WEBVTT 00:00:02.860 --> 00:00:05.700 Authority. I mentioned it in the beginning of 00:00:05.700 --> 00:00:07.639 the service, I'm going to ask it again, a couple 00:00:07.639 --> 00:00:09.880 people. When you think of the word authority, 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:12.919 now I am looking for something specific, I know, 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:16.500 cue the rolling of the eyes. When you think of 00:00:16.500 --> 00:00:19.320 the word authority, what comes to mind? Or what 00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:22.280 do you think I'm looking for? When you think 00:00:22.280 --> 00:00:27.519 of the word authority, what comes to mind? Angry 00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:32.219 dad. Interesting. Okay. Yeah. Angry dad. Nope. 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:38.859 Yeah. Responsibility. Sure. Yeah. A job, right? 00:00:39.100 --> 00:00:43.740 Absolutely. Good answer. What else? Power. Sure. 00:00:46.100 --> 00:00:51.600 To submit, right? Don't tell me what to do. Absolutely. 00:00:51.780 --> 00:00:54.079 Do not tell me what to do. That's actually really 00:00:54.079 --> 00:00:58.579 close, Rick. Really close. There is a certain 00:00:58.579 --> 00:01:01.219 level of authority that starts to get formed 00:01:01.219 --> 00:01:05.540 at a very young age. It's more of a challenging 00:01:05.540 --> 00:01:08.879 of authority that if you've ever been with a 00:01:08.879 --> 00:01:12.040 very, very young kid, whether you've been a parent 00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:14.760 or a grandparent or an aunt or an uncle, or maybe 00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:17.260 even you were a babysitter, maybe you've helped 00:01:17.260 --> 00:01:20.700 out in the nursery or have done any kind of children's 00:01:20.700 --> 00:01:24.719 ministry, there is... A challenging of authority 00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:29.379 or really a placement of authority with a very, 00:01:29.439 --> 00:01:34.480 very small word, three letters, asked by every, 00:01:34.659 --> 00:01:39.200 all of us, right? It's the earliest sign of depravity 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:45.819 known to man when the child asks, you all know, 00:01:46.019 --> 00:01:51.879 why? There is an establishment of whose authority 00:01:51.879 --> 00:01:57.579 when really it's not a question. When my boys 00:01:57.579 --> 00:02:01.659 started asking why, I knew that I knew that I 00:02:01.659 --> 00:02:05.060 knew it was not a question. We were now entering 00:02:05.060 --> 00:02:09.379 negotiations. We were now entering a testing. 00:02:09.539 --> 00:02:13.860 We were now entering into a different stage of 00:02:13.860 --> 00:02:16.620 our parenting. And if you've ever parented, it 00:02:16.620 --> 00:02:19.560 was, you know, maybe it's, okay, boys, now it's 00:02:19.560 --> 00:02:22.360 time to clean up. You immediately get that question. 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:26.879 Why? Or do we have to? Or right now? Or who said? 00:02:27.479 --> 00:02:30.460 Or, in the case of the Holland donor and Scuthouse, 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:34.960 did mom say to do that? Okay, right? Mike, do 00:02:34.960 --> 00:02:37.560 you submit to that? Absolutely. Right? That that 00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:41.500 is, all of those same questions fall under that 00:02:41.500 --> 00:02:47.819 same negotiation of... Authority. It's not really 00:02:47.819 --> 00:02:51.460 a question. It's not really a conversation. It 00:02:51.460 --> 00:02:54.900 is a challenge. It is a challenge done by how 00:02:54.900 --> 00:02:58.580 old roughly when those questions start to come, 00:02:58.680 --> 00:03:02.240 right? Yeah, in the back. About three, right? 00:03:02.300 --> 00:03:04.219 I'm not going to say that it was the Vandermytons, 00:03:04.319 --> 00:03:07.219 but that was about three that happened there. 