Authority Song

Well, good morning.

As Mike shared, my name is Dave, and it is a pleasure to be here this morning.

When I first met Mike, I immediately knew that I was going to like him.

His heart for the Lord and for his people is evident, but despite my last name, Cartwright,

which is English, my mom is Italian, so I knew I would like him just based on his name.

And coming into Kenosha this morning, I actually have not really spent much time in Kenosha.

And driving through, it's just like Italian restaurant after Italian restaurant, so I

will take recommendations afterwards of where I should go.

I would appreciate that.

Oh, okay, we already got one.

It's a privilege to be here.

It is good to get to be together with brothers and sisters in the Lord just a few miles away.

It's a unique privilege of working for the Simeon Trust that we just get to see the way

that God is moving in so many different local congregations.

Be encouraged of the work that the Lord is doing simply in southeastern Wisconsin.

You might not always see it, but great things are being done.

Our passage this morning is in Matthew 8.

I'm going to read it in its entirety, Matthew 8, 23 through 9, 8.

Afterwards, I'll pray and then we will jump in.

So if you want to turn there, Matthew 8, starting in verse 23.

And when he, being Jesus, got into the boat, his disciples followed him.

And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea so that the boat was being swamped by the waves.

But he was asleep.

And they went and woke him, saying, Save us, Lord, we are perishing.

And he said to them, Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?

Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

And the men marveled, saying, What sort of man is this that even the winds and sea obey him?

And when he came to the other side, to the country of Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him coming out of the tomb so fierce that no one could pass that way.

And behold, they cried out, What have you to do with us, O son of God?

Have you come here to torment us before the time?

Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them, and the demons begged him, saying,

If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.

And he said to them, Go.

So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.

The herdsmen fled, and going into the city, they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.

And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

Getting into the boat, he crossed over and came to his own city.

And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Take heart, my son, your sins are forgiven.

Behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, This man is blaspheming.

But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil in your hearts?

For which is easier to say, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise and walk.

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.

He then said to the paralytic, Rise, pick up your bed, and go home.

And he rose and went home.

When the crowd saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Let's pray.

Father, we thank you for your word.

We thank you that in the midst of all else that is going on in life, your word draws us back to you.

It comforts us.

It challenges us.

It gives us a picture of who you are.

In your majesty, in your glory, in your love.

And so, Father, as we come here this morning, we pray that you use your word to shape us more into the image of your Son.

We pray all this in his name.

Amen.

Despite all the emotional turmoil that it has given me over the years, I can't help but absolutely love the NFL.

It is one of my favorite hobbies.

It's one of the things that I enjoy most in the world.

It's sitting down on Sunday and watching football.

Now, I'm not originally from Wisconsin, so I kind of dread actually bringing this up in conversation when I'm initially meeting somebody.

Because they will, of course, ask, well, do you follow the Green Bay Packers?

And to my shame, I say, no, I'm not from Wisconsin.

I do not follow the Green Bay Packers.

And they're a little distraught at my response.

And they have the follow-up question, which I dread even more.

Well, then, who do you follow?

It is with great shame I come before you this morning and say, I follow the Dallas Cowboys.

I know.

That's the response.

That's why I hate this conversation.

And then after people collect themselves, they ask the follow-up question.

Why?

Why do you follow the Dallas Cowboys?

I wish I had a good reason.

I wish I could say something like, you know, it was a family team that was passed down from father to son.

And that's why I passionately follow the Dallas Cowboys.

I don't have a good reason for why I follow the Cowboys.

Simply, I was born in the 90s.

I was a frontrunner.

They were the best team, and I followed them.

And I've stuck with them, and I have paid for it ever since.

I do not have a good reason for following the Dallas Cowboys.

I admit it.

The question I have for us this morning is pretty simple.

Why do you follow Jesus?

I mean, why do you follow Jesus day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year?

In good seasons, in bad seasons, when life is full, when life is full of disappointments,

why do you continue to follow Jesus?

Perhaps you're here this morning, and you're not actually a follower of Jesus.

So the question for you is, well, why should you consider even following this Jesus?

Matthew is going to answer this question for us this morning.

And if I could put Matthew's argument of why we should follow Jesus into one simple phrase,

let me say it like this.

Follow the one who has all authority to fix everything.

That's why you and I should follow Jesus.

That's why you and I should continue to follow Jesus.

Because he's the one who has all authority to fix everything.

As we go through our passage this morning, we're going to see three scenes.

