Luke 4:31-41 - What Authority Really Looks Like

Today we're going to deal with two topics that can be somewhat controversial within the church: the demonic and healing. We're going to dive into the Word of God, lay some proper foundation today, and let's pray first because that's where we need to go. Father, we come before You. We thank You for the opportunity to break open Your Word. Father, we ask that You would speak with authority, with power, Father, that all who hear what You have to say today would be transformed by hearing Your voice. And Father, I pray that we would not leave this place the same as we entered. Father, we would not settle for a life that is powerless, but Father, that we would learn to operate and live in the authority of Jesus Christ. Father, I pray today that You be glorified and exalted in this message, and we ask this in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.

So, we need to backtrack just a little. As we studied last week, Jesus was in Nazareth. He was teaching with authority—it sounded different. Ultimately, He gets run out of town because He declares who He is. And so now, He has gone from Nazareth to Capernaum. When it says in verse 31, He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, topologically it is down; it's going from a high point in that countryside down to an area on the seashore. But here's the thing we want to notice: He was teaching them on the Sabbath.

The one thing we need to remember about Jesus when He began His ministry is that He started teaching. Teaching was the priority. Remember, John chapter 1, verse 1 says this about Jesus: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." When we talk about the Word of God, the authority of scripture, we need to understand that is who Jesus is.

He was teaching on the Sabbath, and they were astonished by His teaching, for His word possessed authority. Now, we need to understand this a little better, so if you'll turn with me to Matthew chapter 7, verses 28 and 29, we're going to get a little better glimpse of what was so authoritative about the words that Jesus was speaking. It says, "And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes."

See, here's what was happening in Jesus' day—it's not much different than what's happening in our world today. The scribes were more interested in furthering religious tradition, and so you would come to synagogue, and what they would do is they would quote their favorite scribe or thought leader, and they would perpetuate religious practice. But religious practice doesn't carry authority, and the reason this is so critical today is that you can go to many churches in America and never hear the Word of God. It's more like a personal development conference with a cross somewhere in the building. The only difference is at the end of the conference, they don't tell you to rush to the table and back to pick up the next conference, but it's very similar. There's no power in it, but there are churches all over America today, "Hey, five methods to live a happier life." But what do I need church for? I go, get the book. It's not going to change anybody's life permanently. It's not transformative.

See, the difference is Jesus was quoting scripture; He was quoting the heart of God, and it carried with it an authority that the teachings of the day did not carry. It was different. You just read a passage together; we're going to read it again, Matthew chapter 28, verse 18. This is part of the Great Commission where Jesus is sending His disciples out, and He says this, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."

See, these individuals had been sitting in synagogue week after week, year after year, feeling good about themselves. They're good religious people; they go to church every week, they give their money, they even have a Bible in the house, they don't ever read it, but it's there. And yet, their lives were untransformed, and here comes Jesus, and He begins to preach with authority, and they've never heard anything like it. What is this? This is life-changing.

When I first started in the ministry many years ago, the popular church growth book was "The Purpose-Driven Church" by Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church out in California. And so, it was not uncommon to hear more pastors quoting Rick Warren than actually quoting the Word of God. I myself, as a young pastor, was guilty of that. I'm going to preach good, seeker-sensitive messages, and people are going to get saved, and guess what happened? Absolutely nothing. So one day, my wife and I were driving to Oklahoma City to see her relatives. She's driving; I'm in the passenger side. God's dealing with me: "You sugarcoat the gospel, Carl." And so, I made a dangerous thing. I turned to her, and I said, "Hey, Carol, do I sugarcoat the gospel?" And she said, "Yes, you do." And I went, "Ouch." So I said, "God, what would you have me do?" "Preach the Word, in season and out of season, nothing more, nothing less." I began to preach chapter by chapter, verse by verse, and I began to watch God do amazing things in people's lives.