00:03:07.539 --> 00:03:10.340 And so that's roughly around that time when that 00:03:10.340 --> 00:03:13.759 authority starts to get challenged, that I would 00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:16.120 say that our kids' mouths are starting to write 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:18.919 checks that their bodies can't cash, right? They 00:03:18.919 --> 00:03:21.360 start to really put it out there that they think 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:24.340 they can challenge mom and dad. They're trying 00:03:24.340 --> 00:03:27.099 to understand their role. They're trying to understand 00:03:27.099 --> 00:03:33.349 their place in life. That's usually met not always 00:03:33.349 --> 00:03:35.770 in the best way. Yet the funny thing is, if you're 00:03:35.770 --> 00:03:39.409 like my kids, though it was met with a very abrupt 00:03:39.409 --> 00:03:42.389 ending to a lot of those conversations, they 00:03:42.389 --> 00:03:46.349 still went back to the well. They kept trying 00:03:46.349 --> 00:03:50.090 to see if that line would be held. What they 00:03:50.090 --> 00:03:52.969 were actually asking other questions as they 00:03:52.969 --> 00:03:54.909 kept going back to it is, do you really mean 00:03:54.909 --> 00:03:59.280 this? Are you really in charge here? Or can I 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:02.819 push this just a little farther? Right? I think 00:04:02.819 --> 00:04:05.080 I have those on the slide. Do you really mean 00:04:05.080 --> 00:04:08.240 this? Are you really in charge here? Or can I 00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:11.099 push just a little bit farther? That is them 00:04:11.099 --> 00:04:15.439 doubling down on this. We've all done it. And 00:04:15.439 --> 00:04:18.500 kids do it all the time. And this is the moment 00:04:18.500 --> 00:04:21.600 you realize it's no longer about cleaning. This 00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:26.180 is all about who gets the final word. This sets 00:04:26.180 --> 00:04:29.480 up Luke 20. This is exactly the conversation 00:04:29.480 --> 00:04:34.800 around Luke 20. Whose authority really matters? 00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:38.779 Now, in the household, there needs to be an establishment 00:04:38.779 --> 00:04:41.980 of authority. Because, let's be honest, let's 00:04:41.980 --> 00:04:44.500 call a spade a spade, right? If the animals run 00:04:44.500 --> 00:04:48.300 the zoo, it's not a good zoo. And when your kids 00:04:48.300 --> 00:04:52.579 are little, right, three years old, If the three 00:04:52.579 --> 00:04:54.759 -year -olds run the household, that household 00:04:54.759 --> 00:04:58.240 is not going to do well. There needs to be an 00:04:58.240 --> 00:05:01.819 establishment of authority. Where do we get that 00:05:01.819 --> 00:05:04.620 concept? All the way back in the Garden of Eden. 00:05:05.079 --> 00:05:07.759 We see a creator creating, and what does he do? 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:12.079 He creates. He sets boundaries. What do you mean, 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:15.100 Pastor? Well, go back to our Unintended Consequences 00:05:15.100 --> 00:05:18.259 series, however many years ago that was. He told 00:05:18.259 --> 00:05:20.790 the waters where they could go. He told the light 00:05:20.790 --> 00:05:23.449 where it could go and when to go. He told the 00:05:23.449 --> 00:05:26.709 dark when it stopped. He was all about boundaries. 00:05:27.209 --> 00:05:30.269 And then he told his kind of prized creation, 00:05:30.610 --> 00:05:34.649 us, what they could do. They could eat of everything. 00:05:34.829 --> 00:05:38.370 Subdue the earth. Fulfill the earth. Just don't 00:05:38.370 --> 00:05:41.410 eat that one tree. Now we know the story. Ended 00:05:41.410 --> 00:05:43.129 up breaking that rule. Sin enters the world. 