Each scene has a different arena, a different realm,

in which Jesus is going to bring his authority into to fix,

to realign things.

He's going to use his authority, his prerogative, and his power

to bring into order, to bring into perfect alignment

that which has become absolute chaos.

The first arena we see is the natural world.

We see this in 8.23-27.

The disciples decided to follow Jesus.

They decided to get onto this boat with him.

And very quickly, it becomes a lot different than perhaps what they expected.

We thought following Jesus was going to be fun.

We thought it was going to be easy.

Now all of a sudden, he's downstairs taking a nap,

and we're in the middle of a storm.

Most of these men were fishermen,

so they probably had some experience in storms,

but not like this.

They did everything they knew how to do to keep the boat up,

but even them, at a certain point,

realized that there was no hope for them.

And so they run down to where Jesus is sleeping,

and they stir him awake.

And in verse 27, or I'm sorry,

then they say to him,

Lord, save us.

They cry out,

and he's right there,

but they're still not confident

that he's actually going to be able to save them.

Now for us, on this side of the cross,

sometimes it's a little easy to poke fun at the disciples, isn't it?

I mean, how foolish of them, how silly of them.

They have Jesus in the boat,

and they are losing their minds.

But don't you and I do the same thing?

Life can become chaotic,

and all of a sudden, we're screaming out,

Lord, save us.

And we're wondering, is he even listening?

Is he even there?

Or is he just asleep at the wheel

as life becomes chaotic?

Jesus wakes up from his nap,

and with one word,

that's all it takes,

he calms this storm.

And the disciples,

their response in verse 27,

look at it again.

They marveled,

saying,

what sort of man is this

that even the winds and the sea obey him?

Indeed, what kind of man

would have authority over nature?

From a Jewish perspective,

it can only be one thing,

one person.

It would have to be God.

The Jewish faith

saw God as the creator.

He was the only one

who had power over nature.

Psalm 107, verse 28 and 29

Psalms 107:28

put it this way,

they cried out to the Lord

in their trouble,

and he brought them out

of their distress.

He stilled the storm

to a whisper.

The waves of the sea

were hushed.

So what Matthew is showing us here

in this little scene

is Jesus demonstrating

his divine authority

over nature.

This act

is nothing less

than his declaration

of I am fully God.

And while this act

leaves these men

in a state of confusion,

they don't know

what to make of it.

I mean, who is this man

that the seas even obey him?

You and I

are not to be left

in a state of confusion

as they were.

You and I have the benefit

of being on the other side

of the cross

and of Jesus' resurrection.

And when we see Jesus

and his divine authority

over the natural world,

despite all the chaos

that we still see present

in this world,

rather than leading you

to confusion

of where are you, Jesus,

let it bring you

to a place of comfort.

That Jesus is indeed

in control.

That he does indeed

reign over this world.

I don't think I need

to convince anybody

in this room

that this world

is in need of fixing.

We could talk for hours

about the chaos

that we see

as we turn on the news.

Natural disasters,

disease,

mental health problems,

tragic accidents.

The world is a deeply

broken place.

It's in need

of some serious repair.

And you and I

can easily get caught

looking at it

and simply say,

is this ever going

to get better?

When you think of it,

it makes you

a little frantic.

It makes you

a little uneasy

and you get why

the disciples

and we would say,

Lord, save us.

But rather than confusion,

let it drive you

to comfort,

knowing Jesus'

divine authority.

That one day,

even though

your heart will stop

and my heart will stop,

one day,

Jesus will come back

and all who have

followed him

will have eternal life,

that he will bodily

raise us from the dead.

In this fallen world,

nature is distorted,

it deteriorates,

it groans,

it causes damage,

but one day,

when Jesus returns,

he's going to

perfectly restore

and bring harmony

to the natural world

as it was always

meant to be.

and you and I

will live in that

wonderful paradise.

The ailments,

the fragility,

the diseases

that plague

our earthly bodies.

One day,

when Jesus returns,

he says that there

will be no more death

or mourning

or crying

or pain

because he,

praise God,

will make all

things new.

I don't know what

your struggle is

this morning.

I don't know what

chaos in your life

is wreaking havoc.

Maybe it is a disease.

Maybe it is

the damage

that somehow

you have

endured

through a fallen

relationship.

but we are

not to be

confused

about who

is in charge.

Find comfort.

Don't have

little faith

because chaos

does not rule

the day

and it most certainly

will not win.

You and I

know

the one

who has

divine authority

and who has

the power

to restore

our world

as it is

meant to be.

that is why

we follow him.

