Who Has Authority?

In Matthew chapter 9 Jesus heals a paralytic man. But before He does this Jesus heals the man's soul. Jesus said to him, "Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven (verse 2)." This caused no small consternation on the part of the scribes who were nearby and heard Jesus say this. They screamed, "This fellow blasphemes (verse 3)." The point they were making is that only God can forgive sins, and this fellow is not God! They were, of course, right and wrong. They were right to say that only God can forgive sins, but they were wrong in believing Jesus was only a man. Jesus knew what they were thinking (He always does), and He said, "Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" - then He said to the paralytic, 'Get up, pick up your bed, and go home (verses 4-6)." And the Bible says, "He got up and went home (I love the magnificent simplicity of the text; if man were writing this, we would have made it much more sensational. Thanks be to God that God wrote the Bible through human writers) (verse 7)." Jesus, the Creator and authoritative Son of Man, demonstrated His power and authority for salvation and renewal.

Here is the crux of the matter - authority. If I was asked what I think is the greatest essential, basic issue of religion, I would answer, "Who has authority?" So much in religion and spirituality centers on this issue. In fact, so much of life centers on this issue.

The New Testament says that Jesus Christ has all authority. In John 5 Jesus has authority to execute judgment, in Matthew 28 Jesus says He has all authority in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And Philippians 2 says that every knee will one day bow to Jesus and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. This is the language of exquisite authority! John writes in Revelation that Jesus will come back with power and authority to take His rightful place over human history.

In today's culture, the main question that arises again and again in moral and theological discussion is, "Who has the authority to tell me what is right or wrong, true or false?" The critical component of life is authority! Well, Jesus Christ has authority, the God of heaven and earth has authority, and He has invested His authoritative revelation in written Scripture. All ethical, moral, and theological questions must be relegated to the question, "What does the Bible say on this subject?" This is authority.

No Christian should speak in self-exalting, self-authenticating, self-determining language. The Christian speaks with authority when he speaks the truth of the Word of God. We who know Christ must confront a post-modern (self-deifying) culture with the claims of the authoritative Christ. Churches must not seek to affirm self-centeredness (I.E. Churches must not ask questions of visitors, "What do you want from us? How can we meet your needs?" Etc.). But churches, pastors, and Christians must bear witness to the transcendently self-existent God who has made Himself known in Christ through whom we have life eternal and the forgiveness of sins. It is ALL ABOUT HIM because of His authority.

What Should We Do?

Reading Romans 13:11-14 one immediately resonates with the imagery and motifs utilized here by the Apostle in describing living the Christian life behind enemy lines. If we Christians are to live our lives and give a witness in this world, we need to understand the situation.

Present Darkness

Paul uses two terms, aptly applied, to describe the present situation in human history: night and darkness. These concepts are consistently expressed as colorful explanations of where we are in human history (in fact, these terms can be said to describe all of human history). We are in night; we are living in a time of darkness. These are days of biblical and theological ignorance, cold hearts, disrespectful communication, lost priorities, war and bloodshed, confused ethics, and contradicting post-modern morality (or, shall we say non-morality, or perhaps a-morality, or even pan-morality which is no morality at all?). Self-centeredness, godlessness, and growing manipulative power, all flavor today's world. What a time of darkness this is!

Nearing Salvation

But the Bible text before us describes this also as a time of nearing salvation. History is not cyclical but linear. We are pressing forward on a historical timeline that is purposeful and divinely ordered. The times in which we live seem to be controlled by the enemy of all that is good and right, but the circumstances are NEVER out of God's control. God was not elected to office, and He cannot be voted out. He needs no referendum, and He is absolutely, undeniably, and immutably GOD! The time when our salvation is going to be complete is getting closer and closer and closer. It won't be long before the easter sky brightens with a holy and glorious coming. Soon all the powers of darkness will be banished into that one eternal victorious day, and all the earth will ring with the praise of the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

Christian Response

So, what are Christians to do now? How are we to live? What should we be doing in light of these wonderful truths? There are several things I think are clearly given in the Scripture in Romans 13:11-14 that respond to these questions.

1. We must know the time, recognizing where we are in history, what kind of day it is, and what is coming. This requires discernment that is identified with spiritual liveliness. We must see all things through the perspective of our Christian faith and teaching.

2. We must wake up. The term "sleep" is used in this passage as a metaphor for apathy, indifference, and neglect. Christians must not be passive, afraid, or uninvolved. We must act in accordance with the teaching of Scripture.

3. We must live our lives in the knowledge ofd who we are, whose we are, and where we are going. We are told in this passage to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, which is defined in six ways: (1) Live with God's future applied victory clearly in your vision for life.

