Principle and Principles of Grace

We are on question sheet 14. I believe we are on question number 3. We got through 1 and 2 last week. Question two, does Christ ever give some of his authority to humans? We looked at that in several different avenues. We looked at that in husbands and wives, parents, children, governments, and even elders. Several different areas where God has shaved off a little bit of his authority. He is the one with total authority, and yet there are areas which he has delegated or relegated some authority, some measure of authority, to humans or human agencies.

And so, you know, we looked at the fact that you can't, and as some, which can become somewhat problematic, if you just say, the Lord is my only authority. And what troubles that causes. when you are a child and not obeying your parents. Well, I have one authority and that's the Lord. What are you saying to God? Are we supposed to pull out those verses about children, be obedient to your parents? Did he make a mistake? Is that what you're supposed to do?

No. Wise, be submissive to your husbands. Well, he's got to be just the perfect guy for me to be submissive. Otherwise, the Lord is my authority. I don't have to listen to this guy. So we have to pull out all those verses about why he's being submissive. What about governments? Whatever your political persuasion is, whoever, if it's the opposite side, I don't have to listen to him. The Lord is my authority. So are we supposed to throw out all those verses about being subject to government? Did God make a mistake?

No. So we established that there are human authorities. God is the total authority, but he has delegated or shaved off a portion of that authority to humans or human agencies. So we're down to question three, which is, how would you define any human authority as defined in the Bible? I guess first we must establish that God is the only one with total authority. But then we have shown that there are humans or human agencies that are given authorities.

How do you define those or what would define those? Any thoughts? I have three characteristics that would describe or define human authorities. Any thoughts? I'll give you one hint. God is total, so what are we? as a human authority? Limited. We don't have all authority. When God shaves off his authority, every one of these authorities that we talked about, parents, husbands, governments, elders, all those have limitations.

They are not all-encompassing. As a parent, I can't take care and say to all kids, this is the way it is. It's a very limited sphere. I can't, as a parent, suddenly say to somebody else's wife something. It's not like I have all authority to say, this is the way it is. This is the way you'll operate. So it's limited. So we know, first of all, that it's limited. The second one, where does it come from?

Stan? The authority must be designated by God through the Bible. I can't come up with my own authority. I can't decide that I'm suddenly the ruler of Parker. I can't suddenly say that I have authority other than what's designated in the Bible. You can't come up with your own authority.

It's got to be designated by God. A lot of times I think the troubles we get into is we decide various authorities on our own. And if that is not designated by God in Scripture, is it an authority? No. It's got to be designated by God through the Bible. Okay, so it's through the Word.

And the last one, kind of tied into that, was every legitimate authority has its authority derived by God. So it's one, it's designated in the Scripture, and two, that authority is given by God. Okay, so it's limited, it's designated in Scripture, and the authority is derived by God. Those are the three characteristics of the human authority as defined by Scripture.

Everybody comfortable with that? Okay, we'll move on to four. I need somebody to read. Mike, you want to do Romans 13.1, and Steve, can you do Ephesians 5.22? And we'll see, what do these say about the origin of human authorities? 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. Pretty straightforward there. Steve? Wives submit to your own husbands as to the Lord. Okay. All of the human authorities are derived from God as designated by Him. So, very clear in the Romans 13. There is no authority except from God. and those which are established and those which exist are established by God.

Therefore, when we reject authority as designated by God, who do we reject? God. Do you think of that? Do you think when you reject authority designated by God, as in scripture, within its sphere of authority, and you reject that authority, do you realize you are rejecting God? He established it. Children, obey your parents. I can't look. When you do that, who are you rejecting? Your parents? One, yes. Two, who else are you rejecting? God. Do you see it that way?

Think of you, us who are old, rejecting our parents when we're young. I wasn't just rejecting my parents, I was rejecting God. I should put that in the sphere of a Christian home. When you reject these authorities, you're not just merely rejecting this authority right here, you're rejecting God who gave that authority.

Why do we subject to these authorities? It's pretty easy. Why do we subject to them? Because we love him. We love him. They're designated by him and scripture tells us to. His word tells us to. Be subject to the governing authorities. God established him. I always go back to this. Remember when these scriptures were brought forth. Nero. Nero was the king or the ruler at that time. Nero was not a sweet guy. And yet, can you imagine, you're reading this, Paul comes up and says, be subject to authority.

