I. A Dirty Word 00:02
Praise you, Lord. Lord, we come before you this morning, and we thank you for everything that you’ve done in our life. I pray right now that you would open our eyes more and more every day to see the wonderful things that you are doing. And, Jesus, I pray that you’d help me to preach your word with clarity and conviction, and that your Holy Spirit would transform us as we hear the truth of your word. In Jesus’ name, amen.
So today I’m going to talk about something that may offend some people, and so I warn you: I’m going to use a dirty word in our language, in our lingo, in our culture. So if you’re sensitive, feel free to hold your hands over your ears. I will not be offended. But the thing we’re talking about this morning is authority. “Oh no! I thought we were the people of freedom. Authority? We got rid of the Brits ages ago!” No. That’s obviously something that has so permeated our culture, this idea: no one can tell me what to do.
There’s this idea that is so deeply ingrained in our culture that none of you didn’t pick up on the humor in what I was saying. Every one of us understood: “Oh yeah, you’re right. Authority is kind of weird nowadays.” “I thought I could move out of my parents’ house and never have to do anything that I didn’t want to do again.” That is a lie. And if you are under the age of 18 and you are hoping for that day, lose that. That is not a dream that you get to have.
We actually are the type of people who can boast that we are under authority. And hopefully by the end of this sermon, you will not reject authority but look for ways to submit in your life, and to lead the way that Christ leads us. That’s what Jesus was talking about in Matthew chapter 23. He’s talking about proper authority, the proper use of authority. And he says some things that we’re going to wrestle with today, because they’re challenging, and believe it or not, they were meant to be. So Jesus actually intended to challenge what you currently believe, so that you could become transformed. If you only ever hear what you want to hear, what you already know to be true, you will never change. And so when Jesus is saying these things, he didn’t intend them to be the type of things that just went into the atmosphere, everybody cheered, and they went home. He wanted change to come from the things that he said.
II. Moses' Seat 02:31
So let’s read this with that in mind. What does Jesus want to accomplish by saying these things? In Matthew chapter 23, we’ll begin in verse 1:
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. Matt 23.1–3
How many times have you heard that? “They don’t practice what they preach.” That’s Jesus we’re quoting when we say that. He cares deeply that those who preach, practice. And the person in this room who should be most nervous right now is me. That’s a pretty high standard. I’m sitting here preaching a sermon about how you should practice what you preach. If I sweat a little, that’s probably why.
So what is he saying, though, about Moses’ seat? What’s going on here? Is it some archaic Jewish thing? They’re in some chair? I mean, is there a real seat? Do they take turns sitting in it, if they’re all sitting in Moses’ one seat? No, he’s talking about the law. He’s saying they are the teachers and interpreters of the law, which God gave for your benefit. So do what they say to do, but maybe don’t do what they practice. And in this whole chapter he explicitly calls out what the Pharisees are doing wrong.
And so when you look here, I hear the cultural criticism of people who have deconstructed their faith. I don’t know if you’ve heard that term, but it is pretty popular in a certain realm. They’ve given up on Christianity, and most of the reasons they bring forward start, and many of them end, with “Christians aren’t very Christian, so I rejected all of Christianity.” What a tragedy. Jesus doesn’t give us that out. He actually says, even though the Pharisees and the scribes are doing evil deeds, you actually are still beholden to the truth. So when you hear them preach the law and interpret the law, do it. Don’t reject it because you don’t like them, because they aren’t doing what they preach.
How often do we find an excuse for our sin, our rebellion? “Yeah, well, nobody does that.” “Well, yeah, I steal from my work, but you know, my boss is a thief too.” Or how about this: “The system is corrupt, and so I have free license to do whatever I want to do.” Jesus doesn’t give us that excuse. He says, even the people who will argue for his crucifixion, listen to them when they speak about the law, when they teach you the ways of God. We are beholden not to men but to the truth. So listen carefully and learn. God can teach you out of anything, I will tell you that.
So the key here is that you have a call on your life to do the right thing, and you don’t get to let anybody else dissuade you from that path. We don’t have a right to reject it. No matter who is teaching it, as long as it’s true, we are called to listen and understand. You know, our whole culture is built on this idea right now. And “built” is almost a funny word, because it’s really a way of deconstructing what has come before. We have used the excuse: “But didn’t you see? Didn’t you know George Washington owned slaves? Didn’t you know that even Abraham Lincoln, who died in the service of freedom, was probably a racist because of his time?” And we use these critiques to tear down structures that have been built for our benefit.
