[0:00] You know, you have a real issue with authority. How many of you have ever heard that said to you before? All right. You have a real issue with authority.
[0:11] Maybe you heard it said across from the dinner table when you were growing up from your parents. Maybe you heard it in a classroom from a teacher. Maybe that didn't work. Maybe you heard it in the principal's office on the other side of the room.
[0:24] Or maybe you heard it in the back of a police car by a police officer. But at some point, you have probably heard this idea that you have a real problem with authority. And as believers, you probably hear it on occasion on the other side of Scripture as the Holy Spirit speaks to you from the Word of God.
[0:43] I remember vividly as a teenager realizing that I had a real problem with authority. Psalm 119 verse 9, as I read it, it just made me stop where I was at in life.
[0:57] And it says, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way but by taking heed according to thy word? Take heed means my way should be guarded and guided by the Word of God.
[1:09] I knew very clearly the way in which God wanted me to live. But I also felt very much the way in which I wanted to live. And my question wasn't about what I should do this weekend or what decision I should make.
[1:22] The question really came down to where would the authority of my life lay? Would I become my own authority or would the Word of God? And I'm glad in that moment, though in not all moments of my life, that I made a decision that I would submit myself underneath the Word of God.
[1:39] That I would bring myself underneath the authority of God's Word. I have never done that in my life where I look back and regretted it. Because our Creator knows what's best for us.
[1:50] And when He calls us to submission, He always knows what is best for us. Some of you look concerned when I said, You know you have a problem with authority. You said, Are you talking to me today?
[2:01] And the answer is, Yes, I'm talking to you. And all of you in here that you don't think I was talking to you, I was probably talking to you as well. Because it's true, we have to make a decision concerning the authority of God's Word.
[2:13] Verse 15, when you take note of it, says, That these things speak, exhort, and rebuke. Three different words for communication. And do those things with all authority, let no man despise thee.
[2:26] That this understanding of what we've been teaching is not going to take place. That old men and young men, old women and young women, none of us are going to live a life in a way that displays the gospel if we are not people that are going to submit to the authority of the Word of God.
[2:43] So Titus is told, When you teach these things, don't just teach these as the tradition of men, but you should come and teach them with all authority. Speak, exhort, and rebuke.
[2:55] Let's look at those words. First one here, speak, that means the given explanation. It's synonymous here with teach. Of the 14 verses, if the people are going to live in the way that we're supposed to live, there has to be more than just an expectation.
[3:09] There has to be an education. You can't just give those descriptions of those 14 verses to the next generation and expect that they're going to be lived out. There has to be not only an expectation, but an education.
[3:21] Education takes two things. It's exposing people to information, but it's also explaining to them the information that is given. Exposing them to the information, but discipleship, showing them.
[3:35] And as a church family, we are at a great disadvantage if we are people here that are not being taught the Word of God. Hosea 4.6 says that there was a famine in the land.
[3:46] There was a lack of knowledge. Many people suffer because people have not spoken. They have not taught the Word of God into their lives. And there's freedom to be found in understanding what God would have for us.
[4:00] So simple exposure does not assure education would take place. The teacher must relate the information. In verse 1-9, it talks about holding fast the Word of God. It has to be based, our teaching has to be based on the Word of God.
[4:12] It has to be carefully prepared. Sound doctrine. Rightfully handling the Word of God. And then it needs to be specifically applied. Chapter 2, verses 1-10. The four different categories.
[4:23] That's what's happening. In this room, among adults, the Bible is being taught. In other rooms, the Bible is being taught as well with specific application made to the hearers.
[4:34] And we're told to do that. We are told to speak. We are told to teach the Word of God with authority as those that handle the Word of God has been brought to us. And then next here, it says that we are to exhort.
[4:46] So speaking is explanation. Exhorting here is to give that encouragement. Exhort means to come alongside. The greatest type of encouragement is when somebody comes alongside of you.
