When Government Replaces God

You cannot exclude God and then complain that taxes are going up. Dr. Tony Evans talks about the dangers of letting our political agenda replace God's kingdom agenda. And the tragedy is, many of God's people vote for government to play God.

This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. Government plays a vital role in keeping society from coming apart at the seams. But in today's message, Dr. Evans explains we're expecting too much from Washington and too little from God.

Let's listen in. If you watch the news, if you keep up with the newspaper, if you listen closely to what is happening around us, it is no secret that the United States of America is in serious trouble. You and I are witnessing what we might call the devolution of a nation, not the evolution of a nation. Most people today assume that the issues facing our nation are fundamentally political. So we've got to change the parties or the House of Representatives or the Senate or the White House. What America is facing today that may show up politically is really spiritual decay in the culture. You know that this is happening when evil becomes legalized. When government endorses evil, legalizes evil, legislatively permits, okays, and encourages evil, that means that that government has drifted from God.

The further a government drifts from God, it removes itself from divine cover. In 1 Samuel chapter 8, Samuel is old in verse number 1, and he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. There's a problem in verse 3. His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice. They were evil in their ways.

Verse 4. Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint us a king for us to judge us like all the nations. They came to Samuel and said, We want a king.

We don't just want a king, we want a king like everybody else, like all the others. We want to be like everybody else, and the reason why we want to be like everybody else is your family is shot. In other words, the breakdown of the family led to an appeal to government. Today, many of the problems that government is trying to fix is because family has broken down.

You would not nearly have all the issues we face if families were families the way God intended them to be. Verse 6. But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us, and Samuel prayed to the Lord. So they wanted the king as government.

They wanted government to come in and to manage the affairs of the nation. The Lord said to Samuel, Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. When God heard what they wanted to do in spite of the issues with Samuel's family, He said, Their appeal for a king was a rejection of Me. They wanted a king that could overrule God because He says, They are rejecting Me as their king. When government seeks to overrule God, when it makes decisions against God, when it seeks to thwart the will of God, it then becomes a rejection of God because government was created by God to manage civilization on behalf of God to keep order in society, as Romans 13 says, consistent with God. But they rejected God like all the deeds, verse 8, which they had done in the day when I brought them up out of Egypt.

So they were continuing in this rejection of God. He says in verse 9, Listen to their voice. However, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them.

Now watch this. He says, Okay, you're going to know, verse 11, this will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you. And I want to read these verses down to 18. He will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen, and they will run before his chariots. You will see an increase in war, okay? They're going to take your sons, put them in battle, they're going to run before your chariots, so that's an increase in battle. He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and fifties and some to do his plowing and his reaping, his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will also take your daughters for perfumes and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive trees and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give them to his officers and to his servants. He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work. He will take a tenth of your flocks and you yourselves will become his servants. Then you will cry out in the day because of your king, which you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day. He says, if you wanna be like everybody else, and if you want a government, the king, that operates like everybody else, I'm gonna give you that government. But when I give you that government, you're gonna know I'm not involved, and here's how you're gonna know. Because you will see the government increasingly take a tenth of your flocks. Okay, watch this now. He says, government is gonna tax you at the rate you're supposed to be giving to me.

Remember? The tithe is what every Christian should be giving the Lord from the top, okay? That is established all the way from Genesis that the tithe belongs to the Lord.

It does not belong to you. But since government is playing God, because it's rejected me, they're going to require of you what I require of you because they're playing God. So he condemns them. He condemns them not because they wanted a king, but because they wanted a system of government like all the other nations. And that system of government, he says, will put God out. So the further you exclude God, the further you become 1 Samuel 8. You cannot exclude God and then complain that taxes are going up. You cannot exclude God and complain about the size of government. Government will always expand when God is removed because then government must play God.

And the tragedy is, many of God's people vote for government to play God because we do not have a biblical view of government. Turn to Ezekiel chapter 43. God's glory has come to the temple, but God has a concern as his glory comes to the temple. Verse seven of Ezekiel 43, he says, Son of man, this is the place of my throne, talking about the temple, and the place of the soles of my feet, talking about the temple, where I dwell among the sons of Israel forever, and the house of Israel will not again defile my holy name. Now what will defile your name? Neither they nor their kings by their harlotry, and by the corpses of their kings when they die.

How are they doing this? Verse eight. By setting their threshold by my threshold, their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only the wall between me and them, and they have defiled my holy name by their abomination, which they have committed, so I have consumed them in my anger. Okay, now what is God complaining about here? He says, my throne is in the temple.

