Just some personal, non-exhaustive notes I made on John Bevere’s Undercover series. I’ve reached lesson 8 so far. I hope that they will help you, as you study these series.
LESSON 1
Romans 13 + Hebrews 5
Under cover – a place of refuge, a shelter, a place of protection
Psalm 91:2 “He who dwells in the secret place of the most high,…”
Who is under the shadow of the almighty?
Not necessarily a person who goes to church or who is born again.
It is A PERSON THAT IS SUBMITTED TO DIVINE AUTHORITY.
If not under authority, you seek to cover yourself.
If you have truly come to know God, you love His authority.
When we became born again, God brought us to Himself.
Calf: manageable “YHWH”. Rebellion is idolatry. A “Jesus” that gives you whatever you want.
“If thou shalt confess the Lord Jesus.” Jesus: “Don’t call me Lord, unless you do what I say.”
Authority is hard to grasp from a democratic mindset.
The freedom we seek when we resist authority is the very thing we lose in our insubordination to it.
There is freedom in submission, there is bondage in rebellion.
Romans 13:1: out of love, not legalism
Not only accountable to God.
God put authorities in the church, the government, to ourselves.
To kick against the goat: the futility of resistance against power.
His honesty in sharing his example is nice.
Building your own or God’s ministry?
James had the authority. Everyone followed him.
Broken heart: submitted to authority.
God is pleased with submission that leads to true obedience.
LESSON 2
1 John 3
Direct authority of God.
Sin is lawlessness; not submitting to the authority or law of God.
Luke 14:15
Jesus, the Servant, invites many
If something is more important than instantly obeying the word of the master, it lines up with the word of sin. Disobedience to divine authority.
If we disobey like that, we will not enter God’s supper.
Sin is disobeying God’s authority or will.
The drug addicts etc repented and came back to authority.
That is doing the will of the Father.
Denying the power: rebellion -> authority
They miss the central thing of Christianity: submission to authority.
Lawlessness will abound, the agape love of many will grow cold.
James 1: doers of the word, not hearers only, deceiving themselves.
If you hear the word but don’t do it, deception enters into your heart.
To love truth is not to love hearing it but to love obeying it.
2 thess 2:11: mystery of lawlessness -> Adam and Eve; satan was able to deceive Eve, although she was in a perfect place. If we understand how Eve was deceived, we understand it for today.
Paul was afraid that our minds got corrupted, like the serpent deceived Eve.
Gen 2:16: command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Generosity: Look what you can eat, all these trees. Authority: except for this tree.
The serpent brings God’s motive into question. He tries to pervert God’s character in her eyes. He tries to change her view of God into a taker instead of a giver. Why does the Bible say over and over again: “Be thankful?” because it keeps our eyes on all that God has given us.
Eve thinks God is a faker. -> Eve eats and gives to her husband Adam.
Do not be deceived like Adam and Eve: every good gift is from God.
There is nothing good outside of the authority of God’s will.
Jesus endured the temptation.
Again, there is nothing good outside of the will of God.
LESSON 3
Under cover = submitted to His authority.
When the Word gets painful, God is saying: I want to protect from greater pain in the future.
Genesis 4
Offering: our lives’ service to the Lord.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil represented a source for right and wrong outside of God.
The Bible doesn’t only teach “faith alone” but also obedience.
God gave us grace as the empowerment to walk in obedience.
Disobedience is when you think you know as much or more than God and so you bring God down to your level. A manifestation of rebellion. Lowering God’s glory and making him more manageable.
We want to pursue obeying God.
LESSON 4
1 Sam 15
Partial obedience is not obedience at all. It is rebellion.
Pattern of disobedience: falling away and keeping a form of religiousity.
First time sin is like a knife in your gut. Searing conscience is without a feeling.
God tries to get attention in your conscience, if not working then a messenger, if not working: judgment.
God asks a question because you don’t know the answer.
Rebellion = witchcraft. The goal of witchcraft is not magick but to control.
