Wisdom is Submission to Authority

Ecclesiastes chapter eight. As we make our way through this journal of Solomon, trying to understand exactly where this man has been, where he's going and how he teaches us about wisdom. The second half of the book of Ecclesiastes is all about wisdom.

35 times he mentions the word wisdom or wise and talks about wisdom all throughout the latter half of the book of Ecclesiastes. And so he's moving us toward wisdom. And so he gave you wisdom's definition. And let's see if you can remember it. Wisdom's definition is simply a God given ability whereby you are able to clearly observe life beyond the sun in all of its beauty and dignity in order that you might operate in life below the sun with stability and tranquility. That's what Solomon teaches us in Ecclesiastes chapter seven.

This is where he's moving us. He's talked to us about life under the sun in the first six chapters, but now he's moving us beyond the sun.

And that's what wisdom is all about. In short, wisdom is just the application of truth to life. Now that's easier said than done. How do you actually apply wisdom every single day? Well, Solomon in chapter seven helps us understand that. So he talked to us about wisdom's evaluation. That's in the first 10 verses of chapter seven.

How do you evaluate life from a biblical, from a divine perspective? How do you know that your death day is better than your birthday? How do you know that the house of mourning is better than the house of feasting? How do you know that the end of a matter is better than the beginning of a matter? How do you know that rebuke from a wise man is better than the song of fools? Well, the only way you know that is to see it from God's perspective. Because if you don't see it from God's perspective, you're gonna think that everything we just said or Solomon tells you is wrong, but it's right because Solomon, speaking under the inspiration of God or writing under the inspiration of God gives us not only wisdom's perspective from his view, but specifically from God's view.

So he gives us wisdom's evaluation. And then he gives us wisdom's recognition. And that's in verses 11 and 12, chapter seven. Because he wants us to recognize that wisdom gives you an eternal possession, whereas an inheritance only gives you a temporal protection. And you need eternal protection. And that comes from wisdom. And that's what wisdom recognizes. And then he gives you wisdom's consolation in verses 13 and 14 of chapter seven, because he wants you to understand where true consolation comes from because God's got everything under control.

He bends things, he straightens things, but nobody can straighten what he himself has bent. Why? Because he's in charge. He runs it all. So in the day of prosperity, be happy. In the day of adversity, consider that God made the one as well as the other. Why? So man will have no idea what comes next. He has to trust the Lord, depend upon the Lord, follow the Lord. And that's wisdom's consolation. And then you move to verse number 15, and you realize that it's all about wisdom's exhortation. That's in verse 18, the one who fears God.

It's always gonna be his exhortation because he wants you to learn to fear him. And then he moves to wisdom's direction, verse number 19, down through verse number 22, simply because wisdom strengthens the wise man more so than getting advice from the 10 most popular people in the city. Because why? They're all sinners. So you need godly wisdom. And the wisdom of the wise man gives him strength. And then you have wisdom's comprehension. What does it comprehend? It comprehends, verse 26, that the one who is pleasing to God will escape the snares of the seductress woman.

Then you have wisdom's illumination. Verse 27 of chapter seven, down to chapter eight, verse number one.

And he asked the question, who is like the wise man? Who's like that guy? Who is like the wise man who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man's wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to be. Wisdom is just not about the application of truth to life. It's the application of truth to life in such a way it makes you look all the different. Because you look bright. Because the wisdom of God is shown down upon you. And it affects the way you look. It takes a stern face, it makes it beam with brightness.

I love what the psalmist said over in Psalm 34. David said in verse one, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast to the Lord. The humble will hear it and rejoice. I'll magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant. Those who look to him are radiant and their faces will never be ashamed. That's wisdom. Those who look to him, their faces are different than those who turn away from him.

Who don't look to him. Psalm 36, verse number nine. The psalmist said, for with you is the fountain of life. It'd be a good study for you to realize that Proverbs 12, excuse me, Proverbs 13, verse number 14 says the teaching of the wise is a fountain of life. Proverbs 10, 11 says that the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life. In Proverbs 16, 22, it says, understanding is the fountain of life. In Proverbs 14, 27 says the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life. There's something about wisdom.

There's something about understanding. There's something about the fear of the Lord that is the life of all lives. And so he says, in your light, we see light. Christ is life. Christ is light. When you know the life, the light shines down upon you. And that's why the Bible says we are the light of the world simply because the Lord of life and light has shown down upon us.

Interesting, Solomon would say this in Proverbs 15, verse number 13, a joyful heart makes a delightful face. A joyful heart makes a delightful face. I can look at your face and see the condition of your heart.

