“Focusing on Truth – a study in Ephesians”
Lesson Five: “Too Good Not to Be True – part 4”
Subtitle – “The Blessing of Authority”
To get us into the message, let’s read together Ephesians 1:9-10 on screen.
Today we are wrapping up a section of Ephesians that tells us about the blessings that God gives to every believer. Thank you so much for the kind words and dialogue that some of you have brought my way as we’ve gone through this series. We’ve learned that election changes our perception about ourselves, and that as sons and daughter, we need to “say it anyway” – we can say about ourselves what God says about us. Today’s message is a change of pace – election made us see who we are, adoption made us say who we are, and today - the blessing of authority – shows us why we should submit to God. Unfortunately, too many people don’t recognize that living under the authority of God is a blessing.
We live in a world where everyone wants to write their own rules, be their own boss, and live under their own authority. Defiance became something that was cool in the late 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. This defiance led to the decadence of the 80’s and 90’s, and today, we are seeing the results of this kind of living. Researcher George Barna cites tells us that when it comes to responding to authority, the various generations in America respond differently - older Americans accept authority, Boomers want to control authority, Busters ignore authority, Gen X-ers don’t recognize authority because they have not seen it modeled, and the Millenials are told be their own authority!
But what is authority? Too many people are scared of this word authority, because they simply don’t know what it means. The captain of a large ship discovered what authority was as he looked out one night into the distance and saw faint lights getting closer to his ship. Immediately he told his signalman to send this message: “Alter your course 10 degrees south.”
A prompt message came in return, “You alter your course 10 degrees north.”
Captain angered that his command had been ignored sent a second message, “Alter your course 10 degrees south – I am a captain!” A message came back in return, “You alter your course 10 degrees north – I am officer 3rd class Jones!”
The captain sent a third message knowing the fear it would evoke, “Alter your course 10 degrees south – I am a battleship!” Then the reply came, “You alter your course 10 degrees north – I am a lighthouse!” You see, you have to recognize the authority.
It reminds me of a rather uptight Bible college student who decided to make the Bible the authority in every area of his life. He decided to find a Bible verse for everything he did in life. He felt he was on solid ground if he could quote Bible book, chapter and verse to okay every one of his actions.
He did all right with this until he fell in love with a girl. He wanted very much to kiss her, but he just couldn’t find a Bible verse to okay it. So, true to his conscience, every night when he would walk her to her dormitory, he would look at her – longingly look at her, sigh, and then say "Good night."
This went on for quite some time, and their relationship grew. All the while, he searched the Bible, trying to find some verse that would okay kissing her good night. But he couldn’t find one, until one day he finally came across Romans 16:16 that says, "Greet each other with a holy kiss." He thought, "At last, I have scriptural authority for kissing her good night."
But to be sure, he went to his pastor to make sure this was correct. After talking with his pastor, he realized that the passage dealt more with the culture of that day and public greetings than with a dating situation. So once again he simply didn’t have a passage of scripture to authorize kissing his girl good night.
That evening he walked her to the dormitory, sighed, and once again started to tell her "good night." But as he did, she grabbed him, pulled him toward her, and planted a passionate 10-second kiss right on his lips.
At the end of the kiss, the Seminary student gasped for air, and stammered, "Bible verse, Bible verse. I need a Bible verse" His girlfriend grabbed him a 2nd time, and just before kissing him again, she said, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." - What’s your authority today?
The passage that we read in Ephesians tells us that it is God’s plan at the right time to bring everything under the authority of Christ. But what is authority? It’s quite simple - authority is power assigned to reign or rule or lead.
Today I want us to understand some truths about authority.
1. Authority is a commodity that can be given and taken away.
Look at what the Bible says (on screen) regarding the commodity of authority:
• Matthew 28:18 – Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth.”
• Matthew 10:1 – “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.”
• Luke 4:6 - The Devil told him, "I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them--because they are mine to give to anyone I please.”
• Romans 1:5 - Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.
• I Corinthians 7:4 - The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband also gives authority over his body to his wife.
Authority can be given away, delegated, usurped (like Hitler’s first attempt to take over Germany), surrendered, or left behind because it is a commodity. And to understand authority is to understand that if you don’t like the authority you are under, you can take yourself out from underneath that authority. I laugh at all these movie stars and celebrities that berate our country and our president for our conservative values – I have a piece of advice: if you don’t like the authority you live under, go find another government to give your authority to!
But there’s another truth about authority:
2. You are under authority to something, like it or not.
No one is exempt from living under authority. In his prime, Muhammad Ali was flying on an airplane from Washington D.C. to New York, when a stewardess asked him to buckle his seatbelt before takeoff. He remarked, "Superman don’t need no seatbelt.” "Mr. Ali," the stewardess responded sweetly, "Superman don’t need an airplane either, now buckle up your seatbelt." We’re all under authority.
You might be a celebrity, a nobody, a wannabe, or you might be anti-establishment, but you are living under an authority whether you like it or not. No matter if the authority is the government, your spouse, the church, God, yourself. The great news is that we can choose many of the authorities we live under. We each choose to delegate authority or power to something in our lives that leads us and that guides us. The Preamble to the Constitution records how “we the people” establish our government to guide us.
Some people think. “Well, I’m not going to choose an authority!” When you refuse to choose an authority, you are simply crowning yourself as the authority of your life. You are like that William E. Henley poem, Invictus – which means UNDEFEATED, and you mutter the famous last line – “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul” We all live under an authority.
Look at what God thinks of those who live independently of Him – Luke 12:16-21 (read).
