Power

Intro

Many of you have heard this quote. It was from a letter written by 19th century English historian Lord Acton when he wrote to Bishop Mandell Creighton regarding the need to use the same moral and ethical standards of judgment for all men regardless of their position or influence.

In the letter he wrote “power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely”. He wrote this to convey his sense that as people increase in power, they equally decrease in moral sensibilities.

You see there was a prevailing belief in the day that those in the most power such as Popes, and Kings were of such high moral character that their actions should never be questioned. Lord Acton believed the opposite to be true.

In his eyes, power was dangerous. And the more a person had, the more likely they were to not be a very good person.

There have actually been studies done on the subject. In fact psychology professor Dacher Keltner has been studying what he calls the Power Paradox for the last 20 years.

Through studying colleges, the US Senate, pro sports teams, and a variety of other professional workplaces, professor Keltner has observed that most people who rise to power initially do so through traits and actions that advance the interests of others.

empathy

collaboration

openness

fairness

sharing

However, once they start to feel powerful or enjoy a position of privilege, those feelings start to fade.

In fact they start to engage in rude, selfish, and unethical behavior.

This shift can happen surprisingly quickly. In one experiment, known as “the cookie monster” study, professor Keltner brought people into a lab in groups of three, randomly assigned one to a position of leadership, and then gave them a group writing task.

A half hour into their work, he placed a plate of freshly baked cookies—one for each team member, plus an extra—in front of everyone.

In all groups each person took one and, out of politeness, left the extra cookie. The question was: Who would take a second treat, knowing that it would deprive others of the same?

It was nearly always the person who’d been named the leader.

Power can be a dangerous thing, in fact we see in the Bible the devastating effects of someone who did not know how to manage the power they had been given.

All one has to do is look at the history of the Kings of Israel and Judah to see that truth played out.

This morning is the final message in our series on idolatry. Over the last several weeks we have looked at the strong warning in both the old and new testament as it relates to idolatry.

We’ve said that idolatry simply put, it looking to something to give you what only God can give.

It is elevating something to a place of worship and adoration that belongs to God alone.

We discovered that Paul attributed idolatry to being the cause of a society that is given over to a depraved mind in Romans chapter 1.

We have also been looking at a few areas of our lives where idolatry tends to be a problem.

This morning, our final area is in the topic of power and authority.

And like many of the idols we have been discussing. Power and authority in of themselves are not bad things. God in scripture and in our experiences raises his followers up into positions of power and authority to make a difference in this world and to make an impact on the Kingdom of God.

However, like anything, if unchecked and harnessed properly, power has the ability to become an idol that we worship rather than a tool we use to worship God.

Power in the Text

Many of you are familiar with the story of King Herod in Matthew 2. It is often read from during the Christmas season because of its connection to the the magi and the birth of Jesus.

King Herod, also known as Herod the Great was the King of Judea (land of the tribe of Judah) and a loyal servant to the Roman empire.

King Herod the great was known for his massive building projects, including a renovation project of the temple in Jerusalem.

King Herod was also known as a violent, power hungry ruler who didn’t hesitate to kill anyone. If fact King Herod had the favorite of his 10 wives strangled to death because she was mouthy and killed two of his own sons because he felt they were a threat to his power.

There was a popular saying at the time that went “better to be one of Herod’s pigs than his sons”.

So it should be no surprise to anyone that Matthew 2 describes an event where King Herod demanded that every boy around Bethlehem under the age of 2 be executed.

Let’s look at what led to such a horrific event.

Matthew 2:1-4 NLT Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

Here we have someone who is already power hungry. And he learns of a new king

Into that volatile situation, the magi or wise men appear in Herod’s court to ask him where the new king was to be born (Matthew 2:2).

Herod is troubled. If you were the CEO of a company, and the press called to ask who the new CEO was, because they’d heard you were replaced, you would be troubled too. That’s understandable.

So after consulting with the Jewish priests and experts in the prophetic scriptures, Herod learns that this king, or messiah was to be born in Bethlehem.

Matthew 2:7-12 NLT 7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Herod is an example of someone who idolized power by what he tries to do to the magi. He first figures out that the new king must be in Bethlehem (v. 6).

He then asks the magi to go look for this king so that he too can “worship him” (v. 8). However, this is not his real intent (v. 12).

In an attempt to hold onto his power, he tries to trick them; but in turn, he ends up being tricked (v. 16).

Matthew 2:16 NLT 16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.

How does he respond? He orders all the male children two years or younger in Bethlehem to be killed (v. 16). Herod’s actions toward the innocents show the extent of his idolatry

Big Idea/Why it Matters

Herod seems like an extreme case. However there are others throughout history that resorted to extreme measures in order to hold onto power or at the very least not give anyone the chance to take it away from them.

As the Allied armies encircled Berlin toward the end of World War II, Hitler and the top officers and bureaucrats of the Nazi Reich gathered in an underground bunker.

As the situation became increasingly grim, Hitler, his new wife committed suicide.

Afterward the Nazi district leader of Berlin, Joseph Goebbels; the last and highest ranking Nazi officer who remained at Hitler’s side became chancellor of Germany.

However, his rule did not last long. Just one day later he and his family also committed suicide.

Magda Goebbels, Joseph’s wife said, “The world that comes after the Führer … is not any longer worth living in and therefore I took the children with me. … They are too good for the life that would follow”. So her and her husband poisoned all six of their children and committed suicide themselves.

Power can be intoxicating, and unfortunately we have seen its devastating effects not only in our worldly leaders, but in our Churches as well.

Consider the number of Christian leaders who we have discovered allowed their power and influence to cause them to morally fail, and to do so with great damage to their witness, their churches, and the lives of those who trusted in their leadership.

Power—whether as a family member, politician, civic leader, or church leader—can become an idol.

Application/Closing

So how do we prevent that from happening. Well first and foremost, we have to approach our understanding of power from an attitude of humility and service.

Matthew 20:25-28 NLT “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus turns our perception of power and authority on its head. He says that true power and authority are demonstrated in our willingness to serve those we lead.

Paul put it this way...

Philippians 2:3-5 NLT 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

When our position of power or authority is viewed as an opportunity to bless others rather than benefit ourselves, we are less likely to turn power into an idol.

God desires his people to make a difference in this world, and he often does so by positioning his followers into places where they have the power, influence, and authority to make a difference.

But to do that well, we can’t lose sight of why we are put in those positions in the first place; to serve and not be served.

Idolatry is dangerous and not easily recognizable in today’s world. It has less to do with bowing down to statues and carvings, and more to do with what treasure we are seeking.

Whether its our families, money, or power, we can’t afford to lose perspective.