(2) Refrain from all things that represents spiritual and moral darkness. Christians must never be associated with darkness.

(3) Live with purposeful intent disciplining yourselves as watchful servants of Christ.

(4) Refrain from fleshly lusts.

(5) Control your anger, demonstrating Christian love and respect to others

(6) Live your life manifesting your understanding of what matters and what is valuable (do not be jealous)

The Christian life is not a categorical part of who we are as Christians. The Christian life is our life; it is all that we are. We cannot think or act in a way that is contrary with who and what we are in Christ. Christ is our life (Colossians 3:4). Until the eschatological light dawns, let us live as people of light in an age of darkness.

The Anchored Christian Life and Ministry

I read Ezra 7 today as part of my daily Bible reading, and I came across a verse with which I have been much familiar over the years. But the reading of this passage struck me with fresh importance today. The last portion of Ezra 7:9 reads, "...the good hand of his (Ezra's) God was upon him." Then verse 10 states, "For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel." Ezra was a priest, a called representative of God. And God was blessing Ezra's life and work. Here the biblical text speaks of the essence of Ezra's life and commitment; here the Bible tells us what God was blessing in Ezra's life. Ezra took God seriously by taking God's Word seriously. He studied the Word of God, then he put the Word of God into practice into his life, and finally he taught God's Word to the people. This is, in a nutshell, the essence of an anchored Christian life and ministry. Learn the Word, practice the Word, then teach the Word.

Over the years I have learned that I have been mistaken many times in my life. But there is one place in my life where I have been right all along - the Bible is the Word of God, and it demands our study and obedience. Any Christian, and any Christian preacher and teacher, who does not get this, does not get the point! I am continually stunned by the fact that God HAS SPOKEN in language. The natural implication is that we should listen to Him, learn from Him, live out what He says, and pass the Word of God along to others. What else is there in life?

In addition, I am growingly amazed at how many so-called Christian leaders, churches, pastors, teachers, and denominations miss this point. Recently I received an advertisement from a denominational office that promoted an up-coming conference where I could learn the principles and truths about how to break the growth barrier in my church. If I attended, and learned these so-called powerful truths, then, the advertisement said, I could make my church grow in numbers far beyond what I could ever expect. And, the advertisement went on, God wants my church to grow, but...(the implication is that God could not grow His own church; He needs a little help from those who will go to the growth conferences). First, what Bible book, chapter and verse states that numerical growth is the indication that God is blessing a church? What about passages that speak of many going down the road to destruction? What about Jesus' statement that the road to life is narrow, and the gate to it is small. Few people find it! I have never heard this passage quoted by the growth experts. Wonder why? Second, why do we present God in our ministries and training as One who is impotent? Why do we present Him as One who cannot get His will done; He needs help from the almighty human? Huh? That is a different presentation of God than I find in the Bible. And to cap it all off, the advertisement said the conference would be held at a church that I know does not preach the doctrinal truths of Scripture. So, here we have a so-called good denomination linking with a conference promoting ideas that are not biblical, and the conference is to be held in a church that does not preach and teach the truth. We have come far from Ezra and Ezra's commitment!

No true change will occur in this world until God is taken for who God is, and God will not be taken for who He is until His Word is taken as His Word, and His Word will not be taken as true until the church believes the Word, obeys the Word, and preaches the Word. It is always the Word of God (the Scriptures) that will bring about the change that God wants.

I also read Acts 7 today. Stephen preached a powerful sermon regarding the truth, and he was killed for it. But there was one there, who witnessed and approved of the killing, who would one day be one of God's greatest servants - Saul of Tarsus. Studying, obeying, and preaching the Truth may get us killed, but it will bring forth the fruit of divine glory. Christian, let us learn the Truth, obey the Truth, and preach the Truth for God's glory. Amen!

Faithfulness Confronting the Challenge

OK, work with me here...I want you to stop and read Genesis 4, Ezra 4, Matthew 4, and Acts 4. This is the Scripture reading for January 4 on the Robert Murray McCheyne Bible reading plan. I have read the Bible following this plan for many years. Today as I read these four chapters, I was struck by the congruity and consistency of something found in all four chapters. In these four chapters there are three things to be noted: righteous obedience to God, a challenging trial given to the obedient servant of the Lord, and a faithful response on the part of God's servant to the challenge. In Genesis 4 Abel presented an offering that God honored, but Abel was killed by his brother (Cain) who hated him for his righteousness. God responded to Cain's sin on Abel's behalf avenging Abel. In Ezra 4 Zerubbabel and his friends were building God's temple. They were challenged by discouragement and fear by many around them, but they kept their commitment to God and the vision of obedience to Him. In Matthew 4 Jesus was tempted by Satan, yet Jesus faithfully fought off the temptation using the Word of God as His sword. In Acts 4 the apostles were abused and mistreated for preaching Jesus, yet they committed themselves all the more to the truth, trusting in God to give them strength to be faithful.

