Session 6
Matthew 7:15-29
Memory Verse: Matthew 7:24
Sometime along the way, authority became a four-letter word.
Some historians point to the rebellious and riotous 1960s.
Still others point to postmodern influences and the belief
that everyone defines right and wrong for themselves.
Whatever the cause, many people have a negative view of authority
in any form.
People in Jesus’s day lived in an atmosphere of totalitarian authority.
Politically, Rome and its governors dominated regions like Israel.
Spiritually, Jewish religious leaders exerted their own coercive authority.
The common folks knew both were inherently false.
But Jesus’s audiences heard something different.
He spoke with genuine authority, unlike the Jewish teachers.
In Jesus, the people found an authentic voice, a voice of true authority they could accept and follow.
When we need to get it right, we often turn to the “authority.”
The authority is supposedly the most knowledgeable
and experienced person in his or her field.
The authorities are the ones you count on to have the correct information and skills.
To be recognized as an authority in an area of expertise is a unique honor.
When that person speaks, people generally pay close attention. (PSG, p. 58)
When Jesus taught, people were amazed
because He had an authority they had never experienced.
His words carried power, and the traditions and teachings
of the religious leaders simply could not hold a candle
to the kingdom principles He explained.
That authority made Jesus’s instructions important
in the first century, but they are just as important today.
We still need to hear Him and acknowledge His authority
in our lives by obeying Him.
This session highlights contrasting lifestyles.
We can experience the joy of following God’s way or face the consequences of going our own way.