By Whose Authority?

And if you take your Bibles and turn to Mark 11. Mark 11 and children can be dismissed for children's church Mark 11 and we're going to begin reading in verse 27. And just a few minutes. So, Title of my message, by whose authority? Preached last Sunday on man's arch enemy of what?

Anybody remember? Unbelief, okay? We have a problem in this world, in our society today that is rampant and that is a problem of unbelief. Without faith, it is impossible to know him. In fact, faith, it is impossible to please him.

For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Without faith, it is impossible to come to know God as savior. It is impossible to be saved apart from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who died on Calvary's Cross for us, who rose again from the dead to give us life. For by grace are you saved through what? Through faith.

Faith is key and sadly, millions of souls today are on route to eternity in the lake of fire because of their unbelief. I want to address another problem with humanity today. It's not unrelated to unbelief but it is certainly worthy of being taught on separately and that is man's problem with authority. Man's problem with authority. You see, humanity has an authority issue.

It is not a new problem. It is a very very old problem that continues in our society, in our world today. It is not just that people do not believe there is a god. It is that many of them know there is a god but refuse to bow the what? To bow the knee.

They refuse to bow to the authority of God. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the father but by me. What does that mean? God has made one way to heaven and if you're going to get there, you're going to have to do it whose way?

God's way. You have to bow the knee. You have to come in humility and repentance and faith and come the way God has provided through his son, Jesus Christ and so there are many again today that are on the path that leads to destruction and the problem is that they have a problem with authority and I believe it is one that is also kind of wormed its way into the hearts and minds of the church and even Christians. Often times, I do believe we have a problem with authority and what it comes down to is that issue is a problem of authority with God, with God's authority. The fool hath said in his heart, there is no god.

If you look at that verse in Hebrew, the there is is kind of added for translation purposes. The fool has said in his heart, no god. The fool hath said in his heart, no god. Now, that can mean there is no god or that can also mean that the fool says in his heart, no to who? He says, no to God.

That makes him a fool. Romans three eighteen says, there is no fear of God before their eyes. That's again a problem that has been in humanity since the Garden of Eden. Judges seventeen six says, in those days, there was no king in Israel but every man did that which was right in his eyes, his own eyes, not in whose eyes, not in God's eyes. But in his eyes.

Let's go to Lord in prayer once more. Lord, thank you for your word today. Remind us of our need to bow our knee to the authority of almighty God. We pray if there's one in here that is not bowed the knee to come to God through faith in Jesus Christ to come the way you have provided in repentance Lord and faith. I pray that today would be their day of salvation that they would bow their knee to you.

That they would bow to your authority, that they would profess you as their Lord. Thank you for all that you've done for us. Lord, forgive us of our times of disobedience and rebellion. Lord, I pray that we might be more and more each day. Obedient children who give the respect and glory and honor to the one who gave us life and who has brought us salvation that you so richly deserve.

In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. We see this issue, this problem of man's rebellion against authority running all the way through the Bible and quickly, I'll just remind us of a few things. Where did it begin? Well, it began actually with Satan.

Man's refusal to submit to God's authority is a legacy that's passed down through us in the footsteps of Satan who is also called the God of this world. Satan or Lucifer as he was known before he rebelled, was gifted by God with tremendous beauty, musical ability, power, and authority until iniquity that is sin and rebellion was conceived or found in his heart. He refused to bow to the authority of his maker. And he thought to take that authority for himself. And was cast out of heaven.

Having lost his position in heaven, he made his stand where? On earth. The Garden of Eden in the form of a serpent. He deceived Eve and Adam eat of the fruit also. Claimed once again that's which was not his and for which he had no claim.

Deceived man into joining his rebellion and so began the struggle between God and mankind. On this Earth. Over who? Was in charge. Over whether man would bow to God who created him as Lord.

Man built cities, did as he pleased, became corrupt in his thoughts, invented his own gods, made in his own likeness and the likeness of creatures that he saw. He refused to bow before his creator. As did Satan. God brought a flood nearly around two thousand years after creation. The thoughts and intentions of man's heart had become wicked continually.

What did that mean? It meant that they were in full blown rebellion against the authority of who? The authority of God. We will not have God to rule over us and God said that was enough and so only Noah and his family, eight souls survived as God wiped the earth clean from those rebellious people. But it didn't take too long.

