Dale Partridge - The Spheres of Sovereignty： Aligning All of Life with Christ’s Rule

00:00:00.000 This morning, we're understanding what does it mean that Christ truly is Lord over all things.

00:00:10.520 This morning, as we begin, I want to give you a bit of an illustration.

00:00:16.440 Imagine with me for a moment an orchestra, each musician playing a unique role,

00:00:24.060 and each instrument contributes something to the essential overall harmony of this orchestra.

00:00:31.980 The violinist doesn't attempt to play the drum

00:00:36.040 and the trumpet does not try and take over the role of the cello.

00:00:41.380 Every musician must play their part under the direction of their conductor.

00:00:48.900 For the symphony to reach its intended beauty and crescendo,

00:00:52.540 everyone must be playing their part.

00:00:56.800 This congregation is a picture of God's design for human society.

00:01:04.300 In his wisdom, God has ordained distinct spheres of authority,

00:01:09.940 family, church, and the state,

00:01:13.800 each with its own responsibilities and boundaries.

00:01:17.780 Just as in an orchestra,

00:01:19.620 these spheres must operate in harmony fulfilling their god-given roles under the lordship of

00:01:28.080 jesus christ when each sphere respects the authority of the others when each sphere is

00:01:35.340 able to look at each of the others and understand their boundary lines society flourishes

00:01:42.600 it sounds beautiful when a society does this like an orchestra all in tune

00:01:50.320 it's something that we are drawn into it's something that makes our hearts happy

00:01:57.480 but what happens when an orchestra plays off tune when the violin isn't tuned in quite right

00:02:08.060 the cello is missing that note nobody wants to listen to this we are repulsed by the noise that

00:02:18.620 we hear and instead of being drawn into the beauty of this orchestra we recoil

00:02:24.740 it's the same in societies when different spheres of sovereignty do not play their part

00:02:33.640 in the society, when they're trying to overstep, overreach, or pull back their own boundaries.

00:02:41.100 It's like terrible music. Nobody wants to be a part of that society.

00:02:48.260 Today, we're going to dive into the biblical concept of sphere sovereignty, which teaches

00:02:56.420 that God has established distinct spheres of authority

00:03:00.380 for the family, the church, and the state,

00:03:04.560 each of them accountable directly to God.

00:03:08.900 We'll explore what the scriptures say about these spheres

00:03:11.960 and their unique unity, purposes,

00:03:16.400 how God has designed their boundaries,

00:03:19.540 and how they should interact with one another.

00:03:22.140 But most importantly, we will see how Christ's lordship over all of life provides the foundation stone for a healthy society.

00:03:34.620 If you want a healthy society in America, you have to recognize that Christ is Lord.

00:03:42.800 Understanding sphere sovereignty is not just a theological exercise.

00:03:48.920 It's not just something for us to check a box this morning.

00:03:52.380 Oh, we taught this concept to you.

00:03:54.140 Now you understand.

00:03:55.880 No, this has real, practical implications for how we live as Christians in our own country. 0.75

00:04:05.780 When these fears are misunderstood or abused, society is inept.

00:04:13.000 It doesn't work right.

00:04:14.840 And we have to know why.

00:04:17.960 when families neglect their God-given responsibilities,

00:04:22.900 when the church fails to stand as the pillar of truth in society,

00:04:27.200 or when the state overreaches into areas that God never designed for it to reach into,

00:04:34.460 we witness the breakdown of society and the distortion of God's good design.

00:04:41.460 as we explore this topic this morning we have to remember that god's word is sufficient

00:04:50.960 to guide us in every area of human life through scripture we can see and understand how to

00:04:59.580 navigate the responsibilities of every sphere of life how to resist tyranny

00:05:05.560 how to understand how we are to operate faithfully within our own sphere just like an orchestra

00:05:14.620 thrives under the leadership of their conductor so too must every sphere of life operate under

00:05:21.420 the ultimate authority of jesus christ the king of kings and the lord of lords

00:05:27.600 to give you an example from our own society why this is so important

00:05:35.600 did you know in 2022 california passed senate bill 107 this bill allowed children from other states

00:05:50.240 where gender reassignment surgeries are restricted to receive those procedures in california

00:05:57.200 without having to tell the parents,

00:06:01.020 without having to inform anybody what's going on with their child,

00:06:04.180 these children can go to California and get their sex changed.