This guy? You know, as I said, political persuasions, you know. Clinton? Or if you're on the other side, Bush? You know, I'm supposed to be subject to this guy? You've got to be kidding me. Well, if you don't, who are you rejecting? God. put it in that perspective. And we'll get into the limitations of these if he tells you things contrary to scripture, is he still an authority?

So there are some things like that. But if you don't like it, you just don't like the way he does it. Bush, the war. You don't like the war. So you reject him. Clinton. Whatever he did. You reject him, who put him in authority? So you reject him, you're rejecting God. It's tough. And a lot of these qualifications don't come out.

Ephesians 5.22, wives submit what? As to the Lord. It doesn't give criteria on the husband's behavior as to the submission. Wives, be submissive to that loving, caring, wonderful guy.

Wow. Is that what it says? Wives, be submissive to that husband only when he agrees with you. Right? Is that the corollary that you pencil in there? What stipulation do you put on there that you add to that authority or detract from that authority? Wives, be submissive only on Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Weekends, you're free. Is that what it says?

Right there. As to the Lord, remember when you reject this authority, You're rejecting not only that human authority, but the one who gave that authority, which is God. That's why I brought this one out. As to the Lord. It's not because he's a great guy. It's not because he's doing everything you want. It's as unto the Lord. That can put a whole different perspective on a relationship.

I think there's a flavor here that probably needs to be talked about, and that is, if I'm to submit to you as up to the Lord, then I would think that you would have to be like the Lord. In other words, God doesn't ever say to me, Mike, you do as I say, just because I said it.

He has come to me in his grace and his mercy because as Romans 12.1 talks about, by the mercies of God, he sets the ground rules of his own behavior towards me graciously and says to me, you know, because I am who I am and because I function the way I function and we live in a grace environment in order to maintain harmony and authority, submit to one another, wives submit to your husbands, husbands love your wife, and he starts to catalog it down, but it's based on the principles of grace and mercy. Yeah, but this is the interesting thing, because does it say if your husband does everything about what a husband is supposed to do? No, but it does in the chapter before that, like in Romans, lay out, present your body a living sacrifice, but you do it, the motivating factor is the mercies of God.

Well that's what, as to the Lord. Yeah. That's the key. Same thing as as to the Lord. Same thing as husbands love your wife, as Christ loved the church. The parameters are such that it isn't just a, how do I say this, it isn't just a, here are the rules, obey them. There's a reason you obey Him. Oh, there's a motivation you obey Him, and the motivation is grace and mercy. Yeah, see, and I didn't get into the husbands and all their requirements, but it also says, you know, for husbands, husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church.

All right, stand up all you guys who are married who can do that by yourselves. Without the Holy Spirit, can't. You know, just impossible to do. So they're those. The question, you know, just flip side then. Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church. Does it say your wife has to be totally submissive? No. She has to be a perfect wife. She has to do everything perfectly so you can love her as Christ loved the church. Was the church really wonderful?

What do you mean was? Is. There's a term I use, stinky sheep. Sometimes the flock has a few stinky sheep in there. But you still love them. And you still care for them. So husbands, love your wife as Christ loved the church when your wife is baking things, doing the laundry, being totally submissive, and smiling all day long. Is that what it says? No. See, on both sides of the question, I put it on the wise.

These are the authorities, but we tend to put qualifiers on them. We add to the authority, or detract, or limit, or do whatever, that the scripture doesn't give that authority. And remember, this is all in the context of You know, as I was preparing all this, you know, we're hitting kind of more rules and regulations and things like that, but this is all under grace and what we have under liberty and freedom under grace. Put all this in the context of that.

You know, in fact, I was talking to some about this and it's funny. They got the grace part about freedom and liberty. So I can do whatever I want. I'm not under any stinking laws. And I was like, they're doing some things. And I'm like, that's kind of pushing the envelope on commands that the Lord has given or realms of authority and things like that. Well, they're kind of pushing that all aside. They like this freedom and liberty thing. And what did we talk about before? Does freedom and grace that we have, does that mean autonomy? And what was the autonomy? Autonomos in the Greek, self-law. Do we have self-law under grace? No? Yes? No. So I was talking to this person about it, and it was really like that part. Got to the point about freedom and liberty.

