Sunday, August 17, 2025 PM

The Authority of Jesus Christ

I invite you to open up to Mark chapter 1. Mark chapter 1, we've been thinking about the theme of the authority of Jesus Christ. That Jesus has power and rule over everything. That His rule is absolute.

No one can stay His hand or say to Him, what have you done? But what He decrees, what He ordains, comes to pass. For He has power and rule over all things. And He is the one who is able to define for us what is right and what is wrong.

He objectively brings truth and wisdom to us and to everyone in this world. Jesus Christ has authority. Before we read, let's begin with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank You for tonight. We thank You for Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who has authority, who has called us to Himself and given us life.

We thank You for Your perfect Word that converts our souls, that heals our hearts and gives us direction. For it is the Word that proclaims of Jesus Christ. We thank You, Lord, for Your good gifts to us.

And it's in Christ's name we pray, asking for Your help, for Your guidance tonight. Amen. We examined last time I was up here in Mark, how Jesus has authority over salvation. We saw in verses 16 -20 of Mark 1, how Jesus had the power and authority to call dead sinners to Himself, to grant them life, to grant them light, to call them out of spiritual darkness to Himself.

And He alone is the one who can do this. He alone can call sinners to Himself. And having been set free from sin, from themselves, they are free to choose Jesus Christ and follow after Him. Jesus Christ came to these four simple men, these ordinary men, who He turned into apostles, who He used for great and wonderful things by His grace and by His power.

He does that with each one of us. Though we might be ordinary and weak, by the power of Jesus Christ, He uses the weak things of the world to showcase His glory and might. It's Jesus who said to the disciples, I will make you become, showing us that change for the believer is not just a possibility, but it's a promise.

And that's because Jesus is at work in our hearts and in our lives. These simple fishermen did indeed become fishers of men and cast out the dragnet of the gospel, bringing in many people to Jesus Christ, following Jesus.

We thought last week about how that means everything else comes second to Christ. He alone has the priority in our life, and nothing else comes before Him, and we're willing to lay aside and lay down everything else in order to follow after Him.

Following Jesus is the essence and the core of Christianity. It's not a set of rules, it's not a list of checkboxes to mark off for ourselves, but it's spending time with the Savior in relationship and in knowing Him.

Christ's Authority Over Teaching and Instruction

Our next point we'll think about is Jesus Christ has authority over teaching and instruction. We'll see this in verses 21 and 22. I invite you to read with me Mark chapter 1, beginning in verse 21. After He calls the disciples to Himself and they leave their business, they leave their family, they leave the hired servants, they follow after Him, and in verse 21 the text says,.

And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. And they were astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

The scribes of the day and the religious leaders often had a practice of quoting their contemporaries or the religious leaders before them. But Jesus Christ does something that no one else can. He stands upon Himself as the authority.

He doesn't need any citations, any quotes to prove His points. But as the God-man, as God come in the form of humanity, He needs simply speak and the matter is settled. And if Jesus says so, that's it.

And if you were to ask Jesus, How can you prove that? He could rightly respond, Because I say so, period. Because He has authority. Because He is the Lord of glory. He Himself stands upon Himself as the authority.

And we don't know what He taught here. We don't know what lessons He brought to the people of that synagogue. But we know from other texts of Scripture, in His teaching and in His preaching, He could say, Truly, truly, right before His saying.

He could give an amen to what He was about to say before He even said it. Because what He spoke, simply by speaking, is true. It's life-changing. It's transformative. It is itself truth and beauty. When Jesus did give citations and quotes, He was quoting the Old Testament.

He would say things like, Have you never read? And He would quote the Old Testament, Moses and the prophets, showing the authority of the Word of God. But alongside all of that, He would say, But I say to you.

The prophets of the Old Testament would bring authority by saying, Thus says the Lord. But Jesus Christ Himself can come and say, I say to you. Because He is, in fact, the God-Man. By His Word alone, with no other source, He defines what is true and what is right.

And this is what it means that He has authority. He can define what is true and what is right, just by Himself. For He is the truth, the way, and the life. And He is the light of the world. In His light, we see everything clearly.

