THE LORD AND SAVIOR
HAS
ALL AUTHORITY - 4
The churches of Christ Greet You (Romans
16:16)
1. PLEASE
NOTE: the
will of man has long been pitted against the will of God.
a. The chief
priests and elders challenged
the teaching of Christ (Matthew 21:23-26).
b. On that occasion
the Jews asked Jesus
two questions:
1. what authority did
He have for His action?
2. and, who gave Him
that authority?
2. The Master Teacher replied with a question.
a. He asked, “The
baptism of John, where
was it from? From heaven or from men?”
b. This reply of Jesus (Matthew 21:25)
makes it clear
1. that
He regarded man as having only TWO
possible sources of authority
2. for
religious beliefs and practices:
3.
From Heaven (that is, from God) or
from men.
3. Again, it is clear that every religious act
a. is done either by
Divine Authority or by mere
HUMAN authority.
b. To perform a
religious act by only human
authority is to be guilty of sin (Matt. 15:9).
4. Who has all AUTHORITY?
a. The words of
Jesus could not be more
clear.
b. He said, “…All
authority (power) hath
been given unto me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18).
5. God the Father had already said, “…This is my beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased;
hear
ye him” (Matthew 17:5).
6. Why should anyone and everyone hear Jesus?
a. Because Jesus
has ALL authority!
b. No man, be he
the pope, Joseph Smith,
Jr., or yourselves...
1. no man has the
authority to make
2. and bind religious
laws on the Saints of God except Jesus.
c. Such is the reason the writer of Hebrews
says, “God, who at sundry
times and in divers
manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
hath in these last days
spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all
things, by whom also
he
made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2).
7. TODAY, GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS SON!
a. But how does
Jesus speak to us?
b. He speaks to us
through His inspired
word, the Bible.
8. The authority of Christ and the authority of the Bible are
inseparable.
a. Jesus drives
this truth home in saying,
“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not
my
sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken,
the same shall
judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).
9. But someone will ask, “Why should I follow the Bible?
a. Where did the
Bible come from?”
b. Didn't the Bible come from the Jews?
1. Didn't the Bible
come from the Catholic church?
2. Didn't the Bible
come from the White man?
10. The source of the Bible is clearly identified.
a. Peter says,
“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 spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter
1:20-21).
b. Man has the
obligation to respect the
above truth
c. spoken by the Holy
Spirit through Peter.
11. Paul also was guided to say, “All scripture is given by inspiration
of God, and is profitable
for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness. That the man
of
God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good
work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
12. The Bible - the Word of God - came to man from God!
a. From whence came
all the doctrines and
commandments of men?
b. They came from
the devil (1 Timothy 4:1-6)!
13. If you are a member of a man-made denominational church,
a. you are following a doctrine of the devil.
b. Only love could
cause us to tell you
this (Eph. 4:15).
c. So please don’t
become our enemy because
we are telling you the truth (cf. Gal. 4:16).
14. Study your Bible.
a. Learn the truth.
b. Obey the truth.
1. Teach the truth.
2. God will bless you
with eternal life for your efforts.
15. You can become just a Christian.
a. You can do that
today.
b. You have heard
the Word of God (Luke
8:8ff; Acts 15:7).
c. You surely know
that you must believe
what you have heard (John 8:24; Rom. 10:17; Heb. 11:6).
16. Your FAITH will cause you to repent of your sins (Luke 13:3; Acts
17:30),
a. confess Jesus the Christ as Lord, the Son
of God (Matt. 10:32; Acts
8:37; Rom 10:9-10),
b. and be immersed (baptized) in water to wash
away your sins (Matt.
28:18-20; Acts 22:16)
c. by the blood of Jesus
(Matt. 26:28; Rev. 1:5).
17. When your faith
causes you to obey these commands,
a. you will be forgiven of all past sin (Acts
2:38),
b. sealed by the gift of the Holy Spirit (2
Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13),
1. saved (Mark 16:16;
1 Pet. 3:21),
2. and added to the
Lord’s church (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:47).
18. You come up out of the grave of baptism rejoicing,
a. knowing you have been born again (John 3:3,
5; Acts 8:38-39);
b. and thus, you are a New Creature in Christ
(2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 3:27)
- A Christian
c. (not
a Mormon, Catholic,
Baptist, etc.).
19. Trials and tribulations will come (1 Pet. 4:12-13),
a. but all that matters is the hope of Eternal
Joy
b. which awaits your
faithful obedience unto death
(Rom. 8:18; Rev. 2:10).