Recognizing God’s Authority
Isaiah 42:8
"I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images."
INTRODUCTION: Tom Eliff in his book Unbreakable lays out seven pillars for Kingdom Families, families that will have a positive impact on the church and the world. One of these pillars is "honoring God’s Authority". In 1520 when Martin Luther was asked to recant his position on authority in the life of the Christian said, "I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right not safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise, God help me." Today unfortunately many Christians have compromised their stand on God’s Authority. Kingdom Families accept the facts that God is sovereign and His Word is absolute truth. Kingdom families recognize the authority of God to govern their lives and have a high regard for the authority of God’s Word as the only sufficient rule for faith and practice in the life of the believer.
I. Recognize the Authority of God
A. The Bible teaches that God does not tolerate competitors with His Lordship.
B. Ecclesiastes 12:13 "Fear God and keep His commandments"
C. Exodus 20:3 "Thou shall have no other gods before (besides) me."
D. Recognizing and Honoring God’s authority is putting God first in your Affections, Associations, Ambitions, and Allegiance.
E. Luke 16:13 "hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
F. Along with much bad thinking that has come down to us from the last four hundred years, goes split living. ... People who live compartmentalized lives worship God and go to church and do their “religious” bit on Sundays; then they switch that off and pursue their professions, weekday work, weekend hobbies, and all their relationships as though these were matters entirely separate from their Christian commitment. They don’t even try to see their lives as a whole in terms of God and his Word. Instead they slip into their religious compartment on Sundays and their secular compartment of the other days of the week and allow no communication between the two. - J.I. Packer in Your Father Loves You. Christianity Today, Vol. 31, no. 16.
G. Luke 6:46 "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"
H. John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
I. Tom Eliff talks about listening to a man, caught in immorality and unfaithfulness confessing without remorse or tears to his affair. The man’s final words stunned Eliff as he said, "I know what you are thinking preacher. Your thinking I’m probably not a Christian and that I don’t love the Lord. But you see I really do love the Lord with all my heart. I guess I’m like King David." Eliff replied, "No you don’t love the Lord with all your heart and your not like King David who melted when confronted by the prophet of God! Time will tell if you are a Christian because if you are He will treat you like one of His kids who needs discipline. But one thing is certain, you don’t love the Lord. You see if you love the Lord you will do what He says. You are determined to leave your wife and family and live in an immoral relationship. Say what you will but you do not love the Lord." – Tom Eliff, Unbreakable, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003, p. 31
J. 1 John 5:2-3 "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. [3] For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."
K. If God be God over us, we must yield him universal obedience in all things. He must not be over us in one thing, and under us in another, but he must be over us in everything. – Peter Bulkeley, Leadership, Vol. 9, no. 1.
L. 1 Samuel 15:22 "And Samuel said, Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."
M. Trust that God has your best interests in mind and be willing to do what he asks of you, even if you don’t understand why. Obedience starts with having a heart that says yes to God. - Stormie Omartian, author and fitness authority, as quoted in Especially for a Woman. Marriage Partnership, Vol. 12, no. 3.
II. Regard for the Authority of God’s Word
A. An interesting survey revealed that 80% of Americans believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God: while 48% who believe there is no one set of values that is right. - U.S. News & World Report, 4/4/94. "To Verify," Leadership
B. A Gallup poll, conducted for Americans United for Life, found that nearly 70 % agree with the statement: "There are few moral absolutes; what is right or wrong usually varies from situation to situation."
C. In order to accommodate our personal preferences and concepts we often adopt erroneous views of God’s Word.
1. Some would have us believe the Bible contains God’s Holy Word. But the entire Bible is God’s Holy Word."
2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"
2. There are those who argue that not all Scripture is true, that the Bible contains errors and contradictions and that the Bible is not historically and scientifically accurate. We need to realize that the Bible has "truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. All Scripture is totally true and trustworthy."
2 Peter 1:19-21 "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
3. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ. Christ never acted contrary to His Word.
John 10:35 "… the scripture cannot be broken;"
4. The pro-homosexual’s re-create a "Christ" that has no problem with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered sexuality. The pro-abortionists re-create a "Christ" supportive of a woman’s "right" to abort her unborn child. The feminists call on people to worship the "Christ-Sophia," and re-creates God as "Mother." And the inclusivist / universalist re-creates a "Christ" committed to the salvation of the unrepentant and the unbelieving.
5. The problem is many seek to fashion the Bible to meet their liking. The standard of what is acceptable in religion for many is whether it satisfies the individual. Many "shop" for a religion that meets their personal preferences, treating the Scriptures as a salad bar - picking things they like and passing over the others.
6. This "interpretation in light of…" is most dangerous for God’s people in that it seeks to make everything subjective and relative with no absolutes.
2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"
III. Respond to the Authority of God and of God’s Word
A. Set the right Priorities
B. Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
C. Believe that God had enough sense to say what He meant and meant what He has said.
D. Our authority is the written word. If our actions cannot be confirmed by the word of God, then we are wrong. If we learn that we are wrong, we must change. If we feel or think that something is good, that is not good enough. We must be able to go to a scriptural reference to determine the accuracy of our actions.
E. There are three basic approaches to learn what the Lord wants us to do in His Word:
1. Express Commands – "This do…", Do not
a. Ephesians 5:18 "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;"
b. James 2:11 "For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law."
2. Approved Examples –
a. Philippians 4:9 "Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."
b. 1 Corinthians 10:11 "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come."
3. Necessary inference –
We meet on Sunday because of the implication of Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2
F. The Dietrich Bonhoeffer: ". . .it is only through obedience that you come to learn the truth."
G. Hebrews 10:26-29 "For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, [27] But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. [28] He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: [29] Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace?"
