I...RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY

Unless, and until, the matter of Religious Authority is settled, you cannot decide whether anything in religion is approved by God. When this matter is settled, then there is no problem understanding who is in charge. Who is in charge? Who has the right to decide? Who has the authority to say what will, or will not be done? Only God!

According to Matthew 21:23-27, on one occasion the Jews asked Jesus two questions: (1) What authority did He have for His action? (2) Who gave Him that authority? Jesus' reply makes it clear that He regarded man as having only two possible sources for authority for religious beliefs and practices. (1) From heaven (that is, from God), and (2) from men. It is thus clear that every religious act is done either by Divine authority or by human authority. All religious authority inherently resides in God, by virtue of the fact that God is the creator of the world and all things therein. To perform a religious act by human authority is to be guilty of sin. (Transgressing God's Word, 1 John 3:4).

God warns men NOT to change, alter, add to, or take away from His Word. Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6; Revelation 22:18-19. In other words, IF we are going to be God's People, we MUST do exactly WHAT God says, no more and no less. Jesus asked, "Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" Luke 6:46. Jesus also said, "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek NOT mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me." John 5:30. If these statements are true (and they are), even Jesus Himself would not dare to disobey His Father's will by adding something to it or taking something away from it. And this was in spite of the fact that Jesus said, "All authority hath been given to me in heaven on earth." Matthew 28:18.

Unless and until you can find authority from the New Testament for everything that you do in service and worship of God, you had better leave them out. Human authority does not mean God approves their use, because no man has that authority! The approval for many things that are done today is based upon "human authority" and NOT on "Divine authority!" William Penn said, "He who will not be ruled by God, will be ruled by tyrants."

Joshua, the leader of God's people, after Moses' death, challenged the people with these words: "...Choose you this day whom ye will serve...but as for me an my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15. That challenge has always stood before people, and it stands before all of us today! Not because it is in the Old Testament, but because the same challenge is issued throughout the New Testament. Luke 6:46.

Even a casual observer knows that "the church" has problems today. There is an enormous amount of division and diversity in what people do and teach. And one of the major problems is: AUTHORITY. LAW. (Some claim that we are NOT under LAW today. Galatians 6:2 teaches otherwise.)

AUTHORITY DEFINED: "The Power of one whose WILL and COMMANDS MUST be obeyed by others." "We must speak where the Bible speaks, and be silent where it is silent." Older preachers and teachers always said, "We must have a thus saith the Lord for what we do!" And they were Right! "Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and DO NOT they things which I say," Jesus said. Luke 6:46

II... JESUS HIMSELF RECOGNIZED HIS FATHER'S AUTHORITY

Jesus said, "My meat is to do the WILL of Him that sent me...." John 8:24. "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek NOT mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me." John 5:30.

III... THERE ARE DIFFERENT KINDS OF AUTHORITY

It is necessary for us to recognize this, in order for us to know WHO (or what) is our AUTHORITY today, in religious matters.

1)   Supreme Authority

That is the kind of Authority God has, and He has it because: He is our Maker (Creator). He is our Sovereign Ruler. When Jesus and His disciples were in a ship, a great a storm came; Jesus rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. "The men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!" Matthew 8:28. That is Supreme Authority.

2)  All Other Authority is A Delegated Authority.

There are many different delegated authorities. For example, The Authority of Government. (Federal). Romans 13:1, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." Even though they have authority, they are still subject to God, although, many of them DO NOT acknowledge that they are!

Then there is the authority of the State Government; County, City. This kind of authority is Illustrated in the Centurion, Luke 7:2-9. He was a man with Authority, whose Servant that he loved was dying. He went to Jesus, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. Jesus went with him, but when they got close to his house, the Centurion said, "Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof...For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it." This man, even though he was not an Israelite, recognized the authority (power) of Christ. And, he realized that he had some authority, but other had authority over him.

In addition to obeying Civil authority, another duty that we have to those to whom God has delegated authority is: We are to Pray, "For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." Timothy 2:2.

In addition to these: There is Religious Authority. Christ Himself is the supreme authority in the Church. He is the King of king, and Lord of lords. 1 Timothy 6:15. He is our High Priest. Hebrews 7:22-26. He is the Chief Shepherd. 1 Peter 5:4. And He is the Head of the Church. Ephesians 1:1:22. In the CHURCH, Elders are to Oversee the Work of each local congregation. They are the Shepherds over Gods Flock. Local shepherds cannot change the written Word of God. That is, they cannot MAKE LAWS that Change Christ's (Word). They must submit to the authority of Christ.

