[0:00] If you have your Bibles, we'll be in Luke chapter 20 this morning. Luke chapter 20, the first 19 verses there. And the question of authority is, I mean, it's something, I guess, something we don't like to talk about.
[0:10] I remember one of the, I used to love to tell people, you can't tell me what to do or that kind of stuff. But it's something we live with. It's something we have to deal with. I get to do FCA with some of these high school kids nearby. And I love getting to work with these kids because I meet so many personalities and great athletes.
[0:24] It's always weird to meet a 15-year-old kid who's twice your size. He'd kill you if you wanted to. But it's always cool to meet these kind of personalities. And I went to a basketball game a few weeks ago. And they have this center.
[0:34] He's massive. He's 6'7", 6'8". Kid's huge. He's going to go to college and play ball. And I remember there was one game. They were playing Mountain View High School. And they were winning real, real bad. And they were winning this game.
[0:46] And the parents, they start to boo this kid from the opposing section because this kid's doing so well at defending the paint. And he turns around to the parent section. He flexed and he says, if you want your kid to score, you're going to have to stop me.
[0:59] And I was like, that is some authority. That is authority. I'm like, that's authority in the court. Like, you know, to look at parents and all the parents are like, oh. You know, but seriously, to say that, I'm like, that's some authority. Like, he is serious about playing the position of center.
[1:12] I'm happy I'm on his side of things. But seriously, authority is something we have to deal with. Christian Herter was the governor of Massachusetts in 1950.
[1:22] One day after a busy morning of chasing votes and campaigning, going door to door, meeting people, all that good politician stuff, he goes without lunch. He arrived at an evening barbecue that was put on by the community.
[1:33] He was quite hungry. As he moved down the serving line waiting for his turn, he held out his plate to the woman serving the chicken. She put a piece of chicken on his plate and turned to the next person in line. Excuse me, the governor says.
[1:44] He says, do you mind if I have another piece? The woman looks at him and says, sorry, sir. I'm only allowed to give one piece of chicken to each person. The governor looks at her and goes, but ma'am, I'm starved. I'm hungry. I've been campaigning all day.
[1:55] She goes, sorry, sir, but only one person. The governor Herter was usually an unassuming man, not a man to throw around his weight or his power. But this time he decided to throw his weight around a little bit. He looked at this woman and said, ma'am, do you know who I am?
[2:08] He says, I am the governor of this state. She looks at him and she looks at him. Now she says, mister, do you know who I am? I'm the lady in charge of the chicken. Move along, mister. Authority is a funny thing.
[2:20] Christian Herter was a, he was a man of great authority, but this lady showed him just how far his authority went. No matter how much authority we think we possess, there is really, you really can only go as far as your authority will let you go.
[2:32] We look at the Bible. The definition for the word authority can be summed up to this. This noun refers to the ability or the power to do something. We can describe it as the right to exercise dominion upon it.
[2:44] So when we get to the Bible and we look at Jesus and they question his authority, by what right do you have to do this? Authority is an important thing. It's what order is built upon. It allows our world to function. And if I could remind you, I think nobody would argue with this.
[2:55] God is the highest authority. At least nobody in word would argue with this. God is the most powerful authority. In all the land there is, at least he should be in our hearts. It's a non-negotiable God makes the rules. But as we look into the Gospels, we see that Jesus was quite the disruptor.
[3:08] He was different. He didn't fit into the norms of the society back then. He was a different religious leader. He operated differently than the other religious leaders did. Remember, he taught things such as grace.
[3:19] He sought salvation by faith. He taught that it was the heart that mattered, not necessarily your body. He dealt with the worst society, lepers and widows and sick people.
[3:29] He even touched some dead people. He taught differently than the Pharisees and the leaders. Look at what the Bible says in Matthew chapter 7 verse number 29 about the way Jesus taught here. It's going to say they marveled at the way he taught because he taught as one with authority.
[3:43] He taught differently. They wondered at it. But not just that. Jesus even made claims that seem kind of weird, outlandish. Claims that most people will say, man, that's kind of out there.
