• Under Authority

  Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 15, 2011 (message contributor)

  based on 1 rating   (rate this sermon illustration)

   | 5,569 views

  Scripture:  Matthew 21:18-22

  Tags:  Authority

UNDER AUTHORITY

I used to be a substitute teacher. Most of the time, I had good classes. Sometimes I had bad classes. But one day, I had a horrible class. Kids were running around the room, throwing paper wads, screaming and yelling. One kid ran out the side door into the courtyard and came back in tracking mud all over the classroom. I think that was the day I started losing my hair!

But all of a sudden, the principal shows up! It gets really quiet. He said to me "Who are the five biggest troublemakers?" I could have easily picked out ten troublemakers. But I picked out five. The principal points a thick finger at the five kids and says "Come with me!" And I never saw them again. And I never had another problem with that class.

I was amazed at the authority of that principal. That’s how the disciples feel about Jesus! They see him carry out the judgment of God in the temple courts. They see him symbolically carry out the judgment of God on the fruitless fig tree. They say "Wow! Jesus is AMAZING! We wish WE could do that!"

But before we can minister WITH the authority of Christ, we need to make sure we are living UNDER the authority of Christ.

(From a sermon by Marc Axelrod, Judging the Fruitless and Encouraging the Fruitful, 5/25/2011)