The Authority of the Word

The authority of Christ and that of Scripture are one.

R. C. Sproul

Mark 1:21–28

This morning we are brought to Capernaum by Mark. Capernaum is where most of Jesus’s earthly ministry will take place from. Now, we must understand the Lord wasn’t random when he did things, he wasn’t random when he moved from location to location, he didn't do things on a whim, remember he was always walking in the will of the Father, we called that the perfect active obedience of Christ, which led him to be a the right place at the right time, every time.

Thats what happens folks when you are surrendered to the Lord, he will work everything according to his will, and that’s an amazing place to be, the place where the Lord is in control!

So the questions is why Capernaum as a base of operations? Well its true to say that it was at Capernaum that Peter, James, Andrew and John had their fishing operation but that alone was not the reason Jesus based himself here.

Let’s have a look at the map to show the real reason Jesus based himself here.

This was the perfect strategic position to minister to both Jew and Gentile, as we ill see as we continue through this Gospel account.

For now however we focus in on the synagogue in Capernaum and as we come to this events Jesus is certainly making an impact.

Let work through the scriptures then this morning and firstly notice with me

1. The Revelation of his Authority

Mark 1:21–22 (KJV 1900)

21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

Synagogues arose during the years of Israel’s Babylonian captivity, around 586 BC.

Since the people could not go to the Temple to worship, so they came together in the synagogues to read and teach the Law and worship God.

By the time Jesus came synagogues were at the heart of every Jewish town and community, it’s estimated that there where up to 400 in Jerusalem at that time. At the synagogue the people would gather on the Sabbath days to worship the Lord and hear His Word.

Typically they would pray read the Scriptures and hear a sermon usually given by rabbi or a scribe.

The trip to the synagogues had become part of life, but begrudgingly to a lot of Jews, they went but when they where there it was the same old same old monotones teaching and preaching buy the Rabbi’s.

Here Jesus come though and boy oh boy is there a different reaction!!

They were astonished at his doctrine, that word astonished carries the sense means to become astounded to such a degree as to nearly lose one’s mental composure. his teaching literally blew their minds!! Jesus was a preacher, and he preached the word, with power...

Oh that we would have pulpits filled in this land with men on fire for the Lord, preaching the word with power...

It is by the foolishness of preaching that God has chosen to save some.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, but how shall they hear without a preacher?

Never, never, never underestimate or downplay the role of preaching in the plan of God.

Jesus, is in the midst of this dead religious gathering and he preaches and teaches with power and authority and there minds are blown away!!!

What authority, what power, He was open, He was honest, He was direct, His word was plain, His application practical. He was real, relevant and lie nothing the people had ever experienced before.

Then we move from a revelation of his authority to

2. The Demonstration of his Authority

Mark 1:23–26 (KJV 1900)

23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

Jesus preaches and he gets a reaction not only from the physical world but there is a reaction from the spiritual world

Sitting in the synagogue, under the sound of the Saviour’s preaching sat a man with a devil.

Does this surprise you? Many a devil sits in the church pew unannounced, and this one is no different.

Had this man shown the slightest indication of his state he could never had entered that place – they wouldn’t have had it. But there he was, probably just as he had been the week before, but he now He is confronted with the truth of Christ, and the devil doesn’t like that.

Why hadn’t he kicked off before?

Because the devil had nothing to fear from their comfortable services with its dry dusty form of ministry. But this was different. John Mark, ever the man for understatement, says this man “cried out”, he screamed out is a better rendering, this must of been a startling moment.

The possibility of demonic possession is a real one and whether we understand it or not, whether we have faced it or not, it is immaterial; demon possession is a very real spiritual condition.

Notice what this demon said;

“Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.”

Notice that the demon switches the personal pronouns, sometimes speaking in the plural, “we, us” and sometimes speaking in the singular “I”. Does this mean there was more than one demon – no, the Bible speaks here of an “unclean spirit.” But the demon is in such control of this man and his faculties he is actually speaking on his behalf – using his body, using his voice.

