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[0:00] Thank you. And this eternal purpose is the background of all that matters. In the final analysis, nothing matters except what matters to God.

[0:16] Nothing matters in accordance with me. Nothing matters in accordance with you. We are not only bit players, we are smaller than bit players.

[0:27] I realize this makes us seem rather insignificant, and I don't mean to give that impression because with God there are no insignificant people.

[0:39] But the thing that I want you to bear in mind is it's not about us, neither you nor me. It is about the plan and program of God.

[0:50] Nothing matters compared to what God wants. And that ultimately is going to be realized, although right now we are engaged in a very circuitous route to see those things realized.

[1:04] We have been engaged in worldwide conflicts from the time that man has been on the planet. And during my lifetime, we have engaged one gigantic world war that resulted in the loss of 50 million lives, most of whom were civilians.

[1:27] There is great conflict and chaos going on throughout the world. And we look at these as negatives. And sometimes in our humanness we wonder, where in the world is God?

[1:40] And if there is a just and a righteous and a holy God, how can he possibly stand by and allow these things to go on? Well, he does so because he has bestowed a certain thing upon us called human volition.

[1:58] It is the power of making moral choices. And if God had not given us the power to make moral choices, we would be confined to that of an automaton or a robot.

[2:12] But we are not that. We live in a moral universe that exercises demonstrations of right and wrong on every hand.

[2:26] And God gives us the permission to rebel against him and to reject his authority. Most of the world does.

[2:37] Most of the time. That's just in keeping with our fallen parents, whose nature we inherited.

[2:48] And they had a tremendous problem with authority because God gave them volition. And when you have the ability to obey or disobey someone else, the overwhelming tendency in that situation is to do whatever it is that pleases you.

[3:11] Obey yourself and what you want first. That's the curse of humanity, but it goes with the territory of volition. And if you do not have the ability to disobey, then you wouldn't have the ability to obey either.

[3:25] But we have both. And there is accountability that is written into both. We have an enormous problem with this subject of authority. Nobody likes to be told what to do.

[3:40] By anybody. It's just systemic to our humanity. And you know as well as I do, if you've had children, that it surfaces at about the age of maybe two.

[3:55] They don't call them the terrible twos for nothing. And I can remember hearing and seeing little two-year-olds stamp their foot and say, No! No!

[4:07] What is that? That's a rebellion. That's a rejection against authority. It is just born in us. And the problem goes all the way back to our first parents.

[4:21] It is what is responsible for all of the pain and heartache and difficulty that we see today. Because when we exercise our authority, we make our choices, and they are often detrimental to our own best interests.

[4:36] You know, life is made up of decisions that you make. And consequences that come from those. And very often, we just get on this kick of self-centeredness, and we just pursue it.

[4:50] And we are going to have our own way. We're going to do our own thing. Get out of my way. It's my life. I want to run it the way I want to run it. And then there come those consequences.

[5:02] So we're going to be talking about the issues of authority as they are set forth in Scripture, because this is the human bugaboo, if you will. Authority is a critical issue.

[5:13] And I've been saying this for a long, long time. It all comes down to what do you accept or respect as the authority in your life?

[5:28] What is it? Who or what? If it is who, it is personal.

[5:43] Who do you regard as the authority in your life that makes it personal? For the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, of course, it has to be him.

[5:54] It has to be God. He is our recognized authority, and the revelation that he has given through his word is what we subscribe to, and we willingly place ourselves under it.

[6:06] Sometimes. And if it is an impersonal authority, and there is that, too, the impersonal authority means that there's nobody.

[6:21] This is pretty much the atheist position. He does not recognize a superior being at all, and he becomes his own authority. The atheist has enormous confidence in his own logic and his own reasoning ability, which ought to be a rather scary proposition, but he does at any rate.

[6:41] And we need to ask ourselves, is authority that which is imposed or that which is available? And I've already talked a little bit about the volition we have. So, insofar as a Christian is concerned, and the Bible is concerned, there is this issue of authority, but it is not imposed upon us because we do have volition.

[7:01] But it is available to us. And there is a tremendous distinction there. If authority is imposed upon you, then that simply means that you have no choice. In things that you do, you are under duress.

[7:16] You are under a compulsion so that you have to do another's will, even if you don't want to. That's an authority that is imposed upon you. But God isn't dealing with that kind of authority.

[7:29] He is dealing with an authority that is available. And that means if we have the common sense to recognize and put our own best interests first, we will recognize that the authority to which we subject ourselves is not imposed but is available and that you can take advantage of it and you can ride in a craft of safety and blessing by simply willingly submitting to that authority, the authority that is available to you.