[3:54] I don't know if that makes too much sense. He made claims like this. I am the door. He made claims that says, before Abraham was, I am. He made claims that said, I and the Father are one. He made claims that say, I am the life.
[4:05] I am the way. I am the truth. No man comes to the Father but by me. He made a lot of claims. And the question is, if he doesn't have the authority, his claims are, I mean, you can see why it'd be important.
[4:15] His followers made claims about him that would seem outrageous to somebody just passing by. The claim that thou art the Christ, the ruler of Israel. The claims that even the winds and the seas and the storms obey him, those claims seem kind of outlandish if there's no authority there.
[4:29] Leading up to this point, Jesus has been leading a change in the nation of Israel, though. Remember last week, Luke chapter 19, Pastor Trent talked about how he flipped tables. He went into the temple, changed things, kicked out the thieves, the money changers, those who had turned his house of prayer into something that wasn't.
[4:45] We can see this progression as to how he changed things. We can see it in his criticism of legalism and his focus on external acts of piety. We can see how he pushed back against that. Matthew 23, 4, Matthew chapter 24, verse 23, where he's going to say, where he's going to say it's the heart that matters.
[5:00] We see it in his rejection, the way the Pharisees and the Chalicees taught the law. Matthew 23, verses 21 and 22, where he says, you guys say adultery is wrong. I say if you look upon a woman to lust after her, it's adultery.
[5:10] You say you shouldn't murder. I say if you hate your brother in your heart, it is murder. He was different. He taught things differently. We see it in the way that he reached out to all rungs of society. In Luke chapter 15, it tells three parables about a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son, all which illustrates his compassion and acceptance of those who were considered sinners by the religious leaders at this time.
[5:29] He dealt with people they wouldn't even touch. He was different. He touched lepers. He healed people. We see it in his condemning of hypocrisy in Matthew 23, 16 through 24. He comes and calls those Pharisees and Sadducees hypocrites and corrupt and thieves, whited sepulchers, full of bones.
[5:46] We see it in his teaching and a message of love, of forgiveness and grace. Jesus even teaches the disciples to forgive others, even if they sin against him repeatedly. When they were saying an eye for an eye, Jesus was saying an eye for an eye and more forgiveness.
[5:58] He taught parables of the prodigal son, which illustrates love and forgiveness. He was different. And as we come to Luke chapter 20, he's been making a bunch of difference in Israel. Dealing with people they wouldn't talk to.
[6:10] Even dealing with some Gentiles. Dealing with all sorts of people. And in Luke chapter 20, as we approach this story here, we've got to remember what happened in Luke chapter 19. He enters into the city. Hosanna's ring.
[6:20] People worship. They lay down the leaves for him. It looks like, you know, he's going to set up his kingdom right there and there. It looks incredible. But as they begin to, Hosanna's begin to ring and miracles happen.
[6:31] Remember, he casts judgment on a fig tree, condemning their old religious system. He purges the temple of money changers and people selling animals. Luke chapter 19, verses 46 to 48. Mr. Matthew, Mr. Levi even says, Jesus started flipping tables in Matthew 21, 12.
[6:46] He begins to teach daily in the temple that he's just purged. The temple that he's just reclaimed, per se. And as he's doing this, the religious leaders ask a question. And I guess a question that makes a lot of sense.
[6:57] Man, who told you you could do this? Like you just, that guy just lost his job because you kicked him out of your temple for selling these things. Who gave you the authority to do this? Luke 20, verse 1 and 2 reads this.
[7:08] And it came to pass that on those days he taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel. So he's there. He's been doing things. He's been doing miracles. Teaching differently. A different way of worship.
[7:18] A different way of salvation to what they believed, it seemed like. A way by grace through faith. He was different than they were. And as he's in this temple, at the end of his ministry, they come up to him and they say this. Who gave you the authority to do the things that you do?
[7:31] Which raises a really valid question. Because we as people and disciples and Christians and believers are those who say we want to follow Jesus. Where's his authority from? Because if he doesn't have any authority, ultimately our message doesn't have any authority.
