Living Under God’s Authority

I. All authority is from God. Psalm 103:19; Gen. 18:25; 2 Chron. 20:6; Dan 4:35. Therefore we ultimately obey God. However, God has placed certain human authorities over us. They are:

A. Secular Rulers-Rom. 13: 1-7; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:13-17

1. Christ taught and practiced this- Matt. 17:27; 22:21.

2. Paul practiced this- Acts 23:5.

3. Scripture speaks of the horror of rebellion- Eccl. 10:20; Jude 8; 2 Pet. 2:10-12.

B. Parents- Col. 3:20; Eph. 6:1,2; Prov. 1:8; 6:20; 15:20; 23:22; Ex. 20:12.

1. This includes honoring parents even when they are old-Matt. 15:3-6; 1 Tim. 5:4.

2. Jesus set the example- Luke 2:51; John 19:25, 26.

3. Disobedience or disrespect to parents is very bad- Deut. 27:16; 21:18-21; Rom. 1:30; 1 Tim. 3:2; 5:1,2.

C. Pastors- Phil. 2:29; 1 Thes. 5:12, 13; 1 Tim. 5: 17-19; Heb. 13: 7, 17.

1. God does not condone rebellion against His servants and will protect them- 2 Kings 2:23, 24; Is. 54:17.

D. Husbands- Eph. 5: 22-24; Col. 3:18; Titus 2:5; 1 Pet. 3: 1-6

E. Superiors at our places of employment- Eph. 6: 5-8; Col 3:22; Titus 2:9; 1 Tim. 6:1; 1 Pet. 2:18.

II. How do we obey?

A. Promptly- Gen. 6:22; Isaiah 6:8.

B. Completely.

1. Positive example- David. Acts 13:22.

2. Negative example- Saul-1 Sam. 15.

C. Cheerfully- Ps. 40:8.

D. From the heart-Rom. 6:17.

III. When do we obey?

In every case except when the authority over us asks us to do something which is contrary to God’s word. Even then we must not disobey in an arrogant and rebellious manner. Dan. 1:8-13; 3:13-18; 5:10.

IV. How important is it that we obey?

It is absolutely necessary that we obey. Disobedience brought sin into the world-Rom. 5:19.

A. God puts disobedience to parents in a context of terrible sins- Rom. 1:30; 2 Tim 3:2.

B. God will not accept our worship while we are in a state of disobedience- 1 Sam. 15:22; Is. 1: 10-17.

C. Others often suffer because of our disobedience- Josh. 7: 24-26.

D. Persistent disobedience, which is not repented of, is evidence of an unregenerate heart- 2 Thess. 1:8; Rom. 2:8.

V. What is the opposite of obedience? Looking at 1 Sam. 15:23, we see that the opposite is rebellion, witchcraft, iniquity, and idolatry! It is possible to get into such a state of self-deception that we do not even realize that we are in a state of disobedience- 2 Ti. 2: 24-26.

VI. What are some other terms the Bible uses which mean obedience?

“be subject”-Rom. 13:1; “submit”-1 Pet. 2:13; Eph. 5:22; “observe”- Matt. 28:20; “keep”- John 14:15.

VII. What will cause an individual to obey?

A. The fear of God- Gen. 39:9; Deut. 5:29; Eccl. 12:13; Col. 3:22.

B. The love of Gospel- John 14: 15, 21, 23, 24.

C. God’s chastisements- Psalm 199: 67. 71.