[8:07] Most Christians don't do this. A few do. We call them the spiritual element of Christianity. May their tribe increase.

[8:19] We need a lot more people like this. And if we had them, I suspect the church would be making a much greater impact than it is making now. Because right now, as you realize, it's rather insignificant worldwide, at least insofar as the way it looks.

[8:35] So, in the Bible, there are numerous individuals that surface who exercise delegated authority. And none of them claimed independent authority.

[8:47] We are going to examine this issue in a brief series that this will just serve for as an introduction. And I trust be able to come out with a conclusion that will enable you to see not only the importance of authority, but who and what our authority is now and why.

[9:06] And how and why there is great contrast to the present authority as opposed to the authority gone by. So, consider this, if you will, please. There are three principal authorities or three principles in the scriptures.

[9:23] And we are going to touch on each of them in this introductory session. The first is Moses in the Old Testament as regards the nation of Israel.

[9:33] The second recognized authority is the Apostle Peter in the anticipated kingdom dispensation that ultimately was postponed.

[9:44] And the third authority, which we believe is that which is in vogue today, is the Apostle Paul in the New Testament to the body of Christ or the Apostle to the Gentiles.

[9:56] And behind all of these authorities, of course, was the one who was delegating their authority to them. And that was none other than Christ, the Son of God.

[10:10] And behind Jesus as the Son of God was the Father. Because he repeatedly made the claim that I do always those things that please him.

[10:22] I came not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. So, Christ himself was under the authority, the recognized, loving authority of his Heavenly Father.

[10:36] Each of these authorities had certain delegated spheres or areas of responsibility during the specific times of their ministries. And I want you to look at the very first one because we are going to make some contrast between them.

[10:51] The first one, of course, is he who surfaces first, and that is Moses in the Old Testament. So, if you'll come back with me to Deuteronomy chapter 4. We'll spend just a few minutes here establishing the authority and the importance of the authority of Moses.

[11:09] And by the way, he took a lot of grief for the authority he had. Because there were occasions where he was seriously challenged for his authority.

[11:19] And that needs to be borne in mind. Authority is always challenged. It was challenged to Moses.

[11:31] It was challenged to Peter. It was challenged to John the Baptist. It was challenged to Christ. And it is challenged today to Paul.

[11:43] There are always people who rebel and reject authority. And sometimes even among Christians. Now, here in Deuteronomy chapter 4. Let's read these few verses, if we may.

[11:57] Nation of Israel has been brought out of the land of Egypt. And they are out in the wilderness anticipating going into the promised land. And Moses says in chapter 4 of Deuteronomy.

[12:09] And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform. Now, please understand right from the outset.

[12:23] Moses is the authority here. However, don't ever lose sight of this. It is a delegated authority. The authority that Moses is exercising is not authority that originated with him.

[12:40] He is not the source of it. He is merely a vehicle of it. He is a conveyor of it. The authority is God himself.

[12:51] He is instructing Moses. Now, why didn't God do this directly? Sometimes he did. Most of the time, he uses a human instrument.

[13:06] Not because he had to, but because he was pleased to do so. All through scripture, beginning with the very first chapter, well, actually, yes, even the first chapter, where man is brought on the scene.

[13:20] God is condescending, if you will, to use human beings, to use vessels that he has created in order to do his bidding.

[13:35] He could have done all that he wanted to do directly, without any human intervention or involvement at all. He could have given us the Bible without using 40 independent writers over 1,500 years.

[13:50] He could have just penned the book himself and dropped it out of heaven. But he didn't do that. He utilized human instruments.

[14:03] And this gives it a very human flavor. So, in virtually all of the activity of God, where he could have bypassed people entirely.

[14:15] And sometimes he did that. And just do things directly. Do everything directly. But he graciously condescends to pull man in. He partners with human beings because he is pleased to do so.

[14:30] And because he is so gracious as to involve human beings in his plan and program. So, here, that is exactly what he is doing.

[14:41] Remember when he first called Moses. Moses wasn't up to the task at all. I can't do this. I can't do it. I can't lead. Who am I that I should lead them out of the land of Egypt?

[14:52] And the Lord had to condition Moses so that he would be available to him. And he promised Moses he would be with him.

[15:04] And he promised that he would utilize Moses' own brother, Aaron, to help him with messages that needed to be conveyed. So, don't think for a moment that Moses was eager to take this authority that God was delegating to him.