But what I came down to, hey, there are some principles and authorities and things like that. Oh, you're putting the law back on me. No. That's why I try, you know, these things are not laws, but when we have freedom of grace, remember how we said, I forget the verse, look back up, that we act as slaves, or be enslaved to righteousness, act as free men. Slavery to righteousness is freedom. And the slaves of righteousness comes with these realms of authority and principles and things we've been talking about. It doesn't mean when we're under grace, the freedom and liberty that we can act as we want. Remember there's 600 and some odd commands, imperative commands, logical commands in the New Testament, 600 and something.

So he's laid out a lot of things, but it doesn't cover everything. So the second theory is he's given us principles to live by. So what isn't covered by specific things, you know, don't kill, don't steal, you know, those are very defined. But there are other things that aren't defined, and that's where we live under principles.

And under those principles, we have authorities and principles, and the authorities should rule by those principles that are given in Scripture. So, we have this freedom under grace, we have authorities that act under the principles given in Scripture. So, I guess maybe that amplifies my point that if I'm given biblical authority by God, then the principles I function under are, does my authority master me? Do I love? Does my authority edify?

Does it build up? But the point I want to get to, which is very critical, is that that's not a criteria for you to get out from underneath that authority. If it's not scriptural and it's not specific, because that's the whole thing, well, he's just a... He's a creep.

I'm talking about from my perspective, as I recognize that I have authority in any given situation, even in the workplace, I have authority. Those same principles hold. Does my authority as being the chief of police control me? Master me? Does my authority as being the chief of police edify those that are under me? And do I love that? Those principles, I think, still have to be in play, even though I have the authority as the chief of police.

But the one under the authority doesn't have the right to say, you're not measuring up. And we'll get to what those authorities and the criteria for being under that authority are. I'm talking about my responsibility. Yeah, your responsibility, right. The one who has the authority.

But from the one under authority, you can't say, you're not acting exactly the way you should. As a husband, that wife just wasn't doing exactly what I wanted. I'm going to throw that love out the door, because she's not doing exactly what I wanted. So it's both parties. But the trouble is, we kind of say, well, he's not doing what he should, or she's not doing what he's doing, and so we do this. And that becomes a problem. Children and parents. Man, you don't know my parents. You don't know my parents. Wait a minute, we're the criteria that says that? Because my parents are really strict, I don't have to go under them?

You know, we get this disjuncture and that's where a lot of the problems happen. Yeah, well slaves are righteousness. Yeah, but again the point I also want to make is you don't go around the authority that is acting and you go around the Lord is my only authority. This guy's a bum. I'm only going to the Lord. of where you are in that order. You are directed to follow the hierarchy. But ultimately, you're still yielding to Christ through the Spirit. So that's your responsibility and why you do these things.

The total authority is with God. But we'll see when you can buck the authority. We'll go over those criteria. But only under those criteria. Well, you're not under that authority. Because there are criteria. If the authority gets out of its sphere, and we'll get into that. Well, I think we might. We'll get down, we'll get a little bit further on this. The other one was, wise men, but it's as unto the Lord.

Colossians 3.20.

Children, be obedient to your parents in all things. Why? For this is well pleasing to the Lord. The motivation is what Mike is saying, either as a husband, love as Christ loved the Church. That's the example. In here, children be obedient to their parents, not because they're great, wonderful parents. It's pleasing to the Lord. He set up this authority. So it's pleasing to do it. It doesn't put the criteria on that they have to be the most wonderful parents in the world. This is the law and that's the end, in which case you're going to have exception.

This is based on who we are in Christ. And this goes back to what I kind of started back. This is to live under grace. The whole purpose is to live under grace which is unmerited, unlimited blessings. which is, you know, we're identified with Him, He was submissive to God's authority, and because He is, and because we're in Him, it's not, okay, you've got to do this now, you know, to please God, but you're in Christ, and since Christ is submissive, because we're in Christ, that's going to be a part of our life, because His life is enough.

That's exactly, as we're conformed to His images, we become, you know, As we become who we are in Christ, it's who we are. It's not a law that metrics and sliced and diced and fit in this box. As we become more conformed to His image, It just is who we are. It's not a constraining or oppressive thing. It's just that's who we are as we're in Christ. And that's why, as pleasing to the Lord, as unto the Lord. All these things don't come because, you know, if you don't, He's going to smack us. That's not, it's not law. It's not that. It's pleasing to the Lord.

Because of this class, I realized the other day that that's why Paul spent so much time going through justification. Because if there wasn't going to be the law, then he had to explain how a person was supposed to be justified. He'd get to Romans 8, where it talks about blocking the spirit. If you have law, it's real easy to set up your justification and all the rest of it.