Did you know that? There's something about ministry. There's something about parenting. Let's just look, parenting, for instance. Solomon asked in verse number one, who is the wise man?

The one who can interpret truth. The wise man is so illumined that his countenance changes. Parenting's hard. Parenting's difficult. Parenting can be drudgery. Parenting can be monotonous. Parenting is 24 seven, right? But the joy in parenting is to know that as serious as it is with all the despair and all the downfalls and all the rebellion and all the spankings and all the continual teaching that you do amidst all of that, the joy, the blessing is in the ability to see life beyond the sun so that you can operate in life below the sun.

That's the parents with wisdom. That's the person with wisdom. How are you operating under the sun? How are you operating in this life? How you see life beyond the sun will always determine how you live life below the sun. And if you're having difficulties and you're struggling and every day is hardship and pain, you need to ask yourself, am I living by human wisdom, my wisdom, or am I living by God's wisdom? Has my face been illumined by the truth of the word of God? Have I experienced the fountain of life?

That's what wisdom is. So Solomon goes to this whole litany in chapter seven about wisdom's evaluation and wisdom's recognition and wisdom's consolation and goes to this whole list and then when you come to chapter eight, he gives you what I'll call wisdom's manifestation. Because wisdom manifests itself in a very particular area. Wisdom manifests itself in one particular area more so than any other area and it's in the area of submission to authority. That's the wise man. Wisdom's definition is one thing.

Wisdom's recognition is another. Wisdom's consolation is another. But wisdom's manifestation says, I will submit to God-given authority. Let me read to you what Solomon says.

Verse two, I say, keep the command of the king because of the oath before God. Do not be in a hurry to leave him. Do not join in an evil matter for he will do whatever he pleases. Says the word of the king is authoritative. Who will say to him, what are you doing? He who keeps a royal command experiences no trouble for a wise heart knows a proper time and procedure. For there is a proper time and a procedure for every delight though a man's trouble is heavy upon him. If no one knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen?

No man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind or authority over the day of death. And there is no discharge in the time of war and evil will not deliver those who practice it. All this I have seen and applied my mind to every deed that has been done under the sun wherein a man has exercised authority over another, another man to his hurt. Submission to authority is huge. All of us submit to some authority. It could be a policeman, it could be a governor, could be a president, it could be a mayor, could be a coach, a teacher.

It could be your boss. Hopefully you submit to your boss. That'd be a good thing to do. You wanna keep your job, right? But all of us are in submission to authority. There's always somebody over us. And even if you are your own boss and you work on your own, you still are accountable to the IRS. You're still accountable to somebody else for where your money goes and how you spend it. But we all have authority over us. But where that authority is learned to be submitted to is in the home, parental authority.

Show me a man who doesn't submit to parental authority, and I will show you a man who grows up having a hard time getting people to submit to his authority. One day I'm gonna write a book about that because I think it's true. Show me a man who does not submit to authority in the home, and I'll show you a man that when he gets older, he's gonna have a hard time getting his wife to submit to him, his children to submit to him, and those he works with, who he oversees, to submit to him. That's very important to understand that.

It's learned in the home. The very first relationships that we experience in our home is God's design to teach children how to submit to parental authority.

Because when you get older, guess what? You have to somehow submit to someone who has authority over you. And I found it interesting as I went through the book of Proverbs again this week to realize just a few things. Just let me read them to you.

Proverbs 10, verse number one. A wise son makes the father glad, and that would be true. But a foolish son is a grief to his mother. I thought about that for a second.

I thought, well, why isn't the foolish son grief to his father? Why just to his mother? And of course, the foolish son is the unbelieving son. The foolish son follows the way of weakness and not the way of righteousness, and the wise son follows the way of wisdom and the way of righteousness. And then you move on a little further in Proverbs chapter 15, verse number 20, and these words are given to us. Proverbs 15, verse number 20. A wise son makes the father glad, same phrase. But it changes a little bit at the end.

But a foolish man despises his mother. A wise son makes a glad father. But he doesn't say a foolish son despises his mother. No, he said the foolish man, he's grown up, despises his mother, disrespects his mother. Then Proverbs 17, verse number 25 says, a foolish son is a grief to his father. Now he's gonna talk about the father's grief and bitterness to her who bore him. Not cheerfulness, bitterness. And then over in chapter 20, verse number 20, he who curses his father or his mother, his lamp will go out in time of darkness or his pupil will go out in time of darkness.

