number uh i'm sorry mark 11 this morning i invite you to turn to that's on uh if you're a visitor and you're looking for that that's in the new testament matthew mark second book of the new testament we're considering the last verses of chapter 11 and that's found on uh 1078 in your pew bible this short section here i almost um thought well we'll just briefly touch on it and launch into the parable of the tenants but as I was reflecting on verses 27 through 33 I realized that this particular section even though it seems so simple and it is yet there's so much going on here that describes the authority of Christ and the meaning of that authority and submission to that authority so we're going to consider this today verses 27 through 33 this is the word of the Lord. And they came again to Jerusalem, and as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, by what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority to do them? Jesus said to them, I'll ask you one question. Answer me, and I'll tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of john from heaven or from man answer me and they discussed it with one another saying well if we say from heaven he will say why then did you not believe him but shall we say from man they were afraid of the people for they all held that john was really a prophet so they answered jesus we do not know and jesus said to them neither will i tell you by what authority i do these things And there ends the reading of God's Word. Well, if we at all are sensitive to what's happening in our American culture and society and being aware of all the changes that are happening, you probably are somewhat troubled looking at how the times have changed by the disregard and disrespect of authority that's happening in our day. What we are seeing play out right now on many different levels and many different aspects of our society is really a struggle between authority and the citizens, isn't it? It's a really big struggle that's happening right in front of us. And it sort of comes down to this and boils down to this question of who gave these authority structures? We have authority, don't we, over us? We live in a time that is really struggling with that and people who dislike authority structures and who are casting away authority structures. But I want us to think a little bit about what ultimately drives our struggle with authority. Some might say, well, you know, it's the abuse of it that we're seeing, and I would say fair enough, but is that really what is driving our struggle with authority? If there is abuse, and then when that abuse occurs? Clearly, the problem is much greater than this. And I want you to think about that question. There's no question that there is authority that is put over us. There's no question that we know authority structures that are put over us. We might question where then does it come from and how is it being done and is it being done well? But what is behind the rejection of authority and what is behind the idea of an overthrow of authority? I believe that's really germane and helpful to think about in light of our particular text this morning. The question really is a little bit bigger than we realize. And as we come back to Mark's gospel this morning, this is the issue that is being addressed. It's the issue of authority. There has been nothing but great opposition to our Lord, hasn't there, in the gospel of Mark. It's really been striking how much opposition there has been to Jesus. Really striking, painful. It's sad, isn't it? He had come to love. He had come to embrace. He had come to forgive. He had come to help. He had come to do all these wonderful things for sinners and look at the opposition. Look at it right out of the gates by people. Why so much hatred? Why so much disregard? Why did the nation of Israel, as now we've entered into this section in Mark chapters 11 and 12, Why did Israel reject her Messiah? There's a long history to this, and I suppose you could go back to the days of Samuel when the people had asked for a king, and in his very last speech, he said something that struck them hard when they had said, we want a king to rule over us, even though Samuel said, the Lord was your king. This is the long history of Israel, the long history really of man rejecting the Lord's kingship and rule. The question that we have to wrestle with this morning is what kept people from coming to Jesus as their Lord and king? What really kept people, putting it in very practical terms, what really kept people from professing their faith in Jesus? What is it? What is really the issue? And this morning we come to this important moment in Mark where it exposes for us, and maybe you've struggled with this and try having to answer why people don't come and why they don't believe. Really, Mark is helping us boil it down to one great issue. It's the issue of authority. Very important this morning. And that's what we're going to explore. The question of authority here, and if you're taking notes, you'll notice here that this question of authority that is presented to Jesus is what he first, Mark emphasizes, then his response to the question of authority, and then the exposure of the disregard for authority. So again, the question of authority, the response to the issue of authority, and then the exposure of the disregard for authority. Let's start with this question of authority that is raised here in Mark chapter 11. Jesus has been intending to head to Jerusalem for some