[7:45] They question him on the very gospel. The thing that you say saves you, seals you, keeps you saved. Where do you say we find hope? Where do you say changes lives and fixes people? That's what they question his authority on.
[7:58] They ask him, where did you get the authority to do this? Who made you the boss? What right do you have? Notice the depth and the context of this question. It's at the end, towards the end of Jesus' earthly ministry. After he's made his name.
[8:08] After he purged the temple. After he said all that he said. Ask him, and he's actively preaching the gospel. The message that changes our lives and all that good stuff. What the church is upon the basis of our hope in this life.
[8:20] They ask him, what authority do you have? And if he doesn't have the authority, the message is a sham. If he doesn't have the authority, what he's saying and what he's done and what he will do really don't matter all that much.
[8:33] Christ's authority is central. One, it's central for the doctrine of the Bible. Central for the doctrine of the gospel. Two, it's central in our lives. If Jesus is really our Lord, like we say, he has the authority to tell us what to do.
[8:44] He has the authority to command us. He has the authority to be followed. He has authority to be believed. He has authority to come true. If he doesn't have the authority, we have to follow his authority. Divinity, his claims, his doctrine, his promise.
[8:56] They all hinge on the very important topic of does Jesus have the authority? The verses to follow, he's going to build a masterful case as a wise man. It's so easy to be hardened on these leaders, but sometimes it's easy to read this and I'm like, man, they had a real authority issue.
[9:15] What was wrong with them? But these men, with their authority issue, maybe by ignorance or insult, themselves have authority problems that manifest in different ways. We read our Bibles and it says, do this or do this unto one another.
[9:29] We're like, ah, maybe. Or maybe we're by ourselves and we know what the Bible would say to them. We're there to catch us and we say, ah, maybe next time. Maybe our lack of belief in his authority manifests itself in the lack of faith and the doubt we show sometimes.
[9:43] Where, God, can you really do this? Or, Lord, will you really help me? Is this possible? Maybe our lack of belief in his authority manifests in delays of obedience. I think if we had the view of authority that Jesus is going to lay out for us in the world, it'd change our everything.
[9:58] And he's going to build a wonderful case for the verses to follow. And he's going to leave them with only two real choices. Either accept this authority or deny it. And Christian, believing in the individual person here today, he gives you the same two choices.
[10:11] You can either accept this authority or you can deny it. Father, I thank you for your goodness and mercy. I thank you for that you have all the authority, Lord. I pray that you help us live lives submitted unto it.
[10:23] Lord, I pray for those who are going through trials and storms. Lord, I pray that we would know you have the authority over our situations. Lord, I pray for those of us who are struggling with fears. Lord, I pray that we'd submit those fears to your authority.
[10:34] God, I pray for those who want to take a step of faith in your authority. God, I pray that you help us believe you and to trust you. Lord, I pray that you would use your word in our hearts. God, please work today in your name.
[10:45] I pray. Amen. Jesus responds to this question of authority that the Pharisees asking with another question. So they come up to Jesus in the temple. By what authority are you doing this, Jesus? How can you come into this temple, flip tables, kick out all the money changers?
[10:58] Jesus responds to this question with another question. Look at what the Bible says in Luke 20, verses 3 through 7. And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one thing and answer this me. The baptism of John, was it from heaven or from end?
[11:11] So he makes a question. Was John's message and ministry and what he taught, John the Baptist, you know, my cousin, that guy. Was he, was he, was he from heaven or was he not? And they reasoned within themselves saying, if we shall say from heaven, he will say, why then you believe not?
[11:24] And if we shall say of men, the people will stone us for they'll be persuaded that they were persuaded that John was a prophet and they answered him not. Neither could tell from whence it was. So the first nail or the first point that Jesus puts up in his argument for his authority or his defense of his story is this, the authority of John and his message, the authority of John the Baptist, his message.
[11:44] They wanted to push Jesus into a dilemma so that no matter how he responded, he'd be in trouble. If Jesus said that John had no authority, he'd be in trouble with the Jewish people. He was like, why are we following you? If the guy who had authority I know for invading their temple and acting like a prophet, if he said that John's authority came from God, he would then be in trouble with the Romans for usurping their authority.