[4:59] When Jesus was leaving this earth and He says, one likened to me is going to come. And it speaks about the Holy Spirit, the paraclete. It's one that would come alongside. And so this exhortation is modeling for people and helping them live it out.
[5:13] So it takes place not just from a pulpit or a podium or in a classroom or in a circle, but it takes place in real life where a teacher is willing to model behavior alongside the learner.
[5:26] So we have speaking, we have exhorting, and then we have rebuke, which means that it requires providing examination to admonish one another. It presupposes that there should be an inspection and an examination that will take place in our behavior.
[5:42] The Bible teaches us that a pastor, a preacher, and you should not condemn people is not our responsibility here to inspect, but to give purposeful, thoughtful, biblical correction, as it would teach us in Hebrews 13, is that our authority starts and it ends inside of God's Word.
[6:00] I cannot say, thus saith me, but I can say, thus saith the Lord. And so in these 17 verses where this word rebuke is used throughout the New Testament, there's things that you would learn.
[6:11] We'd find that it causes an exposing of sin, that it helps people understand that what they're doing is contrary to the Word of God, that this teaching can bring conviction of sin. Not only is it wrong, but it's against the person of our Heavenly Father.
[6:26] And then there should be a confrontation. 1 Timothy 5.20 tells us, We should lovingly come to one another and rebuke and encourage each other in right behavior. But every time it has to be holding faithful to the Word of God by sound doctrine so that we can convince or rebuke the gainsayers.
[6:44] Also, it tells us there ought to be a right motive. Titus 1.13 says that we would do that for somebody's benefit, which means that if you knew somebody was living in sin contrary to God's Word, you knew what Bible said about it, but you didn't have their best interest in mind, that you would not be able to communicate with them in the way in which God had called you.
[7:06] Your motive matters in teaching the Bible. And you should care for them. So here we have three different manners in which the Bible should come to us with all authority.
[7:17] It should be spoken. It should be taught to us. It should be coming to us in conversations that would rebuke us. It also ought to come when people come alongside us and exhort us. And that's why the ministry of the church has to be multifaceted.
[7:31] That's why I encourage you so much to be part of a worship experience. Be together. Hear the Word of God. And respond to it. Sit in a circle. Be part of a group. Admonish one another.
[7:41] Receive prayer requests. And then serve standing beside each other. So that in all those ways the Word of God can minister inside of your heart. That's how we live in joyful submission to God's Word, having it integrated into our lives.
[7:57] Then it says, with all authority. So there we have the words. We have an encouragement, explanation, an examination. But here's the exclamation. These things that happen with all authority.
[8:08] What is authority? The definition is simple. It's power or right to enforce obedience. Moral, meaning right or wrong, or legal supremacy. Right to command or give a final decision.
[8:21] What is authority? It's the question our kids are wondering as they grow up. What is it? How do I respond to it? And it's our responsibility that teach them.
[8:31] When Jesus comes and He begins His ministry, these are the things that are said about Him. In Mark 1.22, they're astonished. Who teaches like this?
[8:42] Having authority. He cast out demons and unclean spirits in Luke 4.36, and they said, What a word is this? For with authority and power He commandeth unclean spirits, and they come out of Him.
[8:55] And in John, they said, Never man spake like this man. He was not just explaining as He was in Luke 2, as a young man in his teenage years, explaining the Old Testament.
[9:07] But they said He was speaking with authority. Jesus didn't. He gave mandates. He gave commandments. He did not give some suggestions. It bothered the Pharisees the way He spoke.
[9:18] Mark 11.28, they said to Him, By what authority dost thou these things? And who gave this authority to do these things? Jesus never gave footnotes to His sermons. He never references the scribes.
[9:30] There was nobody other than Himself that He could reference that would have authority. He spoke. And He would even go to places that would bring a confrontation with other people.
[9:40] He would walk into the temple of all places to go, and He would say things like, My doctrine is not mine, but it is His that has sent me. The message that I am bringing you comes from the God of heaven.
