Clean Transcript

God's Preachers-The Enemies of the State

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• So I'm going to be preaching today on this subject. Listen carefully. God's preachers: the enemies of the state. First Kings chapter 21, beginning at verse 17: "And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria. Behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it." Of course, everyone knows that he had Naboth and his family murdered. "And thou shalt say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine." And Ahab said to Elijah, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" And he answered, "I have found thee, because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord." Now I want to deal mainly with verse 20 today. Note, and Ahab, who was the king, said to Elijah, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?"

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• And he answered, "I have found thee, because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord." Now, the interesting fact is that the term "enemy" upsets and bothers many Christians. And the answer as to why it bothers them is because they erroneously and unbiblically believe somehow that Christians, and especially preachers, should not have any enemies at all. In fact, the modern-day philosophy is this: that we're to love everyone at all times, regardless of what they do and regardless of their wickedness and their rebellion and their disobedience, and of course, their outright defiance of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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• But I'm going to show to you very quickly, even in the introduction, that that idea is totally false and totally wicked, because God Himself, who is the most holy, and I might add, the most loving being that ever was or ever will be, has enemies Himself. I want you to look in your Bibles, hold 1 Kings chapter 21. We're coming back there. But look in your Bibles to begin with, to Psalm 21. Psalm 21. Now, if holiness, if righteousness, if being a loving individual will keep you from having enemies, then God Himself should not have enemies. And yet the Scripture says in Psalm 21 and verse 8, note what the Bible says very plainly: "Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies. Thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee." So God has enemies. And God shall find them out and judge them. Look in Psalm 68 and verse 1. Psalm 68 and verse 1. Here the word of God says, "Let God arise. Let His enemies be scattered. Let them also that hate Him flee before Him."

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• Note, "Let God arise. Let His enemies be scattered." So God's holiness and God's righteousness and God's love does not keep Him from having enemies. There are individuals who hate and despise God just simply by virtue of the fact that God is God. Look down in verse 21 in the same psalm. Psalm 68 verse 21: "But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses." Verse 23: "That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same." Look in Psalm 92 and verse 9. Psalm 92 and verse 9. I could multiply these verses, but just enough to suffice to show you that there are enemies of God. Notice Psalm 92 and verse 9: "For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish. All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered." And then if you look in Psalm 110, verses 1 and 2. Psalm 110, verses 1 and 2. Look what the Father says to the Son.

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• Psalm 110, beginning there with verse 1: "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies." So it's very obvious that God has enemies. Let me go a step further. It's very clearly taught in the Bible that God's people have enemies. God's saints have enemies. In fact, the interesting thing is, as you read through the Bible, and especially even the Psalms, there are numerous prayer requests from the saints to be delivered from their enemies. If you'll look back in your Bibles to Psalm 58, we'll not take the time to read that entire Psalm, but it is replete there with an imprecatory prayer. In fact, let's begin reading there with verse 7. You ought to read the entire Psalm, but look in verse 7. Notice what the saints are praying here against their enemies and against the enemies of the Lord.

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• "Let them melt away as waters which run continually. When he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces. As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away, like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun. Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath."

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• "The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, so that a man shall say, Verily, there is a reward for the righteous. Verily, he is a God that judgeth the earth."

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• Now, skip down to Psalm 59, and let's read the first three verses. Notice David's prayer. "Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God. Defend me from them that rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity and save me from bloody men. For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Lord." So here are just two examples of the fact that saints do indeed have enemies. In fact, we have enemies simply by virtue of the fact that we have been saved by the grace of God. I want you to hold the book of Psalms, but turn over to John chapter 15, and let me show you that from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Himself. John chapter 15, and let's begin reading there with verse 18. John 15 and verse 18. Showing you that we have enemies just by virtue of the fact that we have been saved by the grace of God. John 15 verse 18, our Lord said, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you."

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• Now watch His explanation. "If you were of the world, the world would love his own. But because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you. The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also."

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• So it should come as no surprise then that we do have enemies as the people of God. It should come as no surprise that preachers have enemies.

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• Now, let me just go ahead and say this. It is true that we have enemies, but our enemies should not be those of our own making because of our own crankiness and because of our own wickedness and because of our own lack of friendliness. If we have enemies like that, it is because of our sin and our rebellion against God. But those who are enemies for righteousness' sake, those who are our enemies because we are biblical and holy and right and godly, that is not only understandable, that is also acceptable with God.