In other words, he's gonna die. Why? Well, Proverbs, Exodus 21, verse number 17 says that he who curses his father or mother shall be put to death. That's what the Mosaic law said. Solomon picks up on that and says, he who curses his father or his mother speaks ill of his father or mother, defames, blasphemes, speaks against father or mother. His lamp will go out in time of darkness. Chapter 23, verse 22, listen to your father who begot you and do not despise your mother when she is old. Now we're talking to adult children, right?

Don't despise your mother when she is old. Why? Because the commandment is always honor your father and your mother. First commandment with a promise.

Honor your mother and father, but you cannot despise her when she's old. You can't look down upon her when she's old. You can't say, mom, as the Pharisees said, we're not gonna take care of you when you're old. No, Corbin, my money's been given to God. I got all the money for you, mom. No, can't do that. Why? Verse 25, let your father and your mother be glad. Let her rejoice who gave birth to you. Let me ask you a question.

Is your mother rejoicing tonight because she gave birth to you? Is your mother rejoicing tonight because you gave birth or she gave birth to you? Is she? Is she a glad mom? Is she a cheerful mom or is she a bitter mom? Bitterness, not because her soul is bitter, but because the taste that's been left in her mouth is one of bitterness and not sweetness. Then of course, my favorite verse in Proverbs, Proverbs chapter 30. I'll read verse 11 first.

It says, there is a kind of man who curses his father and does not bless his mother. What kind of man is that? There is a kind of man who curses his father and does not bless his mother. And then my favorite verse, Proverbs 31, 17, the eye that mocks the father and scorns the mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out and the young eagles will eat it. That's my favorite proverb. It's so true. Why are the ravens of the valley picking out your eye? Because you're dead. They pick at dead things.

Why are you dead? Because you cursed your father and you cursed your mother. You despise them. You see, parental authority, I mean, according to Romans chapter one, right? Romans chapter one, the evidence of a depraved mind, and that means a reprobate mind, that means an unthinking mind. Proverbs one is disobedient to parents. Children who disobey their parents are unthinking people. They're reprobates. In 2 Timothy three says that the characteristic of the last time will be that men will be lovers of self rather than lovers of God, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

Disobedient to parents. Why are children disobedient to parents? Because they love themselves more than they love God. They love pleasure more than they love their parents. That's why they are disobedient to the parents, see? The Bible speaks voluminously about this topic. It's all throughout the scriptures. Why? Because in the home is where the child learns authority structure. It's where he learns that God has ordained the authority that is, right? This is very, very important because every parent is God ordained.

Every governor, God ordained. Every mayor, God ordained, right? Everybody who's put in some kind of political office is there only because God put them there. You could say, well, I was elected. Yeah, you were, but without God, you would never have been elected. You're there because that's where God wants you. Hitler was God's man in Germany in his time. You might not like that. Just like the Christians didn't like the fact that Nero was in charge in their day, but he was God's appointed man. How do we know that?

The Bible tells us that. The Bible is very clear about that, that God puts people into positions of leadership and our response is to submit to them, to follow the direction. And that's learned best at home. Growing up in a structure where there's parental authority, where wives are submissive to their husbands, right? How does your daughter learn submission to her husband if you as a mother are not submissive to your husband? She learns to rebel against her husband's authority, see? If the father is not submissive to God's authority in his life, then what would make you think that the children are gonna grow up learning how to submit to God and his word?

Because the father didn't. That's why the family unit is so important in learning the basics of life because wisdom's manifestation is seen in submission to authority. And that's what Solomon wants us to understand. Every king, every prince, every prime minister, president, governor, mayor, leader is put there by God. Let me give you an illustration.

Isaiah 45. Isaiah 45, I'm sorry, Isaiah 44, verse 28. God says this. It is I who says of Cyrus, he is my shepherd. This is 100 years before Cyrus is born. Cyrus is not yet born. But God has already named him. God has already decided who will be his shepherd, a pagan king of Medo-Persia. Now, if you doubt that God's in charge of your boss, if you doubt that God's in charge of our president, if you doubt that God's in charge of Putin, you need to read Isaiah 44 and 45 to make sure you get it right.

It is I who says of Cyrus, he is my shepherd and he will perform all my desire. The pagan king will perform all my desire, God says.

Because God's in charge. And he declares of Jerusalem, she will be built. Out of the temple, your foundations will be laid. Chapter 45, verse number one.