[9:55] And He answers plainly, Where did He get His authority from? John 7.17, He tells them, That if you would do the will of the Father, you would know the doctrine, whether it be of God or if I speak of myself.
[10:07] And I have spoken unto you, John 12, verse 50, And whatsoever I speak thereof, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. That would be a great testimony for all of us.
[10:19] When we sit down and we help people, when people know that they would come to us, they would say, I may not agree with this person, but I know that if they're going to speak, they are going to speak with the authority of God's Word, not looking for anything else.
[10:34] So that's a strong message in 2.15. Titus, the church, y'all need to be speaking, exhorting, and rebuking with all authority. Set the example.
[10:45] Do it. Hold high the Word of God. And then he says this, he says, But don't let anybody circumvent that authority. Don't let anybody get out of line and go around it and decide that there's another way.
[10:56] And he says, Let no man despise thee. Don't let anybody try to find a way around the implications or a confrontation with the Word of God. This let no man despise your youth.
[11:08] It comes in context here in regard to recognizing the authority of the Word of God. Live in such a way that people recognize that the Word of God has authority in your life and that they can't get out of it.
[11:22] Same thing you told the Timothy. A lot of contrast, right? Between what Paul told Timothy, also what he tells Titus. It shows an emphasis here of how important it was for both of them where they were living.
[11:33] And so he would tell Timothy, he would say, Let no man despise your youth. Both in context of making sure that people recognize the authority of the Word of God. And so before we get to the next section, I just have a big question for you.
[11:47] And I'll put it up here on the screen. We know that the world in which we live in has an authority issue. But do you? Does the Word have authority?
[11:57] The Word has authority, but do you receive it as so? Is this book that you have with you today, do you receive it as authoritative in your life? Are you shaping and adjusting your life according to what it says?
[12:12] So that's how the end of chapter number two ends. Explaining how the church is going to live this out. And then it ends with this. You have to preach the Word with authority and let nobody circumvent it.
[12:24] Let nobody get out from underneath the authority of God's Word. And so then the question is, are we going to receive it? Am I going to receive it? Are you going to receive it? And I know it's difficult.
[12:36] Not just that time as a teenager when I thought about, I know that the Word of God is right for me, but I sure don't want to go in that direction. Chapter 3, verse 1 says, put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers to obey magistrates, to be ready for every good work.
[12:53] Every relationship that we have with authority flows out of our proper relationship with God. Nobody has a broken relationship with the God of heaven and should expect that every other relationship would also be broken.
[13:08] We have no, if we do not give the God of heaven the rightful place, then we're not going to find it in our submission to principalities and powers and magistrates and the way we're supposed to live our lives. But the first four words there say, put them in mind.
[13:20] God, that's what he has to do. That's his responsibility. Titus, teach the Word and help put this in mind, help them engraft it into their lives. But on the other side, as we receive this, we'd say, as the Word of God is taught with authority, we need to receive it.
[13:33] We need to place it into our lives. We need to accept it. Some would refer to America as a post-Christian society, that there was a time in which morality was higher.
[13:45] There was a cultural Christianity which seems dead or a biblical morality which now is assaulted constantly or a moral freedom that reigns as God. But I think it'd be better said by many, which is this, is that we live in a sub-Christian society, which is that we want to say that we're Christian, we just don't want to commit to what Christianity is.
[14:07] Our Christianity has become hollow. And that's common. The thing that has grown in the history of America is not those that have been faithfully committed to the church, that stays about the same through the years, but it's a growing number of people that profess that they are Christian, but the Word of God has no authority in their life.
[14:28] And it's brought to a place of great confusion. We live in a confused culture, and we should not be part of that confusion. If we are going to say that we are people of the book, we must live as people of the book.
[14:41] As I reference often, I grew up in a small town, and when I say small, I mean like really small, micro, nearly 500 people in it, and one little red light, and I always wanted to go out into the real world, all right?