If you trust God, then the way you respond to evil and corrupt authority is by doing what you’re called to do, discerning the truth in your life, and then trusting God to take care of it. We can only do what we’re called to do. And Jesus, talking about these scribes and Pharisees, had already many times predicted their downfall: that actually God was going to take the vineyard from these wicked stewards and give it to somebody else who would actually follow his word. So you don’t have to be the arbiter of justice on the earth. We already have one. We just have to live in service of that King.
Don’t give in to the offense that can settle in when somebody who’s over you is not doing what they should be doing. You can build this anger and this frustration. Because why? How long will the wicked prosper? Well, we’re called to trust God more than what we see in the world. And we know that the wicked are like the chaff that the wind drives away (Ps 1.4), but we are written in the eternal Book of Life. The righteous, though he falls seven times, will get up again (Prov 24.16). We can hold on to the promises of God even when it doesn’t look like the justice we know and long for is happening.
III. Heavy Burdens 07:26
So what are these scribes doing? He starts talking about these evil leaders. Verse 4:
4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. Matt 23.4
I love Jesus’ poetic language. He talks like us. It’s like, “He won’t even lift a finger to help.” He’s trying to call them out. He’s saying… you know what? If I stood up here every week and told you how awful you were, and then went and did all the things that I was telling you were awful, that’s what these scribes and Pharisees are doing. They are putting all these burdens on people, and yet they’re creating legal loopholes so that they can follow the law but divorce their wife 57 times. There are all of these things they were building to take care of themselves.
Let me tell you this. This tells us something about how the teachers in the church should teach. If you walk away from a sermon feeling like, every time you go listen to somebody, you just get this heavy burden, you just feel like you’re not good enough and you’re such a failure, well, there are two things going on. Number one, you probably are a failure. You probably need Jesus Christ to help you. Maybe there’s some conviction. But number two, that preacher needs to remember the love of God for you. At least I try to remind myself every day when I’m writing my sermon: maybe this sounds good, and maybe it’s my own condemnation of myself. Maybe I need to be bathed in the love of Christ before I stand up before the people he died to save and tell them about their sin.
Because Jesus walked this line throughout his entire life, telling us, “You can be set free. You can live with me and reign with me in glory. I have come for the abundant life, not to condemn the world but to save it,” and then in the very next breath saying, “Now take up your cross and follow me.” And so when he talks about these people tying this burden up and burdening the people, I just remember Jesus, who said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt 11.30). It’s a deep mystery, but the more you push into it, the more it reveals itself to you. The more you do what God is inviting you into, the more free you are, the less of a burden you have. In fact, all the burdens I typically feel, I put on my own back: by my sin, by my ignorance, by my laziness, by my etc., my lack of trust, my fear. And God is sitting there saying, “Come to me. Learn from me. My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Let me say this: be discerning. Jesus is not saying that you should follow all authority in your life without question at all times. He specifically says they sit in the seat of Moses. So where is their authority? Is it in them? It’s in the law of God. And so, even as I talk about these things, maybe you do encounter somebody in your life who you need to say no to. Now, I don’t feel the need to preach that very hard, because I think all of us, in our very DNA, want to say no to authority. So I want to tell you: be discerning. We have a good God, and he will remind you when it’s time to stand up for what you believe in. At least in my life, the few times I’ve been able to stand up and say no to the authority with God’s blessing, I have taken advantage of those. It has been a pleasure.
But you know what? There is something in submission and trust that we forget about. We are so concerned with being right, and “the burdens they’re putting on me,” “oh, this boss, this government, this preacher, this person.” We’re always justifying our rebellion. So if you can get the submission part down, I trust God to work in you for the times when you stand up and say no.
IV. To Be Seen by Others 11:58
Okay, verse 5. What else?
5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. Matt 23.5–7
Thank the Lord that we don’t have this type of behavior in church. Wait, hold on. Maybe we do. How often are we looking for our due? I’m going to contain myself for a second; let’s walk it back. How easy is it for us to be striving to be recognized, to be noticed, to be praised, to be honored? And yet what does Paul tell us in Romans 12? He says, “Outdo one another in receiving honor.” No. He says, “Outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom 12.10). We should be competitive. “Man, you’re so great.” “No, you’re so great.” “You’re so awesome. I love what you did there.” “Oh, I love… man, you are so great. You should be in charge. You’re just wonderful.” We should find ways to honor people.
