The Authority Of Jesus

You are listening to a message from Thrive Community Church, a church located in Southwest Florida. For more info, visit us at thrive-fl.org. Now, why are we doing this series in the first place? Because I think people do need, I think we all can agree, people need to simply meet and encounter Jesus. Religion is one thing. Christianity may be another. But Jesus, well first of all, most people, if you'd ask them, they may have a bad impression of Christianity today. And I think there's a lot of good reasons for that, sadly. That they may have a bad reaction to Christianity. It's not just because they watch media. It's the fact they've had some encounters with Christians that have kind of turned them off, sadly. Maybe they've encountered me and I've turned them off. I don't know. It's possible, because I'm nowhere near what Jesus would want me to be. But most people love Jesus. And yet, most people in our society, I don't know, have really encountered Jesus, simply and profoundly. They've heard about him, they think about him some, but they project on him whatever they want. Jesus has become our therapist and our life coach, much more than our savior and king. And we're going to see in our text today, specifically, he's an authority that we must deal with. In fact, the word authority comes up in this text. The Jesus that we project is no Jesus that can actually make a real difference in our lives. The Jesus that we just come up with is not the Jesus that we need to encounter. It's the text, this Jesus, we need. So we're going to be in Mark chapter 1, and quite a few verses, 21 through 45, if I'm not mistaken. And it's a long text, but I think you'll enjoy it. And as Carl mentioned last week, one of the words you'll see again, come up immediately. Immediately, like, he is this fast-paced, boom, boom, boom, boom, action-packed gospel here. Simple, profound, the first one probably written, and yet, wow. I mean, you're just moving along at a record pace, and you'll see in these two, maybe three days, it's like, how in the world did he catch a breath, right? Another thing, two other things about this text, I think, I don't know if you mentioned these or not, Carl. He uses a lot of ands. I think we've taken most of those out in our English translations, but it's like, it's this breakneck speed we're going. And the other is that it's mostly in the present tense. It's like it's actually happening as he's writing it. But we put it into the past tense when our English translations come along. All of this says the immediacy, the amazing features of the gospel. It's just, all of this is like, wow, what's going on here? And we, like, all the people, the crowds and others, react to it and are called by Mark to react to it. So, here we go, okay? Mark chapter one. And they went into Capernaum and immediately on the Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority and not as the scribes. And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, what have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the holy one of God. But Jesus rebuked him, saying, be silent and come out of him. And the unclean spirit convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice came out of him. And they were all amazed so that they questioned among themselves, saying, who, what is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him. And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee. And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever and immediately they told him about her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. And the fever left her and she began to serve them. That evening at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak because they knew him. And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place. And there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him and they found him and said to him, everyone is looking for you. And he said to them, let us go on to the next towns that I may preach there also. For that is why I came out. And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. And a leper came to him, imploring him and kneeling, said to him, if you will, you can make me clean. Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, I will be clean. And immediately the leprosy left him and he was made clean. And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once and said to...