A Messiah's Voice of Authority
Text: Matt. 21:18-27
Introduction
1. Illustration: 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.
2. Jesus has the voice of authority. The Bible tells us that...
a. Demons
b. Wind and Waves
c. Dead People
d. Even trees listened when he spoke.
3. In our text today we see...
a. Jesus Authority Spoken
b. Jesus Authority Shared
c. Jesus Authority Challenged
4. Read Matt. 21:18-27
Proposition: We need to tap into the power in the name of Jesus.
Transition: The first thing we see is...
I. Jesus Authority Spoken (18-20).
A. Then He Said
1. As I stated in the introduction, when Jesus spoke people, demons, and even nature listened.
a. In the midst of a raging storm, he spoke to the wind and waves and the storm ceased.
b. When he spoke to demons to come out and leave people alone they obeyed him without hesitation.
c. When he spoke to his dead friend Lazarus, he came forth out of his grave.
2. Now we see another instance of the authority of Jesus. Matthew tells us that, "In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry..."
a. The word translated "in the morning" means very early in the morning. He woke up early and was naturally hungry.
b. Although He was the Son of God, in His incarnation Jesus had all the normal physical needs characteristic of human beings.
c. Therefore, when He saw a lone fig tree by the road, He hoped to find fruit on it to eat (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
3. As he walked along, "and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves..."
a. By this time of year fig trees near the Mount of Olives would have leaves, but only green fruit with an unpleasant taste appeared this early; edible figs appeared around early June.
b. Often the green fruit would fall off, leaving only leaves (Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary – New Testament).
c. But in April, a fig tree at the altitude of Jerusalem would not usually have either fruit or leaves, because, as Mark observes, "it was not the season for figs.”
d. Nevertheless, if the tree produced leaves early it should have produced fruit early (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
4. So when Jesus got up to the tree and found no fruit "he said to it, 'May you never bear fruit again!' And immediately the fig tree withered up."
a. One thing that we must notice here is that Jesus didn't curse the tree because it did not meet his needs when he was hungry.
b. On the contrary, it was a prophetic sign of God's judgment of unrepentant Israel, just as his cleansing of the Temple had been.
c. He used it as an illustration of Israel, who even though he came to save them from their sins, did not receive him and rejected his grace and mercy.
d. He came to them expecting a positive response to the Gospel, but instead he got rejection and ridicule.
e. He came expecting life, and instead he found a dead, unspiritual religion (Horton, 449).
5. There is also a warning intended for us. Jesus expects us to be fruitful in our lives as his disciples.
a. When people look and us and expect to see the life and character of Jesus, but instead they see a life filled with hypocrisy and self-centeredness we will also be judged.
b. As Adam Clark states in his commentary, "When the soul continues in unfruitfulness, the influences of grace are removed, and then the tree speedily withers from the very root" (Clark, A Commentary and Critical Notes).
c. Fruit is always an indication of salvation, of a transformed life in which operates the power of God.
d. People's right relation to God is evidenced by the fruit they bear.
e. Jesus' point regarding the fig tree was that Israel as a nation had an impressive pretense of religion, represented by the leaves.
f. But the fact that the nation bore no spiritual fruit was positive proof she was unredeemed and cut off from the life and power of God (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
g. If we are not bearing fruit in our lives we will wither too.
6. Notice the response of Jesus' disciples, "The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, 'How did the fig tree wither so quickly?'”
a. A diseased tree might take many weeks or months to die, and even one that had been salted, either by accident or from maliciousness, would take several days to die (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23)
b. Notice that Jesus' illustration is completely lost on his disciples.
c. They didn't care why he cursed the fig tree; they wanted to know how?
d. As usual, they didn't get it!
B. Listening to Jesus
1. Illustration: E. F. Hutton commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PwP1EjaBik
2. Jesus speaks to us that we ought to bear fruit.
a. John 15:5-6 (NLT)
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.
b. Jesus tells us that if we want to be his disciples we need to bear fruit.
c. People ought to be able to see Jesus in us.
d. People ought to be able to tell that there is something different about us.
e. People ought to be able to see what we do and say that we have been with Jesus.