[12:02] As you may remember though, John the Baptist was also quite the boat rocker. He too was quite the disruptor as well. He was somewhat of an eccentric who preached in the desert and called people to repent.
[12:12] He told them that they were headed in the wrong direction, needed to be baptized, baptized and turn and trust the king to come. Remember, more importantly, John pointed to Jesus as the one who was to come. In other words, he said that Jesus was the one sent from God.
[12:25] So he's making a case here. If John doesn't have any authority, the claims that John made about Jesus don't have any authority, thus how do we know that Jesus really is the Messiah? How do we know he is the promised one of Israel if John doesn't have the authority?
[12:37] John even told his disciples they should follow Jesus rather than him because John even made this statement here. He says this, I baptize with water, but he will baptize with the Holy Spirit. John said he was not worthy to even tie the sandals of Jesus.
[12:49] So John had this extremely high, magnificent, wonderful, deified view of Jesus. And if John didn't have authority in his message, that means that every claim he made did not have any authority.
[13:01] John had his critics, many of these same guys questioning Jesus, but the people loved John. John was a crowd favorite. John was eventually beheaded largely because he spoke up against King Herod for taking his brother's wife.
[13:13] And he really, I mean, John really did the right thing and lost for it. But the question about John was difficult for two reasons. They couldn't say that John didn't speak with God's authority, these Pharisees, because if they say, if they said that John didn't speak with God's authority, they'd immediately be dismissed by the people.
[13:26] So they say, we can't say we don't like this guy because if we say we don't like him, these people here are probably going to stone us for blasphemy. But they also said, if we say that he really has authority from heaven, that puts us in another predicament because they're going to say, well, why don't you believe him if he has authority from heaven?
[13:38] Aren't you guys a religious leaders? We can know, but this brings us to a point. We can know that John and his message, the first thing we look at is what the Bible, what God, what the prophecy, say. You turn to Matthew chapter three, verse number one.
[13:51] Look what the Bible says. In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness and said, for this is he that was spoken about the prophet Isaiah saying, the voice of the one crying in the wilderness, prepare you the way of the Lord, make his path straight.
[14:07] So we can introduce to John and the, so John with the Matthew is this, there's some prophecy directly attached to him. They're saying, this is the voice of Isaiah. This is the one that the Old Testament wrote about saying he's going to prepare the ways of the Lord.
[14:18] So John had prophecy about him that vindicated his authority. But not John was sent by God clearly the work for Jesus' ministry. John even claimed this about himself. Look at what John said in John 1.23 about himself.
[14:30] He says, I am the voice of the one crying in the wilderness. I said the prophet Isaiah. So John came in the authority that God had given him. The Old Testament vindicates this.
[14:40] John himself says this. But not just that. Look at some of the claims that John made about Jesus. This is why this is so important. John says this about Jesus in Matthew chapter three, verse 11. He's going to teach that Jesus is a ruler.
[14:51] He says, I baptize you with water under repentance. If you will come after me and he is mightier than I. So he teaches Jesus is mighty, that he's strong, that he's worthy. He teaches Jesus is going to send the Holy Ghost.
[15:01] But not just that. He also teaches Jesus' origin is divine. He that comes from above is above all. He doesn't teach that Jesus came from above all. He teaches in John 1.23.
[15:14] He was the lamb sent from God. So as Christians, as believers, as people who read the Bible, John's message is of big importance. He was sent to prepare the way for Jesus. And he made Jesus about Jesus.
[15:25] And they attack John's authority in this because they can attack John's authority. Ultimately, they can attack some of the promises and the claims built around Jesus. But Jesus points us right back to the Bible.
[15:36] And we find out that John really did have the authority. John's claims Jesus are based on the authority that God gave him as a prophet. He made much of Jesus' authority. So it gets us to a point.
[15:47] If they deny John's authority, if we deny John's authority, if we deny these beliefs about him, to open to deny the message of the prophet is now the Messiah that came behind him. And that's what Jesus is making a case for here.
