What Does the Bible Say About Authority #5?

In the last episode we discussed two kinds of authority, specific and generic as illustrated in the Old Testament. Specific authority is when God specifies what must be done. We must obey exactly what He has specifically commanded. General authority allows us to choose the means to obey what is commanded. In this episode, we look at the consequences in several Old Testament examples where individuals failed to follow God's specific instructions. Next, we look at examples of specific and generic authority in the New Testament. First, we note Jesus' command to go teach the gospel. Next we note what Jesus said about worship. After this we look at what Jesus said about the Lord's Supper and how Paul told the Christians at Corinth of Jesus command to continue observing it in the same way He instituted it. We talk about Paul's instructions on taking up a collection on the first day of the week. We find that authority is established in the same way in the New Testament as it was in the Old Testament. Take about 30-minutes to listen in on our discussion. Have your Bible handy so you can verify what we are saying. There is a transcript of this Buzzsprout episode provided for your convenience.

Transcript

Fred Gosnell: 0:00

This is a presentation of the Woodland church of Christ, meeting at 3370 Broad Street in Sumter, South Carolina. We meet for worship on Sunday at ten thirty am and five thirty pm. We meet for bible study at 9:30none thirty am on Sunday and seven pm on Wednesday. If you have questions or comments on this lesson, you may email them to Fred Gosnell at fgosnell@ftc-i.net or to Arnie Granke at agranke440718@twc.com or to Glenn Landrum at scbamaboy2003@yahoo.com.

Arnie: 0:42

Good afternoon. This is what does the Bible say? Brought to you by the church of Christ at Woodland here in Sumter, South Carolina, we're down on highway 76 378, about two miles from the Sumter, or rather from, from the Shaw Air Force Base main gate, and we would welcome you to come worship with us, study the Bible with us. We certainly are glad to have you listening to us as we talk about Bible things this afternoon Fred and Glenn and I'm Arnie are three of us that are that are together, and we've been talking about the subject of Bible authority and Glenn, where's a good starting place on this?

Glenn: 1:35

Well, we've introduced and been talking about the subject of authority and that we've talked about the authority that we find in the Bible is the authority of God, the authority of Jesus Christ, and that we need to pay attention to to the things that the Bible says, because it's coming from the mind and the mouth, even of God and Christ, and therefore, when it comes from them, we are obligated to obey those commands that we receive. And we talk about several ways that we can receive commands. And then we got to a point where we're talking about two different types of commands being specific and generic, and we're in the area speaking of a generic authority at this time. Last week, we talked about two examples of the specific authority, and those were about Noah and the ark and how God had given Noah specific instructions about how to build the ark, and therefore it was Noah's obligation to build the ark by the specific standards that God gave him. Later on, we talked about the Ark of the Covenant. That's, that's the ark that was used within in the tabernacle to start with, and then later on, in the temple. And God gave specific instructions about the ark, how to be, how to construct it the the length, width, depth, and to cover it completely in gold. So these were specific instructions. And so now we come to another specific instruction given by God. And this is about two of two of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, who were priests in the new the new covenant, the covenant, or the new law that God had given Moses upon Mount Sinai, and then later on, gave other instructions as well. Leviticus 10, one and two, reads, And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron took either of them his censer and put fire therein and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. So we find that Nadab and Abihu did something different than what God had commanded them to do. And if we look at a little bit, it's Leviticus, 16, 12, we'll see a little bit more about that instruction. And it reads, Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil. Well, those are the specific instructions that were given to Nadab and Abihu, was given to the people of Israel, actually, and to the priest about how they should offer this fire. Well, Nadab and Abihu did something different. We're not told exactly what they did different, but they did something different than what God told them to do, and they were struck down right there by God. They were killed for disobeying God. Now this is a great example for us. When we see these examples in the Old Testament, we have to pay attention to them. God has given specific instructions, and if we or anyone else goes against those instructions, that's against God's will, and therefore we're wrong and it's sin. We're doing something wrong and other than what God has told us to do.