00:06:10.320 Governor Gavin Newsom at the time said,

00:06:13.220 quote,

00:06:14.420 In the state of California,

00:06:16.740 your child can now be taken from your custody

00:06:20.000 if you do not affirm gender reassignment surgery.

00:06:25.100 End quote. 0.91

00:06:27.200 Wild, isn't it?

00:06:30.820 How did we get to this place?

00:06:35.160 How do we live in such a great and glorious society

00:06:39.180 where this is now law in California?

00:06:46.180 The reason is because we have abandoned

00:06:48.740 all sense of biblical moorings in America.

00:06:53.060 we have not rooted our laws or our society in the teachings of holy scripture

00:07:01.100 we've allowed secularism moralism christless conservatism to come in and dictate to us

00:07:12.780 how we are to live you can't go into the public sphere and tell them the reason why this law is

00:07:18.960 wrong is because Christ is Lord. Not in America today. The church hasn't taught this.

00:07:28.760 Christians haven't believed this for a long time. Today, we think that Christless conservatism

00:07:36.280 may be enough. That just parental laws, that economic realities will stop this tide of

00:07:48.580 tyranny and wickedness coming from our government, I want to tell you this morning that it won't.

00:07:58.960 Christless conservatism is bankrupt. It teaches us nothing about our God-given roles or

00:08:08.160 responsibilities. It's rooted in worldliness and secularism. What the church needs today

00:08:17.860 more than anything else, is a theology that teaches that Christ is Lord over all of life.

00:08:27.020 And this morning, we're going to see just that.

00:08:32.360 In sphere sovereignty, Christ is the foundation and unifying force that holds everything else

00:08:40.800 together. If you look in your handout, you'll see Christ is the greatest sphere.

00:08:47.860 He is the sphere that encompasses all other spheres.

00:08:53.680 This is important for us to recognize right off the bat.

00:08:58.440 This theological framework was first articulated by the pastor and statesman Abraham Kuyper.

00:09:06.120 He has a famous quote that everyone who ever teaches sphere sovereignty has to quote.

00:09:11.920 He said, quote,

00:09:13.180 Quote, there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry, mine.

00:09:30.220 Kuyper's insight reminds us that every aspect of your life and my life exists and operates under the authority of Jesus Christ.

00:09:43.180 it's his sovereignty that gives your life meaning it's his direction that tells you how you are to

00:09:53.000 live it's the lordship of jesus christ that makes this world make sense without christ

00:10:02.200 our lives are meaningless

00:10:04.940 us. Without Christ, this world makes no sense. What is the purpose of death? Why do we suffer?

00:10:19.960 How are we to live? If Christ isn't Lord, we have no answer to these things.

00:10:26.100 the reason why our families should be ordered

00:10:33.720 is because Jesus Christ is Lord over your family

00:10:39.020 the reason why our churches ought to be ordered

00:10:42.220 is because Jesus Christ is Lord over the church

00:10:45.320 the reason why the state should be

00:10:49.440 ordered is because Jesus Christ is Lord over the state

00:10:54.220 We have to get used to saying these things.

00:10:57.320 We don't have another political theology as Christians.

00:11:01.280 We have nothing else to offer the world except that Christ is Lord.

00:11:10.140 Kuyper taught that all spheres of human life operate under the authority and sovereignty of Christ.

00:11:18.960 He likely derived this from our scripture texts this morning.

00:11:23.400 I want to reread it here in this section of our sermon.

00:11:28.180 Colossians 1, 15 through 16.

00:11:32.120 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

00:11:39.040 For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.

00:11:45.500 Whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him.

