Authority Given By God

Study: #749 – Church in the Houses From: November 13 -19, 2012

TOPIC: “Authority Given By God” Mathew 16:18, 19 Authority is permission or liberty to do as one pleases allowing the capacity or power with which one has been empowered. That power is to rule or govern, it is the power of the Lord, whose will and mandates should be obeyed by the others. The authority given by God is the legitimate right to rule. When you read Matthew 16:19 we see that by means of the authority delegated to the Apostle Peter the Church of Jesus Christ was constituted. In Vs. 18 the expression, “on this rock…” means "over God Himself,” over Christ, the Son of the living God," would the church be built. Peter is given, delegated the beginning of what the church is, he is given the authority. The authority to work the kingdom of God upon the earth is given to Peter. The kingdom of God upon this earth is the sphere that holds all who profess to join the King, all those who profess to be Christians when they repent from their life of sin and accept Jesus as their Savior. The keys are the access or entrance to that kingdom. It is known that it is God who works in men and in everything created, but we need to see that God also gives authority to men whom He chooses to work or manage to "bind and loose" in the kingdom. When God’s will is done in the kingdom, the power or capacity to do justice is given to the man whom God has empowered with authority, and this person will work in justice. We see in Acts 5:3-5 when that man named Ananias wanted to steal from the church by lying, the church had the authority to bind his attitude of sin. John 20:23 "If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." God delegates authority in men who are willing to feel like Him. This is not in the hands of crooks or of the wicked, but in the one God chose, since the person will do God’s justice. We need to know that God knows what He’s doing when He gives the church authority. When God gives someone that power to rule or govern in the lives of men it is because God knows that this person is willing to struggle to the end for their well-being and for the kingdom. That is the manner used by the Lord to confront certain sins that brings misfortune to the church. Hebrews 13:17 "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you." Obey the pastor! How little obedience is seen! Each one does as his book tells him. A pastor is placed by the Lord and a flock to be guided. Whoever doesn’t like the method used by the Lord, will never become a "sheep.” He will begin in the church like a baby goat that looks like a small sheep by its size. But, one day he will become a male goat who will use its horns to wound and cause damage. In change, the ram which is the male sheep, with its round horns will not cause any harm. The pastor is God’s representative in the assembly, in the cult. We watch over your soul! Like someone who told me many years ago: "You looked after the soul of my wife, Yoly." One coming day I will give account to God for you. I look out after each one’s soul and I do it with joy, not complaining. That also depends on the spiritual growth of those who have been

entrusted to me. If it has to be done with sadness, well it means the loss of reward of the saints implicated. So it is for the benefit of everyone to respect the lines of authority established by God. I Corinthians 5:3-5 here we see a hard and strong action that needs to be taken in occasions for the well-being of the church. This man was surrendered to Satan by the apostle Paul and the church. This is to excommunicate someone from the church. By doing this, this person is left without prayer, without the Word, without the Holy. Now he belongs to the king of darkness, to Satan. Because it is there, in the darkness, precisely where such person was living and wanted to show that he lived in the light through his falsehood, driving others to condemnation. It is necessary to submit him to discipline by the Lord, because of his sin, to see if he wishes to be saved after experimenting the punishment. 2 Corinthians 13:2 Paul spoke with firmness "... those who sinned earlier..." From sinning, the church should be careful and for this the pastor is given the authority. Here Paul says that he would treat those men as guilty and not innocent, as they appeared to be. It wouldn’t be indulgent; he was not willing to overlook their faults. Paul would not have tolerance; he would not have any inflexibility with them. With sin we cannot feel any kind of sorrow. Titus 3:10-11 "Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned." There is authority delegated by God over those who cause divisions, over those with a split tongue like the vipers. These are men who lose time in nonsense, in minor things, who are searching to have a group that will follow them and play their same notes. They prefer to divide the church before abandoning their favorite doctrinal point. No church has to tolerate such foolishness. If after one or two warnings someone like this refuses to desist, he should be excluded from the communion of the local church and the Christians should no longer have any social contact with the person. If such person belongs to us, well then he will come to repent. But if not, he will go and campaign somewhere else. God has given men authority to watch over His church. That is God’s order and care. Thanks to Him for His extraordinary love. Amen.