Sermon

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Febuary 2, 2003
3rd (4th) Sunday after Epiphany
Mark 1:21-28
Pastor Robert Raasch

Jesus Christ Spoke with Authority

1. Amazing for Those who Heard Him
2. Acknowledged by Those who Opposed Him
3. Affirmed by Those who Trust Him

Have you ever sat at the feet of someone whose grasp of a particular subject was truly remarkable? Someone who seemed to know everything about a particular subject? Maybe it was a professor you had in college, or someone you heard at a seminar you attended. Maybe it was a friend or relative of yours. When I served the campus ministry of Michigan Tech University, we had a member who was one of the scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project. He helped build the world's first nuclear bomb. When we finally talked him into giving a lecture on the subject, it was absolutely fascinating. Walt Anderson was someone who truly spoke with authority about what really happened behind closed doors.

A couple of years ago, I had the chance to attend a seminar put on by a man named Keith Kavajecz. Now, you probably don't recognize that name, unless you happen to be a diehard walleye angler. You see, Keith Kavajecz is a professional walleye fisherman, has won all kinds of tournaments including last year's national championship. He eats, drinks and sleeps walleyes. And so when we gives a lecture on walleye fishing, he obviously speaks with a great deal of authority.

Now, just for a minute, imagine what it would be like to sit at the feet of another prominent lecturer, someone who's not talking about fishing or nuclear physics, but rather someone who's taking about much more important matters, matters which will have eternal significance in your life and in your world. Imagine sitting at the feet of someone who can address the truly big questions in life: "How did I get here? What's the purpose of my life? What will happen to me when I die?" Imagine sitting at the feet of the one person who can perfectly answer all of those questions. Imagine sitting at the feet of God himself. Can you imagine the effect that hearing a sermon preached by God himself would have on you? Well, actually, you don't have to imagine it. Because here in our text, the evangelist Mark describes the effect that one of Jesus' sermons had on those who listened to him. And the one thing that comes out loud and clear in this text is the fact that when Jesus spoke,

He Spoke with Authority

It's that fact that was:

1. Amazing for Those who Heard Him
2. Acknowledged by Those who Opposed Him
3. Affirmed by Those who Trust Him

The scene described for us by St. Mark occurs very early in Jesus' ministry, shortly after he had gathered his very first disciples, Andrew and Simon, James and John. Mark tells us that "they went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach." On this occasion, Mark doesn't tell us exactly what Jesus taught about. Instead, Mark records for us the reaction of Jesus' hearers. He says, "The people were amazed at Jesus' teaching." Literally, the Greek word says, they were "knocked out" by Jesus' teaching. They were absolutely dumb-founded; they were astonished. The question is: Why? What was it about Jesus' teaching that was so astonishing to the people? Mark answers that question when he says that Jesus "taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law."

Now, someone might ask, "Well, how did the teachers of the law teach? And how was Jesus' teaching different than theirs?" Well, in Jesus' day, the teaching of the Scribes and Rabbis was nothing much more than an elaboration on a series of man-made rules and regulations. Rather than focusing on the TORAH, that is the inspired words of the Old Testament prophets, the rabbis spent their time talking about the Talmud, that is, the historic commentary, the man-made additions and embellishments to the Torah. Or to put it another way, instead of proclaiming what God says, the teachers of the law preached about what men think.

In contrast to that kind of wishy-washy, man-made gibberish, Jesus got up and spoke with the authority of God. He clearly proclaimed the law of God in all its severity. He said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." He said, "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." He said, "Anyone who calls his brother a fool is in danger of the fire of hell." But Jesus also proclaimed the sweet message of the gospel, namely that he had come to live and die in the place of all sinners and rescue them from the punishment of their sins forever. And that clear law and gospel message Jesus announced with the authority of God. In other words, Jesus spoke not just as another human teacher, putting his spin on things. Rather, Jesus spoke for God himself. In fact, he spoke as God himself. In John, chapter 8, Jesus told his listeners, "I do nothing on my own, but I speak just what the Father has taught me." And again Jesus said, "He who sent me is reliable and what I have heard from him I tell the world" (John 8, 26,28). Make no mistake about it, both what Jesus said and who he spoke for led the people of his day to say, "This Jesus speaks with authority, and we find that amazing!"

But it was not just Jesus' human listeners who testified to the authority of Jesus' words. So did the forces of darkness in the world. Here in our text, an evil spirit proved that Jesus spoke with authority. You see, the fact that Jesus spoke with authority was not only amazing to those who heard him. It was also II. Acknowledged by Those Who Opposed Him.

Isn't that right? When Jesus is teaching in the synagogue suddenly a man who was possessed by an evil spirit cries out, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? We know who you are-the Holy One of God."