They gathered in one city. They were going to build a tower for whose name's sake? Not God's for their own. God had to mix up their languages, confuse their languages, and scatter them across the earth. It seemed that it would only take a few generations after God demonstrated his authority and power in some major way for man once again to go right back to rebelling because that is what is in man's what?

Heart. The Bible says, our heart is deceitfully wicked. Above all things. God delivered Israel from captivity in Egypt and brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey. Given to them by God.

But before they even got in the land, what did they do? They rebelled and said, no, we can't do it. We won't do it. So, that generation walked around in the wilderness for forty days and died before the next generation went in and then it wasn't long after that that different groups began turning to idols. God had warned them what eventually would happen if they did so and though God, by his grace and mercy and patience and long suffering, gave them hundreds of years.

Eventually, God had to cast them back out of the land that he had promised to give them. After seventy years, he brought them back again. A remnant repented. He brought them back. They rebuilt their city, rebuilt their land.

They still could not bow to his authority but changed his laws and perverted his word to fit their liking and when the Messiah came to claim his own, they rejected both him and his authority over them. John one says, he came unto his own and his own received him not. The legacy of mankind. This is where we find ourselves in the text we're about to read. With proud hearted, self righteous, self appointed judges.

They're identified in scripture by several different names, scribes, Pharisees, sadducees, high priests, elders. These are the religious leaders. The pious in Israel in Jesus' day. But they weren't truly pious. They just pretended to be.

They had changed God laws to suit their own fancy. They used the law that they had changed to make themselves look good and make everybody else look bad and they had abandoned faith in God and repentance for sin, for self righteous works. And so when the Messiah came, they did not recognize him. Jesus generally avoided speaking with them but being in the vicinity of Jerusalem just preceding his death, he is now confronted with their hate and their schemes as they plot and plan to find fault wherewith to accuse, convict, and do away with Jesus. Sound familiar?

Look at Genesis chapter four. What did Abel do? What happened to Abel? Because he did what was right in the eyes of God. What did Cain do?

He slew it. He got rid of him. Satan's answer. Sin's answer. Pharisees answer.

Get rid of him. Look if he would in Mark 11. We're going to begin reading in verse 27. And they come again to Jerusalem and as he was walking in the temple, there came to him the chief priest and scribes and the elders and say unto him, by what authority doest thou these things? And who gave thee this authority to do these things?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question and answer me and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, was it from heaven or of men? Answer me. And they reasoned with themselves saying, if we shall say from heaven, he will say, why then did you not believe him? But if we shall say of men, they feared the people.

For all the men counted John that he was a prophet indeed. And they answered and said unto Jesus, we cannot tell. And Jesus answering said unto them, neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. So, here these pompous hypocrites, they come to Jesus and they say, who gave you the authority to do these things? Well, what things are they talking about?

Well, in the preceding passage, we have Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This begins the passion week just days before Jesus is arrested and crucified. Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the acclaim of a boisterous crowd that he was the son of David, hence the Messiah, which he received and did not deny. That was the first thing that really made them upset. They were they were laying palm branches and clothes in front of him like a red carpet and and reciting passages from the Old Testament that identified the Messiah and the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the scribes and the elders and the high priest and religious leaders didn't like that and so they asked Christ, why are you accepting it?

Well, the answer was because that's who he is. He was worthy to receive that. They got angry. Number two, he entered into the temple courtyard and he took authority over it running out the thieves and overturn turning their money exchange tables and merchandising booths, condemning their abuse of his house. He took that authority.

He ran them out. They were upset. What gave him the right to do that? Well, they should have been doing that but they didn't care. But Jesus is the son of who?

The son of God. He does have that authority. Number three, he continued to teach the people the word of God and the way of repentance and faith. Well, exposing the hypocrisy of their so called religious and moral leadership. As he was in the temple, what was he usually doing there in the temple courtyard?

He was teaching. He was teaching the truth. He was teaching the gospel of faith and repentance. He was exposing the hypocrisy of their leaders and that upset them who gave him the authority to come and teach these things. They were the rabbis.

They were the teachers. He wasn't a trained rabbi. He was a carpenter. He didn't have that right in their mind. Just prior, Jesus had healed blind Bartimaeus on his way to Jerusalem from Jericho as he had many others and without the consent or approval of the Pharisees.

They wanted to know who gave him the right to do these things for they certainly hadn't and they were right. They, he didn't ask their permission. He didn't ask for their approval. He didn't need their consent or their blessing. Because he being God in human form did not the need, the approval of the created the creature.