[15:22] Because he wasn't. His motto was, Moses' motto was, here am I, send Aaron. That's the way he felt about it.

[15:33] And God is going to use Moses in a delegated way. And by the way, he is referred to as the meekest man on earth.

[15:47] And don't ever confuse meekness with weakness. They are poles apart. A meek man is a man of strength that is under control.

[16:05] That's a beautiful thing. A man of real strength. But strength that is under control. That's the definition of meekness.

[16:18] Listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, in order that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you.

[16:30] You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

[16:43] Now, it's very easy to misunderstand this and think that this is coming directly from Moses. After all, he says, which I command you. But remember, Moses is merely the mouthpiece of God.

[16:57] What he is telling the children of Israel that they need to do is not originating with Moses. It is originating from God through Moses.

[17:07] And God could have, as I said earlier, God could have just bypassed Moses and gone directly to the people. But he uses Moses. Your eyes, verse 3, have seen what the Lord has done in the case of Balpeor.

[17:24] For all the men who followed Balpeor, the Lord your God, has destroyed them from before you. But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.

[17:35] See, I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it.

[17:51] So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding. In other words, he's saying, this is your guarantee for success. This is your guarantee for blessing.

[18:03] Do what I tell you, because this is what God gave me to give to you. And it is in your own best interest, your own preservation, that you follow these things.

[18:17] That is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.

[18:32] For what great nation is there that has a God so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on him? Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law, which I am setting forth before you today?

[18:50] Well, in verse 14, And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it.

[19:13] In other words, all of these commandments, statutes, etc. were for the blessing and the provision of the people. And what God is telling them through Moses is, look, if you will just get with the program, and you will do what I have commanded Moses to tell you, it's going to be great.

[19:33] It'll be wonderful. There will be blessing and privilege and bounty and all the rest. But if you throw it over and choose to exercise your volition and go against what Moses...

[19:46] And by the way, his own sister is going to do that. And it's going to result in...

[20:00] Well, who is Moses? Has God spoken only through Moses? Is he the only one that has any authority? Hasn't God talked to anyone else? Why should we listen to him? And that was the rebellion of his own sister.

[20:16] Remember? And the Lord gave her a little temporary dose of leprosy to bring her around and help to teach her the advantages of not being rebellious.

[20:31] And there were others who rebelled against Moses. And the ground simply opened up and swallowed them. That kind of authority, God delegated to Moses.

[20:50] Now, in Mark chapter 1, and if you'll come back there, please. Mark chapter 1, it is important that we understand just how widespread recognition was for the authority of Moses.

[21:11] Mark's gospel, chapter 1, and verse 40, 43. Well, this has to do with the man being cleansed of leprosy.

[21:28] And in verse 42, we're told the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. And he, Jesus, sternly warned him, and immediately sent him away. And he said to him, See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded for a testimony to them.

[21:56] Do you see Christ here affirming the authority of Moses? Acknowledging it? Recognizing it? Affirming it? And then in chapter 10 of Mark's gospel, over just a few pages, Mark chapter 10, and verse 3.

[22:18] Well, let's read the context. Verse 1. Rising up, Jesus went from there to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered around him again. And according to his custom, he once more began to teach them.

[22:32] And some Pharisees came to him, testing him, and began to question him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce a wife. And Jesus answered and said to them, Well, what did Moses command you?

[22:49] Now, do you see, what is being established here is nothing more than a simple recognition of the authority that God gave to Moses. But the problem is, people read this and they tend to think that Moses is the authority and that Jesus is recognizing that.

[23:07] That's complete nonsense. Jesus full well recognized that Moses' authority was a delegated authority. So don't set Moses up as somebody to obey or disobey.

[23:20] The point is very simple. To obey what Moses said was to obey God. To disobey Moses was to disobey God. Not that they are equated in any way, shape, or form, but the whole issue of delegated authority is what is taking place here.

[23:40] We see the same thing today. If you are in conflict with the laws of the United States as a refugee or whatever, and a policeman accosts you and asks you for identification or something, and you refuse to comply or you refuse to submit to his authority, it is not the policeman whom you are rejecting.

[24:07] It's the law of the land. Each officer of the law represents that which is far greater than himself. It is the law of the land.

[24:17] It isn't the law vested in that individual, but it is delegated to that individual so as to disobey the police officer and resist arrest is to resist the greater law which he represents.

