BACK TO THE
BASICS....... AUTHORITY
Introduction
1. Why are police officers able to arrest
people? >>> Authority.
A. A
lack of respect for authority get people in trouble.
2. A lack of respect for biblical authority
is getting a lot of churches in trouble
today.
A. Taking
on the responsibility of the home - recreation
B. Selection
of Elders/Deacons
C. Spending
- not spending church money
D. Paying
someone else to do its work
3. It is important for Christians to
understand how biblical authority is established.
4. Biblical authority is so important in the
church.
A. It determines how we can be saved.
B. It determines how we are to worship God.
C. It
determines how we are to work.
5. Today we will observe the different
kinds of authority, the chain of authority, the different ways the Bible
authorizes, and the way we must respect God's authority.
I.
THERE ARE 2 KINDS OF AUTHORITY.
A.
First, there is primary
authority.
1. Primary
authority is not derived, but original, absolute authority; & those
commanded have the duty to obey.
a. God
is the fountain of all primary authority whether it be in the
civil or
religious field ( John
Pilate
therefore said to Him, "You do not speak to me? Do You
not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify
You?" Jesus answered, "You would
have no authority over Me, unless it had been given
you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me up to you has the greater
sin."
(1)
God has the absolute right to command because He is our Maker, Preserver
& Benefactor
(Gen 1:1).
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth.
(2)
God is 1st in position & importance.
(3)
God is the highest authority in the universe.
b. We
are the creatures of God's hands & the product of His intelligence.
(1)
It is our absolute duty to obey Him (Deut. 13:4; Acts
Deut 13:4 "You shall follow the LORD your
God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice,
serve Him, and cling to Him.
Ax
B. Second, there is delegated authority.
1. Delegated
authority is the authority which can be given to another by the
party holding primary authority.
a. First,
God delegated authority to His Son (John
John 5:26-27 "For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He
gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to
execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.”
Matt.
28:18.....
(1)
Jesus stands nearest to the Father in delegated authority
(Heb
1:1-3).
God,
after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in
many ways, in these last days has spoken
to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He
made the world. And He is the radiance
of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things
by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high;
(a)
Jesus is a reflection of the Purity of God.
(b)
Jesus is a manifestation of the Power of God.
(c)
Jesus is a declaration of the Love of God.
b. Second,
Christ delegated authority to the apostles.
(1)
Jesus instructed them face-to-face while on the earth (Mat
(to the
apostles) "Truly
I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and
whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
(2)
Jesus instructed them through the Holy Spirit from heaven
(John 16:12-13). "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot
bear them now. But when He, the Spirit
of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on
His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose
to you what is to come.”
c. Third,
the apostles delegated authority to no one.
(1)
However, the apostolic authority is in the written word
II.
THERE IS A CHAIN OF AUTHORITY.
A.
Authority extended from the
Father to the Son (Mat 17:1-5).
And
six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and
brought them up to a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His
face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to
them, talking with Him. And Peter
answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You,
and one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them;
and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to
Him!"
1. Jesus
placed authority is the words He spoke (John
"He who rejects Me,
and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is
what will judge him at the last day.”
a. We
will not be judged by:
(1)
What we think (Isa 55:8-9).
"For My thoughts are not your
thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways,"
declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than
your thoughts.
(2)
What seems alright (Prov
There is a way which seems right to a
man, But its end is the way of death.
(3)
Our hearts or feelings (Prov 28:26).
He who trusts in his own heart is a
fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered.
(4)
Preacher, pastor, priest (1 Cor 4:1-6).
Let a man regard us in this manner, as
servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.
But to me it is a very small thing that I should be examined by you, or
by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself,
yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment
before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the
things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and
then each man's praise will come to him from God. Now these things, brethren, I have
figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your
sakes, that in us you
might learn not to exceed what is written, in order that no one of you might become
arrogant in behalf of one against the other.
(5)
Creeds, prayer books, manuals.
B. Authority extended from the
Son to the apostles.
C. Authority extended from the
apostles to the N.T.
(1 Cor
(2 Pet 3:13-16) But according to His promise we are looking
for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these
things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord to be
salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given
him, wrote to you, as also in all his
letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to
understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest
of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
(2 Tim 3:16ff)....”all scripture is given....”
III.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS THE BIBLE AUTHORIZES.
A.
Authority is found exclusively
in the N.T. today.
1. We
must have biblical authority for everything we do religiously (
And whatever you do in word or deed, do
all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
B. Authority
is found in the Scriptures in 4 ways.
1. Direct
statements or commands (Mk
"He who has believed and has been
baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”
a. There
are 2 kinds of commands:
(1)
Specific;
Mat 26:26-28 And
while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke
it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My
body." And when He had
taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from
it, all of you; for
this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness
of sins.
Eph 5:19.
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
(2)
Generic;
Mk
James 1:27 This is pure and undefiled religion in the
sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and
to keep oneself unstained by the world.
2. Implications
or necessary inferences (Ax
And they were continually devoting
themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of
bread and to prayer.
3. Approved
examples (Ax 20:7).
And on the first day of the week, when
we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending
to depart the next day, and he prolonged his message until
a. Approved
examples are binding on us only if there is an underlying
specific
command, making that the exclusive way to obey God.
4. Expediencies.
a. When
God tells us what to do without telling us how to do it, we are
free to do that
which is in our judgment the most expedient.
(1) Worship - time, place.
(2)
Evangelism -
how, transportation.
(3)
Benevolent -
food pantry, money.
b. But
when God tells us what to do and also how to do it, then the how
is as binding
as the what.
(1)
Worship -
John
1 Cor
C.
Authority is NOT found in the
silence of the Scriptures (1 Pet
Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it
were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength
which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus
Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1. When
God specifies something to be done, all other alternatives are excluded.
a.
There are O.T. examples.
(1)
Lev 10:1-4 - Nadab & Abihu.
(2)
1 Sam 6:1-11- Uzzah.
(3)
Gen 6:14-16 - Noah (Gopher wood).
b. There
are N.T. applications.
(1)
Instrumental music.
(2) Sprinkling.
(3)
Infant baptism.
2. Our
manner of life, worship, deeds, etc. are to be
according to God's
instructions.
IV.
THERE MUST BE RESPECT FOR GOD'S ALL AUTHORITATIVE WORD.
A. In preaching, His authority must be
respected (2 John 9).
Anyone who goes too far and does not
abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the
teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.
B. In
worship, His authority must be respected (Mat 15:7-9).
"You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah
prophesy of you, saying, 'THIS PEOPLE
HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS
DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'"
C. In
Christian living, His authority must be respected (Mat
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he
who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.”
Conclusion
1. We have observed the different kinds of
authority, the chain of authority, the different ways the Bible authorizes, and
the way we must respect His authority.
2. Respect for biblical authority must be
preeminent in all our lives.
A. Respect
for biblical authority must be preeminent in all the church.
3. Jesus simply & beautifully said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."