In all of these passages we see the following truths presented:

1. The righteous will be opposed by those who are not righteous.

2. True doctrine will be opposed by those who do not believe in true doctrine.

3. Obeying and following the Lord will bring challenges, trials, and struggles.

4. God calls His people to look to Him in these difficult times, and He will give them grace and spiritual strength.

5. As we obey the Lord by grace, we become a witness and an encouragement to others as Abel, Zerubbabel, Jesus, and the Apostles are to us.

Christian friend, this is our moment in time. These are our days of faithful life and service. We are, and will continue to be, challenged and tried by many things, but we must be faithful even to the end. God will not abandon us. He will stand by us, He will stand with us, and He will stand over us to shelter and care for us in the hour of our need. We must trust Him to be true to His promise to us. Let the people of God arise and go forth in faithful proclamation of truth and obedient service for the Lord!

A Serious Reminder

Tonight I begin to give a series of talks at my church on the topic of spiritual warfare. Topics such as this always remind me of my constant and abiding need for the sovereign and all-sufficient grace of God. Speaking on spiritual warfare reminds me that my arms are too short to box with the enemy! My dependence on God is total and complete.

Yet, as Satan discovered in Job's case, when Satan does his worst, God achieves His best. Satan wanted a shot at Job to tear down God, but all he accomplished was to honor God all the more in Job's heart. What a joyful reality this is! This is the end of all spiritual resistance against God - God's glory. The glory of God shines through all the more richly.

Yes, we are warned by Paul in Ephesians 6:10-12 that we fight against spiritual entities, and this should cause us both to prepare our hearts in serious contemplation and prayer for the fight, and also to put on the armor of God by God's grace. But the victory is complete already; Christ has won the battle. He stands as KING of kings and LORD of lords. Christians are more than conquerors in and through Christ.

So, as Christians:

1. Let us not overemphasize the enemy and his power.

2. Let us not neglect to recognize the seriousness of sin and Satan's power in sin.

3. Let us seek to use the means God has provided for our spiritual health and service (Bible study, prayer, worship, biblical preaching, fellowship with believers, and confession of sin).

4. Let us seek to live in the light of Jesus' victory all along the journey of life.

The Comfort of Christ's Victory

As I refresh my heart this night with the message that I will attempt to deliver to my people in church tomorrow, I am challenged, encouraged and blessed. I have been thinking about Jesus' appearance and message to the aged and beloved John in Revelation 1:8, 17-18. John was the last of the apostles. They were all gone now, except him. He could close his eyes and recall those exciting days when he and James had first followed the itinerant Rabbi from Nazareth. He could blank everything from his mind and remember. He could remember the sound of Jesus' voice as He preached and taught the Word to the people. He could remember the sound of the stunned gasping of the crowd as Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead. He remembered the tears of those whom Jesus had saved from sin. He remembered the deep and abiding gratitude of healed lepers. He also remembered when Jesus had sent the apostles out to preach. He was there when Christ commissioned them to go and preach to the world. But now John was alone on an isolated island, separated from all opportunity to preach and all he held dear.

But suddenly Jesus appeared miraculously to John and said, "I am the Alpha and the Omega...who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty...Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One...I was dead...behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades (Revelation 1:8, 17-18). What did Jesus mean by all of this? Did Jesus mean to encourage John? I believe He did. But He spoke words that are not only intended to encourage John, but us as well. What did John understand in the words of Jesus? What does Jesus want us to understand in these words? How can this passage challenge and bless us Christians as we sail into the waters of a new year?

The central issue of this theophany to John is the VICTORY OF CHRIST. The Christian faith centers on the victory of the Lord Jesus. Jesus Christ is victorious over evil, sin, Satan, and death. Jesus Christ is Master over history and the entire world. Jesus says in John 5 that the Father had entrusted to Him the authority to judge the human race, and Jesus would give His people eternal life and raise them from the dead. Jesus' victory engages life's realities. Christians live their lives facing the realities of their struggles with the knowledge and application of the Lord's victory. No matter what hardships befall us, we are strong in the Lord's victory. Jesus' victory is timeless; it is trans-generational, transcultural, and transhistorical. It is consummate and immutable. Jesus' victory is total, sovereign, absolute, and complete. Nothing can take the believer from the Lord's hands. And finally, Jesus' victory is over death and Hades. Even the great enemy, death, must give way to KING JESUS. Because our resurrected Lord lives, we shall live also. Not even death can separate us from our precious Lord! All of these ideas are interwoven into the passage in Revelation chapter 1. John understood it, and he rejoiced greatly. We must understand and rejoice as well. Although we do not know what lies across our paths in the future, we know that in Jesus, the ever living and victorious Savior and Lord, we too are "more than conquerors (Romans 8:37)" through Him who loves us.