But of course

it is not just

that the natural

world is out

of order.

We can see

that in the

next scene

Matthew 8

28-34

here we see

it is not the

natural world

that Jesus

is setting

back to

right

but the

spiritual realm.

Jesus enters

into

this land

which is

actually outside

of Israel.

It is one of

the few places

in the gospel

accounts

that Jesus

goes outside

of Israel

outside of

the promised

land of

God's people.

It is as if

Jesus is

literally

entering

into

enemy

territory.

And he

enters in

and gets

out of

the boat

and he

encounters

these two

demon possessed

men.

He thought

the storm

was powerful

of the natural

world.

Well look

at these

two men

in this

spiritual realm.

The text

says in

verse 28

that no

one could

even get

past them.

But in

verse 29

notice what

they call

him son

of God.

Even

these two

men are

recognizing

Jesus'

divine

nature

and the

authority

that he

carries.

Now of

course when

we come to

a text like

this our

minds

immediately

ask like

okay well

does this

still happen

today?

Like I

mean are

spiritual

forces still

active in

this way?

Let's

start

with the

idea that

100%

they are

still at

play.

Listen to

me as I

read from

Ephesians 6

this is the

Apostle Paul

in Ephesians

Ephesians 6:12–13

6 verses

12 through

13.

For we do

not wrestle

against flesh

and blood

but against

the rulers

against the

authorities

against the

cosmic powers

over this

present darkness

against the

spiritual forces

of evil

in the heavenly

places.

Therefore

take up the

whole armor

of God

that you

may be able

to withstand

in the evil

day and

having done

all to

stand firm.

The Apostle

Paul is very

clear that these

spiritual forces

are not

passive.

They are still

very much

active.

And they

are opposed

to God

and to

everybody

who would

desire to

follow him.

And they

love attacking

God's people.

Their tactics

are pretty

simple.

They bind,

deceive,

and they

entice

into sin.

And the

result that

we have

is the

world that

we see.

It's not

one of

natural order

becoming

chaotic

but are

spiritual

one,

are

moral

one.

We see

this as

legitimately

the problem

of evil

that affects

every single

one of us,

every human

that has

ever been

born,

the pain

and destruction

that sin

brings.

But as

powerful as

they are,

they

legitimately

are no

match for

Jesus.

Once again

in verse

32,

Jesus simply

says one

word,

go.

That's it.

It's not

some giant

struggle,

it's one

word,

and that

carries

enough power,

enough

authority,

enough weight

that they

immediately

are vanquished.

What Matthew

is showing us

in this scene

is that Jesus

not only has

authority to

set right the

natural world,

but he has

authority to

fix the

spiritual one

as well.

What does

this mean for

you and I

this morning?

I would say

simply this,

you no longer

have to walk

as you once

did.

We don't

have to walk

in sin,

we don't have

to walk in

the patterns

of life that

cause so much

damage to

ourselves and

to others,

you are

free to

walk in

the newness

of life

that Jesus

alone provides.

You don't

have to be

living as a

citizen of

the domain

of darkness,

but you are

now freed,

you are now

liberated to

live as a

citizen of

the kingdom

of God.

So my

question for

you is,

which kingdom

are you living

in?

I want to

speak to

those of us

this morning

that perhaps

are feeling

especially weighed

down by

sin,

feeling defeated

by a particular

sin that has

seemingly held

you captive,

that as much

as you try,

as much as you

pray, it seems

that you can't

get free of

it.

I want to

sin.

The idea

that this

sin will

always have

you in

bondage,

that is a

lie.

We see it

simply here.

Jesus has

the authority,

he has the

power.

He has

overcome

that which

binds you.

It's another

lie straight

out of hell

that you will

never be free

of sin

that binds

you.

I think

for a lot

of us,

it is simply

a matter of

believing this

truth,

that Jesus'

authority

actually has

conquered

the spiritual

binds

that are so

easily

around us

and entangle

us.

take hope.

This is

the beauty

of the

gospel,

that though

once we

were in

the kingdom

of darkness,

we can now

live in the

kingdom of

light.

Why do we

follow Jesus?

Simple.

He's the

one who's

liberated us.

He's the

one who has

freed us

and defeated

the evil

spiritual

forces.

What's

interesting in

this little

scene,

though,

is the

town's

response.

The town

sees what

Jesus has

done and

they're not

really impressed.

They're not

rejoicing that

these two men

that have been

bound by this

evil spirit

have been

freed.

And they're

most certainly

not interested

in following

Jesus either.

