https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/WhosInCharge.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Matthew 21:23-27<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. Common sense ought to tell you that someone has to be in charge<\/p>\n
A. Imagine a society where there were no laws and no government.<\/p>\n
1. What would we have? Chaos!<\/p>\n
2. We even have a term for it – anarchy<\/p>\n 3. The book of Judges documents the decay of Israel going from bad to\nworse. Why? – Judges 21:25\n
4. Yet this society technically had laws, but few were following them<\/p>\n B. In every aspect of our life we have rules and someone in charge to enforce those\nrules, whether it is in school, work, or at home.\n
1. What happens when you go to a store and get poor service? <\/p>\n
a. “Whose in charge here?”<\/p>\n
b. “May I talk to a manager?”<\/p>\n
2. We appeal to a higher authority when there are disagreements<\/p>\n
II. Authority starts with God<\/p>\n
A. When God gave Israel His laws, notice how he starts – Exodus 20:2<\/p>\n
B. God self-exists – Isaiah 42:8<\/p>\n
C. He is God of both Jews and Gentiles – Romans 3:29<\/p>\n
D. All belong to Him – Ezekiel 18:4<\/p>\n
E. That authority is given to Jesus – Matthew 28:18<\/p>\n
1. He spoke as being in authority – Matthew 7:29<\/p>\n 2. When asked where he got his authority, Jesus hinted that it was from\nheaven – Matthew 21:23-27\n
3. Jesus will enforce his authority – Matthew 7:21-23<\/p>\n
F. To call Jesus “Lord” is to accept his authority, at least in word – Luke 6:46<\/p>\n
G. There can be no other authority<\/p>\n
1. It cannot be men<\/p>\n a. What happens when someone dies? They can’t enforce their will,\nso there is no authority.\n
b. Who puts one man over another?<\/p>\n
2. It cannot be self because we lapse into anarchy<\/p>\n
H. We cannot reject God’s authority – Romans 9:20-21<\/p>\n
III. What if God didn’t say?<\/p>\n A. Suppose I make the claim that an author of a book made a certain stance. When\nasked where did the author say this, I reply “Nowhere.” You would rightly\nconclude that I have misrepresented the author.\n B. Silence tells us nothing. By itself it gives neither approval or disapproval. We can\nmake no assumptions – Deuteronomy 29:29\n
1. Note that there are secret things, but they belong exclusively to God<\/p>\n
C. Yet, people will often give a logical fallacy – the appeal to ignorance<\/p>\n 1. The appeal to ignorance “consists in arguing that an idea must be true\nbecause we do not know that it is not. It is a fallacy because ignorance can\nnever be a premise or reason. Premises express knowledge – claims.\nNothing logically follows from nothing, i.e. from no knowledge” [Kreeft,\nSocratic Logic, p. 86].\n 2. The claim that the world was going to end on a certain date. When I\npointed out that it had to be false because Jesus said no one knows when\nthe world will end (Matthew 24:36), the response was “how do you know\nhe might be right.” From there they decided to act as if it was right. They\ndecided a “truth” based on ignorance.\n D. The argument that the Bible doesn’t forbid it is an appeal to ignorance. It doesn’t\ngive justification to anything. It only says the person knows nothing on the subject\nfrom what God said.\n
E. There is no approval in silence<\/p>\n 1. Hebrews 1:5 – the proof that angels were not in the position of God’s son\nwas the lack of evidence. You can’t take a position without authority from\nthe one above.\n 2. Hebrews 7:14 – the proof that Judah could not produce priests was the\nsilence – the lack of authorization. No one can claim authority from what\nis not said.\n 3. Acts 15:24 – The Judaizing teachers were condemned because they taught\nsomething from silence – from a lack of authority\n
F. If we left it there, perhaps we could say, “Well, there is no disapproval either.”<\/p>\n
1. Perhaps, but God doesn’t allow acting without approval – Colossians 3:17<\/p>\n
2. The church continued in the apostle’s doctrine – Acts 2:42<\/p>\n
3. Christians obey that form or pattern of teaching – Romans 6:17-18<\/p>\n
4. If some taught contrary they were to be withdrawn from – Romans 16:17<\/p>\n
5. Christians are not to go beyond what is written – I Corinthians 4:6<\/p>\n
6. We are not to teach anything different – Galatians 1:6-10<\/p>\n
G. God claims to have given us a complete guide – II Peter 1:2-4; II Timothy 3:16-17<\/p>\n 1. If there is more to be done or approved that God did not tell us, then the\nBible is not complete\n H. What we are left with is that since silence cannot give approval, it cannot\nauthorize what is not mentioned. A lack of authority is a disapproval\n
IV. Why men cannot make laws<\/p>\n A. Paul mentioned that following a different gospel is an attempt to please men\ninstead of God. It is the only reason for altering what God had said – Galatians\n1:10\n B. When the Jews tried to bind their laws, Jesus pointed out that they had no\nauthority – Matthew 15:1-9\n C. When people try to fill in perceived gaps with their own ideas, they are adding to\nGod’s laws, but based on their own authority – Proverbs 30:5-6\n