00:11:53.400 my daughter when i was reading this passage kept adding and to him daddy yes and to him

00:12:01.760 what we need to see in this passage is the overarching dominion of christ

00:12:09.760 there isn't one aspect of human existence that was left out of that passage

00:12:15.340 everything exists by christ and for christ everything full stop

00:12:23.940 there's not one aspect of the creation that exists outside of his lordship

00:12:30.180 this concept is crucial to get sphere sovereignty right

00:12:35.760 in your family you lead by raising your children and loving your spouse according to god's word

00:12:45.220 recognizing Christ's lordship over your family.

00:12:49.780 In the church, you serve faithfully,

00:12:53.000 worship together, and live in obedience to the scripture

00:12:55.780 because Jesus Christ is Lord over your church.

00:12:59.700 In the government, you recognize its accountability to Christ

00:13:03.780 and discern when to submit and when to resist

00:13:08.420 because Jesus Christ is Lord over the government.

00:13:12.220 christ lordship is the anchor it's the cornerstone that everything else is built upon

00:13:23.600 hopefully i've impressed that enough upon you

00:13:28.280 the first the first sphere we're going to look at within the sphere of christ lordship

00:13:35.960 is the sphere of the family the family is an institution that was established by God himself

00:13:44.940 and is a principal building block upon which a society is built without solid families

00:13:54.140 no civilization has a chance to last through the years without solid families every society

00:14:01.680 will crumble as families are the bedrock of a healthy people group.

00:14:10.000 But what we need to see this morning is what is the sovereignty or the reasonable jurisdiction

00:14:17.940 of the family. I want to offer two points where the family is the supreme authority

00:14:26.440 under the lordship of Christ. These two points aren't exhaustive. There's many more. But if I

00:14:32.700 exhausted every boundary line of the sphere of sovereignty, we would never leave this sermon.

00:14:42.020 The first area of sovereignty for the family is in the discipline of the children.

00:14:47.160 In the Shema and Deuteronomy 6, God clearly instructed the people of Israel to raise their

00:14:56.560 children in the instruction of the Lord and to teach them his ways. In verses 6 and 7, it says,

00:15:04.740 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently

00:15:10.300 to your children and shall talk of them when you sit down in your house and when you walk by the

00:15:15.900 way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Parents, it's your duty to teach your children

00:15:26.400 the word of God. That's your Christian duty. You have been given that duty by God himself.

00:15:36.840 Parents are the only ones who have this specific calling for children.

00:15:42.440 Parents, you have to realize that if you do not take charge of the education of your children,

00:15:51.360 of the teaching of the Word of God to your children, nobody else will.

00:16:00.280 Do you get that?

00:16:02.340 You can't pawn off your duty to educate your children to other people.

00:16:08.560 It doesn't work.

00:16:09.760 it's not how it was designed to work no you are called as a parent to understand the word of god

00:16:19.060 for yourself so that you can then turn around and give that word of god to your children

00:16:25.260 the church can't replace you the state can't come in and replace you

00:16:32.880 there's only one you for your children according to the word of god you are the sovereign over that

00:16:43.260 teaching we have to take up this mantle as parents

00:16:49.000 second the family holds primary authority over their own provision and care

00:16:59.640 In 1 Timothy 5.8, Paul states,

00:17:04.120 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for the members of his household, 0.91

00:17:09.700 he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 0.99

00:17:16.000 This underscores the family's responsibility to provide for themselves. 1.00

00:17:21.860 Men, it's your duty to provide for your families.

00:17:25.280 You are called by the word of God to make enough money and provide enough resources

00:17:31.460 that your family is taken care of.

00:17:37.200 But what happens when the family fails?

00:17:44.440 What happens when they don't fulfill these God-given responsibilities?

00:17:52.680 Many of us are uncomfortable with this idea.

00:17:55.280 many of us don't like the idea that somebody else may be interested in seeing your family succeed

00:18:03.180 we think that we're it we don't need anybody's help

00:18:08.680 the thought of independence comes in i don't need your help to raise my kids i can raise

00:18:17.200 my kids myself thank you very much this is often the spirit we see in the church

00:18:22.840 but this is why if you see on your handout every sphere overlaps with each other they don't touch

00:18:33.500 each other as though they have nothing to do with crossovers they're not just separated under the

00:18:41.580 lordship of Christ, they overlap. Why? Because the church has an equal interest in seeing your

00:18:53.160 family succeed, as does the state. If your family isn't successful, if your family isn't a healthy

00:19:03.140 family, this church won't last very long.