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• For instance, look in your Bibles to Psalm 139, and then we'll get back to 1 Kings chapter 21. But look in Psalm 139 and let's begin reading there with verse 19. Psalm 139, verse 19. Notice what the Psalmist says: "Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God. Depart from me, therefore, ye bloody men." He says, "I don't want to be around them. I don't want to have anything to do with them." Why? "For they speak against thee wickedly," that is, they're talking against God.

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• Note, "and thine enemies take thy name in vain." So we're talking about God's enemies now. Watch what David says. "Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred. I count them mine enemies."

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• Now, wait a minute before I go further. David says, "God, I hate those that hate you. I'm grieved with those that rise up against thee. And Lord, I count them mine enemies. If they're your enemy, God, they're my enemy." Now, to show you that David's attitude was right, and what he was praying was a righteous prayer, and his enunciations were righteous enunciations, look what he says in verse 23. After he gets through saying, "I hate them with a perfect hatred, I count them mine enemies," then he says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting."

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• So I want you to note, it is possible to have a holy hatred toward the enemies of God and still be exceedingly righteous before God and be acceptable before God. I heard a preacher on TV, and he was not preaching—I very seldom listen to preachers on TV—but this man was talking about another Christian pastor who was protesting abortions, and this one preacher said, "Well, we should not..."

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• "We should not center our focus on hate and opposition. We should center our focus on love, for God is love." Now, it is true, dear friend, that God is love. But let me tell you what that one preacher was doing, which is totally, absolutely unethical. He was elevating one attribute of God above all the others and saying this is the central attribute. This is what God is. It is true that God is love, but it's also true that God is just and God is righteous and God is angry with the wicked every day. And so, David says, it is quite possible to have a holy hatred against the enemies of God and still be righteous and acceptable with God.

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• Now, in order to understand the lesson today, I'm going to expound, Lord willing, 1 Kings chapter 21 and verse 20, because I told you the title of this message was "God's Preachers, the Enemies of the State." In order to understand how a preacher can be considered the enemy of the state, we must look at the context. Notice, if you would, in 1 Kings chapter 21 in verse 20, "And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" I want you to know, first of all, that this question originated with the civil ruler. The question originated with the king. And when the king asked this question, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" in asking that question, he was also issuing a declaration. And that declaration is a declaration of fact, that the king and the man of God were enemies. "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" What he was saying is this: "Elijah, we're enemies. We're on separate sides of the fence. Hostilities exist between us. There is a war going on."

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• Now, I want you to understand that King Ahab did not hesitate, nor did he try to conceal the fact that he considered God's prophet his avowed enemy. And by the way, the word "enemy" here is a very strong word. It's used often in the Old Testament. It's the word oyeb, and it literally means hating, adversary, foe, or enemy. I want to just show you two examples of how this word is used. I want you to look in your Bibles, hold 1 Kings 21, but go to the book of Judges chapter 16 and verse 23. I want you to see how strong a word the word "enemy" is.

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• It actually indicates a state of war and a state of hostilities. In the book of Judges, chapter 16 and verse 23, here's what the lords of the Philistines said concerning Samson. Watch. Judges 16, verse 23: "Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand." Would you like to tell me what Samson was doing to the Philistines? He was killing them. What were they trying to do to Samson? They were trying to kill him. Here is the same word, oyeb, it is an enemy, and he is saying here is a state of war, a state of hostility that is existing between the Philistines and Samson. Look in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 18. 1 Samuel chapter 18. And note, if you would please, verse 29. 1 Samuel 18 and verse 29. And I think you can see the same in this context. 1 Samuel 18, verse 29: "And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually."

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• Would you please tell me what Saul tried to do to David? He tried to kill him.

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• Now, the fact is this: the word "enemy" actually means enemy. It means there was an act of hostility, an act of war that existed. So Ahab then asked, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" Now what does the word "found" mean? Well, the Hebrew word is matsa, and it literally means to find, to meet with, or to be present. For instance, look in 1 Kings 20 and verse 36. 1 Kings 20 and verse 36.

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• Here is a prophet of God who did not obey the voice of the Lord, and a lion met him and killed him. So look in 1 Kings 20 and verse 36: "Then said he unto him," that is the old prophet unto the younger prophet, "Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him and slew him." What does the word "found" mean? It means the lion met him. The lion was right there to take care of business. So Ahab asked then, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?"

