Dr MJ du Plessis Gereformeerde Kerk Bellville Date: 29 February 2004 (evening)

Our help is in the Name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.
Beloved, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, through the mighty working of God the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Psalm of praise 103:9

Prayer

Psalm 18:19

Scripture hymn

Scripture reading: 1 Timothy 3
Scripture text: 1 Timothy 3:6; Catechism Lord’s Day 39

He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.

It is all about the fifth commandment. Paul warns Timothy that the congregation should not elect a newcomer as an overseer or deacon as it could lead to pride.

Pride is the sin of Satan.
Pride always goes hand in hand with rejection of authority and that would cause problems in the congregation.

Who is the Satan and what has he done?

The Satan is a creation as we are – although he was created in a higher rank than us.
He is the cause, and also the leader; of the first fall into sin that happened in heaven.

The problem was all about pride and rejection of authority. Satan would not submit himself to God’s authority and rebelled against God. He wanted to be God.

This sermon deals with authority and where it fits into the counsel of the Lord and also into our own lives. Therefore we look at the following:
1. Authority and the purpose of our creation
2. The relationship between the authority of God and the love commandment
3. The result of rejection of authority

1. Authority and the purpose of our creation
The Bible tells us that everything that was created was from God, through God and to God (Rom. 11:36).

This means that the purpose of our entire life is that we were created to honour and serve God.
This is also what Jesus meant when He said that we should love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our mind, and with all our strength.
This is the first and utmost purpose for which we were created.

In other words, we were created to be subordinate to the authority of God. We cannot move away from the authority of God.

From what the devil did and the punishment he received, it is clear that we may not resist the authority of God.
When it comes to rejection of authority and pride the devil is the very best example.

What happened? A subordinate regarded himself as of higher rank than his superior, and that is nothing but pride.
For if any one thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (Gal. 6:3).

Then the second fall took place – in the garden of Eden where Satan led man to sin.

Exactly the same happened here. Man, like the devil, became haughty and rebelled against the fact that he had to submit to God’s authority.

How do we know about the authority of God? Firstly, of course, from what He reveals to us in the Bible.

The Lord reveals his authority through everything written in the Bible.

In certain passages He reveals his law, for example the Ten Commandments.
But then there are also passages that spell out, amongst others, relationships in marriage and also between government and citizens.
There are also very clear guidelines regarding the structure of authority in the church.

However, the Lord also reveals his authority in the history described in the Bible, because it shows how God plans and carries out everything that happens in the history of all nations. This is authority.
The Lord not only reveals his authority in the Bible. He also reveals it in nature.

In nature it is clear that God’s authority rules every rule or law of nature.

Seasons come and go at the command of God.
In his omnipotence He rules over rain and wind.
Plants grow and flower at his command.

From the above it should be clear to us that we, just as the rest of the creation, are also subordinate to the authority of God.

The Lord also reveals his authority in the laws of the country.

In this regard the Lord uses the government to lay down laws by which He wants the country to be ruled.
That is why He reveals in Romans 13 that we should be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, because God has given them the authority to bear the sword.

When the authorities pass the death sentence, for example, it is the Lord who wills the murderer to be punished in this way, because the Lord uses the legislator to execute his authority.
The Lord does not necessarily determine a government we like or whom we completely trust. This, however, does not allow us to reject the authority of the government.

The Lord further reveals his authority in other forms of authority instituted over us, for example that of our parents and superiors.

The Lord regards the family as the basis of his church. The covenant of the Lord is concluded in the family with the parents and children.
God gives instruction that parents must raise their children within the rules of the covenant to bring glory to God.

He also instructs the children to obey their parents.

Briefly: God instituted all forms of authority in our lives. Then I must submit to such authority. In principle I therefore submit to God when I submit to authority instituted over me.

Note something very important in the fifth commandment. The fifth commandment only refers to authoritarian structures that seek to glorify God.

In this world we could easily be under an authoritarian body that does not recognise the authority of God.
It could also happen that such authority forces you to act in a way that is not to the honour of the Lord.

One cannot submit to such an authority!
We may oppose such structures of authority – but then it should be done in such a way that it glorifies God.

An example from the Bible: The Lord Jesus also opposed misconceptions and abuse of authority.

For instance, He strongly condemned people who abused the authority of God.

From this the principle is quite clear: All authority from and to God should be obeyed.

Authority that puts itself above God’s authority should be rejected and we should rule over it as we oppose Satan and rule over him in the Name of the Lord.

2. The relationship between the authority of God and the love commandment
Only God bears supreme authority. The authority of God is not always visible physically, because his authority is spiritual. Therefore the authority of the Lord is not structured in the same way as that of the world.

The Lord’s authority can be brought to you by anybody willed by God.

