God invites you and I into a relationship with Him.  He wants to do life with you.  To make this relationship work, the thing that is required of us is FAITH.   Faith that says, “I can’t see You but I will trust You so much, I will give You control of my life.”  The proof that we have given God control in our lives is simple.  Anxiety, worry and fear don’t define us.  Scripture puts it like this:  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. NIV  Philippians 4:6-7

 So we are invited into a relationship with God, so what stops us?  PRIDE.  Pride that says, “I will stay in control because I am not convinced that God will come through for me.”  The proof is a life that is completely in control of itself and always leads to sense of emptiness and insecurity.  Scripture puts it like this: Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows!  If he sows to please his own wrong desires, he will be planting seeds of evil and he will surely reap a harvest of spiritual decay and death.  TLB Galatians 6:7-8 

  Now doesn’t that describe the battle of your life everyday? That battle between faith and pride.  That battle of deciding; am I going to give God control or will I take control?  Scripture put it like this.  The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other.  NLT  Galatians 5:17  Isn’t that your life?  Everyone in denial says, “No, I so mature!”

  For us to grow in our relationship with God, for us to win this battle over pride, it requires that we are OBEDIANT.  You see God’s plan for us is to grow us, mature us and develop us.  God wants is to grow in our faith [grow in giving God control] and die to pride [die to us taking control of our lives].  This process requires that we be OBEDIANT.  Scripture is so clear about this.  Obey God because you are his children. Don't slip back into your old ways of doing evil [pride]; you didn't know any better then.  But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God - who chose you to be his children - is holy. For he himself has said, "You must be holy because I am holy."   NLT  1 Peter 1:13-16

 I want to be clear about this. In our relationship with God, He is actively, lovingly, purposely, aggressively,  shaping and molding our hearts to help us grow up. Grow Up meaning; increasing our faith and killing our pride.  Giving us the opportunity to give God control and stop taking control.    How does God do this? Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.  You know that under pressure, your faith-life [I give control to God or I take control] is forced into the open and shows its true colors.  So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. MSG  James 1:2-4

 A life with God requires faith [I give God control].  A mature life with God requires obedience [I will give God control even when I face challenges].  Let me read this verse, I will talk about today’s big point.

No authority exists without God's permission, and the existing authorities have been put there by God.  Whoever opposes [In other words: Whoever refuses to obey] the existing authority opposes what God has ordered; and anyone who does so will bring judgment on himself.  GNT  Romans 13:1-2

 The big point.  How you respond to the delegated authority of God reveals more about your heart than your authority.

  3 responses that tell the world about what’s in your heart.

Number 1. If I obey God’s delegated authority, I am saying, “I trust God and give God control.”  So I believe: He will defend me.  That means practically, I have the capacity to absorb hurt and unfairness and give back respect and honor to those in authority over me.   If I disobey God’s delegated authority, I am saying, “I don’t trust God and give God control.”  So I believe: I must defend me.  That means practically, I have no capacity to absorb anything.  If you hurt me, I will hurt you back.   How you respond to the delegated authority of God reveals more about your heart than your authority.

 Number 2.  If I obey God’s delegated authority, I am saying, “I trust God and give God control.”  So I believe: I will allow God to help me grow up.  That means practically, I want to know the truth of God so that I can change.  I expect tests and challenges to come and shape and mold me.  God is the center of the universe.  If I disobey God’s delegated authority, I am saying, “I don’t trust God and give God control.”  So I believe: I could care less about the truth of God, I’m going to do my own thing.  That means practically, I will decide what truth is.  I will expect everything to go my way because I am the center of the universe upon which all stars orbit.  How you respond to the delegated authority of God reveals more about your heart than your authority.

 Number 3. If I obey God’s delegated authority, I am saying, “I trust God and give God control.”  So I believe: I want to  bring God glory.  That means practically, I honor and respect authority.  Not because they may or may not deserve it, but they represent God and I want to honor Him.  If I disobey God’s delegated authority, I am saying, “I don’t trust God and give God control.”  So I believe: I want to bring glory to me.  That means practically, I will honor and respect authority; until I disagree with them.  Then watch out, stand back, I will show you the biggest, self absorbed, hissy fit you ever saw.  How you respond to the delegated authority of God reveals more about your heart than your authority.

