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In Matthew 16 Jesus says upon this rock He will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. The gates of hell are not an offensive weapon, they are a defense. In this imagery, Jesus’s church is supposed to be on the offense. Too often the church has played defense. In this lecture Mike Winther continues his lecture on why we need to be aggressive in beating down the gates.
This is part four of a four-part series on fighting the Lord’s Battles. The three previous lectures focused on preparing for the battle, family, and church. Today’s episode is on the state. This lecture series was given by Mike Winther at the Big Valley Grace Community Church men’s ministry on February 22, 2021. It’s time for Christians to get off of the sidelines and join the battle.
You’ll Learn:
- [04:20] Tonight, Mike is talking about attacking the gates in the civil government sphere. He says that this message is the most difficult.
- [04:50] There are three god-ordained government institutions. There is family government, church government, and civil government.
- [05:25] Every institution has a purpose. Satan wants the state to do what the family should do. Satan wants to confuse the roles.
- [06:25] All authority is given to Jesus.
- [06:50] We get our authority from God. The civil government should get authority from God also.
- [07:33] There are two biblically mandated roles for the civil government. Civil government has boundaries.
- [08:40] What is the proper role of government?
- [10:17] It’s the job of the civil government to adjudicate disputes and to protect the rights of the innocent. The civil court system. Exodus 18:13 – 27. You can find this throughout Leviticus and Deuteronomy and Romans 13.
- [12:19] There’s a difference between protecting our rights and protecting us.
- [14:45] The nature of the state. George Washington said that government is not reason or eloquence, but it is force. Like fire, it’s a dangerous servant and a fearful master.
- [15:49] Civil government is a blessing to society as long as it’s contained within its proper role.
- [18:20] The worst thing in the world is to become active before you know what you’re doing. We need to study the government and study the Bible.
- [19:06] Satan has changed the role of the government to a positive role.
- [21:30] We need to know where the government gets its authority. God doesn’t give unchecked authority to any human being. Governments need checks and balances.
- [22:21] The civil government has the power of the sword. We need to define a bright line around proper government action.
- [25:48] When ancient Israel came out of Egypt. Joshua 2:8 After 40 years, they attempted to go into the promised land again. The enemy feared Israel.
- [28:56] We need to lead and engage in the battle not be doomed to die in the desert.
- [29:42] John Adams talks about how it’s his duty to study the science of government. We need to study!