{"id":2508,"date":"2018-01-28T11:19:01","date_gmt":"2018-01-28T00:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=2508"},"modified":"2018-01-28T11:19:01","modified_gmt":"2018-01-28T00:19:01","slug":"the-latent-power-within-28-01-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=2508","title":{"rendered":"The latent power within. 28-01-2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

The latent power within.<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Deuteronomy 18: 15 – 20;\u00a0 Mark 1: 21 – 28<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You have the latent power and authority to change the world for good.<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Mark tells us that the first thing Jesus did when he began his ministry was to gather disciples. And the reader of the Gospel will observe that disciples are present at every point in Jesus\u2019 public ministry, right up until the Crucifixion. Jesus\u2019 past and present disciples are critical to the proclamation of the Gospel. Now Mark tells us that Jesus was a teacher and that he taught with authority. He<\/i> (Jesus) entered the synagogue and <\/i>taught<\/i>.\u00a0 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.<\/i> [Mk 1: 21b & 22]\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 teaching had a big impact on those who heard him. Not only was Jesus an amazing teacher he was an awesome teacher. At the beginning of his teaching ministry the unclean spirit<\/i>s<\/i> identify Jesus. The demonic spirit in the man knows who Jesus is and what he can do. In the ancient world calling someone by their name and identifying who they are was seen as act of power and control over them. This \u2018spirit\u2019 not only knows Jesus\u2019 earthly name but also knows his heavenly title \u2013 \u2018the Holy one of God<\/i>\u2019. Those present would have understood that the \u2018unclean spirit\u2019 was powerful. But without hesitation Jesus drives out this \u2018spirit\u2019.\u00a0 This incident is not incidental to Jesus\u2019 teaching.\u00a0 The exorcism shows Jesus as an authoritative teacher has power over evil.\u00a0 So the crowd kept on asking one another, \u201cWhat is this? A new teaching\u2014with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him\u201d<\/i>. [Mk 1: 27]\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

So Mark has provided us with another word picture of Jesus. Jesus has announced that the Kingdom of God was close, he has gathered disciples, who are so important to his ministry, and demonstrates that he teaches with authority and power. Now a kingdom is impossible without authority, and authority is useless without power. This is what Jesus is doing.\u00a0 He declares that the Kingdom of God is present and he has the authority and power to constitute that kingdom.\u00a0 The presence of the Kingdom is seen in Jesus and his disciples when they do the will of God: just as we pray, \u201cyour kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in <\/i>heaven\u201d.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

So let us look at the relationship between authority and power.\u00a0 The simplest way to illustrate the difference between authority and power is to place to pictures side by side. There is the truck driver in a huge vehicle. Driving on the road the truck driver has enormous power in his hands. When we are on the road we make sure we are not in the truck\u2019s path. In our hands we may have a 4×4, car, motorcycle or bicycle, all have various rates of power but none have the power to stop the truck driver. However a person can \u2013 a police person can stop that truck by putting up their hand. Wow, that\u2019s power. The policeman has the authority to do what no one else can do \u2013 stop the truck.\u00a0 The policeman has been given the authority to do so by the government and carries the power of the government in this simple action. The truck driver has power but has very limited authority in contrast to the policeman.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

That picture of the police-person having the authority to stop the powerful truck helps us understand how Jesus appeared to the people of his day.\u00a0 There Jesus was. Whatever he might have looked like and whatever personal \u2018presence\u2019 he might have had, he had authority over that which all others feared\u00a0 – the demonic powers.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Mark tells us that Jesus had authority and power. Power and authority are related terms but also different. \u00a0 Authority is a power that is derived from another. Authority flows one way and downwards. Authority carries a delegated power.\u00a0 Authority is given to us by another to act. So when we speak of Jesus\u2019 authority we are speaking of a power given to him by God the Creator.\u00a0 At another level Jesus is God so it is his authority. What I understand is that to speak of Jesus having authority is to recognise that Jesus is subject to the Trinity. That is, Jesus is not merely an individual acting on behalf of himself. Jesus is subject to the vision and plan of the Triune God. Therefore his power is not his alone but the power of the God-head and the Kingdom of God. The Gospel writers tell about Jesus\u2019s authority and power in a few clear sentences.\u00a0 Mark tells us that the people were saying;\u00a0 <\/i>\u201cA new teaching\u2014with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him\u201d<\/i> [Mk 1: 27].\u00a0 Luke reports that the people were saying; with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come<\/i> [Lk 4: 36]. Jesus not only had authority but the power over the spiritual realm.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Power is a broader concept than authority. Whereas authority is the right to exercise power, power is the ability to influence and change situations. Power is not necessarily delegated.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Just being given the authority to influence and change is not sufficient. So our police-person who steps into the road to stop the truck does so in a manner that exudes confidence, belief and commitment.\u00a0 The police-person doesn\u2019t half-heartedly raise their hand. They act with conviction and commitment to the task given to them. They are the government\u2019s agents who are given power to act in a certain way. \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