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• Now this question implies several truths. First of all, it implies that the king did not initiate, nor did he desire the confrontation. Let me put it another way. The king did not go out looking for Elijah. The king did not desire, nor did he initiate the confrontation. If he could have gotten away with his foul deeds, if he could have gotten away with the murder of Naboth and his family and the stealing of Naboth's property, he would have gladly have done so. Let me put it to you plainly.

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• Criminals do not like to be confronted with their criminal acts. Wicked people do not like to be confronted with their wickedness. And it makes them exceedingly angry and vindictive when they are confronted. All you have to do is witness the present administration to discover that fact. So the king, then, was not necessarily initiating or desiring this confrontation. But secondly, here's another truth to this question, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" The king expected to be confronted.

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• Although he did not initiate it or desire it, he knew that Elijah was on the prowl for him. He knew that Elijah was looking for him, and Elijah had found the perfect time and the perfect place to confront Ahab. Now, when he asked the question, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" it was not as if Elijah did not know where Ahab was. Very clearly he knew where he was. He knew where the palace was. He knew where Samaria was. He knew where Jerusalem was. He knew the geographical locations in that country.

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• But you see, the fact is this. Had Elijah gone to the palace, do you think he would have gotten in? Oh, no. Ahab would have been very, very protective of the palace. He would have made sure Elijah did not get in. But Elijah has now found Ahab not in the palace, but in Naboth's garden. So Elijah has him outside of the palace, outside of the safety zone that he had, and the question is asked, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" And what Elijah had done, he had caught the king off guard. Now here's a third implication to this question, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?"

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• That is, it is the duty of God's preachers to find out God's enemies, even his political enemies, and confront them. It is the duty of God's preachers to find out God's enemies, even in the political realm, and confront and rebuke them, even if they happen to be the highest civil ruler in the land. There is no such thing as an off-limits issue with God or his preachers.

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• In fact, let's look in 1 Kings 21, back in verse 17. Let me show you that it was God Himself who sent Elijah. Verse 17: "And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria. Behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it. And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine." So it was God who sent Elijah down there and said, "You go confront him, you go rebuke him, and you go tell him, I'm going to judge him, and I'll take his life, and just like the dogs licked the blood of Naboth, they're going to lick his blood." So, so far from preachers not being involved in confronting political rulers, God himself sent one to confront a political ruler.

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• Do not assume that preachers have no role in the political arena. They most certainly do. If I had the time today, we could look at Psalm 82. There, the preacher of the temple becomes the prophet of the court. And there, Asaph, the preacher of the temple, is rebuking the judges of the land and confronting them. One of our greatest failures, I might add, and when I'm talking about our greatest failures, I'm talking about the failures of preachers particularly. One of the greatest failures of preachers is the failure to confront our civil rulers with their wickedness and their sin and their rebellion.

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• You see, this country was founded upon that principle. You do not have to go far in history, nor do you have to look with great difficulty to find an election sermon. You know what an election sermon was? An election sermon took place in early America. Whenever anyone was elected to a political office, it was standard operating procedure for that elected official and his staff to sit in public before a preacher who preached to them on the duties that they owed to God and to their country and to the people. It was called an election sermon. And they were preached to. And when those same individuals rebelled against God, they were confronted by the same preachers who said, "We declare to you what God demanded of you."

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• Now I'll tell you something that's very astonishing to me. It is astonishing that there have been so few preachers that have cried out against Clinton and his administration and the present course of Congress. And I will tell you very plainly why Clinton was found not guilty in the Senate. Because most of them were guilty of exactly the same thing, and he knew it, and so did everybody else.

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• There should have been an uproar in this country. Not just from the people, but from the preachers. Do you remember when Elijah was taken up into heaven in a whirlwind, and Elisha got his mantle? You remember, Elisha went back and smote the Jordan River and said, "Where is the Lord God of Elijah?" And the river departed and he went across on dry ground. The water just separated. But what did he do when he hit that river with that mantle? He cried, "Where is the Lord God of Elijah?"

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• You know what we could do today? We could reverse that and cry, "Where are the Lord God's Elijahs?" Where are the men that are going to cry out and confront the Ahabs of this world? Unhappily, most of the preachers are like those in Obadiah's time. They're hiding in caves, or feeling sorry for themselves, or trying to get out of harm's way rather than confronting tyrants and wickedness.

