The Higher Law - Mark 12:14-17

"Few years ago, I was easing down the highway about 70 miles an hour on in their state and came into a little construction zone and the sign clearly said the speed limit is now 45. Well, I didn't see anybody constructing anything. I just saw some warning signs. So I continued my merry little way at 70 miles an hour. Well, it wasn't long until I was reminded that, you know, what render to Caesar what Caesar's."

Family Discussions:

1. Which things for your money do you enjoy giving the most?
2. Which forms of giving and spending give God the most joy?
3. Why is important to render under Caesar what is Caesar's with a positive attitude?

Transcription:

00:14          It's no wonder they called him Christ. The astonishing teacher. And he blew them out of the water then when he taught. And he blows us out of the water today. Listen to the wisdom of this passage today in Mark chapter 12 and starting with verse 14. It says this, "and they came to him and said to him, teacher, we know that you're truthful and defer to no one for you are not partial in any way, but you teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay tax, a poll tax to Caesar or not? Shall we pay or shall we not pay? But Jesus, knowing their hypocrisy said to them, why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius and look at it. They brought one and he said to them, whose likeness is on that coin? And they said, Caesars. And Jesus said to them, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are gods. And they were amazed at him."

 

01:13          Few years ago, I was easing down the highway about 70 miles an hour on in their state and came into a little construction zone and the sign clearly said the speed limit is now 45. Well, I didn't see anybody constructing anything. I just saw some warning signs. So I continued my merry little way at 70 miles an hour. Well, it wasn't long until I was reminded that, you know, what render to Caesar what Caesar's. The red lights were flashing my rear view mirror. Probably the worst site in the whole wide world. I've seen him a couple of times more than I wish I could have, but, I was reminded and I ended up paying some kind of awful fine for speeding in a work zone even though nobody was there working render under Caesar what did the Caesar's.

 

01:57          You know, it's no wonder that R rated movies have an age limitation and really and truly, probably very few if any of them are good for any age. But for sure, not at a young age. You know, you're not supposed to drink alcohol til you're 21. Listen to the law. I love working in my Bible study with my high school seniors that are grappling with issues like this. And I love the guys that are really following God and are not just not drinking because it's age 21 and under, but because they don't want to ruin their witness to the school or to take the chance of ever becoming an alcoholic. But nevertheless, there's the law. Every April 15th, you know, we get an opportunity to support our government. And you know what? I can't tell you that I'm in favor of a lot of the things that our government does with our money, but you know what? It's the law. And so on April 15th, we pay our taxes, every penny of them. Don't we? Because it's the law of the land. So we rent under Caesar's what is Caesar's.

 

03:02          But I want to tell you something really important today. There's a higher law. You know, Adolf Eichmann was tried after the, you know, the Holocaust in World War II. He was one of the officers in Germany, one of the highest officers there responsible for killing millions of Jews. And in his trial, he said in his own defense, he said, I have obeyed the law and the flag. So he was obeying Hitler and the Nazi flag. But there was a higher law. It was a moral law. It was a law of God that you don't kill. And so he disobeyed the higher law. Unfortunately, he was convicted of his crime.

 

03:36          So it is America in the world today. You know, the law says that you can take a little baby, a precious little baby, you know, no matter what size or what age they are inside of your womb. And you can take that baby's life away. Well, it's the law of this land, but there's a higher law. The higher law says that every life is valuable. Every life is precious. Even the life of an unborn child. There's a lot of laws in this country, and you know what? We're gonna pay our taxes and we're gonna, you know, obey the laws of the land. Except when there's a higher law. And that law is the law of God. It's the highest law of all.

 

04:17          So here's the questions for today. You know, money goes to the government. Money goes to God's ministries on earth. Money goes to our families needs and money goes to our families wants. But which of these things for your money do you enjoy giving the most? And then which forms of giving and spending give God the most joy? And I hope you've got some things in your life and in your homes that really give you joy. That you give sacrificially to. The third question is, why is important to render under Caesar what is Caesar's with a positive attitude? Whew. Here's the lifeline. You know, in a family, you know, dad has his God given authority. In a family, mom has her God given authority. And you know what? If you're a teenager living in a home, you'll have yours in due time. But when you render under Caesar, it brings unity and it brings harmony to the family.