Manly Authority

INTRODUCTION:

There is an epidemic among men. It is destroying men, families, churches, and communities at an alarming rate.

It is the epidemic of passivity.

It isn’t new. It has been around since the creation of man. It’s what infected Adam when he stood by and allowed the Serpent to deceive Eve.

Sin came into the world while Adam watched and did nothing. And it seems from that moment on, the enemy knew he could wreak havoc on the world if he could just get men to be passive.

What makes this passivity all the more damaging is that there exists a subtle (and no so subtle) attacks from the evil one all around us on our spouses, children and people we love.

It’s a silent assault but damaging nonetheless.

Many men, who would never stand back and watch their wife or child be physically assaulted, will stand by while they are being spiritually assaulted.

Our passivity seems harmless but it’s not. It’s doing incredible damage by not proactively guarding people against the silent attacks of Satan.

Much like Adam in the garden, we don’t see what’s at stake when we are passive.

I don’t think Adam ever imagined the long-term consequences of his inactivity. But he should have. His passivity was only matched by his obliviousness. He had no excuse.

We will never see how damaging our passivity is unless we understand how real the assault, and the assaulter is. Ephesians 6 says,

We tend to think our greatest struggles are with the people and situations we can see.

But according to Ephesians 6, our greatest battle is an unseen one that is being waged in the spiritual places.

Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10).

Satan is aggressive, subtle, and smart. You must actively resist him.

This was not hyperbole. Jesus is talking about a very real enemy who has plans to destroy you, your family, your church, and your community. And he is not passive!

Peter says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world” (1 Pet. 5:8–9).

Do you believe that? Honestly. Do you believe that?

Do you believe there is a very real enemy out there who is daily assaulting you, and his goal is to devour you?

Do you see how this type of spiritual assault could be more eternally damaging than any physical assault?

Peter’s use of imagery is interesting. Why would he choose a lion as a picture of how Satan wants to devour us?

Because lions are brilliant and fierce hunters. The imagery reveals how dangerous the enemy is.

He knows how to hunt and devour. The reality of this demonic lion should make us vigilant.

Satan wins when we are passive. Peter is clear that we can defend ourselves against him if we choose to.

He does not have to win; his power is real, but limited nonetheless. He wins when we fail to be sober-minded, watchful, and active in resisting him.

Passivity Allowing Assault

What if your tendency toward spiritual passivity was allowing you and those around you to be assaulted in ways you couldn’t see or even begin to imagine?

What if all the little things you are not doing are more damaging than the things you are doing?

What if, like Adam, you are standing aside while those you love are easy prey for the lion? This happens every day. It happens in moments like this:

You are struggling with pornography. You resist community and Christian friendship. Instead, you begin to isolate yourself. You fail to confess your sins, and refuse accountability. You hide from God, and others.

You have a problem with anger. You know it. Your family knows it. You know you need help. But you keep it a secret, and the anger continues to grow.

You have an argument with your wife. It does not end well. Anger and resentment begin to well up inside of you. You know you need to talk it out, but you choose to do the easy thing—nothing.

You know there are ethical issues in your company, but ignoring them will lead to fewer problems. So, you look the other way.

You hear one of your children talk back to your wife. Your wife tries to get him to obey, but he ignores her. You just got home from work, you’re tired, and you don’t want to deal with it. So, you don’t.

Your daughter pushes back when you tell her that what she is wearing is immodest. You know she shouldn’t wear it, but you can’t stand seeing her disappointed, so you give in.

Your teenage children don’t feel like going to church. So, you let them make their own decisions.

There is gossip in the church that you know is wrong. You hear it—you’re even on the receiving end of it—but you don’t confront it. You decide to act like you don’t know anything about it, or shrug it off like it’s no big deal.

These types of situations might seem harmless, but this is exactly how the enemy works.

This is how the enemy begins to assault you or the ones you love.

Just think about the case of the unresolved argument with your wife. Leaving that unresolved is certainly easier. None of us wants to get into a long conversation at 10 p.m. But not dealing with it gives the enemy a foothold in your marriage and will lead to greater issues.

Your passivity has allowed the enemy to assault you, your wife, and your family.

Passivity is always easier. But godly men don’t do what is easy; they do what is right.

What is the solution to this passivity? How can we take our stand and protect ourselves and those we love?

How can we remain firm against those kinds of demonic assaults?

Instead of walking in fleshly passivity, God is calling you to walk in kingdom authority.

Titus Connection

My favorite verse in Titus is the last verse of chapter 2. Titus had been given an incredibly difficult and complicated assignment.

He was to identify new leaders and openly oppose the ungodly men in the church and silence them.

Then, in chapter 2 Paul tells Titus to give specific instruction to the older men, older women, younger men, and younger women.

