The following message is by pastor John Piper.

More information from desiring God is available at

W.W. dot desiring God.org.

The scripture text for this evening is found in Romans chapter 13 starting in

verse 1 through verse 7 if you'd like to follow along in your Puy Bible you can find it on page 948.

Romans chapter 13 beginning in verse 1.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except

from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Therefore, whoever resists the authorities, resists what God has appointed,

and those who resist will incur judgment.

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct but to bad.

Would you have no fear of the one who is an authority?

Then do what is good and you will receive his approval.

For he is God's servant for your good.

But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is the servant of God, an avenger

who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

Therefore, one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath, but also for the sake

of conscience.

For the same reason, you also pay taxes for the authorities or ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them.

Taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom

honor is owed. Father in Heaven, we want to exult over your word together, whether it's on Saturday evening or whether it's Lord's Day morning in Moundsview.

I want to be together in this. And so I ask that you would do a great work here, Saturday evening, and here Lord's Day morning.

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