I want to read for you a story about authority and answer a few questions.  Now before I read this whole chapter, you must know something.  Saul was the current King and God was fed up with Saul.  The prophet Samuel, directed by God, anointed David to be the next King.  1 Samuel 24:1-21

 When Saul came back after dealing with the Philistines, he was told, "David is now in the wilderness of En Gedi."  Saul took three companies - the best he could find in all Israel - and set out in search of David and his men in the region of Wild Goat Rocks. He came to some sheep pens along the road. There was a cave there and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were huddled far back in the same cave.  David's men whispered to him, "Can you believe it? This is the day GOD was talking about when he said, 'I'll put your enemy in your hands. You can do whatever you want with him.'" Quiet as a cat, David crept up and cut off a piece of Saul's royal robe.

Immediately, he felt guilty.  He said to his men, "GOD forbid that I should have done this to my master, GOD's anointed, that I should so much as raise a finger against him. He's GOD's anointed!"  David held his men in check with these words and wouldn't let them pounce on Saul. Saul got up, left the cave, and went on down the road.

Then David stood at the mouth of the cave and called to Saul, "My master! My king!" Saul looked back.  David fell to his knees and bowed in reverence.  He called out, "Why do you listen to those who say 'David is out to get you'?  This very day with your very own eyes you have seen that just now in the cave GOD put you in my hands. My men wanted me to kill you, but I wouldn't do it. I told them that I won't lift a finger against my master - he's GOD's anointed.  Oh, my father, look at this, look at this piece that I cut from your robe. I could have cut you - killed you! - but I didn't. Look at the evidence! I'm not against you. I'm no rebel. I haven't sinned against you, and yet you're hunting me down to kill me.  Let's decide which of us is in the right. God may avenge me, but it is in his hands, not mine.  An old proverb says, 'Evil deeds come from evil people.' So be assured that my hand won't touch you.

"What does the king of Israel think he's doing? Who do you think you're chasing? A dead dog? A flea? GOD is our judge. He'll decide who is right. Oh, that he would look down right now, decide right now - and set me free of you!"

When David had finished saying all this, Saul said, "Can this be the voice of my son David?" and he wept in loud sobs.  "You're the one in the right, not me," he continued. "You've heaped good on me; I've dumped evil on you.  And now you've done it again - treated me generously. GOD put me in your hands and you didn't kill me.  Why? When a man meets his enemy, does he send him down the road with a blessing? May GOD give you a bonus of blessings for what you've done for me today!  I know now beyond doubt that you will rule as king. The kingdom of Israel is already in your grasp!  Now promise me under GOD that you will not kill off my family or wipe my name off the books."

  Question #1: The authority over me doesn’t love God, do I still have to obey?  Saul didn’t love God, David submitted and obeyed.  Why?  David was honoring Saul because God placed Saul as king. * Your submission and honor, can seriously impact your leader.

 Question #2:  I disagree with the authority over me, do I still have to obey?  David did not agree with Saul, David submitted and obeyed.  Why?  David knew, God was still working through Saul.  * Your leaders may know something you don’t.

 Question #3: I am right, my authority is wrong and I can prove it, do I still have obey?  If David killed Saul, it would have seemed perfect, yet David submitted and obeyed.  Why?  Saul will be held accountable for how he lead, David wanted no part in it.  * Don’t put yourself in the role of judge, God will take of it.  If you take out your authority, don’t be surprised when you are taken out by those under you [see Judges 9].

Question #4: My leader is evil, tyrannical, mean and all around abusive. David didn’t kill Saul but he was honest and ready to defend himself.  If your leader is mean - real mean, what do we do?  If you can’t give honor and respect, fulfill your obligation and quit with honor and respect.  If any abuse or illegal activity takes place, you report it to their authorities.

 Question #5: How does all this look in a marriage and family?  Next week. 

Close with this.  How you respond to the delegated authority of God reveals more about your heart than your authority.

 What was in David’s heart?  Faith and obedience.  For those of you who are single, would you like to marry someone like David?  Then look for someone who responds well to authority.  The bad boy or girl is a rebellious idiot who will kill you.  Looking to hire someone?  Would you like to hire a David?  Then look for someone who has responded well to authority.  Do you know why people at MRC are leaders?  They have responded to me very well.  Are you looking to see what company to work with in business?  Then look for the leader and watch how they respond to authority.

 How you respond to the delegated authority of God reveals more about your heart than your authority.  How do you respond?

- Ken Landis