By What Authority?

KJV - Luke 20:1-8 And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders, (2) And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority? (3) And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: (4) The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? (5) And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not? (6) But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. (7) And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was. (8) And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

NIV - Luke 20:1-8 One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. (2) “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?” (3)  He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, (4) John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?” (5) They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ (6) But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”  (7)  So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.” (8)  Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

We looked at this same passage yesterday, but from another viewpoint.  Yesterday, we examined the question of authority in religion being asked by the Pharisees but not really caring about truth.  Today, we want to look at the question itself.  “By What Authority do You Do these things?  That is an great question.  In am glad they asked it.

One of the biggest problems and one of they least discussed issues in religion today is that of Authority in religion.  By what authority do we do what we do religiously?  We could ask the question a bit differently....What does GOD really want?  I am afraid if we gave “truth serum” to many so-called “religious leaders” today and asked them that question, I think they would say they don’t really care what God wants!  Some might think that that is a wild and careless accusation.  But I feel safe in saying that because in most every issue, we already know what God wants because he has already told us!  The fact is, the Bible IS the word of God!  It contains the WILL of God, but most religions are getting farther and farther away from what the Bible requires and following the wishes and desires of man instead!  Here are some cold hard truths about authority!

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

All authority...not most, not some...All authority is given to Jesus!  It was given to Jesus by his father!

Ephesians 1:17, 20-23 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.... (20) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, (21) Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: (22) And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, (23) Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. 

God gave Jesus to be HEAD over all things to the church.  Period!  Jesus is in control of all religious matters.  So....if Jesus is in control, and ALL authority is given to him, how much authority do we as humans have?  NONE!  Zero!  That means the CEO of the Catholic religion (known as the Pope) has NO authority or right to make or change laws as it pertains to religious matters and service to God.  That also means that any and all other denomination’s councils,  conferences or creeds have NO authority at all!

Here is a good example of what I am talking about.  Since I have been preaching, at least three (maybe more) religious groups have declared that fornication is no longer a sin because it negatively impacts their attendance and giving.  In other words, because so many of their members were participating in that sin, they did not want to run them off by saying it was sin, so they declared it not  to be a sin any longer.  However, Jesus said it is sin and he has ALL of the authority and man’s religious leaders do not.  That is just one of many examples.

So how do we know what God wants?  How do we know what Jesus, the head of the church, has dictated?

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (17) That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 

God has given us the Bible for us to follow.  It is not just a story book, but rather his WILL for our lives.  That first statement tells us that all of the scripture was inspired or God breathed.  God, through the Holy Spirit, gave the message to the individual writers to record for him that we might have his will.

Jeremiah 30:2 Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. 

Notice what Paul tells Timothy the benefits of the inspired word is:

1.  For Doctrine:  There is absolutely no need for a religious group to have a creed book or other kind of manual that they should follow for what they are to do religiously.  The reason for it is that Paul says that the inspired word is to be used for that purpose.  If you have a creed or articles of faith that says more than what the Bible says, It says too much.  If you have a religious doctrine that takes away from what the Bible says, it says to little.

Revelation 22:18-19 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:  (19) And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. 

2.  For Reproof:  The word reproof simply means to show where wrong. If you see me under the back end of the car, and I tell you that I am trying to fix my carburetor, you would do me a great service by informing me that the carburetor is NOT in the back of the car.  By reproving me in that way, you set me on the right course to fixing my problem.  The Bible should be used in that way by anyone that wants to follow God.  None of us are perfect so we should continually be looking to know what is wrong!

3.  For Correction:  Telling me that the carburetor is not in the back of the car, is a great help.  But the best help would be to open the hood and to show me where the carburetor is and to help me fix it.  The Bible does not only tell us when we are wrong, it also sets out for us the ideal path for us to follow

4.  For Instruction in Righteousness: Wise people know that life is a constant journey of knowledge and learning.  The Bible is not always about right and wrong, sometimes it simply shows us a more perfect way.  Love is one of those things that we as humans can always grow in, so by studying the Bible, we can constantly improve on loving like God does.

Following God is not like eating at a salad bar.  We cannot pick and choose what commandments that we like and the ones that we don’t.  Instead, we must understand that God is our master...a loving master that wants the absolute best for us.  And in order to benefit from his love, mercy and grace, we must be willing to submit ourselves wholly to him.  That means by definition that we do not have a vote in how that we do things.  Because God is in Control and I must simply...lovingly...and totally follow his direction.

One more critically important point on this issue....

John 5:19   Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 

John 8:29   And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.  

John 5:30   I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. 

Also John 8:28 ,  John 8:38,  John 12:50,  John 12:49,  John 14:10 says the same thing.  So if Jesus, the Son of God, the one that has ALL authority, stated on at least 8 occasion that he was unable to do his own thing or teach his own opinion...What makes us think that we are better than Jesus and we can change, disregard, or suspend the will of God?  It is the height of arrogance to think that we can make religion fit mankind.  Instead, we must teach and promote that mankind MUST repent and conform to the will of God!

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

Do You ONLY Hear What You Want to Hear?

KJV - Luke 20:1-8 And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders, (2) And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority? (3) And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: (4) The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? (5) And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not? (6) But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. (7) And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was. (8) And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

NIV - Luke 20:1-8 One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. (2) “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?” (3)  He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, (4) John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?” (5) They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ (6) But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”  (7)  So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.” (8)  Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Preaching can sometimes be stressful because, more often than I like to admit, I am informed that I say things incorrectly.  Not that I preach error, just that my mouth may work faster than my mind.  For instance, I may mistakenly place Moses on the ark with all of the animals.  Just a slip of the tongue, but I have a congregation of people that will point it out.  

Jesus had a similar situation....but on steroids!  He was constantly being followed by Pharisees and lawyers in hopes that they would catch him in a real quandary with the Law of Moses.  They were not looking to correct him, or even embarrass him.  They were looking for a reason to kill him.

Luke 11:54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him. 

So is the situation that we find in the text today.  The chief priests come to Jesus questioning him in hopes they can find a legal reason to kill him.  The question that they ask is important:  “By what authority do you do these things?”  That is a great question that we each individually ought to seek out.  We will examine that answer tomorrow.  But for today, I want to examine the mindset that we pretend to seek answers and knowledge, but it is only a pretense.

When the Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus this question, they were not deeply concerned for truth.  They were not out to seek knowledge.  They did not really care about truly understanding the will of God.  They only asked to catch Jesus in a occasion that they could justify killing him.

Can we not...Do we not too sometimes make a pretense that we are seeking knowledge about the will of God, but in fact have no desire to apply the facts that are found?  Here is a fact that we MUST realize and cannot get around.

Matthew 7:1-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:  (14) Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

JESUS says that only a FEW will find there way through the gate that leads to life.   That means by definition that MOST will find their way through the gate that leads to destruction.  Is that what the religious world teaches? Not at all.  Most people sees it exactly opposite.  That means there are a lot of religious people that BELIEVE they are saved but are not!  How can this be?  Because too many people only PRETEND to seek knowledge of Salvation therefore they never find it...but they believe they do.

Matthew 13:10-16 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? (11) He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. (12) For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. (13) Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. (14) And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: (15) For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (16) But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

This dialogue was given to the disciples after Jesus gave the parable of the Sower.  They wondered why he spoke in parables instead of just coming out and saying what needed to be said.  The key to his answer is in verse 15.  He said that many people if not most people will not TRULY hear because they have closed their own ears to the truth so that they do not have to change.  In short, people want to do want they want to do and they do not want to change to please God.  So they fool themselves into thinking they are “being religious”.

What about you?  Do you only hear what you want to hear or are you willing to read the Bible with an open mind with at true desire to glean what God intended for us to understand?

Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.

The Broken Heart of God!

NOTE:  I apologize for laying out for about a month without a new RTS.  I had surgery about a month ago to remove a baseball sizes malignate tumor.  The doctor says that they got it all, but that will remain to be seen.  I would appreciate your prayers.

KJV - Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 

NIV - Luke 19:41  As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it

It is tough being a parent.  All a parent really wants is the best for their child.  You just want them to be healthy and happy and to progress into responsible, God fearing adults.  Unfortunately though, as they get older,   they begin to make decisions on their own that we, as parents, gradually lose influence over them.  At least once in their lives, a child will make a terrible error in judgement and all a parent can do is weep and then try to help pick up the pieces.

That is the scene for our text today.  Jesus, looking over the city of Jerusalem, weeps over what it had become.  Jesus had no more influence or control over the behavior of those....his people, than do parents and their children.  God over the generations tried and tried and tried and tried, but he simply could not convice the people to repent and live according to his will.  Let’s look at a similar passage in Matthew that gives a bit more information.

Matthew 23:34-37  Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: (35) That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. (36) Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. (37) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

What beautiful imagery Jesus uses to convey his message.  Like a mother hen would gather her chicks under her wings for their protection at the site of danger, Jesus likewise would and ultimately does make the supreme sacrifice to save his people.  God sent prophets, teachers and wise men to call them back.  However, the people either dismissed them or killed them so that they may continue their selfish, obstinate lives.  Often times still believing that they were right with God.  Just look at the behaviors of the Pharisees of Jesus time.

Matthew 23:23-29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (24) Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. (25) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. (26) Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. (27) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. (28) Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (29) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous.....  (33) Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

The Jews during Jesus time gave the appearance that they were HIGHLY religious, but Jesus said clearly they were far from it.  In fact, he asks the rhetorical question.. “How  can you escape the damnation of Hell”?  It’s NOT about the “Optics” but more about the heart and the actions of men.  But it was not new with the contemporaries of Jesus.

KJV - Genesis 6:5-6 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 

NIV - Genesis 6:5-6  The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. (6) The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 

This behavior of rebelling against God or simply ignoring God is heart breaking to him.  God has not gotten over it over the last 2,000 years.  Our similar behaviors continues to cause God to grieve, just like a parent witnessing the implosion of a child due to their own bad behaviors.

The question is:  Do you please God or do you cause him to greive over your destructive, rebellious or apathetic behavior or actions?

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

Reflecting His SON,  

Dennis Hogan

Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

1804 Sam Stewart Dr.

Radcliff, KY  40160

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward 

their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.