They just

want him

to leave.

Seeing Jesus

demonstrate his

divine authority

over nature,

that left the

disciples in

confusion,

but seeing his

divine authority

over the

spiritual realm,

that left the

town simply

wanting to

dismiss him,

refusing his

authority.

We want

nothing to do

with you.

We just want

to live as we

want to live.

Don't come in

here and mess it

all up.

Go away.

It reminds me

of Jesus'

words in the

gospel of John

in chapter 3

when he says,

the light has

come into the

world and

people loved the

darkness rather

than the light

because their

works were evil.

You might be

here this morning

and confess Jesus,

but realize that

it's not simply

that you're caught

up in sin,

but you're actively

participating in it,

that you're

voluntarily giving

yourself to it.

you're dismissing

his divine

authority over

your life.

Or maybe you're

here this morning

and you've just

never put your

faith in Jesus

at all.

Maybe you're here

this morning and

you've never

actually responded

to him as the

one who is

Lord and Savior.

And now you're

seeing that Jesus

actually has come,

yes, as the one

with authority,

but the one who

uses his authority

for your good.

To free you from

the power and

bondage of sin.

To bring life

where sin has only

left death.

This is the Jesus

that Matthew says

is worth following

with everything.

And if that is you,

I would plead with

you this morning to

talk to myself,

talk to Mike,

talk to whomever

brought you here

this morning about

what it looks like

to believe and

follow Jesus.

does beg the

question though,

because at some

point we've all

actually rejected

Jesus' authority,

right?

We know that.

So it begs the

question,

well, if I

recognize that I

have rejected

Jesus' authority,

when I come to

him,

will he accept

me?

Or will he just

cast me out?

Matthew moves us

into his last

scene.

We see that Jesus

not only has

authority over

nature,

not only over the

spiritual realm,

he has authority

to repair

our hearts.

The last story

is a unique one.

A man hears that

Jesus is in town.

undoubtedly,

this man had

heard of Jesus'

ability to heal.

And so,

being a paralytic,

he makes sure

that he ends up

in front of Jesus.

He gets some of

his friends to

help him.

And he's

lowered down,

and the initial

words that come

out of Jesus'

mouth are

certainly not

what he expected

to hear.

He was looking

for a physical,

miraculous healing.

He was looking

for the ability

to walk again.

Instead,

Jesus says

something very

strange.

Son,

your sins

are forgiven.

Now,

I want to be

clear,

it isn't that

Jesus is

unconcerned

with our

physical condition.

It's not that

Jesus is

unconcerned

with our

physical

well-being.

In chapter

eight of,

or,

sorry,

in chapter

seven of

Matthew,

you,

we see

Jesus healing

again and

again,

compassionately

going towards

those who

are sick,

who have

diseases.

Jesus is

very concerned

and compassionate

towards our

physical state.

At the same

time,

Jesus knows

it is not

our biggest

problem.

Jesus knows

that there

is something

in much

more need

of repair

than our

physical

bodies.

It's our

hearts.

The question

becomes,

if the human

heart

is in need

of repairing,

who can

actually do

it?

This is

what Jesus

does for us.

So,

who does

he choose

to heal

though?

Whose

hearts

does he

repair?

We see

it right

there in

verse two.

When Jesus

saw their

faith.

That's it.

That's all

it takes.

It's that

simple.

Jesus sees

this man's

faith and

he exercises

his authority

to forgive

sins.

It doesn't

matter what

you've done.

It doesn't

matter what

you will

do.

Jesus responds

to those who

come to him

in faith to

forgive their

sins.

Our story

doesn't end

there though.

Usually you

would think that

the story would

end there.

This man came,

his sins were

forgiven,

everybody goes

home happy,

but the story

doesn't end

there,

does it?

I actually

like the fact

that it doesn't

end there because

if you're anything

like me,

Jesus declaring

this forgiveness

over this man,

you question.

How do I know?

How can I be

confident that

Jesus actually

does have the

authority to

forgive my

sins?

I mean,

can I be

confident?

Can I rest

assured that

Jesus actually

does what he

says he

does?

A few other

people had the

same question.

In verse 3,

the scribes and

religious leaders,

they hear and

see what he's

done and they

say this man is

blaspheming.

And there's a

clear reason why

they would say

this in their

understanding,

only God can

forgive sins and

Jesus is not

God.

So, he is

usurping God's

authority and

putting himself in

position of God.

Of course that's

blasphemy.