00:05:43.170 --> 00:05:46.709 And now we are on this covenantal path. Authority 00:05:46.709 --> 00:05:50.980 is huge. It's big to God, and therefore it's 00:05:50.980 --> 00:05:54.500 going to be big to Christ. So we're going to 00:05:54.500 --> 00:05:57.259 be in Luke chapter 20, verses 1 through 8, and 00:05:57.259 --> 00:06:01.720 then we're going to jump to 19 to 26. So Luke 00:06:01.720 --> 00:06:07.939 20. First eight verses. One day, as Jesus was 00:06:07.939 --> 00:06:11.939 teaching the people in the temple and preaching 00:06:11.939 --> 00:06:14.720 the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:17.399 with the elders came up and said to him, Tell 00:06:17.399 --> 00:06:20.180 us by what authority you do these things, or 00:06:20.180 --> 00:06:24.180 who it is that gave you this authority. He answered 00:06:24.180 --> 00:06:27.699 them, I also will ask you a question. Now tell 00:06:27.699 --> 00:06:31.079 me, was the baptism of John from heaven or from 00:06:31.079 --> 00:06:33.720 man? And they discussed it with one another, 00:06:33.819 --> 00:06:37.019 saying, If we say from heaven, he will say, Why 00:06:37.019 --> 00:06:39.720 did you not believe him? And if we say from man, 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:42.459 all the people will stone us to death, for they 00:06:42.459 --> 00:06:45.480 are convinced that John was a prophet. So they 00:06:45.480 --> 00:06:48.459 answered, So they answered that they did not 00:06:48.459 --> 00:06:50.920 know where it came from. And Jesus said to them, 00:06:51.040 --> 00:06:53.600 Neither will I tell you by what authority I do 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:57.779 these things. So, pressure point one. Human authority 00:06:57.779 --> 00:07:01.660 feels threatened by Jesus. Okay? So human authority, 00:07:01.839 --> 00:07:04.779 now, we see this engagement. I love how Jesus 00:07:04.779 --> 00:07:07.100 does this. Because, again, it's the teachers 00:07:07.100 --> 00:07:09.319 of the law. They're going to kind of go toe -to 00:07:09.319 --> 00:07:12.730 -toe with Jesus. Okay? Toe -to -toe. The chief 00:07:12.730 --> 00:07:14.949 priests, the scribes, and the elders approach 00:07:14.949 --> 00:07:18.449 Jesus and ask, tell us by what authority you 00:07:18.449 --> 00:07:21.790 do these things, or who gave you this authority. 00:07:22.009 --> 00:07:25.269 This isn't curiosity. They're not like asking. 00:07:25.709 --> 00:07:29.449 This is a confrontation. So there's really meaning 00:07:29.449 --> 00:07:32.250 behind these words. This isn't like, we really 00:07:32.250 --> 00:07:35.370 want to know, Jesus, teach us. This is, we want 00:07:35.370 --> 00:07:38.870 gotcha journalism. We want to catch you in this. 00:07:39.819 --> 00:07:41.920 Jesus has been teaching openly. We're in Luke 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:44.800 20. This isn't a new ballgame. A lot has been 00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:46.699 going on. A lot of things about teaching. The 00:07:46.699 --> 00:07:49.339 pressure of Jesus. This is like our fourth sermon 00:07:49.339 --> 00:07:52.600 in this. The pressure's on. He had cleansed the 00:07:52.600 --> 00:07:54.879 temple. He had disrupted their system. And now 00:07:54.879 --> 00:07:58.740 their authority is feeling threatened. Now, not 00:07:58.740 --> 00:08:01.060 nearly as, I mean, the threatening of a three 00:08:01.060 --> 00:08:03.079 -year -old asking why isn't nearly comparable 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:04.939 to what the Pharisees are feeling from Jesus. 00:08:05.259 --> 00:08:07.980 But their authority is feeling threatened. Because 00:08:07.980 --> 00:08:11.199 Jesus is showing up and everything now is being 00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:15.420 questioned. And that is threatening them. Why? 00:08:15.639 --> 00:08:19.199 Because they had the people beaten. They had 00:08:19.199 --> 00:08:22.819 them understanding. They had them heads down 00:08:22.819 --> 00:08:25.660 just doing the things, right? They had them just, 00:08:25.759 --> 00:08:28.600 they were living by the Pharisees' interpretation 00:08:28.600 --> 00:08:35.200 of everything. Let me ask, is that still true 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:39.139 today? Do we have leaders in the world that just 00:08:39.139 --> 00:08:42.940 want all of us just to kind of be sheep? Don't 00:08:42.940 --> 00:08:44.659 think for yourself. Let us just tell you what 00:08:44.659 --> 00:08:46.500 to believe and you just kind of go and do it. 00:08:47.460 --> 00:08:52.519 Don't think for yourselves. Don't engage. That's 00:08:52.519 --> 00:08:54.899 what the Pharisees wanted. Jesus is opening their 00:08:54.899 --> 00:08:56.299 eyes, opening their house, going, no, no, no. 00:08:56.340 --> 00:08:59.000 I am the Messiah. You need to follow me. Don't 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:01.860 follow this system. And this isn't just a kind 00:09:01.860 --> 00:09:04.529 of wild rebellion. This is the understanding 00:09:04.529 --> 00:09:06.769 of the way of Jesus. This is the fulfillment 00:09:06.769 --> 00:09:11.970 of God's word. You see, Jesus challenges every 00:09:11.970 --> 00:09:14.690 system. He challenges the leader. He challenges 00:09:14.690 --> 00:09:18.470 the structure, including our own sense of control. 