Recognize The Authority Of Jesus
Text: Luke 4:31-32
Jesus had been in His hometown of Nazareth and received an unwelcome response when He claimed to be the Messiah. In fact, the people in the synagogue were enraged at Him, drove Him out of town, and even wanted to throw Him over a cliff. After getting out of this situation, He then went to Capernaum and taught the people there. Unlike those in Nazareth, these people recognized Jesus’s teaching as being a message with authority. Then, after Jesus rebuked an unclean spirit to come out of a man, the people were again filled with amazement over the authority and power of Jesus’s words.
Although you cannot hear Jesus speak in the same way the people of Nazareth and Capernaum did, you can still hear His words. These words are found in the pages of the New Testament. In fact, the Scriptures teach that it is not just the “red letter” words (that typically indicate the words Jesus directly spoke) that are Jesus’s words. Instead, all the words throughout the New Testament letters are Jesus’s words, as revealed through the Holy Spirit. So, whenever you hear these words, you will have a choice to make. You will either be like the people of Nazareth who dismissed Jesus’s authority or like the people of Capernaum who accepted His authority.
Today’s response to hearing God’s word is this: Recognize the authority of Jesus. You must not dismiss the words you read in the Bible as being mere suggestions or advice. Rather, they are truly the words spoken by the Son of God who created this world with His words and will judge the world according to the words He has spoken! If you will view His words in this authoritative way, you will let them work powerfully in you to transform your life and save you from sin. For, you will view His words as the words of the Son of God, Messiah, and King who has the complete authority over every aspect of your life!
