romans 13:7 “Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.” (stop)

Note that this is not something we volunteer for – this is not something we decide to do one day and not another - it is something that is “rendered” to someone else reinforced by the key word “due”

Opheile – refers to a person’s duty or indebtedness.

But to summarize Paul’s overall point it would be this: All followers of Jesus Christ have an obligation – a duty – an indebtedness to give honor to whom honor is due and to render to public servants that which is due them because of the position God has placed them in society, whether we like them or not.

If I may, and for purposes for what we will be observing today, I want to narrow the scope of rendering honor to a custom we have in our society – that is, to give honor to our public servants.

But let’s frame this for our topic for today - Thankfulness for Public Servants

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Remembers those who have died in service for our country] So then, as far as it depends on us, Memorial Day is a day we have opportunity to pray for those families who have lost loved ones who have served our nation, and we can only hope and pray that tomorrow will be a meaningful day for them.

But even better, that if per chance, they have not yet experienced the grace of salvation in Christ alone, that the Lord would grant that to these families so the Lord would graciously shoulder up this meaningful day for them as these families suffer the loss of someone they love.

Broadly speaking – our public servants should mean a lot to us in this country.

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They are appointed by the state and government to serve the people of this country, services which be a thankless job no doubt by some – but that ought not be the case because we understand that it is God who has ultimately appointed them.

For this reason, I want to highlight for us today 3 opportunities every follower of Jesus should be thankful for while living as a citizen

I. The opportunity to pray for our public servants (vv. 1-2)

In a variety of ways (v.1)

Notice the emphasis Paul placed on verse 1 – “First all.” He then goes on to stress or emphasize to young pastor Timothy that an essential part of public worship in a local church is prayer. We are a praying church. We don’t just pray for one another – the scope to which Paul places lay emphasis “on behalf of all men.” (v.1b)

That is to say, my friends – we are to lay at the feet of our God…prayers – not only for His people, but even those who are not with the hope that our Lord would grant to them the grace of salvation

Paul would go on to describe 4 elements under the umbrella of prayer – mark what he says in verse 1

1. Entreaties. Deēsis – lit. “to be in want” An entreaty is a prayer of need. That’s essentially what prayer is, my friends. God wants us to bring our prayer requests to Him. He not only hears our prayers, he hears our entreaties on behalf of others whom Paul urged the church to pray for (e.g. Titus 2:11)
2. Prayers. Proseuché – refers to prayers in general, whether private of public, directed toward God. Paul has in mind here the idea of public prayer (e.g. 2 Corinthians 4:15; Matt. 6:8b – the Lord already knows one’s needs before we ask, yet we are still called to pray to Him)
3. Petitions. Enteuxis - Lit. “Intervention”, speaks primarily of Christ and the Spirit’s intercession in the life of a believer.

In other words, when we make a petition, we are asking for the Lord’s direct intervention in a person’s life. “Lord, have compassion” “Lord, save my father or mother”, “Lord, help us with this or with that…etc.”

John MacArthur: “Evangelistic prayer is not cold, detached, or impersonal, like a public defender assigned to represent a defendant. Understanding the depths of their misery and pain, and their coming doom, we cry to God for the salvation of sinners.” (MacArthur Commentary on 1 Timothy, p. 62).

1. Thanksgivings. This should be self-explanatory for virtually every follower of Christ.

Giving thanks ought to be the warp and woof of the Christian life.

When we make our prayers known to the God of our salvation, we are thanking him for hearing our petitions – we thank him for hearing our entreaties – we thank him for hearing our prayers, knowing the depth to which we owe to our God for all that he has accomplished for his people and for His glory.

Transition. So then, my friends we are to be in prayer, with “supplication with thanksgiving let [our] requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

We don’t just pray for ourselves and our circumstances, there’s is an urgent need to pray for…

For all of our leaders (v.2)

Verse 2 narrows the scope to

Verse 2 “…to kings and all who are in authority.” (stop)

Paul has in mind…Public Servants – the “governing authorities” of Romans 13 that exist because they are appointed and “established by God.”

The Apostle Peter underscored what is perhaps one the primary purposes of public servants, which is to

“punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.” (1 Peter 2:14)

Why else would Paul place such an urgent emphasis of prayer upon these public officials? And the answer lies in this way: if we don’t pray for them, my friends – if we are not making intercession for our public officials, they are prime pickings for the prince of power of air to manipulate and to deceive and to promote legislation that do not promote that which is good upon a society, you see?

Can you at-least see why Paul is instructing young pastor Timothy to lead the church to pray for those who serve as public servants? If all the areas to be divided over – it is in the arena of politics! All the more reason to soak our public servants in prayer. All the more reason to soak our hearts in prayer as well, especially as we interact with one another over issues of politics.

