Daniel Whyte III
PART 1
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PART 2
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SCRIPTURE: Romans 13:1-6
1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
In recent months, all the way up until today, the issue of police officers indiscriminately harassing, arresting, and/or killing young black men has been at the top of our news cycle repeatedly. Last week, the ruling of the Ferguson grand jury in the case of Police Officer Darren Wilson shooting 18-year-old Michael Brown came down. Many in the community there reacted negatively to what they believed was an unfair decision. Some said it was a man getting away with murder just because he happened to be a police officer. The angst of that community boiled over, not only in Ferguson, but across the nation, and led to two days of marches, protests, and in some places, violence, looting, and rioting.
Our hearts go out to the family of Michael Brown, as well as the families of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Akai Gurley, and especially Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old boy who was shot by police in Cleveland. These families and many others had an empty seat at the Thanksgiving table last week because of tragic circumstances involving law enforcement officials. We cannot begin to understand the depth of their pain.
Now, in light of all of the protests and debates that are going on about race in this country, including in the Christian community, let me say that I love being black; I love how God made me. I am not one of these blacks who strangely want to be white, or who do not feel validated unless they are approved by whites, or who feel like they have to have a white wife to be somebody. We have too many black people like that in the church today. I have jokingly said in the past that I love being black so much that I married a black woman (although she is from Jamaica), I have black children, my bedroom and bathroom are black-themed, I only wear black suits, I don’t own any other colored suit, and if I had the money, I would blacktop my driveway. So, I love being black and I love black people.
When God called me to preach, He gave me a burden to reach black people. Even though I was raised in the black church, I was saved outside of the church. The church that I grew up in was steeped in religion, but did not have true salvation. They had “a form of godliness, but denied the power thereof.” So, as Paul said, God gave me a burden “for my brethren according to the flesh.” And I have been preaching and ministering to all people, but especially to black people, for 35 years.
However, I thank God for white people, brown people, and all people, and the unique gifts and talents God has given to each of us. Just the other day, a white couple did something for me and my family that my parents nor my in-laws have ever done for us. And, all of you black people who are running around, claiming that white people are the problem, you know you have some white friends who will stick with you and support you quicker than your own family members.
With that being said, I do identify with the racial issues that many are raising in our community as I am a black man who has dealt with these issues for 40 years. I dealt with it when I bought my first brand new car. As I was driving to a friend’s house to show him the car, the police pulled me over thinking that I had stolen the car. (At that time, I was a full-time minister of the Gospel.) Without verifying any information, they took me off to jail and left my new car on the side of the road.
Another time, when I was serving as a pastor, I went to a Subway. Even though I was dressed in my suit, and driving the church van with the church name on it, a police officer followed me into the restaurant and said that I had said something “fresh” to the lady at the counter when I had not said anything to her at all. It seemed to me like the lady was in on it because she didn’t say anything to deny what the policeman had suggested.
Even as an older black man who lives in a quiet, predominantly white neighborhood and area, I am still watched and harassed even when I am just going to Walmart. So I understand where the frustration of many in the black community is coming from.
Not only have we been hearing repeatedly of police shooting and killing young men of color, but we hear of how the justice system often seems to be skewed against certain groups of people, and those people feel that they will never get a fair shake. Some people feel that taxes are too high. Some say that the government is infringing on religious liberty, the right to free speech, and the right to own guns. And while some feel that the government is doing too much, there are those who say the government is not doing enough. They want the government to do more about immigration or poverty or education.
In the midst of this discontent with government and law enforcement, we often find ourselves grumbling and complaining about what the government is or is not doing, and we lose sight of the biblical command to be thankful for all things, including the government. Paul writes in his letter to Timothy, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” Today, I want to share with you from the Word of God three reasons why we ought to be grateful and thankful for the government and law enforcement.
1. We ought to be thankful for the government and law enforcement because they are ministers ordained by God. Paul writes in Romans, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.”
Paul is writing to Christians living in Rome — the center of the empire’s power in the first century. Just as many who live and work in Washington D.C. see the rotunda of the Capitol each day, these Christian citizens saw the signs of Roman imperial power all around them as they lived, worked, and worshipped God.
Paul explains that governmental power or authority is ordained by God. The Greek word for “ordained” means to appoint, to order to a certain place, or to assign someone responsibility or authority. It is the same word used in the book of Acts when Paul and Barnabas were “appointed” or ordained to go to Jerusalem to meet with other Christian leaders. Paul also used this word when describing his conversion experience. He said that Jesus told him that he should go to Damascus where he would be told what had been “appointed” or ordained for him to do. In most Christian traditions, a man must be ordained by other, older, wiser church leaders before he can preach.