And let's be

clear, if Jesus

wasn't God, if he

didn't have this

divine authority,

this divine

prerogative and

power to do

such a thing,

they would be

absolutely right.

So, Jesus

turns to them

and he's like,

fine, I'll

play your little

game and I'll

prove it to you.

I'll prove to

you that I have

all authority to

forgive sins as

I have said that

I do.

What's easier to

say in verse 5?

Your sins are

forgiven or rise

and walk?

You have to

love Jesus'

move here.

It's quite

genius.

Because what is

easier?

To say your sins

are forgiven or

to say rise and

walk?

Well, anybody can

say your sins are

forgiven.

You can't really

see it.

You can't show

it.

But rise and

walk to a

paralytic?

That's undeniable

proof.

And so, Jesus is

going to give

them the proof

that they so

desire.

this indisputable

proof.

And I love the

way that he says

it, so that you

may know.

Again, how can

you and I be

certain?

How can we be

confident?

How can we rest

assured that Jesus

actually does

forgive our sins?

That he does

have the power and

authority to do

so?

Well, we see it

in this healing.

we can be

confident that

Jesus means what

he says when he

says your sins are

forgiven.

And this is the

Jesus that Matthew

is imploring you and

I to follow once

again, day after day,

week after week,

year after year.

We all sin.

We all have guilt

and shame.

And that guilt

and shame

tells us a

narrative

about who we

are, about how

God and Jesus

feel about us.

Church, don't

let that

story

that comes from

your guilt, that

comes from your

shame, have

more power

and more

authority than

the words of

your Lord and

Savior.

Let those words

sink deep into

your soul, that

you who have

placed your faith

in Christ can

be confident that

he has forgiven

you of your

sins.

God does not

want us as his

people to doubt

what he has

done for us.

He doesn't want

us to go

through life

wondering, is

he still

actually mad at

me?

Does he still

hold it against

me?

He doesn't want

us wondering

whether or not

we will face

his wrath when

we come before

him face to

face.

He wants us

to be confident

in his divine

authority to

forgive our

sins.

And he has

this authority

because he's

the one who

went to take

those sins on

our behalf.

As we read

earlier in

Isaiah 53,

he bore our

sins so that

we might be

healed.

And then to

prove that his

death was

sufficient for

our justification,

on the third

day he rose

again.

An even

greater miracle

for us to

witness than

the hearing

of the

paralytic.

So church,

be confident

that your

Lord and

Savior,

when he says

you are

forgiven,

you are

indeed

forgiven.

This is why

we follow

Jesus.

He has

all authority

to fix

everything,

the natural

world,

the spiritual

world.

Most

importantly,

me,

you.

He has

the ability,

the authority

to forgive

us and fix

us.

The crowd's

response is

a little

different in

this last

scene.

It's not

confusion,

it's not

dismissal,

it's one of

celebration.

they lift

their voices

in

thanksgiving

and praise

because finally

somebody has

all authority.

This world

needs to fix

all of its

problems.

songs.

I love

anthem songs.

An anthem

song being,

you know,

when you're at a

barbecue,

it comes on

and everybody

sings along

to it,

right?

It just,

like,

everybody knows

it and it

captures some

universal

experience and

emotion.

Something like

Piano Man.

We didn't start

the fire.

Apparently,

I love

Billy Joel.

I love

anthem songs.

One of my

favorite anthem

songs is

is Authority

song by

John Mellencamp.

It captures

this rebellious

spirit

of American

youth.

In it,

he writes

this simple

line,

I fight

authority

and authority

always wins.

I fight

authority and

authority always

wins.

It's a great

anthem.

I particularly

enjoy listening

to it on the

way to work,

in my car,

just screaming

it out.

I fight

authority and

authority always

wins.

Brothers and

sisters,

for you and

I,

if we are

following Jesus,

we have a

very different

anthem in our

hearts.

Our anthem is

one that celebrates

his authority.

authority and

thank God that

his authority

always wins.

Let's pray.

Jesus,

we thank you

that you

indeed do

have all

authority.

Lord,

in that you

use your

authority

not just to

serve yourself,

but to

serve us.

as you

said,

the Son of

Man did

not come

to be

served,

but to

serve.

And so,

Lord,

we pray

as we

look at

your

authority,

we don't

look at it

as something

that is

confusing to

us,

but something

that comforts

us.

Not as

something to

dismiss,

but something

to accept.

And something

to be

confident in.

that your

authority,

your death

and resurrection

are sufficient

to cover

all our

sins if we

put our

faith in

you.

Amen.