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• Now let me tell you something. Preachers, God's preachers, have a responsibility to deal with the issues of the day in light of God's law and in light of God's word. So the question is asked by the king, by the civil ruler, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" We've looked at the question asked. Let's go back to verse 20 and look secondly at the question answered. Verse 20: "And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee." The question answered emphasizes that there is a line of separation between God's friends and God's enemies. Let me make it—

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• Let me state it another way. Righteousness and unrighteousness do not coexist very well. Do you remember Amos chapter 3 in verse 3? The question is asked, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" What's the answer? No. Inevitably, there's going to be a division. I want you to turn, hold 1 Kings, but turn to Matthew chapter 12. Let me show you how our Lord himself said it. Matthew chapter 12. And let's look at verse 30. Matthew 12, verse 30. Look what Jesus Christ says. Christ says, "He that is not with me is against me."

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• "And he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." Now can two walk together except they be agreed? The answer is no. What did Christ say? If you're not with me, then you're against me. If you're against me, you're my enemy. If you're not gathering with me, then you're scattering abroad. So it is absolutely impossible—listen to me—it is absolutely impossible for God's men to align themselves with God's enemies and still claim to be the representatives of God. What did Christ say?

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• "He that is not with me is against me." The line is as clearly drawn today as it was in the days of Moses. When Moses came off that mountain and saw the wickedness and the rebellion and the sin that was prevalent, Moses, the Bible says in Exodus 32 and verse 26, stood in the gate of the camp and cried, "Who is on the Lord's side? Let him come over unto me." So the Lord has a side. And the world has a side. And the cry today is still the same. "Who is on the Lord's side? Let him come over unto me."

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• Now, it is absolutely necessary that our answer be emphatic, clear, and definitive. We are on the Lord's side. And therefore, we will go over unto Him. Now, I want you to note something about this answer. Look back in verse 20. 1 Kings chapter 21 in verse 20. Here's the question asked: "And Ahab said unto Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" Here's the question answered. Elijah said, "I have found thee." I want you to note that Elijah did not try to neutralize or distort the fact or water down the truth. When Elijah was asked by the apostate king, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" Elijah answered, "I found thee."

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• Now, what I'm trying to say is this. Elijah did not squirm. He did not flinch. He did not mealy-mouth around. He said, "I found thee." Elijah did not say to the king, to the civil ruler, "Well, you should not use the term 'enemy.' I mean, that's too negative, that's too strong. What we need to do is to put this thing in a positive light and let's just try to work together."

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• He didn't do any of that stuff. "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" "Yeah, I found you." What was Elijah saying? He was saying, "I'm acknowledging that I'm your enemy because you are my enemy. And because you're the enemy of God." He was saying, "We are enemies, and the reason being is this. We serve two different kings. We represent two different kingdoms. We represent two totally different law systems. You represent yourself and your will and your word and your way. And I represent the Lord God and his law and his word and his way. Therefore, there cannot be a conciliatory gesture on Elijah's part."

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• He could not say to the king, "Well, let's just try to get together and let's try to cooperate the best we can." No, no. Why? Because there are two different kingdoms and two different kings represented. Listen to me. God demands that his enemies surrender, not his preachers. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 97. Psalm 97. And note, if you would please, verse 10. Psalm 97. And look at verse 10.

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• "Ye that love the Lord." What are those next two words? "Hate evil." "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil." "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil." Don't try to be reconciled to evil. Don't try to compromise with evil. "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil. He preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked." Look back to Psalm 94 and verse 16. Look at the question that God asked. Psalm 94 and verse 16. God asked, "Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?"

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• "Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?" Wow, did you see that? "Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?" Not compromise with them, "or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?" I want to show you something. Elisha's attitude, who followed in Elijah's stead, was the same as Elijah's. When the civil ruler asked God's man, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" Elijah answered, "I found you."

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• And you got it right. We're enemies. Let me show you how Elisha followed Elijah's attitude. Look in your Bibles, to 2 Kings chapter 3. You talk about a powerful, powerful passage. 2 Kings chapter 3. Now, in this passage, 2 Kings 3, Jehoshaphat, who happens to be the king of Judah, unhappily teamed up with the king of Israel and the king of Edom. They were going to fight against the king of Moab, who had rebelled against the king of Israel. The king of Israel was a wicked, ungodly—in fact, let's begin reading with verse 8. 2 Kings 3 verse 8.

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• "And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom. So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them."

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• Now that was a smart military maneuver, wasn't it? "And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab! But Jehoshaphat said," he's the godly one, although he compromised at this point, "But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah. And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him." Now watch. "And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee?"

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• "Get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother." What am I to do with you? You're not one of God's people. You don't love God. You don't love God's preachers. What am I to do with you? Go back to your own false prophets. Watch verse 13. "And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab. And Elisha said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee."

