An archaic questionA scorned question

An unwelcome questionAn ignored question

A legitimate question?“By what authority are you doing these things,

And who gave you this authority?”

Matthew 21:23

When He entered the temple, the chief

priests and the elders of the people came to

Him while He was teaching, and said,

"By what authority are you doing these things,

And who gave you this authority?"

Matthew 21:24

Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me,

I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.

Jesus legitimized the question “By what authority are you doing these things?”

Legitimate questions

• What is “authority”?

• Must we have authority for what we do inwork, worship and service to God?

• Where does this authority come from?

• How do we establish this authority?

For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers

under me;

and I say to this one, "Go!” and he goes,

and to another, "Come!” and he comes,

and to my slave, "Do this!” and he does it.

What is “authority”?—Matt. 8:9

Authority

The right to command and expect obedience

Must we have authority?

Must we have authority?

Nadab

and

Abihuthe sin

Lev. 10:1-2

Now Nadab andAbihu, offered

strange fire before

the LORD,

Must we have authority?

Nadab

and

Abihuwhy sin?

Lev. 10:1-2

which He had not

commanded them.

Must we have authority?

Nadab

and

Abihuthe punishment

Lev. 10:1-2

And fire came outfrom the presence

of the LORD andconsumed them,

and they died before the LORD.

Must we have authority?

King Saulthe order

1 Samuel 15:3

Now go and strikeAmalek and utterlydestroy all that he

has,and do not spare him;but put to death both

man and woman, childand infant, ox and

sheep,camel and donkey.

Must we have authority?

King Saulthe disobedience

1 Samuel 15:9

But Saul…spared Agagand the best of the

sheep,the oxen, the fatlings,

thelambs,..all that was

good,…not willing to destroy

them utterly; buteverything despised and

worthless, that theyutterly destroyed.

Must we have authority?

King Saulthe condemnation

1 Samuel 15:22-23

Has the LORD as muchdelight in burnt

offeringsand sacrifices as in

obeying the voice of the

LORD? Behold, to obeyis better than sacrifice,

and to heed than thefat of rams.

Must we have authority?

King Saulthe condemnation

1 Samuel 15:22-23

For rebellion is as the sin

of divination, Andinsubordination is asiniquity and idolatry.

because you haverejected the word of

the LORD, He has also

rejected you from beingking.

Must we have authority?

King Uzziahthe sin

1 Chron. 26:16

But when he becamestrong, his heart was so

proud that he actedcorruptly, and he was

unfaithful to the LORDHis God, for he enteredthe temple of the LORDto burn incense on the

altar of incense.

Must we have authority?

King Uzziahwhy sin?

1 Chron. 26:18

It is not for you, Uzziah,

to burn incense to theLORD, but for the

priests, the sons of Aaron

who are consecrated to

burn incense.

Must we have authority?

This people honors me with their lips, but

their heart is far away from me. But in vain

do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the

precepts of men. Matthew 15:8-9

Must we have authority?

Everyone who practices sin also practiceslawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

1 John 3:4

Anyone who goes too far and does not abide

in the teaching of Christ, does not have God;

the one who abides in the teaching, he has

both the Father and the Son. 2 John 9

Summation of OT & NT Evidence

There is a way which seems right to a man,But its end is the way of death.

Proverbs 14:12; 16:25

I know, O LORD, that a man's way is not inhimself, Nor is it in a man who walks to

directhis steps.

Jeremiah 10:23

By what authority are you doing these things?

A legitimate question?

A failure to be

concerned with this

question lies at the

root of all religious

differences and

apostasies.