3)  Private Authority

In addition to those: God has other delegated authority. For example, the Man is the Head of the home, by God's Authority. That does NOT mean he is the dictator, it only means that he is the final authority. When decisions have to be made, he makes the Final Decision.

4)  There is Parental Authority in the home.

For example, children are to obey their Parents, or submit to their authority. Ephesians 6:1-3. (In this lesson, we will NOT deal with these AUTHORITIES.

5)    RELIGIOUS or SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY (Power)

When Jesus finished the Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5,6,7; those who heard Him were astonished, because: "He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." Matthew 7:29. Then Jesus said, "All power (Authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Matthew 28:18. I call your attention to the fact that Jesus said, "ALL AUTHORITY."

Therefore we can conclude that anything that is done in religion (that is, in the name of Christ) must have His authority, approval, or His blessings. So regardless of ones background, political status, religious training: if we are going to please God, we MUST submit to His Authoirty. Because "ALL" Authoirty belongs to Him, and NOT to any man! "Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus...." Colossians 3:17. "In the name of the Lord Jesus," means, BY HIS AUTHORITY. "He is the head of the body, the church...that in all things He might have the preeminence." Colossians 1:18.

6)  All men are UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF CHRIST.

No one can be saved eternally, without submitting to His Authority. It is ONLY when we understand this, that we will seriously consider His Authority! WHERE IS HE? In Heaven! Where He was before He came to the earth. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1. "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...." John 1:14.

He came FOR A PURPOSE! Luke 19:10, "Seek and Save..." He finished His work (that is what He said on the cross), He died, was buried, resurrected, and ascended back to the Father. And there, He now RULES and REIGNS at His Father's right hand. "When He had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight." Acts 1:9. When he arrived back in heaven, we are told that: "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand." Acts 2:34. There, in heaven, He exercises His Authority today.

The book of Hebrews says about 9 times that He is in heaven. I will give you only one verse: 9:24, "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands...but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." Some may see a problem in this: Christ is in heaven -- He is NOT here on earth to exercise His authority. HOW does He now exercise that Authority? Does He make trips to the earth to instruct men? Does He send angels to tell them what to do? Does He speak to men directly, and tell them what to do? The answer is an emphatic NO! But, I have heard preachers say, "The Lord spoke to me, and told me...."

IV... DOES THE LORD EXERCISE HIS AUTHORITY THROUGH A MAN?

There are those who CLAIM that He does! The Pope claims to be Christ's spokesman on earth today. But, that is just NOT TRUE! Christ is the head of His Body, the church. Ephesians 1:22-23.

V... DOES HE EXERCISE HIS AUTHORITY THROUGH a group of men?

Some men who gather together to make decisions for their church, and in doing so, CLAIM that they are ACTING for Christ. They claim the AUTHORITY that belongs to Christ ALONE! This is NOT TRUE either. Does Christ reveal something other than what is written in His Word? Again, the answer is a resounding, emphatic, NO!

VI... HOW DOES HE EXERCISE HIS AUTHORITY?

When He was alive on earth, He DELEGATED some Authority to the Apostles. "For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch." Mark 13:34. "Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority...And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick." Luke 9:1-2.

(The Miraculous powers they had IS ANOTHER SUBJECT, here we are only discussing THE DELEGATION OF POWER to reveal His Word to man.) Read: Ephesians 3:3-5.

I want to ask you to read Luke 19:11-27, which is Luke's account of the Parable of Talents found in Matthew 25. It is somewhat different: Money is used instead of Talents, etc. But the message is: He Delegated to them POWER or AUTHORITY. Vs 19, "Be thou over five cities." Authority involved here. Their POWER was LIMITED to EXACTLY what He told them. He guided those to whom He gave AUTHORITY (the Apostles. e.g.) by the Holy Spirit to insure the Proper use of that power.