[15:58] He began to talk about John. John didn't have authority. And his message wasn't true. And the message of these prophets wasn't true. Jesus ultimately doesn't have any authority in this whole belief system. That John had authority because God himself speaks of it.
[16:12] But not just that. Jesus then, he points to the prophet. But then he's going to turn our focus and we're going to look at the parable. Jesus' authority from the Father is shown in the parable that he teaches. After Jesus stops them with the question, he then starts teaching a parable.
[16:26] And I love this parable a lot. Let's read it. Luke chapter 20, verses 8 through 16. This is what the Bible says. He just says unto them, Neither I tell you by what authority I do these things. So he's like, since you can't answer my question, I'm not going to answer yours.
[16:37] But then he turns it up a notch. He says this. Then began he to speak to the people in this parable. A certain man planted a vineyard and lent it forth. The husbandmen went into a far country. He read that.
[16:48] But he came back. Let's look at verse number 10. They should give him the fruit of the vineyard. But the husbandmen beat him and sent him away empty. And he sent another servant. And they beat him also and treated him shamefully.
[16:58] So the landlord comes for his stuff. Next thing you know, he starts sending servants. They beat the servants. They reject the servants. They kick the servants out. Treat them poorly. Verse 13. Verse 14. The Lord says this. I will send my beloved son, the son I love, my son.
[17:11] He says, I will send him. They will reverence him when they see him. That they will yield to his authority. That they will give him the reverence that he deserves. And that's what he says there. Verse 14.
[17:21] But when the husbandmen saw him, come to find out, they end up killing him. Verse 16. And when they heard it, these people say, God forbid. Jesus gives them a parable of a vineyard in a direct response to their religious opposition to his authority.
[17:36] He tells a man who rents out a vineyard to some vine dressers. The vine dressers repeatedly mistreat his servants that are sent by him to collect part of this harvest. The vineyard owner is exhausted. So he sends his son hoping they would treat him better.
[17:48] The son of a verse killed by the vine dressers. As a result, the owner of the vineyard makes the decision to destroy the vine dressers and transfer ownership of the vineyard, transfer the benefits of the vineyard to others. This story clearly parallels Jesus' own rejection and death, which would happen at the hands of these religious leaders.
[18:04] And is a clear indictment on the scribes and the priests and the chiefs, the leaders and all those good people. There's so much rich truth in this parable. But let's break it down first. First thing to know is that the Lord of the vineyard is God.
[18:16] The owner prepared and cultivated this land. Matthew 21, uh, 21, 33 is going to tell us that he digged about it, put a tower in it, a wine press. He really put a lot of work into this. We find out that the owner in this parable that he gives is God himself.
[18:30] Come to find out the vineyard is Israel. The Lord uses some masterful, masterful Old Testament imagery here. Isaiah 5, Isaiah chapter 5, verses 1 through 5. There's a, there's a story that, that the prophet gives us.
[18:41] Now we'll sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. Knowing that Isaiah is talking to Israel. He says, my well-beloved has a vineyard in a very fruitful hill. Now let's go to the next verse, verse number two.
[18:52] And he fenced it and gathered all the stones that have implanted with it the choiceless vine and built the tower in the midst of it and made a wine presser. And he looked that it should bring forth grapes and it brought forth wild grapes. Sound familiar? You can kind of see the parallels between the two.
[19:03] Verse number three. And thou, O inhabitant Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you betwixt me and my vineyard. Next verse, please. What could I have done more to my vineyard that it should not be done in it?
[19:13] Whereof when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes. So he's making, Jesus is making this call back to Isaiah in this parable he gives here. And we find out that that, that, that vineyard is Israel.
[19:24] But not just that, the owners set them there, surrounded them with blessings and protections, gave them covenants and promises. If we know this is Israel he was talking about, we can think about it. We go back to the Exodus. He pulls them out of Egypt, puts them into the promised land, gives them his covenant promise, protections and guarantees and makes the land fruitful.