3. Jesus speaks to us that if we do not bear fruit we will be judged.
a. Romans 11:20-21 (NLT)
20 Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen.
21 For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either.
b. Jesus is calling his people to move forward and produce the fruit of the Spirit.
c. He is calling us to be people who show his love.
d. He is calling us to be people who show his joy.
e. He is calling us to be people who show his patience.
f. Just like the fig tree if we do not bear fruit we will wither up and die.
Transition: One of the great things about Jesus' authority is that...
II. Jesus Authority Shared (21-22).
A. You Can Do Things Like This
1. Jesus doesn't limit his authority to himself alone, but he passes it on to his disciples.
2. He tells his disciples, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen."
a. Jesus doesn't deal with their question directly, but rather declares the power that is available to him is also available to us.
b. He tells his disciples that his power is appropriated by faith.
c. Faith is not just wishful thinking, but it is a steadfast reliance and trust in God.
d. The mountain that Jesus was referring to was the Mount of Olives and the sea was the Dead Sea.
e. What Jesus was saying was that the power of God is limitless.
f. However, taping into this power requires two things: 1) have faith and 2) don't doubt.
g. Sometimes the later one is harder than the former. You see faith and doubt are bitter enemies and your doubt will fight against your faith.
h. In fact, the word used for doubt in the Greek means "to be at odds with ones self, to be divided in the mind" (Rogers and Rogers, 47).
i. Furthermore, He wasn't saying that with faith and without doubt you can do whatever you want.
j. The kind of faith that Jesus was referring to was included not only belief and trust, but also a knowledge of God's will and a dedicated obedience to it (Horton, 449).
3. Jesus also tells us that the chief way we put his authority into action is in prayer. He says, "You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”
a. We should notice that faith here is a present participle indicating that the faith must be continuous, as opposed to the one who doubts, hesitates, or wavers (Horton, 451).
b. Faith and prayer go hand in hand; you cannot separate one from the other.
c. If we do not pray in faith our prayers are useless.
d. On the other hand, faith that is not accompanied by prayer can be misguided.
e. Our prayers must not only be done in faith, but also in line with the will of God.
f. Like the prophets of old, Jesus' disciples could do whatever God called them to do. Faith, of course, implies obedience to God's wishes, not simply acting on our own (Keener, IVP NT Commentary: Matthew).
g. True faith is trusting in the revelation of God.
h. When a believer seeks something that is consistent with God's Word and trusts in God's power to provide it, Jesus assures him that his request will be honored, because it honors Him and His Father (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
B. Living in Authority
1. Illustration: Faith, and hope, and patience and all the strong, beautiful, vital forces of piety are withered and dead in a prayerless life. The life of the individual believer, his personal salvation, and personal Christian graces have their being, bloom, and fruitage in prayer. - E. M. Bounds
2. We unleash the authority of Jesus in prayer.
a. Acts 4:31 (NLT)
After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.
b. Prayer unleashes the power of God.
c. Prayer unleashes the authority of Jesus.
d. Prayer empowers the believer.
e. Prayer emboldens the believer.
f. Prayer will shake things up!
3. We unleash the authority of Jesus when we pray according to His will.
a. 1 John 5:14-15 (NLT)
14 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.
15 And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.
b. We must pray for God to reveal his will to us.
c. We must pray for his will to be done in our lives.
d. We must pray for according to the Word.
e. If we do God will answer us.
Transition: We must be aware that there are those who do not want the will of God to be done. Therefore, we see...
