Responces to Jesus Authority

This morning. We're going to be looking at Matthew chapter 21 verses 23 through 32. The word Authority is a strong word filled with meaning. When we hear the word thority there may be a certain intimidation about the word. We talked about the authorities and we rightfully have a sense of respect maybe a sense of all maybe the sense of fear. The word Authority denotes permission power control and influence when someone has Authority that means they're on top of other people. They have responsible responsibilities beyond the norm, they're able to determine things and to decide things to render judgments to wield certain rights and Privileges and we say in the home. There's a thority resting with the father with the parents in the government. There are authorities the police and those who govern Us in business in the job in any dimension of life. There are authorities people who have the privilege and the power and the permission to set the rules. To determine the judgments and the verdicts but there is one who has Authority that surpasses all other authorities in Matthew chapter 28 verse 16. Jesus said this all authority has been given to me in heaven and on Earth. That is an amazing claim the privilege and power in Jesus demonstrated that very well in his ministry. For example, when he had concluded The Sermon on the Mount it says in chapter Matthew chapter 7 verses 28 and 29. The people were astonished at his teaching for he taught them as one having Authority and not as the scribes you see he taught with authority and their particular culture that meant he quoted nobody. He footnoted nothing. He didn't say he had gotten this truth from some eminent Rabbi. He didn't say that this some commentary written by some respected person of another time. He just spoke with authority. In chapter 9 of Matthew ethio the paralyzed man and forgave his sin and the multitude saw it and marveled and glorified. God would given such a 40 on demand. Authority to say whatever he wanted to say and might make it binding on men you have authority to heal authority over disease yet authority to forgive sin. Enmark 122 in the synagogue he taught and they were astonished at his Chi-Chi free taught them as one having Authority and not as described. And then he was confronted in that same place with a demon-possessed man with an unclean spirit and he healed the man asking out the spirit and verses 27 and 28 says then they were all amazed so that they questioned among themselves saying what is this? What new doctrine is this for with authority He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him and immediately his Fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee. You got a thority to teach whatever he wanted and a footnote. No one yet authority to heal the sick to forgive sin and the cast out demons from Authority. In John 1:12, we read of another dimension of his authority. But as many as received him to them he gave the right to become children of God to those who believe his name. She had the authority make children of God for Memphis Authority get authority to teach whatever he wanted to teach to heal to cast out demons the forgive sin yet Authority determine the children of God and Grant that right in John 10 17 and 18 He says there for my father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one takes it from me. But I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again this command I have received from my father. Yeah, the 44 Zone Resurrection yet authority to give his life and to raise it from the dead. He had a thority to teach whatever he wanted to teach without any resource to heal the sick raise the Dead the cast out demons to forgive sin to designate children of God to give eternal life and to judge every person. Now he had so much Authority that he was a problem to the Jewish system because they believed that they were the authorities and they had a very highly developed and sophisticated system of authority and he absolutely ignored it. He never asked their permission for anything. You didn't ask them to approve his Doctrine. His healings is casting out of demons is verdicts in his judgments. He didn't ask them to help him decide who were the children of God or for their advice on how to give eternal life. You totally ignored them. When we say Jesus had Authority we mean not just that he had power but that he had privilege. God had given him the privilege of acting on his behalf in this world with no regard for the authority of men. It was given him by God and he said that again and again, he said John's gospel at least or times from chapter 5 to 8. I do what the father shows me to do. He had god-given Authority. And when he went into the temple early in his ministry in John Chapter 2 and he made a whip and he threw everybody out of the temple and he cleaned the place up and when he did the same thing at the end of his ministry, you didn't ask anybody's permission check with in with the Sanhedrin and say what are the rules for cleansing the temple? He didn't ask permission from anybody ever except the father and when he was released by The Father's permission and the father's will he saw no earthly approval no earthly credentials and because of that you have to understand that he pitted himself against the authority system that existed in a very dramatic way and ultimately it led to his death. You see the Jews were amazed and distressed and appalled that he acted without any approval and without any authorization. I mean, you just don't go in and cleanse the temple. He did what he wanted to he said what he wanted and he acted as he wanted such Behavior was absolutely unacceptable that you see rabbinical teaching had no inherent Authority the rabbi's quoted the rabbis who quoted the rabbis and that's the only Authority they ever had. And you had to get approval from