time, remember. And I want you to remember that when he first set his face to go there in the previous chapters, Mark records that the disciples were fearful and amazed. Why would you go there to the center of such opposition against you? They're amazed at this. I can't believe these disciples are thinking he's heading there. He knows the opposition. He knows the hatred. And we saw last time that once he gets there, he marches right up into the middle of the temple, into the courts of the temple. And you saw the sort of knock-down, drag-out fight that went on in the temple last week. A huge confrontation went on in the courts, remember. And as this confrontation went on, Jesus goes right into the temple and you remember what happened. He cleanses it. He is flipping tables. He is flipping seats. He has pulled out a whip and is throwing it down. He has taken the money bins and flipped them all over the court and he has stopped any merchandise from being brought into the house of prayer. This was a worship place. They had made it into a den of thieves and he was aggressive. Not the Jesus we think about a lot. a fascinating scene so zealous for his father's house that it had been made into a den of thieves and they had forgotten the purpose of worship and why they came and he didn't put up with it for a minute i said last time you can think of the disciples faces when he starts flipping the coin bins and overturning the leader's seats i mean just the utter astonishment of that moment when he's doing that in the temple they already were afraid to go there and now he comes in and throws it down like this really well you would think this has caused way too much commotion we better get out of here right the disciples are probably thinking jesus we better go this is not good and that's what makes our text so remarkable this morning is that he leaves the temple and the next morning he marches right back in there. And he goes right back in the temple after he had given them a teaching on the cursed fig tree, which we looked at last time. And then he explained faith to his disciples, and he goes right back. In fact, Matthew tells us that he went right back and started teaching in the temple courts. So he's teaching. We know what he's teaching. Mark 1 told us what he's teaching. He had been teaching, saying, the gospel of the Son of God, the kingdom of heaven is at hand repent and believe don't delay now it's now urgency now well that's mark one we looked at well here comes the delegation and the police the chief priests you'll notice three groups get together they had already been plotting how to destroy him and it begins you'll notice here that the chief priests the scribes and the elders some of them functioning as temple police come right up to jesus he's probably walking through the courts remember it's the court of gentiles about a 14 court area probably walking and as the rabbis did at that time they would they would teach as they walked here comes all the jewish authorities right at them and a big confrontation happens again everything has sort of reached a boiling point as we now come to this particular section i mean think about it you can you can put all this together he's been healing the sick he's been healing the blind he's raised the dead but most of all, Mark told us the reason for which he came was to preach the gospel. That was in Mark chapter one, remember? One and two. This is the reason I came for, to preach. Thousands have gathered to listen to him. Everyone's listening to this preaching. And we've seen the confrontations along the way. We remember when he had sat down to eat with the tax collectors and the sinners, that the delegation of the scribes and the Pharisees were furious that he did these kinds of things. And at one point in chapter 7, they came at him. If they didn't come at him for being an antinomian, then they came at him for being a legalist. You're breaking all of our traditions. They'd do whatever they wanted to do. Constantly assaulting him. They conveniently came after him and tried to catch him in disobeying their own imposed man-made rules. And Jesus went after them, and he had no time for this. If you ever have a moment, maybe this afternoon, open up Matthew 23 and see how strong Jesus was against these guys. You can imagine him overthrowing tables and flipping chairs and overthrowing coins. Imagine this. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You're like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside but are full of bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way on the outside, you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside, you're full of hypocrisy and all wickedness. You snakes. You brood of vipers. What makes you think you're going to escape the condemnation of hell? and this is this is strong stuff well i don't think you think that would go well do you it's not going to go well with these guys this is the boiling point and i'm interested in what is the issue what is the issue i think you have to understand what brought them to this place jesus is teaching there they come and they said to him by what authority are you doing these things and who gave you the authority to do these things you show us your credentials we want to see them show us it's an interesting moment here are the doctors of the law they have come to him over credentials he's been in the temple showing a lot of authority but it comes to him under the guise of an intellectual problem i love this