Because you can say, you either did this or you didn't. If we get to it, there's a lot to it. And I added a question that you don't have. And we'll get into that about where this all goes to. The tyrannies and things and what we have. When you look at salvation, it's kind of an interesting deal. I listened to Macaulay on some of these things. He said, are you saved? Yeah. Are you being saved? What do you mean? I'm saved.

We're being. And it brought out, and I looked at the scripture, it's really kind of fascinating when you do it. You can say you are saved and you're being saved. Justification, sanctification, and glorification. Justification, yes, we have been saved. We've been created a new creature. Sanctification, I think, stands where you're going. Sanctification, what we're doing, and glorification.

These are all salvation is by grace. So, these three, justification, sanctification and glorification, all fall under grace. And that's why as we study grace and the principle of grace, being saved will be saved into our new body. All this is related to grace. So, bringing it back, it's not rules, it's living under grace. That's the whole purpose of this. It's not rules, it's not going, you know, we gave up the Mosaic Law, now we're going to a whole new set of them. It's not what Jeremy was saying.

It is that as we become conformed to it, it's who we are. It's easy to love your wife. It's easy to obey your parents. It's easy to be under subjection. You're not fighting the authority, because one, you know if you do, you're rejecting God and His authority. Just like, do you know what I'm saying, Christ did the will of the Father. If we're in Him, we're not going to reject His authorities. In all of these verses as you go down, like with children obey your parents, the next verse says, so it will go well with you, and you'll live long, and that kind of thing.

What's interesting is that every single person in this chain of command is under the authority of the Lord in terms of the principle of conformity to his image. And what's really cool about this is that husbands, wives, and children, through the energy of the Holy Spirit, are in the process of being conformed to the image of Christ. And it's almost like a mosaic coming together. And as it does come together, as the husband learns his role, and the wife learns her role, and the children learn theirs, then it comes together as a family structured in Christ where the principles of love function.

Because if the husband's focus is to present his wife holy and blameless, then that's his motivation. It isn't that he'd be authoritative. He recognizes that his authority is given to him of God to accomplish what God has designated with his children and his wife to bring them to the point where they're conformed. Yeah, and the whole criteria is it doesn't matter what the other party is doing, so to speak. No, it doesn't.

You know, that's where the troubles and the things go on is that we want to put corollaries onto all this, that they have to have a response. You know, I'm guilty of this. I fully confess that. You know, if you say something, you know, she's got to be just perfect.

No, she doesn't. I have to act as Christ loved the church, and as Mike says, to bring her blameless and holy before the Lord. That's my charge. There's nothing on it that says she has to be submissive. Well, I mean, she has to be submissive, but it doesn't change my actions by hers.

And where the troubles come is when we put all these corollaries onto it that If I do this, you have to do that. What is that? Metrics. Laws. That's where it comes in. We're right back into laws and metrics and all these things. Unmerited blessing. Unmerited. Not what we do. Remember that.

So if we're functioning under grace, And grace is the motivator, then the metrics go away. Yeah. In terms of the thing that motivates me to love my wife is grace. To personness and children's obedience is grace, not because it says I better. No, it's not the metric, like I said. I've got to do this and here are the rules and I want cause and effect. No. If you're as unto the Lord, as pleasing to the Lord, these are why you do it. It's not because you want a result.

Something that I always try to think of is, you talk about justification, and that's to establish a relationship with God, but the main theme of sanctification is our fellowship, and unless you are walking in the Spirit, that fellowship is not going to be there. I think as last week Vern was saying that God doesn't really... your sin as a Christian doesn't matter to Him. He just wants it out of the way so we can have that fellowship.

And unless you're in this line of authority, you're not going to be able to have that fellowship and that communion with God in the end. If you want to save your gold, that's what it is. If you're in Christ, you're in all these things, there's nothing to hamper that fellowship. with Christ and communion with Him.

I think that as we recognize these authorities and we're under them and we realize them, things go a lot more smoothly. Both in fellowship with the Lord and fellowship with all these relationships. And that's really where I think if we don't add these core layers, if we don't do this, if we're doing it We're talking about this in a marriage. The focus should be on the Lord first, and then you come together. If your common focus is the Lord, you come together. The horizontal will get better when the vertical gets there.