Thus says the Lord to Cyrus, his anointed. Or Cyrus, his Messiah. Cyrus, a pagan king, only Gentile in the Bible called God's anointed. Cyrus was God's Messiah. He was gonna be the one that would be instrumental in letting Israel out after Babylonian captivity. But that's not for 150 years yet. It's 100 years before he's born, but it's not till 150 years down the road that all this is gonna happen. Isaiah's prophesying about the Babylonian captivity and what's gonna happen to Judah, so they would understand.

And Isaiah's telling them God's got this all mapped out. He's got the rulers going to come, overtake Babylon, the Medo-Persian empire. Oh, on top of that, he says this. Listen, this is so good. To subdue nations before him, and to those, and to loose, excuse me, the loins of kings to open doors before him. He said, gates will not be shut. I will go before you, make the rough places smooth. I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places.

And that's exactly what God did for Cyrus. He was able to get all the secret things that were stored away by Nebuchadnezzar, and then he gave them to Israel, so Israel could go back to Jerusalem and build the walls around the city. God had it all mapped out 150 years before it happened, because it was all predetermined in eternity past. See that? God's in charge, because God ordains leaders. God ordains parents. God ordains coaches. God ordains teachers. You're not by accident that you're in that class.

It's not by accident that he's your boss, or she's your boss. It's not by accident that so-and-so is elected president, and the other guy's not. God's in charge of all of that. And that's why submission to authority is so important, because in your submission to authority, you are saying, God, I accept your authority over me, because this is who you ordained and designed to be my leader. Submission to authority really has nothing to do with your boss, or your teacher, or your coach, or your parents.

It has everything to do with your relationship with the living God, everything. It's all about your relationship to the Lord, and when your relationship with the Lord is right, you're able to submit to authority, but when your relationship with the Lord's not right, guess what? You rebel against all kinds of authority. You stand against it. You become bitter toward it. You certainly don't have the wisdom's face that's been illumined by the truth of God's word. That's why verse one's before verse number two, because he says, oh, by the way, the Lord says in verse four of Isaiah 45, for the sake of Jacob, my servant, and Israel, my elect, I have also called you by your name.

I have given you a title of honor, though you have not known me. I am the Lord, and there is no other beside me. There is no God. God says, I am doing what I am doing, so you will know that I'm God.

I'm telling you in advance that this is what I'm gonna do, so you know that when it happens, I'm your God. I'm the one, I'm in charge. There's no mistaking about it, and this is just so rich and so deep and so true that when you understand this, Ecclesiastes 8 becomes very simple to follow, so let's go back to Ecclesiastes chapter eight. You gotta get there, right? Verse two, I say, keep the command of the king because of the oath, your oath before God. Now, we don't have kings today. We have monarchs, right?

We have presidents and prime ministers and governors and mayors. In those days, they had kings, right? And kings did whatever they wanted to do. They were in charge. They were a leader of one, and kings were accountable to no one. Some of them were good. Some of them were benevolent and kind. Others were tyrannical and despots, and they just were just bad people, but he didn't say this is a good king or a bad king, and of course, Solomon's a king, right? So he says, keep the command of the king because of the oath before God.

You've made an oath to God. You've made a commitment to God. Because you made a commitment to God, you must follow the commands of the king. So this is the first point in our outline, and that is commemorating the demands of your ruler.

Wisdom is submission to authority. It begins with commemorating the commands or the demands of the one in charge. Why do we submit to earthly authority? Because of our commitment to God. Now, I want you to notice something.

Think this through with me. We say we wanna be like Jesus. We wanna be like Christ. Do you really? Because our Lord was submissive to his Father in heaven. He said in John chapter four, these words, my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Chapter five of John, verse number 30, he says these words. I can do nothing on my own initiative as I hear I judge and my judgment is just because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me. Chapter six, verse number 38.

For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. Now notice what first Corinthians 11 says.

I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man. And we would all say amen, right? Is Christ your head? Yes, Christ is the head of every man. Next phrase. And the man is the head of woman. Oh, men would say amen and all the women would go, hmm. But the next phrase is the key phrase. And God is the head. Of Christ. Now think about that. God is the head of Christ. You say, wait a minute. I thought Jesus was God and the father was God. I thought they were equal. I thought they were one.

What do you mean that God is the head of Christ? The Bible says in John 14, verse number nine, he that has seen me has seen the father.

John 10, verse number 30, I and my father are one. Hebrews chapter one, Christ was exalted to be equal with God. So what does it mean that God is the head of Christ? Listen very carefully. God's headship over Christ is not a matter of essence or nature. It's a matter of function. A matter of function. Within the function of the Godhead, it was necessary that Christ submit himself to his father. Bible says in Matthew 28, 18, Christ says all authority is given to me in heaven and on earth.