00:09:19.990 --> 00:09:22.090 He'll come in. If you think you have ultimate 00:09:22.090 --> 00:09:24.110 control of your life, he's going to come in and 00:09:24.110 --> 00:09:26.990 challenge that. Anything that is going to take 00:09:26.990 --> 00:09:29.990 the cross seat of your life, Jesus is going to 00:09:29.990 --> 00:09:33.779 come in and challenge because he knows. That 00:09:33.779 --> 00:09:37.279 seat is meant for him, not for anybody else, 00:09:37.399 --> 00:09:41.500 not for anything else. Money, politics, authority, 00:09:41.860 --> 00:09:45.419 power, anything. And what Jesus is going to do, 00:09:45.419 --> 00:09:47.659 he's going to expose that. He's going to expose 00:09:47.659 --> 00:09:51.659 that in order to remove it. But what he wants 00:09:51.659 --> 00:09:54.539 you to do, he wants you to offer it up. And that's 00:09:54.539 --> 00:09:57.720 our pressure point number two, that Jesus exposes 00:09:57.720 --> 00:10:01.059 false authority. You see, Jesus answers their 00:10:01.059 --> 00:10:03.570 question with a question. Was the baptism from 00:10:03.570 --> 00:10:06.590 John from heaven or from man? And suddenly we 00:10:06.590 --> 00:10:10.090 see a shift. I love how Jesus does this. They 00:10:10.090 --> 00:10:12.690 try to confront him and he kind of misdirects 00:10:12.690 --> 00:10:17.429 them a bit. If they say, and I love it, they're 00:10:17.429 --> 00:10:19.250 kind of off to the side talking. If they say 00:10:19.250 --> 00:10:22.210 from heaven, they must accept John's testimony 00:10:22.210 --> 00:10:24.830 about Jesus. They know they can't do that. If 00:10:24.830 --> 00:10:28.049 they say from man, they fear that the crowd will 00:10:28.049 --> 00:10:31.909 stone them. This is the same group. That in Luke 00:10:31.909 --> 00:10:35.350 4, tried to already stone Jesus, right? So now 00:10:35.350 --> 00:10:36.669 they're kind of caught between, they're kind 00:10:36.669 --> 00:10:39.190 of in a catch -22. Rocking a hard place, no pun 00:10:39.190 --> 00:10:43.210 intended. This reveals something important. They're 00:10:43.210 --> 00:10:47.389 not about seeking truth. Friends, expose that 00:10:47.389 --> 00:10:50.190 with me. The Pharisees are not about truth in 00:10:50.190 --> 00:10:55.149 this moment. They are solely about power. And 00:10:55.149 --> 00:10:58.230 we see that in the church. When you have these 00:10:58.230 --> 00:11:00.289 pastors, when you have these leaders in these 00:11:00.289 --> 00:11:02.970 churches that are more about power, more about 00:11:02.970 --> 00:11:05.669 gaining the authority and the power, they will 00:11:05.669 --> 00:11:08.610 slide things under the rug more time than not 00:11:08.610 --> 00:11:12.950 because the truth will expose it. That's where 00:11:12.950 --> 00:11:15.970 accountability in our life, in systems, in all 00:11:15.970 --> 00:11:18.029 of these things, that's what makes it so important. 00:11:18.190 --> 00:11:21.070 That's exactly what Jesus is bringing up. He 00:11:21.070 --> 00:11:24.669 is bringing up an authentic faith that submits. 00:11:25.240 --> 00:11:28.240 to his lordship. Everything in the dark will 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:31.000 be brought to the light. False authority is more 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:35.879 concerned about control than truth. That's why 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:38.120 Jesus as eternal king is so important. That's 00:11:38.120 --> 00:11:41.080 why the Heidelberg Catechism reminds us in Lord's 00:11:41.080 --> 00:11:45.419 Day 12 that Christ is our eternal king who governs 00:11:45.419 --> 00:11:50.620 us by his word and spirit. One minute on the 00:11:50.620 --> 00:11:54.759 word govern. You ever think about that? The Lord 00:11:54.759 --> 00:11:59.240 governs you. Now, we may think about that in 00:11:59.240 --> 00:12:01.740 the world today, in the government, and we don't 00:12:01.740 --> 00:12:03.740 know. Our head may go all sorts of places with 00:12:03.740 --> 00:12:07.580 that, depending on how we engage that word. Kind 00:12:07.580 --> 00:12:10.019 of pause the world's understanding of govern. 