We continue our journey through the study of Jesus' teaching on the Kingdom. Last week Paul shared with us the truth of the end of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus shares how solid a foundation we have when we build our faith on His teachings. He ends his sermon by saying: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock!" (Matthew 7:24)
Today we are looking at the response of the people to the Sermon when Matthew in chapter 7 says: "28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law."
Today we will look at what it means that Jesus taught with AUTHORITY and what he expects of us his children, and followers. We are going to look at what AUTHORITY means and how it is lived out in the ambassadors of Christ, namely us his disciples! We will be looking at the text from Matthew 8 and 9 as a teaching tool to what having this AUTHORITY means and how the Kingdom Authority looks in action! Today specifically in the faith of the Centurion of Matthew 8: " 5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” 7 Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.” 8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour." May we have the faith of the centurion to understand that AUTHORITY that we have over Demons, Disease, Death and Nature!
A definition that I found on Authority: "
The meaning and origin (etymology) of the word authority.
Before considering what the Bible says about authority, let us take a look at the etymology of the word “authority”.
The English word authority comes from the Latin word auctoritas which literally meant such things as “a producing”, “production”, “invention”, “cause”. Auctoritas in its turn came from auctor which meant “producer”, “father”, “progenitor”, “creator”, “maker”, “inventor”, “founder” and so on. In the English language, the Latin words auctor and auctoritas have become corrupted to “author” and “authority”.
In short: The auctor of a matter or thing is the one who made or established it, and also, the one who originally taught something.
So, who really has authority, regarding biblical teachings and matters?
The answer was given above, actually. It is, of course, the author (Latin, auctor) of any given thing who has the authority (auctoritas) over the thing he or she has created, produced, written or invented."We therefore as disciples of Christ have Authority to proclaim and practice what the "author" has shown us and taught us to do!
We will also be looking at Joseph as an example of the posture we should exhibit when recognizing the AUTHORITY and POWER we have as Kingdom people. For example Joseph had the gift of interpreting dreams as a child and he alienated his brothers by telling them about his dreams. This is when authority and power is motivated by pride and immaturity. It can be destructive. I think of the "name it and claim it" theology that permeates immature Christians as an example of this. We next see Joseph in jail interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh's Baker and Cup Bearer. He is learning slowly to recognize that the gift and power he has belongs to God but still throws in the "remember me when you get back" comment to try and help God out in his situation. The right posture of humility and complete surrender to God's will comes when he is brought before Pharaoh in our Old Testament lesson in Genesis 41 and says: 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”
Do you see the posture of humility that Joseph has learned through his trials. May we understand the gifts and power we have as people of the covenant and people of the Kingdom. May we exercise or as Jesus said "put into practice" what he has taught us to do with humility and complete surrender to our Lord's will and not to fear!
Love in Christ Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith,
Pastor Bryan
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