He is then to help them understand the nature of the gospel and how it is to transform them into people who are zealous for God.

After telling Titus all the things he needed to do, the people he needed to confront, and the changes he needed to make, Paul says this: Titus 2:15

Titus 2:15 CSB

15 Proclaim these things; encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Paul knew that Titus was walking into a battle. This entire church had been assaulted by godless and rebellious men who were destroying it from the inside out.

They had to be dealt with. Passivity was not an option. Titus had to walk in his God-given kingdom authority.

Your Kingdom Authority

In Luke 9, Jesus sends out His inexperienced disciples to proclaim the gospel and heal. They had been watching Him do these things, and now it was their turn.

As He sent them out, He gave them two indispensable things: power and authority.

Today, Christ has given you the same two weapons to use as you seek to be a man of God and advance the kingdom of God.

In Matthew 28:18–20, Jesus leaves you with authority.

In Acts 1:8, He gives you power.

The power and authority of Jesus have given you everything you need to be the man God has called you to be and fulfill the work He has called you to do.

Without these two, you don’t have a chance.

If you grew up in church, you most likely learned about power—the kind of power that flows from the filling of God’s Spirit and is given for the fulfillment of God’s mission.

Without the filling of the Holy Spirit, you will never manifest the life of Jesus Christ or accomplish the work of Christ.

Although the Holy Spirit gets less attention than the Father and the Son, most of us are at least familiar with the power of the Spirit.

But sadly, most people have never thought about authority.

Yet, the authority of Jesus and the authority given to every believer in Jesus is just as crucial for you in fulfilling your God-given assignments as the power of the Spirit.

Kingdom authority can be defined this way:

Kingdom authority is the right and responsibility to act and rule under the king, on behalf of the king, and for the king.

A man of God does not have the right to be passive. This is why understanding authority is so crucial.

Jesus And Authority

There is no greater example of kingdom authority than the earthly life and ministry of Jesus.

Jesus reveals to us what it means to walk both under authority and in authority.

We see this most clearly in the story of the centurion who came to Jesus and asked that his servant be healed. He said,

“Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” (Matt. 8:6–9)

This centurion would have understood authority.

As the leader of around 100 men, he understood what it means to be in authority.

When he told his men to do something, they did it. But, as a part of a much larger legion, he also understood what it meant to be under authority. When his leader told him what to do, he did it.

He was in authority and under authority. When he approached Jesus, he viewed Jesus in the same way. And Jesus marveled at his discernment.

Jesus consistently talked about being a man under authority.

John records more of these statements than anyone.

Jesus regularly talked about His inability to do anything without the Father and His commitment to accomplish nothing but the will of the Father (John 5:30–36; 6:35–39; 12:44–50).

Jesus even said that He did not speak on His authority, but on the authority of the one who sent Him (John 14:1–14).

Jesus lived as a man under authority.

And yet, no one expressed more authority than Jesus.

In Mark 1 alone, Jesus demonstrated His authority over temptation (Mark1:12–13), in His teaching (Mark1:22), over demons (Mark 1:21–26), and over sickness (Mark1:29–34).

Jesus was a man called to walk under authority and in authority. And so are we.

Walking Under

The reason we are often hesitant to talk about walking in authority is that we have seen so many abuses of authority.

But the reason authority is most often abused is that men try to walk in authority without walking under authority.

To walk under authority means to walk in complete submission to the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we choose to trust and follow Jesus, we are saying, “I surrender myself fully to You.” And this is not a one-time declaration. This is our daily disposition.

Our very identity as a follower of Jesus is that we no longer belong to ourselves, but to the one who called us to Himself (1 Cor 6:20).

But not only do you live as fully surrendered servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, you also live in daily dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

Living as one under authority means you are ready, willing, and even eager to be radically obedient to Jesus.

We are called to be good soldiers, ready to engage in any battle God calls us into.

We must be willing to step into the battle and walk in our authority when God tells us to.

Men of God are not looking for conflict. We are not eager for it. But we are eager to do whatever God calls us to do.

You don’t have a right to be passive. You are not your own; you have been bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19–20).

Passivity is refusing to live as if you are under the control of Jesus Christ. It is acting as if you are your own man with no regard to the fact that you exist for Jesus.

Passivity is not just a bad habit; it is rebellion against God.

Here is the key: you cannot be over the things God wants you to be over unless you are under the things God wants you to be under.

You cannot lead yourself, your family, your church, or any other area of life unless you are being led by the Spirit of God.

You must get yourself in a proper position of humble submission, receiving your orders from King Jesus, and then walking in obedience to whatever He calls you to do.

And if you live under the authority of Jesus and under the control of the Spirit, your expression of authority will always manifest the life of God.