the Sanhedrin you had to be ordained by the Sanhedrin to function as an accepted Rabbi to Jesus was his own authority because all authority has been given to him by God and he never had authorization from men for anything at all. In fact, he ignored their whole system of authorization and this sets of conflict all through his ministry. He's conflicted with existing authorities in the Jewish community. And it comes to a head this we come now to Matthew chapter 21, and it comes to a very severe conflict. Let me remind you the setting. Jesus has concluded is Galilean Ministry. He's crossed the Jordan River. He's entered Jericho heal two Blind Men. And now he in the midst of A procession procession having arrived in the vicinity of Jerusalem. He stays in the home of Mary Martha and Lazarus at first Saturday night on Sunday. You awakened in Bethany to a great crowd that it's wrong. Out of the city and gathered around the home to see him. They knew him as the miracle worker. They knew him as the one who had raised Lazarus from the dead and they wanted to see him and be with him and hear him and all of that. And so Sunday, he spent with the multitude of people would come to Bethany on Monday. He sent his disciples to find the Colt to bring him in for filling the prophecy of Zakaria. You got on that colt and rode triumphantly into the city of Jerusalem while they threw palm branches and clothing his path and hail him as Messiah. This was his triumphal entry. You came in on that Monday and that procession procession ultimately ended at the temple and then he returned to Bethany on Monday night to spend the night again in the home of Mary Martha and Lazarus Tuesday morning dawn. He went back into the city this time he went directly to the temple and when he came to the temple, he saw the wicked Devastation by the selfish money changers and animal Sellers and so he cleaned out the temple. And this infuriated the religious leaders who already despise him and wanted him dead and now the Flames are fanned even hotter. And when and when he is just finished cleaning up the temple little boys began to sing hosannas in the sing and praise him in this infuriated the leaders even more and when they see the temple being cleansed and then that cleansing young mask circuit pieocracy in false myths of the religious system. The religious leaders are threatened more severely than ever and when they hear the hosannas of those little boys, they know they represent the people were on his side and who are in Mammoth with him and in fear they work all the more fever asleep block is murder. They cannot tolerate a person who exposes their false worship who won masks the rabbit apocracy and so they must eliminate him as fast as they can before a religious Revolution takes place after cleansing the temple he returns the Bethany that night again,

And on Wednesday morning, he goes back to the temple again this time walking past the Fig Tree which he has been cursed and teaching his disciples. So profound lessons about false pretenses in the power of prayer and then Wednesday after having passed the fig tree for seeds directly to the temple and it is on Wednesday morning in the temple that we find him in verse 23 is cleanse the temple the day before and he now confronts the leaders and the people who are gathered there. It's almost as if he had to clean the place up before he could go back and minister. Now you begin to confrontation in verse 23 that doesn't end until the end of chapter 23. It's a long morning of confrontations and it builds up the Flames that ultimately lead to his crucifixion. Now if you look at Matthew 21:23 through 32, I want us to kind of just hang our thoughts on for ideas. Let's begin with the confrontation confrontation and verse 23. Now when he came into the temple the chief priests and the Elders of the people confronted him as he was teaching and said by what Authority are you doing these things and who gave you this Authority? Now, you know the issue is Authority. That's the whole issue here when he came into the temple. It says that was his Turf remember he didn't come to overthrow the Roman occupation. He came to clean up Israel. He was concerned with the state of the nation. Spiritually. He has no political Messiah. He was a savior and he came and confronted the heart of the nation where it needed to be confronted and that was at the point of its religion. So he came to the temple that's always the place where God has to begin his work. He's cleanse the place and now he takes Center Stage that Temple had a huge Courtyard and surrounding it where these high walls and pillars and in among those pillars with porches and Colonnades importicos and people with Mill all about especially at Passover. The place will be filled with people and especially having been cleansed that would invite even more people and then when Jesus came no doubt, it was just teeming with people and it says so note in verse 23 that he was teaching he went back but center stage in the cleanse Temple and the people were collected around him a vast multitude. We went into the temple and walking about a mix the mass of people he is teaching and preaching teaching the kingdom and preaching the gospel and no doubt. He talked about righteousness the hopelessness of self-righteousness and trying to attain salvation by your own good works and he must have talked about humility in the place for Brokenness and self emptying and bankruptcy of spirit and you must have talked about love the love of God and the love men's have forgot any must have talked about peace. He must have talked about the fact that God wanted to make peace with men not on a temporary basis but on a permanent basis The people really listened they were awestruck by him hopeful that he would fulfill all their dreams and expectations he had their ear and so we thought but the leaders they