AUTHORITY

AUTHORITY

Authority Defined- Authority is the lawful right to enforce obedience.

People in today's society have fallen away from the godly respect for authority
that they are supposed to have.

Lets take a deeper look at AUTHORITY and its proper biblical uses.

1. AUTHORITY CAN ALSO LITERALLY MEAN "RULER", or "GOVERNOR":

A. Read Acts 23:24-26
A governor is a ruler of a designated parcel of land.
Same as our government today.

B. Read Matthew 10:18
A governor, or king are all in leadership roles and we are to submit to their authority
UNLESS it goes against God's word

2. AUTHORITY, IN VARIOUS WAYS, WAS GIVEN TO MAN BY GOD:

A. READ GENESIS 1:26-31
God made man authority over:
1. Water Life
2. Birds
3. Livestock
4. All Wild Animals On Earth
5. Small Animals That Scurry On The Ground
6. He gave us government over the earth

B. READ ESTHER 9:29, LUKE 22:25
Men are ordained by God to have authority on government levels

C. READ MATTHEW 8:9 , ROMANS 13:1-6
Men are ordained by God to act on behalf of other officials, or men

D. READ 1 CORINTHIANS 14:35
Men are ordained by God to exercise authority as husbands, and to act within their godly role as one

E. READ ACTS 26:10-12
Men have the authority to oversee the church and act on Christ's authority

3. THERE IS A BIBLICAL PURPOSE FOR AUTHORITY, IT IS:

A. THEY ARE PROTECTORS ( Heb 13:7)
Men are ordained to be natural defenders. protectors of faith, homes, etc.

B. AUTHORITY IN INSTRUCTION ( 1 Peter 5:2-3)
Men are naturally ordained to be instructors to others wherever their calls are,
especially to younger men

C. EXAMPLES OF CHRIST'S POWER ( Matt 8:5-13)
Man is naturally ordained to exercise Christ's powers and to show his glory

D. TESTIMONY TO UNBELIEVERS ( 1 Peter 3:13-15, 1 Timothy 6:1)
Man is ordained by God to be a living testimony to the goodness of God!

4. CHRISTIANS ARE UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF:

A. APOSTLES ( also known today as "Missionaries") ( 2 Cor 10:
We are to respect our church founders /leadership.

B. MINISTERS ( also known as Deacons) ( Titus 2:15)
We are to respect not only church leadership but all those active in furthering the gospel,
or building the body.

C. THE RIGHTEOUS ( Proverbs 29:2)
We are to respect the authority of all church members as Christians and rooted in the word,
we are to know and exercise God's word as final authority in any life issues we may have
individually or with each other.

AUTHORITY IS NOT TO BE ABUSED OR TAKEN LIGHTLY WE ARE TO TREAT OTHERS
HOW WE WOULD WANT TO BE TREATED.
AUTHORITY AND LEADERSHIP IS A GIFT FROM GOD!
GOD WILL JUDGE US ON HOW WE HANDLED THIS VERY SERIOUS TASK!

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