[19:40] Milk and honey. It's a great, great place. And all God is expecting in return is some worship and some praise, some fruit from his vineyard. And instead, what does he get in return? He gets wild grapes. And if we know the story of Israel as a nation, they start worshiping Baal right after they get the law.
[19:55] They start worshiping, they start worshiping golden calves. Next thing you know, they turn. After they exiled into Babylon and come back, they change religious system into a way of show. Nothing serious, no heart involved.
[20:05] They had bad sacrifices and so on and so forth. They were given wild grapes and bad fruit. They rejected the messengers. And these wicked tenants, they're the religious leaders of Israel. They're the ones who rejected the servants and the prophets.
[20:18] We can look back over Israel's history and see this. We look back to my big, vivid example would be King Ahab. Ahab had the prophet Elijah who called down fire from heaven. And in the same chapter, he's going to try to kill the man of God.
[20:30] They're going to kill more of the prophets. The messengers of Isaiah and Jeremiah being totally ignored by the nations. God sent prophet after prophet after messenger after messenger to the nation of Israel. And they consistently rejected it.
[20:42] Look at what Stephen said in Acts chapter 7, verse number 52. I love this little indictment. And he says this. He says, which of the prophets have your fathers not persecuted? He's like, which one of the prophets did they actually listen to?
[20:53] Because if we know their story, it's prophet after prophet after prophet after prophet that the nation of Israel is rejected. And Jesus in this parable, it's an indictment. But then the next part of this parable, we'd also see the owner sends his beloved son.
[21:06] I think we all know who that is. That's Jesus. Look at what God says about Jesus in Matthew chapter 3, verse 17 at Jesus' baptism. As soon as he comes out of the water, and lo, a voice came from heaven, saying, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.
[21:18] So in this parable, the beloved son is Jesus. So Jesus is building a case here. He says, Israel, the nation, you leaders, you guys were a vineyard. You were taken by God. He protected you, put you in this really good spot that he did all the work for, and he planted you there.
[21:33] And religious leaders, I appointed you guys to take care of this place, to lead these people, to cultivate it, keep the weeds out. And now it's bringing forth wild grapes. And every time I sent forth a prophet or a servant or somebody to speak a message and get you guys back straight like you need to be, you guys would always kill them, persecute them, ignore them, send them away.
[21:53] So God says, I know what I do. I will send my beloved son, Jesus. And what Jesus is making the statement of is here. You've had the prophets. You've had the messages. You even ignored my prophet John.
[22:04] Now the beloved son is here, and you guys are rejecting him as well. And what's amazing about this parable is Jesus also teaches us that he was sent with authority from the father because the father in the story sent the son.
[22:15] And what do these religious leaders do? They, too, reject the son. In the verses to come, we find out that they'll take Jesus. He's crucified. He's killed. He's rejected by those religious leaders.
[22:26] Actually, in Acts chapter 4, verse 11, Peter preaches a lot of the same people, and they're still rejecting Jesus. This beloved son was sent with authority of his father in attempting to get these wicked servants to behave, to give the fruit of worship that the owner deserved.
[22:39] And just like in the parable, they would, too, deny the beloved son's authority. To reject the beloved son ultimately results in punishment. Look what, let's read chapter 20, verse number 16.
[22:49] And he shall come and destroy those husbands to give the vineyard to others. To reject Jesus, to reject the beloved son, to reject him, ultimately results in punishment. And God was merciful.
[23:00] He sent prophet after prophet after prophet after prophet. But he got to the point where he sent the son to the nation. And the nation rejected it. And because they rejected it, God makes, Jesus says this, they, too, shall be punished.
[23:12] And we know that to deny Jesus ultimately results in punishment. But Jesus then finishes his case for his authority. We're looking at the prophecy. So he said, we've looked at the prophet, John. We've looked at the parable.
[23:24] But then Jesus takes us back to a prophecy found in the Psalms. As Jesus finishes making this case for his authority, he has one more point up his sleeve, and it'll be found in the Psalms. Let's read Luke chapter 20, verse 17.