[24:32] That's all this is saying. And that's all we have in the Bible. In this case, it happens to be Moses. Now while we are in Mark's Gospel, come nearby to Matthew chapter 16.

[24:46] We'll see another delegated authority that is given to Peter. And this is one that Roman Catholics and Protestants have squabbled about for centuries and continue to do so.

[25:01] And frankly, I see significant error on the part of both of them. Jesus is addressing Peter and in chapter 16 he says to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona.

[25:13] This is in connection with Peter's referring to him as the Messiah, the Son of God. Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.

[25:30] I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Now this is delegated authority and the key represented authority. It meant that the one who possessed the key had the power to lock or unlock.

[25:47] That is why this term is used. It implies authority. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.

[26:02] And I've pointed out to you a translation difficulty here. It ought to read, whatever you shall bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven and whatever you shall loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

[26:16] This is tremendous authority that is given to Peter. But it is in connection with the kingdom. And the kingdom that was prophesied, the kingdom that Christ came to proclaim and John the Baptist proclaimed before him did not materialize.

[26:34] It never did get underway. It never was established. As a result, Peter's authority was used in anticipation of that kingdom and I believe he used it in Acts chapter 2 when he preached that Pentecostal sermon and told the nation Israel that they were responsible for the crucifixion of their Messiah and he brought them to account.

[27:03] He charged them with the death of the Messiah and he insisted that they repent and submit to baptism in the name of the one they rejected to demonstrate the reality of their repentance.

[27:18] 3,000 of them did. They constituted a tiny minority of the number that was there. But 3,000 good number to start with later it's going to grow to 5,000 and Peter is again going to use that key in chapter 3 and then when he goes to the house of Cornelius in Acts chapter 10 Cornelius is not a Jew.

[27:44] He is a God fearer. He is an army officer in the Roman army and Peter proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah and these Gentiles believed and it opened a door to the Gentiles that did not exist before because all preceding chapters in the book of Acts have to do only with Jews placing their trust in the Jewish Messiah.

[28:19] Now this is branching out and Peter is once again using this key. He is opening the door to Christ to the Gentiles.

[28:30] and that was a tremendous breakthrough. In fact it was so unorthodox what Peter was doing that all of his Jewish brethren climbed all over him for that.

[28:43] Criticized him. How could you do that? How could you go to these goyim these Gentile dogs these uncircumcised you went into their house and you actually ate with how could you do that Peter?

[28:55] This was a tremendous breakthrough. It was Peter doing nothing more than using the keys that Christ had committed to him. Moses' authority was rejected by many.

[29:11] By and large Moses' authority ultimately was rejected by the whole nation of Israel. Remember when they rebelled against him? They said why have you brought us out here into the wilderness to die?

[29:25] There's no water, there's nothing to eat at least back in Egypt we had leeks and onions and garlic out here we've got nothing don't have anything to drink and Moses went to the Lord and said these are your people what am I going to do with them?

[29:43] They're about to do me in they rebelled they reject my and the Lord judged them he sent a scourge among them and eventually he told them and by the way this was all about the rejection of authority and God told the children of Israel you are going to stay right here in the desert and wander around in a circle until you die off you are not coming into the land and the whole thing was because of the rejection of authority and that generation succumbed in the wilderness and then when Peter exercised his authority in using those keys in anticipation of the coming of the kingdom the return of the Messiah then as promised in Acts chapter 3 if you as a nation

[30:45] Peter said if you as a nation will repent of your sin God will send Jesus back it hadn't been that long since he left but he will send him back and he will continue what he began and what was their response to Peter they threw him in jail they rejected his authority they began persecuting the twelve so far as we know all of them died a martyr's death violently with the exception of John who was exiled on the Isle of Patmos you see humanity does not have a good track record in responding to authority and the reason we don't is very simple we all want to be our own authority I hope you recognize something about yourself that is very very important if you recognize this about yourself take it into consideration and deal with it it can make a huge difference in your life and here it is you are your own worst enemy you know that do you realize that you have a traitor living within you called self and self wants to rule the roost get out of my way

[32:19] I'm coming through don't tell me what to do this is man's great enemy self the destroyer the destroyer of every relationship is rooted in selfishness if we're talking about marriage family employment neighborhood church school you name it problem always centers in self we are by nature self centered self serving self seeking if you understand that then you can take effective measures to combat yourself and it can enrich your life immeasurably they've rebelled against