00:12:10.980 --> 00:12:15.220 How does Christ govern your life in a sovereign 00:12:15.220 --> 00:12:18.610 way? And that's uncomfortable, let's be honest. 00:12:18.850 --> 00:12:20.870 Because that means he knows all, he sees all, 00:12:20.909 --> 00:12:24.629 he is all. You're not, I'm not, but he is. Are 00:12:24.629 --> 00:12:28.110 you okay with that? Challenge yourself in that 00:12:28.110 --> 00:12:31.409 today. When you're sitting down, watching your 00:12:31.409 --> 00:12:34.710 brackets burn, ask yourself the question. How 00:12:34.710 --> 00:12:37.110 many of you have a perfect bracket right now? 00:12:39.429 --> 00:12:43.129 See, you just did a test. You're not sovereign. 00:12:44.149 --> 00:12:46.669 Because if you were... your hand would be up. 00:12:47.730 --> 00:12:50.970 ESPN showed me zero perfect brackets, so nobody 00:12:50.970 --> 00:12:54.529 is sovereign in the world. All right? So as you're 00:12:54.529 --> 00:12:58.269 watching that burn, ask yourself, is it okay 00:12:58.269 --> 00:13:01.889 that I'm governed by Christ? The answer should 00:13:01.889 --> 00:13:06.649 be yes. That he knows your thoughts as you're 00:13:06.649 --> 00:13:09.450 thinking them and before you think them. He doesn't 00:13:09.450 --> 00:13:12.500 take a chance on you every day. Right? I've said 00:13:12.500 --> 00:13:14.200 it before. He's not rolling the dice. I hope 00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:17.980 Jim does this today. He is sovereign and we should 00:13:17.980 --> 00:13:21.799 take comfort in that. But then the real question 00:13:21.799 --> 00:13:26.820 comes. Are you okay with that? Am I okay with 00:13:26.820 --> 00:13:31.419 that? Or do I wrestle with that? And why do I 00:13:31.419 --> 00:13:34.960 wrestle with that? Why do I wrestle, maybe internally, 00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:38.379 with the fact that Jesus knows everything about 00:13:38.379 --> 00:13:41.700 me? That Jesus governs my life. Why do I wrestle 00:13:41.700 --> 00:13:49.139 with that? Why is that scary? Well, if we're 00:13:49.139 --> 00:13:50.799 going to get to the real naked truth, if we're 00:13:50.799 --> 00:13:52.679 going to rip off that band -aid, rip off that 00:13:52.679 --> 00:13:56.759 scab, rip off that scar, or whatever it is, it 00:13:56.759 --> 00:13:59.759 has to do with the level of faith. It has to 00:13:59.759 --> 00:14:03.679 do with our ultimate trust in God. Because when 00:14:03.679 --> 00:14:06.320 the chips are down, when the bank account's in 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:09.120 the negative, when nobody is connecting with 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:14.820 you, when you feel all alone, is that faith still 00:14:14.820 --> 00:14:19.259 there? What Jesus is questioning in this moment 00:14:19.259 --> 00:14:24.799 to the religious leaders, to us, do you trust 00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:30.899 in the Lord? The Pharisees don't. They put their 00:14:30.899 --> 00:14:34.049 trust in power. The religious leaders rejected 00:14:34.049 --> 00:14:37.169 the authority because it threatened their own. 00:14:38.169 --> 00:14:41.570 Is the same said about you? Is the same said 00:14:41.570 --> 00:14:46.370 about me? Or do I have to be in control? Do you 00:14:46.370 --> 00:14:49.090 have to be in control? I know we have plenty 00:14:49.090 --> 00:14:51.049 of type A personalities. I'm going to look in 00:14:51.049 --> 00:14:53.429 the mirror first. There's one. And then I know 00:14:53.429 --> 00:14:55.230 there's some in there, in the sanctuary today. 00:14:55.309 --> 00:15:00.000 I know there's some watching online. Can the 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:02.559 type A's submit to authority? Can the type B's 00:15:02.559 --> 00:15:05.100 and C's and D's and E's and F's? I don't know 00:15:05.100 --> 00:15:07.580 how many go in that, but can we all submit to 00:15:07.580 --> 00:15:10.360 Christ's authority? Because if we can't, guess 00:15:10.360 --> 00:15:13.440 what's going to happen? Christ is going to divide 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:17.659 us from our loyalties. And that's the third point. 