00:19:09.400 If your family isn't a healthy family, America will not last very long.

00:19:16.980 The church and the state are interested in seeing you be successful in your God-given

00:19:23.580 responsibility to honor your husband, to lead your families, to obey the word of God.

00:19:33.140 the church and the state both are interested in that but who more often than not is more

00:19:42.120 interested or more willing to get involved with your family the church or the state

00:19:46.640 the state every time the state is all too eager to step in to help you when times are hard

00:20:01.780 Who gives the government subsidies?

00:20:04.680 The state. 1.00

00:20:06.560 Who's going to step in when parenting is abusive?

00:20:09.660 The state. 0.97

00:20:12.880 Who's going to educate your kids when you don't want to?

00:20:16.680 The state.

00:20:20.240 The state is neither as equipped nor as capable to support your family as the church is.

00:20:30.900 The church ought to be the one that steps in and helps your family in times of need.

00:20:36.220 The church is the one who is supposed to step in and make sure that you can make ends meet.

00:20:41.740 The church is the one who's supposed to come alongside you and assist you in the education of your children.

00:20:47.720 This is why we're starting a co-op.

00:20:49.980 We want to come alongside you in the education of your children.

00:20:53.140 not to replace you not to take over your role but to support you the church is uniquely gifted

00:21:04.580 for this purpose not the state what we've seen when the state steps in

00:21:12.580 and tries to play this role is generational dependency

00:21:18.200 A lack of self-sufficiency.

00:21:23.880 An eagerness to take government subsidies,

00:21:28.260 which ruins ingenuity.

00:21:33.120 When the state comes in to supplement the family,

00:21:36.980 it doesn't work.

00:21:41.940 What we need is a right understanding

00:21:46.200 of who is best equipped to help who in sphere sovereignty.

00:21:52.320 This is why we need to understand the sphere of the church.

00:21:59.060 The church is an institution

00:22:01.600 that was established by God in the Old Testament with Israel.

00:22:07.700 That's where the church began.

00:22:09.760 Sorry, dispensationalists, but that's where it began.

00:22:11.780 and has continued up in the New Testament

00:22:16.740 through the teaching of the apostles.

00:22:20.680 While many areas of authority belong to the church,

00:22:24.800 again, I'm only going to focus on two.

00:22:27.880 The word and the sacraments.

00:22:31.360 The church is uniquely responsible

00:22:33.800 for the word and the sacraments.

00:22:38.080 First, the word.

00:22:39.120 In 1 Timothy 3.15, Paul says that the church is the pillar and the buttress of the truth.

00:22:52.680 The church is the pillar and the buttress of the truth.

00:22:59.180 Meaning that it is the church's duty and responsibility to be this pillar in society.

00:23:07.180 You get this idea of like a Roman structure with these large pillars that hold up the whole structure.

00:23:15.060 The church is that pillar holding up this structure.

00:23:19.500 And that pillar is truth.

00:23:22.640 The church preaches the truth.

00:23:26.700 The church preaches the gospel truth to the world.

00:23:31.420 It's our unique responsibility to do this.

00:23:35.880 Makes sense. 1.00

00:23:37.180 Can you imagine a Muslim trying to preach the gospel? 1.00

00:23:41.280 Wouldn't be a very good gospel. 1.00

00:23:47.580 We as pastors, therefore,

00:23:50.520 have to be given to diligent study of the scriptures

00:23:55.740 that we may know the truth

00:23:57.780 and that we could teach the truth to you

00:24:00.120 so that you could go out and teach the truth to society.

00:24:02.840 Sadly, in many churches today, they're led by pastors who are not given to the study of the scriptures.

00:24:17.780 Pastors who are ill-prepared to defend their congregations from falsehoods and from heresies.