[14:53] I always wanted to go and see out what was there. And I've been blessed now to have seen many different places and go to many different countries, and I'm ready to go back to that small town. No. If I went back to that small town, don't worry, my dear, she said, that's not happening, all right?
[15:08] We are not moving back to Kentucky. But if I was to go back to that small town, I would still just see the same problems that we see in the rest of the world. Same type of confusion, same lack of authority of the Word of God in our lives that are there.
[15:22] And there's a confusion that's brought on, and we can contribute to that confusion as Bible teachers and as people that are supposed to be examples of what it means to be living out the gospel.
[15:33] When people think of the gospel who haven't yet accepted it, they should not only think about the words we said, but they ought to think about the life we lived. I've shared with you before how I, or Chick-fil-A, every time I mention food, y'all check out until you eat again, right?
[15:46] Chick-fil-A, they don't have the words to the music anymore, they just have the music. And you'd say, well that's good because those that know the words can enjoy it and those that don't know the words aren't offended by it. And that's a real shame because we need words, we need to preach the gospel in word, but we also need to do it in deed.
[16:02] But there's a confusion when us as Christians want to teach anybody, whether it be the next generation or those who don't know. Maybe you come from a small town and if I was to say a people's last name, you would say, oh yeah, those are God-fearing people that go to church or those people, they've never been to church.
[16:20] And that's the way it seems to be always. That those who, families know God and they go to church, then some of their children will do that and some of their children will do that and it continues to go like that until maybe some generations there's some revival among them and the story comes into their life as it has in yours.
[16:40] But what we want to make sure is that we don't, we're not part of that confusion. That there's a Christianity that's separated from the Word of God. I know that the Bible says this, but I just feel like God would never whatever.
[16:55] Do you understand how there's that disconnect? That there's a spirituality that isn't in submission to the Word of God? And we have to be so careful that we don't create this confusion. In Jeremiah chapter number 5 verse 30, speaking about the priest, this is a wonderful and a horrible, wonderful just being filling with wonder, a horrible thing that is committed in the land.
[17:14] The prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means. And my people love to have it so, and what will you do in the end thereof? That expression, that the priests bear rule by their means.
[17:29] You see, what is truly known about authority originates in the Scriptures with insight of it, we know. But Scripture properly teaches about authority, but it has been shamefully distorted by world systems and by false religions and oftentimes by professing Christians.
[17:48] I'm going to give you a list of three illegitimate sources of authority that are often found. One of them is a personal authority. It can be seen where people proclaim themselves to be apostles or hear the priest that says they bear rule by their own means.
[18:01] It's a personal authority, believing priests might teach you that they could forgive sin. And so do not let your salvation be based upon what your grandmother or your grandfather said. They are not the authority on eternal matters.
[18:15] None of us hold personal authority over eternal matters. And so we don't teach from that. We don't teach from that perspective there. Or whether there be a church authority.
[18:28] And so in the areas of personal authority, there could also be a church authority. This wouldn't happen among Baptist people, but among many traditions, they would say that you cannot understand the scripture yourself.
[18:41] The Holy Spirit can't give you understanding. But only through church tradition can you understand scripture. So it's scripture plus the church fathers. And the church makes its creeds and its traditions, creates this body of authority teaching by which the church exercises extra biblical power over the souls of men and women.
[19:01] In true Christianity it is always said that the word is not under the church, the word is over the church. Mark 7, 8, Laying aside the commandment of God, you have hold the traditions of men as the washing of pots and cups, as many other such like things ye do.
[19:16] As a church, we do not, we're not over the word of God, we are under submission to it. So that's a false sense, an illegitimate source of authority. Personal authority, church authority, or rational authority, which is so common today.
[19:32] It's helpful to have a good mind and to use it. I tell that to my sons all the time. It's a helpful thing to have a good mind and to use it. But your ideas and your ideas, they do not have, they do not contribute to your redemption, to your salvation, or to your sanctification.
