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LIGHTHOUSE LAWS
In U.S. Navel Institute Proceedings, the magazine of the Naval Institute, Frank Koch illustrates the importance of obeying the Laws of the Lighthouse. Two battleships assigned to the training squadron had been at sea on maneuvers in heavy weather for several days. I was serving on the lead battleship and was on watch on the bridge as night fell. The visibility was poor with patchy fog, so the captain remained on the bridge keeping an eye on all activities.
Shortly after dark, the lookout on the wing reported, "Light, bearing on the starboard bow."
"Is it steady or moving astern?" the captain called out.
The lookout replied, "Steady, Captain," which meant we were on a dangerous collision course with that ship.
The captain then called to the signalman, "Signal that ship: 'We are on a collision course, advise you change course twenty degrees.'"
Back came the signal, "Advisable for you to change course twenty degrees."
The captain said, "Send: 'I'm a captain, change course twenty degrees.'"
"I’m a seaman second-class," came the reply. "You had better change course twenty degrees."
By that time the captain was furious. He spat out, "Send: 'I'm a battleship. Change course twenty degrees.'"
Back came the flashing light, "I’m a lighthouse."
We changed course.
Source: In the Eye of the Storm by Max Lucado, Word Publishing, 1991, p. 153
— 10,000 Sermon Illustrations
THE SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE
Wayne Grudem summarizes this conclusion: "The sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contained all the words of God he intended his people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting him perfectly, and for obeying him perfectly."
(Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 127)
"The Talmud states that a Bat Kol (heavenly voice) was heard (on two separate occasions) declaring that Hillel and Samuel were worthy of the Shekinah (Divine Presence)…"
[from "Jesus the Pharisee" by Harvey Falk, p. 43; by "Samuel," he is referring to Rabbi Samuel the Little"].
"Only those who do not seek power are qualified to hold it."<...
From the Talmud: "Elijah prayed that the keys of resurrection might be given him, but was answered, Three keys have not been entrusted to an agent: of birth, rain, and resurrection." [Tractate Sanhedrin, Folio 113a].
The greatest blessing comes when God defeats the will of man and we surrender to His will. Someone has referred to salvation as being the 'blessed defeat'.
WHO SAYS SO?
A previous church I served had a lot of acreage and had turned part of it into 3 softball diamonds. Monday - Thursday nights, all summer long, various church leagues played their slow-pitch games there. Three of the leagues ran everything for their evening but one league was run directly by our congregation. For a while I was in charge of the recreation ministry and therefore of that league.
One evening I dropped by to see how the games were going. I got there just in time to see, on one of the diamonds, a young man (late teens or early twenties) decide to show off and act like a jerk. The umpire had called a third strike on him and he proceeded to argue vociferously. When the ump remained silent, this young man gave him a chest bump and then began to holler while nose-to-nose with the umpire. I walked onto the field and told him that his behavior was unacceptable and he was therefore done for the night. Stunned, but not deterred, he looked straight at me and said, "Who says so?"
"I do," I replied.
"And who are you?" he said.
"I'm one of the pastors at this church and I'm in charge of what happens on these fields. You're behavior is way out of line and not acceptable. End of discussion. You have 2 minutes to get 100 yards away from the field or your team forfeits." He began to argue with me -- I simply said "You now have 1 minute and 45 seconds left before I declare a forfeit." At that he, though not happy, left.
As much as I didn't like that confrontation or the young man's attitude, I have to admit he asked a fair question: "Who says so?" In other words, "By whose authority?" God anticipated that the Israelites might ask the very same question when Moses presented the law to them. So before writing out the commandments on the tablets God identified himself -- he established His authority.
WHO’S THE BOSS
The young husband was henpecked, and he was going to a psychiatrist about the problem. The doctor told him, "You don’t have to let your wife bully you! Go home and show her you’re the boss!"
The young man got home, slammed the door, shook his fist in his wife’s face, and growled, "From now on, you’re taking orders from ME! When I get home from work, I want my supper ON the table. I want my clothes laid out. I will be going out with the boys. You will be staying home. And another thing. Do you k...
THE AUTHORITY OF THE BELIEVER
In Santa Cruz there's a strip called Pacific Avenue, and there's a number of bars. And I remember walking down Pacific Avenue, and it was getting a little rowdy. And there was two or three very burly guys in kinda tight T-shirts that looked like they could kill you, and were very tall, very large. And if they weren't on steroids, then they were pumping a lot of iron and doing all kinda other stuff. And they looked like -- boy, I would not mess with these guys. And there was a bouncer there who was trying to get things under control, and they were drunk and they were getting pretty, really out of control, and so they called the police.
And so I just happened to be walking by, and these things were happening, and a police car pulls up, and I'm thinking -- you know, I'm human -- "I'd like to watch this and see what happens, you know?"
So I kinda get over here like this and, you know, see how this is gonna play out. And -- so help me -- door opens and, ladies, I don't mean this is in any, like, sexist way at all. But, you know, this guy's trying to handle these big, burly guys. The door closes and about a 4'11" police officer who's a female steps out. And I'm thinking to myself, "If I was the guy trying to get these big, burly drunk guys under control," I was, like, hoping for, like, a 6'5" weightlifting police officer, not a 4'11" woman.
And so I thought, "I'm gonna kinda watch how this whole thing plays out," and I could've not been more wrong, 'cause, you know, the issue is not your size or your strength. The issue is your authority and your power. Watch this carefully. I watched this happen.
This very confident 4'11" officer walks out. "Gentlemen, do we have a problem here?"
"No, we're good here. Get outta here."
"Excuse me" -- and she had this badge on right here -- "I'm authorized by Santa Cruz County to enforce the law. I'd like both of you to know that -- understand right now -- over against the car. Do you understand?" And they both started to balk a little bit, and she put her hand on her revolver. It was a .45.
And you know what? I've never seen two big, strong drunk guys get sober so fast, and it was like, "I think she might use it, you know." And pretty soon I get this 4'11" little gal and two guys, you know, like this, and she's going boom, boom, boom, boom, "Spread 'em out."
You know why? She has a badge that has a position of authority that says "I have all right and authority vested in me to exercise that. You must do what I say. And if there's any problem with that, I have some power on my leg that can enforce it immediately."
You are a child of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Your badge is your position in Christ. And you have on your side the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. And demons must believe and obey and respond to the authority of every child of God who takes the Word of God and shoots the bullets of God to the specific issues. And you don't have to be strong or spiritual or go to seminary or know a whole lot. What you have to do is claim who you are and act on what is true, and they must obey.
(From a sermon by Chip Ingram, How to Do Battle With the Enemy and Win, 6/11/2010)
VOICE OF AUTHORITY
When I was serving with YWAM in the summer of 1982, we played a concert at a school in Amsterdam. As the concert ended, the students began to come up to us and talking with us, and believe it or not, some even asked for our autographs. At that moment a tall, thin, man with a flat-top and a long flowing beard stepped to the microphone and with a very authoritative voice said in Dutch "Un zitten!" ("sit down" in English). Without hesitation every student returned to their seats and you could have heard a pin drop. He had the voice of authority.
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