Who Is In Charge?

 

^"23 When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?" ²⁴ Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵ The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet." ²⁷ And answering Jesus, they said, "We do not know." He also said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

²⁸ "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ ²⁹ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. ³⁰ The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?” They *said, "The first." Jesus *said to them, "Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him." 

Matthew 21:23-32

 

Good Morning my beloved,
 
We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are grateful, that God is using this ministry in reaching the lost and the deceived, working in and through the lives of His people. Thank you for helping to accomplish His plans and purposes by sharing the ministry website and social media platforms. May God bless you, your families and your efforts.

 

It is my great privilege to be with you as we return to the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew chapter 21, verses 23 through 32.

  

The word authority denotes power and control, therefore, it has become a controversial word in our society today, whether it refers to the authority of an individual, an organization, or a branch of governments right to order and execute a decision. People hate authority, nobody wants anyone to tell them what to do, even when they know it’s in their best interest. They think they can do whatever they want, and because they're so special, rules don’t apply to them.. This is what happens when parents model allow this kind of rule-breaking behavior, it makes children believe they are untouchable.

 

We are living in an age of rebellion, even so-called Christians are drifting further and further away from God and the principles of the Bible. Churches and pastors, those who claim to be Christians, are now promoting abortion, homosexuality, same-sex marriage and transgenderism. Coercing youth, as young as 15, to engage in mutilating surgeries without parents knowledge or permission. Through deceptive teaching, the modern contemporary church is leading masses of people in a rebellion against the true God. The church no longer looks to the Word of God for it's principles, they're looking to an immoral culture and a fallen world. Given the increasing diversity of culture, the dangers of sectarianism within the church, have never been greater threat to true Christianity.

The world stage is being set for an anti-God movement, and the deceiver who will come and set himself up as the counterfeit god, as mainstream Christianity continues to turn further away from the true teaching of Christ. In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul writes, "Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first.." while many translators and biblical scholars widely accept this word "apostasía" translated to mean apostasy or falling away, I believe the best translation is a revolt, to make to stand against or a final rebellion against God. Those who turn away from Christ never really saved to begin with.

 

John says in 1 John 2:19, "They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us." Despite man's rebellion against God, I assure you, He has authority that surpasses all other authorities. That was the problem with the Jewish religious leaders had with Jesus, God forbid that any of us would be so stubborn.

 

 

Let us pray

 

Heavenly Father,
 
Father, thank You for Your Word, for this reminder of how we are to respond to Christ's authority in our lives, to not be like the hard-hearted Jewish rulers, may You open our hearts to recognize His authority needs not to be approved by men. Help us worthy of the high calling on our lives, and in following Christ on the narrow road that leads to Your kingdom. Lord, we pray that You would break down the barriers of unbelief, pierce the harden-hearts of those trapped in unbelief, false religion, that no one would leave today without receiving Christ as their Lord and Savior. We ask and pray to that end in Christ's name, for His sake and for Your glory.

Amen

Today's Message: Who Is In Charge?

 

 

Open your Bibles, to the twenty-first chapter in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew chapter twenty-one, verses twenty-three through thirty-two. Matthew 21:23-32. I invite you to follow along with me,as I read to set the text our minds. Let's open our hearts and our minds, and hear what God has to say to us today. 

 

"When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?" Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?" And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, "If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet." And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

"But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They *said, "The first." Jesus *said to them, "Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him." 

There is no denying that Jesus was teaching like no one else ever had, He went into the temple, He cleaned the place up, He overturned tables, made a whip, and drove everybody out. He didn't seek their approval, or their advice, they believed that they were the authorities. Jesus demonstrated that He has all authority! Then, He healed the lame and the blind, and He accepted praise of children. Jesus actually performed countless more miracles than the 39 recorded in the four Gospels, making it's hard to understand why the chief priests and elders refused to accept His supreme authority. The religious leaders want to know just who He thinks He is. 

 

Deceptive teaching is the doctrine of demons, the father of lies. It creates pseudo salvation, that's easy to digest, saying what you want to hear, allowing you to live as you were, lacking the genuine transformation produced by the control of the Holy Spirit, with very little change, giving the illusion you're saved and going to heaven, while damning you to Hell. Satan doesn't care if you're sitting in a bar or a church pew, so long as you're living a life that denies God's truth! The Christian life is not complicated, you're either damned, controlled by yourself or you're saved, controlled by the Holy Spirit. Only the later will lead to a transformed life, fit for the kingdom of God. 

 

It's not difficult to understand what Jesus is saying here, true salvation is only for those who are willing to surrender to His authority, being transformed by the Holy Spirit through sanctification, a change that begin at the point of the new birth. Those who believe in "another Jesus," receive a spirit as well, but not the Spirit of God.

 

It is Wednesday morning, a morning of confrontations that ignite the flames that ultimately lead to the crucifixion. Let’s look at verse 23, begin with the issue is authority confrontation. "When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?" 

 

That's where it starts, when He entered the temple, He took His rightful place; He was teaching center stage, and people were gathering around Him. Luke tells us in chapter 20, "On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel."  Mark 11 records, "He was walking in the temple." So, He's walking around the temple, teaching most likely about hypocritical religion, praying in vain repetition, the danger of self-righteousness and spiritual pride, salvation by works, humility, reconciliation with God, sin, repentance, judgement and Hell. He was preaching the Gospel, and people were awestruck by Him, except for religious leaders, they wanted Him dead. They couldn't let this go on, so they confront Him, to interrupt His teaching. "By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?"