Fred Gosnell: 5:50

Well, in Leviticus 16, 12, that Glenn read, notice they were told to get the fire from off of the altar of the Lord. Well, Nadab and Abihu evidently got fire from a different source. We're not told where it came from, but it was different from the specified fire. So there are consequences, and this is a great example of what God thinks about the things that we do when it's contrary to His will. But you know, we have another example in numbers 20, verse, verse, verse eight. And there we have, in this case, we have, of course, the children of Israel are in the wilderness, and there have come to a point where they don't have any water. So they're complaining to Moses about that. So in numbers 20, verse verse eight, God gives Moses some instructions there, he says, verse seven, the Lord spake to Moses, saying, Take the rod and gather thou the assembly together thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes, and it shall give forth his water. And thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock. So thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as He commanded him, and Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, you rebels, must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod, he smote the rock twice, and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. But there's a problem. Remember what the Lord told Moses to do? He told him to speak to the rock. Instead of that, Moses hit the rock, smote the rock, contrary to what God said. Well, in verse 12, So the Lord spake to Moses and Aaron, and he said, Because you believe me not. Now notice, Moses and Aaron believed in God. They knew who God was, but he said, he, You believed me not to sanctify me in the eyes of the children Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. So the consequences were that, since they didn't listen, they didn't do what God told them to do, then neither one of them would enter the promised land with the people that, in Moses case, had led for 40 years. So it doesn't matter who you are. When God specifies something to do, we're obligated to do it, and if we don't obey what God says, then it's not going to be good for us. There are consequences, and in this case, Moses and Aaron both were prevented from entering the promised land because they violated God's will. They refused to do what he told them to do, specifically.

Arnie: 8:50

So far, we've talked about examples from the from the Old Testament. The same principle is in play in the New Testament as well. And if you look through the New Testament, you'll find ample examples of generic and specific things, just as in the in the Old Testament as as the authority that God has has given. In Matthew chapter 28 is what we usually refer to as the Great Commission. The Bible doesn't specifically use that title, but, but we speak of that, and that's when Jesus sent out his his apostles and gave them some instructions as to what, what they were to do. And in in Matthew, chapter 28 and beginning in in verse 19, he said, Go, you therefore teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. The word Lo means, means look essentially and, and urging people to pay attention to what he's saying and and carry it out the way God intended it to be. He'll be with us even to the end of of the world, and then the word Amen follows. That doesn't mean that it's a prayer. Amen has to do with meaning exactly. So be it. This is how it's going to going to be. We reading here from from the King James version in, in this particular case, Glenn.

Glenn: 11:06

And then there's another one that's closely related to to that in Matthew 28, 18 and 19. And that is in Mark 16, 15, and it reads, And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. This there is, there's both a specific command and a generic command in this this statement, the specific command is to go ye, that's to go and to go into all the world and to preach the gospel, but it doesn't tell how to go. That's the generic part. Of their, at that time, they could, they could go by walking, they could go by riding camels or donkeys. They could, in a sense, go by writing letters. And they did write letters. We we have a several letters that Paul wrote to the different churches in in in the New Testament times. And so these are ways to go. Today we have even more ways that we can go and preach the gospel. We have the radio, we have the internet. We could even go by airplane to go somewhere, to teach and preach the gospel. So we have both a specific and generic command here, and that's the specific is the is the go, and the generic is how we go. And we have to make that decision. And we that is left up to us to determine how we are going to go.

Fred Gosnell: 12:51

Well and in Colossians 1, 23, we're told there by Paul to the Colossians. He said, there well. He said, verse 22 let's just go. 21 says, You that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind. He's talking to these Gentiles in Colossae, By wicked works. Yet now hath He reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight. He says, verse 23, If you continue in the faith, grounded and settled and be moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, where have I Paul am made a minister. So so there we find out that the command that God gave them to go to all the world and preach the gospel, and every creature, they did that. And of course, the the the the if there is, there's a condition to them that they've been blessed, but they have to continue notice in the faith. Well, that's a specific thing said they are to continue in the faith. Well, what faith is that? Well, it's the faith. It's the faith you find in the New Testament. And then he again, specifies, don't be moved away from the hope of the gospel. And again, the faith and the gospel are connected together, specifically there in which you heard. So, so we have to pay attention. We don't preach or teach our opinion, where it's not our opinion or somebody else's opinion or somebody else's teaching that we are to go by. It is the faith and the gospel, and we find those specified in the New Testament

