Sermon Outline

1. Introduction (John 19:11)
2. Governing Authorities (Rom 13:1)
   1. What did Paul mean?
   2. From God and Instituted by God (Dan 2:20-21, 4:17)
3. Implications
   1. All governments are flawed b/c of human sin (Rom 3:23)
   2. Governments and governors will be judged by God but how is a mystery (Gen 19:23, Acts 12:21-23, Dt 29:15-68)
   3. Government must restrain itself (Acts 5:33-39)
      1. There will be times when rulers want to do something,
         1. but the question isn’t what do they want to do
         2. neither is it, do they have the power to do it
         3. Rather, it is – Should they do it? Is it within their right and purview?
   4. All government is limited in authority (Ps 146)
      1. Sphere sovereignty and subsidiarity
      2. No one institution can do everything,
         1. nor should we expect it to,
         2. nor is it wise to ask it to do more than its charter.
   5. Governments must seek to govern in accord with Biblical truth (Isa 40:8)
      1. Because
         1. Governments and rulers are sinful,
         2. because they will be judged,
         3. because they must restrain themselves and
         4. because their authority is limited
      2. Biblical truth is given to individuals not just for salvation, but to understand how to live in the world.