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• Now let me kind of translate that for you. Let me put that in good South Georgia language. "I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire." That's what he told him. He said, "If it were not for Jehoshaphat, I would not look toward thee or see thee." What does he say? "I'd let you die." Why? Because he was God's enemy. And therefore he was the enemy of Elisha. And the only thing that saved the king of Israel was the fact that he was in the presence of Jehoshaphat.

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• Now the point I'm trying to make is this, folks.

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• We've got to understand that there is a line of separation between God and his enemies, and between God's preachers and God's enemies. And God demands that his enemies surrender, not his preachers. And so when Ahab asked Elijah, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" the answer came back, "I have found thee."

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• Now, let's go back to 1 Kings chapter 21, and let's look at the third point. We've seen the question asked: "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" The question answered: "I have found thee." Now here is the question analyzed. Look in verse 20. "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee." Here it is analyzed: "because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord."

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• Now, you've got to ask yourself this question: why were the civil ruler and the spiritual ruler enemies? Let me answer that by asking another question, first of all. Are not the civil sphere and the ecclesiastical sphere aspects of the kingdom of God? And the answer is yes. May I remind you, God has only created three institutions. That's all. He created the family, which is a ministry of education; the church, which is a ministry of grace; and the state or the civil, which is a ministry of justice. That's all.

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• Now, listen, the state is just as accountable and responsible to be Christian and biblical as are the family and the church. Does not God require individuals and family members to repent and believe in Christ and obey him? Yes. Is not the church required to be biblical and obedient? Yes. Is not the state required to be biblical and obedient? Yes. You see, the truth is this. If each of these three spheres, the family, the church, and the state, functioned according to their God-ordained role, each would be obedient to God—church, family, and state.

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• And then each would complement or complete the other. In other words, the family would be getting from the church what it needed and from the state what it needed. And likewise, each institution would be complementing or completing each other. And all of it would be for God's honor and for the good of society and civilization.

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• Now, in case you've forgotten, and I hope you haven't, but let me just ask that you turn very quickly to Romans chapter 13. I just want to point out three words. Those of you that have read my book ought to know this left and right. If you've heard me preach any period of time, you ought to know it by heart. But in case you don't, I'm going to show it to you one more time.

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• When he says in verse 4 concerning the civil ruler, "For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil."

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• Now, let's stop there first. Twice in verse 4, the civil ruler is called the minister of God. The word "minister" here is the Greek word diakonos. It is where we get our English word "deacon" from, and it literally means the servant of God. So God has ordained the civil ruler, God has ordained civil government to be his deacon, to be his servant. Secondly, in verse 4, the civil ruler is called a revenger. The word "revenger" is from the Greek word ekdikos. Ek is a preposition which means "out of," and dikaios is righteousness. The word "revenger" there literally means one who exacts God's righteousness, one who gives forth justice. And then when you skip down to verse 6, he says, "For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers." Here the word "ministers" is the Greek word leitourgoi, where we get our English word "liturgy" from, which is a public form of worship. So God says in verse 6 that civil government is to be a public liturgy or a public form of worship.

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• Now watch this. God said He ordained civil government, why? To be His deacon, to be His servant, to be His exactor of righteousness, and to be His public worship. Now may I remind you that God is the one that ordained the family. God is the one that ordained the church. And God is the one that ordained civil government. And each sphere, each institution is answerable and accountable and responsible to God.

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• Now, you've got to ask yourself this question. How could this institution that God ordained become his enemy? How could civil government become the enemy of God? How could it become the enemy of God's preachers? How could it become the enemy of God's people? Well, the answer is found in 1 Kings chapter 21 in verse 20. When he asked the question, Ahab says to Elijah, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" And Elijah answers, "I have found thee." Here it is analyzed. Here's why. "Because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord."

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• So let's just put this in a little simple statement. How did the civil government become the enemy of God and God's preachers and God's people? And the answer is because of their rebellion against God. Because of their rebellion against God. Let me show it to you in the Bible. Turn in your Bibles, first of all, to Psalm 2. Psalm 2. And we'll read the first three verses. Psalm 2, beginning there with verse 1. Watch this passage. Psalm 2, verse 1: "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?"

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• Now, look: "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us." What are they saying? "We don't want to serve God. We don't like his limitations. We don't like the boundaries that he has set. We don't want to do what he tells us to do. We're going to do what we want to do."