[33:29] Moses authority they rebelled against Peter's authority they rebelled of course against Christ's authority when he was here and I want you to come now for some closing comments to Romans chapter 15 and beginning with verse 15 Romans 15 and verse 15 Paul says I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again because of the grace that was given me from God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles ministering as a priest the gospel of God that my offering of the Gentiles might become acceptable sanctified by the Holy Spirit for I therefore in verse 17 therefore in Christ

[34:34] Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God and verse 18 is critical Paul said for I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed and how is Paul going to be met there will be a percentage of those to whom he writes these epistles who are going to be grateful they are going to be compliant they are going to be obedient and cooperative but there are going to be those who will be raised up and they will say well who is Paul anyway what makes him the big cheese why should we dance to his tune how do we know that God has chosen him is he the only one that God can speak through and again man is in a rebellion mode when it comes to authority it's always been this way and it was this way with

[35:42] Paul he struggled with this all the time come over if you will just across the page and look at verse 30 same chapter Acts 15 30 now I urge you brethren by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the spirit to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient that's another term for saying rejecters of authority that's what disobedience is it's a rebelling or rejecting of that one who is in authority from those who are disobedient in Judea and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company you know it is a wonderful thing it is so exhilarating so refreshing so pleasing when people recognize authority and are submissive to it

[36:52] I'm not talking about people having no spine or backbone I'm not talking about people who are easily conned and easily led along like they've got a ring in their nose that's that's a far cry from the kind of biblical obedience that is being set forth here in Galatians chapter one and this just ought to be the clincher for anybody who is really serious about the issue Galatians chapter one and verse eleven the apostle said for I would have you know brethren that the gospel the good news which was preached by me is not according to man for I neither received it from man nor was I taught it but I received it through a revelation of

[37:55] Jesus Christ now there's only one question here that is germane to this is that true or not if it isn't true then just dismiss Paul and everything he says as one more misguided religious authority who is trying to get people to do what he wants them to do but don't take him seriously just dismiss him you realize how many people who call themselves Christians have done that some even go so far as to relegate Paul to a lesser position of authority because after all isn't what Jesus said that which is really important and what all of these other people you know Paul and Moses and everything what they said you don't have to take that seriously but now if it's in red letters and

[38:58] Jesus said that you ought to pay attention to do you realize with that logic the entire Bible could be red letters because it all comes from the same source what Paul is communicating is what Christ has communicated to him it didn't originate with Paul these are not Paul's novel ideas so that we can reject them or accept them at will depending on how it sets with us Paul's authority was Christ and when Christ gave the Great Commission what is commonly called the Great Commission in Matthew 28 many think that these were Christ's last words to his disciples before he departed well they were but they weren't his last words they were just his last words while he was here on this earth because afterwards he is going to communicate a whole host of hitherto unknown truths that will be brand new revelations that nobody had ever thought of or heard of until

[40:16] Christ communicated them to Paul and then Paul relates them to others in his letters but forever dismissed from your mind these are not the ramblings of Paul the man this is that which Paul received from Christ in the same way Moses received what he had from Christ in a pre incarnate state all of this has divine origin for authority and they are simply using different vehicles as a pipeline can we see that being the case regarding authority and if you can can you see how there is a progression in the revelation that God has given because what God gave through Moses was limited strictly to the children of

[41:18] Israel God never expected Egyptians to keep the Sabbath he never expected the Assyrians to have a kosher diet and not eat shrimp all of these things that God conveyed through Moses were for the children of Israel but once the nation of Israel passed off the scene and no longer occupies center stage in the plan and program of God because of their rejection and disobedience a whole new thing has come on the scene Israel is set aside in judicial unbelief in Romans 9 10 and 11 and God is moving forward with his revelation so that more information is coming forth that wasn't available earlier Paul the apostle is going to talk about all kinds of things that are referred to as mysteries things that were not known before nobody knew them they'd never been revealed never been disclosed

[42:28] Moses never dreamed of these things Peter never dreamed of these things John the Baptist never heard of these things Paul is going to be talking about things like Christ in you the hope of glory he's going to be talking about the translation of the church he's going to be talking about the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit he's going to be talking about a whole host of things that were never revealed before all because God is moving forward in what he is revealing to man and each man represented God's person of authority at that time but as time moved on the plan and program of God is adjusted to accommodate what is happening in humanity we call this the progress of revelation a progressive revelation of the Bible and if you don't see that then the tendency is to take everything in the Bible and kind of put it all together and try to make sense of it