[23:34] And he beheld them and said, What then is written? The stone which the builder rejected, the same has become the head of the corner. Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken, and on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
[23:46] Jesus carefully carries this battle for his authority, and he takes them into the scriptures, the source of authority that they revered most. And he starts quoting Psalm 118, verse 22.
[23:57] And he begins to quote this psalm to these men. And he begins talking about a cornerstone. And I'm not an architect. I'm not a builder. I'm not Micah. I don't know how buildings work. But he begins to use this illustration of a cornerstone.
[24:10] Come to find out, a cornerstone is central in building the building. Not centrally located, but central in structure. It's what a lot of the weight of the building is built upon. And he makes this statement.
[24:20] The cornerstone, this stone, you guys rejected it, not knowing it's the cornerstone that the whole building is built upon. They were sent to the son, but turned him away. He was killed. And what would happen next? They rejected the cornerstone.
[24:32] The role of Israel's leaders was to lead God's people and to carry out the mission of building God's kingdom. They were sent to this son. They were sent to this cornerstone. They rejected him. What would happen next? God would take the one that they rejected in this psalm.
[24:44] He would take the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God, the beloved Son, the one that John the Baptist talked about, the one they rejected, and construct an entirely new entity around him. And we know that as the church.
[24:55] And it's incredible. That stone that they rejected, that stone that they rejected, that cornerstone, that central figure, the most important piece that they rejected, the one that they killed and crucified and buried, he'd come back from the dead.
[25:07] And the Lord would establish his church. And it'd be wonderful because it'd be Jew and Gentile together in a new thing, the church. Israel rejected. Israel rejected. Israel rejected.
[25:17] They rejected the Messiah. They rejected the Lord. And that cornerstone they rejected, the Lord would use as the foundation for his church. God's vineyard of blessing would no longer be under the authority of these rulers, educated by the rabbis, descended from priests through ethnic ancestry, or rulers chosen based on prior leadership.
[25:32] The authority would become, would be given to Jesus, the cornerstone himself, the son of God. And Jesus would build his church on this authority. It would mean doing away with this old system.
[25:43] Gentiles and all people would now be able to worship God in something new and in something great, known as the church, which is built upon the authority that Jesus has. Jesus made something new and wonderful called the church, not under the authority of men, not under the authority of governments, not under the authority of kings, but under the direct authority of the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
[26:02] Let's read Ephesians 1, 22 and 23. This is what the Bible is going to say here. It's going to say, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. Let's go to 23. It's going to read this.
[26:14] And I've put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church. So we as believers, we as church people, we as Christians, Jesus is the head of the church. It is his authority.
[26:24] It is his church. And Jesus then leaves these leaders with the choice. He then leaves them with the choice. Accept the authority that God has given Jesus, that he's built this case for, or face destruction, both as a nation and individually.
[26:37] In the days to come, they would make their choice. Actually, in verse number 19, they'd start making their choice right then. They would reject Jesus, crucify him. And because they reject his authority, it does not mean they nullified it or ended it.
[26:49] Just because you don't accept authority doesn't mean authority goes away, but rather it placed them under the consequences of not accepting it. And this brings it back down to us. Church, believers, people in 21st century, this is a wonderful account that God has preserved for us.
[27:02] There's so much truth and relevant application for us. First thing we can know as a church and believers is Jesus, his miracles, his works, his doctrines, what he taught, his promises, they are legitimate and they are authoritative.
[27:14] They have authority. Jesus has authority over our problems, over our fears, over what we worry about, over what we go through, over storm situations, all of it, we can know that he is in control.
[27:25] That would give us a lot of comfort. But not just that. As believers and Christians and people in church this morning, it also means he has authority over us as well, which means he calls us shots, which means we do what he says to, which means when we get to something in his word that doesn't necessarily jive with us like we'd want it to, we're going to go with what he says to do.
[27:43] Jesus left them with the choice to do that. It was under the protection of his authority in which he also sent his disciples out to serve him. Look what the Bible says in Matthew chapter 28, verses 18 and 19. I think this is wonderful.