Do you want to know how to love your neighbor? Find ways to honor them. And I’ll give you a hint. This isn’t even… it’s probably in Scripture, I don’t know. I have a backup verse for this principle, but I’ll tell you, it works. Look for something they do well and tell them how well they do it. That is a good way to love someone. You will be shocked by how they respond. You’re having a problem with somebody at work? Find something they do well and tell them that they do it well. Don’t make it up; find something real that they do well. Tell them how well they do it, and watch how they respond. They’re going to light up: “Oh, you noticed!” Because there is something deep within us that craves honor. But the kingdom is this upside-down economy. We crave honor, we crave love: go honor people, go love people, trust God with your needs, and watch the abundance flow.
“They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad.” I just wanted to let you guys know what phylacteries means, because I had to look it up, so you probably don’t know. Maybe you’ve heard about it before. There are these leather satchels that would have the Bible in them, and it’s literally the equivalent of just getting the biggest Bible. It’d be as if I came up here and had a 10-inch Bible and just slammed it on the pulpit: “Oh, look at me.” It’s really the silliest thing, and he’s making fun of them, because they have these elaborate phylacteries, these Bible pouches that they wear around their neck, so everybody can know how holy they are. Thank God you never see anything like that at church. No.
So remember that the point of all of this is inner transformation. This is like the most cliché phrase, and something in me doesn’t like it, but it is so true, and so I have to say it: we are performing for an audience of one. I don’t like that. I want an audience of hundreds, thousands, everybody: “Look at me! Look at me!” No. There’s one person you have to impress: God, your Father. And guess what? This is the good news: he loves you, like, a lot. He always sees the things you do well and is looking for opportunities to tell you.
V. You Have One Teacher 15:26
Okay, verse 8:
8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. Matt 23.8–10
This is a complicated verse. There are some people who don’t understand what this verse means. I had to think about it for a little while; I had to look up some interpretations. Let me ask this question. Let’s make it ridiculous first, and then we’ll go back to what it might mean. Does it mean that when I’m three years old, I call my dad “Ed,” because I’m not going to call him father? Absolutely not. Does it mean that I can’t talk about how Bishop Kessler is one of the great teachers of the CEC? Absolutely not. He is a great teacher. Does it mean that we can’t call our priests “Father”? Absolutely not. That’s not what Christ was talking about.
And what my Bible referenced was this other verse, in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 11. Because Jesus knew human nature. He knew what we would do. And in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 we see Paul talking to this church, and he says:
11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 1 Cor 1.11–13
Gasp! Quarreling in the church! What’s he saying here? He’s getting at the same point Jesus was getting at: don’t make who you follow anyone other than Jesus, and don’t try to outdo one another in receiving honor. This would happen with the Pharisees: “Well, you know, Rabbi Zacharias has 20 followers, but Rabbi Judah has 500, and so I like this guy.” He’s making a point that the only authority in the church is Christ’s authority. Do you know how much authority Christ has? All authority. Do you know how much you have apart from Christ? No authority. We’re talking about this big word, authority. He’s making it clear the only authority is his.
And so when I preach, if I try to do it by my strength and my authority, then I fail. It’s all because of him. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t like certain preachers or teachers, or you can’t show honor to those who do things well. But just recognize that the center of their authority and their ability has to be Christ. The center of everything is Jesus.
And so that also deflates these scribes and Pharisees who are running around talking about how great they are, when you start thinking, “Oh yeah, I’m not great. God is great.” There’s that famous book by Christopher Hitchens. He says God Is Not Great, and he lays all of this blame on him, and all of this stuff: “There is no God, because this, this, and that.” It’s like, you could not be more wrong. Everyone else and everything else is not great apart from God. There’s no greatness apart from him.
And so as we talk about authority, and we think about the people we’re respecting in our lives: the reason you should listen to me is not because of me. It’s because I’m operating in the authority that comes and flows from Jesus when I preach. And trust me, when I get it wrong, I have a lot of wonderful men who will help me know, “Hey, you got it wrong.” And if they fail, God himself will correct you and me.
So what is Jesus saying? It doesn’t have to do with who you call Father, teacher, Rabbi. It has to do with where all authority dwells: in him, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. So if you have any authority… well, okay, let me say it this way: you don’t have it apart from him. Stop pretending that you’re in charge. He is. Then you can operate in authority, and you can be awesome, because it’s his and not yours.
VI. God Resists the Proud 20:25
Okay, verse 11:
11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matt 23.11–12
Let’s stop for a moment and talk about pride. There’s one person who God resists over and over and over again: it is the proud. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4.6). So if I were you, and I was looking at my MMA match (you know, mixed martial arts), and I was looking at the contenders to resist me, I just wouldn’t pick God. And so don’t be proud, because if God is against you, what hope have you? All throughout Scripture it says, God is for us; who can be against us (Rom 8.31)? God goes with us, so I will not be afraid. God loves us. And then it says, but he resists the proud. Don’t fall into the trap.
