Authority & Amazement

Opening Prayer (Praise & Petition)

Mark 1:25–28 LSB

25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26 And throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they were arguing among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” 28 And immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee.

Jesus is in the midst of his Galilean Ministry.

Jesus is leaving people in disbelief as He teaches with authority that defies the norm of religious leaders.

We see that a place is not holy, outside of the people of God gathering at any given place, such as the synagogue (or a church).

The unclean spirit acknowledges what is true without an internal transformation.

Church Folks and God’s folks are not the same thing. Church folks go to church. God’s folks are the Church. ~Anonymous

Main Point: Christ is the Only Authority that Transforms and Gives Life.

I. God Alone has the Authority to Command All Living Things. (v. 25-26)

Jesus does what no other teacher or leader is capable of doing, He quiets the Unclean Spirit.

The Unclean Spirit not only obeys Him, but acknowledges Him, also.

The Unclean Spirit causes pain and suffering, but it submits to the One who is the Holy One of God.

Colossians 2:15 LSB

15 Having disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them in Him.

In a civilization like ours, I feel that everyone has to come to terms with the claims of Jesus Christ upon his life, or else be guilty of inattention or of evading the question.

C. S. Lewis

II. God’s Activity in the World Leaves the Mundane in Shambles. (v. 27)

The setting of a synagogue as the background for this exchange is an indictment against the Pharisees and Scribes.

The witnesses are left wondering to a point of disbelief and numb dissonance.

The central concern is Jesus’ authority and its instant impact on creation.

Matthew 28:16–20 LSB

16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The synagogues had no full-time pastors or teachers; the policy known as the “freedom of the synagogue” allowed for anyone approved by the ruler of the synagogue to teach.

John F. MacArthur

III. The Authority of Jesus Christ Gives Life and Hope. (v. 28)

The nature and end of judgement … must be corrective, not vindictive; for healing, not destruction.

John Owen (Puritan Divine and Statesman)

The news of the scene at the synagogue, a place of education about Spiritual life, spreads far and wide.

The news of the radical divine authority of Christ goes out and will impact what Jesus experiences in other towns and regions.

What stands out about the message of Jesus, His authority, and his person is the result—Hope, Power, and Transformation

Always and everywhere the servants of Christ are under order to evangelize.

J. I. Packer

IV. The Hope We Have in Jesus.

We Must Encourage One Another Knowing Who is Our Master.

We Must Live Out From Our Transformed Lives.

We Must Live and Share a Contagious Faith Because of Our Lord and Savior.

Closing Prayer (Transition to Worship)