could see a religious Revolution taking place they were in a state of panic and they wanted him dead and so as he moves about teaching they confront him and they stopped is teaching they couldn't allow this to go on and they ask him by what Authority are you doing these things who gave you that Authority? Now you got to understand who this gang is. This is a big group. First of all, Matthew says the chief priests and the elders and those are very general terms to engulf a whole group of people. In other words, there's a large group of guys involved in wanting to bring Jesus ministry to a fast stop. It always fascinates me how people who can't get together on any other thing and get together against Jesus Christ. Have you noticed that? I mean here you got the Pharisees and Sadducees the herodians none of whom could agree with each other. You got all these Divergent rabbinical viewpoints coming together and everybody have their own Rabbi and everybody's own Rabbi have their own View and they can't get together on much of anything, but they can sure get together. I'm stopping Christ because of this. All religion that is a false religion has this in common. It is the religion of human achievement of works and it can be fine itself against the religion of divine compensation, which is the gospel. It's that way even today you can take all the religions of the world. And though they all disagree with each other. They can commonly Stand Together against the truth of Jesus Christ. It's amazing. What religion does to the truth? Swallow, these guys have been having a meeting and they've been plotting how to get rid of Jesus. They can't take what's going on the counters everything that they affirmed until they asked by what Authority do you do these things show us your ordination papers show us your credentials. Now, what do they mean by these things? Well, no doubt teaching and preaching but more than that cleansing the temple accepting the accolades of the crowd all of that and probably the Miracles and everything else. He did abandon demons forgiving sin. Whatever else. Where did you get the Authority for this? By the way, that's the same question. They asked him and John first time. He cleansed the temple who gave you the right to do that. That was a very strange thing for someone to do without authorization, but that's what Jesus did. Went to the temple of God made a whip and started throwing them out. You can imagine what that did to them as well as pitting him against their own authority and they wanted to know where he got his authorization. They wanted to know where he got his permission according to a Jewish historian. The Sanhedrin was the one that gave authorized ordination papers in a person who wanted to be ordained as a rabbi was ordained as a rabbi Elder judge because he was given the right to cheat the show wisdom and to make decisions of rendering verdicts. Those three functions combined one office. He had to be approved. And once he had his rabbinical authorization, he was recognized as a rabbinical e credentialed teacher, but Jesus had no such credentials. No such authorization. You just wielded Authority. And it was totally apart from anything within the Jewish system and they said where did you get this authority to do the things you do? That was the confrontation? Go look at the counter question and Jesus answered and said unto them in a typical rabbinical fashion. He answered a question with a question. I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell me I will tell you by what Authority I do these things. He says I'll answer your question. If you answer my question is not a dating answer. In fact, if they answered the question, they would have the answer to their question. He is giving them an opportunity honestly answer the question. You see they knew what Authority he acted on. They knew he had said many times that he did with the father showed him to do they knew that and I think they would have liked to have him say that again. And then they would have accused him of blasphemy and killed him because you remember earlier when he had claimed that he had Authority from God. They said that he had blasphemed making himself equal with God. But he didn't answer their question with an answer. He answered it with a question. And he says if you answer my question, I'll answer yours. And here comes this question 2 verse 25 and he's talking about John the Baptist. The baptism of John where was it from from heaven or from Men? That's a fair question. John the Baptist voice crying in the wilderness. I'll be on Jordan ready in the people for the Messiah everybody knew about him. The last prophet of the Old Testament age a great man. He had been out there in all Israel had been going to him and he had been saying the Messiah is near the Messiah is coming in. The people were saying we must be ready when the Messiah comes and they were confessing their sin and they were saying we want our hearts right so that when the Messiah comes we can receive him and his kingdom and so John was preaching a message of repentance a message of confessing sin. A message of Get Your Heart Right with God and then he was baptizing them in the Jordan River symbolize on the outside the n-word cleansing of their hearts and he was ready a people for the Messiah. He was gathering of people whose Hearts were ready for the coming of Messiah and all the nation was flocking out to him and excitement in the people believed it. And so it was this man out there collecting people ready for the Messiah and then one day Jesus walk down to the shore and John pointed to him and said Behold the Lamb of God taketh away the sin of the world and effect John said, he's the Messiah he's here. That when Jesus says the baptism of John he means the whole Ministry of John which was symbolized by his baptizing work. So he's saying you tell me That