And all these things, it's not a huge thing. You're under the authority. It's functioning as He laid it out. And it's not a burden. I go back to my word, rest. If it's a burden, Are you doing what you're supposed to be doing? You should have rest. And if it's a burden to be submissive, it's a burden to love your wife. I look at that myself. If that's a burden, then am I functioning as I should be in Christ? on your sleeve or whether you're stationed in Wiesbaden or Massachusetts, it really doesn't make a difference.

It shows you have a rank and you have a job, but you're ultimately working for the President of the United States. So whether you're a sergeant or whether you're a lieutenant, it really doesn't make any difference. You have an order that you have to follow so that it's orderly and you're able to accomplish one purpose.

It's the unity of that particular branch of service for the President of the United States. And it just works. And for us, when these authorities are functioning, you have fellowship and glorification of the Lord. That's the purpose. You know, military as a president, we have fellowship with the Lord and we're glorifying Him. Alright, number five.

From the same passages in Colossians 3.18, what do they say about the sphere of authority? This is where, again, there are spheres.

I'll read Colossians 3.18. Wives, be subject to your husbands as is fitting in the Lord. And then we read the other ones. 5.22. Wives, submit as to the Lord. Is that the one? Yes. And then Colossians. Children, be obedient to your parents in all things.

What does it say about the sphere of authority? in those verses? What? The sphere. What's it say? We talked about it in the criteria of what authorities are. Yeah, that's the motive. But what about the sphere? Limited. Bingo. Remember, we said limited. These spheres are limited. Sorry, I was looking for a word. Limited.

Did it say children? Obey all parents. Wives, obey all husbands. Is that what it says? Wives, your husband. Children, your parents. These are limited, limited spheres of authority. Do I, as a parent, have authority over John? I'm a parent. He's a child. Do I have authority? Can I tell John what to do? And should he? Not necessarily. No. If I tell him what to do as a parent, do I have the authority to do that? John, you're not going to drive until you're 22.

I like it. He likes it. Do I have authority over Donna. Donna, this is the way it's going to be. Do I have authority to tell her what to do? Because I'm a husband. She's a wife. Do I have any authority there? No, because she's not your wife. Not my wife.

So if I step out of my authority and tell her what to do, is that something that I should do, number one, and should she obey? Outside of that definition, do you have an authority? Outside of the spirit of her being your wife or John being your son, do you have an authority outside of that?

You know, it depends on, you know, like an elder has an authority over the body here. There's some things like that. It's like role. What role is it? Yeah, it's not my role to do anything parenting or as a husband to Donna. There's no, I don't have any authority to do that.

And that's where I think, we'll get into this, this is what I was trying to say, between authorities and principles, too. We get in, it's kind of what I'm saying, if we do what God says in his word, we get away from a lot of problems. And we can function and fellowship in a much greater way. You know, as I keep saying, the teacher gets more out of this, you don't know how much I'm learning about this. I get much more than you guys. You know, it's changing when I think about principles. And now when I start saying something, you know, Bruce, you should be doing this. What is my authority? I can say, here's a thought, but my principle is this. Do I have any authority to say that or to give my principle to him? Yeah.

I don't drive on Saturdays. You better not either. Can I say that? No. Where does it say in scripture about driving on Saturdays? That may be something I do. I just don't like driving on Saturdays. That's not true, but I made an example. If I have Saturdays and I don't drive, can I tell Bruce, don't drive on Saturday? One, do I have the authority? Two, can I give my principle to him? Let me give you an example that was brought up some time ago. Let's say that I am involved with an evangelistic environment and I'm bringing, the Lord's bringing street people to Christ through my ministry.

And they're into drugs and alcohol. And so I try to encourage them by teaching them the scriptures that there are things in your life that you the power of the Spirit is going to be activated for you to overcome. Can I say to them, look, you cannot drink alcohol again. Or can I say to them, you're just going to have to wait for the Spirit of God to take it off you. Do I have the authority to say to them, look, I'm telling you, don't drink anymore. Before coming to the Lord, They came back a week later and said, you know, I'm saved and thank you for that. But boy, I went out and drank, got drunk the other night. And what do I say to them?

Don't drink anymore? No, I think the scripture on drinking is don't get drunk. You know, so there is a commandment about being drunk. That's one of the ones. Do not be drunk. So I would be perfectly within my authority from scripture to say, you know, it's not scripturally. I don't know if it's don't drink, don't be drunk. I see what you're saying. Don't be drunk. Don't get drunk. Don't be drunk. Or don't do drugs.