This devil is under no illusion about just who Jesus is – he calls him “Jesus of Nazareth.” That’s an indication of his humanity.

BTW did you know that in the New Testament only devils address the Lord Jesus as simply “Jesus”? Everywhere else He is referred to as the Lord Jesus.

Then notice the second name the devil uses, he calls the Lord, “The Holy One of God.” That is a title of deity.

(i) “For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour.” (Isaiah 43:3)

You see the devil knows who Jesus really is, the demons know who Jesus is, but they wont bow the knee, and there some of you in here this day that know who Jesus is but wont bow the knee and call him Lord Jesus!!

Now the phrase “What have we to do with thee” is an interesting one.

Again it intimates “conflict”, this is the language used by ancients when their land was attacked or their city besieged. In Judges 11, Jephthah, the judge of Israel asks of the threatening Ammonites, “What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?”

This demon is threatened by the presence of Christ, he realises the Lord has come to establish His kingdom, to take his territory, “to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.”

I wonder are we taking territory from the devil? – We should be!

I love how the Lord responds to all of this. He is unfazed, and unafraid. He looks toward this poor soul caught up in the grip of satanic possession and he says, “Hold thy peace.”

Literally, “Put a muzzle on it” And then he orders the demon out – he evicts him, and frees the man of that unwelcome guest.

Mark reads, “And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.” Now the word “torn” here indicates a convulsion, and because of this some people have related this condition to epilepsy.

Let me be clear about this: Epilepsy is a neurological condition that can be controlled with medication. Demon possession is a spiritual state that can only be resolved by the gospel.

So Jesus’s teaches with authority, then he demonstrates his authority, finally then this leads to

3. The Propagation of his Authority

Mark 1:27–28 (KJV 1900)

27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. 28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

Having heard him preach and watched Him at work the congregation of the synagogue were amazed.

This was different. This was not the normal Sabbath day experience. This was new. In fact it wasn’t new. It was the same everlasting truth that was there all along, but hidden beneath the weeds and debris of scribal traditions.

All Jesus did was clear away the rubbish, to reveal the truth – and the truth proved to be exciting and powerful.

It’s still exciting and powerful, but how we have gotten away from that. We have swopped the life changing power of the gospel for dead orthodoxy, and legalistic living, for rationalist thought or charismatic extremes.

The world is still crying out for faithful preachers of God’s word who practice what they preach, who live out the power of Christ in their daily lives and deliver the power Christ in the faithful, Spirit filled preaching of God’s Word.

When the door of the synagogue was opened that day, the tongues were wagging. “Immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.”

The astonishing authority of this Jesus character was spreading through word of mouth, this man was different, their was something special about him, he was sending shockwaves throughout the physical world and the spiritual world

Conclusion

As we close out this morning what are we to take from this account.

For the unbeliever.

You may feel that you are a pretty good person, as good as anyone else who attends this church or any other, and that may be. But did you know that without Christ dwelling in you, without knowing Him as you Saviour you are just as much in the grip of Satan as this man was, in Mark’s gospel.

Oh, you may not be possessed like he was, but the Lord Jesus said of those who have never exercised faith in Him that they are of their father the devil.

That is a sobering thought, is it not? And yet this same Jesus is able and willing to save you tonight, to release your soul from the grip of sin and wrong, to exchange you destiny from hell to Heaven,

Well for the believer, we are to understand it is our responsibility to spread the name of Jesus, we are to share the gospel, we are to share our testimonies, because we where once like this man, trapped and enslaved by our sin, but the one with all authority came into our lives and made us free

John 8:32 KJV 1900

32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

We know the truth, we know the one with such astonishing doctrine, different to anyone or any other teaching there is, and we have a duty to share that truth.

The servants of Christ are not to preach repentance on their own authority, or even on the authority of the Church of Christ, but they are to preach it on the authority of the Church’s ascended Head! “Repentance And Remission”, Volume 56, Sermon #3224 - Luke 24:47

Charles Spurgeon

Praise God for the Authority of the Word, but let’s tell people about the Word behind the authority.