To act as the creator and Lord of what he made. He is the God who instituted the system which they abused. It was his laws, not theirs. It was he who was the judge of whether it was being properly enforced or abused, not them. Obviously, they didn't get it.

So, asked, so he asked them a question once again to expose their hypocrisy. They were in denial as to who he was but I do believe down in their heart, they knew and they just refused to bow the what? To bow the knee to him. So, he asked them, who gave John, John the Baptist, the right to preach and baptize as he did. Was he on a mission from God in heaven or was it simply a mission for men?

Well, now, the wheels began to turn in their heads when Jesus asked them this because remember, it was not the truth that mattered to them but their agenda and power much was much like politicians and rulers. They had to say the right thing in order to keep control, in order to be respected. The truth didn't matter. And so they thought to themselves, if we say from heaven, then he will say, if it was from heaven, why didn't you believe it and heed it? And they said to themselves, well, if we say, it was from men, then the people are going to get mad at us because they all believe that John was a prophet sent by God from heaven which he was by the way and so, what did they say to Jesus?

They said, we don't know. We don't know. They couldn't say one and they couldn't say the other so they just played dumb. How did Jesus reply? He refused to play their game.

He refused to treat them as these high and mighty authorities and he said to them, well, if you can't tell me where John's authority came from, then, I'm not going to tell you where mine came from. They should have known the answer, shouldn't they? The answer was obvious. Based on the teaching of Christ, based on the love of Christ, and based on the works of Christ, it was clear that he was the Messiah, that his authority did come from God. But they just could not bow the knee.

That's a problem today. We have a world not interested so much in the truth. They're interested in what is expedient, what is pragmatic, what will make them feel the best, what will make them look the best. They refuse and reject God not only because they don't believe but because they do not want to be accountable. And they they somehow in their minds have tricked themselves into thinking if I don't believe in him, if I don't bow to him, if I do not accept his lordship, then I won't be accountable to him and they are sorely mistaken.

Disappointed on the man wants to die but after this, the what? The judgment. The judgment will come. One day, they will bow the knee but then, for them who have rejected Jesus and his authority as Lord, it will be too late for them. As it would sadly be too late for most of these whom Jesus spoke to that day.

But our story isn't quite over. I can't be done at twenty till twelve, okay? Chapter 12 verse one. Jesus told them a parable. An illustrative story.

To illustrate what he was trying to teach them. He began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard. And he set an hedge about it. Around it, and he digged a place for the wine fat and built a tower, and lent it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.

He built this, he built the walls, he gathered the ground, he did everything he had to do for the vineyard, and then after it was all completed, he handed it over to farmers for them to find dressers to take care of the farm, to reap the harvest, so forth and so on. Verse two, and at the season, he sent to the husbandman a servant that he might receive from the husbandman of the fruit of the vineyard. They had a deal. They were probably supposed to get a certain amount for themselves and the rest was to go to the owner, the one who had purchased, built, and prepared. The vineyard.

And so he sent a servant to retrieve his portion. Number three, verse three and they caught him, the servant, and they beat him and sent him away empty. Why in the world would you do that? Why not, you know, the the the owner, he he did all this. He prepared it.

He gave you a job. He gave you a means to provide for yourself. All you had to do was give him his what? Give him his due because it was his vineyard. Simple, simple deal.

But they refused. Verse four and again, he sent unto them another servant and at at him, they cast stones and wounded him in the head and sent him away shamefully handled and again, he sent another and him they killed and many others beating some, and killing some. Having yet therefore one son, his well beloved, the the owner of the vineyard, sent him also, last unto them saying, they will reverence my son. They didn't reverence these servants. They abused them.

They treated them poorly. They cast them out. They wouldn't hear them. They wouldn't give them the respect but they will respect my son. Verse seven, but those husbandmen said among themselves, this is the heir.

Come, let us kill him and the inheritance shall be ours. Why in the world would they think that way? Yeah, you already see the folly of that. That's stupid. To think that the owner is going to give it to them after they kill his son.

What? Morons. Yeah. Who's Jesus talking about here? He's talking about the Pharisees and the scribes and the sadducees and the high priest and humanity in general.

But let's continue on and they took him and they killed him and cast him out of the vineyard. Watch out therefore the Lord of the vineyard do. He will come and destroy the husbandman and will give the vineyard unto others. Let's stop there for a moment. So, Jesus tells the story of the mastery planet.