Another truth about authority is:
3. Your direction in life is determined by the authority you obey.
How many military (or ex-military) are here? Let me ask you, the officers who have authority over you determine your direction and actions, don’t they? If you make God your authority, that will determine your direction in life. If you make your spouse the authority, that will determine your direction. If YOU are your own authority, your life’s direction will go a certain way – you will live for self (called selfishness)
Malcolm Muggeridge, a famous Christian author, told of a conversation he had with Svetlana Stalin, the daughter of Joseph Stalin. She spent some time with Muggeridge in his home in England while they were working together on a production on the life of her father. According to Svetlana, as Stalin lay dying, plagued with terrifying hallucinations, he suddenly sat halfway up in bed, clenched his fist toward the heavens once more, fell back upon his pillow, and was dead.
The incredible irony of his whole life is that at one time Josef Stalin had been a seminary student, preparing for the ministry. Coming of age, he made a decisive break from his belief in God. This dramatic and complete reversal of conviction that resulted in his hatred for all religion is why he was chosen and positioned with authority. (The name Stalin, which means “steel,” was not his real name, but was given to him by his contemporaries who fell under the steel-like determination of his will.) And as Stalin lay dying, his one last gesture was a clenched fist toward God, his heart as cold and hard as steel. (Ravi Zacharias, Can Man Live Without God, p. 26)
Your authority determines your direction. One day, according to Ephesians 1:9-10, God will bring everything under the authority of Jesus Christ, everything in heaven and earth. You see, right now, people don’t give God the authority. It’s not that God isn’t worthy or capable; it’s just that they refuse to live under His authority. This is why we invite His authority when we come together – because I recognize that not everyone willingly gives Him the authority. You can give your authority to God today, or not, but one day, as Paul writes, “at the right time” – or as other version’s say “in the fullness/completion of time,” all things will be brought under the authority of Christ.
Until that time, God has actually placed authorities down here on earth for us to place ourselves under. Let me give you these briefly, and maybe we can discuss them at a later time:
• Bible
o Psalm 119:9 – “How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word and following its rules.”
o I Peter 2:8 - They stumble because they do not listen to God’s word or obey it, and so they meet the fate that has been planned for them.
• Church/Pastors
o Hebrew 13:17 - Obey your spiritual leaders and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they know they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this joyfully and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
o 2 Corinthians 2:17 - We preach God’s message with sincerity and with Christ’s authority. And we know that the God who sent us is watching us.
• Government
o Romans 13:1 - Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God.
o I Timothy 2:2 - Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.
• Spouses
o I Peter 3:1, 7 – In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands… In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives.
• Parents
o Ephesians 6:1-2 - Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. "Honor your father and mother."
These are authorities in our lives that are God-given. This does not always mean that they will act properly, but it does mean that God has placed them in our lives. There is a whole separate issue on how we respond to authority that is ungodly, but for now, let’s just recognize the fact that there are God-given authorities in our lives.
But there is this natural tendency to still be independent of the authority that has been placed over us. We ignore the Bible. We break the law. We don’t obey our parents. We refuse to listen to our pastors. We don’t submit to our husbands or honor our wives. But understand that when we do these things, we foolishly set ourselves up as the authority, and in doing so, set ourselves up diametrically opposed to God.
I don’t mean that we can’t question – to question authority is not necessarily to undermine it – but if you question authority, talk specifically TO the authority (many people go wrong and talk to EVERONE ELSE about the authority). And we shake our fist at God like Stalin did – we just don’t do it for everyone to say (or maybe we do!). And we send messages back and forth – “You guys get out of my way! I’m independent and a force to be reckoned with!” And God radios back, “No, you change your direction. I’m God!”
You can keep your life going in your own direction, but ultimately, according to Ephesians 1:9-10, you will one day come under the authority of Jesus Christ. You have heard me refer to Philippians 2:10, where the Bible says that “one day every knee will bow,” and my challenge to you as we worship is to prepare for that day right now by bowing our knee to Him, making Him our authority, and respecting and submitting to the authorities that God places in our lives.
There is one more truth that you need to grasp:
4. There are places God wants to take you that He will not unless you submit to His authority.
All things, including ourselves, coming under the authority of Christ is the third blessing in Ephesians 1, because when you and I bring ourselves under the authority of God, we will experience life the way that God intended for us – living in His favor under His authority with His blessing.
To close, let me give you an example to help you understand the blessing of living life under God’s authority: Take out an umbrella - ask what it is, what it does.
When I use an umbrella, I have to put myself UNDER it in order to enjoy the benefits of it, right? The umbrella is a picture of God’s authority in our lives – whether it’s the Bible, the church, the pastor, the law, our spouse, our parents.
Here’s what you can do with an umbrella, picturing also how we respond to authority:
1) Not buy it (non-Christian)
a. You don’t believe they are effective.
b. You think they are for weak people.
c. You like the rain, wind, hail, snow.
d. Christianity is for the weak-minded
2) Buy it but don’t use it (babies)
a. You keep it by you, but you don’t want people knowing you use one – it’s a sign of weakness!
b. You misuse it (hit someone, play sword, stand in it) – like your Christianity, which you only try to use when you need something from God.
3) You buy it but you only occasionally use it (growing)
a. If it’s raining hard, you’ll use it – otherwise you don’t get worked up over a little rain.
b. If life is hard, you use it (pray). But if situations are under your control, you don’t bother.
4) You buy it but you let others use it (unworthy)
a. You look for others when it rains – your wife, your children, your mom – but not you.
b. It’s good for others, but not me.
5) You buy it and you use it (growing)
a. If it’s raining, you use it – that’s why you bought it.
b. You place yourself under the authority of God – because you want God to have the authority in your life. Saves you from getting all wet.
What will you do with the blessing of authority that God has for you? Will you embrace it or turn away from it? Will you discover the life that God desires for you to live, the life that can only be discovered by coming under His authority?