00:24:25.300 far too many pastors in america today neglect our responsibility to shepherd

00:24:33.880 the people of god and you see the fruits in our society

00:24:37.660 the church has no idea who we are

00:24:41.420 we have no idea what we were put on the earth to do

00:24:45.940 we have no idea how the gospel relates to government how the gospel relates to our family

00:24:53.420 how the gospel relates to my personal life.

00:24:57.700 We have no idea about these things because pastors have not taught these things.

00:25:05.420 The renowned preacher Martin Lloyd-Jones once said,

00:25:09.480 The most urgent need in the Christian church today is true preaching.

00:25:17.700 And as it is the most urgent need in the church,

00:25:20.440 it is obviously the greatest need in the world also.

00:25:25.860 End quote.

00:25:28.760 We need faithful preaching.

00:25:33.400 We need faithful preachers.

00:25:38.100 The church desperately needs men who are serious

00:25:42.220 about expounding the scriptures to the people of God,

00:25:47.180 equipping them for the work of ministry in our world.

00:25:50.440 if the church does not take up this responsibility nobody else will

00:25:56.900 the word of god is too hard not in the sense of understanding but in the sense that it kills your

00:26:04.580 flesh nobody will naturally be drawn to read the word of god it kills us no governor is going to

00:26:15.380 naturally say, hey, I want the Bible to be the central truth that we govern all laws in this

00:26:22.720 state. No governor is ever going to say that, unless the church teaches him to say that.

00:26:30.520 It's the church's duty to take up the ministry of the word and to give it to a dying and lost world.

00:26:40.300 this naturally leads to the second area of authority for the church that is over the sacraments

00:26:48.440 jesus instituted the sacraments as a means of grace and it is the responsibility of pastors

00:26:58.220 to administer the sacraments faithfully in first corinthians 11 27 through 29

00:27:06.040 Paul warns those who partake in the Lord's Supper

00:27:10.800 that they need to examine themselves

00:27:13.080 before coming and partaking of the Lord's Supper.

00:27:17.580 This is to ensure that the congregation is pure.

00:27:22.320 That they have no lingering sin.

00:27:25.520 No things that are keeping them

00:27:27.260 from taking the sacrament rightly.

00:27:31.740 If you take the sacrament of the Lord's Supper 0.98

00:27:34.760 without truly being a Christian, 0.94

00:27:38.060 you eat and drink condemnation upon yourself. 0.99

00:27:44.100 This is why we stand around the table

00:27:46.100 as a visible sign

00:27:49.080 that you should be examined before you come.

00:27:55.600 In this sphere of sovereignty,

00:27:59.980 pastors have the duty

00:28:01.080 to preach the word of God

00:28:04.420 to administer the sacraments rightly.

00:28:11.540 It's not the duty of the state.

00:28:14.660 Nor is it the duty of the family.

00:28:19.640 Jesus didn't give everybody the blanket authority

00:28:23.680 over these things.

00:28:25.840 He gave it uniquely to the leadership of the church.

00:28:31.140 But the church has forgot their place.

00:28:34.420 We have to be reminded that the world needs to hear the word preached.

00:28:40.680 Needs to see the sacraments faithfully administered.

00:28:44.520 Needs to see the unity of the body of Christ.

00:28:48.620 Without these things, they will never believe what we have to say.

00:28:52.400 lastly we have to understand the limitations and authority of the government

00:29:05.180 so far we've seen that the family rules over the training up of children

00:29:12.320 and over their provision we've seen that the church is responsible for administering the word

00:29:20.320 and the sacraments. But now we're going to see how the state plays a role in God's beautiful design

00:29:28.560 for order in societies. And this is by far the most controversial part of this sermon.

00:29:38.900 Most Christians are happy to admit the lordship of Christ over their families.

00:29:45.060 most christians don't struggle with the idea that christ is lord over your churches

00:29:51.880 but what most christians fail to recognize is the lordship of jesus christ over the government

00:30:00.180 we have failed to handle this issue correctly in the church for a long long time

00:30:09.300 As a result, a lie has crept into the church.

00:30:16.900 That lie is this, that the government is inherently wicked and evil and will always be in conflict

00:30:26.320 with the church of Jesus Christ until he returns.