He built it. Provided for it and then brought people to work it. When he sent to retrieve what was his, they refused, reviled his servants, and even killed his what? His only son, keeping for themselves what was not rightfully theirs. The stewards refused, rejected, roughed up, slew his messengers, and his son.

Foolishly reasoning in themselves that if they killed the heir, it would be theirs. How do you come to such foolish reasoning? Well, it tells us in Romans chapter one, thinking themselves to be wise, they became what? Fools. That's what sin does.

It perverts our mind and our thinking and our actions. So, that we do those things which in Romans one, it says, are not convenient. That means which make no sense. We live in a world today filled with this kind of philosophy and attitude and actions which make no sense and yet those who are ruling over us are telling us it does. How do they come to such a foolish decision?

Because God has turned their minds over to reprobacy because they have refused his what? They refused his authority and they have rejected his word and his son. And so, we continue to do foolish things more and more thinking that somehow, it's going to come to a different result than it has over all of history. Eventually, judgement always comes on those who refuse the authority of God. How think we that we will escape?

His wrath. Jesus is the rejected son of God here obviously Israel and the leadership were those chosen by God to be the stewards of his vineyard and of his kingdom. Yet, they revolted and would not comply with the commands of their owner. When finally, Jesus came unto his own, his own received him not. They killed him.

Just as they had killed prophets and refused God's message and messenger through them. They refused the ultimate messenger of Jesus Christ, his son. And crucified him on a cross. Jesus came to reclaim that which is his kingdom and his so called subjects refused to accept him as king. Jesus asked them, what should be done to those murderous stewards?

In Matthew, it is recorded again that they condemned themselves before they recognized that he was talking about who? He was talking about them. He was talking about them and indeed, they would be destroyed. There is eternal fire waiting for those who reject Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. But sadly, the nation of Israel in AD seventy, forty, almost forty years after the resurrection ascension of Christ was destroyed by the Romans.

And once again, hardly not one stone was left on top of another of the temple of that day similar to the Temple Of Solomon as it was destroyed before. When When you go to the Temple Mount today, the retaining wall that holds up the ground of the hill is there but there's not one stone of the temple left nor was there in AD seventy. When the Romans knocked it all down and pushed it off the side of the mount. You can see where the stone still lay on the ground off the side of the Temple Mount today. A million or more Jews were killed.

Jesus told them this would happen but they refused him. Indeed, they would be destroyed in the vineyard of God given to the church composed mostly of Gentiles. Until which time the nation of Israel would return to God and receive his son. Today, the kingdom of God exists in the hearts of those who have accepted Christ as the Lord and savior of their life. Mostly, a Gentile church.

We are his kingdom today. We are the subjects of his kingdom. We will one day be some of those who compose his eternal kingdom. Israel right now was on a shelf. They rejected Christ and God has rejected them as a nation.

He came and they rejected him and so he took that vineyard and he gave it to what? And he gave it to others. We are the new stewards of that vineyard. How are we doing? How are we doing?

How are you doing? Keeping God's vineyard. Are we doing our very best? Are we being obedient? Are we giving God the respect that he is due?

Are we bowing to his authority as we should? What God says to do, do you do it? Are you doers of the word and not just hearers only? Or do you nod your head? Yes, I agree with that and then you don't go do it.

Who are you deceiving? The Bible says. You're deceiving yourself What God says not to do? Do you stop it? Or you just continue on doing it thinking that the judgment of God is going to somehow skip over you.

You say, but I'm a child of God. Praise God. If indeed you have received Christ as Lord and savior, you won't spend an eternity in the lake of fire but God doesn't promise you that you won't face the consequences of your sin here. A matter of fact, he promises you otherwise. Behold your sin will what?

Find you out. He that soweth the sin shall up sin reap corruption. Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also what?

Reap. And God chastens those who are his children. What does that mean? He brings judgement in our lives. If he says thou, you stop it and you don't stop.

There are what? Consequences. Don't fool yourself. Don't fool yourself. Give God the respect he is due.

What God's, where God says to go, do you go? What God says to say, do you say? Are you telling others about Jesus? There's a song we sing in the hymn book. It's entitled Trust and Obey.

Trust and obey. How are you doing? Trusting and obeying. Romans twelve one, Paul writes to Christians and he says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by brethren, he means Christians. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a what?

Living sacrifice sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service. It is reasonable for us who are his children to say, God, it's all yours. My time, my words, my thoughts, my actions, my decisions, they are yours. You are my Lord and I am going to what? Obey you.

