https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/ByWhatAuthorityDoYouDoTheseThings.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Matthew 21:23-27<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. The Book of Judges discusses the ups and downs of the children of Israel in following\nGod.\n
A. It quickly becomes apparent that there are more downs than ups.<\/p>\n
B. Most telling though is how the book ends – Judges 21:25<\/p>\n
C. Here was a society that didn’t follow any standard set of rules<\/p>\n
1. Not civil – for they had no king<\/p>\n
2. Not religious – for each followed their own desires<\/p>\nII. Imagine a football season where each team had its own rule book; Where each official\ndecides for himself what rules are applicable in a game. It would be mass chaos.\n A. Yet in our world, we have many claiming to play “Christianity,” but each group or\nindividual says it can play by its own rules and Christ would find it acceptable.\n B. The Catholic church claims that it is the source of authority. As it moved through\nthe world, it adapted its teachings to local groups so they would find it acceptable. \nAs it ages, it adapts its teachings to the world’s trends. It can do so, because the\nCatholic Church believes it has authority to make its own rules.\n C. The Protestant religions each have their own set of beliefs documented in\nconfessions, catechisms, creeds, and rule books. They make passing references to\nthe Scriptures, but when pushed we see that their own beliefs are more important to\nthem than the Bible, as the Methodists recently demonstrated.\n D. Yet somehow we are supposed to believe that God likes it this way. It is as if all\nare acceptable, so long as they called themselves Christian. One could get the\nimpression that they believe God designed it this way – I Corinthians 14:33\nIII. The chief priests and elders once asked Jesus a question – Matthew 21:23-27. It was better\nthan they realized – the answer was obvious, but they didn’t wish to admit it.\n A. We should ask the same question of all who claim the name of Christ. I think we\nwill find the answer to be all too obvious as well.\n
B. So many others do it this way, it must be right.<\/p>\n
1. It is not wise to compare ourselves with others – II Corinthians 10:12<\/p>\n 2. The majority will end up in Hell, so it is dangerous to follow the majority –\nMatthew 7:13-14\n 3. Rather than following the crowd, we need to work out our own salvation –\nPhilippians 2:12\n
C. It has always been done this way, so it must be right.<\/p>\n
1. Traditions can be good, if they are the ones established by God.<\/p>\n
a. II Thessalonians 2:13-15<\/p>\n b. We need to hold on to and contend for the faith that was delivered\nonce, long ago – Jude 3\n
2. Too often, people don’t bother checking.<\/p>\n a. They will set aside the commandments of God to follow the\ntraditions of men – Mark 7:7-9\n
b. Men’s traditions will hold us captive – Colossians 2:8<\/p>\n 3. Often it happens because we forget why we do the things we do. If I can’t\njustify the things I’m doing, then what is wrong with adding something else\nthat I can’t justify either?\n
D. It is what my parents taught me, so it must be right.<\/p>\n 1. Our salvation did not come from the futile ways of life we inherit from our\nparents – I Peter 1:18\n 2. If our parents come before our Lord, then we have no business following\nChrist. We are not worthy of him – Matthew 10:37\n
E. It is a good work.<\/p>\n
1. Some ways look good, but lead to death – Proverbs 14:12<\/p>\n
2. Of course, we must ask, “good” by whose standard? – Isaiah 55:8-9<\/p>\n
3. If we trust our own heart, then we are fools – Proverbs 28:26<\/p>\n
F. People like it and if we can attract them, then we can teach them.<\/p>\n
1. Proverbs 30:11-14 – Some people are righteous in their own sight.<\/p>\n
2. Proverbs 21:2 – Everyone thinks they are righteous in their own eyes<\/p>\n
3. Some people only have a form of godliness – II Timothy 3:5<\/p>\n
4. What men like, God abhors – Luke 16:15<\/p>\n
G. The religious scholars say it is true, so it must be so.<\/p>\n
1. God ruins the wisdom of this world – I Corinthians 1:18-21<\/p>\n
2. The “Jesus Seminar” illustrates this<\/p>\n a. Nineteen, self-appointed scholars, voted what things actually\nhappened during Jesus’s life. \n b. They decided that he was born when stated to Mary and Joseph. \nThat’s it! Everything else, they claim, is made up.\n c. As if men on a committee 2000 years later, can settle by vote what\nhappened in history.\n 3. Why would people want to trust men when they have God’s very own\nwords written by men who witnessed his power?\n
4. I Corinthians 3:19-21<\/p>\n
H. It is what my church teaches, so it must be right.<\/p>\n 1. The church is the bride of Christ. It is not the head, but the follower –\nEphesians 5:23\n 2. The early church never created their own rules, but simply taught what they\nlearned from their Savior. – I John 1:1-4\n
3. To change want Jesus taught is to be accursed – Galatians 1:9<\/p>\n
IV. Jesus Christ is our only source of authority<\/p>\n
A. God speaks to us today through Christ – Hebrews 1:1-3<\/p>\n
B. All authority is given to Christ – Matthew 28:18<\/p>\n
1. It is not just religious authority. It is all authority.<\/p>\n 2. Dr. Spock and James Dobson are not the authority on child-rearing – Christ\nis the authority.\n
3. Governments do not have the final say, Christ does.<\/p>\n
C. Man cannot direct their own steps – Jerermiah 10:23<\/p>\n D. And yet people will make up their own rules and regulations and think that God\nmust accept them.\n
V. Let us live as our Lord directs<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 21:23-27 I. The Book of Judges discusses the ups and downs of the children of Israel in following God. A. It quickly becomes apparent that there are more downs than ups. B. Most telling though is how the book ends – Judges 21:25 C. Here was a society that didn’t follow any…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[78],"class_list":["post-36874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-authority"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":40944,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/whos-in-charge\/","url_meta":{"origin":36874,"position":0},"title":"Who’s in Charge?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 17, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 21:23-27 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Common sense ought to tell you that someone has to be in charge \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Imagine a society where there were no laws and no government. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What would we have? Chaos! \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We even have a term for it \u2013 anarchy \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a03.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The book of Judges\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55554,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/mara-or-naomi\/","url_meta":{"origin":36874,"position":1},"title":"Mara or Naomi?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ruth 1:19-21 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Life has its ups and downs. How do you respond? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Do you rail at life and God? Do you decide life is a misery? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Naomi had a hard life. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Famine caused her family to move to a foreign country - Ruth 1:1\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":95492,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-truth-of-feelings-and-faith\/","url_meta":{"origin":36874,"position":2},"title":"The Truth of Feelings and Faith","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Josh Creel What role should feelings play in faith? In a culture that loves to say \"follow your heart,\" there is a very real danger of letting our feelings become our source of truth. But are feelings always bad? In this video, we discuss: The danger of letting feelings\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Video"","block_context":{"text":"Video","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/video\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":48256,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-god-of-judges\/","url_meta":{"origin":36874,"position":3},"title":"The God of Judges","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 12, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Warfel","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15664,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/first-the-book-chapter-and-then-verse\/","url_meta":{"origin":36874,"position":4},"title":"First the Book, Chapter, and Then Verse","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Alan Feaster","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":63193,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-do-we-do-with-deborah-as-a-judge\/","url_meta":{"origin":36874,"position":5},"title":"What Do We Do with Deborah as a Judge?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 10, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Perry Hall Deborah is a conundrum. And we shouldn't be surprised because she is a woman! Joking aside, there is still the fact that Deborah is an aberration when it comes to judges because she is a woman. So much so is this true, that proponents on both sides\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36874"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36874\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}