Well, as I stand here, it looks like the election is finally over. Almost. There are still details to be worked out and there are lawsuits that are going to be finalized. But the basic parameters of our next government, I think, are relatively easy to figure out. At least from my vantage point as a lawyer, knowing what I do about America and the legal system, I think the outcome is somewhat a foregone conclusion. There will be changes coming in America. How dramatic they are will likely be decided by a couple of Senate races that still have to be resolved next month or in January rather. But regardless of that outcome, our government's going to take a turn. We won't know the full impacts, but we know things are not going to be the same. And as I see the reaction of my fellow Americans as I watch the news and I read, the things that I mentioned last week that I wasn't looking forward to are playing out like I expected. People are angry. Some are jubilant. Some are despondent. It's an unsettling time in America. So now what? We are children of the King. How do we as Christians respond to what has just happened? How do we respond if there are changes that we don't like? How do we respond to the fact that God seems to have allowed one president to have been replaced by another. This is one of those times, as difficult as it is, where the answer is not difficult to find. I've already made clear last week as I preach and I'm going through a section of 1 Peter, that in some respects our lives don't change as individual believers. I covered last week, in part, 1 Peter 2, verse 12, which says, Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in things in which they slander you as evildoers, they may, because of your good deeds as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. That was true before the election, that's true now. We must keep our behavior excellent before a lost and dying world. It's our testimony. We're supposed to live a certain way. It's really just an aspect of doing what Peter has told us over and over to do. And I read this every week when I preach. 1 Peter 1 verses 14-16, As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance. But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior, because it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy. So there's a sense. which that hasn't changed. That never changes regardless of an election. But as we return to our study of 1 Peter tonight, we find ourselves addressing a very relevant and pertinent issue that we must grapple with as Christians, particularly Christians living in America in the aftermath of an election that did not go the way that many desired. What does holy behavior, what does excellent behavior look like in relation to our government? To our new president? Particularly a government that may in fact be more hostile to our beliefs and may attempt to place limits on what we do as believers. How do we respond? Peter's words tonight are so clear and so direct that I don't believe what he's actually saying will be the challenge. The challenge will be in applying it to our hearts when we don't want to. Especially if we are frustrated and angry or despondent or even still hopeful that the election will go a different way. So tonight, I'm just continuing what I've been doing, going through 1 Peter, and in God's providence, I'm here now. So tonight, in our time together, we're going to be covering a few verses. We're going to be seeing two essential responses to the 2020 election. Two essential responses to the 2020 election. And the first response is this. You must submit to the government's decisions regardless of your personal opinions. You must submit to the government's decisions regardless of your personal opinions. Follow along as I read verses 13 and 14. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. As I've already mentioned, this is not as hard to understand as we might hope. But there's a lot here. And we need to walk through this together. The starting point is that Peter is giving us a command. This isn't a helpful suggestion. This is an authoritative, thus saith the Lord. He says, submit yourselves. It's a forceful statement. There's a sense of urgency. We must do this. This is a voluntary act of putting ourselves under someone else's authority. This isn't submit when you'll get in trouble. This isn't submit because somebody forces you to. This isn't submit because you're weak and somebody with more power is going to hurt you if you don't. This is God telling us through the Apostle Peter, submit yourselves. Do this willingly. How do we know it's the right thing to do? Because we're doing it for the Lord. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake. It's because of Jesus Christ that we're being told to do this. Please think carefully about the words that are here. It is your duty to make yourself submissive. And yet, I know how offensive that sounds to us as Americans. But that's how we get pushed around. That's how we become doormats. We've got to fight for our rights. Actually, we need to lay down our wills and follow God's will. Jesus modeled this when He walked on the earth. In John chapter 6, verse 38, Jesus said, For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. Jesus submitted His will during the time that He walked on the earth to His Heavenly Father. Jesus' example of submission should guide us. I'm going to talk later about another example of Jesus submitting that is directly relevant to what we're talking about. But the important thing is this, everything that goes on isn't about what we want. It's not about our will. What we want as citizens who voted is not paramount to God who is sovereign. And as Pastor Steve reminded us this morning, he raises up kings and he brings them down. It's already uncomfortable, but Peter's going to make us more uncomfortable. Peter is very clear who we are to be submissive to. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution. This word translated institution was used at times, the experts say, to talk about establishing new cities or new communities. The point is, it provides a context and it's talking about the civil government that is over society. And this is what makes it difficult for us. He says every. Our duty of submission is to every human institution. And he gives examples based on the governance structure that he was operating under, which was the Roman system. He says, submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him. He's in no way making a statement about the best form of human government. It doesn't matter the form of human government. He's saying that whatever government you're in, you submit to every level of government. Again, in his context, talking to people who were living under the Roman system. His use of an example is basically saying from the top levels of the government down to the local level, you submit, it's your duty to submit for the Lord's sake to every one of them. The word translated king, in some versions is translated emperor because that's exactly the office he was talking about. It was the highest level of government. Peter was telling his hearers unequivocally that they were required to submit to the emperor. He was the highest authority. He was the king. But it wasn't just to the highest level, it was also to subordinate levels of government, or to governors as sent by him, meaning as sent by the emperor. Pontius Pilate fit in that level of a local government official. Felix, who Pastor Steve was talking about this morning in Acts 24, fits at that level. But again, the issue is not the unique structure of the Roman system. It's a statement to us as believers of a principle that transcends the Roman Empire that says we as believers, it is our duty for the sake of the Lord to submit ourselves to every level of civil government. As one of your pastors, I want to be as clear as I can possibly be. This applies to every one of you. It applies to me. In America, at a federal level, a national level, we have three co-equal branches of government. This isn't a civics lesson, but when Congress passes laws, we submit. When the president or the various government agencies that he controls and he appoints people to, when they make rules and regulation, when the president issues orders, we submit. When the Supreme Court issues rulings, they are the law of the land, we submit. But for those of us here, unless you're visiting with us from somewhere else, you live in Florida. Probably you live in Pinellas County or one of the surrounding counties. In one of the cities around here, Safety Harbor, Clearwater, Dunedin, Largo, Seminole, on and on it goes. And we have, even here, these various levels. We have a governor. We have a state legislature. We have county commissions. We have city councils. We have mayors. We have government agencies. We have school boards. We are called for the Lord's sake to submit to obey every one of them. Now, there is a single exception, but it's actually a very narrow exception. If the action of the government at whatever level of power requires you to specifically disobey a clear command of God, In other words, if it would specifically require you to sin, then you don't obey. Acts 5.29, but Peter and the apostles answered, we must obey God rather than men. But understand, that limited biblical exception is not dealing with preferences or inconveniences. It's not dealing with just what we want, or our comfort, or how we want things to go. Unless the government is requiring you to sin, you obey the government. If you cannot point to the verse in the Bible that shows you that a particular government action is causing you to sin, then you probably don't have a basis for not obeying. And can I suggest to you that if a circumstance arises where you do have to disobey the government, you should even do that respectfully, understanding that you'll take punishment There are a lot of practical implications for this. I'm sure many of them you're already connecting dots in your mind, but I want to get through the rest of these two verses, and then I'll come back to that. Because Peter does talk about one of the primary reasons why we have government, what government exists to do. And we do need to remember that all government is from God. The Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 13 make this clear. As he's teaching something that absolutely is the same thing Peter is teaching, he says, every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Peter's teaching complements and agrees with that. So why does God establish governments? In part, according to the text, for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. God uses the government to punish evil. Even though in every government system that's ever existed, it's led by sinners, and these things happen with sinners at the helm, God uses the government to punish evil. It's clear here, this is about making people pay the consequences for what they do. It's God's ordering of a fallen world. Of course, as Christians, we never are allowed to take vengeance on our own. Romans 12 says this, verse 17, never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men, if possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. And one of the ways God uses to get vengeance is through the governing authorities. Recognize that our national system of government, our local levels of authority, in part, the reason we have federal and state crimes is because that's the way God structured the world. It restrains a little bit the evil that is rampant. This is God's divinely ordained protection for citizens. I never hesitate to tell a Christian, if you think you're in danger, call the police. I've read countless articles over many, many years, and I've been fascinated and disappointed at the number of churches that have crime in their midst and they don't call the police. They try and handle it in-house. Obviously, it got out. That's the reason I'm reading about it. Forgiveness is in-house, but the punishment of evildoers is by the civil government. While we see this not as much, Peter does mention that the government can also praise those who are doing well. There are times where there are accolades or commendations or a government, so to speak, pat on the back for good citizens. It's all a legitimate function of government as ordained by God. So let me summarize before I wade into deeper water. As Christians, Peter is telling us what God told him to tell us. It is our duty, because of the Lord, to make ourselves submissive to every level of government in the United States, from Washington D.C. to wherever you reside here. Unless the government is specifically mandating that you sin against God, you obey whether you like the policy or not. What I've said shouldn't be controversial because it's biblical. It's very clear. It's not the understanding of the text that's hard, it's the living it out in our hearts. When things aren't going the way we want, It's the application of this that's going to peek behind the curtain of your heart and the text may reveal in you a heart that has been disobedient and needs to repent. I'm going to take one example and hold it up as a mirror of our hearts to see how submissive we are. And please understand, as I do this, I've done this with myself. I'm going to use the one primary example that's front and center in our minds. It's our presidential election. If Joe Biden is confirmed to be the next president, which appears likely, every single one of us must willingly submit to his leadership as long as he is in office, to his executive orders, to the government agencies he controls, to the agenda he enacts in America. And as state and local agencies are forced, as they always are, to enact policies dictated by Washington, we obey them as well. Now don't misunderstand what I'm saying. Is there ever a place to legally challenge a policy? Yes, America has a justice system. There are times if you have an issue with the government that there's an appellate process. You can do that. The Apostle Paul appealed to the Roman government. I'm not saying that it's always sin to follow the lawful processes of our society. It's also not sin as any citizen to humbly and meekly express your opinions to your elected representative. But what we cannot do if we lose our appeal or if the representative ignores us is take the law into our own hands. We don't have the right before God to decide for ourselves what laws or policies we will follow. God has decided that for us. We obey any law that does not require us to disobey God, whether we like that law or not. Again, we don't have to like things, but we have to obey. I've said this many times in different contexts. I was saved in 1993 as a young lawyer in California. I've been a member of four different churches with my wife Debbie. Four different cities, two different states. And as I've watched elections play out since I've been a believer, I've seen issues and I've battled the issue in my own heart of exasperation with our political system. Before the service, I counted up all the elections I've been able to vote in. I'm on the losing side more times than not. But I've heard and seen Christians who speak badly about presidents all the time. Who claim that a particular president is not my president. I would not be surprised if some Christians in America have already said that in their hearts. I want to be loving but I want to be blunt. The issue behind those attitudes is not politics. The issue is your relationship to God. If you fight against the President and his policies, by ignoring them or encouraging others to ignore them and rebel, it shows that you don't fear God and that you don't trust God. If we are perpetual rebels against every president we don't like and every time the other side, so to speak, from our perspective is elected, it's showing everyone around us that we're in rebellion against God. Please understand this is not a pet peeve with me. It's not a soapbox that I brought out because I wanted to say this. This is the Lord's soapbox. What Peter is teaching is not isolated and the implications of ignoring his teaching are very clear. Going back to Romans chapter 13 verse 1. Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Verse 2. Therefore, whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God. And they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. We need to take these words to heart. Can we exercise political rights? Of course, we vote. I hope you pay attention. We can support whatever candidates we want. We can try and persuade our friends and neighbors and family to support one candidate over another. But once the election is over, so is our resistance. We must fall in line and become the best citizens in America when it comes to obedience. It's our testimony. It's for the Lord's sake. Can we still try and share the gospel? Yes. Can we still talk about issues with people? Yes. But we cannot rebel by willfully defying the government or encouraging others to do the same thing. The fact remains that when we have a president that we don't like, we submit anyway because God commands it. It's not just action, it's our hearts. I anticipate, because I've lived for a long time as a Christian and I've heard a lot of these things, someone saying, well, I can go so far with what you're saying, when a president's doing what he ought to do. But certainly the rules don't always apply. If we get a president that is lawless or came into office under questionable pretenses, a president who's immoral or implements immoral policies, who's a crook, who does things out of a personal interest, who has an unbiblical worldview, surely then we don't have to submit. Can I lovingly say, that's not an excuse. There are legal processes that are even playing out now. But until what a president has done has been taken off the book, so to speak, we must comply. Unless complying would cause us to sin, we can't rebel. I realize that as Americans, we don't emphasize history, perhaps, as we once did in our educational system. And I don't pretend to be a historian, but I've always loved history. And I believe even a summary snapshot of one portion of history, as it existed at the time Peter wrote these words, will be helpful for us. So bear with me. If you hate history, you're going to hear it anyway. Most conservative scholars agree that when Peter wrote this verse commanding that Christians submit to the emperor and all of his subordinate officials, the emperor of Rome was a man named Nero. Many of us have probably heard his name, but I'm going to share with you a little bit about this man. And if you find yourself thinking I don't have to obey this president because he is corrupt or a lawbreaker or immoral I want you to remember this history lesson because I would confidently suggest to you that Nero was more ungodly and outwardly wicked and corrupt and unlawful than any president that America could ever dream of Nero came to power according to various historians at a young age probably around 17 it was a family connection And there are many books written about his life, but I went to a source that's well respected. It's a Roman historian who wrote around AD 121. It's just a book I have in my office that I originally got in seminary. And as I summarize this history, I think you'll see some parallels to what's going on. And I apologize because I'm sanitizing the history and it's still offensive. I'm not trying to be graphic, I'm trying to be as restrained as I can, but I want to give you a feel for who this man Nero was, the emperor. On a personal level, he was as immoral as anybody could ever be. He had multiple marriages. Married, divorced many times. He had wives that he tried to kill. But that was no big deal for the emperor because he had the power of the government behind him. There were times when he stole other men's wives because he could. But marriage was little more than a diversion for Nero. He regularly and often visited prostitutes to further his immorality, with government officials to watch over him as he did so. He treated women horribly. Many multiple accounts of him raping women because he could get away with it. He was the emperor. He had the power. And what is shocking is these things were not hidden. It's not as though after he died, suddenly this came out. It was very public. And the historians say over the course of his rule, the longer he ruled, the more public he became in his brazen wickedness. In addition, Nero was steeped in homosexuality. He had sexual relations with men and boys. In fact, it's a disgusting thing, but one of the wives that he had was actually a mutilated man, dressed up in woman's clothing. I re-read some of this today and it reminded me how vile and disgusting even reading about this man is. And yet that's not even close to the scope of what he's done. This is just his private immorality. Meaning private in his personal immorality. He was a thief. He stole things. Sometimes like a common criminal, just for the fun of it. Sometimes stealing things with the power of the government. More than once he had someone killed and took their entire estate. Why? Because he wanted it. He was a master of bribery. If he couldn't get his way, he would manipulate and pay people off on things grand and things petty. He time and again circumvented the Roman system of law to get his way. He was a lawless man. He disregarded the legal system when it was good for him personally. He was a narcissist. He fancied himself a musician and he loved to hear his own voice. He would force other people to do that, listen to him. He was as foolish as to engage in arson. He burned down much of Rome himself. He engaged in mass murder. He forced people to commit suicide. He killed men, women, and children more than can be counted. And for good measure, to bring it closer to us as believers, when he had burned down much of Rome and there was grumbling and people were wondering if he did it, he blamed the Christians and it started a persecution that some say lasted for as much as a hundred years. I don't really fear being contradicted. You take our Ten most immoral, corrupt, wicked presidents this country ever had combined their evil in one person and it doesn't even approach Nero. So what, Joe? Peter commanded the Christians to submit to Nero. Peter knew