Anyone in society who is willed by God could admonish you when you sin.
A complete stranger could direct you regarding your faith. If the person speaks the truth, and impresses the law of the Lord on you, you will have to listen, because then it is the authority of God to which you have to submit.

Therefore it is most important not to separate the fifth commandment from the love commandment. When we talk to one another to invigorate and direct, it should be done in love.

On the one hand the love of the Lord offers the correct perspective. It makes us accept the Lord’s admonition when we do wrong.
On the other hand, however, it also concerns us, because we should not condemn our neighbour for his sins. We should approach him/her and in the love of the Lord persuade him/her to break with the sin by the order of God. Of course we should strongly condemn the sin itself. That sets one thinking of Jacob who condemned the sins of his sons.

When authority has to be maintained – or restored – harsh words will sometimes necessarily be spoken.

An example from the Bible could be the quarrel between Paul and Peter in the presence of the church in Antioch because Peter had allowed the churches in Galatia to sin.
But, importantly, when we sometimes utter harsh words to one another we may not despise one another or give one another up as a bad job. Together we should bow to the love and the law of the Lord.

That is why the Lord presents the authority commandment with the words “honour your father and your mother”.

Your father and mother are the people God uses to lead you towards maturity.
He could just as well have said, “obey your government”. But the Lord did not do that; He uses the image of the family – the place where we expect mutual love and submission to authority to the fullest extent.

3. The result of rejection of authority
What happens when the authority of the Lord is rejected? Exactly the same that happened to Satan with the fall from heaven, and what happened again in the garden of Eden.

Man becomes conceited and full of pride.
He becomes his own god who wants everything to submit itself to his will.

Pride and resistance are the main cause for marriage partners to oppose each other.

Quarrels and divorce usually occur because one will not submit him/herself to the other – and especially because together they h will not submit themselves to God.
Children leave their parental home because they think they are important and big enough to reject the authority of their parents. This behaviour reflects a conceited rejection of the demands and love of God.

A person can accept authority only if he loves God and if he regards authority as instituted by God over him.

The Lord rules over people through people.

According to his will governments and several kinds of governing bodies and boards exist to maintain order and to exercise authority and discipline over the people involved.

When we exercise authority over other people we should therefore always realise that we are exercising the authority of God.

It is most important to always remember this so that we will realise that we cannot use God’s authority to bully our subordinates or to take revenge on someone. The Bible teaches us that vengeance belongs only to God.

Any person, when taking up a position of authority, runs the risk of becoming proud of himself and thinking that he is better than others.

This is what the devil thought, and it happened to Adam and Eve – and after them to many people.
Therefore every one of us should seriously deny ourselves when we are faced with authority.
This is why the Lord warns us in today’s Scripture text that somebody who has recently joined a congregation could easily become proud if he takes up a position as leader too soon. This is the road of the devil – and that road ends in hell.

We may not follow that road for the Lord Jesus Christ sanctified us through his death on the cross. You know, the death on the cross actually puts us in perspective before God.

Jesus had to die on the cross to bear the wrath of God for all our sins.

That means a lot! It means that at our very best we are still so evil that we should be punished when measured against the authority of God.

Now you must rule over sin through the authority of Christ.

God included in the Bible the fall into sin of both Satan and Adam to reveal what happens to people who oppose the authority of God.
God also reveals what happened to them to warn us not to go the same way.

As reconciled and sanctified children of God, you must apply God’s justice. This must be done in two ways:

You must submit to authority that God has instituted over you.
But you must also exercise God’s justice over your subordinates with the authority entrusted to you by the Lord.

This demands the gift of discrimination and prudence.
It requires loving tolerance towards the faithful who not always exercise God’s authority correctly.

Both these actions require self-examination from all of us. For if any one thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself and commits the same sin as the devil.

Let’s read together Catechism Lord’s Day 39 to see what we believe regarding the fifth commandment (authority commandment).

104. Q. What does God require in the fifth commandment?
A. That I show all honour, love, and faithfulness to my father and mother and to all those in authority over me, submit myself with due obedience to their good instruction and discipline,[1] and also have patience with their weaknesses and shortcomings,[2] since it is God's will to govern us by their hand.[3]
[1] Ex. 21:17; Prov. 1:8; 4:1; Rom. 13:1, 2; Eph. 5:21, 22; 6:1-9; Col. 3:18-4:1.
[2] Prov. 20:20; 23:22; I Pet.2:18. [3] Matt. 22:21, Rom. 13:1-8; Eph. 6:1-9; Col. 3:18-21.

Amen.

Closing prayer

Closing hymn: Psalm 119:4, 5

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amen.

Dr MJ du Plessis
Gereformeerde Kerk Bellville
Date: 29 February 2004 (evening)