And yet he says, my will, my food is to do the will of him who sent me. In other words, Christ and God are equal. They're one. They're the same. But by God's design, the function of the son demanded that he submit to the father in a beautiful act of humiliation. You as a husband are one with your wife. You're one flesh. You are equal. But in order for the family to function, someone needs to be the head. And that's the man. That's the way God designed it. And so the wife in humiliation, in order for there to be a proper function in the home, submits to her husband as unto the Lord.

That's what the Bible tells us. You submit to one another in the fear of Christ and the wife submits to the husband as unto the Lord. Why? Because you are submitting to the Lord. You see, submission is not about your husband. It's about your relationship with God. It's the way it always been. It's the way it always is. Submission is more of an attitude than it is an act because you can do what someone tells you to do on the outside, but be bitter on the inside. Submission is an attitude of a willingness to submit in humiliation.

That's why the Bible says in Ephesians chapter five, these words, be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

As you're filled with the spirit, Ephesians 5, 18, as you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, understanding that you need to redeem the time and that you're not to be drunk in excess with wine, but be filled with the spirit, be controlled and dominated by the spirit of God, certain things are gonna happen. You're gonna sing to one another in songs and hymns and spiritual songs, and you're gonna submit to one another in the fear of Christ. You see, submission to one another comes because you are controlled and dominated by the spirit of God.

And then he says, wives to your own husbands, verse 22, then verse 45, husbands to your wives. You see, there is a mutual submission that takes place in the functionality of the home. That's proper, God ordained, and how God wants it to succeed. You must understand that. And therefore, we begin to realize that submitting to authority is really my submission to God's authority in my life. So Solomon comes along and says, you need to follow the king's commands. You need to do what he says, why? Because you made an oath to God.

You made a commitment to God. God is your head. God is your ultimate king. Because you're committed to the king of kings and the Lord of lords, you now are to keep the commands of the king. That's why Romans 13 says it this way. You know these verses. Verse number one, every person is to be subject to the governor or to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God.

See that? There is no authority except from God. You are to submit to every governing authority because there's no authority except from God. That's important to understand. It says, and those who exist are established by God. So every authority that exists is established by God. With that exception. Therefore, whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God. And they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil.

Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good. And you will have praise from the same. For it is a minister of God to you for good, but if you do what is evil, be afraid. For it does not bear the sword for nothing, for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore, it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience sake. For because of this, you also pay taxes. For rulers are servants of God. Every ruler is a servant of God.

That phrase should be underlined in your Bible. Because that means that every ruler is held accountable to the authority of God in their lives. Every one of them. That'll play an important part in our discussion on the next point. Bible says over in Peter's epistle, first Peter two, verse 13, submit yourselves to 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.

For such is the will of God. You wanna know what the will of God is? There it is. This is God's desire that you submit to those in authority over you. You're looking for God's direction in your life? Make sure you're submissive to the authority over you. Because if you're not, you're not gonna know God's direction for your life. It's gonna be confused and muddled. You're always saying, what is God's will for me? Submit to authority. But I don't wanna submit to my boss. I don't wanna submit to my parents.

I don't wanna submit to this or submit to that. Well, you're on an island all by yourself then because you're not gonna find any direction. You must submit to the will of God. He goes on to say this. Such is the will of God that by doing right, you may silence the ignorance of foolish men, act as free men and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as a bond slave of God. You're a servant of God. Make a commitment to God. Therefore, you submit to those authority over you. And of course, when Peter's writing, who's in charge?

Nero. What's he doing? He's impaling people and torching them up and lighting up his gardens with human flesh. He's wrapping people in animal skins and throwing them to the lions and they can hear the screams of their family members at night because they're being torn limb from limb. And Peter comes along and says, you know what? Submit to every governing authority over you. Whoa, Peter, you gotta be kidding me. That's not what he says. This is the will of God for your life. You might not like your governor.

You might not like your president. You might not like your mayor. You might not like your boss, your coach, your teacher. You might not even like your parents. God says, I don't care if you like him or not.

That's irrelevant. You must submit to their authority. Say, well, wait a minute. What if they asked me to do something that's opposed to the will of God? Well, we'll get to that in a second.