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• Now turn in your Bibles to the book of Hosea. Hosea chapter 5, right after the book of Daniel. Daniel, Hosea. Look in Hosea chapter 5 and verse 10. Hosea 5, verse 10. Look at what God says concerning the princes of Judah. Hosea 5 verse 10: "The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound" or the boundaries. "Therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water." What is he saying? The princes of Judah did not like the limitations that God placed upon them. They did not like God's boundaries, so they removed the boundaries. That is, they went into areas that God never gave them authority in.

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• Let me put it to you plainly. They stole. They usurped the authority that God never, ever gave them. So whenever any government, I don't care if it's a family government or a church government or a civil government, usurps authority and takes to themselves that which God has never given them, they're in rebellion against God. Because it is a grasping, it is a stealing, it is a usurpation of that which God never gave them. You've got to remember that the terms sin, transgression, disobedience, rebellion can equally be applied to governments.

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• As well as to churches and families and individuals. So it was God who ordained government. And God has the sovereign right and the sovereign authority to tell the governments what they can do and what they cannot do. By the way, I hope everyone understands this. There is no such thing as unlimited government in any sphere. I may be the pastor of this church, but I do not have unlimited authority in this church. My authority is limited by the word of God. I may be the head of my wife, but my authority over my wife is limited by the word of God. The civil ruler may have authority, but his authority is limited by the word of God. And in our land, by the constitutions as well. Only God has unlimited authority. Only God is sovereign.

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• Now, I want to show you something, folks. To do what the average American has done, to postulate that government can do whatever it wants to do, to postulate an unlimited government for the feds or for the state, is to postulate another God. It's to erect another idol. It's to worship a false God. Why? Because there can only be one sovereign. There can only be one ultimate. There can only be one absolute. And God is the only one with all authority and all power. And God is the only one without limits and without boundaries. And when you try to say government is unlimited, you are establishing another God or at least a rival God. There is only one ultimate. And that is the one true and the living God who's revealed himself in Jesus Christ. So how did governments become the enemies of God? By their rebellion to God and his law. Let's ask and answer another question. And that's this. How does governmental rebellion and evil manifest itself? Hmm.

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• Well, there are numerous ways, but let me just mention a couple. By its laws. And by its rulings. Look in your Bibles to Psalm 94. And verse 20. Psalm 94 and verse 20. Psalm 94 verse 20.

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• Now watch this question. Psalm 94 verse 20: "Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?" Now let's go back. First of all, we're dealing with a government because it is a throne. A throne speaks of government rulership. Secondly, it is a wicked throne or a wicked government because it is called the throne of iniquity. So here's the question. Let's look at it. Shall a wicked civil government have fellowship with God when that wicked civil government frameth mischief by law?

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• Now, the word "mischief" is another word in the Bible for sin. Let me just kind of paraphrase it so you can understand the question. Can a wicked, rebellious civil government have fellowship with God when that wicked, rebellious civil government makes sin legal? You realize it's legal to murder in America. As long as you do it before the baby's born, see, it's legal to steal as long as you're a congressman. Legal to commit adultery as long as you're the president. You see what I'm saying? It's legal to lie. Yeah, if you're a congressman, that's what they do best. You heard the old joke, the congressman that got kicked out of office. He's carrying a sign around town that says "will lie for food."

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• You know, you'll catch it. All right. But you understand what I'm saying. It has become legal to steal in this country because of the socialism and the fraud.

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• Now, the question is asked: shall a wicked civil government have fellowship with God when that wicked civil government makes sin legal? What is the answer? No. If it's not in fellowship with God, what did our Lord say? "He that is not with me is against me. He that gathereth not scattereth abroad." I hope you're concluding that our government has become the enemy of God. If you haven't come to that conclusion yet, hang on.

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• Look in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 17. 2 Kings chapter 17. In 2 Kings chapter 17, Israel is sent away into captivity into Assyria. And God tells you why he sent them away.

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• Now I want you to watch very carefully the wording of this verse in just a moment. Let's begin with verse 7. 2 Kings 17 verse 7: "For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods." Now, wait a minute. The children of Israel sinned against God by fearing other gods. Hmm.

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• We think, well, maybe they worshiped Molech or maybe they worshiped Ashtoreth. Well, of course, some of them did, but there's more to fearing other gods than falling down before idols. Watch. He says, "and feared other gods, and walked in the statutes of the heathen," walked in the laws of the heathen, "whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made." So the kings of Israel were passing laws that were ungodly and unbiblical and contrary to God, and the children of Israel were obeying those laws.

