A King Of Power And Authority

A King of Power and Authority

John 18:36

I. Introduction:

a. We have been keeping our eyes on the Presidential race

i. We cast our votes on November 7th

1. Many of us waited up to see who would be the next president, but were left hanging and have been left hanging for several weeks

ii. We have watched as the State of Florida has gone through a recount.

iii. We have heard the arguments and debates about what constitutes a legitimate ballot that should be counted.

1. Emphasis has been put on the ballots that have the famous “dimpled Chad”

a. Before the election, I have to admit, I never even knew what a Chad was other then the name of a person I went to school with and the name of a country in Africa.

b. Now these “Chad’s” have become so popular they want to put them in the Smithsonian

b. Some say that this “election limbo” that we are in is affecting us in a variety of ways.

i. Politicians suggest that while we are in a state of flux our nation’s political position is being affected.

ii. The stock market has fluctuated significantly because of this indecision.

iii. The though also has been presented that Christmas sales are down because of peoples un-sureness of the outcome of this election.

c. Like many of you I curiously wait to see how this drama hopefully comes to a conclusion soon, but my life does not depend on the outcome of this election.

i. Because I have a leader that is:

1. Higher then any man’s authority

2. More powerful then any force seen or unseen.

II. I HAVE A KING THAT HAS ALL ATHORITY AND POWER

a. He established the foundations of all that exist.

i. Genesis 1

1. “And God said…”And it was so.” “And God said…And it was so”

2. If God says it, it will happen (whatever “it” is)

b. Creations testifies to His power and Authority

i. Romans 1:20

1. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles

c. His Power & Authority are Supreme

i. King of Kings and Lord of Lords

1. Revelation 17:14

2. There are other kings that rule and reign over us, but there is still one that is higher then all of them.

ii. He is a dictator

1. We don’t like that word though, it brings imagery of:

a. Bondage

b. Cruelty

c. One who seeks his own gain.

2. The simplest definition for a dictator is one who has absolute power.

3. There are two types of dictators

a. Humanistic Dictatorship

i. Born out of one persons desire or belief to be superior to another person

1. Selfishness

ii. Characteristic - Temporal

iii. Examples of Humanistic Dictators

1. Julius Caesar

a. Caesar, Gaius Julius (100-44 BC), Roman general and statesman, who laid the foundations of the Roman Empire.

2. Mussolini

a. Mussolini, Benito (1883-1945), premier-dictator of Italy (1922-1943), the founder and leader of Italian Fascism.

3. Adolf Hitler

a. Hitler, Adolf (1889-1945), German dictator, who launched World War II in 1939. Making anti-Semitism a keystone of his propaganda and policies, he built the Nazi Party (see National Socialism) into a mass movement. For a time he dominated most of Europe and North Africa. He caused the slaughter of millions of Jews and others whom he considered inferior.

4. Joseph Stalin

a. (1879-1953), leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and secretary-general of the Communist Party in the USSR from 1922 to 1953,

5. Saddam Hussein

iv. Pursuit of this kind of dictatorship is domination through manipulation, deceit, pain, guilt, and judgment. Sound familiar? Sounds exactly like what the devil does.

b. Devine Dictatorship

i. Born out of a Creator – Creation relationship

1. Seen in service

ii. Characteristic - Eternal

iii. Example of this kind of Dictatorship

1. Only between God and his Creation

iv. Pursuit of this kind of dictator relationship is Love and care

d. All the power and Authority that established the foundations of everything that exist is found in the person of Jesus Christ.

i. Jesus has all authority

1. Matthew 28:18

a. When Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me

ii. Jesus’ authority is demonstrated in: