Category: Authority
Subject: Authority
Sermon: The Divine Hermeneutic
This lesson affirms that while there are many interpretations of scripture that doesn’t mean that all such interpretations are valid. When God spoke, He revealed His will. It is man’s responsibility to examine the scriptures to determine what God meant, not what we want for Him to have said.
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Mining the Scriptures: Mark 1:21-28
Jesus taught as “one having authority” in contrast to the teaching of the scribes. The scribes taught the people from the law, making their appeal based upon Moses or the prophets. However, Jesus’ teaching was different. Consider His sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7). Again and again He made clear, “You have heard… but I say unto you…” Such authoritative statements amazed His audience.
The demons recognized the authority of Jesus. “I know who You are—the Holy One of God” (24). It is amazing how Jesus was rejected by so many in His day. While the demons recognized Him as God’s Son, often men did not.
However, early in His ministry He certainly had an impact upon those who heard Him. When Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, the authority with which He spoke led to the exorcism of the demon. This was new, and made clear the authoritative way in which Jesus spoke was legitimate. As such, “they were all amazed” (27).
It also gave Jesus notoriety. His words, together with His works made Him famous in the area. Such fame was a two edged sword. The people eagerly came to Him. The leaders felt threatened by Him.
Why Can’t We Understand the Bible?
People often ask the question above, as they struggle with the conflicting doctrines and practices that are found among religious people. The question is valid, though present day attitudes toward such diverse thoughts and practices are not.
Many in positions of authority talk as if such diversity is to be expected, and even inevitable. They contend that it is not possible to have unity in doctrine and practice. Some may contend that truth itself is relative. Your truth may not be the same as mine. Others claim that men are not capable of understanding God’s revelation. And some say that God’s revelation is not sufficiently clear in all areas to be understood. Continue reading “Why Can’t We Understand the Bible?”
Five Questions About Christmas
On Thursday I was given the honor of participating in a video program that is being produced and hosted by Samuel Omaka, a preacher in Nigeria and friend of Kyle Campbell. Samuel sent me five questions, which I share below. I hope the material answers some questions you may have.
What is Christmas?
The simple definition is that it is a festival, observed each year on December 25th, intended to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. The holiday is observed by billions of people the world over, many religiously. However, many secular people and even some who claim to know Christ, do not celebrate it religiously. They may, however, use it as a time to be with family, eat together and exchange gifts.
The Jerusalem Summit Meeting
In Acts 15, the Holy Spirit reveals the first major doctrinal conflict that troubled God’s people. The question to be answered was, “Do you have to be circumcised according to the custom of Moses to be saved?” The conflict came about because of the missionary work of Paul and Barnabas, which was opposed by some from Judea who claimed that such circumcision had to take place. In other words, one had to become a Jewish proselyte to be saved.
The disagreement reached a head at Antioch, and it was determined that Paul and Barnabas should go to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles and elders about the question, which they did.
Fall 2022 Meeting with Kyle Campbell
Our Fall Meeting, 2022 with Kyle Campbell, November 5, 2002. A series of fundamental lessons answering fundamental questions.
The theme: “Can you show”
Lesson 1: Can You Show That There is a God? (Saturday)
Lesson 2: Can You Show that the Bible is the Word of God? (Sunday 9AM)
Lesson 3: Can You Show that Jesus Rose from the Dead? (Sunday 10AM)
Lesson 4: Can You Show What the Bible Says? (Sunday 11AM)
Lesson 5: Can You Show That the Bible Can be Understood? (Monday)
Lesson 6: Can You Show How We are Saved? (Tuesday)
Lesson 7: Can You Show What Worship Is? (Wednesday 10AM)
Lesson 8: Can You Show What the Church Does? (Wednesday PM)
Lesson 9: Can You Show That Chrisitans are Moral People (Thursday)
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Sermon: The Authority of Christ
In this lesson, the premise that all authority resides in the Lord Jesus is affirmed.