Who can know the human heart? No one can. But the Lord says in Jeremiah, I search the heart. Jesus Christ is the expert on humanity. And by His light, we see ourselves clearly for who we are. We see everything clearly through the light of Jesus Christ.

He taught back then, and He taught all along through His earthly ministry. Taught words of life. Taught wisdom. Taught help and hope to others. And He teaches us today, as He has ascended at the right hand of the Father.

So He teaches us by His Word and by His Spirit. Through His Spirit, He gives us the mind of Christ. He gives us spiritual enlightenment. He gives us ears to hear and eyes to see. That we might understand the voice of our shepherd.

And internally recognize, yes, that's the voice of Christ. And I want to follow after Him. I want to obey Him in all things. Submitting to Him in all areas of life. And He teaches in all areas of life.

He teaches in the church and in every area of life. He speaks and brings direction and wisdom to all of His people. For unbelievers, there is a variety of ultimate authorities that they hold to in life.

For some, it's the philosophers of this world. For others, it's religious leaders. And for others, it's themselves. They will decide for themselves what is right and what is true. And for other non-believers, they say, there is no truth.

There is no ultimate authority. But for us who have been saved. We have life in Jesus Christ by His power and grace. We know who the ultimate authority is. And all authority comes forth from Jesus Christ.

Authority in the church. Authority in government. And authority in the family. All authority comes from Him. For He is the authority. Oh, for the joy of being taught by Christ. Individually. Intimately.

Personally. What lessons He brings us. What help, what guidance He brings us every step of the way. What lessons has He taught you recently? How has He guided you and helped you along this way? Never leaving you.

Never forsaking you. But always being there. Taking your right hand. And leading you with His counsel. What lessons has He taught you today? The teaching that Jesus brings us is not always the lessons we want.

But it's the lessons we need. We don't come to Jesus and say, These are the lessons we'd like to learn today. As a student comes to the teacher and says, I'll determine what lessons you bring to me today.

No, that's not how it works. But we come humbly. Saying, Lord, what would you have me learn today? What would you speak on to me today? How would you guide me today? May I submit to you and know that what you have to teach me today is true and right and what I need.

Blessed are the words of the songwriter. Whatever it takes to keep me tender to you. Whatever it takes, Lord, I beg you to do. Whatever you must lead me through, whatever it takes, Lord, do. Jesus Christ is an excellent and good teacher who cares for us and speaks to all areas of our life.

Every single area. Don't be deceived. And don't be taken captive by philosophies and empty deceit. For many will come to you and say, In order to understand religion, in order to understand the Bible, in order to understand Christ, you need these religious leaders.

And without them, you cannot understand Christ. And these sons of hell go out and make others twice as much a son of hell as they do, as they are themselves. Jesus Christ has given us his Holy Spirit.

And with the Spirit, we have the mind of Christ. We are given ears to hear and eyes to see. And so when others come up to us and say, You have no credentials. You have no training. How can you hear Jesus Christ?

Because Jesus Christ has given us ears to hear and eyes to see. Because Jesus has said, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them. It's not the size of our intellect that matters. It's the grace of God working within us, in our hearts, to help us understand him.

And he does grant us understanding and direction and guidance, for he is a good teacher. I've seen many men with great and powerful intellects, yet they do not know God. They are in spiritual darkness, yet I see others who are a bit more simple-minded, yet they've been taught by the Lord, and they are extremely wise.

Extremely wise. And what makes the difference? By the mercy and grace of God. Jesus Christ comes to sinners in spiritual darkness, and with power and authority, he says, Follow me. And sinners come after him.

Turn now into saints, cleansed, washed, forgiven of all of their sins, and free to follow after the Savior. Don't fall for the lie that in order to understand justice in this life, you need to understand our teachers and read our books.

In order to understand justice in this life, I will look unto the one who took all the justice for me on the cross, and who will handle all matters of justice, eventually on that final day. When we go through personal issues and hardships in this life, some might say you need to go to the psychiatrist, the expert on the matter.

I have an expert. He is at the right hand of God now, ruling and reigning, and he is the one who can heal my heart, who can mend the internal wounds that no one else can see. He is the one who can truly restore, because he is the one with authority.

All other authorities outside of Christ, as we heard about this morning, is nothing but folly. All these other false authorities would say to the Son of David, we have no share in him, we want to break away.

