Render Unto Caesar—And to God"- Pastor Roger Lucas

Devotional

Day 1: Two Horns Like a Lamb, Speaking as a Dragon

A nation founded on religious liberty now risks repeating history’s gravest error. The lamb-like principles of Protestantism and republicanism that birthed America are threatened when faith seeks civil enforcement. Revelation’s prophecy warns of a gentle beast speaking with dragon-like force, trading conscience for control. Freedom thrives when God’s kingdom remains distinct from earthly power. [46:01]

“Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast.”
(Revelation 13:11–12, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you see society shifting from lamb-like liberty to dragon-like control? How does your daily life affirm God’s claim over conscience without coercion?

Day 2: Chain Gangs and Cornfields

RM King’s quiet Sabbath-keeping in his Tennessee cornfield led to arrest, fines, and chains. When civil power enforces religious tradition, minorities suffer. Seventh-day Adventists endured jail and persecution for honoring God’s commandments over human laws. Their faithfulness under pressure models how to render to God what is His—even when Caesar demands otherwise. [16:00]

“But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’”
(Acts 5:29, ESV)

Reflection: What convictions would you cling to if obeying God meant losing societal approval? How does your current faithfulness prepare you for future tests?

Day 3: Citizens of Another Country

Heaven issues our true passport. Earthly nations rise and fall, but believers belong to a commonwealth where Christ reigns. Political battles and cultural wars distract from our mission: living as aliens who advertise God’s kingdom through peaceable, godly lives. Our highest loyalty transcends borders, elections, and earthly rulers. [01:02:11]

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
(Philippians 3:20, ESV)

Reflection: How does your heavenly citizenship reshape your engagement with politics, social media, or national identity? Where do you need to disentangle divine priorities from earthly noise?

Day 4: Holding Back the Four Winds

Four angels restrain global chaos so the gospel can advance. Natural disasters, wars, and crises press humanity toward desperate solutions—like legislated worship. Yet God delays final conflict to seal His people. Our window for sharing Christ’s love narrows daily. Freedom’s purpose isn’t comfort but urgent witness. [01:23:14]

“After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth… ‘Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’”
(Revelation 7:1–3, ESV)

Reflection: What distractions keep you from using your current freedoms to share hope? Who needs to hear about Christ’s mercy before the winds are loosed?

Day 5: Render to God What is God’s

Caesar’s image on coins demands taxes; God’s image in humanity demands worship. Jesus’ boundary between civil duty and holy allegiance protects both society and soul. Compelling faith through law corrupts the gospel. True revival comes not from legislation but hearts surrendered to Christ’s gentle reign. [55:08]

“Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
(Matthew 22:21, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been tempted to use earthly power to advance spiritual goals? How does Christ’s refusal of a crown challenge your approach to cultural influence?

Sermon Summary

Revelation 13 sets the frame: the beast coming up from the earth has two horns like a lamb, gentle and calm at first, but the prophecy says it will speak like a dragon. The two lamb-like horns stand for republicanism and Protestantism, a government without a king and a religion without a pope. America’s gift was that the government would keep the peace and protect rights, while conscience belonged to God.

Jesus gives the first and clearest answer to the question of church and state. Before Pilate, Christ says, “My kingship is not of this world,” because His kingdom does not advance by laws, legislation, force, or the coercive arm of the state. In John 6, the crowd wants to take Him by force and make Him king, but Jesus walks away from that kind of messianic nation. In Matthew 22, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s” draws a line down the middle of human life. Caesar may have an image on his coin, but God has an image in the human being, and God receives the higher allegiance.

Paul gives the same balance in Romans 13 and 1 Timothy 2. The civil authority is to restrain evil, keep order, and make possible a quiet and peaceable life. Paul does not hand worship to the government. His call is not to capture the state, but to live as model citizens so Christ can be advertised through godly lives.

The First Amendment gave America a place where civil liberty and religious liberty could stand together. Congress could establish no religion and could not prohibit free exercise. That freedom made room for the Bible Sabbath to be recovered and for the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14 to go into all the world. God raised up a free nation so conscience could remain free.

Revelation 13 still warns that the lamb-like nation will speak as a dragon. Sunday legislation, Catholic and Protestant unity at the expense of truth, and the machinery of civil religion show the timbers of that future house being gathered. American history has already shown the pattern: Adventists were fined, jailed, and put on chain gangs for quiet Sunday labor. The question is not whether such things can happen, because they already did. The question is how far these forces will go next time, and whether the people of God will be ready.

The call is to use freedom now. Christ is coming. The gospel must be shared kindly and clearly, the warning of Revelation 13 and 14 must be sounded, and the soul must be prepared before the day of testing comes.

##

Key Takeaways

1. Caesar cannot own the conscience [54:44] Jesus draws a holy boundary when He says to render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. The state may handle coins, roads, taxes, courts, and public peace, but worship does not belong in Caesar’s hand. The image on the coin is not equal to the image of God stamped in the human being. Religious liberty stands or falls right there. [54:44]
2. Liberty can learn dragon speech [01:07:05] Revelation 13 does not deny the lamb-like beginning of the nation. The prophecy says the same power that began with liberty of conscience will eventually use civil force to compel worship. That warning is not anti-American, but it is honest about what happens when freedom is handed over to religious coercion. A lamb-like profession becomes dragon speech when law replaces conscience. [67:05]
3. Civil peace serves gospel witness [59:06] Paul calls believers to pray for rulers so a quiet and peaceable life can continue. That peace is not the final goal, but the space in which truth can be lived, spoken, and seen. Political mayhem, harsh speech, and endless side-taking can hide Christ while claiming to defend Him. Godly citizenship becomes a witness when it leaves room for the gospel to do what law cannot do. [59:06]
4. History has already warned America [01:21:18] The warning is not built on imagination, because Sunday enforcement has already touched American soil. Peaceable Seventh-day Adventists were fined, jailed, and even placed on chain gangs for honoring the Sabbath and working quietly on Sunday. History shows how fast “Christian nation” language can become punishment for dissent. Prophecy becomes more sober when court records and jail cells have already echoed it. [81:18]
5. Faith must be built before trial [01:27:19] RM King did not choose his trial, and the final test will come the same way to many souls. Faith strong enough for pressure cannot be manufactured at the moment pressure arrives. The open Bible, the quiet morning with God, confession, prayer, and settled loyalty must happen now. The habit of choosing God over man is built before the day of testing.

