At Your Command

The message this morning is going to rock the very foundation of salvation for many of you. It would not surprise me at all if after hearing this message some will realize they have have not yet been born again and repent and be saved. If that is you this morning I don’t want you to be afraid or embarrassed if you need to make a decision this morning.

I remember as a child learning to respect the authority that was over me. I was taught to say things like “Yes Sir” and “Yes Ma'am.” Authority for me meant protection and safety. Growing up as a White kid Houston Texas in a good Christian home I really believed that people were for me and not against me. I could trust what my pastor was telling me. I believed that the spankings in my home were for my good. My teachers wanted to see me succeed and my bosses showed me favor.

But what do you do when the very people that are supposed to protect you turn against you. What do you do when someone uses their God given authority to hurt you and do you evil. Who do you trust? Who can you turn too?

What happens when your parent uses their authority to abuse and inflict harm or even molest you?

What happens when your husband that has vowed to love you beats you when no one is looking?

What happens when you are marginalized by the teachers at school?

What happens when your priest abuses the alter boys or the pastor uses you for his own personal gain?

What happens when the police that have sworn to protect can’t be trusted and break the very laws they are trying to enforce?

What happens when the judicial system falsely convicts people and sends them to prison or worse?

I’ll tell you what happens. People lose faith. They lose trust. Authority because the enemy instead of the safe place.

Once that you lose trust it’s hard to get it back. This is state of our world, our country, and our city.

In Texas we had some State troopers that attended our church. One of them told me a story of walking into a McDonald’s for a cup of coffee. There was a mother struggling to keep her son in line. She said,”You better be good or that police man’s going to get you.” The officer stopped and said to the mother, Please don’t say that. There might be a time that your son needs my protection and help. I want him to know that he can run to me and I will be there for him. I am not the enemy.

The Bible speaks a lot about the authority given by God and our need to respect the powers that be. But how can we trust with all the abuse going on?

As King Solomon is defining the meaning of life in Ecclesiastes, he touches on this subject in chapter 8. He now give of the second piece to the puzzle of life.

Fear God (Chapter 5)

Keep His Commandments.

Ecclesiastes 8:1 ESV

1 Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

Ecclesiastes 8:2 ESV

2 I say: Keep the king’s command, because of God’s oath to him.

Scripture: Defining the Passage

What King do you Serve?

There are 26 kings in the world today that rule 46 countries. Some are figure heads but some still rule as the supreme authority over their lands.

There is always a King.

“Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Lord Acton, A British historian in the 19th Century.

Because we live in a Republic with checks and balances, we don’t understand or desire anything with absolute power like a dictator or a king.

But what if there were a Righteous King, a King of love, a King of peace that always had our best interest at heart.

This is the beauty of the Gospel. The promise of the Messiah was a Righteous King that would sit on the throne of David and subdue all other authorities and kingdoms: to bring peace to the world through the power and love of God.

There are other gods and kings to serve in this world.

The ultimate powers of this world are not from this world. There is a whole other set of principalities and powers that control what goes on here.

Ephesians 6:10–12 ESV

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

All through the Old Testament God’s people had to choose which king they would serve. The gods of their forefathers of the Lord God of Israel.

As Jesus the Messiah or anointed one, God in the flesh, comes on the scene he demands the same choice.

Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

Jesus was not just a martyr for a cause, but Messiah and King.

Revelation 19:15–16 ESV

15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

When you receive the person of Jesus it can’t just be as your Savior it has to be as your King and Lord for that’s who he is.

The King has Authority.

Ecclesiastes 8:3–4 ESV

3 Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. 4 For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, “What are you doing?”

Matthew 28:18 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Salvation is not asking God to forgive your sin but to pledge allegiance to the King of kings and come under subjection of His authority.

Most people view salvation as sin management.

What do I need to do to absolve the penalties and consequences of my actions?

Is a person born again if they want forgiveness but reject the King that provides it?

They want the Savior without the Sovereign.

King Jesus has the authority to forgive you of your sin.

Romans 10:9 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Receiving Jesus as your Lord and King unlocks the redemptive work of the cross.

Romans 10:13 ESV

13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

When you submit to the King of Righteousness He becomes your advocate for Righteousness.

We don’t submit to the cross. We submit to the King.

Whom do you Obey?

Every obeys someone or something. A way, an idea, a person, a country. Submission is a part of life, it’s just a matter to whom or what you submit.

Where do you get your marching orders?

The government over you.

The family to which you were born.

The friends in your life.

Your Boss at work.

The Word of God

The Church you attend

King Jesus

Authorities Prioritized

The Word of the King

Psalm 138:2 ESV

2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

The Church

Family

Government

Boss

Friends

Obedience reveals allegiance.

Romans 6:15–16 ESV

15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

For those that have recieved Jesus as their Lord and King you would expect to see obedience to what the King has commanded.

Jesus said, “if you love me keep my commandments.”

Jesus said, “Why call you me Lord, Lord and not do the things that I say.”

Next Steps: Defining the Process

You must choose your King to submit and serve.

Quit trying to manage your sin and start living for the King.

Get your marching orders from the Holy Spirit and God’s Word.