 

Jesus sought no earthly approval, He didn’t need anyone's permission, especially theirs. He was His own authority! Jesus' authority is best understood by two words, the Greek noun "dunamis,"meaning the ability to do something by miraculous power. And the Greek word "eksousía," meaning the  privilege to act on authority. It was abundantly clear, Jesus possessed both dunamis and eksousía. He had power and privilege, given to Him by God! God begins His work in His own house. In 1 Peter 4, Peter writes, "For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" The temple was spectacular, it had a huge tremendous courtyard, surrounded by high walls and pillars, with porches and colonnades and porticos.

 

Matthew simply says "the chief priests and the elders," I would like you to understand this would have been a large group, it would include the high priests, the captain of the temple, second in dignity, were men of influence, they were in charge of all the worship, capable of arresting those who violate the temples rules. It's like being the vice president. Then, there were the 24 priests of the weekly course, who offered sacrifice and carried out ceremony, and the 156 priests of the daily course, and overseer priests in charge of administrative responsibilities, as well as the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Herodians, rabbis and the scribes. There may have even been others. I find it fascinating, that all these people who couldn't agree with each other on anything, are now all coming together to stop Jesus. Truth counters everything that false religion affirms. The onslaught attack on Truth is occurring yet today, though false religions all disagree with each other,  they commonly come together, to stand in unity against the truth of Jesus Christ. Satan continues to do everything within his power to suppress the truth, to hold the world in captivity, darkening the minds of men. Not every one who claims to represent God, actually does.

 

Verse 24, "Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things."

 

I love Jesus' response, He comes back with a counter question of His own. He’s not evading their question, He answered it with a question of His own, giving them an opportunity to answer their own question, they already knew what authority He acted on. He stated it many times. In John 5, He said "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner." And in John 8:49-50, He said "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges." In Luke 10, He says "The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me."

 

John was preaching a message of sin and repentance, baptizing people in the Jordan River readying a people for the Messiah. It was evident that he was a prophet of God. They knew Isaiah the prophet said,
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness,‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’" They knew John had been saying, "The Messiah’s coming!" They knew John pointed at Jesus and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

 

In verse 25, Jesus says, "The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?" Simple enough question, right? They knew the answer. John had announced Jesus was the Messiah. Now, let's look at the rest of the verse and verse 26, "And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet." They're trapped and they are supposed to be the ones who have all the answers. what's worse, they know it! They wanted to avoid having to put themselves in a position to say Jesus was the Messiah. They’re not about to do that, they don't want to accept his message. That makes this a very difficult question for them to answer honestly.

In verse 27,the give Him their response, "And answering Jesus, they said, "We do not know." He also said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things." These guys were experienced at avoiding the truth, they had trained themselves to ignore the facts, it didn’t matter what it was.They had rejected the light, so He turned it off.

 

In John chapter 9, when Jesus healed the blind man, the Pharisees met him, "asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, "He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see," yet they refused to believe him, saying "This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." Later, "They reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from." The man answered and said to them, "Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing." 

 

When unbelief investigates the truth, no matter how much evidence you give them, having convinced themselves they already know the answer, it always comes up with the wrong answers. That's the thing about unbelief, it's hard to hear God's voice, when you've already determined what you want Him to say.  Their position is, we can’t give you an answer, because they ignored all the evidence! By the way, it was their duty to know, the were the trusted religious elite, observers of religious matters. They didn't care about what was true or right. They only cared about what was going to further their own selfish agenda.

 

They've heard Him quote Isaiah 61:1-2, applying it to himself as sent by Jehovah "to preach a release to the captives and a recovery of sight to the blind." The had no excuse not to know that He was the Messiah!

Jesus knew exactly what was in their hearts. I often wonder, knowing our hearts, our deepest thoughts, our motives in doing good, how many questions the Lord has for us today? I have been around long enough to know that people do what they love most.

 

Later, in Matthew 26, when He was confronted before Caiaphas, He never said a word. In Matthew 27, He was accused by the chief priests and elders, again, He said nothing, having nothing more to say to them. Don't be fooled, though He has nothing more to say, He's not finished with just them yet. He gives them a very simple parable, He's telling them they have to make a choice.

 

Verses 28-31a, "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" This is so good, He's about to apply the parable to them. Look at the rest of the verse, "They *said, “The first.” Jesus *said to them, "Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you." What an strong indictment! That is a proverbial statement, remember, these are the religious elite, the tax collectors and harlots were outcasts of society, the lowest of the low, the worst of all humanity.  He's not saying you'll go in to the kingdom of God, but that they’re going to go in, and you’re not! Those who rebel in disobedience but ultimately repent, will enter into God's kingdom. But you, you claim obedience and yet, you do not obey. This is a pronouncement of judgement. These were Jewish scholars, they are suppose to know every aspect of God’s Word.

 

That brings us to verse 32, if that wasn't bad enough, He gives them a double indictment, "For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him." They rejected the message, they rejected the supernatural power, they rejected everything, clinging to their unbelief, they're bound in their hopelessness. They started out by trying to make Him look foolish, trying to undermine His authority, but He exposes them for what they really are! What profound wisdom!

End of discussion.

 

In Closing..

 

You know something, it's exactly like that today, you can sit and listen to me preach the Gospel week after week, you can listen to me talk about Jesus Christ, you can listen to my testimony of God's transforming power in my own life, and refuse to submit to the authority of Jesus. You can walk away clinging to your unbelief, and still not believe. 

 

Claiming to be a follower of Jesus Christ without obedience doesn’t get you one step closer to heaven. You can’t fake your way into heaven. God says "My Spirit will not always strive with man." He will abandon those who remain hardhearted, willfully blind. I beseech you to consider the things that you’ve heard in this message, examining your own hearts. Go over it again and again until you clearly understand what is being illustrated to you today. May it not be said that you entered into judgment because you didn’t recognize the day of your visitation, like these religious leaders. I beg you to open your heart to Christ; to receive Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior, submit to His authority and obey the Father’s will. 

 

May it be so..

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen

 
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