Arnie: 14:38

And in the book of John, in John chapter chapter four, Jesus had gone up into Samaria, the Samaritans and and the people of Israel generally, didn't have a whole lot of contact with one another. They avoided one another. But Jesus was up in in Samaria, and he was at a at a well. In fact, it was in Sychar, and it was a well that Jacob evidently, had had a role in creating and and it's referred to as Jacob's well. And in John chapter four and verse 24 there had been a Samaritan woman had come to the well to draw water, and Jesus was there, and he asked her to give him some water. She said, we, we usually don't have any back and forth connection with with one another and and that created an opportunity for Jesus to do a little bit of teaching there. And he, he spoke in John chapter 24 about God. And he said, God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. The people of Israel worshipped God in spirit and in truth at that time, but not so much in in Samaria. So that gave an opportunity for them to have a conversation. And Jesus certainly seized that opportunity, and pretty soon she went and got other people to come. She was impressed and and I think probably wound up obeying the things that that Jesus had talked about. Glenn.

Glenn: 16:43

Yeah. Well, in that one passage that that Arnie just read in John 4, 24, you notice that he said that they should, they must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Some people may mistake this word spirit for being related to the Holy Spirit. But it's not. In this sense, it's spirit, and most of our Bibles have it correctly. They have it with a small s. Therefore is not speaking of the Holy Spirit. What this is talking about is that when when people worship, worship God, they should worship in with the right attitude, that they should worship with their heart and their mind as they should. And then truth, of course, is the way that God tells us the truth. We've had some lessons here in the past that speak about how we are to worship God and the things that we are to do when we worship God. Well, we want to look at Matthew 15, and I'm going to start in verse seven, but the main verse we want to pay attention to is in verse nine. But I'm going to start with verse seven. Jesus said, Hypocrites. Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying, These people draw near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Now, this, this, what I just read, their heart is far from me. That is, they were not worshiping in spirit. And then in verse nine, he says, and in vain, they worship me teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Vain is a word that means useless, and that's what he says. Those who are not worshiping with the right attitude, the right mind, the right heart, the right spirit, they are worshiping in vain. They are worshiping use of uselessly, and they are not paying attention to the what they need to do with God. They need to be teaching the doctrines that are the commandments of God, not the commandments of men. And this says that they were teaching the doctrines of men, the commandments of men. They were not following God's will.

Fred Gosnell: 19:07

Well, they are, yeah. Then in Matthew 26, 26 and 27 now this is, this is where Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper. They were, they're observing Passover at the time and in Matthew 26 26 and 27 there we begin. Well, let's begin. There, says, As they were eating, Jesus took bread and he blessed it and break it and gave it to the disciples and said Take eat. This is my body. And he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it. And this is my blood. For this is my blood in the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's Kingdom. Now, a couple of things we need to know. During Pentecost, the bread that they had was unleavened, and of course, Jesus specifies what is in the cup. It is the fruit of the vine. It's grape juice. It's not wine. It's not anything else other than what Jesus specifies. So so that's the, that's the institution of the Lord's Supper by Jesus. Of course, when, when we get to First Corinthians, chapter 11, we find out that Paul taught the Corinthians the Lord, how to observe the Lord's Supper. Of course, the Lord's Supper is is part of our worship. And what, what Glenn just read there was, if we're going to worship properly, we got to worship in spirit and in truth. Of course, the Spirit the worship has to be spiritual. Something to be spiritual has to be something that follows what God says, not what men say. In First Corinthians 11 notice Paul says in verse 23 He says, For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night which He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, he break it and said, Take eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me. After the same manner, also he took the cup when he had supped saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood. This do you as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. Then he says, This is why we do it. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup. You do show the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthy, unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation or judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. So when we take the bread, what we need to be doing is remembering the Lord's body on the cross, because that represents his body when we drink the fruit of the vine, we need to remember the blood that he shed on the cross. The the the unworthy thing that we do is when we do those things, if we're thinking about where we're going to have lunch, then we have done it unworthily. It's not that we have to be worthy to do it ourselves. We're all sinners so. So that's how Paul tells them to observe the Lord's Supper the way that God or the Lord intended when he specified there in Matthew 26 when he instituted the Lord's supper at that time,