But in Jesus Christ, we are taught, we are provided for, we are led along by the Good Shepherd, who teaches us not always the lessons we want, but the lessons we need. And he gives us teachers, the gift of teachers in the church and in the home.

Teachers who, along with John the Baptist, say, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. They say, look unto Christ, focus on him. Don't focus on me, focus on Christ. Look to him. And with John the Baptist, good teachers underneath the authority of Jesus Christ say, he must increase and I must decrease.

They make much of him, they proclaim him, and they are happy to be forgotten about, for they serve the risen Lord Jesus Christ. If we're ever tempted to walk away from the authority of Christ, may we with the Apostle Peter say, Lord, to whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God. Oh, how good it is to be taught by the Lord Jesus Christ. Our next point, Jesus Christ has authority over the supernatural.

Christ's Authority Over the Supernatural

We read about this in verses 23 through 28. Read with me together. Mark chapter 1, verse 23. And immediately there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit, and he cried out saying, What do we have to do with you, Jesus the Nazarene?

Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him saying, Be quiet and come out of him. And throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him.

And they were all amazed so that they were arguing among themselves saying, What is this, a new teaching with authority? He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him. And immediately the news about him spread everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee.

Immediately there's a spirit that reacts to the teaching and presence of Jesus Christ. And notice the reaction. It's a reaction of basic belief, of hatred, and of fear. He knows who Jesus Christ is, and he responds with hatred.

He along with many other unbelieving souls say, What do we have to do with you? Wanting to break away from Jesus, break away from his authority. Although that is in vain. It's impossible for him to do so.

But he still speaks with hatred. He also calls Jesus the Nazarene. He identifies Jesus with the lowly town he came from. Seeking to identify him with a lowly position. So he speaks with hatred. But the unclean spirit also speaks with fear.

Have you come to destroy us? This unclean spirit knows the ultimate endgame. That Jesus Christ has authority over him. And one day will take the devil and all of his demons. And cast him into the lake of fire that burns forever.

Day and night, forevermore to be tortured. Not to reign there, but to experience the wrath of God. That's the reaction of the unclean spirit. And what's the response of Christ? Verse 25,. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be quiet, and come out of him.

And with one final vain revolt against the authority of Jesus Christ, This demon throws the man into a convulsion,. But this lasts only for a moment, and he has to depart. Even the demons obey the voice of Jesus Christ and tremble before him.

For Jesus is the one who has authority. Christ's response is just a few simple words. He doesn't rely upon any complex ritual, no gimmicks, no props. He need only speak, and the demon obeys. Christ alone delivers.

This is not an arm wrestle. It's not a spiritual struggle on level ground. It's not a match between equal opponents. But Christ is Lord, and he has authority over the supernatural. The devil and his demons are not separate sovereigns, But rebels in the king's world.

And even these rebels must submit to the king when he speaks. Believers are often tempted to think too much of themselves, Too much of their sins,. And sometimes we're tempted to think too much of the enemy.

To think that there's a demon behind every bush and behind every closed door. And to say to ourselves, the enemy is at work and on the move. But let us also remember that Jesus Christ is on the move, And he has the victory.

We follow the one who has authority even over the principalities and powers. And I appreciate the words of my brother, Who is now with the Lord, But anytime he spoke about the devil, He always referred to him in this way, He is a loser.

And that is very much appropriate and good. For we follow Jesus Christ, who is the victor. And he holds all power and authority even over the supernatural. Jesus Christ is the solution to the monarch attack, And to spiritual warfare.

He grants us spiritual weapons of his word, prayer, and faith To extinguish the fiery darts of the devil. As we walk this walk of faith, Every battle that we encounter belongs to the Lord, And the victory belongs unto him.

He is the one who is head of all principalities and powers. He is the one who the demons tremble to. He is the one with authority. Let's not think too much of our enemy. Let's think first and foremost of our Christ, Who has the victory.

Let's close in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day. Thank you for the direction, And for the hope that your word has given. Thank you for your beloved Son, Who is in charge, Who has the authority, Who leads us in victory, And who will never leave us nor forsake us.

His love is strong, it is true, it is powerful. We thank you for him, And it's in his name we pray, amen.