i think it's going to help you a lot this morning you don't have the authority to be doing what you're doing them you've never been trained in our schools you don't have the degree you don't have the proper training it comes under that pretense but don't buy it for a minute it's interesting because in the next chapter jesus teaches people again and says to them why do the scribes and the pharisees This is in chapter 12. Say that the Christ is the son of David. And after he taught them, this is what verse 37 says. And all the common people heard him gladly. Very interesting, isn't it? All the common people heard him gladly. The common people were able to hear him. Why were the common people able to hear him? It's not because they were stupid. It's not because they didn't get things. It's because they didn't wear the robes and all the phylacteries and have all the degrees and all the money and all the prestige and all the fame, the stuff that we've studied in Mark that keeps people out of the kingdom. No pride like these guys. It was a pride problem. In fact, we know the crowd's response to his teaching. After the Sermon on the Mount, it was recorded that they were blown out of their minds by his teaching, for he taught them as one having, Now think of this word, authority, and not as the scribes and the Pharisees. Think about that. I'm going to come back to that. He had authority. Scribes and Pharisees had none. None. So when he taught, it wasn't a take it or leave it kind of thing. It was, here's the truth. You believe the truth, and you need to believe it to be saved. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Multitudes are hearing this. People are believing this. The leaders are furious. They're jealous, of course. But who does this guy think he is? Who does this guy think he is to command us in this way with this kind of response? And that's the question today. That's the question that comes up in the temple as Jesus is doing this. What kind of authority do you think you have and where did you get this? Who do you think you are? And I find this moment so helpful in the Gospels because they're using this to try to catch him. But in reality, it's the most important question that they could have ever asked. That's the marvel of this. That's how stupid these guys were. Well, look at that. In other words, the issue that they tried to catch him with was the issue and most important question of their lives. What kind of authority, Jesus? Who gave it to you? Well, that might be the most important question today that you've ever been faced with and asked. What does Jesus do? In typical rabbinical fashion, he poses a question to them. Jesus answered and said to them, notice this there in verse 29, I will ask you one question, answer me, and I'll tell you by what authority I do these things. was the baptism of john from heaven or from man answer me now that's an interesting moment when john baptized everybody remember john was out proclaiming jesus so jesus does something here very brilliant uh his baptism was unto a repentance of course that looked to faith in christ didn't it the question was quite simple well let's start with john where did he get that authority You have two options. Either, now I'm presenting this intellectually for a moment to have them reason, but it's going to be proven in a minute it had nothing to do with reasoning. So it's really important to see that. Jesus knows what he's doing. You've got two options here. Think about it. You have a choice. Either John made it all up or he was commanded and sent from god himself to do this and you see jesus just forced them in brilliance to answer their own question about authority by reasoning about john's authority by looking and going from the lesser to the greater which is a really important thing that sometimes he does here was the problem everyone knew that john was a prophet notice down in verse 32 Everyone counted him to be a prophet. No one doubted that from God. So they were faced with this question. What do you say about John's authority? Where did he get it? Here's what they do. They essentially say, give us a minute. And they head back to the room, right? They huddle up. You could imagine this scene. They're all gathered together trying to figure out this little enigma now, this little question that's really evident, but it doesn't really matter to them if it's evident. So they huddle up. What are we going to say? What are we going to say? I mean, this feels like a game, doesn't it? That's my sermon title, Stop Playing. Here's what they come up with. Here's what they reason. Well, if we say from heaven, he's going to say, why didn't you believe? So they rejected John, even though they knew he was a prophet. But if we say, notice that, from earth, well, everyone knows he's a prophet. And all these people held John in very high esteem. We cannot lose all the clout and respect from the people. Did you see what they just did? They knew the answer. The answer wasn't unclear to them. It was evident. John was a prophet just as any other prophet who had come. He came with the kind of authority that God always, when he sent his prophets throughout the Old Testament, that he came with that authority that God had given to his prophets, and it came with the authority of, thus saith the Lord, didn't it? But here's what I want you to notice this morning. It didn't matter what the truth was. They wouldn't see that truth. They couldn't see that truth because their heart was