00:15:17.759 --> 00:15:20.440 Divided loyalties will always create tension. 00:15:22.539 --> 00:15:24.700 Divided loyalties will always create tension. 00:15:24.779 --> 00:15:28.580 So let's go back to the text. So we go back to, 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:31.240 so we read the first eight verses, right? So 00:15:31.240 --> 00:15:33.419 let's go back, Nikki. So we're going to jump 00:15:33.419 --> 00:15:37.419 back to verses 19 through 26. The scribes and 00:15:37.419 --> 00:15:39.519 the chief priests sought to lay hands on him 00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:42.259 at that hour, for they perceived that he had 00:15:42.259 --> 00:15:44.820 told this parable against them, but they feared 00:15:44.820 --> 00:15:47.399 the people. So they watched him and sent spies 00:15:47.399 --> 00:15:49.860 who pretended to be sincere, that they might 00:15:49.860 --> 00:15:52.679 catch him in something he said, so as to deliver 00:15:52.679 --> 00:15:55.440 him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the 00:15:55.440 --> 00:15:57.620 governor. So they asked him, teacher, we know 00:15:57.620 --> 00:16:00.460 that you speak and teach rightly and show no 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:04.980 partiality, but truly teach the way of God. Is 00:16:04.980 --> 00:16:07.220 it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar or 00:16:07.220 --> 00:16:10.860 not? But he perceived their craftiness and said 00:16:10.860 --> 00:16:13.820 to him, show me a denarii. Whose likeness and 00:16:13.820 --> 00:16:16.419 inscription does it have? They said Caesar's. 00:16:16.860 --> 00:16:19.539 He said to them, then render to Caesar the things 00:16:19.539 --> 00:16:22.159 that are Caesar's and to God's the things that 00:16:22.159 --> 00:16:25.389 are God's. And they were not able. And they were 00:16:25.389 --> 00:16:27.370 not able in the presence of the Lord to catch 00:16:27.370 --> 00:16:29.970 him in what he said. But marveling at his answer, 00:16:30.070 --> 00:16:34.429 they became silent. We all know this set of verses. 00:16:35.350 --> 00:16:38.110 The leaders try again, this time through spies. 00:16:38.490 --> 00:16:40.429 So now they're not even able to do it themselves. 00:16:40.570 --> 00:16:43.830 They send somebody else. They ask, is it lawful 00:16:43.830 --> 00:16:47.309 to give tribute to Caesar or not? Now they can't 00:16:47.309 --> 00:16:49.549 do the religious authority way. They go to a 00:16:49.549 --> 00:16:52.580 political trap. Is it lawful to give tribute 00:16:52.580 --> 00:16:55.679 to Caesar or not? You see, if Jesus says yes, 00:16:55.919 --> 00:17:00.000 he risks alienating his people. If he says no, 00:17:00.259 --> 00:17:03.659 he risks being accused of rebellion. Both are 00:17:03.659 --> 00:17:07.819 going to end him in the slammer. This is a pressure 00:17:07.819 --> 00:17:13.900 of divided loyalty. Rome on one side, God on 00:17:13.900 --> 00:17:17.579 the other. And look what's happening. Everybody 00:17:17.579 --> 00:17:20.880 is waiting to see how he answers. And here's 00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:23.279 the thing. Jesus isn't like, oh no, what am I 00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:25.819 going to do? Jesus isn't like, I didn't see this 00:17:25.819 --> 00:17:28.859 coming. He knows exactly what to do. He saw this 00:17:28.859 --> 00:17:32.720 coming. That's why he's sovereign. What does 00:17:32.720 --> 00:17:36.859 he do? He redefines the whole conversation. He 00:17:36.859 --> 00:17:39.480 redefines what belongs to God. He asks for a 00:17:39.480 --> 00:17:41.980 denarii. He asks for a coin. Whose likeness and 00:17:41.980 --> 00:17:44.119 inscription does it have? Of course, they answer 00:17:44.119 --> 00:17:47.259 Caesar's. He says, then give to Caesar what is 00:17:47.259 --> 00:17:52.039 Caesar's. Give to God what is God's. To me, one 00:17:52.039 --> 00:17:54.940 of the most profound verses in all of Scripture. 