was the ministry of John the Baptist from God or for men. That's his question. And remember now, they're all there in this little game with all the rabbinical stop on their Priestly stuff and they the crowd is all around and they're a part of this you tell me was it heaven or men the ministry of John tough question. What's a they say it was from heaven? Then what do they have to admit? Jesus is Messiah because that's what John said if they say no it was a verse then. What's their problem? The whole nation believe he was from God and they're going to lose their credibility instantly everybody in the whole nation knows he's a prophet. How can you not conclude that you're supposed to be the people who figure out all these things. You're supposed to be the Observer a religious happenings. You conclude he's not a prophet. Everybody knows he's a prophet. So if they said he wasn't a prophet to avoid happy to say that Jesus was the Messiah they would lose their credibility with the people if they say he is a prophet of God, then they put themselves in a position to have to accept this message. So they called a huddle. Verse 25 and 26 says and a reason to Hmong themselves saying if we say from Heaven he will say to us why then did you not believe him but if we safe from When We Fear the multitude for all count, John is a prophet or if we say heaven will say that's why did you not believe him but if we say from Men We Fear the people because they believe John is a profit. So the people are going to say some religious leaders you are we don't need you. We know more than you do. So typical these guys were trained to ignore facts. They had trained themselves at that. It didn't matter what the evidence was. They could ignore it. It didn't matter what Jesus said it didn't matter what he did. It didn't matter how powerful is Miracles were I literally inexplicable. They were on a human bases. How utterly unanswerable was his teaching they still refuse to believe. What unbelief investigates truth? It comes up with the wrong answers because it's already predisposed to ignore the facts typical of people who come to look at the gospel message and look at the virtue of Jesus Christ already having convinced themselves that their way is right in the way of God is wrong and no matter how much evidence you give them. They still reject because that's the predisposition. So here's the astute answer of the mass of religious leaders of Israel verse 27, so they answered and said we don't know.

now it was their duty to be the acute Observer of religious matters. It was their duty to know and they ignored all the evidence because they would not be put in the position where they would have to admit Jesus Christ was the Messiah the hardness of their heart. And so verse 27 and he said to them neither will I tell you by what Authority I do these things. I'm not answering your question either. They rejected the light so he turned it off. I have nothing more to say to you and he really didn't he turned off the lights and when he was confronted before Caiaphas and Matthew 26:63. It says but Jesus kept silent never said a word you have nothing to say Matthew 27 12 and while he was being accused by the chief priests and Elders answered nothing. They had rejected him for so long that he rejected them. In Isaiah 63:10 God says that they rebelled and grieved his holy spirit. So he turned himself against them as an enemy and he fought against them. That's where they are. So the confrontation and the counter question. He's not through with them. Yes, nothing more to say to them of light but he does have something more to say to them of judgment and so in verses 28 through 31, we see the character up the characterization and it's very simple. But what do you think a man had two sons and he came to the first and said Son go work today in my Vineyard. He answered and said I will not but afterward he regretted it and went then he came to the second son and said likewise and he answered and said I go sir if he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father and they said to him the first? It's a parable very simple father has two sons. The reason you have a father and two sons here is because built into that relationship you have a responsibility for obedience. The father goes to his son. He runs a Vineyard. He says go to the vineyard and go to work. So I'm number one says I will not that afterwards he repents and goes send numbers to says I will and never does it would seem to me that somewhere around abbyson number three who says I will in a bit. But not in this story. You just have two bad ones. It's a characterization of humanity. What do you think he says which of the two did the will of his father and they say to him the first and their works. So excited to be able to answer a question thinking that it lasts. They've got one that wanted criminals at them. But it did the first guy was the guy who said he wouldn't but repented did Well, they were right that was the characterization of the parable. 