And you know, it’s really an interesting thing, because what the enemy can do, the only thing he can do, is twist what God made good into evil. So what is pride? It’s recognizing the goodness that God is growing within you, but taking credit for it. Pride is saying, “No, my intelligence, my talent, my ability, my whatever, my stunning good looks, are me,” when instead I should be saying, “Thank you, God, for my intelligence, my ability, my stunning good looks.” It’s a trick. Okay, everybody, I know. All right, false premise; the stunning good looks made things a little confusing. But the point is, we are called to live as people of humble gratitude, and pride is the lie that deconstructs everything. Those people who end up rejecting God: how prideful do you have to be to reject God? It deconstructs everything. And I’m not just talking about those people. I’m talking about all of us.
VII. The Greatest Among You Shall Be Your Servant 23:07
Okay, I do have to talk about the patriarchy, because we’re talking about authority, and it’s a buzzword. It’s one of those… you know, it’s really important; we’ve got to talk about the patriarchy. Remember this: the greatest among you shall be your servant. As we talk about the patriarchy (and I heard somebody say this really well): what is the point of men leading anywhere? It’s so that they may serve. I’m going to talk about what I know, because I can’t talk about all the things. Talking about what I don’t know is probably a bad idea.
In a marriage relationship, the man, throughout Scripture, I do believe, is called to be an authority over his wife. But there’s actually a misunderstanding baked into that idea for us. Because what I thought when I married Haley, my beautiful wife, was that that meant I could tell her what to do. Believe it or not, that’s not the point. And she vowed in our marriage vows (we used some traditional vows), she vowed to obey me. And I’ve lost several fights bringing up just that point. Don’t mention it, ever again. No, I’m just kidding. I’m being a little facetious here.
But, man, when I demand my own way, everything goes wrong, because God resists the proud. And so even if I was right originally, if I do it the wrong way, it falls apart. Everything I do and say should be in service to my wife, my family, my church. Any position of leadership requires that. And when I approach her from the perspective of “How can I serve you?”, I get my way. It’s a weird kingdom economy, because what I’ve done in that moment is I’ve made my way his way, the way of service. And so really I’m not getting my way; I’m getting his way for my family, and I’m fighting for that. And, man, do you have to fight for it. And most of the time the enemy is actually not her; it’s you. And if you haven’t realized that, grow up.
And it works both ways. For a wife fighting her husband, most of the time the person you in particular need to be fighting is you. Yes, he needs to be fighting him, and you need to be fighting you. And it’s all very confusing, but you get the point. You’re outdoing one another in showing honor. You’re looking for ways to serve one another. And that’s how you lead. In fact, the greatest coronation in the history of the world is Jesus’ crucifixion: “All hail King Jesus!” as he lays down his life to serve the church. In fact, that’s what Paul tells us marriage is all about. Every one of you husbands needs to be crucified for your wife, because that’s how Christ loved the church. That’s how he leads the church.
Now let’s be clear here. I tell my kids what to do, and very occasionally I even tell my wife what to do. But you know what’s important about it? When I do it in service of her and my children, then I’m doing it in the way of the cross, the way of Christ. But when I do it for my gain and my stubborn authoritarianism, then it all goes wrong. So my point is not that you come home and ask your wife what to do and then go do it, as though she’s your boss. My point is: because you might be the leader in your own household, you should look for ways to serve in leadership.
Like my kids. If I didn’t tell them what to do, they would die. I’m not kidding. Kids are stupid. They need a whole lot of time to get smart. You know it, if you’ve been around children. They need their parents to tell them what to do. But, golly, if you’re not serving your children by doing so, you’re setting up your own little kingdom where everybody goes and serves you. You’re building your house on sand, and it’s going to fall away. It all has to be built on the foundation, which is Christ the Lord, the servant and the maker of heaven and earth.
VIII. The Mind of Christ 28:12
So that’s the point that Jesus is trying to get across. And it got to somebody, because later Paul writes this beautiful passage that we’re going to end with. This is going to be our closing passage. So just hear these words, and hear how it reflects what Jesus was talking about, as we end today, in Philippians chapter 2, beginning in verse 3. It says:
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phil 2.3–11
We should all live that way. We should all live that way. And the good news is that God has actually made the way for us, so that we can also be exalted and rule and reign with him. Amen.