00:17:55.720 --> 00:17:59.019 This statement by Jesus means so much to me. 00:17:59.160 --> 00:18:01.319 And again, if you receive it, it might mean a 00:18:01.319 --> 00:18:04.759 whole lot to you as well today. There are things 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:09.460 that belong to earthly authority. There just 00:18:09.460 --> 00:18:13.240 is. How do I know? How many of you have already 00:18:13.240 --> 00:18:17.960 filed your taxes? How many of you plan to? How 00:18:17.960 --> 00:18:20.939 many of you don't? Don't raise your hands. We 00:18:20.939 --> 00:18:26.240 live stream. There you go. There's human authority. 00:18:26.500 --> 00:18:29.339 You just proved my point. Right? How many of 00:18:29.339 --> 00:18:31.220 you have paid for a speeding ticket this year? 00:18:33.940 --> 00:18:37.039 I'm just asking. I've not gotten one. Hey, we 00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:39.759 got one. Thank you. Right? I'm not going to out 00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:42.640 you. I so badly want to say your name, but I'm 00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:46.240 not going to. But understand, there you go. Human 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:49.720 authority. Right? How many of you have done dishes 00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:52.799 in the last month? Yeah, you just fell under 00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:54.920 your wife's authority. There you go. All those 00:18:54.920 --> 00:18:57.759 things. You have fell under human authority. 00:18:58.079 --> 00:19:01.440 There is going to be earthly authority in life. 00:19:02.180 --> 00:19:04.680 Right? That's why you stop at stop signs -ish. 00:19:04.779 --> 00:19:07.160 Right? That's why you stop at red lights. That's 00:19:07.160 --> 00:19:10.220 why when the train starts on the 31st and there's 00:19:10.220 --> 00:19:13.059 going to be seven runs a day going through Munster, 00:19:13.240 --> 00:19:16.180 my hope is when those gates are down, you stop. 00:19:17.710 --> 00:19:21.529 I just hope you do. Understand, that is an earthly 00:19:21.529 --> 00:19:25.910 authority. You will submit to that authority 00:19:25.910 --> 00:19:31.369 or bad things will happen. But ultimately, everything 00:19:31.369 --> 00:19:37.089 else belongs to God. Because the coin bears Caesar's 00:19:37.089 --> 00:19:41.670 image. So the things of the earth, those things 00:19:41.670 --> 00:19:45.170 belong to the earth. But whose image do you bear? 00:19:47.180 --> 00:19:53.900 You belong to God. Your life, your heart, your 00:19:53.900 --> 00:19:59.880 faith, your submission, yes, they belong to the 00:19:59.880 --> 00:20:02.160 Lord. If you're here this morning and you've 00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:04.940 never submitted your life to the Lord, I'm going 00:20:04.940 --> 00:20:07.140 to ask that you consider that today. If you're 00:20:07.140 --> 00:20:09.019 watching online, if you've never submitted your 00:20:09.019 --> 00:20:11.880 life to the Lord, consider that today. Let's 00:20:11.880 --> 00:20:14.240 find a time to talk about that. Because that 00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:18.440 is an investment in your earthly future. Now, 00:20:18.460 --> 00:20:22.339 by April 15th, when you submit your taxes and 00:20:22.339 --> 00:20:24.000 you don't pay anything that you're supposed to 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:26.859 pay, and you just write, I've submitted my life 00:20:26.859 --> 00:20:29.259 to Christ, and that's what you submit, you'll 00:20:29.259 --> 00:20:31.660 probably get fined. And you'll probably have 00:20:31.660 --> 00:20:34.539 to pay more. Because there are earthly authorities. 