Take Your Seat

Prayer

Question of Authority

I’ve been making my way through TV show, Castle, a police detective drama, and noticed how often when the main characters come into a building - they are confronted, all they have to do it pull out the badge, NYPD, no more questions. Hey, you’re not allowed in here…NYPD.

It’s a badge that carries a lot of weight. A badge of authority. That authority is for a purpose - to serve and protect.

If they didn’t assert their authority, they couldn’t fulfill their purpose, they couldn’t serve and protect the citizens of New York city.

Story of New York Times Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Walter Duranty, won in year 1932 for his coverage of Russia and the Communist economic policies being worked out there through Josef Stalin’s Five Year Plan.

Sadly, what he wrote wasn’t true. He wrote a glowing review of how successful the Five Year plan was working out, all the wonderful things being provided for the Russian people because of this bold new economic system.

Except it didn’t work out well at all for the Ukrainians (where most of the grain was grown that provided food) - they were being starved out, denied their own food. This man-made famine caused one of the greatest genocides of all time, called the Holodomor, somewhere between 5.7 and 8.7 million Ukrainians died of starvation in 1932-33.

Duranty abused his authority - he was sent by the newspaper to gather the news, tell truth, the real story of what was happening with Joseph Stalin and his implementation of Communism in Russia - but he was enjoying too much the lavish lifestyle he was able to live there in Moscow, courtesy of Russian government.

Why do I share all this? Because of the final piece of the puzzle of our sermon series, Made New. How do we join in God’s wonderful promise that he is making all things new. Piece I want to talk about this morning is the part that’s most often neglected

We talked about how we want to get rid of the old sin nature in us, join with Jesus in dying to sin

Last Sunday we talked about how we take on the new, join with Jesus in rising to new life, share in his resurrection life

But there’s one more aspect, one more way we unite with Jesus in faith - we join with Jesus in his ascension, rising up to heaven to take his place sitting on the right hand of God the Father Almighty. We take our seat along with Jesus.

Significant part - when Jesus takes his seat at the right hand of the Father, that seat is a throne. He is taking his place of ultimate authority, as Lord. Jesus takes his rightful place as Lord of heaven and earth.

Here’s our main point: You and I, by joining with him through faith, share in that authority. We reign with Jesus. To be made new, to take our seat, is to live not just under the authority of Jesus, but in it. I want to talk about what that means for us.

Shared Authority

Jesus has established You and I in his authority

When we say that Jesus has authority, we mean he has authority. Jesus has all authority. In Ephesians 1, Paul is praying for the church to know the power of God, he goes on to describe that power in verses 19-21...

That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

Power and authority of Jesus is so much greater than anyone’s - far above, it’s not every close

Paul wants to make sure every base is covered, all rule, all authority, all power, all dominion - any name you can come up with - not just now but any time in future. Jesus is above. He is Lord.

Napoleon Bonaparte, the emperor who ruled over France and most of Europe said this about Jesus: I marvel that whereas the ambitious dreams of my self, Caesar, and Alexander should have vanished into thin air, a Judean peasant—Jesus—should be able to stretch His hands across the centuries and control the destinies of men and nations.

That’s what the Bible means that Jesus is seated at God’s right hand, that he has all authority.

But it’s not just him, we, too, share in that (this is really incredible): Ephesians 2:6 - And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

This is not just about having a seat reserved for us, a place to sit. When we are seated with Jesus, we sit with him on his throne. This is explicitly stating that we share in the power and authority of the one who is lord of all. We reign with Jesus.

Rev. 3:21 - To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

2 Timothy 2:11-12 - Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him.

It really is an amazing thing, another reason why we can trust God (and why it’s so important for us to do so) because we don’t do well with power

Conflict between us and God has always been about the will, the power - who has say-so over our lives.

We resist God’s will over our lives, we want control

There may be some areas that we willingly submit ourselves to God, recognize that his will for us is best way to live. But there are areas that we don’t fully trust him, his way - and we want to be able to decide where we surrender and where we don’t.

We want self-will, rather than absolute giving over of our will to his authority, complete surrender

But God knows we don’t do well on our own (our willfulness, our sin, always lead to death - that’s why he had to send Jesus to come save us).

That’s why he wants to make us new, change our hearts - for us to join with Jesus in dying to sin and rising to new life. He wants to help us become type of people he can entrust power to (like Jesus!)

Think about people to whom we entrust power to in our society - give power to government officials, judicial system (police, judges, prosecuting attorneys) - We want to entrust it to people who will use that power well, for good of community - to serve and protect, ensure justice, to protect rights of its citizenry

True in church as well. Pastors have spiritual authority. At the beginning of this month, when we installed Sherry & Chad as elders, you made a vow to accept them as leaders, to respect their decisions, to follow their guiding. You entrusted authority to them.

In all of these cases, we have to put checks and balances, stop gaps, to ensure that whoever is given authority doesn’t abuse it - use it for their own good, assert too much control over lives of others, harm others.

The police officer too quick to use excessive force, the pastor involved in sexual misconduct, the judge who takes bribes in deciding cases

Erwin McManus - power doesn’t corrupt, it reveals. When we’re given authority, it reveals our character (exert our will). Why new making begins with dying to sin and selfishness, embracing newness of Jesus, and then sitting with Jesus, entrusting with authority

God knows our hearts. God will not entrust his divine power to us until we become people who can be trusted with power.