that hard to Jesus. Hold that for a minute. What if they had come back and said, we agree, Jesus, it was from heaven, and Jesus says, well, then why don't you believe? Was that such a bad thing? Why don't you believe? What a wonderful thing, a moment of salvation where they could believe, where the truth had been presented to them and they could believe. They could reason from the lesser to the greater. You're from heaven. But they just won't believe. It wasn't about that. We can't let him have the upper hand. We can't let him be right over us. So what's the real issue that we're dealing with here? This is not an intellectual problem. What do I mean? I know many of you have struggled and maybe have loved ones who just don't believe. And won't believe. And often this is presented as an intellectual problem. It's presented that way. There are all these ideas out there. There's all these religions. How do we know that Jesus is the right one? Get that. How do we know that Jesus is the only way? How do we know he is who he says he is? Not really sure. Not really sure. I've sat with many people who doubt Christianity, and they say, well, I don't even know if I believe it. These are Christian people, at least in name and upbringing, who've been raised in it, who've seen the blessing and the power all of their lives, who've been given the sign of baptism, who've had maybe even all sorts of Sunday school classes, maybe Christian schooling, but now all of a sudden in their life, they can't figure it out. listen to me it doesn't have to do with a lack of evidence remember when jesus told the parable of lazarus and the rich man uh the rich man went down into hell and lazarus went up into heaven and um the the rich man in hell starts begging uh saying listen lord send lazarus back abraham send lazarus back just to go and at least talk to my family so that if they if they see somebody come back from the dead, they'll believe? Remember what Jesus said? No, they won't. Not even if they see somebody rise from the dead, will they believe? It's not an evidence issue. What's driving the rejection? What drives this rejection? I mean, you see it in the world. I could get up if I were anyone big in the world and go on CNN, Fox News, and I could say Mohammed. I could say any other name. But if I say Jesus, you see the hatred. Why? Why? Put it together yet? The problem's not an intellectual one. It's a moral one. Let me give you an example. I've been asked more than a few times to do the wedding of people who claim to be believers. And they come to me and they say, would you do our wedding? And they want my blessing to give them what they say is a distinctively Christian wedding. You got sort of a choice. You could go to the justice of the peace, legitimate marriage. You could have that. Or you could say, I want it sort of, as people view it, sanctified and treat us as Christians. We're making covenants and promises and those sorts of things that go on at weddings. So I say, well, sure, but I have to marry in the Lord. That's one of the stipulations in the URC church order. I marry only in the Lord. So there's different scenarios that have come to me. You've been living together. You have a pattern of unrepentant behavior. You're not involved in any church. So let me understand this. You don't want the justice or the peace to do it. You want me to do it. You're willing to make commitments to each other. And then you want me to stand up and validate that this is Christian, right? But you've never made any verbal commitment to Jesus. You want it somewhat sanctified as Christian. All I'm asking to do this is a few things. First, that you believe. Do you believe? Have you shown that by uniting to his body, the church? You know, that's really important. You can't love Jesus and not the body he died for. Are you living in rebellion against him? Are you repentant? In one case, the couple's living together for marriage. What have I just done? Well, I have essentially said to them, if you want your wedding set apart and recognized as Christian, you have to show that you have a desire to live under that authority of Christ, right? That he's first, that he's Lord over your lives, that you've submitted to that authority. You can't say you want to make a commitment to each other and then refuse it to him and then say you want it stamped Christian, right? What do you think's happened? Well, in one case, the couple came back to me and said, Chris, you're right. We've been living in sin. We repent of the behavior. And we've already met with the pastor. We're going to join a church. We needed this. It was really remarkable. I wrote them a letter and that's what they did. I was convinced and in conscience that they had submitted themselves to Christ. This was a relative, so I could do the wedding. But do you know what I've also gotten from supposedly Christian people? When I lay out these basics of a life that lives under the authority of Jesus, you know what I get? No thanks. We'll get some other pastor to do it who won't hold us to these standards whatsoever. And still the illusion that we're Christians will be given, I guess. You tell me what's really going on there. So they'll run to another pastor with no standards. And I've seen this all my ministry. We don't want to give up what we feel is our freedom. So we're going to do what we want to do, when we want to do it, how we do it, in whatever way we like, without submitting to anyone in our life. That's our way. It's an interference