4th is the connection. How does he connect that with them? And how does he apply that and this is devastating when they hurriedly answered the first they put themselves in the dire situation for a great rebuke in the verse 31 says Jesus said to them assuredly I say to you the tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom before you you see this is the religious Elite. These people are so moral. They're looking for the first vacancy in the Trinity around thinking. They are living under the illusion that God is thrilled with them because of their purity and tax collectors and harlots is a proverbial statement tax collectors of harlots were outcasts the scum of society. And Jesus says you were like that second son. You say we will and you never do you Fain to obey God, but you never do go in his Vineyard and live under his terms and obey his commands and on the other hand. There are the Rebels the society the tax collectors in the harlots Who start out rebelling but repent and do go into his Vineyard and I'll pay him. The point here is you have people who claimed obedience and don't obey people who deny obedience but ultimately do and that's the difference packs collectors of harlots go into the kingdom of God before you that is a strong statement and boy they have lost face in front of the crowd. He's not saying you're going to go in after them. He's sane they're going in and you're not religion doesn't get you into the kingdom. And sin repented of and forgiving doesn't keep you out. They were the worst of humanity, but the gospel tells us that in the ministry of John. It says many harlots believed on him. It was the people who were overwhelmed with their sin and they came down to John and they said we got to get ready for the kingdom if the messiah's coming we got to get ready you want to confess we want to repent of our sins. But when the Pharisees came down and John was baptizing and John says you snakes who warned you to flee from the Wrath to come you better bring forth fruits unto repentance because the Messiah is coming and when he gets here, he's going to take the ax and he's going to lay it at the root of the tree and he's going to separate the wheat and the chaff and he's going to start a furnace of Fire. In other words, he gave them a hold of judgement message. He was taking the centers in and they were confessing and repenting and being baptized in a baptism of repentance to get ready for the Messiah and the religious leaders were coming and not accepting the message and not believing it all and not repenting and he says because of that you're like son number two who says? Oh, yes God, we will obey you and then you never do And on the other hand, these Rebels have turned to repent and Obey. That's why in Matthew 23:3. He says to those same religious leaders there for whatever they tell you to observe that observe and do but do not do according to their works for they say and do not do they say they obey God they don't then Matthew 2132. For John came to you in the way of righteousness. And here he answers his question was John's Ministry from heaven or you came in the way of righteousness. Not just with the message of righteousness in the way of righteousness. You didn't just have a good word. He was a good man is way with a way of righteousness of virtue of morality and godliness. He was a good man. Holy man a righteous man, and he had a righteous message as well as a righteous life and Siri came with righteous example and message in verse 32. And you did not believe him with tax collectors and harlots believed him and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him. You heard it good man, speak a good word and you refuse to believe it that's indictment enough and that he gives him another indictment but the tax collectors harlots believed him. They believed him. They heard John they accepted his message and they repented then this and when you thought you did not talk afterward relent and believe him. That's a double indictment. He says you saw a man with a rat's life preach righteous message. And you don't believe it. When you saw tax collectors and harlots repent and have their lives transformed. You didn't even believe after seeing that in other words you rejected the message and you rejected the power that you saw in the prophet of God just like today you can sit and listen to the preacher preach. You can listen to The Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can listen to the saving message of Jesus Christ.

You could walk away.

and you can say I'll never believe that. I will not believe the message that word preach by John that word preach by Jesus that word preach Brian preacher today. I will not believe it. That's your first indictment. And then come to suck an indictment because you two have sat and seen the power that gospel transform lives. And you've seen people's lives changed. and their lives transformed after you've seen that still don't believe that's a double indictment. In the word that was seeing this those man is a word to final judgment word of Doom word of Hell hopelessness for those who have been exposed to the full light of the Son of God and the full light of the prophet of God. They seen it all. They heard it all and they wouldn't believe the message. We wouldn't have believed transforming power. And so he turns out the light end of discussion. Thought you looked at your own heart. What did you see? You believe the message. How about the transforming power? Can you deny that? My spirit will not always strive with man. The Lord didn't always strive even with his own rebellious hard-hearted willfully blind people and he won't with man today either. And no man should know the wrath of God should fall under the wrath of God the condemnation that comes to believers.

Fountain Square

all your heads bowed

Miss closing moment. Want to think on things that you've heard? Jesus with his own authority you didn't need to be approved by ma'am. He didn't need authorization from a false religious system. You spoke and did what God told him to say and do. over and over again you revealed himself as he does now through his word through his power. You've heard his message you seen his transforming power in the lives of others. You stand with these religious leaders who willfully reject in spite of all that you've heard and all that you've seen. Open your heart Christ receive him as Savior Lord Master King. This is your day. Father we pray that each of us might sense the working of the spirit of God in our hearts and that no one would go away without knowing Christ without coming to him and faith. Take the scales off the eyes and stop the death of years. Melt hard Hearts your name, we pray. Amen. IQ