The Authority of Jesus Word

January 30, 2000

Mark 1:22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for He taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Do you know the difference between power and authority?

You're sitting at a traffic light, in the middle lane, waiting for the light to change. On your left is a Dodge Viper, with about a zillion horsepower, just waiting to streak away like a shot. That is power! On your right is the biggest, shiniest eighteen-wheeler you ever saw, with chromium exhaust pipes and a cab that looks two stories tall, and it is rumbling like a thousand snarling lions, waiting for the light to change. That's power!

But just before the light begins to change, you see a State Policeman, in shiny boots and spit-and-polish uniform. His car is parked across the way. He is evidently filling in for the school crossing guard. He walks to the center of the street and holds up his hand. All the traffic comes to a stop. You wait. The Viper waits. The eighteen-wheeler waits. And a tiny little girl with a backpack walks kitty-corner across the busy intersection. The rumbling engines have power. He has authority!

I. JESUS SPOKE WITH AUTHORITY

What was the difference in the preaching of Jesus and the preaching of the scribes? I'm sure it was not that the scribes preached untruth. They were versed in the Old Covenant. That was God's powerful Word. That was the scripture that Jesus came to fulfill. The difference was that the scribes were teaching lessons, and Jesus was teaching LIFE! The bean-counters were quoting this or that rabbi and explaining all the meanings of the words. Nothing wrong with that. But Jesus was never a bean-counter. He was not a legalist. He was inviting those who heard him to believe that God cared about how they responded to His Word. Jesus spoke and HOPE began to spring up in his hearers' hearts.

Jesus always spoke with authority. In the storm when the disciples were terrified Jesus said, "Peace! Be still!" and the storm was over! He said, "Lazarus, come forth!" and the dead man was alive again. When the authorities sent police to arrest Jesus they came back without him. "No one ever spoke like this Man, ever before!" was their reason for coming back empty-handed.

Jesus forgave sins. Jesus said the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Jesus said, "You have heard it said, but I say unto you!" Yes, Jesus spoke with authority! He still does!

II. THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS IS WHOLESOME AND GOOD

A man with an unclean spirit had come to church that day. The words of Jesus troubled him greatly— or at least troubled the unclean spirits within him. They cried out at the pressure of God's AUTHORITY. A selfish, sinful heart does not like the idea of God telling it what to do. Preaching from the Bible gets hate and ridicule because the WORDS separated from the AUTHOR can easily be used to restrict their happiness and freedom. When there is true AUTHOR-ity there is always happiness and freedom. The authority of Jesus sets us free. God is the author of true freedom. But true freedom is never finally freedom FROM unless it is also freedom TO!

Don't get hung up on the unclean spirit part of the story. You don't have to be demon possessed to have problems inside. There is such a thing as a spirit world that oppresses. But all of us are filled with something or another. There are no true spiritual vacuums. That is why it is so important that we know God, and are being filled with His Presence, His Love, His Spirit.

III. THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS CAN BRING REAL LOVE TO YOUR LIFE

Jesus could have made us all perfect robots, with no problems, and no doubts and fears. He chose instead to give us freedom to choose which way we shall go: toward the light, or away from it. Faith tells us that in the end God will sort things out. His Word is powerful. His will is good, and will finally be done on earth as it is in heaven.

But in the meanwhile, God does not operate without the consent of persons. We are what theologians call "free moral agents." God has given us the power to say yes or no to the great choices in life.

We are heavily weighted on the side of error and sin. Sin has great power. In fact the Bible says that every one of us has fallen, and not once but many times. It seems that the power of the Truth escapes us. Still, we are not left without help.

We are free to choose to call upon the authority of Jesus. We can ask him to meet us where we are and take us to where he wants us to be.

[The love of Jesus meets us where we are. Billy Graham went to Korea during the conflict there and preached and held services and met with the troops. One thing he did was visit the hospitals, and in one visit he saw a man who was burned badly, and was recovering by being strapped into a bed-frame that was turned periodically. He was lying face down when Billy Graham came through. Billy Graham lay down on the floor and scooted under the bed so he could talk face to face with this wounded soldier. That is an icon to me of how God in Christ meets us where we are when we really want to come under his authority.]

[The authority of Jesus leads us where we have never been before - - -The true story of J___ T]

Conclusion

The POWER and the AUTHORITY of God reside in His Son, Jesus Christ. I want Him to walk into the intersections of my life and hold up His hand and let the traffic move according to His Plan. By His Spirit Jesus wants to give us freedom to do God's will. Where His Spirit is in control, there is true liberty.

You have to make the decision. Can you trust the authority of Jesus? Will you deliberately ask Him to take direction of your life? The decision takes an instant. The choices continue for a lifetime. But so does the Presence!

Prayer