Arnie: 22:52

First Corinthians chapter, chapter 11 and verse 22 also addresses that. Fred, I had Just while you were talking, I had turned to the same passage where you were and didn't, didn't turn in my Bible here. Let me get over quickly here to First Corinthians, chapter 11 and verse, verse 22 and in, in that passage, Paul writes, and he asked, have you? Have you not houses to eat and drink in or despise you the Church of God and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. And you know, it's kind of a shame when, when people get the wrong attitude and and the wrong thinking with regard to things that God has required in worship. Our worship needs to be focused on the things that the Bible teaches that we ought to do, regardless of what part of the worship we're thinking about. It's not talking about where we go to lunch after after the worship service, maybe the ball game that we want to watch on TV, or something along that, that line. And and there's just so many ways that people fall out of the place that they need to be in regard to what God has has taught us. So we want to be careful to focus on that appropriately. First, Corinthians, chapter 11 and and verse 22 I think, is the the passage that I just read and and then verse 34 also speaks along that line. Verse 34 said, If any man hunger, let him eat at home. We're not talking about a meal here when we're speaking of the Lord's Supper. This is actually a ceremony that we're performing in worship of God. So if any man hunger, let him eat at home, that you come not together unto condemnation. And there were other things as well that that Paul wanted to address and and so he says, so at the end of that verse, The rest will I set in order when I come.

Glenn: 25:33

Okay, now we're going to move to talking about the collection, or giving. In First Corinthians 16, Paul gives some instructions to to the church in Corinth, talking about about giving he says, Now concerning the collection for the saints. This is verses one and two of chapter 16. Now concerning collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia. So you must do also. On the first day of the week, let each one of you lay something aside, storing up, as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. So he he mentions that this is he's saying that on the first day of the week, when they come together, that they should lay something aside to to to to gather that money, those monies up. And what Paul was getting ready to do was to deliver that, that money to to some needy saints. But he also mentioned, he said, As they doing in Galatia, also. These, he had given these orders to to the churches in Galatia. And so it says, so you must do also. Now we've talked about this before, that when, when the apostles gave instructions, they were giving the instructions by the Holy Spirit. This was the same as God speaking when God says, Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches in Galatia, so you must do also. That's a direct command, but it's also an example to us today that as the the church in the first century, lay by, laid by in store. They they gave their collection on the first day of the week. That's the example and the command that we have to follow. So upon the first day of the week, let everyone of you lay by him in store, as God has prospered him that there be no gatherings when I come.

Arnie: 27:46

You know, it's a sad thing that sometimes people miss the point of the things that the Lord wants us to do in our in our worship. And so Paul has addressed those things in both First Corinthians and Second Corinthians, and in second Corinthians chapter nine, he says Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give. You know, sometimes people just dig into their pocket and pull out what they got in their pocket, and they didn't, didn't plan to come worship. Our thinking with regard to worship needs to start early in the day and certainly be in our mind before we actually begin the process of worshiping. Otherwise we'll just be doing, doing something, going through the motions and and that's that's not really giving attention to the Lord and seeking to to please the Lord. So purpose in his heart, and as far as the contribution is concerned, he decides that, and then Paul says, so let him give. And it does not need to be, certainly shouldn't be something that he just wishes that he didn't have to do that. He doesn't have to do that. If that's his attitude, don't bother. But Paul gives the instruction, not grudgingly or of necessity, because you have to, no, that's not the case for God loveth a cheerful giver. Fred, do you have time to talk about Philippians four?

Fred Gosnell: 29:36

Yeah, well in Philippians four, verse 18, Paul writes to them. There he says, But I have all and abound, I am full having received of Epaphroditus, the things which were sent from you. Of course, remember when Glenn read first Corinthians 16, the collection was for the saints, and sometimes that collection was used to support preachers, and that's what the Philippians did here. And the things which were sent. You notice, An odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God. So when we give on the first day of the week, that's part of our sacrifice. That's part of what we give to the Lord. And of course, Peter tells us in first Peter two and five and nine that we are lively stones built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, offer up spiritual sacrifice, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. So we are priests, and those who offer those sacrifices,

Glenn: 30:29

Well, that's going to conclude our lesson for for today. And we talked about specific authority, primarily, and we talked about some of the items of worship, and those items of worship that are commanded to us by God through His Word, and we're obligated to to obey those commands. We're obligated to partake of the Lord's Supper as God is has told us to do. We're obligated to to give of our means as he's told us to do, and there's other things that we are obligated to do, and we'll talk about those at another time. We also talked about preaching and teaching, that those things need to be God's word that we're preaching and teaching. So that's all the time we have at this time. So we hope that you'll get meet with us again next time we talk. And have a good week, and we'll talk to you later.