with my life. We want life on our terms. And that's the greatest problem, I believe, the New Testament is showing us, that keeps people away. Don't let the thin veneer of this particular section of what is described as an intellectual problem, don't let that thin veneer here described that way that says, well, we really don't know who Jesus is and where he gets his authority be the excuse that allows people to stay away from him. It's an excuse. Uh-uh. The reason's this, if we're going to be honest, people don't want authority over them in this life. Continuing in sin in this life is an authority issue. We live for the escape. I remember years ago, a man came to me and wanted to go in the ministry and he said, we were thinking of options. He says, well, I don't want to go to Westminster Seminary. And I said, well, why is that? He says, it's going to challenge me too much. It's too rigorous. I want a seminary where I can take the easy path. And I thought to myself, I thought, you don't belong in this. I knew that if I was going to do this years ago, I needed to be challenged. It wasn't about just the great. I needed to be challenged. I needed to be pushed with the best. There was always the easy road of escape, right? There was always the easy road of escape. Doesn't that extend to how we view the church a little bit? All this runs together. I had a member say to me last week, it's really helpful to see Jesus not worried about offending people. Sometimes I think we're viewed as way too strict. But we have convictions. And sometimes our young people don't appreciate that or see that, So they say, well, we're just too judgmental, or we're too tied to rules, or we're too da-da-da-da-da. And so we kind of step back in embarrassment and cower at the convictions a little bit. So what happens? People always look for something easier. They'll find it. If you preach today, thus says the Lord, you'll get a lot of people who say, I do not want that authority over my life. I don't. and then I'll go and create my own rules, which is what the Pharisees did. They didn't want the authority. A Pharisee is one who creates his own rules. If you're standing for something today, it'll be viewed as strict in our culture. I mean, that just goes with the territory. But some will say, oh, I just don't want anything to do with that. I hope that our goal is always to create a sense that we're under the word of God and that we live under that authority because it's Christ's Word. But where does the rub really come? I think you see it with discipline, don't you? It makes us feel so mean or even fencing the table, mean. Really? Is it not, truth be told, that we're embarrassed, that we have authority structures that we have to hold to? Is it not? That there are standards? And because nobody else or few people hold to them anymore, if you stand up and do it, you know how you're going to be labeled and you're worried what men think instead of God. Isn't that the big issue? Ironically, it's these authority structures that are put in place to preserve and to love. So you're all backward. What we constantly face is a matter of I don't want accountability and I don't want infringement. That's it. But we've come to the point when if I say you should be in church or worship, people dig their heels in and say, because the pastor said that, I'm not coming. Strange times. You know, Charles Spurgeon, I just was reading in his biography the other day that he was seeking to, as a young man, find membership in a church, and the minister ignored him. So he kept writing the minister, and the minister ignored him. And finally, Spurgeon said, I am appealing that I am a candidate to be a member of the church and he stood up and wrote a letter and pushed for it so strong the minister could no longer ignore him. I've never met anyone like that in my life in our day, right? Just different times. We live for the escape. You can always find the easier way. You can always find another way. You can always find another place. Another church won't challenge you. These are authority issues. over your life. You can always find pastors that will say, well, this is my personal opinion. It's good for me. It may not be good for you. And won't say, thus saith the Lord. You can always find a place where you can hide out and have no accountability. You can find all that. You can always find worship where you don't have to control yourself. That you can do whatever you want based on all how you feel. It's an authority issue. This whole life's an authority issue. But don't delude yourself that you're not pulling the path of escape. All that's escape mechanism. Who gives you, Jesus, this kind of authority over us? Who gives it to you? We're not submitting to that. No thanks. It's a moral issue. People want the freedom to do what they want. And you see it here. When asked about John's authority, they knew he was a prophet. Everyone knew he was a prophet. Intellectually, that was no challenge for them. But it wasn't about that. Knowing the answer that the authority came from heaven, why didn't they just submit to it? We'll get to a minute and we'll close with that thought. Why didn't they just submit to it? Is it such a burden? Instead, what did they do? They decided to play the card. We don't know. Well, that's a blatant lie, man. That's breaking the ninth commandment. You do know. So in order to refuse to recognize Jesus' authority, instead, they knowingly and willingly trashed the ninth commandment. That's