[27:54] And Jesus came and spake to them, saying, all power is going to be in heaven and earth. All authority is given unto me in heaven and earth. And then verse 19, go ye therefore, teach all nations, baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
[28:06] So our obedience in this world hinges on our Lord's authority. So if we're going to go out, we're going to be disciple makers and witnesses, missionaries. We're going to preach the gospel, proclaim the truth like we should.
[28:17] We need to do it under his authority. It was under the protection of his authority in which his disciples went out. Those 12 men that heard this, they would go out and they would change the world. And I think that if we live life believing that he was really authoritative and really true, it would change everything for us.
[28:33] So his miracles and his works and Jesus' person, it's legitimate and it's authoritative. But also we have a choice to accept it or deny it. I advise you that not submitting to it really isn't the best idea.
[28:43] We read what happens with that cornerstone. It says there will be ground to powder. It's not good. We read what happens to the servants who reject the son's authority. But ultimately he gave them a choice. God didn't make robots and he gave them a choice to accept or deny this authority.
[28:56] I advise you not submitting to it is not the wise idea. We may deny it, but it is still true. And eventually all will eventually yield to the authority of Jesus Christ. Philippians chapter 2 verses 9 and 10 are going to read this.
[29:09] Where for God hath highly exalted Jesus and given him a name which is above every name, verse 10, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven, of things in earth, and all things under the earth.
[29:20] So this is going to get to a point we're all going to have to admit that Jesus, he's authoritative, right? He has the authority. He is king. He is Lord for sure. My question is, are you going to accept that authority now? Are you going to place your faith in his message, in his gospel, in what he taught?
[29:33] Are you going to believe that and accept the authority now? Or I don't want to be forced to bend the knee at the end. Let's read it what verse number 3 says. Those who are part of the church or those who are part of the church and believers or lives are submitted under the authority of Jesus.
[29:47] As Christians, church members, people who attend church, people who would say we are believers, we also got to realize that Jesus calls the shots. As a church, our direction is led by Jesus.
[29:58] As a church, as a believer, as an individual, as a family, what we're going to do is led by Jesus. I get married in 97 days. I'm really excited about it. And Grace and I, we went furniture shopping the other day.
[30:08] And, you know, I was really looking forward to it. Thought it was going to be great. And as soon as we went furniture shopping, I found out I have no authority at all. None, like none. It's all, it's her authority. As soon as we like walk into Target, it's her authority.
[30:20] But come to find out, as a family, Jesus, he's the authority in the household. He's the authority he's going to lead. He's the authority who gets to call the shots in the family, call the shots in the church. And as Christians and believers, we should submit and yield to that authority.
[30:33] Look what the Bible says in Colossians chapter 1, verse number 8. It's going to read this. Who is a clarity, I picked the wrong verse, but he has the authority. Jesus has all the authority. What will you do with it?
[30:44] And that's where it comes down to us. Are we going to live lives that are submitted and accepting his authority? Maybe some of us in here have not accepted Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. Are we going to trust his authority to save us? Maybe some of us in here are having issues, trials, storms, that we just don't know how it's going to work out.
[31:00] We're going to accept his authority to help us through that. Maybe some of us in here, there's that sin problem or that issue or that battle we just can't beat. We can't get any help in. We're going to yield his authority to help us. Regardless of what it may be, we need to yield and submit to the authority of Jesus Christ.
[31:15] If I can get everyone's heads bowed, everyone's eyes closed, we'll finish here in a word of prayer and invitation as well. Father, I thank you for your goodness and your mercy. Lord, I thank you for your kindness to us.
[31:26] I'm thankful that you are merciful and patient. But Lord, I'm thankful you have the authority. Lord, I pray for my brothers and sisters and friends in this room. God, I pray that you'd help us turn over our lives to your authority.
[31:38] I pray that we'd submit our families to your authority. I pray that we'd submit ourselves to your authority. Lord, you call the shots. Help us obey that, Lord, whether that be salvation, submission, whatever it is, Lord.
[31:49] Help us yield to your authority. In your name I pray. Amen.