There is an integration of the way they present themselves, their dress, the confidence of their actions and the belief in the authority and power they carry. There must be some integration between the authority given and the person they are. Importantly their actions must also be consistent with a set of values concerning the dignity and rights of others.\u00a0 The delegated authority and power is complimented by the personal power of the one acting. The authority and power likewise compliment the personal power of the individual. In this process of taking on the duties given to us our personal identity is enhanced, and our integrity compliments the authority and power received.\u00a0 Jesus\u2019 authority and power is consistent with who he is.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus has authority given to him and he gives it to his disciples.\u00a0 Jesus sends his disciples out on a mission with authority and power and they return a little amazed at what happened [Mk 6:7-13; Matthew 10: 5 \u2013 15; Luke 9: 1-6]. After the resurrection Jesus re-affirms the giving of authority and power to his disciples and sends them into the world [Acts 1:8].\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The first lesson we learn from this insight into Jesus\u2019 authority and power is that we use it to proclaim Christ as King. It is given to us. The fact that we may not experience it may be due to us not taking God seriously enough; or we\u2019re simply disobedient and disbelieving; or our lack of discipline hides the Holy Spirit\u2019s empowerment. There is another reason, which is something more subtle. There is an incident where Jesus couldn\u2019t exercise power because of the disbelief of the people [Mk 6:5; Matthew 13:58]. The same may apply to day. We are surrounded by too many who don\u2019t really believe in God\u2019s power to change. The disbelief, both in the Church and society, shuts out and limits the power of God in our midst. Jesus experienced this and he moved on to another place.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

There is another spiritual lesson to learn. Authority involves a delegated power, which includes personal power. However personal power is not dependent upon being authorised. We all have a power within us. As a Christian the inherent personal power is enhanced by our faith, hope and love in Christ.\u00a0 I learnt a lot about personal power and influence once through the observation of my Personal Assistant. I\u2019ll call her Kim. I noticed that Kim was respected, listened to and influenced others in the organisation. Yes, she was my PA, but there was more to it. It arose out of her integrity. She believed in what we were doing, she had a comprehensive understanding of the organisation, she had faith, was humble and committed to the work. A well-balanced person of faith, loyalty and integrity has power.\u00a0 It is not too hard to see examples of that kind of power around this congregation. That power, unlike authority, doesn\u2019t flow only one-way but up, down and sideways. They have power to influence others regardless of any rank or office they hold.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You are a person with a latent power that could change the world \u2013 your world \u2013 God\u2019s world.\u00a0 We are a people who have been given the authority to carry out the will of God. God promises to give us the power to make his will known and destroy the power of evil. Believe in God and believe in yourself because God believes in you. God has given us the power of the Holy Spirit to act and work for the Kingdom of God.\u00a0 Let us sing of God\u2019s Majesty that God shares with us.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Majesty, worship His majesty,<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

unto Jesus be glory, honour<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

and praise.<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Majesty, kingdom, authority,<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

flows from His throne<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

unto His own,<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

His anthem raise.<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

[The Source 346\/ Songs of Fellowship 379]<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

*******<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Peter C Whitaker, Leighmoor UC:\u00a0 28\/01\/2018<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

pcwhitaker@icloud.com<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\/ www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