Diets, Trash, and Credit Card Bills

OK, the new year has come, and all this "holiday" stuff is winding down to a new normality. This is where the path usually gets tough for most folks. All that "good will" to everyone is over, and reality now is "diets, trash, and credit card bills." Yep, that's pretty much what is left over from the indulgences that have been made since Thanksgiving. So, while you are putting your "I resolve for the new year" list together, I would like to make some observations and suggestions.

1. Keep first things first. A thousand little things will crowd out the important things every single time. The Bible says the little foxes spoil the vines, and yes, they do indeed. Distraction, delay, encumbrances, wasting time, doing the urgent thing over the important thing, doing the visible thing over the unseen eternal thing, will all rob you of the best. Little things often need attention, but learn to put the first things first.

2. Strategize for the distant goal. Christians live today in the light of eternity and God's glory. Even if a Christian doesn't know too much Bible or theology yet, he can usually chart a fairly strong course for life by asking, "What will I care about in heaven, and what brings glory to God?" This question is a very good counselor when decisions need to be made. Of course, many decisions are complicated, way too complicated to be resolved by simplistic reasoning, but this is a good start. Live today, but live for eternity.

3. Set goals, make plans, and create a schedule to evaluate. Christians read their Bibles, then seek to obey Christ by God's strength and grace. They do this by focusing on goals and making plans to reach those goals. Goals without plans are fairly useless. Plans must include details and thorough thinking about procedure and process. The Christian knows that he does not know the future, and God will indeed change things as he runs the race set before him. So, flexibility and submission are required for progress. But plans are needed none-the-less. And Christians take the time to stop periodically and evaluate where they are in life, to review their progress, confess their failures to God, and ask God to renew their vision.

4. Keep looking up as your feet walk on earth. The Christian walks on earth (every day life) but his heart and head are in heaven (see Colossians 3:1-4). Christians don't drop out of practical living, but they live their lives with a heart awareness and appreciation for things that ultimately matter every day. I think this is what is meant by "stop and smell the roses." Take time to listen to children giggle, roll in the grass and get grass stains on your bluejeans. Sometimes sip your coffee really slowly. Take the time to read a chapter of the Bible slowly and meaningfully asking yourself questions about the text as you go. Call someone on the phone who is lonely. Bake a cake for a sick person. Do something that matters while you do something that just NEEDS TO BE DONE, but will be forgotten in 72 hours.

5. Watch out for the legalism trap. In the process of changing your life you might begin to feel you are doing pretty well. Or, if you begin to be critical of others because they are not doing as well as you are. Then, you are falling into the "legalism trap." When one tries to improve life, there are two traps: the discouragement trap and the "I'm good" trap. Both are deadly, but the latter one is more subtle and pervasive. When you are comparing yourself with others, when you try to correct everything in everyone else's life, when you try to show others how good you are (there is a theological word for this - - - it is - - - YUCK!), then you are one big STINKO! Nobody died and made you boss. Back off and go to the temple, kneel beside a humble tax collector, and pray with him "God, be merciful to me, a sinner."

6. Learn to enjoy God's gift of life to you. Which brings me to my final suggestion (actually this belongs in the "legalism trap", but it is so powerfully deadly I wanted to put it in a separate category); enjoy the life that God has given to you. Nothing will ever be perfect; live with it. Pain and sorrow will come; pour out your heart to God and trust in Him. Try to breathe in a cup of divine glory every day! "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it", the Scriptures say in Psalms. Read your Bible, pray, go to church, confess your sins, and do all those things that are a means to helping you stay spiritually healthy. But don't forget to do other things that enable you to be the kind of human being God wants you to be: read a book, plant a garden, repaint the house, plant a tree, take a special trip and enjoy God's creation, hug your children a lot, and smile, smile, smile! You will probably never be rich (thank God!). You will never be a BIG MOVER AND SHAKER (does that come as a surprise to you?). Just live your life with the joyful knowledge that you are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone. God's love and grace have been lavished upon you (and you didn't do anything to get it or deserve it, so there!), and there is in heaven today a reservation with your name on it! And angels are excited about having a party with you when you get there (forgive me, I have a rich, and I trust sanctified, imagination!).

So, the new year is here, forget the diet and the trash and credit card bills (well, better pay the bills!), and let's get on with it!