[19:49] Reason at its best is limited. It's temporary. At its worth, it's selfish, fallen, ego-centered. But the best ideas will never save you. And so when it comes to eternal matters, only the word of God deals with those.
[20:04] So when you speak to people and they say, they speak about their eternal soul and they look to anything other than the word of God, we need to bring them to it. Not to what the church fathers have said, not to what their rationale says, not what somebody else has told them, what's the word of God said.
[20:20] And the last illegitimate source of authority is experiential authority. The authority comes from my experience. Not what does this passage mean to me, that doesn't really matter. The real question is, what does the passage mean?
[20:33] What does it say in its proper context, in its proper understanding? What have you seen and experienced? Because other people were at the same place and the same thing was happening, so your experiences cannot be authoritative.
[20:45] So if I was to talk to the Apostle Paul and I'd say, you have to understand, Apostle Paul, in the time in this present world in which we live in, so many people want to despise the authority of the word of God and to turn to other things, and he would say, let no man despise your youth.
[21:01] Let no man despise the authority of the word of God. So quickly here, just some application for us. As teachers in here, and all of you in some sort of fashion, ought to be teachers of the word of God.
[21:13] Inside of your home, among other believers, but even just sharing the gospel is best explained as teaching the gospel. Showing people the gospel. The great commission is to make disciples, so teaching people what the gospel is.
[21:27] And so maybe not in a formal setting, but every one of you ought to be teaching the word of God. First of all, one of the things we see here is we can't elevate our preferences in scripture. If we do, we blur the lines between God's authority and ours.
[21:41] It's very good to have personal preferences. If you're ever around me and I'm in my backyard cooking anything, I have a lot of ways in which I think things ought to be done. I have a lot of strong personal preferences and you need them.
[21:56] In any society or any home, you need some rhyme and reason. You need some ways to say, in our home, we do things this certain way. This is how we make application to the word of God.
[22:06] This is how we believe that the word of God in our time and our family has us to live this out. But as teachers, it's so important that we don't blur the line between our personal preferences and the word of God.
[22:18] And if so, we'd be blurring the line between our personal authority and the authority of God's word. Love this quote by J.L. Packer. It says, The Bible is the real preacher and all the role of the man in the pulpit or the counseling conversation is to simply let the passage say their peace through him.
[22:36] All of those that we have influence with ought to know that the authority lies in the word of God. Not in your good upbringing, not in the moral life that you're living, not in all the other things that you can point to.
[22:47] You ought to constantly point to the authority of the word of God. But as students in here, as we all should be teachers, we ought to be students as well. Every one of us. None of us outgrow our role as being a student, not only of the word of God, but of other Bible teachers.
[23:02] And we need to be mindful of what we are rejecting as something of either the previous generation, but we need to know if it's anchored to the word of God. As many have said, you should know what the purpose of offense is before you tear it down.
[23:16] You should know what the word of God says. And if you're questioning something, you need to know, is this something that is passed down that's generational? Was this a preference of my family and I'm not bringing?
[23:26] Or is this something that is rooted to the word of God? So those that try to circumvent the authority of the word of God, let me speak to you directly with the time that I have left. Let no man despise your youth.
[23:38] Let no man circumvent the authority of the word of God in your life. First thing that I would say to you, and I'm tempted to say to the young people in here, but it has no time limit on it.
[23:50] There is never a time in your life where you're not tempted to fall into this area of your life where you say, I do not want to submit my life to God's word. First of all, I'd like to say in here that God's authority in your life, it's unquestionable.
[24:04] God's authority in your life, it's unquestionable. Genesis 1 and 2 tells us that he created the heaven and the earth and all that is therein. Psalms 24 tells us that God owns the earth and all that it contains and all that dwells in it, all the fullness thereof.
