Sermon Title: THE QUESTION OF AUTHORITY
Sermon Text: MARK 11:27-33
Sermon Series: THE JERUSALEM MINISTRY: THE KING CONFRONTS EMPTY RELIGION
By: PTR NIC SY
SERMON NOTES
It’s not whether you’ll live under authority. The question is which authority do you choose?
I. THE CHALLENGE: WHEN AUTHORITY IS THREATENED
Jesus was such a threat that he united enemies.
When someone with real authority shows up, people with pretend authority panic.
The question “By what authority?” is only asked by people who don’t want to submit to the authority.
When Jesus’s real authority confronts our assumed authority over our own lives, we have a choice: submit or challenge.
II. THE COUNTER: WHEN WISDOM EXPOSES TREACHERY
Integrity dies when you care more about managing your image than pursuing truth.
Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is let people reveal themselves.
Following Jesus isn’t intellectually difficult. It’s just expensive. It costs us our autonomy. Our pride. Our carefully constructed image. Our right to do whatever we want.
III. THE CLAIM: AUTHORITY THAT CANNOT BE DENIED
Jesus’s authority doesn’t increase when we acknowledge it, and it doesn’t decrease when we deny it.
Jesus is Lord whether you call him Lord or not.