Or wouldn't it fall back to you? Does it mass to you? Yeah, it doesn't. And we'll get into those tyrannies. Does it mass to you? But that's something that, you know, there is a scripture, do not be drunk with wine. Or do not become drunk to dissipation. So I wouldn't be. exercising the authority that God gave me by telling them, well, you're just going to have to let the Lord work this out in time. Well, I think you point out the scripture and then, you know, you point out what the commandment is.

All right, let's go on to six because I want to get through these. But I love the discussion. I'm torn between these. What happens when an authority steps outside the sphere of its authority? Did we do that one? Well, sort of. The concept is every human authority is a smaller box than the big box, which is God's total authority. How do we know when to, this is getting to where we started, but how do we know when to buck or not be in subjection to a human authority? How do we know? Line up with scripture. Line up with scripture.

When it steps out of its sphere of authority, number one, okay? Donna, you're going to do this. That's way outside my sphere of authority. Jump. Or I'm going to, as husband, I'm going to tell all wives to do this. I can't do that. That's way outside my authority. So when it steps out of its sphere, it's not an authority anymore. Just because I'm a husband and I tell Donna what to do, She doesn't have to do it. I'm not an authority designated by God.

Or children. Like I said, all these authorities have spheres. Remember what we said, they're limited. That's easier to see than it is to see between the government being out of line with the family. We're going to get right into that, as a matter of fact, on the priorities. Also, what I want to get into is principles and authorities. There are authorities and principles. We talked a little bit on this.

An example I was thinking about is, as a husband, I have things that are not covered in scripture that I have as principles. One of them that I have is that I didn't like, Ingrid, going to a big athletic club. I call them meat markets. You go out and it's just I don't know. It wasn't the environment that I liked.

Well, that's my principle. As a husband, within my family, my authority, that's my principle. Now, do I have the right to say to any other wife, no, don't do that? Do I have any authority to do that? Or to say, Mike, you really should do this. Don't let Donna go to these things. Do I have any right? Should he have to obey my principle?

Isn't that where it steps up on offending rather than stumbling? Yeah, but I want to go to the principles. And I think things would run more smoothly if we don't try to vote. Principles are within the spheres of authority or families and those. The principles are within those boundaries.

Because I've looked at scripture, and I'd like to protect my wife, in my view. Instead of throwing her into a big athletic club where people run around all ages. I think that's, in my view, kind of where the piranha is. That's the pickup place. So we compromise. She goes to a ladies athletic club. But I can't say that Monique can't go to those. She can't go to those. Or you really shouldn't do that.

I don't have any authority or anything to evoke my principle on you. What you have in your principles may be fine. And that's where we get out of these spheres of authority and principles. The principles that you have come up with, it's smoking. Whatever your thoughts on smoking, or having one glass of wine, or watching two hours of television. You know, maybe fine for this family, but do I have any reason to say in your family, no. I'm throwing my principle on you and telling you, you better conform to this principle. No. And that's where we get into a whole bunch of problems is when we start throwing our principles out to everybody else, that gets out of the authority And principles are, from your looking at Scripture and determining within your sphere, these principles.

And when I start throwing it out, well, Monique should only go to the ladies athletic club. Well, now we've got conflicting and questioning and all this stuff and that order and that spheres of authority are now blown apart and that's where we get into all these problems.

But it's amazing how easy it is for me to throw my principles around. Trust me, as a teacher now, I find out how much I do that. As I keep telling you, the teacher learns more than the student. You know, I'm throwing these principles out and do I have any right to do that?

You know, if somebody asked me for counsel or something, hey, this is what we do. Fine. But, you know, this is my principle and you better obey it. No. And again, the smooth, the military, the operation as God directed it, you know, that's where the rest comes. I was going to say you learn those Perfect example. And your principles don't apply to them, nor vice versa. But it's interesting how that conversation always happens. And that's where a lot of the angst comes from.

Boy, my kids don't do that. What are you letting your kid do this for? Not in my house. Not in my house. Yeah, well, if they ask, fine. You have privilege to say your principle, but they don't have to take it. You know, this is where the rest comes. That's a great example. Three families, five families together, and your kids are doing this, their kids are doing that, and you're looking at them going, why are they doing that? Bill, you should be, well, yeah.

I was just going to say, even in the workplace, my end up working in the classroom, and my first several years of teaching, I had a really hard time not stepping that over that boundary as teacher and becoming parent. Because I wanted to fix my kids' problems at home.