“Do what thou wilt” = number one commandment of the satanic bible.
Balaam was a prophet of YHWH.
He told Balak to have the Israelites commit sexual immorality, as it would open them up to curses of witchcraft.
ð Plague => 24K people died.
If you obey authority, you will stand with the minority in the church.
If we willfully disobey, it brings us under a curse.
LESSON 5
Romans 13
Authority in the kingdom of God speaks about God’s protection, provision and presence.
The wisdom of God lines up with His character, which is love.
To resist authorities is to resist God Himself.
Governing (civil) authorities, church authorities, family authorities, social authorities,…
A voluntary attitude of placing ourselves under submission of authority, with the full intend of obeying it.
Authorities are directly placed by God and we must obey it.
Hitler/Stalin guy: pharaoh.
Romans 9:17: “I have raised you up.”
Joseph gets abused in many ways and he doesn’t complain. He is very godly.
Through the dream given to Pharaoh, Joseph was brought in a high position and Egypt was made the most powerful nation in the world.
God’s first priority is not our comfort. His first priority is redemption.
God is never taken by surprise by any appointed leader. He knows who He has appointed. He is way ahead of whom He has appointed.
God judges the evil leaders Herod and Pharaoh.
LESSON 6
1 Peter 2
If you don’t submit to authority, you don’t fear God.
Hannah received what she was hoping for because she gave honour to the priest when He didn’t deserve it.
If there is clear evidence against the pastor, 2 or 3 leaders, concerning sin, then get out from underneath him.
Jesus was refrained from doing mighty works because of their unbelief. They expected Him to come in a different way. They thought He would deliver Him from Roman rule.
God often sends what you need in a passage you don’t want.
Double honour to the elders.
In churches where the pastor is honoured, the business men do well.
People are blessed when they honour men and women of God, sent in their lives.
Then you receive that which God wants to give you through these men and women of God.
LESSON 7
The Bible teaches unconditional submission to authorities but not unconditional obedience.
Hebrews 13
Difference between obedience and submission.
Obey and submit to those who rule over your souls: church authority.
Willing has to do with your attitude.
We must have a willing, submissive attitude towards to those in authority.
Submission deals with our attitude, obedience deals with our actions.
Where do we draw the line? Where does it finally come to a place where it comes to an end concerning obedience?
The Bible teaches unconditional submission to authority but not unconditional obedience.
If it goes against the Bible, then don’t obey.
Speak with respect of the authority, not like a bunch of jerks.
1 Peter 3
Not only outward but the hidden person of the heart.
Not to an unhealthy extreme.
Do not obey when abusive husband, lying,…
David respected Saul’s authority but he did not hang around when Saul was throwing javelins.
The only time we are not to obey, is when it violates God’s commandments.
God blesses people when they disobey authorities, when authorities tell them to sin.
Exodus 1:15
The midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them:
Otherwise they would have viplated the 8th commandment: thou shalt not kill.
God rewarded them for disobeying the authorities.
When you don’t obey when authority tells you to sin, God bless you.
Acts 4:18: they disobeyed the command but they submitted to the authority.
Paul repented of speaking bad of the high priest
Daniel 6:3
Daniel disobeyed the command. His enemies died.
Hebrews 11
They obeyed God, they were tortured to death but the reward was resurrection in Heaven.
LESSON 8
If Moses would have been judged by the Israelites by his leadership results, he would have come way short.
They all complained: rebellion: I don’t like what you did in authority, I would do it differently.
Joshua was not obedient because of His discernment but because he understood the principle of submission and obedience.
Proverbs 21:1
Esther speaks in a submissive, respectful way.
We can discuss, that’s fine but once the leader gives a direction, we must follow with one heart, mind,…
God turned Saul’s heart through David’s submissive attitude.
If we do the most difficult thing for us, it means we will do everything for God.
Do we seek His authority in the delegated authority?
We can submit to the pastor’s authority. What the pastor decides is between Him and God. The only time we should not submit is when it goes against God’s word.
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