I want you to notice a couple of things about those words. Notice first of all that these words do not originate with the man himself. These words were spoken by the demon, or in this case, by the demons, that is, the evil spirits, inside this poor man. They say, "what do you want with us" and "we know who you are." This man is physically inhabited by a number of evil spirits.

Secondly, notice what these evil spirits say. First, they say, "We know you are the Holy One of God." That's kind of strange, isn't it? Why would these enemies of Jesus come right out and confess the truth about Jesus-that he's the sinless Son of God? Why do they confess it? Because when it comes right down to it, they can't help but confess it. Kind of reminds me of the movie Liar, Liar where Jim Carey, try as he might, is simply unable to tell a lie and continues to blurt out the truth at the most inopportune times. So it is with these demons. In fact, so it will be with all mankind on Judgment Day, when Scripture says "that every tongue [will] confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." In the end, everyone, believers and unbelievers, angels and demons-everyone will be forced to acknowledge that Jesus is the Holy One of God.

And yet, in this case, these demons not only confess Jesus' true identity, they also acknowledge the real purpose for which he came into this world. They blurt out, "Have you come to destroy us?" Well, yes, as a matter of fact, that's exactly why Jesus came. The Bible says, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the Devil's work." By his life, death and resurrection, Jesus Christ broke the Devil's hold on us. In the words of Martin Luther, "This world's prince may still scowl fierce as he will, he can harm us none. He's judged; the deed is done! One little word can fell him."

In fact, if you think about it, isn't that what Jesus proves here in our text? He proves that his word has authority over the devil and his demons. Jesus rebukes the demons possessing this man with the words, "Be quiet!" and "Come out of him!" Immediately, the demons obeyed the Lord Jesus. Mark tells us, "The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek." In other words, this demon showed everyone who's the boss-Jesus is! Jesus' words had authority over the forces of evil. Jesus proved that he speaks with authority.

Hmmm. The people who heard Jesus speak were amazed at his authority. The demons who opposed Jesus obeyed his authority. The question is, "What does that mean for you and me?" Does the fact that Jesus spoke with authority during his life have any bearing on our lives today? Absolutely! For you see, the fact that Jesus spoke with authority is a fact which is still: III. Affirmed by Those who Trust Him Today.

Now, what does that mean: "Jesus' authority is affirmed by those who trust him"? It means that as believers we have every reason to let it show that Jesus has authority in our lives. Now, how do we do that? We can do that in a number of different ways. First we do it by treating the Bible as an authoritative document. This is God's Word. Therefore, if in the Bible God says that he created the world in 6 24 hour days, then we believe it. If he says that all drunkenness is a sin, then we confess it. If the Bible says that we are to keep away from those who put obstacles in our way that are contrary to what we have learned, then we take a stand on it. Affirming the authority of Jesus' words means first of all, confessing that the Bible is the true and inspired Word of God and the only norm for doctrine and practice.

But not only that, affirming Christ's authority also means acknowledging that Jesus Christ is still Lord of the universe, Lord of the Church and Lord of our lives. Sometimes it's easy to forget that fact, isn't it? Sometimes we look at what's going on in the world around us, with the threat of war looming, with the death toll of unborn children climbing ever higher, with the prospect of job loss and financial ruin closing in on us, and we begin to wonder, "God, are you sure that you're still in charge here?"

Or, we look at what's happening in the church these days, we see foreign missionaries being called home because the funding isn't there, we see young confirmands taking their vows and then walking away from the Lord, we see false doctrine and a spirit of divisiveness tearing at the very foundation of the church, and we wonder, "God what's going on here? Are you sure you're still in charge?"

And even in our own lives, as we think about the prayers that seem to have gone unanswered or the illnesses which have gone uncured, or the heartaches which linger on, and we wonder, "God, where are you when I need you? Are you still in charge up there?"

My friends, when we are confronted by thoughts like these, when we are assailed by our own doubts and fears, that's when we need to go back to the account recorded in Mark, chapter one, to remind ourselves who's really in charge. Jesus showed that he has authority over all things. The demons acknowledged it. The people were amazed by it. And now you and I have a chance to affirm it as well.

Jesus' words and actions, displayed here in this account, and really throughout the pages of Scripture, give each of us the perfect opportunity to put our trust in him, to know that his love for us is boundless, to know that he will cause all things to serve our eternal good. With the very same authority that said to the evil spirit, "Be Quiet" and "Come out of him," Jesus still says to each one of you today, "Christian, you can know that I'm still in charge here. I have a plan for your life. I have a plan for your church. Yes, I have a plan for your world. Trust me, and you won't be disappointed. No, rather, you'll be amazed." To God be the glory, in Jesus Christ! Amen.