[24:19] In the end of time, God consumes it all and he has declared, behold, I make all things new. He is the owner of this. Here's a poem by S.M. Lockridge where he says, where did God come from?
[24:32] He came from nowhere. The reason God came from nowhere is that there was nowhere for him to come from. Coming from nowhere, he stood on nothing. The reason he had to stand on nothing is there was nowhere for him to stand.
[24:44] And standing on nothing, he reached out where there was nowhere to reach and caught something where there was nothing to catch and hung something on nothing and he told it to stay there. Now standing on nothing, he took the hammer of his own will, he struck the anvil of his omnipotence and sparks flew.
[24:59] He caught them on the tips of his fingers, flung them out in the space and bedecked the heavens with stars, but no one said a word. The reason no one said anything is that there was nobody there to say anything.
[25:10] So God himself said, that is very good. In poetic fashion, S.M. Lockwood is trying to say, there is no contest to the authority of the word of God.
[25:20] He is the creator. And it's even more so than that. He says it in a poetic way, but the word of God is more powerful. He didn't create the world in that manner. He spoke it into existence.
[25:32] His word is authoritative. When the word of God speaks into nothing, it creates the world we live in because he is all powerful. So first of all, God's authority in your life is unquestionable.
[25:44] There is nothing, there's no one or anything that can contest his authority. Second of all, you have the wrong understanding of freedom. Who has the wrong understanding of freedom?
[25:55] It's any of us at any time when we want to circumvent the authority of God's word in our lives. Freedom is not autonomy. Freedom is not just doing whatever you want.
[26:06] That is the definition of bondage. True freedom is about being who God has made you to be and doing what God has made you to do. Romans 6.16 says, Know ye not that whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether sin unto death or in obedience unto righteousness.
[26:24] There's only two options in submitting yourself. You either submit yourself to God where freedom is found or you live in bondage. And that's what autonomy would look like. And I fear among us in here that some of you may be experiencing in your life a new form of freedom in your Christian life, but you're not entering in the freedom, you're entering in to bondage.
[26:46] And when you put off things that have been placed upon you through your upbringing, you need to consider, were those preferences of my family or were those authoritatively the teachings of God's word?
[26:57] I was told this story as a teenager at a church camp and it was about all the questions that I kept bringing the counselor was, am I able to do this?
[27:09] And am I able to do this? Is this wrong? Or is this wrong? And I kept asking those types of questions. And so he told me a story about a man who had a large fenced-in backyard that was really big and he had a little dog that would run up and down along the road all the time along the fence, always barking, wanting to get onto the other side of the fence but the fence was protecting him from the road.
[27:30] And I'm thinking, I came and I brought you a Bible question, why are you talking about a dog running across the fence? And he said, this dog would run back and forth all day long around this fence wondering where he could go.
[27:40] And he said, do you not see that you're doing the same thing? Instead of recognizing the freedom that is found in Jesus Christ and to live his will, all you're wanting to do is know what are the limitations of the things that you now can and cannot do as a Christian.
[27:57] So stop being a little barking dog along the fence that we're trying to keep out of the road and turn around and enjoy your Christian life. Freedom is not autonomy. Freedom is found in submission to God and to his word.
[28:11] And so when you place God's word off of yourself and you think that it has found some new type of liberty and some type of freedom to live this and maybe you've gained an hour here or you gained the freedom to do something you once didn't think you need to do, what you may be doing is you may be putting yourself in the bondage because the God of heaven knows what is right and what is best for you.
[28:32] And so you have a misunderstanding of freedom. And number three, you cannot separate God from his word. You cannot separate God from his word. To question the word of God is to question the breath of God.
[28:46] This is given to us. It is God breathed. He moved upon the hearts of holy men to write this word and it was breathed of him. So that question is did God truly say which was all the way back in the garden which is now still true in our lives where we question the authority of the word of God.
[29:05] What did God truly say is to say is God truly honest? Because if you say that the word of God is not right and correct then you say that he is misleading and wrong and that is ascribing falsehood to him.