III. Jesus Authority Challenged (23-27).
A. By What Authority
1. The reality of life is that when there is something inherently good there will always be opposition.
2. We can see this principle as "Jesus returned to the Temple and began teaching, the leading priests and elders came up to him. They demanded, 'By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?'”
a. Jesus went back to the Temple and started teaching again, and the priests and religious teachers came up to him and challenged his authority.
b. Authority is a strong word, denoting power and privilege. A person with authority exercises control over the lives and welfare of other people.
c. The conflict in this encounter between Jesus and the religious leaders was over the issue of authority, specifically Jesus' authority which they questioned and which they feared would threaten their own positions of authority.
d. They did so by asking him two questions. The first one questioned the quality of his authority and the second one the source of his authority.
e. By these things, they probably meant everything Jesus had been teaching and doing, but they particularly had in mind His abrupt and, in their eyes, utterly presumptuous cleansing of the Temple the day before (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
f. They didn't ask him these questions because they really wanted to know, but so that they could discredit him and find grounds to accuse him.
g. They never did accept his authority because he didn't fit into their mold. Even his miracles did not convince them of his authority (Horton, 451).
3. So Jesus responds to their challenge by saying, “I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”
a. Jesus replies to the authorities’ question with a counter question, which was common in Jewish debate.
b. He argues that his authority and John’s derive from the same source—“heaven” (one Jewish way of saying, “from God”).
c. This response follows the Jewish legal principle that a commissioned messenger acts on the full authority of the one who sent him.
d. The rest of the interaction follows the standard debate procedure of the period (Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary – New Testament).
4. This leaves these religious leaders with a bit of a dilemma. They said, “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask us why we didn’t believe John. But if we say it was merely human, we’ll be mobbed because the people believe John was a prophet.”
a. These religious leaders could not admit that John's authority came from God either.
b. In fact, the only thing that kept them from denouncing him as a fraud and a heretic was his popularity with the common people.
c. It was his popularity that caused them to go down to the Jordan to seek his baptism.
d. However, John recognized them for the phonies they were and refused to baptize them.
e. Jesus question did more than just speak of his authority, but it forced them to recognize that they had also been wrong about John.
f. Yet, this never crossed their minds all they could talk about was how the common people would respond to their answer.
g. Notice also that Jesus doesn't even ask about John's authority, but about his authority to baptize. Not about who he was, but about what he did (Horton, 453).
5. The great truth that we learn from this passage is that Jesus authority will be challenged, but it will never be equaled. After being unable to match Jesus authority they finally said, “We don’t know.” And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things."
a. Since they couldn't come up with a solution they claimed ignorance. Yet, they weren't truly ignorant only stubborn and evil.
b. They knew that if they recognized John who declared Jesus to be the coming Messiah they would also have to recognize Jesus.
c. Their dilemma was not intellectual it was moral. They were proud, arrogant and self-seeking. Had they been honest Jesus could have helped them (Horton, 455).
B. Spiritual Warfare
1. Illustration: Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote this about our spiritual battle: "A man who does not understand the nature of the problem he is confronting is a man who is already doomed to failure. Christian people are like first-year college students—they think at first that every subject is quite simple- there is no difficulty. Well, we know what is likely to happen to such when they face an examination! The first thing you have to do is to understand the nature and character of your problem. So we have to realize that we are called, in the Christian life, to a battle, not to a life of ease; to a battle, to a warfare, to a wrestle, to a struggle."
2. If Jesus was challenged we will be challenged.
a. John 15:20 (NLT)
Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.
b. Because Jesus was persecuted, we will be persecuted.
c. Because Jesus was challenged, we will be challenged.
d. Because Jesus was rejected, we will be rejected.
3. The same one who challenged Jesus will challenge us.
a. 1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
b. The devil challenged Jesus every step of the way.
c. He challenged him when he was born.
d. He challenged him in the desert.
e. He challenged him in the garden.
f. He challenged him on the cross.
g. Because he challenged Jesus he will also challenge us.
4. Like Jesus, we will be challenged but never defeated.
a. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (NLT)
8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.
9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.
10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
b. The devil can fight us, but he cannot defeat us.
c. The devil can attack us, but he cannot overcome us.
d. The devil can challenge us, but he cannot stop us.
e. Because Jesus won the victory for us on the cross!
Transition: Thanks be to God who gives us the victory in Christ Jesus!
Conclusion
1. Jesus has the voice of authority.
His authority is spoken to us.
His authority is shared with us.
His authority will be challenged, but never equaled.
1. Are you living in the authority of Jesus?
2. Are you living in the victory of Jesus?