The soles of my feet are in the temple. I rule from the temple. What you folks have done is you brought the kings, that's the government, kings of the government, and you've set their seat next to my seat. You have made me and government with its evil equal. We are not equal. You can have that king or you can have this king. You can't have both kings.

It is using the church not to send out what God wants, but to send out what politics calls for. He says, you putting them next to me? There is no next to me. It's not their view and my view. It's not their rule and my rule.

It's my rule coming from my house. But that's not what we're seeing in society these days, or even in the church for that matter. We'll hear more about that when we continue our message in just a moment. First though, today's lesson, When Government Replaces God, is part of a 13-lesson sermon collection called Turning a Nation to God.

Throughout this election cycle, we've been increasingly bombarded with messaging designed to distract us from what's really important to consider as our time to vote draws near. In this two-volume collection, Dr. Evans has been challenging us to look beyond the noise of social media and campaign rhetoric, and instead consider the fundamental issues and principles that represent the values of God's kingdom and our responsibility as believers to make our choices guided by those values. We'd like you to have a copy of all these audio messages on CD or downloadable MP3, along with a special bonus, a concise booklet that summarizes and distills these messages and their underlying principles into a practical resource called How Should Christians Vote? If we hear from you today, we'll send you a copy of the booklet and all 13 messages in this sermon collection as our thank you gift when you make a contribution to help support the alternative broadcast ministry. Get the details and make your request online at tonyevans.org. You can also call us any time for help with your resource requests at 1-800-800-3222. And for a deeper look into the important subject of faith and government, check out Dr. Evans' book and Bible study called Kingdom Politics. Find out more at tonyevans.org, or by calling 1-800-800-3222.

I'll repeat that contact information for you after the second part of today's lesson and this. In a world shrouded by fear, prophecy seeks to make sense of it all. Dr. Tony Evans' latest book, Thy Kingdom Come, reveals the secrets to deliver us through dark times. Now is the time to gain clarity in the midst of confusion. Be prepared for what's to come by picking up your copy of Thy Kingdom Come at tonyevans.org. Comes with a bonus sermon series, Staying Right with God.

Arm yourself against the impending storm. Well, let's return now to more of today's lesson from Dr. Evans. The problem today is that the church, far too many in the church and far too many churches, have been co-opted by civil religion. And God doesn't ride the backs of donkeys or elephants.

He doesn't blow on either party. He's got his own throne. Regardless of how you vote, and you oughta vote, you oughta be engaged politically, but regardless of how you vote, and you oughta think biblically as you vote, but regardless of how you vote, when you come out the voting booth, you are supposed to be representatives of the kingdom of God, finally and ultimately. Because no party fully expresses the kingdom of God. And therefore, you must represent the kingdom of God because you cannot fully align yourself with anything until you've measured it by his throne and the souls of his feet.

His point is, the kings and me are not equal. The government and God is not equal. Our allegiance is to God. We are to honor the king, the Bible says. We are to respect government, absolutely.

But we are to provide significant influence on government. Watch this. I love the way he says this. He says, beginning in verse 10, as for you, son of man, describe the temple of the house of Israel that they may be ashamed of their iniquities, and let them measure the plan. He says, you tell Israel, don't bring that king, don't bring that mess up in here. Don't put those kings next to me like we are one and the same and you're gonna get their view and get my view. My view in my house is the only view that matters.

He says, so if you wanna get rid of your sins and get rid of your iniquities, because this king problem, he says, is a spiritual problem. He says, make known to them, make known to the people of Israel, the covenanted people, that's the church in the New Testament, make known to them the design of the house. Let them build a house like I say build it. Okay, it's structures, it's exits, it's entrances, it's design, all of its statutes, all of its laws. And write it in their sight so that they may observe its whole design and all of its statutes and do them.

And here it is, verse 12. This is the law of the house. Its entire area on the top of the mountain all around shall be most holy because this is the law of the house. You tell them to structure the house, if they're serious, and not just play in religion, you tell them to structure the house along my laws, okay? Along my laws, don't bring the government next to me and talk about y'all or we. There ain't no y'all or we, that's my house.

He says, and in my house, you give them the laws of my house. Okay, I got my house, my house, where I live, where I live. You have your house where you live. Let me explain my house. If you smoke, put your cigarette butt out before you come into my house.

Why? Cause it's my house. And in my house, I don't allow smoking. I can't control what you do in the street. I can't control what you do at your house. But I'm talking about you coming into my house.