[29:20] And then lastly here, I've said to you that those of us when we try to circumvent the authority of the word of God we should realize that God's authority in our life is unquestionable that we have a wrong understanding towards freedom we cannot separate God from his word and we consider God's attention and affection for you as you reject his authority.
[29:41] As parents as we consider our authority in the life of our children we know that God not only teaches that we have authority in our lives but he also speaks to us about the attention that we are to give our children and affection that we should show to our children and our heavenly father is perfect in these ways.
[29:59] What is the saying? I didn't write it down or think of it but rules without a relationship create rebellion. Have you ever heard that? Rules without a relationship create rebellion that there's a way in which us as parents can enforce authority that creates rebellion in our lives.
[30:14] Can I tell you that that has never been the case with the God of heaven? That there is no reason for rebellion in our lives because he has offered us a wonderful relationship where we saw on Thursday night in Psalm 144 man is like in the vanity his days are as a shadow that passes away.
[30:29] We are as dust we are as a vapor that comes through but God says that he pays attention to us and that he knows us and that he loves us that's amazing and it's wonderful and God's eye is not only on us but he's kind and affectionate towards us.
[30:47] Psalm 103 verse 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and plenteous and mercy. This God that we submit ourselves we do so joyfully because he's attentive he's affectionate and he first loved us.
[31:00] Paul reminds us in Romans 2.4 that it's not because of any kind of harshness but it is the kindness it's the cords of love that lead us to repentance.
[31:12] All of us in here we should want to hear the voice of God because it is kind and loving affectionate and attentive and we should want to obey it. To go against the authority of his word.
[31:24] So I'm going to leave you here with some positive what it is and some negatives about the word of God and we'll follow they'll have them up here on the screen before I make some closing remarks and pray for us today.
[31:37] First of all I want you to see in here concerning what the authority of the word of God is it is not derived or bestowed by humans rather it is the original authority of God.
[31:50] Young people in here all the teaching that you're hearing about right and wrong it did not get created or invented by any of us. It is copyrighted by the word of God. It owns the right to us.
[32:01] We share it with you but none of it originated in us. It does not change with times the culture the nation or the ethnic background rather it is the unalterable authority of God.
[32:13] Whatever we could teach about any current culture or trend whatever is true a hundred years ago or a thousand years ago it's just as true today. It does not change because of the changes in our culture.
[32:26] It is not one authority among many possible spiritual authorities rather it is the exclusive spiritual authority of God. It is Jesus plus nothing. It is the word of God plus nothing.
[32:37] The authority is found in God's word. It is not an authority that can be successfully challenged or rightfully overthrown rather it is the permanent authority of God. For thousands of years people have believed that they can go against the teaching of God's word and that there would be no consequence in their life.
[32:55] But as it's been spoken as it's been promised it will be done. You're not going to be different than anybody else. You're not going to defy gravity and you're not going to defy the rules of God's word.
[33:08] Even sin is short and it's wonderful in a season but God's word is always true. It is not merely suggestive authority rather it is obligatory authority of God.
[33:22] Jesus did not give us suggestions. God's word does not give suggestions. It gives commands, mandates. It is not benign authority in its outcomes rather it is the consequential authority of God.
[33:34] simply means to disobey it comes with consequences and to obey it comes with wonderful blessings. It is never neutral in your life. Your life has never been unaffected by your relationship with the word of God.
[33:47] And so today for your sake today for the generations that will come from you submit yourself joyfully to the word of God. In God's word it's been declared it's been displayed but there's also a description of those that deny his authority.
[34:03] From Revelation 3 to 20 God's authority is under attack. Adam and Eve are cast out of a garden. The languages are confounded in the Tower of Babel. Israel and Judah are exiled. There's a judgment of Jehoiakim who tried to destroy God's word that was delivered unto them.
