"Authority Commands Obedience"
Insofar as this sermon is a true proclamation of the Holy Gospel of Jesus
Christ, it belongs to Him and His Church. Therefore its use is free to all
who deem it worthy and beneficial.
Have a blessed week in the obedience of faith as Christ's forgiven children.
Rev. Kurt Hering
Layton, UT
For the audio file of this sermon, go to:
http://www.lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=1188
Here is the preaching manuscript:
FOURTH SUNDAY after the EPIPHANY: February 1, 2009
"Authority Commands Obedience"
TEXT: 21 Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He
entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at His
teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the
scribes. 23 Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.
And he cried out, 24 saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You,
Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are-- the Holy
One of God!"
25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" 26 And
when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice,
he came out of him.
27 Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves,
saying, "What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He
commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." 28 And immediately
His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee. (Mark 1:21-28,
NKJ)
Wow! Demons in the synagogue? No wonder Jesus' fame spread far and wide.
"Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come
to destroy us? I know who You are-- the Holy One of God!" - Them's fightin'
words, folks.
And obviously, Jesus was up to the fight. 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying,
"Be quiet, and come out of him!" 26 And when the unclean spirit had
convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.
Here we see, authority commands obedience. But what kind of obedience?
Obedience of the demons.
a.. Rather immediate
b.. No choice in the matter
We'll get back to that, but first this business of demons in the synagogue
deserves a little attention. What's up with that? Isn't the synagogue the
house of God where His Word was being taught?
Well, yes and no. The Word was there, but it was being misused and
abused-twisted into every sort of false teaching. And remember, Satan is the
Father of lies, prowling around like a hungry lion seeking whom he may
destroy.
And here is something interesting about lions, and I suppose predators in
general, experts tell us that by the time you see a lion for the first time
he has seen you 100 times. Think about that, unless you happen to be at the
zoo, if you happen to come across a lion, you have either surprised him or
he is ready to pounce. Neither way is it going to be pleasant.
So it's not like the demons were not in the synagogue before, it is just
that they had no reason to show themselves. No one was bothering them and
they were allowed to go about their business in the false teaching.
The synagogue was full of scribes teaching God's Word as precepts,
principles, and proverbs for better, more godly, successful, and productive
living. It was full of Pharisees making and enforcing all sorts of rules and
codes of conduct that would ensure the people of a place in heaven someday
and prove their worthiness as children of Abraham and chosen of God.
Sound familiar? It is no different today. The Word of God is used in places
that bear His name and the title church, yet are full of false teachers
misusing and abusing God's Word and His people for earthly gain and fame.
Even well-meaning people turn God's authoritative Word that commands the
obedience of faith into man's manipulative words that demand the obedience
of works.
To understand, listen again to the reaction of the people in the synagogue:
"What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands
even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."
They were not used to hearing God's Word spoken as anything but rules and
regulations that left it up to men to actually accomplish anything. And here
the Word is spoken and, by no action or work of any man, demons are driven
out.
Authority commands obedience.
Obedience of demons-expelled from the holy places.
Obedience of creation-"let there be," and there was
Obedience of elements-the water of baptism, the bread and wine of the Lord's
Supper
Obedience of unbelief-disobedience, resistance and rebellion for now;
expelled from the holy of holies forever on the Last Day.
Obedience of belief-Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let
it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. (Luke
1:38, NKJ)
Authority commands obedience.
Jesus spoke with authority in the synagogue.
He spoke with authority on the cross--"It is finished!"
He commanded His disciples to go out with that same authority-
Matt 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has
been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of
all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Amen. (NKJ)
Luke 10:16 "He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he
who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me." (NKJ)
The same authority is now exercised by the Holy Spirit through the holy
Christian church-
Matt 16:18-"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I
will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind
on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be
loosed in heaven." (NKJ)
So dear baptized children of God, it ought neither surprise nor offend
anyone when there is turmoil in the church. Where the Word of God is spoken
with authority, demons are cast out. And they do not go quietly.
The service of Baptism used by Luther began with biblical quotes commanding
and extolling the benefits of Baptism, then continues:
"The Word of God also teaches that we are all conceived and born sinful and
are under the power of the devil until Christ claims us as His own.
Therefore, depart, you unclean spirit, and make room for the Holy Spirit in
the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Where are these demons that have been cast out? Out in the world where they
are prowling around looking to pick off unsuspecting sheep. They are
wherever false teachers misuse and abuse God's Word as did the scribes in
the synagogue.
So our Lord brings you to church often to hear His authoritative Word that
commands the obedience of faith. That authoritative Word of God cleanses you
of any evil spirit you may pick up along the way.
The authoritative Word of God commands you to be holy and so you are.
The authoritative Word of God commands the water of Baptism to wash away
sins and so it does.
The authoritative Word of God commands the bread and wine to carry the body
and blood of Christ and so they do.
The authoritative Word of God commands God's kingdom to come, God's will to
be done on earth as it is in heaven, and all of your sins to be forgiven as
you forgive the sins of others; and so the kingdom of God stands open as all
of your sins are forgiven--in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
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