Here’s an important as we consider this God-given authority: Authority to do what? To represent God. To serve as Kingdom ambassadors

Idea of an ambassador - represent their homeland, given authority by that king, that government, to represent them in all matters to a foreign nation.

This is exactly what was happening when Jesus sent out the disciples, two by two, into all the local towns and villages. In Luke 9 it tells us that “Jesus called them together, and gave them the power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases. And he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”

Jesus gave them power and authority and then sent them out. You do this in my name, as my representatives.

The message I’ve been proclaiming, good news that Kingdom of God is at hand? You go now in my name and share that message. I authorize you to do that.

Same thing with power to drive out demons and heal the sick - Jesus is giving them authority over demons, over sickness - to give people a taste of God’s kingdom (he makes all things new).

It’s no wonder the disciples come back at the end of their travels and they declare to Jesus, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” They’d never experienced that kind of power and authority before (these guys were commoners, caught fish for a living, collected taxes) - yet here Jesus is, giving it to them!

And he does the same for us: 2 Corinthians 5:17-20...

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

This is everything we’ve been talking about in this series - if you are in Christ, you are made new. Old is gone, here’s the new! It’s all from God, he did it, he reconciled us to himself through Jesus. And then God gives us that same ministry, ministry of reconciliation, we become Jesus ambassadors.

We are to go to those who are enemies of God, opposed to his Kingdom, and offer them the opportunity to be reconciled to King, to come willingly under reign of Kingdom of God, experience the new-making work of Jesus in their lives.

We carry that authority as ambassadors. We are to represent Jesus wherever we go. We are to proclaim the message. And at times, God gives us power to bring healing and freedom into lives of others - sometimes through our words and our love, sometimes through his divine power.

This is what it means for us to take our seats, to join with Jesus in being seated at the right hand of God. We assume authority we have in Jesus Christ.

Why it’s so essential we join with Jesus in his new making work in us

For us to become Kingdom First people, represent interests of King, not our own. So we can do what he’s commanded us to do:

We see same command in Matthew 28:18-20, shortly before Jesus ascends in heaven to take his seat at the right hand of the Father: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus is speaking out of his authority, authorizing us - go, do this, in my name. And what are we to do in name of Jesus, as his Kingdom ambassadors - to all other nations? Invite them to come into Kingdom of God!

Baptizing them - which is joining with Jesus in his new making

Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

So, let’s take our seats

Take seriously that God has placed us here in this neighborhood. We are God’s kingdom outpost, an embassy in a foreign land, to represent God to people in this community, inviting them - not because our priority is seeing our church grow, but because we want to see more people be reconciled to him, experience his new-making in their lives.

Let’s take seriously that God is placing you in lives of others

Often, we have inclination - that’s not my place. I can’t get involved there. But if we do that we’re forsaking the authority God has given us in Jesus.

Can you imagine a police officer watching a crime being committed, “that’s not my place, no concern of mine.” Yes, it is. Exactly authority they’ve been given - why they have a gun and a badge.

Or a government official who refuses to address an issue in community? Why authority has been given to them.

God places all of us in the lives of others as his Kingdom representatives, to proclaim good news in his name, to offer reconciliation in his name. To bring healing, to serve, to love in his name. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me…therefore, go and make disciples of all nations.

This is the main point - take your seat! Join in, dying to sin (out with old), rising to new life (newness of Jesus), seated with him (his authority to go).

Spiritual Disciplines

*Prayer of John Eldredge / Wild at Heart, includes all three aspects of joining with Jesus (post the full prayer next week)

Second way to put this into practice: Bring it before God what your specific Kingdom role is. As a church, we’ve claimed two areas - Capernaum, go as Kingdom ambassadors into lives of young men and women who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, and two, this neighborhood (encouragement to pray every time you drive in, door hangers, Second Sunday Suppers).

My experience as a Young Life leader - strange experience, walking into a high school cafeteria (you’re not supposed to be there). Who does that? Someone who’s been given authority of Jesus (and permission of principal). Serve a greater purpose, higher mission. This is an entirely different way of viewing your life, to see yourself as a Kingdom ambassador. But that’s what we are (take our seats).

But where is your place? To whom have you sent me? You’ve been placed by God in your neighborhood. In your place of work. Within your family. Friendships God has given you.

Bring it before God what your specific Kingdom role is (maybe it’s just one person God is calling you to disciple) - go, do it. Take your seat. Go in the name of Jesus, in his authority. Be the neighbor who’s willing to knock on the door and start building that relationship. Call that old friend up and invite them to lunch. Come join us at Capernaum, be a leader. Pray for those people daily.

Let Me Finish with this: Inspiration

This is the journey, when we talk about being made new in Jesus. It’s the move from death to life, old to new.

Years ago, I was part of a college Bible study on story of Joseph (Joseph was one sold into slavery by his brothers, later thrown in to prison, and then, miraculously was raised up to become second in command over all Egypt). Series was called Pit to the Palace.

That’s us! We go from being enslaved to enthroned. This is God’s new-making plan for us. That’s my deep desire for you, that you would trust this is true - God is making all things new, including you and I.

Join in with Jesus in that new-making work…dying to sin, rising to new life, taking your seat with Jesus on throne. Enslaved to Enthroned.