00:30:31.220 Have you not grown up with this lie?

00:30:35.220 I know I did.

00:30:36.480 I believed for years that the church had no responsibility to the state.

00:30:42.940 That we had no relationship to them other than animosity and conflict.

00:30:52.220 But do you realize, church, that the word of God teaches an opposite reality?

00:30:58.680 That the government is not inherently wicked.

00:31:01.540 That it's not essentially made up of wickedness.

00:31:08.900 Instead, the church's responsibility to teach the word needs to be focused on the fact

00:31:14.160 that the government is a minister of goodness and justice.

00:31:20.380 That's what the word of God teaches.

00:31:24.320 That the government is a deacon of God's justice in the world.

00:31:32.200 Look with me, if you would, in your Bibles to Romans 13, 3-5.

00:31:39.580 I'm not going to say everything that needs to be said about this passage because Dale needs something to preach on next week.

00:31:45.840 So I'm merely going to use this as a text to show you why this lie, or why this is even a lie in the church to begin with.

00:31:57.360 Romans 13, 3-5.

00:32:01.540 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.

00:32:08.980 Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority?

00:32:13.080 Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval.

00:32:17.480 For he is God's servant for your good.

00:32:19.660 But if you do wrong, be afraid.

00:32:24.460 For he does not bear the sword in vain.

00:32:26.680 For he is the servant of God, the deacon of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

00:32:37.420 Therefore, one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath, but also for the sake of conscience.

00:32:49.560 What many of us heard growing up from this passage is submit to the government.

00:32:57.240 No qualifications.

00:33:00.260 No biblical understanding of what that means.

00:33:05.340 Submit to the government.

00:33:07.480 That's it. 0.92

00:33:10.500 What we failed to see for too long in the church in America

00:33:14.060 is that this passage doesn't merely teach submission.

00:33:19.240 It teaches limitation.

00:33:24.260 You might have missed that.

00:33:25.500 This passage doesn't just teach submission.

00:33:28.460 It teaches limitation on the government.

00:33:33.360 Get out of your minds that Romans 13 is just about submitting to the government.

00:33:39.100 That that's all that you have to learn from these verses in the Bible.

00:33:45.300 No, what Romans 13 is teaching us is that we as Christians

00:33:50.120 have to understand the biblical boundary lines for the government.

00:33:57.620 God established the government to be a minister of goodness,

00:34:02.580 to reward righteousness and punish wickedness.

00:34:07.760 The government is supposed to be a visible representation of the justice of God.

00:34:16.500 That's good for a society.

00:34:20.120 When a society is ordered, with God's justice leading a people,

00:34:27.220 a people group are blessed by it.

00:34:32.360 So you might be thinking, yeah, when the government acts like this, they are a blessing.

00:34:38.720 But aren't there clear signs in our world today that our government doesn't act in this way?

00:34:45.680 You'd be correct.

00:34:47.720 Our government does not act according to the word of God.

00:34:52.460 So what do we do?

00:34:55.200 What do we do when the government doesn't operate within their biblical limitations?

00:35:02.520 What do we do when we get laws like Senate Bill 107?

00:35:07.640 Do we submit?

00:35:11.340 Do we do, as the church has said for far too long in America,

00:35:15.320 that the government is to be submitted to and not resisted?

00:35:21.140 That's not biblical, church.

00:35:29.640 For too long, we've misunderstood

00:35:33.060 what the Bible teaches about the role of the government in the world.

00:35:38.600 For too long, we've had a theology of mere submission.

00:35:45.320 But that is not how the founders of this country founded this country.

00:35:49.460 Nor is it how the church has operated throughout church history.

00:35:53.840 How do I know this?

00:35:57.220 The martyrs of church history tell this story.

00:36:02.600 They tell the story of what the church is to do when the government turns tyrannical.

00:36:08.540 When the government does not operate within their biblical limitations,

00:36:12.220 the martyrs of church history lead the way.

00:36:19.420 We've also heard a lie about the martyrs, too.

00:36:22.100 We thought that they merely died for preaching the gospel.

00:36:27.820 That they were telling the world how to be set free from sin

00:36:30.400 and that's why they were killed.