So, just as God has set up a leadership structure in the family — with the husband and father being a minister (or priest) in the home; and just as God has set up a leadership structure in the church — with a pastor being the leader or “shepherd” of the flock; He has set up a leadership structure in the realm of human government, and those leaders are ordained as “ministers of God” as well.
The Bible tells us that God only gives “good and perfect” gifts. So, governmental authority and those who represent that authority are not bad in and of themselves. However, they are not perfect. As one writer for Religion News Service said this past week in response to the Ferguson grand jury decision: ‘Christians should know better than anyone: as long as there are sinful, flawed people running the justice system, the system itself will always be flawed.’
Husbands and fathers make mistakes. Pastors make mistakes. Politicians make mistakes. And government leaders make mistakes. However, the Bible encourages us to still show gratitude for each of them and to give them the respect they deserve, not because of who they are, but because of the God-ordained position of authority that they are in.
2. We ought to be thankful for the government and law enforcement because they allow us to live quiet and peaceable lives. Paul writes, “Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good.”
You have heard the phrase: ‘when the cat’s away, the mice will play.’ Well, some people are a lot like mice. In the absence of visible or perceived authority, they will act according to their sinful impulses. And some people will even act criminally in the face of authority. We saw this in Ferguson with people looting stores and burning down places of business. Well, imagine if that kind of activity were an everyday occurrence. Those of us who are law abiding citizens would not be able to live our lives in a peaceful and quiet way.
That is why we need laws, governments, and law enforcement. Without laws and law enforcers, you would have reckless drivers and careful drivers on the highways at the same time, and that would result in higher instances of road rage and car accidents. However, because we have laws and law enforcement, everyone has to obey the speed limit and the same rules of the road. That is why our highways are places of order.
We may not like the amount of taxes we have to pay, but the money that we give to the government helps fund our police forces and our military so that we can live safe here at home. Our money also goes to pay those who keep the various aspects of government running. We rarely think of them when tax time comes, but they, too, are part of the reason why we can live peaceful, quiet lives in the United States.
So, we ought to be grateful for the government and law enforcement because we are able to live and work peacefully for the most part in this nation.
3. We ought to be thankful for the government and law enforcement because they act against evildoers. The Bible says, “If thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.”
Most of us do not have the time, patience, or skill to chase down and mete out punishment on those who do wrong in our society. Do we grieve internally when we hear about the tragic things that happen in our society each day? Yes, we do. But I, for one, am also glad that there are those who are trained, talented, and gifted in the area of criminal justice. And, I am glad to know that my tax dollars go to pay their salary so they can keep people who harm others off the streets.
James Madison, one of the founding fathers of this nation, famously said, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.” Because of the fallen world we live in, both government and controls on government are necessary. When we see the government doing wrong — from the president on down to the local city council — we have a responsibility to speak out about it, especially if the government is doing something that is in opposition to God’s word. But, we can be grateful that, for the most part, our communities are not overrun by rapists, murderers, thieves, and child abductors. In a nation such as ours, the government has done a pretty good job keeping evildoers at bay.
Peter writes in his first epistle, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.” In 2011, when President Obama authorized the U.S. military to carry out the killing of Osama bin Laden, that was a government punishing an evildoer. This past week, when President Obama awarded several Americans the Medal of Freedom, that was government praising those citizens who had done well.
We ought to be thankful that we have government officials who are in the business of punishing those who do wrong and applauding those who do good.
As I said before, government is not perfect. However, as Leon Morris writes, “Ordered government is not a human device, but something of divine origin.” Even though our government and law enforcement officials are flawed and sometimes make mistakes, God saw fit to ordain this human authority structure for the keeping of order in earthly society. The opposite to this orderliness is chaos and rampant crime. We don’t have such a situation today. And for that, we can be grateful.
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If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to share with you briefly how you can be saved from your sins and be guaranteed a home in Heaven with God today.
First, please understand that you are a sinner, just as I am, and that you have broken God’s laws. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Please understand that because of your sins, you deserve eternal punishment in hell. Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death…This is both physical death and spiritual death in hell. That is the bad news.
But here is the good news. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door.” Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in twenty-three foreign countries. He is the author of thirty-four books. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry which publishes a monthly magazine called The Torch Leader. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts, The Prayer Motivator Devotional and the Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report and the Second Coming Watch Update. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, and a Master’s degree in Religion from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica for twenty-five years. God has blessed their union with seven children. Find out more at www.danielwhyte3.com. Follow Daniel Whyte III on Twitter @prophetdaniel3 or on Facebook.
