Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Worship Theme: The Nature of Authority
Psalm 111:1-3, 10 NRSV Bible
Deuteronomy 18:15-20 NRSV Bible
1 Corinthians 8:1-14 NRSV Bible
Mark 1:21-28 NRSV Bible
“The Question of Authority”
Good morning. . . I love listening to kids talk. . . ok, argue with one another. There is a lot to learn as we “listen in” from the outside. One thing I have heard them say. . . and yes I have actually used this phrase before. . . ”Who died and made you boss. . . ?” or “You’re not the boss of me. . . I don’t have to listen to you!”. . . I know that you must have heard the same type of statements at one point or another in your life. . . and might have even used them yourself. . . It’s all about authority and who has it over us and who do we have it over them. Well this has got me thinking about authority itself. . . who decides who has the authority and why do people misuse it from time to time?
All we have to do these days is pick up the news paper or turn on the television and we hear about people in power. . . some doing good, but we hear mostly about those who abuse their “power of authority.” Society is the one who puts them in authority through elections and such but it is the very same society that they are abusing. . . the same people who put them in the “seat of authority.” But the question of authority has been with us all the way back in the Garden of Eden. The serpent questioned God’s authority over Eve as he told her that God was mistaken and death would not happen if she ate the “forbidden fruit”. . . she was made to feel that God was being unfair to the tenders of the Garden and she decided to ignore God’s authority over her and eat the fruit. . . the serpent was right though, she didn’t die a physical death but a spiritual one that affected all humanity after, I guess the serpent left out that part of his story. . .
Last week we talked about how the time has come. . . the kingdom of God is near. . . nearer than we realize I think. . . we need to be out doing the “Kingdoms Work” in the world. But by whose authority are we empowered to do such a thing. . . who gives us the right to do this. . . who is the one who really has all the authority? My pray is that as we look at the “question of authority” we may be emboldened. . . by the authority over all to be workers in the vineyard.
We have already heard about the authority of the prophet in the Deuteronomy scripture and the authority of the Christian in the 1st Corinthians scripture. . . now let’s look at what the Bible says about Jesus’ authority. I am reading from the Gospel of Mark and the passage is found in chapter 1 verses 21-28. . . I’ll be reading from the NRSV Bible and if you would like to follow along in the pew bible it is found on page 910. (Read Scripture)
Jesus spoke with authority! He was God come down in human form and spoke with the authority of God. . . this was something new and never before did anyone speak in such a way. . .
OK. . . authority. . . let’s look at what makes up authority. . .
1. Kinds of authority- The prophet’s kind was the knowledge of God. God spoke through them and gave them the authority to say what they did. . . they were speaking on god’s behalf. The Christians authority is in knowing God’s word and what it tells us. . . but knowing is only half of the equation, believing in God’s word makes up the other half. And Jesus’ authority was His identity. . . He was God!
2. Characteristics of authority - The prophet was and still is today their obedience to God. They were obedient to what God said to them. They followed exactly what God said for them to say. They didn’t let society tell them what to say. The characteristic of the Christian is they are given liberty. . . freedom that can be seen from all that are round them. And with Jesus. . . well He was the source of authority and it was seen in the way He lived His life. . . He lived a sinless life that only God Himself could do. Now here’s the best part. . .
3. Who has authority – Jesus has the authority because of His deity. . . the unclean spirit knew who He was. . . it knew He was God incarnate. The prophet has the authority through God’s word. They speak directly from God’s mouth to others. . . not just the written word but the actual words of God! And we, as Christians, have the authority because of our knowledge of God. We can share and speak of God because we know His word. . . we study His word. . . we can relay His word to others. . . What an HONOR! We have been given the authority by God. . . we are given the authority to work in the vineyard and help with god’s agenda. . . but it’s not a right. . . it’s a gift and a privilege. . .
Now the question of authority. . . we, as Christians, have the authority from God to speak the truth found in His word. . . we have the authority to follow Jesus’ teachings and teach others a new and better way of life. . . we have the authority, as beloved children, to speak on our Fathers behalf. But authority does come at a cost. As you may see in the workplace there are people who don’t like the people in authority. . . even though they may be nice and all that it is because they have authority they are not liked. There are also others who are in authority that abuse that authority and take advantage of others. What we do with authority is even more important than the authority itself. What we don’t do even though we have the authority is just as important.
Beloved sons and daughters. . . have you embraced the authority that has been given you? Have you trusted in that authority and done “great things for the Kingdom of God”. . . even “little things for the Kingdom of God”. . . remember, there is no such thing a small thing in the kingdom of God, every little bit counts as we all do our little part it adds to the little parts of others making a BIG thing happen? Have you abused your authority in some way? It’s not too late to change your view. . . your vision of authority. With God’s help, may we all use our authority wisely and with compassion as Jesus did. . . may we trust in the authority given us so that we may step out in faith on the waters of society and follow the One in whom we are given all authority and follow His example. . . the example of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God is nearer than we think. . . let us go out in the authority given us and be doers not just hearers of the word.
Amen!
January 30, 2012
Worship Theme – “The Nature of Authority”
Mark 1:21-28 (NRSV)
1 Corinthians 8:1-14 (NRSV)
Deuteronomy 18:15-20 (NRSV)
Call to Worship (Psalm 111:1-3, 10)(NRSV)
Unison Prayer
Prayer of Dedication (GBOD (Mark 1:21-28))
and sermon, “The question of Authority”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation
blog
“God’s
Whisper” blog
Suncook United Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
January 29, 2012
All
of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,
2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. All rights
reserved. Contact me at Ray
Foss for usage. See all 35,550+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
No comments:
Post a Comment