John MacArthur “If the church today took the time and energy it spends on political maneuvering and lobbying and poured them into intercessory prayer, we might see a profound impact on our nation. We have all too often forgotten that “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses” (2 Cor. 10:4). The key to changing a nation is the salvation of sinners, and that calls for faithful prayer” (MacArthur Commentary: 1 Timothy, p. 64)

I want to read to you an excerpt from an early Christian writer named Theophilus. Note what he said about praying for our public servants

I will rather honour the king [than your gods], not, indeed, worshipping him, but praying for him. But God, the living and true God, I worship, knowing that the king is made by Him….You will say, then, to me, "Why do you not worship the king?" Because he is not made to be worshipped, but to be reverenced with lawful honour, for he is not a god, but a man appointed by God, not to be worshipped, but to judge justly. For in a kind of way his government is committed to him by God: as He will not have those called kings whom He has appointed under Himself; for "king" is his title, and it is not lawful for another to use it; so neither is it lawful for any to be worshipped but God only. Wherefore, O man, you are wholly in error. Accordingly, honour the king, be subject to him, and pray for him with loyal mind; for if you do this, you do the will of God. (Theophilus, “The King to be Honored, God to be Worshipped”, Biblehub.com)

Transition: Why the urgent need to pray our Public officials? Because, through prayer, we are afforded…

II. The opportunity to live a peaceful and godly life in this nation (v.2b)

We are to pray for those in authority…

Verse 2 “…so that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, in godliness and all dignity.”

This is the by-product of prayer. So far in our country, the Lord has allowed us to vote and to peaceably assemble for worship. By and large the church of Jesus Christ has certain inalienable rights to gather together to worship.

By and large, our rights have been upheld by Public Servants. Now, we know that may not be the case the way our country seems to be headed – that shouldn’t keep us from praying, right?

God has granted to us good measures of common grace such that the Gospel has free course in our society – that’s why I pray, that’s why I take action to vote because I can only hope that in doing so that I am voting for a party or a coalition of public servants that will closely approximate God’s design for government, as indicated in Romans 13.

I would avoid public servants that do not closely approximate God’s design for government, as indicated in Romans 13 because I know that if I did, then that be the opposite of what I am praying for, that would be the opposite of what I am lobbying for or to appoint said person over me - That would be the opposite of the upholding Romans 13, as much as I understand.

So far as it depends on me, I can only pray to live as Paul described in verse 2 a “quiet and peaceful life, in godliness and all dignity” – meaning, a life that reflects holy and moral conduct.

So far as it depends on me, I can only pray that God’s people will appoint men who will closely approximate enlightened Christian principles because that good and righteous legislation and policies have the potential to bring about common graces upon a nation and culture –

So far as it depends on me, I can only pray that loving my neighbor who doesn’t know Christ at all will benefit and see the grace of God because of Christian influence, regardless of whether they appreciate or not.

So far as It depends on me and you church, that we will be a people that reflect Gospel light such that our light shines before men “in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16).

That’s why I am learning to be thankful for public servants because even if I come across those whom I strongly oppose, even if I didn’t vote them into public office, they still bear the image of God in them, they still can perform some measure of moral good – why?

Because they too are made in God’s image – in that I am learning to be thankful for the little common graces we do have upon our society. Having a government is better than no government. Verse 2 also reflects that we are to live…

In a manner that is submissive to God’s appointed authorities

Just a footnote that bears attention – The Apostle is not talking about passivism – being so passive that you simply roll over and heel. If that were the case, the Apostle Paul would not have appealed to his Roman citizenship when he was being persecuted for his faith in Acts 22:25-29 – do you remember this?

Just as he was about to be scoured by the Romans, he said in

Acts 22:25-29 “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.” The commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” The commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I was actually born a citizen.” Therefore those who were about to examine him immediately let go of him; and the commander also was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had put him in chains.” – Acts 22:22-23

The Apostle was no pacifist – he demonstrated his rights under the law of Rome…

When the Jews tried to have Paul tried and killed, Paul knew that the religious Jews would not have given to him a faith trial, so what did he do? He appealed his case to Caesar of Rome and thus, exercised his rights as a roman citizen – so submission to the governing authorities doesn’t mean that followers of Christ are passive. Christians have God given rights, but we are not act like idiots such that we end up on TMZ news.

Christians are peacemakers, not pacifists – note what Paul said to young pastor Titus

Titus 3:1-3 “Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.”

This is what tranquility and quietness looks like (1) we are obedient/submissive, not passive, to our public servants (2) ready to do good, we don’t malign (3) we are gentle/meek and (4) considerate because we too at one point were unregenerate – we too were “enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.”

To summarize, we are to live

B. In a manner that is not given to endless controversy

C. In a manner that promotes godliness

That’s the point of the spear to verse 3

Verse 3 “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.”

This is what God accepts as good – that in our conduct as citizens reflects holiness among the people of God. So how are you doing with that, Christian? Or are you an unruly citizen of this country? If you are the latter ask yourself if your conduct to public servants is reflective of good and acceptable conduct.

Oh, by the way: What happened to Paul when he appealed his rights to Caesar? Caesar murdered him. According to tradition, Caesar had the Apostle Paul beheaded.

There are times, o follower of Christ, when even the authorities don’t obey their own legislation – so what do we do when that happens? We make our appeal to God. Once we do that, we suffer for the sake of righteousness and wait for our God to enact the proper judgment.

We are not to act as vigilantes – we don’t take the law into our own hands – we appeal to our God when our public servants fail and even persecute God’s people – But it is God who will repay (Romans 12:9).

III. The opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all people (vv. 4-7)

So now we come to the conclusion and heart of Paul’s reasoning for our conduct toward our public officials, but notably because they too are in need of salvation

Verses 4-7 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. ⁷ For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

(Explain to congregation)

A. Knowing that God desires all to be saved

(Explain to congregation)

B. Remembering that Jesus is the perfect Mediator

(Explain to congregation)

Close in prayer…