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• So how did this wicked government manifest itself? By issuing laws that were contrary to God and His law. Look, if you would please, in verse 19 of the same chapter, you'll see the same thing happen to Judah. It's spelled out very plainly. 2 Kings 17, verse 19: "Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes" or the laws "of Israel which they had made." What did they do? They changed God's law for man's law. Look in your Bibles to the book of Micah, chapter 6 and verse 16. Micah is one of the minor prophets toward the end of the Old Testament, right before the book of Nahum and right after the book of Jonah. Jonah, Micah, Nahum. So look in Micah, chapter 6 and note, if you would please, verse 16. Micah 6 and verse 16. Look what God says. Micah 6 verse 16: "For the statutes of Omri are kept."

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• "And all the works of the house of Ahab. And ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people." What did God say? "For the statutes" or the laws "of Omri," he was the father of Ahab, "are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels," that is, in their laws, in their rulings, you obey them rather than me, said God. And so you're going to bear your iniquity. I'm going to judge you.

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• Let me tell you something, folks. The way a wicked civil government manifests its evil is by issuing laws and regulations and executive orders and rulings that are contrary to Christ and Christianity and the word of God. I want to read to you something. Some of you have heard this because I brought some tapes to give out last week. This is absolutely horrifying. But David Barton, on his tape "America's Founding Fathers, Deist or Christian," quotes a court ruling. The case that he quotes is from Jane Doe versus Santa Fe Independent School District. There were individuals that wanted to have prayer at a graduation service in a public school. And the court says, "Well, sure. Prayer is absolutely fine as long as you pray the right way." Now you can interpret "the right way" to mean their way.

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• I'm reading to you from what the judge said, verbatim. Look up Jane Doe versus Santa Fe Independent School District. You'll find these words. Here's what the judge said: "This court will allow prayer if it is a typical non-denominational prayer. The prayer can refer to God or the Almighty, but the prayer must not refer to Jesus. And make no mistake, this court is going to have a U.S.

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• Marshal in attendance at graduation. If any student offends this court and mentions the name of Jesus in a prayer, that student will be summarily arrested and will face six months incarceration. Anyone who violates these orders is going to wish that he or she had died as a child when this court gets through with him." End quote. Did anyone do it? I don't know, but I wish I had been there. I'm going to tell you that court has no honor to offend. And I got news for you, that judge has offended the honor of another court. And when that time gets through with him and when that judge finishes with him, it'll be more than incarceration. And he will wish that he had died as a child. I can assure you.

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• Well, the Santa Fe, New Mexico. And that was pretty recent. Yes, yes. See, those in authority today are doing exactly what Ahab did. They're selling themselves to work evil in the sight of their Creator, and they're rebelling against their Creator, and they're denying His sovereign authority. Let me go further. Their attitude is the same as that that is found in Luke chapter 19 and verse 14, where those wicked people there said, "We will not have this man to reign over us," speaking of Jesus Christ. And that is the attitude of those who are in civil authority and those in judicial authority today. They're saying, "We will not have Jesus Christ to reign over us."

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• Listen, folks, this is the very essence of rebellion. It is a denial of God's sovereignty. Why do they want to deny God's sovereignty? I'll tell you why. So that they may establish their own. Why do they want to deny God's law? So that they may establish their own. All who refuse to submit to God and his law are in rebellion against him. That is how government becomes the enemy of God. Ahab was substituting his law for God's law, his authority for God's authority, his will for God's will. And he was the enemy of God. And thus the enemy of God's preacher as well. Folks, let me tell you.

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• That is exactly what has happened in America today. God has been kicked out. And we now have humanism running rampant. God's law is no longer valid, according to the Supreme Court. They will not even allow the Ten Commandments to be posted in the schoolhouse. Why? Because they said some student might see it and read it.

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• Now that's a big assumption. Most of them can't read. They say some student might see it and read it and obey it, and that would be coercion of religion. Let me tell you something. You want to know why all of those kids are being murdered around this country? It is not because of guns. Guns never killed anybody. It's because of wickedness and rebellion in the heart of man.

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• And when the Supreme Court and the federal government kick God and the Bible and prayer out of school, they're just simply reaping what they have sown. And it is the government's fault and the court's fault for what is happening in Colorado and Arkansas and Kentucky. It is not the fault of weaponry. And I got news for you. If they banned all the guns, they're going to use knives. If they ban the knives, they'll use limbs. If they ban the limbs, they'll pick up bottles. You're not going to stop people from murdering when their hearts are taught that there are no absolutes. There's no morals. Everything's relative.