And every now and then I just have to bite my tongue and just maybe give a suggestion to a parent if they ask, but not push it off. If they ask, then you have to let it go. If they ask and you say your principle, then that's fine. But I can't evoke my principle.

There's all these things too about scripture, to be a salt and light and things like that, but where the rub comes is where this authority tells this one which is out of the sphere and this principle over here, and we could get a lot of rub if we function as God has laid it out under grace. Remember, liberty and freedom. We're under this. Great freedom. Act as free men. Slave to righteousness. But, you know, we have these commandments that tell us certain things, and then principles that we live by. And then these authorities.

Yeah, Jeremy. red sweaters or something that doesn't have any scriptural basis. Obviously she would have to, if she wants to be submissive, she would have to say, okay I'm not going to wear red sweaters even though you don't have a scriptural principle behind that. So even within the authority, you don't have tyranny, a pastor.

Can they put their principles on the congregation because of that authorities okay Ephesians 5 8 these are the ones where I messed up the the references Colossians 3 18 and 20 and Ephesians 5 22 and 6 1 I'll quickly read those Colossians 3 18 wives be subject to your husband as fitting to the Lord 3 20 children be obedient to your parents as in all things, for this is well-pleasing." And then we get down to Ephesians. Wives, be subject to your own husbands as to the Lord. Ephesians 6, 1. Children, obey your parents and the Lord, for this is right.

Can these two authorities be in conflict? Now this is one, and I'm a parent. Well, let's go up one. Does my mom have authority over me now as a husband? Well, she's a parent. I'm a child. Now, different authority, priorities. The parent does not have it over the child now because as a husband, I now have authority over my wife. My mom can't tell Ingrid what to do. Parent over and she can't tell me what to do now because I now have my sphere of authority. So that's where a lot more gets into the conflicts is now mom still wants to be mom over me, but I'm a husband.

You should raise your kids just like this, just like the way I did. Your kids have to do this, you have to do that. Does she have the right to do that? She's a parent, but their priority is now. In this one, husbands leave your parents. There's a severing. So, honor your parents, but there's no authority that says the parents now have control or any authority over you as a husband.

Again, if we do it the way God laid it out, the rub is gone. We have rest. Priorities in this. There are priorities, and does one supersede the other? Yeah, a husband supersedes a parent's authority at that point. Because now I'm a husband. This is my sphere. The severing has been done. I still honor, but the severing has been done.

I really want to get really quickly. Can a human authority, number eight, can a human authority contradict Can human authority contradict God's authority? I have two verses that will handle that quickly. Acts 5, 28, and 29. That is one of them. And the Acts 4, 17, and 20. Go ahead.

The Sanhedrin said to Peter, did we not strictly command you that you should not teach in his name? And behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine and intend to bring And Peter said to the other, and the other apostles said, we ought to obey God rather than men.

Right. So what I was getting to, just in summing up, you do not have to obey a human authority if it steps out of its sphere of authority, if it steps out of its priority, husband, parents, or if it contradicts God's authority. Those are the three things that you can get out of an authority, a designated authority by God. If the government tells us you have to renounce Christ, do we do that? He put it in charge. Do we do that? No. Contradicts God's authority. So the three things, again, just steps out of the sphere of authority, it's priority, or it contradicts God's authority. That's when you can step out of a God-designated human authority if those three things happen. One of those three things happen. Everybody okay with that? All right, got through it. Jeremy, do you have questions for next week? No. Okay. It will be next week with questions. All right, let's close real quick. Ponding at the door.

Heavenly Father, we just thank you. Thank you for this time. Thank you just for what it means to live under grace. And that's, even though we've talked about a lot of commandments and authorities and principles and different things. Fathers, you have designated these things as we function in them.

And it is not out of mechanical means or by that we have to because we want to cause and effect. It's out of our love for you. It's out of our drawing towards you and knowing you and understanding you, Lord. Father, that these will not become a burden. It is not a thing that will cause us great pain.

It'll be just because who we are living in Christ, living under grace, we have great freedom, great liberty under grace. And as we understand that and as we live under that, with these authorities and principles, it is what you have promised us. Peace that surpasses all understanding. Rest that the world cannot give. So, Father, as we live and understand grace, we just thank you for it. We thank you that it is the unmerited, unlimited blessings from you, based nothing on what we've done, but totally on the work of Christ. So we just commit these things to you, in Jesus' name. Amen.