Video to come.
Morning Message Text: Matthew 22: 15-22
Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar
15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words.
16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are.
17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?
19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius,
20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
21 “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
Morning Message:
I would like to start this morning with some words from my devotional. “Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart? (Job 38: 36) Your brain is composed of about 60% fat, floats in cerebrospinal fluid, and weighs about three pounds. It contains 86 billion neurons, consumes 20% of your body’s energy, and operates at speeds of 268 miles per hour. Let’s stop there for a moment and consider how wonderfully God has designed mankind. The most important thing about your brain though is the thoughts that dominate it. The Bible says, “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8: 5-6).
We must make a conscious effort to fill our mind with scripture—read it, study it, and memorize it. We need to meditate on the words of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. God will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are fixed on Him. It is our God who can put wisdom in our minds and understanding in our hearts. Biblical meditation on scripture acts as a believer’s medicine because God’s Spirit always uses the balm of His truth to provide lasting comfort and help.
I want to take today’s scripture in a slightly different direction. This text is usually preached as an example of how we think about our possessions. It does clearly show that while printed money and the things of this world can be considered as belonging to the government, or we may even think of them as belonging to us. We may feel like we earned them. But when contrasted with the fact that God created and blessed us with everything, we must realize that everything belongs to God. Let me ask you this: What about your thoughts and your decisions? Shouldn’t they belong to God as well? Why should we, as Christians, think and decide things based on what others think or say? Yes, we should make sure that we are informed, but we need to consult the most important person in our lives and make decisions based on God’s word.
Today, just a few weeks before a very important election that very well could decide the future of our children and grandchildren, I am not going to tell you who to vote for but what to vote for. I read this somewhere, and I think that it is something that we should think about, I think that it is a mistake that we easily make when voting. “A vote is not a valentine. You aren’t confessing your love for the candidate. It’s a chess move for the world you want to live in.
We must remember that our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. We can’t judge a book by its cover, so we need to trust God, He is the only one who knows His plan for the future. A perfect example of this is in our first scripture reading. God calls Cyrus, not because he is a believer in God, but because God knows that he is the perfect person to complete His will, He created him for this purpose. He says it twice in this scripture. He says, “I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.” “I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me.” To call a pagan king the Lord’s anointed would have shocked Isaiah’s audience, because it was usually a term reserved for Israel’s appointed leader. In this instance, God would work through Cyrus to accomplish His purpose. I have made this mistake in the past, voting for someone because they say that they are a Christian. Only God knows the heart and mind of a person, so maybe we should consult Him.
Okay, I told you that I would tell you how to vote, not who to vote for. Vote according to God’s word and you will never choose wrong. I am going to give you some examples of how I will vote and why.
1st I will vote for the most pro-life candidate, because God hates the shedding of innocent blood. (Proverbs 6: 16-17) “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood.”
2nd I will vote for the most pro-Israel candidate, because God blesses those who bless Israel and curses those who don’t (Genesis 12: 3). “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
3rd I will vote for the most pro-debt reduction candidate, because the borrower is servant to the lender. (Proverbs 22: 7) “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.”
4th I will vote for the most pro-work candidate because God says if a man won’t work let him not eat. (2Thessalonians 3: 10) “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”
5th I will vote for the most pro-marriage candidate because God is for marriage as defined in (Genesis 2: 24) “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
6th I will vote for the candidate who most closely believes government’s purpose is to reward good and punish evil. (Romans 13: 3) “For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong.”
7th I will vote as close as I can on God’s word. (2Timothy 3: 16) “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
These are just some examples of how we can make Godly decisions. How can we claim the Christian name and say that we believe in the living Word of God and then make important decisions without consulting God and His word. God will work through our wrong decisions, but will it cost us in the process. God’s will is never in question. It will be done, and the end result will be what He has ordained. Put some serious prayer and thought into your vote and make Godly decisions.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
Views: 1