who the emperor was. He didn't say rebel, this man's wicked. He didn't say disobey. He didn't say to rebel against the government, to protest against the government. As long as Christians were not required by Nero to sin, they were to submit. Because for all of his immorality and lawlessness, he was the emperor, the king. And Romans 13, the end of verse 1, makes it clear, for there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. And that includes a vile man like Nero, and that includes every man or woman who is elected president in America. John MacArthur, I think, in his commentary on this section of 1 Peter, gave a good summary. Although Peter and Paul both lived in the openly sinful decadent Roman Empire, a society infamous for evil, homosexuality, infanticide, government corruption, abuse of women, immorality, violence, neither apostle offered any exemption by which believers were free to defy civil authority. Jesus himself had commanded, rendered to Caesars the things that are Caesar's." End of quote. Whatever comes our way over the next four years, Joe Biden is hardly likely to approach Nero. But regardless, we submit. And while I've purposely focused on the office of president because of what's going on in the country, it doesn't end with him. It's all the way down to the lowest levels of government here in Pinellas County. I think Jesus modeled this for us when he died. Pontius Pilate was one of those appointed officials, and he was a wicked man. He was corrupt. Jesus didn't challenge his right to rule. Pilate was in power. And Jesus willingly submitted even to an unjust conviction and execution. In John chapter 19, Jesus responded to something Pilate said, beginning at verse 10. So Pilate said to him, you do not speak to me. Do you not know that I have authority to release you and I have authority to crucify you? Jesus answered, you would have no authority over me unless it had been given you from above. So what am I saying? no matter how you feel about the president, no matter how you feel about our government, our duty is to submit. I think sometimes we lose sight of what Paul said should be the aspiration of a Christian in a pagan society. In 1 Timothy chapter 2, He said this beginning at verse 1. First of all, then I urge that in treaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgiving be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority. We should be praying now. Why though? So that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. An example of godliness and dignity is desperately needed in America right now and we're the only ones that can provide it. Seeing Christians threatening to take up arms, and being angry, and protesting and screaming out of hatred for what's occurring, it grieves my heart. Not only does it not help us lead a tranquil and quiet life, it makes us rebels not against our government, but against Again, I'm not saying we have to approve of what the government does. And of course, if the government comes to the point where they say that we have to sin, then we disobey and we take our punishment as service to the Lord. But the fact remains, even in the wicked Roman Empire with a wicked emperor like Nero, most Christians could obey the Emperor and God. And that's the case today. If you find yourself frustrated or upset with what Scripture is telling you, please understand there's no exceptions. It's every level of government, it's every government leader. Can I suggest to you from Scripture that even your criticisms of government leaders are dangerous? Titus chapter 3, Paul giving instruction to a pastor to instruct his people, remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. Let me encourage you. Take your heart before the Lord tonight and ask, are you willing to submit to a new president if he assumes office? Are you submitting by being the most obedient citizen already? Do you obey all the laws that you're aware of that apply to you? Or do you pick and choose? The only exception is if government tells you to sin. And that's very narrow. And in my 53 years, it's never happened to me. Might it happen? Absolutely. I see the storms brewing. But until it does, obey anyway whether you like it or not. That's just the first essential response to the 2020 election. You must submit to the government's decisions regardless of your personal opinions. The second point that I'll cover quickly, but it's important. You must value your testimony, not merely your rights. You must value your testimony, not merely your rights. Peter tells us why or one of the reasons for what he's commanded. Verse 15, For such is the will of God, that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. You want to know what the will of God is for you? To do right, and in this context that means submit to the government. Certainly there are commands to do right in general, but this is specific and it's tied into what he just said in verse 13. This is an aspect of excellent behavior. This is an issue of being holy as God is holy. And he says there's an aspect of this that it impacts the world around us. He says when we do this, When we follow the will of God and we do right, you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. The idea is to just shut them up, to muzzle them. And I think it ties into what we covered last week about the fact that believers are often wrongly accused. first part of verse 12, "...to keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers." In other words, it's a part of our life in a fallen world that pagans are going to accuse us of things. And in some