1. You just can’t add to perfection and get something better<\/p>\n D. One word for “sin” is “iniquity.” It literally means acting without law or acting\nwithout authority – Psalms 32:5\n
V. God is in charge, and our duty to is follow Him – Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 <\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 21:23-27 I. Common sense ought to tell you that someone has to be in charge A. Imagine a society where there were no laws and no government. 1. What would we have? Chaos! 2. We even have a term for it – anarchy 3. The book of Judges documents the decay of Israel…<\/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-40944","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":14579,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-do-they-not-repent\/","url_meta":{"origin":40944,"position":0},"title":"Why Do They Not Repent?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Jeremiah 8:4-22 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Israel was in deep trouble because of her sins. Despite repeated warnings, she did not change. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Punishment would come so severely that people would prefer to die - Jeremiah 8:3 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But what God asks is: Why don\u2019t the fallen get back up?\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":11685,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/an-industrious-worker\/","url_meta":{"origin":40944,"position":1},"title":"An Industrious Worker","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Proverbs 24:30-34 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Bible commends diligent work \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jacob had his faults, but one thing we notice is that he was an industrious worker \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\u00a0Genesis 31:38-39 - A summary of his work record. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0a.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Prosperous growth in herds \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0b.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0No miscarriages in 20 years \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0c.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0No\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":62279,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-warring-factions-mean-christianity-is-false\/","url_meta":{"origin":40944,"position":2},"title":"Do Warring Factions Mean Christianity Is False?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: I Corinthians 11:17-22 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0You hear all sorts of excuses when you attempt to talk to others about Christianity. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWell, I can\u2019t take that Christian stuff seriously. You folk are all suppose to worship the same god, love your neighbor, and things like\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":15016,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/who-put-you-in-charge\/","url_meta":{"origin":40944,"position":3},"title":"Who Put You in Charge?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 7:20-39 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0David had asked for some provisions for his men after having protected Nabal\u2019s herds - I Samuel 25:5-8 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But Nabal\u2019s response was \u201cWho is David?\u201d - I Samuel 25:10-11 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Nabal shows he did know who David was, but he thought he wasn\u2019t\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":55093,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-wrong-to-charge-for-marriage-counseling\/","url_meta":{"origin":40944,"position":4},"title":"Is it wrong to charge for marriage counseling?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi Jeffrey, I hope you are well. I have this desire to be a counselor on relationships and marriage, Also, I have this desire to do public speaking. My dream is to help people in these areas while serving God. I have signed with someone, who does these things,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28918,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/who-is-in-charge-the-preacher-or-the-elders\/","url_meta":{"origin":40944,"position":5},"title":"Who is in charge, the preacher or the elders?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 24, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi Jeff, I'm forced to ask this question: between the ministers and the elders, who is in charge of a local congregation? Where that I am, there is a serious power tussle between the two. The ministers say, since they teach the men to become elders and also ordain\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40944","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=40944"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40944\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}