## [87:19]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[42:54] - Render Unto Caesar and God
[45:32] - Revelation 13 and the Free Nation
[46:36] - America’s Astonishing Founding Idea
[48:17] - The Rise of Christian Nationalism
[50:46] - Jesus Refuses State-Backed Religion
[54:04] - Render to Caesar, Render to God
[56:34] - Paul, Government, and Christian Witness
[62:28] - The Lamb-Like Horns of America
[67:05] - Speaking Like a Dragon
[70:49] - Sunday Laws and Civil Religion
[74:26] - America’s History of Religious Coercion
[82:20] - Four Angels Holding Back the Winds
[84:28] - What to Do With Freedom Now
[87:19] - Preparing the Soul Before Testing

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 22:21 (ESV): "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s."

Observation Questions

What two distinct realms does Jesus identify in Matthew 22:21, and how does He define their boundaries?
According to the sermon, what historical examples show how religious freedom in America was tested through Sabbath observance? [16:00]
How does Revelation 13 describe the transformation of a "lamb-like" nation, and what does this symbolize about the relationship between religious liberty and civil power?
What practical role does Paul assign to civil authorities in Romans 13:1-7, and how does this differ from their role in matters of worship?

Interpretation Questions

Why did Jesus refuse the crowd’s attempt to make Him a political king in John 6:15, and how does this inform the church’s relationship with state power?
How might the blending of religious and civil authority (as warned in Revelation 13) undermine the gospel’s mission to "advertise Christ through godly lives"? [59:47]
The sermon argues that Sunday laws in American history were a precursor to prophecy’s warnings. Why might enforcing religious practices through law lead to coercion rather than genuine faith?

Application Questions

In what areas of your life do you struggle to balance civic responsibilities (e.g., taxes, laws) with unwavering loyalty to God’s commands? How can you prioritize God’s authority in those moments?
The sermon emphasizes preparing your faith before trials come. What daily habits (Bible study, prayer, etc.) can you strengthen now to build resilience for future challenges? [27:19]
How can you kindly share the warnings of Revelation 13-14 with others without sounding fearful or judgmental? What practical steps will you take to start these conversations?
The sermon mentions Adventists being fined for Sunday work. If faced with a similar conflict between conscience and law today, how would you respond? What principles would guide your decision?
Paul urges believers to live as "model citizens" to create space for gospel witness. In what ways might your words or actions on social media or in public conversations hinder or help this goal? [59:47]
How can your local church community support members in upholding religious liberty while still respecting civil authority? Are there ministries or outreach efforts to prioritize?

Sermon Clips

48s

“``That single sentence is the charter for religious liberty. Jesus draws a line down the middle of human life. One realm belongs to Caesar. The civil order, making of coins and money, taxes, building roads, court proceedings, keeping the public peace. That's Caesar's. But there's a realm that belongs to God and that has to do with your conscience, your worship, the inner person of every person. That belongs to God and to God alone. And the two cannot mix.”

66s

“Caesar may have an image on his coin, but God has an image in your being as well. Amen. And you owe God the higher allegiance. Here's the point. The era of making America a Christian nation is that it hands to Caesar the things that belong to God. And every time in history that has been done, it has crushed minorities. Those who didn't go along. Jesus would not let the crowd take him by force to be king. Why then would we promote the gospel or any principles of the gospel through legislation by the law? That is exactly what's intended by any efforts to make America a Christian nation. We can be Christians in the nation. God wants us to be Christians in the nation.”

64s

“Don't think that the reason you're alive is so that you can have a long and healthy and prosperous life. That may be fine and good. There's nothing wrong to say that. But that's not why you exist. You exist today because we're living in the end time and we're getting ready to join with the citizenship of the world we really belong to and Jesus will bring that to pass when he comes the second time. Our citizenship is in heaven. What we've stood for for over a hundred and sixty, hundred and seventy years is not paranoia and it's not politics. It's the fulfillment of bible prophecy. And we have shown you today that it's going to happen again. People have said it wouldn't, but it already did. And prophecy says it's coming back.”

80s

“Why does Paul teach us not to knock the government down even when it is corrupt? Or we may think it's corrupt or whatever. Because everybody has their opinion. Because we are to live a peaceful and gentle life so that we can win others to God. And by the way, our mission is not a political cause. It's not a social justice cause. It's not a culture war cause. Our cause is Christ. Because we already belong to another country. Do you know we belong to another country? Look at what it says. Our commonwealth, our citizenship is in heaven. And from it, we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are citizens of another country. We happen to belong here. We're travelers. We are aliens. We hold a passport to the kingdom of heaven and we don't need Caesar to teach us how to become a Christian. We need the spirit of God to teach us how to become a Christian.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Cape Coral SDA Church This sermon · AI assistant

What does Render unto Caesar and God mean

How does Revelation 13 depict America's future role

What practical steps prepare souls for coming trials

Render Unto Caesar—And to God"- Pastor Roger Lucas | 6/27/26