respects, perhaps they would accuse us of being rebels against the government. That was certainly the accusation in the first century when Christians wouldn't worship the emperor. They had to submit to him, but they wouldn't worship him. And it really is describing the people that watch what we do, foolish men. Romans 1, 21 and 22 makes it clear, and I think Peter's talking about this, it's a heart issue, this isn't a deficiency in the ability to understand things, this is an issue of the heart. Romans 1, 21, for even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools. That describes much of America today. It's a willful rejection of the things of God. And those people with hard hearts are watching us. Jesus was watched closely by the Pharisees and Sadducees. They wanted to see Him mess up. They were waiting Brothers and sisters, the unbelievers are watching you right now. They're watching how you react. And what they should not see is someone rebelling against God and the government. They should see a citizen who perhaps is passionate about their political views, but is more passionate about their Lord and a desire to follow Him wherever He leads. Peter is telling us that if we will submit to the government as God commands, the lies of unbelievers who accuse us of misconduct will eventually be exposed. And it perhaps might even shut up some of them. Here's the ultimate point I think he makes. We're accused of many things. Sadly, sometimes they're true. But our society doesn't understand us. They have foolish hearts. The hearts are darkened. They can't comprehend who we are and why we do what we do. But the way to counter false accusations is not to be louder and meaner than they are. It's not to fight tooth and nail to vindicate ourselves. is to humbly submit to live quiet and tranquil lives. I always worry about being misunderstood. I love America. I've said that. I don't think everybody believes it, but I really do. I follow politics as closely as anyone. I pay attention, I see the dangers, I know where things are headed. But God's means of changing things is not through the ballot box. As important as it is to be a citizen and use your vote as a good steward, we'll change America by evangelizing the lost. by being the best, most obedient citizens this country has ever known. Not for the sake of our rights, but for the sake of our testimony, for the sake of our Lord. I fear, because I see it in myself, that we are in danger at times of losing sight of what's the most important thing. Is it better to have your rights as an American, or is it better to have a good testimony? Whatever else occurs, we can't be a part of a rebellion. Because our testimony requires that regardless of how our government operates, we obey. It's rare, but I dreaded preaching tonight. I love preaching. But what's in this text is hard. It's not easy to overcome the passion of our hearts to apply this, and yet we don't have a choice. This is not about your citizenship as Americans. This is about the Kingdom of God. If you find yourself on the verge of disobeying our government and fighting against government policies as a rebel, you're in a losing battle. Because you're really fighting God. And therefore, whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God. This is a struggle. This is a battle, but isn't everything in this fallen world that we're called to do? Please don't give in to the fleshly desires that may stir in your heart. Submit yourselves, for the Lord's sake, to every level of our government. including our new president. Please join me in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we can't do what you're commanding us to do apart from your Spirit. Lord, the reason we're so upset with what we see going on in America is because we see unrighteousness prospering and flourishing We see sin being called virtue, and it breaks our hearts. We see a generation of young people running headlong towards the new enlightened standards, which really are old wickedness. We hate it. And we vote because we hope and pray that maybe something can slow it down. Lord, it's at times like these when we have to trust You, and it's hard. We have to walk by faith, but our eyes are full of what we see around us. Lord, Your Word is clear. You've called us to submit. We pray for our new government. We pray for our country. And Lord, we pray for Joe Biden, if he is our president. Lord, for your sake, please help us to submit, even when it's hard. Lord, in the midst of the turmoil of our hearts, we can lose sight of the fact that all around us there are lost and dying people, for whom the election of a president is not the biggest issue. Rather, they're in their sin, standing before a holy God. Lord, help us care more about them than anything else. Lord, even now, some unbelievers may be listening to my voice. Lord, I pray that they would understand The wages of sin is death, and all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Before a holy God, they are not innocent." But Jesus, the God-Man, came and lived a perfect life, submitting willingly, and He died in the place of sinners. If sinners will cry out to you, there's still room for mercy. I pray that they would repent and turn to you today. For the rest of us, Lord, help us do the impossible. Help us overcome our flesh and our wills and help us be the best, most obedient citizens America knows, not for our sake, not for political gain, but for your sake and for our testimony for the gospel. Lord, we believe. Help our unbelief. We love you and we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.