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Sermon: God’s Covenant with Abraham
First in a series of lessons dealing with principles of Authority. God’s covenant with Abraham establishes the promises God made an fulfilled, ending with the establishment of Jesus Christ as Lord and Christ. (Note: The video consists only of the slides and audio. Video of the speaker was not available).
Sermon Powerpoint View and Download:
The Patternists: “You are my portion, O Lord”
The 119 Psalm is a meditation upon the words of God. To the Psalmist, that was the Law given by Moses. To Christians today, our respect for that law continues even as we acknowledge that we live under the authority of the new covenant, ratified by the blood of Jesus. Both the old and new testaments are inspired scripture, (cf. 2 Peter 1:21), and are worthy of our attention and consideration.
We should express the same attitude toward God’s word as that expressed by the Psalmist in this Psalm. We direct our attention to verses 57-64 for some observations.
Continue reading “The Patternists: “You are my portion, O Lord””
The Patternists: If
The little word if has a great and important place in the relationship men have with God. In both the Old and New Testaments, it indicates that which is conditional. For example in Deuteronomy 28:1, Moses said, “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.”
God’s promise to Israel was conditional. If they observed God’s will, he would exalt them. All that is required to note this truth is to examine Israel’s history. Too often the nation did not keep the conditions of the covenant, and God’s favor would leave them. Upon repentance, his favor would return. This is the way God dealt with Israel, and the way that He deals with men today.
The Patternists: Jeroboam’s Folly
In recent weeks, I have had several conversations with those who claim men are so reasonable, that any obvious demonstration of God’s power would convince them of His existence and their need to follow Him. Their view mirrors that of the rich man of Luke 16, who begged Abraham to send Lazarus to his five brothers so that they wouldn’t lose their souls as well. Abraham answered in part, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead” (31).
The truth is, most men are sufficiently self-willed to reject truths of every type, no matter how obvious they may be. We see it everyday in politics, medicine and daily life. (Note: We can be guilty of the same, and need to be careful ourselves).
The Patternists: A Lifetime of Faithfulness
Solomon was a wise man. God greatly blessed his reign over Israel. He wrote Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. His advice to his son in the book of Proverbs serves as a guidebook to successfully navigating around the pitfalls of immorality and foolishness.
And yet, in the end, Solomon failed God. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. The Lord had warned him not to intermarry with these foreign women, but he ignored God. The text of 1 Kings 11 records his mistake. “Solomon clung to these in love” (2). “…his wives turned away his heart. For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lords, as did his father David” (3b-6).
Continue reading “The Patternists: A Lifetime of Faithfulness”
The Patternists: Profanity
I am aware that many Christians are confronted by extreme profanity nearly every day. It has become a common part of communication for many. Where once in our society it was considered inappropriate to use profanity in public situations, this is no longer so. As a preacher I am thankful that I hear it less often than others.
But, there are a couple of recent events that have brought the pervasiveness of profanity in our culture to my attention. The first is personal. While golfing with Josh last week, a man drove past us, asking for our permission to play through and join the foursome ahead. He explained that his friend had to leave, and rather than finishing the last few holes on his own, he wanted to join up with the group ahead.
The Patternists: Wage the Good Warfare
I would like to share a few thoughts regarding Paul’s exhortation to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:18-20:
“This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.”
First, what does it mean for Timothy to wage the good warfare? It is evident that we are at war with Satan. There is the responsibility that each has to fight personally against Satan. This is why we don the armor of God (cf. Ephesians 6), that we may be able, “to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13).
The Patternists: Moses’ Great Mistake
Numbers 20 records a willful mistake that Moses made, as he reacted in anger toward the ungrateful congregation. The Israelites were at Kadesh, lingering there following the death and burial of Miriam. There was no water for the people, and they begin to grumble, just as they had countless times before.
On a previous occasion when water was needed, God had instructed Moses to strike the rock at Rephidim. The occasion was almost exactly like this one (Exodus 17:1-7). The people contended with Moses. He stated himself that they asked, “Is the Lord among us or not?” (7).