Hold on, he gets to that too. But know what he says. He says, I say, keep the commandment of the king because of the oath before God. Do not be in a hurry to leave him. Do not join in an evil matter for he will do whatever he pleases. And that's what he will, that's the definition of sovereignty. And the king's a sovereign ruler. He can do whatever he pleases, whatever he wants. Don't disrespect him by going into his presence, getting upset, not wanna do what he says and leave immediately. Don't disrespect him, don't do that.

He says, make sure, make sure you don't join in an evil matter against the king because he can do whatever he pleases. If he wants to punish you or kill you, he will do that because he has that right. Since the word of the king is authoritative, who will say to him, what are you doing? In other words, because the word is authority and the king makes the decisions, you have no question, no reason to question his actions. But wait a minute, what if he asks me to do something that's sinful? That's the next point.

Once you commemorate his demands, then number two, you need to consider his decisions. Let's know what Solomon says. Verse five. He who keeps the royal command experiences no trouble for a wise man knows a proper time and procedure for there is a proper time and procedure for every delight. There is a proper time and the wise man knows a proper time by which to deal with the issues at hand. That's where wisdom comes in. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, wisdom. They would not bow down to the king's image.

They knew the penalty, lion's den. Oh, excuse me, fire, it was Daniel, lion's den. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fire. But they knew that, they knew that, and God protected them. Daniel knew it in Daniel six. He'd only prayed he was God, so he continued to do what he always did, prayed he was God. So in the lion's den, God protected him. Why? Because they were asked to do something that opposed what God had said. You see, there's an authority that we must follow, and that is the authority of God.

That's why Romans 13 says that the rulers are servants of God. Classic illustration of this is COVID, right? The governor, mayors, tried to run the churches, tried to tell you when you can meet, how you can meet, what you could do when you meet. As a church, we decided we weren't going to do that. So I got a call from the state. They say, you know, you're violating the rules of the state. I said, yes, I do know that, I do. Well, you must stop or you will be fined and maybe even arrested. I said, that's okay.

You can do that, but in all due respect, you have to do what you do, but I have to do what I need to do. And I'm accountable to the living God. Oh, by the way, so are you. Because Romans 13 says that you're a servant of God. And therefore, you must obey the laws of God. And if you don't, it's my responsibility as a pastor to show you the way and what it means to submit to the laws of God. Because I fear my God more than I fear your fine or more than I fear your imprisonment, I fear my God. Therefore, we will continue to meet, we will continue to sing, we will continue to greet one another, we will continue to hug one another, we will continue to do whatever it is we do as a church, because we are the church, the body of Christ.

And God says, never forsake the assembly of yourselves together. So we're not gonna do that. I am so sorry, but you can come and worship with us. You can come on Sunday and be with us. We'd love to have you. And we will welcome you gladly with open arms. And we won't even have a mask on when we welcome you. Because it's the church. So what we do, says you're in danger of losing the opportunity for you to ever meet. I said, I understand that, I understand that. But in all due respect, I have a king.

His name is Jesus, and I must serve him. And therefore, we will not capitulate to your rules and regulations when it comes to the church. You can't overstep your bounds. Why? Because you see, if I don't demonstrate to you what it means to submit to the authority of God, how will you know? Because you're a servant of God. Romans 13, you can't ask me to violate scripture to do and fulfill your demands upon my life. You see, this is where you have to be firm, but sweet. And I can be that way. Believe it or not, I can be firm and sweet at the same time.

Not all the time. Sometimes I act fleshly and carnal, but for the most part, I can be very firm, but very sweet. As the apostles were in Acts 4 and Acts 5. Remember them? They were told they could not teach or preach, but they kept on doing it. Finally, they were flogged.

That means beaten 39 times on the back and one time on the front. They did it 39 times because they didn't want to lose count. In case they lost count, they wanted to make sure they got it right, so they did it 39 times, and then once across the front, that's being flogged. But they went away rejoicing in Acts 5 to have suffered for the sake of their king. And guess what? They went right on preaching the gospel. Why? Because you can't tell the church what to do when it comes to fulfilling the commands of God.

You can't do that. I don't tell the governor how to run the state. That's not my job. I'm just overstepping my bounds. I can't tell the governor what to do in the state. That's not my job. I can't go into your house and say, pick up your shoes, do your laundry, do the dishes, clean the floor. What is wrong? Do it now.

You'd say, who are you? You can't come in my house and do that. I can't. Why? Because I don't have authority in there. That's your house. You want to keep it dirty? Go right ahead. Want to keep it smelly? Don't invite me over. But see, that's up to you. That's your house. I can't govern you and how you clean your house or run your house. That's your job. That's your responsibility. I can't overstep my bounds that way in your home. Like I can't overstep my bounds by telling the governor what to do.