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• Do what you want to do. The fault lies not with the weaponry, but with the feds and with the courts. That's where it goes. And it lies with us because we have put up with that kind of perversion in our court system and in our government. Let me make just a couple of applications. The first one is this. Since modern-day civil government has become the enemies of God, we must make a choice.

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• As to whom we obey. I want you to turn in your Bibles. First of all, to John chapter 19. And look at verse 12. John 19, verse 12. These wicked people who wanted Christ crucified hit the nail on the head. Look at what they told Pilate in John 19 verse 12: "And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him." Pilate knew that Christ was innocent. "But the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar." You get the picture? You have a man, Caesar, who's claiming to be king, and you have Christ, who is king, enunciating his kingship. So they tell Pilate, "If you side with Christ, you can't be Caesar's friend." And I got news for you, if you're Caesar's friend, you can't be the friend of Christ. Look in Acts chapter 17 and verse 7. Acts 17 and verse 7.

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• You see, folks, it ought not to be this way. If government simply submitted to God and obeyed him and his law, we would not be forced to make these choices. But look in Acts chapter 17 in verse 7. In fact, let's read verse 6: "And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; whom Jason hath received:" watch, "and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus." The early Christians had a choice to make, and when Caesar's laws conflicted with King Jesus's laws, they said, "We're obeying King Jesus." It's just that simple. If you look back to Acts chapter 5 and verse 29. Acts 5 verse 29.

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• "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men." God's authority is primary and original. His law is primary and original. If there's ever a choice, we must obey God rather than men. One other quick point, and that's this. I want you to think about this one. When we aid and abet and seek to establish rulers that are ungodly and rule unbiblically, we're joining in their rebellion against God.

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• Look in your Bibles to Hosea chapter 8. I'll explain it. Hosea chapter 8, right after the book of Daniel. Daniel, Hosea. Look in Hosea chapter 8 and verse 4. Hosea 8, verse 4. Look what God says concerning his people: "They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not." Now, does that mean God did not know who was elected? Well, of course not. God is sovereign. God is omniscient. God knows everything. God overrules everything. But when he says, "They have set up kings, but not by me," he's saying they set up kings that I did not approve of. They set up rulers that were contrary to the qualifications that I've laid down in my book, in my law. When he says, "They made princes, and I knew it not," in other words, they did not consult me, they did not even desire to know whether it was my will that this individual be a ruler or not. Huh?

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• "Of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off." What are they saying? I'm going to destroy the people. Because their civil idolatry stems from their spiritual idolatry.

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• Now look in Hosea chapter 5 since we're there. I read verse 10 earlier. Now to read verse 10, and then verse 11. Hosea 5 verse 10, God says, "The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound," that is, they don't like the boundaries. They don't like the limitations. God says, "Therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water." That is, I will judge those rulers for usurping and stealing authority that I never gave them.

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• Now watch verse 11. "Ephraim," the people, the tribe, "Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment." Why? "Because he willingly walked after the commandment." In other words, the people willingly obeyed the unbiblical and the ungodly laws that those kings made. And God said, "Therefore, I'm going to judge the people for obeying their ungodly laws and ungodly rulers." Why? Because that's idolatry. If you go back to 2 Kings, don't turn there. Don't you remember? He said they feared other gods and followed the statutes of the heathens and the statutes of the kings of Israel, which they made. You've got to remember this, folks, a king rules by his laws. And when you and I help establish ungodly rulers, we're joining in their rebellion against God. I tell you what, folks. I realize we're in a pickle in this country.

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• He said, "Brother Weaver, who do I vote for?" Let me tell you something. You vote for the lesser of two evils, you're still voting for evil. You know what I'd like to happen one of these times? I'd like for a state, or even the nation, to have an election day and nobody come. Until we say to them, "Until you give us men, or until we can run men that are fit for office, we're not voting for anybody. We don't want..."

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• We need to make sure that we try to establish the godly and the righteous. Because I'm going to tell you, I'd rather have men as my enemies than have God as my enemy. I can whip or outrun the men, but I can't whip or outrun the Lord. So God's true preachers and God's true people are enemies of the state today because the state has turned out to be the enemy of God. Let's pray.

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• Father, we ask for your blessing and help. We pray that you would teach us, build us up in the most holy faith, make us obedient and godly. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. Amen.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T02:55:06Z