[34:19] There's a condemnation of the Pharisees and scribes neglected that has attempted to invalidate God's authority. God's word will stand on Jezebel's attack in Revelation chapter number 2.
[34:30] And so every one of us in here let us all agree this. That scripture is the word of God and that the words of God are authoritative so the scripture is authoritative in our lives.
[34:44] It's simple but it's life changing. In the book of James we learn that even the demons tremble in the presence of God. And what are we? What an indictment towards us if we give less reverence to the word of God and fallen demons.
[35:02] This is the word of God and we ought to live by it. So I'm going to call you and give you a time to reflect and a time of response. But taking you back to that story of Martin Luther and the quote that he gave and you know the story where he takes and he nails 95 statements upon the Catholic church there in Wittenberg.
[35:20] 95 statements that say these are areas of your life of the Catholic church that are not living that are not in alignment with the word of God. So the question that I would ask you today and it says at the beginning of that statement out of love and zeal for clarifying the truth these items were written below will be debated at Wittenberg.
[35:41] He was concerned for the church's dismissal of the lack of authority shown to the word of God. The question asked for you as I asked for myself is what could be written upon the doors of our home when we were to return the day?
[35:53] In what areas have we said that we will not submit our lives to authority of God's word? And this is where I would pray that you would submit yourself to the working of the Holy Spirit in your life.
[36:05] Those of you that study the word of God it may be quite clear to you in that and you should pray as David would pray say search my heart oh God and show me if there be any wicked way in me.
[36:15] Father I don't have understanding the joy that was once there is not there I know that I'm living in rebellion and some of you may know the day and maybe you're wrestling with it but the day ought to be a day of submission to authority of God's word to a God who's attentive and affectionate that has a relationship with us and that is only giving us what is best when he gave us his word.
[36:39] Would you bow your heads and pray with me? With everyone praying in here and the musicians will come I want to speak to you believers as you'll begin praying to the Lord would you pray a simple prayer to the Lord today and say in all manners of my life in the big ones and in the small ones I want to live my life in joyful submission to the authority of the word of God and make decisions today put it in the actionable steps imagine what it would be like if that was written upon your door of your home and what your answer would be there's areas that you know it could be in areas of faithfulness to his word that you know it's been woefully neglected it may have to do about assembling as a church some of you and maybe it's not find yourself assembling with us as a church as you once did and you need to consider is that against what God would have that is best for you maybe it comes in areas of sharing the gospel someone's been laid upon your heart or areas of attitude in the way that we treat one another and forgiveness and bitterness whatever is in our hearts and lives that are not in alignment with scripture allow the word of God to have its rightful place in your life before I pray and turn the service over to Pastor Bo
[37:52] I want to speak to you and hear the day if you have never submitted yourself to authority of God's word he would call upon you the day to call out and ask for forgiveness of your sins this story is made up of many stories but it's an overarching story of a God who loved us so much that he gave a son and he died for us and in the pages of this scripture we find a wonderful story of even though we have broken the authority and we have been rebellious he lived in perfect submission to the father and he died in your place so your life of sin and rule breaking can be exchanged the day for his life of perfection where he died for you and you could pray the day asking for forgiveness of those sins repenting and turning from that way and that manner of life and that way of thinking unto the God of heaven heavenly father I thank you for your word how it comes to us with power how it's effectual how it is lord the compass to those of us in need in life and a map lord that it comes to us in power and lord it not only is the grace that's demonstrated to us to give us the desire and the ability to live out what you have done father
[39:05] I want to thank you that your word did not come to us alone only in printed page but it came lord as we received the holy spirit that illuminates our mind and gives us understanding father I pray right now for my brothers and sisters as decisions are to be made that they would make decisions lord that would show that they see the rightful place of the word of god in their lives they would return to those areas of the first loves in their life lord where you had done something in their lives and what it was like to be a young Christian I just wanted to know what you would have them to do and do it lord I pray that you bring us all to that place in Jesus name I pray amen amen amen