And the governor certainly can't come in and tell the church what to do because they're servants of God. So Solomon says you need to consider the decisions because there's a proper time to say the right thing and do the right thing. Because there is an authority and God's the authority. It's like this. It's like, let's take it outside the personal realm. Let's just think about Israel for a second.

Israel. Whose land is Israel's? Who makes that decision? Who's in charge? Well, somebody say, well, it's the Palestinians and Israel needs to get out of the West Bank because it's theirs. Others say, well, no, Israel can have the West Bank because God gave the land to them. So who's in charge? Who makes that decision? Well, God does. God already did. Leviticus tells us that God says it's my land.

So it's not the Palestinians' land. It's not Israel's land. It's God's land. God owns it, right? But God in Ezekiel chapter 37, 38 gave it to Israel. He gave them that. He gave them his land. And 38 times in the Old Testament, the boundaries are given for the land of Israel. From the Nile River to the Great River Euphrates, 38 times those boundaries are given. So that means Israel has half of Egypt, all of Israel, all of Lebanon, all of Syria, all of Jordan. They have half of Iraq and three fourths of Saudi Arabia.

That's their land. And they have every right to it. Who owns the Temple Mount? The Arabs say we do. Jews say we do. Who owns it? The Jews do. David bought it, 2 Samuel 24, 24. He purchased it from Marunah the Jebusite, the threshing floor on top of Mount Moriah, which is right now under the Dome of the Rock. The most valuable place of real estate in the world, the Temple Mount, is owned by the Jews, not the Arab nations. Who owns Hebron? Hebron is the second most holiest site in Israel.

It has 150,000 Palestinians in it, 800 Jews. The Palestinians, it's in the West Bank. Palestinians say we own this. The Jews aren't leaving. Why? Because they own it. How do you know? Book of Genesis. Abraham purchased the cave in Mephila for 400 shekels of silver, which is in Hebron. He had to buy the whole field, the whole thing. $700,000 in today's money. That's 400 shekels of silver that Abraham purchased it. Who owns Hebron? Israel does. How do you know that? The Bible says so.

You see, so you have to consider the decision. Who's in charge? Who makes that decision? Well, you can divide it up. No, you can't, because Joel 3, verse 2 says he, God will judge all those who divide the land. You cannot divide the land of Israel and give this portion to this people and this portion to that people. You cannot do that. God says, I will judge all those who divide the land.

Joel 3, verse number two. So what do you do? You do what God says. If Israel wants to go in and fight everybody to overtake the land, they can do that. It's their land. But we debate who's in charge of what, when, where, and how. Every king thinks they can make the decision. Every prime minister thinks they can make the decision, but you can't. God already made the decision. So this is very, very important. So the wife says to me, my husband won't let me go to church, so I won't be at church this Sunday.

I said, really? She says, yeah, I need to submit to my husband. Okay. So your husband, who's a non-believer, says you can't go to church on Sunday. When will you be here? I don't know, he won't let me go.

I might be there in six months. I might be there in six years. I don't know. What do you do? You tell your husband respectfully, sweetly, and gently that if any man came up to me and hate not his father, mother, brother, sister, husband, wife, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. So you disobey your husband and go to church because you serve a higher authority. You tell him I'm going to go to church because this is what God has demanded I do. And I serve my king. How's he gonna know that you love God more than him?

Unless you demonstrate to him you're going to love God more than him. Well, what if he divorces me? He divorces you. Who do you love most, God or your husband? You gotta make a choice. You gotta make the right choice. You're serving the Lord. You're honoring the Lord. You do it respectfully, you do it gently, you do it kindly, but you do it firmly because you know that you are accountable to the living God. So when it comes time to make a decision, you make a decision based on what God's word says.

You can't forsake the assembly of yourself together because you have to stay home because your husband said so. You must very kindly tell him, honey, this is what I need to do. I want you to come with me. I want you to be a part of this with me. I'll be home as soon as church is over, but I need to be with the people of God worshiping the King of kings and Lord of lords. You need to demonstrate to your husband your love for the Lord is so deep it never wavers, it never wanders because you are deeply committed to him.

Jesus made it very clear that if you come after me, you must love me more than anything and anyone else. If not, you cannot be my disciple. You can't. Can't be a follower of mine because my people are sold out on me. That's very, very important. That's why wisdom is the application of truth to life. It's easy to say, hard to do. That's wisdom. Wisdom evaluates. Wisdom sits in and asks God for wisdom as it seeks the face of God, the word of God to make the proper decision. And when you honor the Lord, he honors me, I will honor.

