Please stick with me on this one. By the end, I’ll tie it all together. I promise.
Your brother, sister, neighbor, or loved one is not in Washington DC or the State Capitol where you live. "The least of these" are right next to you. You see them in the grocery store, the gas station, or the laundromat. The first mission field is your immediate family sitting right next to you. Where you live has the single most immediate impact on your quality of life, and you have the greatest impact on the quality of life of the people who live around you. Why is that important? If you are asking that question, I can't help you. If you don't understand why the welfare of the people who live on either side of you impacts your immediate quality of life, then the rest of what I have to say will be over your head. That's not a statement about what I have to say. It is a statement of understanding about the lives we live, we move through, and the complaints many people have about them.
"happiness" by garden beth is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
7'Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.'
8 "For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream.
9'For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,' declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 29:7–9 (NASB95)
In the United States, we have a political movement centered around policing. For some time, there has been a growing "Us vs. Them" view of law enforcement. This is wrong.
The police are not our enemy. Period.
There are a lot of places we can go from there. I'm going to focus on one path, the path I was given for this message. The rest perhaps we can deal with down in the comments or another time. Law enforcement is not here to abuse people. Are there bad police officers? Police departments are made up of people like any other group. In any group of people, there is always the "Ten Percent." The Ten Percent is that portion of any group that is worthless. In any group of people, any group that ten percent ignores the rules does what they want and tries to get away with things because they believe they are special. You're not special, whoever you are if you're in the Ten Percent. The rules are not for "everybody else." They apply to you, too, just like they apply to me. Justice is supposed to be blind, ignoring all considerations of the person other than the circumstances surrounding the event in question when there is law-breaking. Let me say that a little louder for the cheap seats:
The rules apply to you. The rules are for everyone. You are not special in this regard.
1Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
Romans 13:1 (NASB95)
Yes, even the corrupt are there by the Lord. Perhaps someone needs to be taught a lesson in humility? Perhaps someone needs the opportunity to stand up and demonstrate justice is real? Perhaps God is sovereign, and it's His rules.
2Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
Romans 13:2 (NASB95)
"If you aren't doing anything wrong, you don't have anything to worry about" is the old adage. That precludes the idea that people are all just, true, and good. They aren't. If we don't want the power in the hands of people who would abuse it, then we shouldn't give the power to the people we think are good, just, and true because eventually, the Ten Percent will take advantage of it and commit atrocities. No, not just do something bad. I said what I said. They will commit atrocities in the name of righteousness. We should not give them that kind of power. The rules are there for a reason, and we need to follow them for a reason.
3For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
4for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
Romans 13:3–4 (NASB95)
"I'm not worried about me. I'm a good person, but other people, other people," You won't be called to account for other people. Your actions are the ones you will be judged upon when the time comes. We need to be focused in this respect on ourselves and concerned with our actions. Justice will take care of other people's actions. We have to trust God in that respect because, again, it is His system, His rules, and His way.
5Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.
6For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
7Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
8Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:5–8 (NASB95)
"…for conscience' sake." My conscience. For the sake of my sleep at night. I do what is right; I concern myself with making sure I make the right decisions for myself and those under my authority. My sphere of influence is what I am concerned with, which concerns those I come into contact with during my daily activities too. I'm called to love my neighbor, my fellow Man, and the people I meet daily. Love isn't an unconditional "do whatever you want" statement. It is a statement about a child not permitting him or her to act in a way that harms either them or me. That last part is important. We do not let children harm themselves. Why? Because we love our children and want them to succeed, do better than we did, and have a good life. Sometimes we protect them from themselves because we love them.
9For this, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Romans 13:9–10 (NASB95)
"Love does no wrong to a neighbor." That's a two-way street. It isn't just a blanket statement: "I never offend someone else." It isn't a permissive statement that "I never stop someone from doing something." It isn't a statement that the other person is "always right." This works both ways. My neighbor lets me know how to treat him by the way he is treating me, which means he is supposed to love me too. He is supposed to treat me how he wants to be treated. He is supposed to show me the amount of respect he wants to be returned. This is the fulfillment of the law of God.
11And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
13Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Romans 13:11–14 (KJV 1900)
Walk in the day. Walk in the armor of the light. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Lay aside the deeds of darkness. Behave properly, not drunk, disorderly, rioting, or in secret promiscuity. Openly in public for all to see, with the sun shining during the day.
What does all this have to do with seeking the welfare of the city in which we live?
Vote wisely.
Character matters.
The people we put in office at the local level directly impact our lives. They are the ones who make laws and regulations that local sheriffs and police enforce. They have the greatest effect on our lives. Those that do a good job get given more authority and responsibility, rising to greater prominence, so vote wisely. Vote from an informed position. Do some research on the candidates. Know your principles and vote for people who align with your principles.
13'Choose wise and discerning and experienced men from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.'
14 "You answered me and said, 'The thing which you have said to do is good.'
Deuteronomy 1:13–14 (NASB95)
Chose wisely. Select from among you men and women who are of the character that is important to God. In them, you know they seek love for their neighbor. Learn their character, so you will see what they believe is good, right, and true. In that way, you will have a good understanding of how they will treat you.
1A man who hardens his neck after much reproof Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.
2When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, But when a wicked man rules, people groan.
Proverbs 29:1–2 (NASB95)
How do we do this? Prayer, discernment, council, and who believe in the truth. Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through the Son. We find those people who believe as we do through Christian discernment, which means studying scripture to learn what His Word means through listening to His Holy Spirit.
1First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
2for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
3This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
5For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
6who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.
1 Timothy 2:1–6 (NASB95)
In all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable. This is what God wants for all people. God has given us an outline of what these people should look like. If we adhere to this template, we will have wise leaders appointed over us. If we ignore this advice, we will be ruled by the Ten Percent and have no one to blame but ourselves.
14 "When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me,'
15you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman.
16 "Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the Lord has said to you, 'You shall never again return that way.'
17 "He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.
18 "Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.
19 "It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes,
20that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.
Deuteronomy 17:14–20 (NASB95)
When we inevitably find ourselves dealing with the worthless portion of society in control, the Ten Percent God has also provided us a path. He has instructions for us, and they do not include riotous destruction by the dark of night. God is not a God of violence. He is a God of love treating our fellow man as we would want to be treated even when we are not treated the same way.
29But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.
30 "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross.
31 "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."
Acts 5:29–32 (NASB95)
How do we fix the situation we are in currently? Vote differently. Repent of our sins. Believe in Jesus. The first step? God gave us that too.
14and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
15 "Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.
16 "For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.
17 "As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, even to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep My statutes and My ordinances,
18then I will establish your royal throne as I covenanted with your father David, saying, 'You shall not lack a man to be ruler in Israel.'
19 "But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them,
20then I will uproot you from My land which I have given you, and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
21 "As for this house, which was exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, 'Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?'
22 "And they will say, 'Because they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them from the land of Egypt, and they adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this adversity on them.' "
2 Chronicles 7:14–22 (NASB95)