Deo Gloria
Sermon for January 28, 2024
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: Mark 1:21-28
Theme: Jesus Speaks With the Voice of Authority!
- He speaks God’s Word with authority.
- He speaks to evil spirits with authority.
“When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen.” Do you remember that commercial? Two people would be meeting for dinner at a restaurant. In the course of their conversation they end up talking about financial matters and investing. At one point one of them says, “Well, my advisor is E.F. Hutton and…” And all at once the whole room becomes quiet and everyone is straining to hear what E.F. Hutton had to say. You see, over the years E.F. Hutton had built quite a reputation for his financial advice and the millions and billions of dollars he made for people who followed his advice. Today it might be someone like Charles Schwab or Warren Buffet. When those people talk about investing and finance, people listen.
The evangelist Mark tells us about another very influential personality in the first chapter of his gospel, another person who speaks with the voice of authority. No, he isn’t a financial advisor, managing millions or billions of dollars in assets. He is a preacher. And his name is Jesus. We read from Mark, ch. 1, beginning at v. 21. (Read text.)
One thing that catches our attention as we read this story is Mark’s comment that the people were amazed. In fact, he says it twice, doesn’t he, that the people were amazed? What were they so amazed at? They were amazed at Jesus. Why? Not because he performed some spectacular miracle, at least not initially. They were amazed “because he taught them as one who had authority”(v. 22).
There was something striking about Jesus’ preaching, something very unusual. It’s something you and I might not pick up on because we never heard Jesus preach. But those who heard him certainly didn’t miss it. The thing that was so striking about Jesus’ preaching is that he based what he said on his own authority.
Normally, when one of the local scribes or rabbis would give a sermon in the synagogue, they would cite the Old Testament Scriptures as their authority. They would say, “This is what Moses says in Deuteronomy, ch. 5,” or “This is what the prophet Isaiah says in ch. 40,” or they might even quote some other famous rabbi as their authority: “This is how Rabbi Yuseph Rabin from Jerusalem understands this verse,” they might say.
What a striking contrast we find in Jesus! He didn’t quote from other scribes and rabbis. Often he didn’t even quote from the Bible to validate what he said. He simply based what he said on his own authority. A good example of that is found in Matthew, ch. 5. There in his sermon on the Mount Jesus said the following:
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment”(vv. 21+22).
Again, a little later he said:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart”(vv. 27+28).
And again he said,
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one”(vv. 33-37).
Or remember his verily, verily statements–verily, of course, being from the King James Bible–”Verily, verily, I say unto you,” “Truly, truly, I tell you,” or as the NIV puts it, “I tell you the truth”? “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said in John, ch. 3, “no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again”(v. 3). Again, notice that Jesus doesn’t back up what he says with the authority of some other teacher or even with the authority of God’s Word. He doesn’t need to. When he speaks, it’s like God speaking, because he is the Son of God.
Jesus doesn’t need to quote the authority of others. He is the ultimate authority. Jesus doesn’t need to quote the authority of God’s Word. He himself is the Word of God in human flesh. Jesus can speak God’s Word with authority because he is God.
And that’s what made his preaching so amazing. No one taught the way Jesus taught. No one preached the way Jesus preached, basing what they said on their own authority. Here was something extraordinary. Here was something truly unique. Here was someone who spoke God’s Word with authority.
So, do you listen? Do you listen when your Savior, Jesus Christ, speaks to you? Do you listen to what he says as he speaks to you from the pages of the Bible? These are his Words, you know. Do you take what he says to heart? Like when he says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near”(Mt 4:17)—do you listen and repent, or do you tend to blow him off? “Oh, come on, Jesus. Stop buggin’ me about my sins. I repented last week.” Do you listen when he warns that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment? Do you listen when he talks about lust and adultery, when he speaks about marriage and divorce? Do you listen when he says, “No more swearing–not by heaven, not be earth, not by Jerusalem, not by your head, not by anything. Just let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,” and your ‘No,’ ‘No’”? Do you listen? Do you take it to heart? Remember who’s talking. It isn’t Oprah. It isn’t Lester Holt or Bret Baier. It isn’t even Taylor Swift. It’s God. It’s God himself giving you guidance and direction for your life. Listen to him!