00:36:34.200 That is not the whole story of the martyrs of church history.

00:36:37.340 that's not all that we have to learn from their testimonies

00:36:43.080 did you know that polycarp the bishop of smyrna

00:36:49.220 was not burned at the stake for standing on the street corner and preaching the gospel

00:36:56.880 that's not why polycarp died if you don't know who polycarp was he was the bishop of smyrna

00:37:03.920 who likely learned from the Apostle John

00:37:07.500 in the years 70 A.D. to 155 A.D.

00:37:15.380 Polycarp didn't die

00:37:16.420 because he lived a peaceful, quiet life.

00:37:22.100 No, Polycarp died because he refused

00:37:26.000 to submit to the government.

00:37:29.060 Full stop.

00:37:30.200 polycarp died because he would not admit that caesar is lord and not christ

00:37:41.440 jesus christ is lord

00:37:49.000 that statement is the most dangerous statement you will ever profess in your lifetime

00:37:57.020 Jesus Christ is king over all nations that is the most dangerous profession of faith you will ever

00:38:07.400 give why it kills any king's idea of lordship of true sovereignty as though he operates without a

00:38:24.100 Lord. Professing the Lordship of Jesus Christ will get you in the most trouble in this life.

00:38:36.120 Not just freedom from sin. Not just the death, burial, and resurrection. Those things are

00:38:43.400 foundational for the church. We have to preach the gospel. But all while recognizing that the

00:38:51.060 gospel matters because the Lord is Lord over everything. Ignatius wasn't thrown into the

00:39:00.360 Colosseum for preaching salvation to sinners. He was thrown to the Colosseum because he would not

00:39:09.080 declare Caesar is king, is Lord over his life. Justin Martyr was not beheaded for living a simple

00:39:17.460 quiet life, but because he boldly proclaimed Christ is Lord. Justin's powerful words help us

00:39:28.500 understand what the cost may be for Christian resistance. He says, quote,

00:39:36.600 the lover of truth ought to choose in every way, even at the cost of his own life,

00:39:44.440 to speak and to do what is right,

00:39:48.360 though death should take him away.

00:39:51.800 End quote.

00:39:56.260 These martyrs' examples teach us

00:40:00.920 that allegiance to Christ,

00:40:05.980 allegiance to your Lord Jesus Christ,

00:40:09.120 is the ultimate call in Christianity.

00:40:12.800 you are united to the lord jesus christ who is sovereign over everything that he has made

00:40:24.200 it is your duty as a christian to tell the government that they are not lord though they

00:40:35.300 would like to be. They don't get to tell the family to send their kids for gender reassignment

00:40:43.900 surgery. They don't get to tax you at exorbitant rates. They don't get to mandate how you live

00:40:54.560 within the comfort of your own home. The government does not get to dictate how you educate your

00:41:02.280 children? What are the standards of education that your children need to know? The government

00:41:07.980 doesn't get to say this. Why? Because Jesus Christ has told the government their limitations.

00:41:21.840 Their overreach requires Christian resistance. Submit where you can. 0.90

00:41:32.900 Submit when the government is acting

00:41:34.960 within their biblical roles.

00:41:38.600 But when the government turns tyrannical,

00:41:41.840 I tell you, it is your Christian duty 0.99

00:41:44.300 not to submit. 1.00

00:41:48.620 Amen?

00:41:48.880 Amen?

00:41:54.220 There are three practical implications

00:41:56.480 that we need to take away from this teaching this morning.

00:41:59.300 three things that you need to walk away from

00:42:03.000 and live life differently

00:42:04.260 because of this sermon

00:42:05.160 number one

00:42:07.260 you need to understand

00:42:10.500 what is your sphere of sovereignty

00:42:12.860 you need to understand

00:42:16.460 what does it mean for you

00:42:18.380 to live out faithfully

00:42:20.040 your sphere of influence

00:42:22.060 in your family

00:42:23.140 in your church

00:42:25.420 and in your government

00:42:27.960 How do you influence these spheres?

00:42:35.320 That's number one.

