The Ultimate Government

The Ultimate Government
Today, I’m sharing some thoughts written by Pastor Chris Clark of East Clairemont Baptist Church. What he said is worth sharing without any editing. Pray for our nation. Pray for the institution of marriage and the family. Pray that our government will honor God and the see the importance of marriage and the family for a healthy nation. – Glen Copple, Minister of the Word.

Prayer Champions –

They are not household names by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, in all likelihood, we would not have our country if it had not been for them.

British sympathizer Peter Oliver called them the “Black Regiment” with disdain due to the black garb they wore. They were the ones who boldly inspired the birth of the United States of America.

They were the American pastors of the late 18th century, when the colonies decided that the oppression and tyranny of the British crown had gone too far. It was these pastors who boldly stood and declared God’s standards for society, moving ordinary people to become patriots for the ages.

Samuel Sherwood (1730-1783) was one of these pastors. A graduate of Yale and Princeton, Sherwood pastored the church in Weston, Connecticut. His 1774 sermon, “Scriptural Instructions to Civil Rulers” served as a benchmark for many on how a ruler should rule, setting the proper context for civil government.

Using 2 Samuel 23:1-4 as his text, we can note some universal principles that civil leaders would do well to acknowledge:

1. There is one source of authority: God—David acknowledged God, the Rock of Israel, as the Authority by which he reigned as king. No government leader attains such position save the divine appointment by an all-sovereign God.
2. There is one method of rule: God-fearing—David declared that the government leader will be most successful when he rules in the fear of God; not only having a reverence and awe for God, but a genuine fear of disobeying that same God as well. The problems arise when government leaders show no fear of a holy and a righteous God.
3. There is one result of God-fearing rule: order—David describes the results in terms of the order in creation following a rain storm: the clearing, the sun, the warmth, the growth. There is order because God is a God of order, and God-fearing rule will reflect His nature.

We do not want God-fearing government leaders merely to win an argument or even a campaign. We want God-fearing government leaders because God-fearing government works.

Pastor Chris Clark
East Clairemont Baptist Church
and Pastors’ Rapid Response Team
San Diego, CA

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