VI... THROUGH THEM HE GAVE US HIS WILL

A WILL is also a TESTAMENT -- Last Will and Testament of..., "all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after that He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments unto the Apostles whom he had chosen." Acts 1:1b-2. We understand about Wills. A Will or Testament is a means for one to supervise the distribution of their goods after their life on earth is over. "For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth." Hebrews 9:16-17. After your death, you can still direct the dispensing of your assets, by making a will, or Last Will and Testament.

That is what the Lord did! (Delegated Authority). He left us His last will and Testament. Why did he do this? Because He had MANY BLESSINGS He wanted to bestow upon us. Justification; Sanctification; Forgiveness of Sins; Salvation. His Authority was Given For Edification: "...our authority, which was given for edification...." 2 Corinthians 10:8. These Blessings are OBTAINED by our obedience to the conditions of HIS WILL.

To put this in context: BY OUR SUBMITTING TO HIS AUTHORITY. Man needs these BLESSINGS from Christ. All of us need them. WHY? Because we are all sinners. Romans 3:23; 6:23. Sin not only brings CONDEMNATION, it brings SEPARATION. That is the Biblical Definition of DEATH: Separation from God. "BORN ONCE, DIE TWICE -- BORN TWICE, DIE ONCE," someone has said. People who are living in sin are not submitting to His Authority; and they are dead, that is, they are DEAD TO GOD. "...Dead in trespasses and sins...." Ephesians 2:1. But they are still living physically! But they, "...have no hope, and (are) without God in the world." Ephesians 2:12.

VII... HOW DID THE APOSTLES USE THIS AUTHORITY?

"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it (by man implied), but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." Galatians 1:10-11. "How that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote is few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit." Ephesians 3:3-5. This means that, "We must Speak Where the Bible Speaks, and be Silent where it is silent."

VIII... NEW TESTAMENT WAS GIVEN BY HIS AUTHORITY

It is the ONLY way we know what His will is, for man today. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that DOETH the WILL of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in they name cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matthew 7:21-23. "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth NOT my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." John 12:48. "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say." Luke 6:46.

IX...   JESUS WILL BE THE JUDGE IN THE LAST DAY

"For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son." John 5:22-29. "And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man." John 5:27. "In the times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commandeth all men every where to repent: because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He raised Him from the dead." Acts 17:30-31.

All who have ever lived (including me, and you) will be there! "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5:28-29.

"...Judged out of the things written in this book." Revelation 20:12. "A THUS SAITH THE LORD," is strongly implied here!

X...   WHEN THE END COMES ONLY GOD WILL HAVE AUTHORITY

"The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ: and he shall reign for ever and ever." Revelation 11:15. "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power." 1 Corinthians 15:24. The WILL of Christ, "Teaches us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world." Titus 2:12. "These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee." Titus 2:15. That is, We MUST SUBMIT TO HIS AUTHORITY.

IMPORTANT: Only YOU can determine whether YOU submit to His Authority!

XI...   THIS PROBLEM IN THE CHURCH

Some Reject the idea of "Speaking Where The Bible Speaks, and being Silent where the Bible is Silent." Some DO NOT SUBMIT to the Authority of God! Because they insist that we deal in generalities, not in specifics. But, Jesus always dealt in SPECIFICS.

And they want "Commendation," rather then "Condemnation!" But, Jesus not only condemned wrong acts, He also condemned wrong motives. And they want "self gratification," rather than "self sacrifice!" But, Jesus said, "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? or what shall a man give in exchange for his life?" Matthew 16:24-26.

And they want to be "entertained," rather that "spiritually challenged!" Jesus' emphasis was ALWAYS upon eternal satisfaction. They advocate a "contemporary" worship, rather than one that has a "thus saith the Lord" for all that they do. Their emphasis is on "having fun," and "experiencing God," (whatever that might be), without Biblical Authority. And there is NO Biblical Authority for any such thing! They want to be "emotionally moved," rather than "intellectually moved!"

The Bible never emphasizes any of these things! It always requires "A THUS SAITH THE LORD." or, "SPEAKING WHERE THE BIBLE SPEAKS and being silent where it is silent." Its emphasis has always been and will always be: God is worthy of our adoration and praise! He is worthy of our true worship!

True Worship is only done in accordance with His written word and not upon what one thinks, or the way one feels. "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:24. "Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth." John 17:17. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life." John 5:24. "...If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my disciples; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31. "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day." John 12:48.