00:42:37.900 Two, you need to be able to recognize that when a sphere becomes tyrannical,

00:42:47.940 you have to know when to submit and when not to submit.

00:42:53.740 Jesus doesn't call for blanket submission without qualification.

00:43:02.140 That's dangerous.

00:43:04.380 That's dangerous thinking.

00:43:07.660 When your husband tells you to sin, wives, it's your duty not to submit to your husband.

00:43:14.580 You have a Lord.

00:43:17.100 Submit to your Lord.

00:43:17.920 When your pastors command you to sin, it is your Christian duty not to submit to your pastors.

00:43:29.820 You have a Lord. Obey your Lord.

00:43:34.360 And when the government tells you that you must submit to their sinful edicts, it is your Christian duty not to submit.

00:43:41.900 as long as these fears act within their god-given responsibilities and roles you're free to submit

00:43:53.260 sounds like an oxymoron free to submit but that's exactly what it is

00:44:00.460 god's good order allows good and just and right boundaries for authority

00:44:07.700 And in that type of operation, we are free to submit.

00:44:13.280 It's a blessing when these things operate rightly.

00:44:16.840 When they become tyrannical, it's your duty to recognize when not to submit.

00:44:23.520 Last practical implication.

00:44:27.640 It's not enough to just navigate these spheres, just to understand how they work,

00:44:35.100 just to get a good theology down.

00:44:38.700 It's not enough for us just to figure out how we're to operate within our own spheres.

00:44:45.020 It's our duty as Christians to support and to build institutions that operate rightly within these spheres.

00:44:55.960 It's our duty as Christians to build solid, healthy churches.

00:45:02.420 It's our duty as Christians to build solid, healthy families.

00:45:07.700 Schools that could come alongside those families and assist and help.

00:45:12.640 It's our duty to build coalitions in political parties that will not waver on biblical truth.

00:45:22.840 It's our duty as Christians to support lasting institutions that will outlive us.

00:45:32.220 Be things that our children can assimilate to and propagate.

00:45:37.700 with these three things,

00:45:41.680 our society will be a better society.

00:45:46.500 With these three ways

00:45:49.380 of living out sphere sovereignty, 0.90

00:45:53.480 America will look a lot different

00:45:56.520 in 150 years.

00:45:59.280 We won't have the same problems we have today.

00:46:03.420 We won't be the same people

00:46:05.680 who don't know how we are to live.

00:46:08.640 What is our boundary lines?

00:46:10.400 What institutions are we to be a part of?

00:46:13.000 We won't feel this disconnected lostness in America.

00:46:19.780 We will recognize God's good order in society.

00:46:25.780 Our grandchildren will be able to see the fruits of our labor

00:46:30.440 and will continue in that work,

00:46:36.380 taking nation after nation after nation

00:46:40.300 until the return of Christ.

00:46:44.480 This isn't just a theological teaching this morning.

00:46:49.160 This is your roadmap to world conquest.

00:46:55.360 Take it up, Christian, and obey the word of God. 0.98

00:46:59.360 Amen?

00:47:00.440 Let's pray.

00:47:03.780 Heavenly Father,

00:47:05.680 Lord, we thank you

00:47:08.460 for the truths that we learn in your word,

00:47:12.820 for the good boundaries that you've placed on authority,

00:47:18.560 for the truth that teaches us

00:47:22.200 what to do when tyranny comes into our society.

00:47:27.540 God, I ask for your church that we would be more faithful in understanding these things and applying them.

00:47:40.740 That we would be a people who are able to profess rightly that you are Lord over our society.

00:47:51.300 that there's not one square inch of the human existence

00:47:56.800 over which you do not cry, mine.

00:48:02.340 Help us to disciple this world,

00:48:05.860 teaching them to obey your commandments,

00:48:08.980 that we may see the world renewed

00:48:12.580 by your word, by your church,

00:48:17.500 that we would see this world taken over by Christ.

00:48:22.160 It's in his name we pray.

00:48:24.540 Amen.

Dale Partridge - January 09, 2025

The Spheres of Sovereignty： Aligning All of Life with Christ’s Rule

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