By What Authority
When we start to think about society’s current ills, the issue we have with authority comes pretty close to topping the list. The authority of parents has been undermined by experts who have us cultivate child-centred homes. The authority of teachers has been undermined in the classroom by researchers who eschew discipline and evaluation. The authority of the police has been undermined by both apathy and anarchy. The authority of government has been undermined by their own lack of integrity. At every turn, the human institutions of family, education, and government have seen an erosion or complete failure of authority.
And it goes beyond the horizontal relationship in society. The authority of God has been undermined by an increasingly secular culture that sees the individual as autonomous and therefore governed by self-authority. In the vernacular, no one tells me what to do. Especially God.
Authority was at the root of the first sin in the Garden of Eden, and it had centre stage in Jesus’ ministry as he went head-to-head with the religious leaders of the day. Not realizing they were speaking to the incarnate God, their own Messiah, the chief priests, scribes, and elders pressed Jesus, “Tell us by what authority you do these things.” He never did give them the answer because they had no standing before him to demand such a thing. They themselves had no authority and the one they questioned had all the authority.
As we look at Luke 20:1-8 this weekend, we will be compelled to ask what it looks like when we place ourselves under the authority of Christ. This is a daily battle. It requires a re-commitment to be under the lordship, the authority, of Jesus Christ from the moment we open our eyes each morning. As we move through the day, every response, decision, action, word will be a test of our willing submission to the authority of God in our lives.
Sermon Notes
The Gospel of Luke | Pt. 5
By What Authority
Pastor Todd Dugard // Luke 20:1–8
May 26–27, 2018When I place myself under the authority of Christ, I have…
...HOPE: because he’s the only one with good news (v. 1a)
...CERTAINTY: because he is not subject to human scrutiny (v. 1b-2, 8)
...UNDERSTANDING: because he knows all there is to know (v. 3-7)