00:20:35.799 --> 00:20:39.079 But when you get to heaven, and when Christ comes 00:20:39.079 --> 00:20:43.519 out, and he says, Dad, you're with me, and you 00:20:43.519 --> 00:20:47.200 go into glory, that's because your soul belongs 00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:52.039 to God. And that's the real issue. And that's 00:20:52.039 --> 00:20:55.480 what worship is. Because when the true king stands 00:20:55.480 --> 00:20:59.579 before you and asks what authority you submit 00:20:59.579 --> 00:21:02.299 to in your life, and all of us will come to that 00:21:02.299 --> 00:21:06.200 point in life, whose authority do you submit 00:21:06.200 --> 00:21:13.640 to? That's the turning point. Are you going to 00:21:13.640 --> 00:21:16.700 be like the three -year -old and ask Jesus why? 00:21:17.859 --> 00:21:21.240 Why do I have to give my life to you? Or are 00:21:21.240 --> 00:21:23.740 you just going to fall on your knees and give 00:21:23.740 --> 00:21:27.059 your life to the Lord? Are you going to ask for 00:21:27.059 --> 00:21:30.400 justification like the Pharisees? Are you going 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:33.859 to receive it? Because the gospel answer is the 00:21:33.859 --> 00:21:36.619 one standing before you is not just a teacher 00:21:36.619 --> 00:21:40.039 but a king. This king that does something unexpected. 00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:43.660 He doesn't seize power from you. He lays his 00:21:43.660 --> 00:21:47.539 power down for you. The king who claims authority 00:21:47.539 --> 00:21:51.440 over all things will allow himself to be handed 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:56.640 over to the rulers of the world in less than 00:21:56.640 --> 00:21:59.700 two weeks. The king of heaven who will stand 00:21:59.700 --> 00:22:03.240 before Pilate, the one that we worship today, 00:22:03.539 --> 00:22:07.769 will be mocked. The one that will establish his 00:22:07.769 --> 00:22:10.430 kingdom forever and ever and ever will hang on 00:22:10.430 --> 00:22:13.490 a cross and say, Father, forgive them for they 00:22:13.490 --> 00:22:19.250 know not what they do. You see, the ultimate 00:22:19.250 --> 00:22:23.089 authority of Christ is not revealed by a sword 00:22:23.089 --> 00:22:28.009 or a judgment. The ultimate authority of Christ 00:22:28.009 --> 00:22:33.289 is revealed on the cross where he takes the judgment 00:22:33.289 --> 00:22:38.769 we deserve. So that we can belong to him. Not 00:22:38.769 --> 00:22:44.130 partially, but completely. So what is Luke showing 00:22:44.130 --> 00:22:46.509 us? Where do we go from here? What do we take? 00:22:47.569 --> 00:22:50.910 Well then, the leaders asked, who gave you this 00:22:50.910 --> 00:22:53.869 authority? And they refused to accept the answer. 00:22:54.410 --> 00:22:57.589 Now, we wrestle with authority. We struggle with 00:22:57.589 --> 00:23:01.569 it. We want control over our lives. We want to 00:23:01.569 --> 00:23:04.210 define truth on our own terms. But what does 00:23:04.210 --> 00:23:07.970 Jesus call us to do? Surrender that. Not to oppress 00:23:07.970 --> 00:23:12.549 you, but to let you live freely. Live freely 00:23:12.549 --> 00:23:15.569 for the authority of the one who loves you. Who 00:23:15.569 --> 00:23:20.549 defines truth over your life by his word. Because 00:23:20.549 --> 00:23:24.829 you bear his image. Leicester Church, the coin 00:23:24.829 --> 00:23:30.529 bears Caesar's image. You bear God's image. That 00:23:30.529 --> 00:23:32.950 is one of the main truths little Clay is going 00:23:32.950 --> 00:23:35.769 to understand in his life one day. That's why 00:23:35.769 --> 00:23:38.529 he was baptized in the name of the Father, the 00:23:38.529 --> 00:23:41.869 Son, and the Holy Spirit. That's why he wasn't 00:23:41.869 --> 00:23:45.250 baptized in the name of Seth and Katie and his 00:23:45.250 --> 00:23:47.710 brother and sister. He's a part of that family, 00:23:47.809 --> 00:23:52.789 but he belongs to God. And so do you, and so 00:23:52.789 --> 00:23:55.930 do I. So the question is not simply, what do 00:23:55.930 --> 00:23:58.890 you give to God? The question I want to ask you 00:23:58.890 --> 00:24:03.589 today is, do you belong to him? Because the King 00:24:03.589 --> 00:24:07.349 has come. And under the pressure, the truth being 00:24:07.349 --> 00:24:11.509 revealed, there's no neutral ground. You can't 00:24:11.509 --> 00:24:14.529 have one hand in and one hand out. Are you all 00:24:14.529 --> 00:24:17.490 in? Are you surrendering to Christ? Are you believing 00:24:17.490 --> 00:24:20.430 the good news? Because as we're soon going to 00:24:20.430 --> 00:24:23.890 see, the king is going to surrender that you 00:24:23.890 --> 00:24:27.950 and I may have everlasting life in him. Let's 00:24:27.950 --> 00:24:28.069 pray.