New Years benediction<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

May the God who gave us this year<\/strong><\/span>
\n and the Saviour who fills us with life abundant<\/strong><\/span>
\n and the Spirit who walks at our side each day,<\/strong><\/span>
\n grace the coming year with peace and hope and joy,\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>
\n Amen.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The latent power within. Deuteronomy 18: 15 – 20;\u00a0 Mark 1: 21 – 28 You have the latent power and authority to change the world for good. Mark tells us that the first thing Jesus did when he began his ministry was to gather disciples. And the reader of the Gospel will observe that disciples are present at every point in Jesus\u2019 public ministry, right up until the Crucifixion. Jesus\u2019 past and present disciples are critical to the proclamation of the Gospel. Now Mark tells us that Jesus was a teacher and that he taught with authority. He (Jesus) entered the synagogue and taught.\u00a0 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. [Mk 1: 21b & 22]\u00a0 Jesus\u2019 teaching had a big impact on those who heard him. Not only was Jesus an amazing teacher he was an awesome teacher. At the beginning of his teaching ministry the unclean spirits identify Jesus. The demonic spirit in the man knows who Jesus is and what he can do. In the ancient world calling someone by their name and identifying who they are was seen as act of power and control over them. This \u2018spirit\u2019 not only knows Jesus\u2019 earthly name but also knows his heavenly title \u2013 \u2018the Holy one of God\u2019. Those present would have understood that the \u2018unclean spirit\u2019 was powerful. But without hesitation Jesus drives out this \u2018spirit\u2019.\u00a0 This incident is not incidental to Jesus\u2019 teaching.\u00a0 The exorcism shows Jesus as an authoritative teacher has power over evil.\u00a0 So the crowd kept on asking one another, \u201cWhat is this? A new teaching\u2014with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him\u201d. [Mk 1: 27]\u00a0 So Mark has provided us with another word picture of Jesus. Jesus has announced that the Kingdom of God was close, he has gathered disciples, who are so important to his ministry, and demonstrates that he teaches with authority and power. Now a kingdom is impossible without authority, and authority is useless without power. This is what Jesus is doing.\u00a0 He declares that the Kingdom of God is present and he has the authority and power to constitute that kingdom.\u00a0 The presence of the Kingdom is seen in Jesus and his disciples when they do the will of God: just as we pray, \u201cyour kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven\u201d.\u00a0 So let us look at the relationship between authority and power.\u00a0 The simplest way to illustrate the difference between authority and power is to place to pictures side by side. There is the truck driver in a huge vehicle. Driving on the road the truck driver has enormous power in his hands. When we are on the road we make sure we are not in the truck\u2019s path. In our hands we may have a 4×4, car, motorcycle or bicycle, all have various rates of power but none have the power to stop the truck driver. However a person can \u2013 a police person can stop that truck by putting up their hand. Wow, that\u2019s power. The policeman has the authority to do what no one else can do \u2013 stop the truck.\u00a0 The policeman has been given the authority to do so by the government and carries the power of the government in this simple action. The truck driver has power but has very limited authority in contrast to the policeman. That picture of the police-person having the authority to stop the powerful truck helps us understand how Jesus appeared to the people of his day.\u00a0 There Jesus was. Whatever he might have looked like and whatever personal \u2018presence\u2019 he might have had, he had authority over that which all others feared\u00a0 – the demonic powers. Mark tells us that Jesus had authority and power. Power and authority are related terms but also different. \u00a0 Authority is a power that is derived from another. Authority flows one way and downwards. Authority carries a delegated power.\u00a0 Authority is given to us by another to act. So when we speak of Jesus\u2019 authority we are speaking of a power given to him by God the Creator.\u00a0 At another level Jesus is God so it is his authority. What I understand is that to speak of Jesus having authority is to recognise that Jesus is subject to the Trinity. That is, Jesus is not merely an individual acting on behalf of himself. Jesus is subject to the vision and plan of the Triune God. Therefore his power is not his alone but the power of the God-head and the Kingdom of God. The Gospel writers tell about Jesus\u2019s authority and power in a few clear sentences.\u00a0 Mark tells us that the people were saying;\u00a0 \u201cA new teaching\u2014with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him\u201d [Mk 1: 27].\u00a0 Luke reports that the people were saying; with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come [Lk 4: 36]. Jesus not only had authority but the power over the spiritual realm. Power is a broader concept than authority. Whereas authority is the right to exercise power, power is the ability to influence and change situations. Power is not necessarily delegated.\u00a0 Just being given the authority to influence and change is not sufficient. So our police-person who steps into the road to stop the truck does so in a manner that exudes confidence, belief and commitment.\u00a0 The police-person doesn\u2019t half-heartedly raise their hand. They act with conviction and commitment to the task given to them. They are the government\u2019s agents who are given power to act in a certain way. \u00a0 There is an integration of the way they present themselves, their dress, the confidence of their actions and the belief in the authority and power they carry. There must be some integration between the authority given and the person they are. Importantly their actions must also be consistent with a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Leighmoor.Master","author_link":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/author\/leighmoor-master"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Sermons<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"The latent power within. Deuteronomy 18: 15 – 20;\u00a0 Mark 1: 21 – 28 You have the latent power and authority to change the world for good. Mark tells us that the first thing Jesus did when he began his ministry was to gather disciples. And the reader of the Gospel will observe that disciples…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2508"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2509,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2508\/revisions\/2509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}