That is only reasonable. If you accepted Christ as savior, you have accepted him as Lord. Sad to say sometimes we don't act like it too much and we're quick to condemn the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the Scribes and the elders in Israel and other people around us. The Bible says, we need to start examining who? Ourselves.

The problem largely with the world today is that the salt and the light that God has placed here, the salt has lost its what? It's savor. Why? Because we are not taking a stand for God and his word, in our life, our actions, and our words. And God is not glorified as he ought to be.

And he is not pleased as he should be. Because we are not giving to him our reasonable service obedience, and love. Jesus finished verses 10 through 12 by quoting from Psalm one eighteen. He says, and have you not read the scripture, the stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This was the Lord's doing and is marvelous in our eyes and they sought to hold on him but feared the people for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them and they left him and went their way.

The builders of a house would seek to choose a very particular stone to be the first stone to go in the corner and then, they would put stone against stone against stone and they would build out from the corner those two directions. If that stone was off, if that stone was not square, then the whole house would end up a mess. That first stone, that cornerstone was vitally important. In this case, the stone rejected by the builders. Still becomes the cornerstone anyway and the stone rejected by the builders is who?

Jesus Christ. The leaders of Israel looked at Jesus. He is the cornerstone to God's kingdom. Regardless of what men may say, he will be and he is but the leaders of Israel said, we will not accept his authority over us. We reject him as the cornerstone and yet he has become the cornerstone of the church.

Today, and is the cornerstone of God's kingdom. The rejected stone is Christ and despite his rejection, he will become the chief cornerstone on which the house of God, the church, and the kingdom is constructed. Whether they accepted it or not. Those who are spiritually broken in heart over their sin and come to Christ as Lord in faith will be received, forgiven, and blessed with eternal life in him and will become as we are told in first Peter two, living stones connected to him to build up a spiritual house into our God and that is us who know Christ as savior. We are those living stones in Christ Jesus.

But to those who refuse to repent, they will stumble over the stone to their own what? To their own destruction. The question is, is the question always has been? Has been. What will you do with who?

What will you do with Jesus? John three eighteen, he that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already. What will you do with Jesus? Will determine your eternity. What, how you will respond to Jesus and his authority in your life, Christian, will determine your blessings, your joy, your happiness, your successfulness in serving Christ here.

Do not listen to the world. Do not take after them. They are on the way that leads to what? To death. Trust Jesus.

Trust the Lord with all your heart. Give him your obedience. Submit to his will. He will never lead you astray but don't fool yourself into thinking that you can play with fire and get burnt. What will you do with Jesus?

What will you do with his word? What will you do with his commands? Bible tells us if we haven't been obedient as we should, there is a way to deal with that. It's called confess. Confess.

Repent and do the first works. Bow to his authority What will you sinner do with Jesus today? Romans ten nine says that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus that he is Lord. And believe in your heart that God hath what? Raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Only one way to heaven, that's through Jesus. You have to receive him. As your Lord and savior. Have you done that? Have you bowed the knee?

To Jesus today? To God. In repentance and faith. If you haven't, you can. Everyone of us that know Christ as savior did that.

We had to do that. Would you join us today? As we give this hymn of invitation? And if you're here today Christian, and there's some area in your life where you know, God's been saying, do this and you're not doing it. Stop this and you're not stopping it.

Change this and you're not changing it. Then you need to bow the knee before him today too and confess that and change your way. And see how the blessings of God will be poured out upon you and the power of God through you. Let's pray. Dear God, thank you Lord.

For all that you've done for us. Lord, forgive us for our rebellious attitudes. For not trusting you as we should. Lord, we confess. We have failed in so many ways.

Lord, forgive us and help us to to fail in this respect no longer. Lord, we know that all the glory is yours. We know that to you belongs all the authority and that we can trust you. Lord, forgive us for not trusting you and help us, Lord. To trust you more and to bow to your authority, to do what you have asked, and not allow the world to convince us otherwise.

For there is great reward in serving Jesus. And Lord, we pray if there's one here today that's never bowed their knee to Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior. Haven't made that decision. Still trying to get to God their own way and refusing to bow the authority of God in the way he has provided through the death and resurrection of his son. Lord, I pray as you died for them, as you speak to them today by your spirit, that they would come.

And receive Jesus Christ as Lord. In Jesus name, we pray.