Honor the Government, Worship God Alone

Jesus meets a political snare and refuses to be boxed in. The Pharisees and the Herodians spring a question about the imperial tax, hoping either Rome will brand him a rebel or the crowds will brand him a collaborator. Jesus asks for a denarius, points to Caesar’s image and the blasphemous inscription, and says, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” The coin’s image declares what rightly returns to Caesar, while the divine image on human beings declares what belongs to God. The sentence slices through the trap and marks the path: honor the government, but worship God.

Paul echoes that path. Romans says, “Give to everyone what you owe them… taxes… revenue… respect… honor.” Scripture does not call taxation theft; it calls it an obligation. So paying taxes and giving thanks for common gifts like emergency services and safe roads is a sane, grateful response to God’s providence through public means. Yet the harder obligation often is respect and honor, because people “see faces,” and those faces often provoke disgust or distrust. Honor, however, attaches first to God’s ordering of authority and to the office, not to the worthiness of the officeholder.

Peter sets the bar even higher. Under Nero’s cruelty, the apostle commands, “Honor the emperor.” If honor can be rendered under Nero, then Christians can render measured, principled honor to contemporary leaders without endorsing their sins or abandoning moral clarity. That guards against one ditch: giving rulers less than they are due.

Jesus also guards against the opposite ditch: giving rulers more than they are due. “There is only one savior of the world and he is not on the ballot.” Government is not God, not a Messiah, and not the cure for all ills. Christians refuse cult-like loyalty to any party or personality. They see rulers as sinners entrusted with real, limited authority, worthy of honor, never of worship.

God’s sovereignty keeps panic at bay. The worst state action in history was the crucifixion of the sinless One, yet God turned that injustice into the salvation of the world. So when elections disappoint, courts misfire, or conflicts rage, God has not lost control. The church lives under two kingdoms: honoring lawful authority and worshiping God alone.

Gratitude then turns to vocation. If some have died to make men free, many can live to make others free, stewarding God-given rights and working daily toward a more perfect union. On a national birthday, Christians honor the government God has given and worship God who alone is worthy.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Honor authority without losing worship Honor belongs to God’s ordering of civil life, but worship belongs to God alone. Rendering taxes and respect does not require bending the knee of the heart to any ruler. The image on the coin returns to Caesar, but the image of God returns to God. This boundary keeps civic duty from becoming spiritual idolatry. [45:37]
• 2. Pay taxes, give thanks for blessings Scripture frames taxes as owed, not as theft, and gratitude as the right posture for the common goods they fund. Emergency responders, navigable roads, and social order are ordinary channels of God’s care. Paying what is due with thanksgiving turns grievance into worship. Grumbling shrinks; stewardship grows. [47:32]
• 3. Respect imperfect leaders for office’s sake Honor can be principled even when agreement is impossible, because it rests on God’s providence in establishing authority. The command to “honor the emperor” under Nero leaves no room for honor-as-flattery and every room for honor-as-obedience to God. Respecting the office need not excuse the person’s vices. It does, however, protect the heart from contempt. [52:01]
• 4. Resist political idolatry and panic No candidate can carry messianic weight, and no result dethrones Christ. Treating politics as ultimate breeds fear, rage, and false hope; treating it as penultimate frees courage, patience, and prayer. The ballot is not the cross, and the cross already won. Engage seriously, but rest securely. [52:42]
• 5. Live to make others free If some have died to secure liberty, many are called to live so that neighbors actually experience it. Stewarding influence, serving the vulnerable, and pursuing a more just community honors God’s gifts and the nation’s ideals. Freedom matures when love labors for another’s good. [57:46]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [27:18] - Give what you owe: taxes, honor
• [38:47] - Why talk religion and politics
• [41:49] - Jesus confronted with a tax trap
• [44:00] - Show me the coin
• [45:37] - Don't worship Caesar, worship God
• [45:54] - Two ditches with government
• [46:31] - What is owed to rulers
• [47:32] - Taxes and gratitude for common goods
• [51:07] - Honor the emperor under Nero
• [52:42] - Only one Savior, not on the ballot
• [54:58] - God turns the worst injustice
• [57:46] - Let us live to make men free
• [58:29] - Honor the nation, worship God alone

Bible Reading
- Matthew 22:15-22 (ESV): "Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, 'Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?' But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, 'Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.' And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, 'Whose likeness and inscription is this?' They said, 'Caesar’s.' Then he said to them, 'Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.'"
- Romans 13:7 (ESV): "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."
- 1 Peter 2:17 (ESV): "Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor."

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Observation questions

1. What did Jesus ask to see when questioned about paying taxes, and what details on the coin did he highlight? [44:00]
2. According to the sermon, why was the inscription on the denarius considered blasphemous? [45:03]
3. How does Peter’s command to “honor the emperor” (1 Peter 2:17) challenge believers, especially under rulers like Nero? [51:07]
4. What example was given in the sermon to illustrate gratitude for taxes? [47:32]

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Interpretation questions

1. Why did Jesus mention both Caesar and God in his response about taxes? What does this reveal about the relationship between civic duty and worship?
2. How does Paul’s framing of taxes as an “obligation” (Romans 13:7) contrast with modern cultural views that label taxation as theft? [47:14]
3. The sermon claims, “Honor attaches to the office, not the worthiness of the officeholder.” How does this distinction protect believers from contempt while still allowing for moral disagreement? [52:01]
4. How does the crucifixion of Jesus, described as the “worst state action in history,” demonstrate God’s sovereignty over human governments? [54:58]

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Application questions

1. When paying taxes or interacting with government systems (e.g., roads, emergency services), how could you intentionally shift from grumbling to gratitude? [47:32]
2. Think of a political leader you strongly disagree with. What is one practical way to honor their office without endorsing their actions? [52:01]
3. In an election year, how might you guard against treating a candidate or party as a “savior” or source of ultimate hope? [52:42]
4. The sermon urges believers to “live to make others free” by stewarding rights and serving neighbors. What is one local need where you could advocate for justice or freedom this week? [57:46]
5. When have you felt panic or despair over a political decision? How does the truth that “God has not lost control” reshape your response to future disappointments? [55:26]
6. Reflect on a time when you struggled to separate respect for an authority figure’s role from your feelings about their character. What would honoring the office look like in that situation?