First Samuel 2.30. Please understand that. Take that verse, if you got a tattoo on your forehead, do it. He honors me, I will honor. Honor the Lord first and watch what God does.

Maybe your husband doesn't come to Christ because you're so willing to compromise your walk with Christ to be with him. Do you ever think about that? Think if you stay home, you're gonna win him over? No, God's in charge of all that. You're not gonna save your husband. God's gonna do that. But you need to be the testimony that exemplifies your total commitment to Christ that you're gonna honor him because if you seek to honor your husband, Galatians 1.10 tells us, you seek, you forfeit the pleasure of God.

That's just so clear in scripture. That's wisdom, see? It illuminates the whole mind and thus it's seen on your face. So he says, if no one knows what will happen, who can tell him what will happen? Answer, nobody. Nobody knows what's gonna come next. So you're gonna go and you're gonna make a decision based on wisdom and the honoring of God. You don't know what's gonna happen next. No man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind. You can't stop the wind with the wind. You can't even get ahold of the wind.

How are you gonna stop the wind with the wind? You can't. Exodus says, or authority over the day of death. Can you control the day you're going to die? Do you think that if you disobey the king because of what is right, you're gonna die? No, you're not in charge of when you die and neither is the king. If you go back to Acts chapter five, you realize that they wanted to kill the apostles and if it wasn't for Gamaliel, they would have done that. But they couldn't kill the apostles because God holds the keys to death and Hades.

He's in charge. Deuteronomy 32, I give life, I put to death. God's in charge of who dies, when you die, how you die. So you can say, hey, you know, you can kill me, but only if God lets you. If God doesn't let you, you can't. So Solomon says, yeah, man, who's got authority over the day of death? Nobody. And there is no discharge in the time of war and evil will not deliver those who practice it. In other words, you can't just be discharged from the army in the midst of a war. You're on the battlefield.

Same is true with sin. Who delivers you from sin? Only the Lord can do that. And then it comes to this last point and this is wisdom because it comprehends the dangers. Look what he says. All this I have seen and applied my mind to, every deed that has been done under the sun, wherein a man has exercised authority over another man to his hurt. Solomon says, you know what? I have seen everything under the sun. You know what I've seen? I have seen how people have brought hurt upon themselves. And I believe he's speaking about the king, the ruler, the governor, the one in charge, the husband, the father.

I've seen that to their own detriment, their own pride, they brought hurt upon themselves. Classic example, Pharaoh. Remember way back in Exodus chapter nine, verse number 13. Then the Lord said to Moses, rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, let my people go and that they may serve me. For this time, I will send all my plagues on you and your servants and your people so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.

For by now I had put forth my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence. You would then have been cut off from the earth. I could have killed you, Pharaoh, but I let you live. But indeed, for this reason, I have allowed you to remain in order to show you my power. And in order to proclaim my name through all the earth, still you exalt yourself against my people by not letting them go. I'm giving you the opportunity, Pharaoh. I'm gonna let you see my power. You're gonna know that I'm God.

You're gonna see it in ways you wish you never saw it, but it's gonna come and you're gonna know and you can be the king you wanna be, be the ruler you wanna be, but it's gonna be to your own detriment. Sure enough, he was killed in the Red Sea along with all the other army, Egyptian army. Why? Because he brought hurt upon himself for his pride and for his arrogance. Solomon says, you know, as you look at a ruler, a father in the home, a coach on a team, teach in a classroom, your boss at work, be careful how you rule because you don't rule with humility and the fear of God.

You're gonna bring hurt upon your own self. It might not come today. Might not come tomorrow. Might not come next week or next month or next year, but it will come. Why? Because God said, be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows, naturally also reap. The principle that God gives, it's very true. Happened in Pharaoh's life. Happened in every pagan king's life. They brought hurt upon themselves because they wouldn't live in the fear of God and understand the wisdom of God. May God give us the grace to be wise in our lives.

Let's pray. Father, we thank you for tonight, all that you've done. We thank you for who you are and what you've done. Lord, go before us. Help us to live in the light of your word. May our faces beam with brightness because we've gleaned wisdom from your word and how we might manifest true wisdom by submitting to authority. Ultimately, our God who is the king of all authorities, who's ordained all authorities, who's in charge of all authorities. And we follow you, our Lord and maker. In Jesus' name, amen.