If you come to my house with your girlfriend and you're going to spend the night, you're going to be in two separate rooms. I can't control what you do in the street and I can't control what you do at your house. But in my house, that's the law of the house.

If you cuss like a sailor, you can talk any way you want to in the street or in your house. But we don't allow profanity in my house. And once you cross the threshold in my house, there is a law of the house. But don't expect to impose on my house your house rules. Your house rules. You go to a football stadium, the home team says, it's our house.

And while there's an enemy that is infringing on it, they don't have control here. It's our house. God speaks of his temple. He speaks of his people. He says, this is my house.

My house. And my house has a law. He says, teach them the statutes and the laws of my house.

The authenticity of a church is when it's representing God's rules, not just repeating society's rules, even if it comes from the government. Because he said, don't put those kings next to me like we're twins, like we're equals, not in my house. Says, there's a law in my house. God is being pushed out of the culture. He's being slowly, methodically, marginalized.

But the reason he can be marginalized out of the culture is he's been marginalized in the church. Because even the folks in the house don't want the laws of the house. See, the folks in the house don't want the laws of the house. They will quickly appeal to human viewpoint over God's viewpoint. Quickly appeal to what they think, even when it disagrees with what God says. Quickly appeal to their preferences rather than opt for God's preferences.

So if the folk in the house don't want the laws of the house, then that means they're gonna go outside the house to get their instruction. And what we as a culture have done, and increasingly demonstrated through the expansion of civil government, is trade gods. See, it's a spiritual issue, not just a political issue. We have traded God in favor of partisan politics, and now partisan politics not only wants to control the culture, it wants to control the house. I wanna say this, God has an answer for healthcare. He has an answer for taxation. God has an answer for all the moral issues of our day.

God has an answer, all this stuff is in the Bible. This is in the Bible. But because the people in the house don't wanna know the laws of the house, they listen to what the other kings say.

And that's how they make their political decisions. When he says, you tell the people in the house, don't be evil like the people outside the house, that there are laws, rules, house rules. And that the church, when it is functioning properly, becomes the conscience of the society. Dr. Tony Evans, talking about the importance of putting God's rule first. And we'll hear from him again in just a moment as he wraps up our program with a word of prayer. First though, if you'd like to get the full length version of today's lesson, which includes material we couldn't fit into our program time, it's called When Government Replaces God, part of Tony's two-volume compilation, Turning a Nation to God.

Get all 13 messages in this powerful collection on CD or digital download to review on your own or share with your church or small group. Just visit tonyevans.org to get the details. And don't forget, as an added gift for you when you make a contribution to the alternative broadcast, we'll include a bonus copy of the practical booklet, How Should Christians Vote?

Now this is a limited time offer, so don't wait. Get the details and make your request today at tonyevans.org. Or give us a call at 1-800-800-3222, where we have team members standing by day and night to help with your resource request. And remember, there's a more extensive educational package available on the subject of kingdom politics that includes a powerful book and corresponding Bible study. Find out more at tonyevans.org or by phone at 1-800-800-3222.

We'll return with more from Dr. Evans right after this. If you're like most Christians, there are people in your life who know you but may not know Jesus. You really want to do something about that, but don't feel equipped to share your faith effectively.

In other words, maybe if you knew more, you could do more. Well, that's where the Tony Evans Training Center comes in. It's an online Bible school with classes that'll take you deep into the most important core concepts of the faith. You can start with our free introductory course on evangelism, then move on to subjects like spiritual warfare, marriage building, maturing in the faith, and many more. The content is challenging, but you can move through it at your own pace anytime you're online. There's also lots of custom content from Tony and an online forum where you can get your specific questions answered.

Go to tonyevans.org and follow the link to the Tony Evans Training Center. It's like having a seminary on your smartphone. When a person or a nation makes the decision to turn to God, Dr. Evans says there are three steps needed to transform that idea into a reality.

We'll hear about that tomorrow. Right now though, let's close today's program with this prayer from Dr. Evans. Father, I thank you for the word of God that goes forth through this ministry and for every ear that hears it. I pray that you will use the word in the life of each person individually so that they know that they are hearing from you and are transformed by what they hear. I pray that that transformation touches them at their place of need. Wherever they're hurting, struggling, wherever they're in pain, or wherever they're celebrating, may you be the center of that. And may they be able to say because of the word that they've heard and because of the true God that they're interacting with right now, that you have showed up and shown off on their behalf, doing good by them no matter what their circumstances happen to be. Thank you for how you're going to touch every listener today in your own special way. In Jesus' name, amen. Preach and bless your actions in Jesus's name. a You