[43:33] I did that for about the first 15 years of my Christian life and I never did succeed I never could make sense of it I had all of these conflicts and all of these things that didn't measure up all of these things that didn't fit and I don't mind telling you it caused a lot of questions and a lot of doubts and when I came to appreciate the progression of revelation how that God's plan and program while God doesn't change and never does his methodology changes to accommodate what is happening with man and the volition that he gave him and God makes gracious adjustments along the way because he is a gracious God and now we have a revelation that has come to us that is an updated version we've got the latest version you know those of you who are into computer things you know they're always coming out with something new a new program a new windows version of something that updates the old does this mean that the old is no good no well the old served its purpose for the time but it is now passe and now we've moved on to something else and that's exactly what the revelation is that God has given through

[45:07] Paul this is why we see what we call Pauline distinctives as being our marching orders for today do we operate under what is commonly thought of as the great commission Matthew 28 19 and 20 no well where is our commission it's in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 God has committed unto us the ministry of reconciliation to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself and has committed unto us the ministry of reconciliation we pray you in Christ's stead be you reconciled to God that's our ministry today so we are not into keeping the Sabbath we are not into animal sacrifices we are not into observing those things that were that were concurrent with Peter and the coming kingdom because the kingdom is set aside temporarily it is postponed we are now in a whole new thing revealed through the apostle Paul that is called the body of Christ

[46:17] Paul is raised up of God to be a minister to the Gentiles that would have been absolutely unheard of during Christ's ministry during John the Baptist ministry and certainly during Moses ministry now Gentiles non-Jews but Gentiles are members of the body of Christ and Jews who believe are also members of the body of Christ all on the same equal plane for there is no distinction in Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile bond or free you are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus this is new stuff you don't find this in the Old Testament it's not supposed to be in the Old Testament and you don't even find it in the Gospels it's not supposed to be there either and you don't find it in the first 10 or 12 chapters of the book of

[47:24] Acts it's absent it isn't there it isn't supposed to be there and with Israel's final rejection and what was it same thing rejection of authority with Israel's rejection of divine authority God said alright I'm going to take you and put you over here on the sideline and you stay there I'm going to drive your people throughout all the nations of the world and you are going to be dispersed and God said now I'm going to start something altogether new completely unheard of never even dreamed of before I'm going to raise up a Jew and send him to the Gentiles what that's right Saul of

[48:25] Tarsus no one hated Jesus Christ like Saul of Tarsus and he got turned around radically on the road to Damascus and God is going to send him to non-Jews throughout the whole world and this gospel he will be preaching is not the gospel of the kingdom it is the gospel of the grace of God believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved wow and you know what this is all about authority because if you have not believed if you have not received Jesus Christ as your personal savior I'll tell you why you haven't because you got a problem with authority you don't want to place yourself under the authority of Jesus Christ and be submissive to him and you know something if I were in your position I wouldn't want to either I don't blame you you're just doing what comes natural you rebel rascal you you're just doing what all the rest of us do that's that's the way we are that's the way

[49:35] I was but I want you to recognize your problem if you are rejecting Jesus Christ you got a real problem with authority you want to call the shots I don't want anybody telling me what to do not even God you got a problem with authority and that's your number one problem and let me tell you something else it would be wonderful if once you come to faith in Christ you no longer have a problem with authority it doesn't work that way honey you still have a problem with authority because you still have an old nature but now you have the basis for dealing with it and you didn't before and the difference is wonderful would you pray father there is so much about this issue that we have not covered and so much about it that we don't know and don't understand but we do understand the basics they are very clear to us and they are revealed time and time again throughout the scriptures we want to bless you and thank you for giving to us imparting to us a free will because in the exercise of a free will in a positive way we find great joy and blessing thank you for the privilege of being able to use our will to put our trust in

[51:09] Jesus as our substitute and for any who may be here today struggling with this real authority issue we just pray that you will reveal to them that they are the core of their problem and they have a will that can be utilized in the right direction they simply need to do business with that thank you for this gospel thank you for it being so full and so rich with grace thank you for it addressing everything about us that makes us undeserving but you love us in such an incredible way you make this gospel available and we bless you for it with our heads bowed and eyes closed what an incredible way this would be for somebody to begin a new year exercising that volition right now with your questions and your doubts and fears but you know enough you know what you need to know and you can with your own volition right now say

[52:28]  Lord Jesus I recognize that this is a problem I have because all people have it and I want to deal with that right now I want to bring my will in line with yours and I want to surrender my volition and my will to you as my loving savior thank you for dying on that cross for me I want to recognize you as my savior and my lord Christ wonderful name amen to thank you