Walking In Authority

The more you walk under authority, the more you are able to walk in authority.

How do we walk in authority? First, you express your authority by standing.

Most of us understand we have died with Christ and have been raised with Christ.

But did you realize that you are also united with Jesus in His ascension? Listen to these words,

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace, you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:4–6)

Paul already told them that Christ is seated “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Eph. 1:21).

What that means is that in the same way you are united with Jesus in His death and resurrection, making you dead to sin and alive in Him, you are united in His ascension, giving you authority over all of your enemies in the heavenly places.

What in the world gives you the power to fight against sin and the attacks of the enemy?

The authority you have as one who is united with Christ.

If you believe what Jesus says about the devil, then you know the enemy wants to destroy everything and everyone in your life.

If you believe what Jesus says about your union with Him, you know you have the right and responsibility to take your stand against Satan.

When is the last time you think Satan tried to hurt you, your family, or your church?

When is the last time you engaged in spiritual warfare?

Do you think Satan is working more actively against you than you are working against him?

Do you think your passive approach in spiritual warfare will be sufficient to fight him and his schemes?

Take your stand! Walk in your authority.

Fight with the authority that has been given you in Christ.

Second, you express your authority by leading.

Where do you lead? Wherever God has given you positions and opportunities to do so.

Nothing grieves me more than watching men fail to lead their wives and children.

Before a man can effectively lead anyone or anything, he must first lead his family and his home.

This is why, for a man to be a pastor, he must have shown that he can lead his family (Titus 1:6; 1 Tim. 3:5).

Men, pray with your wife. Initiate conversation. Deal with conflict. Make sure you don’t go to bed angry. Lead out of your repentance, service, and humility.

Be the first one up on Sunday morning ensuring that your family goes to church.

Make the hard decisions and tell your kids you will not let them sacrifice church for something of lesser importance.

They don’t make these decisions, you do. If you let your children make those decisions, you are giving away your authority.

Finally, you express your authority by protecting.

What should Adam have done when Satan approached his wife and began to lie to her? He should have taken his stand against the enemy on her behalf.

He should have protected her. He should have sacrificed himself, if necessary, in order to protect her from the one who was trying to destroy her.

Fathers, you are called to protect your daughters from boys until they are ready to pursue a relationship that leads to marriage.

You are called to protect their moral purity by not allowing them to dress immodestly. This is your job.

Fathers, you are called to protect your sons from foolishness by teaching them the way of wisdom and talking openly and honestly with them about the temptations they will face.

As the father talks to his son in the book of Proverbs (chapters 1–9), we initiate conversations about the most serious issues in life.

God has not only given you the right to do those things; He has given you the responsibility to do those things.

This kind of leadership in the life of your children is an expression of your God-given kingdom authority.

It is your job to protect your children against pornography and predators by not allowing them unmonitored access to phones.

It is your job to protect your kids from foolish decisions by saying “no” to them. You are the protector. This is not just physical; it also refers to moral and spiritual protection.

You cannot stand aside when you see injustice. You cannot stand aside when you see someone under attack.

Like Jesus, you must be willing to lay down your life for the good of others. God has given you a sword for a reason. You are a protector.

And most of the time, that looks like being a deeply rooted man of God who stands in the gap for those under spiritual assault.

Don’t forget, there is a lion on the loose, and he is after you and your family. Put up the proper protections. Take your stand. Don’t let the lion prevail.

Conclusion

Learning to be a man who follows Jesus and embraces his God-given authority is hard.

Passivity is so much easier. It’s always easier to stay unengaged. It’s always easier to remain quiet.

It’s always easier to let someone else raise your kids. It’s always easier to ignore that the lion exists. It’s always easier to just not decide. It’s always easier to ignore the conflict.

But the results are devastating.

Your failure to walk in your God-given kingdom authority will have devastating and eternal consequences. So embrace God’s calling on your life, and don’t give up.

And remember, kingdom authority is about the right and responsibility to act and rule under the king, on behalf of the king, and for the king.

Finally, don’t allow this to overwhelm you. Be encouraged. Being convicted of any area of deficiency is a work of grace in your life and gift from God. This is first and foremost about God calling you to live in submission to Him.

Then, to allow His authority, filled with grace, kindness, and justice, to flow through you to others. This is a wonderful calling. So, take the next step. Whatever that might be. And pray that God would give you the grace to persevere.

Discussion Questions

1. Initial thoughts … What resonates with you about this chapter? Is this idea new to you?

2. Can you think of any specific ways in which you have seen the negative effects of passivity from men?

3. In what areas do you tend to be the most passive? Why? What keeps you from leading the way you should?

4. Walking in authority means standing, leading, and protecting. In what specific areas do you need to walk in more authority?