what they did. And you know what Jesus says at this point? I'm not answering you. You don't deserve an answer. I'm not answering that. Done with that. Because that lie is because we've accepted a greater lie that happened in the Garden of Eden, beloved. When Satan came into the garden, there was a direct assault on authority. And when Satan came into the garden, he said to Eve, God is trying to make your life hard. God wants to bind you up, and God wants to hold you back under His rules. And you know what? You'll never be free that way. You'll never really live that way. You'll never do what you want to do that way. Eve, you can be your own God. He knows when the day you eat of it, you'll become like Him. You shouldn't listen to all that. That was Satan's temptation. It was always the problem in Israel. When God's commands came to the people, they said this is hopeless. So we'll walk according to our own plans and everyone will obey the dictates of his own heart, The prophets prophesy lies, says the Lord. The priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. So the lie that we've accepted is that somehow Jesus wants to make your life hard on you. But it doesn't change one great fact. Just before he ascended, he said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and doing what? Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And lo, I'm with you always to the ends of the age. I have commanded, I'm the king. Is he such a terrible king? I mean, that's what I want to go to in closing. Is he? Really? Or if you listen to the lie, all the conflict I look in our society over authority right now, look at it, just turn on the news, all the conflict in our society over authority right now, people have no trust for police. Police have no trust for people. No one trusts anyone. No one believes our presidential candidates. I mean, it's just, everything seems to be falling apart authority-wise right now? Well, leaders may make terrible mistakes. Leaders may abuse that authority. We're in a fallen world, aren't we? It doesn't take away that authority structure over our lives, does it? Insurrections, rebellions, revolutions never go well. But we're not talking about someone who abuses authority. Here is a Savior who actually has all authority over us, who came to give His life, to die for us, to purchase us. And what's He been doing the entire time in Mark's gospel? Here's the enigma and the madness of refusing to come and profess faith in Jesus. Here's the madness of that choice. He's helping people. He's forgiving people. He's loving people. He's embracing people. He's raising the dead. And they won't come to that desiring to give them heaven and they won't come because they want to still go out and do what they want to do? Madness. His is the right. He's king. You'll never take that. You don't own that. He does. And every knee will bow and every tongue will confess He is Lord. Why don't you do it now and receive grace? instead of judgment day and receive hell. That authority is a blessing to you. Not some hindrance. It's the reason I always, when I'm reading these forms, say, and seek to live under his gracious reign. I love that. So the question really is important for you to address today. Where did Jesus get his authority? Was it all made up for men? Have all these people for thousands of years just bowed to a figment of their imagination. You really? No, no, no. Don't play that game. Billions and billions of people bumped into Jesus and had their lives changed by Him. They've trusted in Him since the beginning of the world. You might try to say, well, you just made it all up. But you know that's not true. He came from heaven. All authority, dominion, and power belongs to Him forever and ever. If that's true, He's saying, don't play games. It's an authority issue. But don't delay anymore. You might not live till tomorrow. Believe what He's offering you, Him. Does your life show submission to His authority? This is God's eternal Son sent to be your Savior and King. Bow to Him. And here's the authority he'll exercise over you. Ready? For the Son of Man, Mark 2, has authority on earth to forgive your sin. That's what he'll do for you. He has the authority to forgive all your sins. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we needed this passage this morning because we often buy into the lie that your ways are hard and your ways are strict and challenging. And no, it's our ways that are and our ways that are bondage. And we ask for forgiveness. When you put these things in place for our blessing, we stand back and criticize them. And it ultimately demonstrates a problem of authority in our lives. Sin is a departure from it and we're all guilty. Thank You that You love us. Thank You that You forgive us. And that even this challenge today from Your Word is designed that people would bow and know the gracious reign of Jesus. And so, Lord, this day, if there's any who've not come, let them see how foolish they're being. And let them not play the intellectual card and let them not, Lord, continue down that path. Let them say enough's enough. It's time that we all together submit and bow to the authority of a gracious King and that we become, as Psalm 110 said, willing servants in the day of His power. Thank You for this text and thank You that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to the Lord Jesus Christ who also has the authority to forgive us all of our sins. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.