You know, I think that’s one of our biggest problems in America today: because of our fast-paced, hectic lives, we don’t have time to listen to our Savior. Let me rephrase that, we don’t take time to listen to our Savior. We’re too busy. We’re too busy to read God’s Word on our own at home. We’re too busy to sit down together as a family and have a family devotion. Some of us are even too busy to come to God’s house once a week to worship him and hear his Word. That’s wrong. It’s just plain wrong. Isn’t God the one who said, “Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy”? The last time I checked it was. Friends, take time, make time to listen to your Savior. Take what he says to heart.
And believe it. Believe it when he says, “Take heart; your sins are all forgiven”(Mt. 9:2). Believe it when he says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”(Mt. 11:28). Believe it when he says, “I will be with you always, to the very end of the age”(Mt. 28:20). Believe it when he says that “whoever lives and believes in me will never die”(Jn. 11:26). Believe it, because he says it with the authority of God himself.
Not only were the people amazed at Jesus’ authoritative preaching, they were also amazed at how he spoke to evil spirits with authority. No sooner had Jesus finished preaching, Mark tells us, but “a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!’”
‘Be quiet!’ said Jesus sternly. ‘Come out of him!’ The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek”(vv. 23-26).
And once again, notice the people’s reaction: “The people were all so amazed,” Mark tells us, “that they asked each other, ‘What is this? A new teaching–and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him’”(v. 27).
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen an actual case of demon possession. I’ve heard stories, of course, and I’ve read descriptions. And if you saw the movie “The Exorcist” or the movie “Ghostbusters,” then you’ve seen a pretty graphic portrayal. Demon possession is a raw display of demonic power. Demon possession is where a demon, an evil spirit, enters into a person’s body and takes over control of it. The person who is possessed is totally helpless. He or she is completely at the mercy of the evil spirit. At any time the demon could throw him down on the ground in convulsions. At any time the demon could cause him to fall into a fire or run off a cliff. The demon could cause him to act like a wild animal or even render him totally unable to speak. Needless to say, it’s an awful experience.
And worst of all, there is no cure. There is no drug you can take. There is no treatment. There is no therapy. There is nothing that can cure demon possession–nothing, that is, except Jesus. You see, in order to drive an evil spirit out of someone’s body, you need someone who has more power and more authority than that evil spirit. You need someone like Jesus.
You and I could not drive out an evil spirit on our own, but Jesus could. And Jesus did, on any number of occasions. Demon possession posed no problem for him. As the Son of God, as the Lord of the universe, as the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus has authority over all things, including evil spirits. They have to obey whatever he says. If he says, “Be quiet,” they must be quiet. If he says, “Come out,” they must come out. They are under his authority. All evil spirits are under his authority, even Satan himself.
Remember what Jesus said to Satan when he tried to tempt Jesus to worship him? “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’”(Mt 4:10). And Satan had to leave, didn’t he? Like the other evil spirits, Satan too has to obey what Jesus says, because Jesus speaks with authority.
What a comfort it is to know that Jesus has authority over the devil and his demonic forces! For one thing, it means you and I never have to worry about demon possession, that some evil spirit might try to take control of our bodies, because as Christians we have someone more powerful than any evil spirit living inside us already: Jesus Christ himself. Likewise you and I never have to worry that somehow Satan is going to bring us back under his control. Our Savior Jesus has broken Satan’s power and set us free from his control. And when Satan comes to tempt us, you and I not only can resist him, we can even be so bold as to say, “Beat it, Satan. I’m not going to listen. Jesus is my Lord. He is the one I follow. And in his name I command you to leave.” And Satan would have to leave. Such is the power, such is the authority in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior.
When E.F. Hutton spoke, people listened. When Jesus Christ spoke, the people of Capernaum listened, in amazement. Even the evil spirits listened and obeyed. I encourage you to do the same. Listen to Jesus our Savior, because he speaks with the voice of authority. Amen.